Interview with Crash Kings lead vocalist and keyboardist Tony Beliveau

Crash Kings lead vocalist and keyboardist Tony Beliveau took some time out of his busy schedule to speak with me about the band. The Crash Kings have had quite a ride over the past few years. In that time their self-titled release caught the world’s attention and their single, “Mountain Man” subsequently topped out at No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs Chart. Quite an amazing feat for a band that has only been around for about four years. This hard rock trio really knows how to crank out kicking, grooving tunes that rock fans everywhere can’t seem to get enough of. Here is how the conversation with Beliveau went.

Now that you have had some time to live with your debut release. Is there anything you wish you would have done differently or that you would like to change?
Tony: There isn’t much we would change from that record. It seemed like a great way to showcase our ability as rock musicians.

By gaining a major label deal at such an early point in your career it’s clear that record execs see a lot of potential in your abilities. How did you not let that sort of pressure get to you were writing for the record?
Tony: We had two years to write that album. There was no pressure at all! By the time we were offered the deal from Custard/Universal Motown, we already had over 20 songs to choose from for the first record.

Are there any tracks on the disc that are personal favorites or that have good stories behind them?
Tony: One of my favorite songs is “Non Believer.” I wrote the chorus to that song on a guitar in New Zealand in 2004. I recorded it onto a mini tape recorder, and I would record other little songs in my apartment. Years later, the mini tape cassette was discovered and found by my brother, Mike. He called me up one night and said there was this part in a song that he liked, and that we should us that for a new Crash Kings song. There may be some interesting stuff on there to look at for our next record.

What are some of the lessons you’ve learned since recording this disc?
Tony: Music is a game for us. We make it as challenging as we can, and try to get to the next level.

How quick are you in the studio? Can you usually knock things out in a couple of takes?
Tony: It varies for us. Jason had all the drums for our record done in 5 days. Mike took 5 I think. I took longer on the pianos, because I kept either breaking strings or throwing the piano way out of tune.

Do you decide on a suitable sound fairly quickly, or do you tend to tweak tones obsessively?
Tony: We find a suitable sound relatively quickly and then it’s up to the engineers to get it to match what our ears want to hear.

How has the band matured since you first started recording together?
Tony: We basically tried our best to master our album live. We’ve been touring a lot over the last year, and that’s made us tighter as a band.

What are some of the songs you get the best audience response to?
Tony: “Mountain Man” still probably gets the best response. I think we get a great response from our fans on all our songs!

What kind of touring plans do you have for the rest of the year and the beginning of 2011?
Tony: Have no plans to tour after this tour with Anberlin and Civil Twilight.

Any closing words?
Tony: We are the best band in the entire whole wide world. Thank you.  [ END ]