CRASH

SKIPPACK - They may be the youngest band battling it out at RockFest, but the members of Crash take their classic-rock inheritance as seriously as their more seasoned challengers.

How young are they?

Unlike the bands their up against - Blue Sun, The Last Call, When Cars Ascend, and Swelter - the Crash-ers don’t yet have a prayer of slaying the bar crowds with their potent original tunes because they can’t get into the bars to play in the first place.

They’re all 18. So the guys’ gigs have so far been limited to a couple of Battle of the Bands contests and the like.

And with drummer Andrew Ryan and bassist Mark Musial about to enter Penn State University - rhythm guitarist Adam Rykaczewski is the fourth man on board - music will need to slip to the back burner for a while.

But that’s not to say that they’re a shade ambivalent about the whole thing

“Oh definitely not� Ryan said, “We always have new songs we’re working on. Our practices go for six or eight hours a day sometimes.�
Primed on Green Day and Offspring in his younger years, Ryan ditched the neo-punk thing a few years ago when dad Chris pointed him down the road paved by The Who, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin.�

“I then began to realize that classic rock is so much better than what I had been listening to - musically, lyrically, and in every way� he said
A couple of cover tunes, like the Beatles’ “Day Tripper� and the Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash� occasionally find their way into the mix. But mostly Crash concentrates on its 30 or so originals, all written by lead guitarist/singer Nate Durnin.
“The way our music goes depends on what Nate is feeling, and he’s into a lot of different genres, but mostly classic rock,� Ryan noted.
Online “RockFest� voters elevated Crash to the finals based on a handful of those songs, including “Wicked Girl� and “Voodoo Child,� featured on Crash’s eponymously titled demo.

Though Ryan and his band mates intend to keep their “RockFest� set as taut as possible, the urge to jam will still be there, he admitted.
“Some of our songs have guitar solos…a few are jam songs and can be anywhere from five to ten minutes,� Ryan said.

The Lynyrd Skynyrd inspired “Southern Girl� melts into a guitar duel mid-way through the song that “can go as long as they want it to.�
Chris Ryan was the one who prompted Crash’s entry into “RockFest�, his son said.

“It seemed like a pretty big deal. My dad told me about it the day before (the online deadline.) We just got in on it. As time went on I just thought, ‘Well, let’s see what happens.’�

Meanwhile, dad is just about the biggest Crash booster of them all.
“He really supports us, even when he’s trying to watch any Philly Sports Teams games, he lets us practice downstairs in the basement,� Ryan said, laughing.

He dreams about one day playing the Royal Albert Hall in London.
My ultimate realistic bill would be to play the TLA in Philadelphia,� Ryan said. “To get just (successful) enough to have people to carry your stuff around and all you have to do is perform.� - The Times Herald

Let's fill in the blanks. _________ test dummies. _________ Bandicoot. ______ cymbal. Stock market ______. Plane ________. If you need a hint, you probably also need a whole bunch of other, more important, things. But anyway, as you try to figure out these riddles, do yourself a favor a check out a band called Crash. This teenage four-piece plays tunes that are way beyond their years, as they draw their influences from a wide array of Blues and classic rock musicians. See Crash on Sept. 15 at RockFest.

Tell us the basics:
Nate Durnin - Lead/Rhythm guitar, lead vocals. 18.

Adam Rykazeski - Lead/Rhythm guitar, backing vocals. 18.

Mark Musial - Bass, backing vocals. 18.
Andrew Ryan - Drums. 18.

Where y'all from? Do you all currently live in the Philly area?
Collegeville, right outside of Philly.

What's with the name? Tell us how you picked it.
We were looking for one word and we definitely did not want to use the word "The" so we came up with an idea that matched our style and sound. Crash seems to describe our energy, our power and the collision of many different sub-genres of rock.

How would you describe your sound?
Blues and Classic influenced Rock varying from acoustic songs to heavy riffs and even some jamming in between with lyrics that sometimes will give you a laugh and some with serious lyrics pertaining to the world.

When and how did the band get together?
Crash is something that came about has the break up of two different bands in the summer of '06 Andrew and Nate's band broke up as Mark and Adam's did and Mark joined first and suggested Adam for the second guitar.

Are there any dominant themes in your songwriting?
Our songwriting varies a lot between the 30-plus songs we have currently fully written. There's no definite theme to our songwriting as a whole.

Any finished albums?
No, just a six track demo.

Who are your strongest musical influences?
Mostly classic artists such a Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, the Beatles, and Rush with some Grateful Dead/Phish style improvs in there every once in awhile.

Who would make up your ultimate 'dream team' of music?
Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Neil Peart, Freddie Mercury and Paul McCartney.

Any good stories from the road?
John Ramon... enough said.

What inspires you?
To get our music out to as many people as possible.

What song is in your head right now?
Truckin' by the Grateful Dead.

Where's the coolest place to play a show?
Anywhere there are people who are willing to listen.

What happens after a typical show?
We pack our cars and go to the closest diner with whoever else wants to join us and cool down...if there's not a party.

Close your eyes and picture where you'll be in five years. What does it look like?
Madison Square Garden.

Any downfalls to being a musician?
Besides lugging equipment around between every show... probably getting on the same page about any issues that come up during practices or shows.

Where can we find you on the Web?
myspace.com/crashmusicpa or www.crash-rock.com - Play Philly Magazine