THE QUESTIONS

Artist Information

Biography

THE QUESTIONS are a 4 piece band from Detroit, Michigan who specialize in a no boundaries approach to their brand of rock 'n' roll. Their music has been labeled as "Grunge", "Political Punk", "Garage", "Junkyard Blues" and " Beatnik Americana" by the press, but at the end of the day is too diverse to categorize. They are well known for their political activism and their humanitarian fund raising efforts, raising large amounts of cash for a diverse array of charity causes across America and beyond. Since the bands creation they have organized a wide variety of political protests, town hall meetings, underground music/poetry festivals, various rally's, mystic seance's to contact the spirit of Harry Houdini, and several other colorful large-scale events. It's safe to say The Questions are not your conventional rock 'n' roll band.
Singer/songwriter Drew Bardo is a published poet (www.loandbeholdpublications.com) and has been a part of recording projects with artists such as 1960's cultural icon & fellow Detroit poet John Sinclair--along with composing music for projects such as WONDERLAND ( a theatrical adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale Alice in Wonderland) with the Theatre Bizarre alum in Detroit throughout 2009.
Singer/songwriter Chris Krezz grew up traveling Europe with his opera singer Father and at one time received a full-ride scholarship to study Jazz and perform in the Wayne State University Music Program in Detroit, MI-- eventually abandoning this course for the more unconventional path and approach to music composition. Since the very beginning of their history, the band has been very much involved in the underground art community working extensively with a vast array of writers, sculptors, painters, burlesque dancers, and bizarre side-show acts across America--- all the while making appearances at many popular music festivals since their earliest incarnation in 2004. Their live shows are unpredictable and wild, and often blend musical genre's and theatrical elements into what has been referred to as "a dangerous primordial ceremony". The Questions are a very honest and real band, primordial, savage at times, and spare nothing against the established boundaries of authority.
They have appeared on almost every stage in and around the Motor City and have performed at premier clubs around the United States such as The Lit Lounge (NYC), One Eyed Jacks (New Orleans), Asbury Lanes (NJ), and MANY others. They have shared the stage with acts such as Dex Romweber ( Flat Duo Jets ), Everlast, Black Diamond Heavies, Dax Riggs, Humanwine, and just about every Detroit based band over the last 6 years.
They released CHASING THE LIGHT in November of 2011 and are currently promoting the record with a limited number of underground shows and weirdo art happenings.



Google: Drew Bardo (to learn more about the poet and the band)

Instrumentation

Drew Bardo - Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica
James "Pookie" Grech - Bass
William Randolph Linna - Percussion
Kris Krezz - Vocals, Trumpet, Guitar, keys

Discography

Chasing The Light (LP) 2011
Karma Tsunami (LP) 2007
Eyes That Hear and Ears That See (EP) 2005
Bout to Come Undone/Don't Have Long (7 inch) 2004


Songs in college radio rotation:

Bodhisaatva's Recognize
Debt To Bushco
Sun Will Rise Again
Absinthe & Oysters
In My Spare Time

Links

• MySpace
• Facebook
• Bandcamp

Audio

• GULF OF AMERICA
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• INTO THE WILD
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• ALCHEMY
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• APRIL FOOLS
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• RED HERRING
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• Bodhisaatva's Recognize
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• LORNA BLUE
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• THE GIRL W/THE GOLDEN EYELIDS
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• Debt To Bushco
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• CALIFORNIA STOMP
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Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Government Inquiry [+ Show ]
  

  "...On stage, Bardo and Linna use guitar, saxophone, organ, accordion, didgeridoo, wine jugs and rai..."...On stage, Bardo and Linna use guitar, saxophone, organ, accordion, didgeridoo, wine jugs and railroad lanterns. They sing and do spoken-word rants through megaphones, and invite collaborations from other musicians and poets. In Bardo's words, their performance is as a "ceremony of life that belongs more to the audience than to the shaman who leads it."
  
  The Questions are not, in case you haven't figured it out, a conventional music group with mere rock band ambitions..."

• The Questions [+ Show ]
  

  "...It is, to a degree, a sacrifice, as Questions singer/guitarist Drew Bardo has told me before. Th..."...It is, to a degree, a sacrifice, as Questions singer/guitarist Drew Bardo has told me before. This is less a typical rock show and more an expelling of demons, galvanizing the subconscious and making an offering to the gods.
  
  Drew may be shirtless when he slithers and struts onto the stage, his face concealed by a red Mardi Gras bird mask, brandishing a bull-horn and sermonizing freestyle poetry over the possessing rhythms of his accomplice and beatnik brother, Will Linna, whose face is enwrapped with a bandanna and sunglasses..."

• THE QUESTIONS Live @ The Blind Pig [+ Show ]
  

  "...The Questions started things out with a frenetic set of experimental psychabilly rock – think of..."...The Questions started things out with a frenetic set of experimental psychabilly rock – think of early Meat Puppets or Butthole Surfers with even more blues and less punk influences. They capped off their set by inviting Robbie Buxton of The BirdDogs and Dan Dannamo on stage to join in a Dead Kennedys-esque jam, at the end of which Drew Bardo dove off the stage while everyone else smashed up the drum kit. What a way to start the night!..."

