Crash Midnight

New England rock fans, take note: Crash Midnight is coming your way! With a name born out of a late night car crash, this punk-influenced five-piece band brings a ballsyness you won’t find on the radio. They list their influences as the NY Dolls, Sex Pistols, Led Zeppelin, and Guns ‘N’ Roses, and they blend this eclectic list of inspiration into something any fan of hard rock can get behind.

At the front of the stage is lead vocalist Shaun Soho, with Bo on bass, both hailing from Boston. Fellow Boston native Tony Blaze, the newest addition to Crash Midnight, pounds away on drums. Punk-rocker Alex Donaldson from Columbus, OH is the band’s talented lead guitarist, and backing Alex up on rhythm guitar is Matt Monroe out of Philly. They’ve been playing since the summer of 04, using sit in drummers until Tony joined the group this winter.

Though there’s something to be said about each member in turn, but the real hero of this band is lead guitarist Alex. A “veteran of the Columbus, OH, punk scene”, Alex combines experience with ability. Lightning-fast fingers do some really incredible stuff, and he makes every solo count. Shaun is a great frontman, and Matt, Bo, and Tony are all very skilled musicians.

Crash Midnight loves excitement, and the group’s impulsiveness and passion translate to both their music and their business. Says Tony: “Everything about this band seems to be a spur of the moment kinda thing.” With a wide range of songs to choose from, the content of their as-yet-unnamed upcoming album is still a mystery, but whatever they call it and whatever goes on it, you won’t want to miss it! Additionally, they are on the lookout for the right record label. According to Alex, “We’re trying to find a label that is a good fit for us both direction-wise and that will give us the creative control we want.”

The first song on their press kit, “Yesterday”, gives good insight into Shaun’s range of voice. Dark and menacing during the verses, he goes up quite high for the chorus. Though no Sebastian Bach, yet, this young man has a set of lungs and knows how to belt out the songs! Bo, Matt, and Tony provide solid backbone while Alex does some intricate work way up on the fingerboard.

The next (and my favorite) song up on their press kit was “151”, the band’s ode to alcohol. Besides two blistering solos by Alex, the song’s strength lies in the catchiness of the chorus. If you’ve heard what I’ve heard, the words “Get back Jack, I'm tippin back /Gonna ride this road til it all goes black” will be running through your head all day, just like it did in mine. The subject matter is something I and my fellow binge drinkers can relate to, especially the “all goes black” part. Shaun sounds more than a little like Axl Rose on this track, not a bad thing as long as he doesn’t try to emulate Rose’s antics!

The final song in the press kit (which is the same as their demo) is called “Take It”. As much as the band likes to party (and they do; ask Shaun about a rager with apartment-hall Slip n Slide and the Law), “Take It” really shows the depth of Crash Midnight’s songwriting ability and carries a veiled message . Don’t let the sexually suggestive lyrics of this song fool you; it’s about the battle with heroin undergone by a friend of the band. Another solid song.

Crash Midnight is going to be busy this summer. With five tour dates all over New England throughout June and July, you’ve got a good chance of catching them locally. Even if you can’t, this is one band that will definitely be worth a road trip. They start on 6/10 at The Bombshelter in Manchester, NH, then they hit Lucky Dog in Worcester and TT the Bears in Cambridge (both in MA) on 6/22 and 6/29, respectively. July brings them to the Living Room in Providence, RI on 7/7, and you’ll find them back in Mass on the 16th at Club DeNiro in Tauton. - In-Tune Magazine Review

The great thing about MySpace is the ability to discover unsigned bands not covered by the rock press in general. Crash Midnight were unusual in the fact they actually asked to be added as my friend, not once, but twice. So I felt that as they were determined to catch my attention, the least I could do was check out their EP.

151 opens the EP with some fabulously screamy geeetar. Though not cited as an influence, I got a huge feeling of listening to some Beautiful Creatures/Bang Tango - classy, but sleazy music, that kind of thing that Highway Zero lives and breathes by. I was already hooked before the three minutes were over.

Second track is Nothin To Lose. Could things get better ?? Oh yes. A melting pot of the more gritty parts of Appetite For Destruction with the more melodic aspects of their Boston counterparts, Aerosmith. Praise indeed, but well-deserved.

Yesterday carries on down the same dark dirty rock n' roll path. A rather nice bluesy/punky guitar solo by Alex Donaldson adds to this being one of my favourites off the EP.

Aerosmith influences abound in Outta Control. I could almost hear them covering this song more than adequately. Shaun's vocals remind me at times more of Josh Todd, than Steve Tyler, but this isn't a bad thing by any means. Simply delicious.

The EP ends with Take It. Some rather fab screechy punky riffs and a much rawer sound than the previous tracks - possibly explained by the fact it's a demo version. But don't let this fool you by any means, as it still rocks big time and finishes this EP off perfectly.

So next thing is to try and catch Crash Midnight live. Not easy when you don't live in Boston. So maybe a little visit to the UK soon, guys ?

www.crashmidnight.com
www.myspace.com/crashmidnight
Reviewer: Selina White
- HighwayZero.com