PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Midland rock crew CRIMSON STAR drop their new EP, Bay View, on 19th Jan. We had the boys in for a chat….
What is the full band lineup, who plays what? James Shaw (Guitar/Vocals), Roger Ash (Bass), Ross Edgington (Drums/Vocals).
How and when did the band form? The band was formed in late 2012 by Jay and Ross, after various bassists and guitarists (we were initially a 4-piece!) Roj completed the line up in early 2016. From then we jumped straight into the studio to record our first EP “Driven” with Romesh Dodangoda, it was from there that we started to get our hard driven sound and come into our groove!
When and how did the band really start gelling and solidifying? It was literally when Roj joined the band, he brought a big bass sound which we loved and we knew that was the direction we wanted to go. From the first time we jammed we didn’t bother working on covers to get used to playing together, we worked on new songs and still do!
What are your musical influences? As a band QOTSA, Muse and Soundgarden are bands we love for their distinctive sound! As individuals we all listen to a wide variety of different types of music, especially when drunk! The idea is to listen to as much different music as possible so when we come to writing songs it comes out more colourful.
Where did the name of band come from? The name is from a song title of a previous band Jay and Ross were in, a Metal band called Forlorn!
How far back does your history with each other (the band members) extend? are you friends from school or any family relations? Jay and Ross went to the same High School and started jamming together at the age of 15! We started a metal band called Forlorn in 2006 where we crossed paths with Roj who was in a metal band called Broken Faith, so we’ve known each other for over a decade but only started playing together in the last couple of years.
Where have you played or toured? We’ve played with Detroit Rockers Wilson and UK Rock band Tax The Heat, both at the Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton and both shows were near sell outs! There’s no better feeling than playing to a room full of people!
In your opinion, how is your band different from all the other bands out there? It’s our original sound, we play hard driven rock but still have a lot of melody in our music. People can’t seem to pigeon hole us which we think is a good thing. All the reviews we’ve had back so far for the new EP are each saying different influences which is a relief. We’d hate it if people were saying we sounded exactly like another band or compared us to Nickelback!!!
If a deaf person were to ask you to describe the sound of your music, how would you describe it? Like a beautiful car driving extremely fast across the Californian desert!
Do you have a tour on the horizon? No, but we are praying to the music gods that one happens! We’d love the opportunity to get our music out there to loads of people!
Where can we find your social media sites? You can find everything on our website: www.crimsonstarrocks.com