• Bring 'em Home [+ Show ]
  

  "...Drew Bardo, singer and guitarist of local rock quartet The Questions, speaks to me of complacenc..."...Drew Bardo, singer and guitarist of local rock quartet The Questions, speaks to me of complacency, egocentricity and cruelty — three traits degenerating the human race, each sufficiently massaged and fed by the great numbing power of thin screens on glowing boxes spewing distorted information and a constant parade of distractions. But now, it is time to sober up and realize the human tragedy of the Iraq War. “We’re trying to do something that has an immediate impact,” says Bardo, who, on September 11, 2008, will host a fundraiser concert for wounded Iraq veterans at the Magic Stick. Proceeds will go to Soldiers' Angels (soldiersangels.com), a volunteer-led nonprofit organization started by the mother of two soldiers, dedicated to providing aid and comfort to U.S. service men and women.
  
  This is Bardo’s third Iraq War-focused concert, but instead of protesting or asking “Why?” this show is less about dissent and more about humanitarianism, to ask, “How? How can we help?”..."

• Blue Moon in June (6/18 - 6/19 - CAID) Part One: Interview with The Questions [+ Show ]
  

  "...“things accelerated into a very organic and primordial state. We consciously decided to make the..."...“things accelerated into a very organic and primordial state. We consciously decided to make the project very improvisational and raw. It dipped into the philosophical attitudes of people like Vonnegut and Kerouac, well, the majority of the beat scene for that matter, that art and music only thrives in the current moments’ energy and thoughts...that it should be created and then left alone to float into space, never to be developed any further.”...."
  
  

• Album Review- Eyes That Hear & Ears That see [+ Show ]
  

  "...Over the past year or so, a trio known as The Questions has worked its way into the hearts of MC..."...Over the past year or so, a trio known as The Questions has worked its way into the hearts of MCR staffers via intense, brooding live gigs. On stage, singer/guitarist/rant-master Drew Bardo leads the band’s tangental flailing through blues, demented rockabilly and blasting punk, creating a melting pot that’s aggressive both musically and lyrically..."

• Hamtramck Blowout Recap [+ Show ]
  

  "...At some point on Thursday night, Big Matt, Ryan and myself went down the half-block or so to Pay..."...At some point on Thursday night, Big Matt, Ryan and myself went down the half-block or so to Paycheck’s to see who was playing, and we walked into the most pleasant surprise of the Blowout – The Questions. This three-piece sounded like Nick Cave fronting the Stray Cats at first, though the last part of the band’s set strayed from that courtesy of a few super-intense numbers that seemed to be influenced by a fair mix of both punk and 60’s garage pop. Damn, that cat’s voice was deep (especially when he got a bit rowdy and picked up a bit of a growl), and he had quite a stage presence, too, almost prowling around while wringing chords and solos out of his guitar..."

• ROCK 'N' ROLL TOWN HALL, The Questions aren't afraid to kick out the political jams, in classic MC5 style [+ Show ]
  

  It doesn't take much to get Drew Bardo talking. Sitting outside of Midtown's Garden Bowl on a nippy ...It doesn't take much to get Drew Bardo talking. Sitting outside of Midtown's Garden Bowl on a nippy Monday evening with his bandmate Chris Krzeczkowski, the strong-voiced writer-musician pulls from a beer, talking of ham-headed politicos.
  
  These guys are all grins — on the outside. But on the inside they're fuming about the political landscape, the fabric of our society and the massive hypocrisies of our government. As reflected in this genre-trashing rock quartet's moniker, they ask questions.
  
  They can go on for hours about ideas and politics, sorta like how Wayne Kramer used to, and be persuasive. They're full of conviction, with no irony. Like 'em or not, it's damn nice to see and hear passion for and about something.
  
  It's that conviction that led the Questions to help organize a "Peace in the Middle East" rally, a free, all-ages concert happening this week in Detroit. The show will feature a host of bands, including Hi-Speed Dubbing, Darkred, Jehovah's Witness Protection Program and the Electric Lion Sound Wave Experiment. The rather altruistic purpose is to, they say, assemble Detroit's artistic community and find ways to enact change within the city and abroad. Sound like broad strokes, if not a bit nave, the overly earnest political ramblings of a try-too-hard artist? Hardly.
  
  Bardo says it's "not a political mission, it's a humanitarian [one]" designed for people to make their own choices and "do their own thing."
  
  The biggest theme of the rally (Bardo calls it a "rock 'n' roll town-hall meeting") is for those involved to voice opposition to the current state of affairs as dictated by U.S. foreign policy, the multiple conflicts our nation is fighting, and the hypocrisy that these artists sense surrounds those actions.
  
  It's also a statement about the fate of the troops that have shipped out over the years to fight in these wars.
  
  "It's no coincidence that we're doing this on Memorial Day weekend," Bardo says. "It's not to say we're anti-soldier or anti-military. It's saying: 'Why are they dying for this corporate agenda when the reality is that the new world order is spreading and they're trying to topple all the people who aren't playing ball?'"
  
