What have been your musical epiphany moments? Greetings from Sweet Crystal! Epiphany? As a band, we have a love and affiliation with the men and women of the Armed Services. When we perform live, we always acknowledge the veterans and families of vets before we play our patriotic salute to them with our song 'Warriors'...and when we finish, to see the tears in the eyes of the audience who feel like we do...that is a moment that helps us realize the path we're taking musically is exactly where we are meant to be. A reoccurring epiphany indeed.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?Even after all this years, the guys get together every week to rehearse, jam and write. There are mountains of ideas (all recorded during rehearsals) that we regularly revisit to see what riffs and chord patterns jump out to our ears. The thinking is - if it moves us musically, it should resonate well with our fans and friends. Some ideas are just throwaways... but quite often we will listen back and look at each other smiling and shaking our heads "Yup...that's pretty good". We take those ideas and polish them to a very Sweet Crystal sheen. So it's the music that comes first, then I (Q) take those ideas, arrange them and get to work on the theme and lyrics.
Who has influenced you the most?We started out totally influenced by the progressive rock English music scene of the 60's and 70's: bands like Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis, Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep all left their musical marks on our writing and playing. In the 70's, we started listened to a lot of American bands like Kansas, Journey, Rush and Spock's Beard to keep our creative juices flowing. This new single 'Whatever Is Needed, Whatever It Takes' continues where last year's "7th HEAVEN" left off: it's a rock anthem of hope and inspiration featuring our signature guitar sounds, synth melodies, straight ahead drumming with just a few hundred chanting fans thrown in for good measure.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?Being a 26 time Detroit Music Award winning Christian rock band here in the Motor City, of course we get a lot lyric inspiration from the Bible. But we are also here to reach out to a world with songs of hope and inspiration; a musical light at the end of every dark tunnel you might be going through because chances are good - we've gone through those very same tunnels ourselves and definitely have found a way out. It's those experiences in our lives that have come out successfully that give us the ideas for the songs.
We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?Basically, we are considered a Detroit band and have been since we started this journey. In the beginning, we opened up for such classic rock acts as Bob Seger, Foghat, Nazareth, Steppenwolf and many more before finding our true path into the Christian music field. As we approach our Golden Jubilee (50 years of Sweet Crystal!!), we realize we are just as tough and enduring as Detroit - a city that's been up, then down and now rising up again!
Where'd the band name come from?The name of the band reflects the message of our music and mission referring to passages in the Book Of Revelation that describe a river of sweet water flowing out from the throne of God, clear as crystal. Sounded like an amazing sight to see and place to be...so we adopted it and never looked back!
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?
Sweet Crystal has actually had songs in feature films and cable shows so we love the idea of soundtrack work. A movie that has already been out but needs to be 'Crystalized' or a new project? Any of the 'Jurassic Park' franchise flicks would definitely work for us!
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000-word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?A thousand word essay on our current single 'Whatever Is Needed, Whatever It Takes' would be easy to pen. The song discusses both what is going on in the world and what our role needs to be going forward. With so much conflict and turmoil everywhere we look, we need a more clear direction and solution to what we face and we hope this song is the first step for many in a unified move forward.
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?The band was once booked at a rowdy country bar (unknown to us at the time) where the stage was behind a wire mesh barrier. Why? Because the patrons had a nightly ritual of throwing drinks and bottles at the band even if they loved them. A definite unnerving experience worthy of the Tap!
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you and for your fans?As a band and entertainer, it's always a good idea to present your best both in performance and appearance because if you take your fans serious, then you should always want to give them the very best 'you' that you can. We hope that the music, message and words we sing live will make a difference to everyone who hears them. Our music is about us, but it's also about them. We hope everyone who attends a Sweet Crystal show to come away feeling better about themselves, knowing that whatever they are dealing with, chances are we've dealt with it as well.
What makes a great song?You don't need to chase current trends in mainstream music, but do stay true to yourself as an artist because if your music doesn't speak to you, as the writer/performer, how well will it speak to new listeners? There are so many ways to get yourself out there...but always remember that thousands of others doing exactly the same thing so take heart, do what you do with a good attitude and appreciate what comes your way. Don't put the media and websites on a pedestal in your life but as simple creative rungs on your ladder along the way.
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?The first song we wrote was called 'Warlords" and was recorded and released right at the beginning of our journey. 8 tracks of analog goodness, all mixed down to a vinyl 45 that today commands a decent price on eBay if you can even find a copy. Funny thing - it is still one of our strongest Spotify streams even after all these decades. Pretty sweet if you ask us.
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?'Prisoner, Unbound' from our 'III' release is one of the most progressive (music style) and lyrically dense songs we've written. It takes a lifelong musical journey from despair to jubilation with a lot of big guitars and orchestration that is a joy to play live. We will often en d our shows with this song, as when it finishes, well it's a definite peak in the show. Leave the audience asking for more.
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
Neal Morse (Spock's Beard; Transatlantic; Flying Colors; more) continues to put out incredibly thoughtful and insightful songs, rich in both production and lyric content. No idea how one man can be so prolific but every project of his just strikes the right chords with everyone in Sweet Crystal.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?We still like CDs for a couple of reasons. It's a physical 'take-away' for our fans at our live shows and it's also one way everyone can monetarily support their favorite bands. Digital (streaming) doesn't pay the artists well for all their hard work and vinyl is still somewhat of a niche item.
Whiskey or beer? And defend your choiceWell this question may not get the answer you'd like...because the guys in Sweet Crystal don't really drink adult beverages. Can we still come to your party? We'll bring cake.
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?Hands down while in the D, you have to visit Third Man Records Cass Corridor (https://thirdmanrecords.com/pages/detroit-store). Founded by Jack White (yup - THE Jack White), it's way more than just a record store, it's a Detroit experience not to be missed!
What's next for the band?What are we hoping for next? More new songs are already in pre-production for our next full release '8' [slated for third quarter 2024]. This time around we will be featuring more lead vocals from Bill (guitarist), which will make it even sweeter. Looking for even more ways to get our music, message, mission and ministry out into an increasingly dark world looking for hope and light! With 26 Detroit Music Awards under our belt, we think it's time to aim for some Dove and Grammy Awards. Basically, we plan to remain exactly who we are for as long as can.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?Our trademarked slogan "Reaching The World, One Song At A Time" ™ pretty much says it all about our music, message, mission and ministry. We are here to reach out to a world with songs of hope and inspiration; a musical light at the end of every dark tunnel you might be going through because chances are good - we've gone through those very same tunnels ourselves and definitely have found a way out.
WEBSITE: www.sweetcrystal.com
SPOTIFY: http://tinyurl.com/y76vcpqg
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/sweet_crystal
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/c/SweetCrystal
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/SweetCrystalBand
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/sweet_crystal
REVERBNATION: www.reverbnation.com/sweetcrystal
