International Pop Overthrow Artist Interview – Crazy Mary

Pop Geek Heaven (PGH)  is all about helping artists highlight their most recent projects, so let us all know what your latest project is – and tell us about how it come into the world. What has the initial feedback on it been like?

Guitarist and songwriter Charles Kibel (CK): Our latest recording is Dreaming In Brilliant Color.  The Genesis it of began in April of 2011 when I purchased a 1963 Gretch 6120 and in a fit of inspiration, composed seven of the songs featured on the album in a day and a half, and the sweet tone of that guitar, the same one that John Lennon plays on Rain, is captured in the body of the songs.  We’ve gotten so many great reviews, some of which are posted on our website, but the most rewarding experience is when we perform the songs live, there is such amazing audience response.

The Recording Process:  There are so many interesting ways that music projects come into the world these days compared with what artists had to struggle through years ago.  Take us on the creative arc of how this project came into being and any wisdom that you learned along the way.  Also, what were some of the obstacles or struggles that you encountered when you were working on the project?

CK: For me, coming up with the music is the easiest part of the process, especially so on Dreaming In Brilliant Color in which most songs were written in a very quick time frame.  Coming up with lyrics is a lot more arduous.  I wrote some lyrics by myself, gave some to Emma Zakarevicius, the lead singer, to write giving her a catch phrase to work with, and we collaborated on one or two.  In addition Walter Steding, the fiddle player, brought in two songs, Emma one and two originated as spontaneous jams in the studio, Nick’s New Groove and The Big F.  The recording process went very smoothly. We went to Kaleidoscope Sound in Union City, NJ for the first time with our longtime engineer Michael Caiati who used to own Coyote Recording Studios in Brooklyn with his brother.  We did the basic tracks in two days, and vocal and instrumental overdubbing went as scheduled.  Michael and Parker the keyboardist has some good ideas to enliven the tracks. This was our eighth recording session and we have our methodology down.  

Are there any particular songs on this project that are special to you or communicate a message that you’d like to share here?

CK: I love the groove in Lonesome As A Train (the track on the IPO compilation).  It had elements of blues, country and reggae and is so much fun to play live.  People always get up and dance, even self-conscious New Yorkers.  It’s basically a song about someone at war and longing for their partner.  Come On Let’s Go really rocks hard and is another live favorite of ours.  The most pleasantly surprising result was Nick’s New Groove.  We wrote it on the spot in the studio and it was a laid back funky groove.  Then we added all these weird psychedelic effects like backwards fiddle playing and speaking which we had to meticulously edit while mixing because there was so much of it.

As we all know, the music industry has been devastated for many reasons over the past 10 years, what are you thoughts on these changes and are you finding some of the changes helpful to you with getting more people to hear your music?

CK: Well, the biggest change from records, then CDs to digital is that you no longer need a recording contract to get your stuff sold via iTunes.  We use podcasters and social media to get out stuff out there, but I still believe the best way to get your music listened to is to play live shows and mingle with other bands in your city so that they support you and their fans become your fans.  We have a lot of bands in New York that want to gig with us which is such a compliment.

Along the lines of this discussion, it would be really interesting to get your thoughts on what you think the future of ‘music enjoyment’ will look like in the coming years?  How do you personally enjoy and ‘consume’ music?  Any trends you’ve noticed with your own habits compared to, say, 10 years ago?

CK: I still have a huge LP collection from when I was a kid.  It’s great that buying records has come back in fashion, but I do have an iPod for the convenience of it.

We would love to hear what your plans are with your next project – Are you going to a full CD, an EP or just release songs as you finish them.? Release them digital only or combine physical with the digital or what?

CK: I’ve been recording some demo tracks over the past year or so but none have any lyrics yet and we haven’t really rehearsed any of them yet.  I’ll have to weed through and pick the good stuff.  We are starting to get antsy about doing another CD so I’m sure it will happen in a while, but for the next two months we have a lot of live shows lined up so we’re concentrating on that. We were lucky enough to be given a March residency at Otto’s Shrunken Head, which is not easy to score in New York City.

What are you finding that is working well for your music right now that others may find interesting to hear about?

CK: We’re trying to play a lot of shows.  As I mentioned before it’s important to connect with other bands in your area, and support them.

Okay – time for some light humor!  Spinal Tap Moment: dig deep. Locate. Relive. Share that special ‘trauma’ with all of us!

CK: When we were starting out we were selected to play the NEMO festival in Boston.  Back then we had our friend dress in a costume that resembled a psychedelic hulas dancer with dreadlocks. We also had an elaborate light show.  Well we got to the club and our lighting guy took to the lengthy task of setting up the lights, which included blacklights and strobes. The club wasn’t pleased with how long the setup was taking but eventually we were ready and started playing. We’re into the second or third song when, all of a sudden, everything went quiet and dark.  We blew the power in the club.  All the preparation, travel, hotel rooms and we were done after two songs.

Is there a particular musician(s) you’d love to collaborate with – and why?

 CK: The Rolling Stones or Keith Richards because I don’t think anyone else comes close to the songs they’ve recorded, not to mention the cultural changes they precipitated.

Advance apologies: the so-called ‘classic’ questions.   What other artists and bands have influenced your music and any particular reason why? Also, push come to shove: “Your Top 5 Albums Of All Time”?  (Pop Geeks really are interested in this, trust us!)

CK: In addition to the Stones a few I’ll mention are The Velvet Underground, The Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, The Clash, Lee Scratch Perry, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Charlie Patton.  My five favorite albums are all Stones records: Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile On Main Street, Beggars Banquet and Out Of Our Heads.

We’re always trying to find new music discover here at PGH – what are some of your favorite music releases of the last few years?

 CK: I like some of the New York bands with whom we’ve had the privilege of playing.  Check out The Purslaines and Red Gretchen.  You can find both of them at Reverbnation and Facebook.

Yes, it would be great if most indie musicians could work on music full-time but the reality rarely the case for most of them.  I am always asked by music fans, what are the careers or full-time jobs that the musicians of the music they are listening to do…so ‘what’s your main gig?!’

CK: Architect

Okay, last question:  Where can we hear more of your music and any other releases you have?

CK:  All of our releases (8 studio and 2 remixes) are available at many digital outlets including iTunes and Amazon.  If you want actual CDs, go to CD Baby.  We have a few free MP3s on our website crazymary.com.  Live recordings can be found on FaceBook and youtube.