  This rally is but an outgrowth of ideas Bardo and the Questions have had brewing for years.
  
  
  The Questions formed around 2004, sprouting from Bardo's literary and poetry endeavors. He grew up in Milford, is writer at heart — says he grew up on Poe and is a fan of Rimbaud and Baudelaire — his latest book of poems, The Naked Myopia and Other Poems was released locally this past year.
  
  The band formed to fuse rock and spoken word, and to better communicate the ideas inside Bardo's head. Various lineups ensued before the 32-year-old Bardo met a kindred spirit in guitarist-trumpeter Krzeczkowski, 28. The group found stability with bassist James "Pookie" Grech, 33, and drummer William Linna, 27, and they've been relentlessly gigging, sharpening their collective vision.
  
  The sound is difficult to nail down. They're a rock 'n' roll band at heart but they'll kick boundaries down with jazz-tinged psych and grit-toothed country. Bardo explains: "One of the first things I told Chris when we got together was, 'Listen, the only rule for this project is that there are no rules.'"
  
  Their individual (musical) sensibilities run the gamut, although there's common ground. All four love classic rock and punk. Both Bardo and Krzeczkowski dig jazz; before joining, Krzeczkowski got into Wayne State University on a full scholarship to study jazz trumpet. The band lists everything from Elvis to Nirvana to What's Going On as reference points.
  
  The Questions are just now finishing their second album, tentatively titled Chasing the Light, which you can hear some of at Bandcamp. The songs offer a clear glimpse of just how varied the band can be: "Lorna Blue" is an Americana-hued pop tune while "Chasing the Ghost" is a cool, bluesy dirge replete with biting spoken word (with material taken from Bardo's aforementioned book) and Krzeczkowski's hefty trumpet.
  
  "Trying to describe the album is like asking someone to bottle the ocean," Bardo says, laughing. "It's impossible. It's free-flowing and takes on a life of its own. We all believe that it's truly beyond us and not necessarily our baby or our creation. It's the sounds of humanity; it's the sounds of life itself translated through our antennas." They hope to have the album out by summer.
  
  The indie reality is that everything's self-propelled, self-funded. Money for artists rises from within, or from pals and fans via Kickstarter, and profit is a foreign concept. The Questions are complete DIY, and although the band has conversed with labels in the past, there's no corporate pressure here. "These songs are really eclectic and I think us doing it on our own allowed us the freedom of creativity to make something like this," Krzeczkowski says. "If we had people telling us what do and pushing us around, some of that would have gotten lost."
  
  Bardo and Krzeczkowski have pretty perceptive and open-mined world views, results of interesting lives lived thus far. Krzeczkowski's old man was a tenor opera singer and, as a result, he traveled widely, from Austria to Italy. The chance to peer into different cultures had a deep effect on Krzeczkowski's perception of the world around him. "Being abroad really inspires you to understand the world as a whole," the horn-playing guitarist says. "It's not about religion or race or any of that. All those lines that are drawn between countries and cities don't really mean anything because everyone is trying to attain the same thing, the same happiness."
  
  Bardo's worldview really began forming in 1996 after he enlisted in the Army. It was his first real taste of the world. He was disillusioned by what he saw — armed forces rich with false advertising and hypocrisy. It gave him a need to peer behind it all. He soon figured it was his "duty to expose the hidden truths."
  
  It's interesting (maybe a bit refreshing) to see a band so political be so outspoken, like the Clash on Sandinista. Today too many artists shirk political opinion, and career emphasis is about celebrity and narcissism.
  
  "A lot of people don't want to get involved in politics when it comes to art," Bardo says. "They're afraid to stand for something. Well, I'm sorry. I can't just sit around and allow these criminals and these dark spirits to just destroy civilization and not do anything about it."
  
  Bardo's keen about championing the underdog, giving voice to the voiceless. That's what this rally is about and, ultimately, he says, what the Questions are about.
  
  Is he afraid of being accused of martyrdom, or wielding a large ego?
  
  Not at all, he says. "Once somebody asked me: Are you the light bulb or the energy the lights the light bulb? I'd like to think of myself more as the energy that lights the light bulb. We're all part of the same tapestry of consciousness. We all exist as a part of the light, as a part of this subterranean river of energy that exists in everything that is alive. And there's just this small percentage of people that just don't want to live in the light. It's not that one person necessarily changes anything. But if that one person inspires 10 people who inspire 10 people, all of a sudden, things gain momentum. Then the uprising happens. And we're all about the uprising."
  
  
  

Setlist

10-35 songs, can fill any time slot
Approximately 300 songs in repertoire

Current set lists would include:

Gulf Of America
April Fools
Red Herring
Under The Gun
Into The Wild
In My Spare Time
Alchemy
Absinthe & Oysters
The Girl W/The Golden Eyelids
California Stomp
Fix Elevator
Electric Shimmy Shake
Lorna Blue
Chasing The Ghost
Monster
American Life Aint Free
Stop Messing Around
Take On The Gods
(etc)

Basic Requirements

Calendar