IT’S GOTTA BE POP
By Kurt Baker
Welcome back to another edition of the “It’s Gotta Be Pop” blog! Please pardon my absence as of late! The last few months were spent gallivanting around the continent of Europe eating as much cheese, drinking loads of beer and smooching as many beautiful women as humanly possible, while also playing some great shows with my group in support of my last record “Rockin’ For A Living”! But now the tour is over and we are back at home, and for the new year of 2012 I decided that it was time to get this blog back in action! For the first post of the new year, I wanted to interview a group I found out about not to long ago thanks to a good music loving buddy named Greg Mongroll… upon first listen to their tracks, I became an instant fan. The band is called The CRY! And they will make you do just the opposite as their name suggests. You’ll be all giddy with joy! I mean, unless of course you don’t like Pop music, which would lead me to question why you are even reading the blog in the first place! Any hoot…
The CRY! are not fucking around. They burst out of Portlandia, Oregon’s gates in 2011 and have since brewed up quite a buzz in the underground Power Pop/Punk Rock scene. Their debut album has been raved about on many various music blogs and message boards around the world, and I can’t wait to hear and see what comes next for these guys. By combining the classic sound and energy of late 70’s Punk with some masterful Beach Boys harmonies and 60’s pop influence, the CRY! have come up with a formula that is appealing and fun, and one that legions of Power Pop fans new and old can most certainly enjoy. I got to chat with CRY! bassist Dave Berkham and here is how it went.. enjoy!
Hey Dave! How’s it going man? Well, let’s get things started. Introduce the masses to the CRY! Who’s who and how did you guys come into formation?
Kurt, things are going great! Love your new record! Well, let’s see. We got Ray on rhythm guitar and vocals, Brian on lead guitar and vocals, Maus on the drums, and I play bass and sing as well. I was recruited basically. I had been playing in another band at the time, and Ray and Brian digged my songwriting in the band and came to see us play one night at a club. Basically, they came up to me afterwards and asked if I could jam sometime. I had gotten that a lot before after shows, so I didn’t think anything of it, until they started hitting me up asking to meet with me and talk about stuff. So one day, we met up at a pizza parlor and I went over to Ray’s and played their songs and immediately noticed the awesome songwriting the two had together. I was in 100% from then on.
Tell me a little bit about the town you hail from – Portland, Oregon. I must be honest here and tell you that the town I live in, Portland, Maine gets mistaken for your city all the time! Historically, we were the first Portland, but musically your guys on the West Coast are totally kickin’ our asses when it comes to a Rock n’ Roll Power Pop Scene. What do you think makes Portland, OR so special when it comes to harboring so many great bands in the genre of Power Pop/ Punk Rock/ New Wave?
Portland is a really great, friendly place to live. Honestly, there’s not a whole lot for people to do here, and that’s why I think there are a lot of bands. It gives them a creative outlet, and scenes stick together because of that. I also think a lot of the boredom has lead people to explore deeper into music and somehow they like power pop mostly. I’m not exactly sure why we have had and have so many good power pop bands from the Northwest, but I don’t really wonder, I just enjoy.
How has being from Portland, OR benefited the CRY! in the short time you guys have been a band?
The scene in Portland has been really good to us. Ray, Brian, Maus, and I all came from different music scenes, mainly different punk ones around town. All those people have now become friends with one another through our music. It’s really awesome, and I think it’s just having the support of our old friends and our new ones that has boosted us up at this point.
Your debut self titled album “The CRY!” contains 12 rockin’ punk pop nuggets.. Right off the bat, any fan of the dearly missed Exploding Hearts would go nuts over this stuff.. but you guys definitely have a sound of your own. Briefly describe what went into the songwriting, recording and making of the album.
