Punk, metal, rockers CrashDollz have released their self-titled debut, played shows, and are in the process of releasing all new material soon. Guitarist Rachel Rekkit discusses about their debut album, how the band came about, and future plans.
1. Can I get a backstory on the band/ band biography?
Rachel: Nikki Darling (singer) was the one originally looking to start a new band in 2010 and had an ad running for a guitar player which I answered. There was an insane amount of chemistry immediately when we met but it took us quite a while to figure out what we were going to do with it. We were both into punk a lot and I was also into hard rock and metal being that the guitar playing was more challenging in those genres. We decided to try and put the 2 together like peanut butter and chocolate, almost like an experiment at first. I started writing musical ideas that were these weird hybrids and we knew then that we were ready to get a rhythm section. We got Brian Kaos and he was the perfect hard-hitting precision drummer we needed and that's when the first songs that had the CrashDollz sound started to come together. Our original bass player Ron Krash was with us for a couple years but left back in August over scheduling difficulties and we got our new bass player Kevin Krank who is a powerhouse and rounds the band out to perfection. Its funny though that when we first came out ,we really didn't know if anyone would even like it until we got it onto stages and people instantly reacted. I remember just holding my breath after we finished the first song at the first show waiting to see if the audience was going to applaud or just be silent. There's video of that on YouTube somewhere. We loved what we were doing and it was like we were trying to make the music that we wanted to hear that no one had done but it was nerve-wracking for a while feeling that people might totally hate it. It was awesome to see such a great reaction and that apparently people were wanting to hear that music as much as we were.
2. How did you guys come up with your band name?
Rachel: We tossed band name ideas around for months trying to get the perfect one. We did a lot of mashing 2 words together which in some ways is the root of this band. Pushing punk and metal together. I knew the second I read CrashDollz out loud that it was right. I wanted it to roll off the tongue really easy and it did.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there?
Rachel: We're based out of the Detroit area. The scene is finally starting to thrive more than it was when we started. It was very cut throat when we first came on the scene and the bands really weren't working together to build any kind of scene. Its getting better now but still most Detroit bands are scared to death of playing a show with us. They should be too cuz we blow them offstage so hard its stupid.
4. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?
Rachel: We're not really a big "message" band generally though if there is one theme that recurs in our songs it's the message of female empowerment. Women can rock and rock HARD. You don't have to play it pretty or worry if your lipsticks right. Get on the stage and kick the shit out of the guys in the other bands. That's our message.
5. What bands have influenced your band and its sound?
Rachel: Nirvana, Van Halen, Iggy Pop, Julliette and the Licks, The Beatles, Sex Pistols.
6. Is there any story or concept behind wanting to Self-Title this release?
Rachel: Not really. We're introducing ourselves to the world so we wanna make sure the band name sticks in your head.
7. Who produced this release what was it like working with them?
Rachel: K-Watt (ex bassist of 10-96) produced it and it was a nightmare. It was like giving birth to 10 children at once. I'm still fuckin sore.
8. Who did the cover art for this release and how much input did you have on it?
Rachel: We designed the CD art ourselves and we were very hard to work with. Seriously though, a number of great photographers provided us with a wealth of killer pictures so it was fairly easy to put it together. We present well visually.
9. What's your favorite song on the album right now?
Rachel: Novocaine.
10. Do you guys have any new music in the works as far as a follow-up release?
Rachel: Yes, we're about halfway deep into the writing of a second release and are currently playing some of those songs live now like "Activate" and "Stab The Ground".
11. What are your upcoming touring/show plans?
Rachel: We've been playing regionally for a couple years in the Midwest but are currently working on expanding that out further. We're currently touring the Midwest through February and will be back out in April and through the spring and summer. We've got so many show offers out of state, we're just trying to find a way to connect the dots. Stay tuned. :)
12. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Rachel: You can get our CD and other merchandise at crashdollz.com and you can listen to us on Bandcamp and other places. We're available for download pretty much everywhere (iTunes, Amazon, Tunecore, etc) and we're currently on MTV.com and NME.com as new artists.
13. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Rachel: That we bled for this stuff. We don't toss a few chords together and lean on the stage show or image. That's all frosting. We really twisted ourselves into pretzels to write and perform these songs the way they are. We lived this stuff and it has a visceral reality to it that's no joke. If people only knew the toll it took for us to write these songs and make this band what it is.14. What can the fans expect to see from you in the future?
Bigger shows, bigger tours, more chaos and recklessness and the CrashDollz bulldozer pulling into your town.
15. Any final words of wisdom?
Rachel: Don't chew gum while you play guitar, don't use the word "love" unless you mean it, eat more sweet tarts and always stay naked in your underwear.
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