It’s funny you mention that. First off, Guitar Romantic changed my life when I first heard it, and it’s one of my ‘desert island’ discs. The Exploding Hearts are definitely a giant influence on our music, but we aren’t trying to become the “new” Exploding Hearts. We are just trying to be “The CRY!” When I joined the band, Ray and Brian had spent a year or so I believe writing songs. We started off rehearsing to those ones that they had written and recorded them at the beginning of the next year. We recorded six original songs and our cover of “Henry the VIII” with our old drummer Johnny Martinez in January of 2010. Soon after, Johnny couldn’t do the band anymore and had to leave, and our now current drummer, Evan “Maus” Mersky, asked if he could play with us. We had him fill in for a video shoot we did one day, and then later jammed and we had great chemistry. From then on, Maus was in the band. We kept practicing the six originals and started learning new songs, and writing and we eventually recorded another six originals in July of 2010. The recording process was really fun both times. I just remember being excited from beginning to end.
The Beach Boys are a big influence on your tunes… most specifically pre-Pet Sounds Beach Boys… what are some of your favorite Beach Boys tunes and albums? Have you ever delved into their 70’s stuff? Some of it is pretty awesomely hilarious/amazing! What other groups would you say are big influences on the sound of The CRY!?
Oh boy, some of my favorite tracks are, “Don’t Worry Baby,” “Wouldn’t it Be Nice,” “God Only Knows,” “Get Around,” “Surfer Girl,” kinda the classics but there are too many to name. I personally love all the songs that Carl Wilson sang. He had such a beautiful voice. We all have different influences, but some of my influences are actually bands like Big Star, The Beatles, The Small Faces, Del Shannon, and Teenage Fanclub, and I also love 60’s garage punk. We all kind of connect with our love of 70’s powerpop, like Protex, The Boys, and The Records, and especially the ’77 rock ‘n’ roll stuff.
Listening to your music gives me the feeling that you guys must love hangin’ out, drinkin’ beer and rockin’ out to vinyl records as much as I do. Is this true? (I hope so!)
You got that right! We are all best friends. We hang out almost everyday, and always get together at my apartment or Ray’s parents’ house and play guitars, listen to records, and party!
How was your experience at the Seattle International Pop Overthrow? I once played one in Boston and had a blast, yet I noticed an overwhelming abundance of 40- year old men in huge top hats pretending to be Andy Strumer (of Jellyfish)! This is all well and good, but you guys are a lot younger. Do you feel like there is a new resurgence of punky power pop music starting to make a buzz and cause excitement these days, and do you guys feel the importance of making this genre “cool” again for a younger generation of music lovers?
The Seattle IPO was really a lot of fun! We have a lot of great friends up in Seattle and they came out and saw us that night. David Bash is a great guy. I met him when I was in my previous band, and he is just a humble, nice guy. He has helped us out a lot and was nice enough to add us to the bill last minute on a good word from one of my friends. I definitely think music today if very manufactured and talentless. The business has changed so much, it seems unless you have a pretty face, you won’t be appreciated. I’m all for a Rock ‘N’ Roll revolution! I would love to see bands that we enjoy nowadays make it big, and classic bands we love to make a resurgence!
What are some current bands you guys are diggin’ these days?
We all loved Atlanta’s “The Booze,” it’s so sad they are no more. I really enjoy some local bands, Blue Skies For Black Hearts, Beyond Veronica, Mean Jeans, Youthbitch, and other bands like The Red Button, The Shy Ones, The Blue Ribbon Boys, Chains of Love, and The Shimmering Stars. All the other boys have their own favorites.
What’s next for you guys? Any US or international tours? New releases? You’ve got get out to the East Coast!
Well, we just got a deal for our album to be pressed to vinyl from a small label in Japan, called SP Records, so we’ll have a few copies of that our upcoming shows and for sale in March. Our goals for the year are to tour, get our music out there, and hopefully write enough material and/or record a new album. We hopefully will get over to the East Coast and Midwest sometime this year!
How and where would one go about listening, purchasing and enjoying the music of the CRY!?
We have albums for sale directly on our website, on our Facebook page, on iTunes and pretty much every digital distribution sites. The album is under “Introducing: The CRY!” on iTunes. Or at our shows if you come see us, that helps us the most! We have to order a second pressing of CD’s soon!
Thanks so much Dave! Hope we can party soon!
I hope so too Kurt!
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Must <3 POP!!!