Crud
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Crud

Detroit, Michigan, United States | INDIE

Detroit, Michigan, United States | INDIE
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"Crud "Devil at the Wheel" Review"

The music of Crud is easiest described as electro-biker, sci-fi sex-metal. Take the tongue-n-cheek sexiness of early Thrill Kill Kult, mixed with Rob Zombie-esque growls and the throttling guitars of Ministry and you’d have something that just might come close to the sound of Crud. This Michigan duo’s first release, Devil at the Wheel, is already getting some airplay via television, as clips of their tracks have been featured on CSI and David Spade’s Showbiz Show and it’s easy to see why. Very well produced, catchy, and thunderous, Devil at the Wheel is an aggressively addictive album. The better tracks seem to be those where the vocals are shared between Vin and Danielle. There seems to be some sort of odd throw back to the late 80’s early 90’s electro rock with pieces such as All Used Up and La De Da. The tour de force on the CD is Reality. This tracks starts off the album with roaring guitars, fervent vocals, and a riotous beat. There’s a weird, robotic effect applied to some of the vocals on The Man, a slower, yet still somewhat antagonistic track that finishes off the CD. Devil at the Wheel is a good CD, but it’s even better if you’re a fan of the sound heard in the early Wax Trax days. - Industrial Bible


"CD Review Devil at the Wheel"

his new American formation sounds like dynamite! This is a strong cyber-punk-rock cocktail, which makes me think to the offspring of Eskimos & Egypt (for the cyberpunk touch) and NIN (for the cyber-indus-metal input). The opening piece entitled “Reality” is a pure blind-blowing piece of music where furious guitar riffs and powerful electronics are annihilating any obstacle on their way. Another similar piece is the title-song “Devil at the wheel”, which closes the album in a brilliant way. In between the debut- and end song, Crud delivers a wider spectrum of their influences, which can be now more industrial like (cf. Assume the position”), later on more in the vein on M. Manson (cf. “La de da”) and than closer to dynamic rock (cf. “Londe del amore” and “Do you wanna touch”). Leaded by a alluring male vocalist and a so-called ‘burlesque female beauty’, Crud definitely has enough ingredients to mesmerize the audience! www.fulleffectrecords.com (DP:7)DP. - Sideline Magazine


"Devil at the Wheel review on Fearnet.com"

CRUD has constructed a sonic weapon brutal enough to sear your cerebellum in seconds

Review by Gregory S. Burkart

To those of you who followed the output of Detroit indie rockers Sponge, the latter-day project formed by their lead singer Vinnie Dombroski may come as a bit of a shock. Moody grunge-era melodies and alt radio-friendliness were left in the dust in pursuit of a much harder, far more sinister sound – and I’d say they achieved that goal and then some. With the addition of second singer Danielle Arsenault (a noted Detroit burlesque performer), David Black on guitar, Dana Forrester on bass and Eric Hoegemeyer on skins, the lineup known as CRUD has constructed a sonic weapon brutal enough to sear your cerebellum in seconds.

Personally I can’t believe it took them this long to get their self-produced album Devil at the Wheel picked up by a label (they’re now on Full Effect Records with label-mates Faster Pussycat), and they’re still kind of a dirty little secret among hard-rock circles – but their breakout appears to be well underway. You’ve probably heard them already and don’t even know it, particularly if you’re a fan of CSI, ER or even Celebrity Fit Club. They’ve also performed on SPEED TV’s series Pinks and contributed tracks to The Playboy Channel (now I remember where I heard them before!) and games like Test Drive 2.

Though the band’s name is not indicative of the quality of their music, it tells you all you need to know about their attitude, self-described as “super-charged sex rock” with an emphasis on “gritty decadence.” Dirty, mean and nasty is how CRUD rolls… and rocks, with all valves open full and spewing menacing black clouds of carbonized rocket fuel. Their stage show is also reputed to be an unforgettably brain-damaging experience, often combining the talents of the band with burlesque performances (including the popular act Hell’s Belles), fire-eaters, snake-handlers, and the occasional puppet show (avant-garde troupe “The Gepetto Files” makes Crank Yankers seem like Fraggle Rock). They do occasionally perform outside of the Detroit area – they've been making quite a splash in Europe of late – but seem to stage their most elaborate shows at home.

When people talk about CRUD, the inevitable comparisons to Ministry and Rob Zombie are usually kicked around, and admittedly the looped guitars, sampled vocals and electronic blast-beats are reminiscent of Ministry’s peak early-nineties period, as well as other bands following in Al Jourgensen’s steel-toed bootsteps, loosely labeled “Industrial Metal” (Dope, Deathstars and Society 1 also spring to mind) for those who insist on quick categorization… but Vin’s vocal and songwriting approach also suggests a touch of Marilyn Manson (mainly from the Antichrist Superstar period) and Forrester’s vocal contributions (both lead and backup) remind a bit of Lucia Cifarelli’s sexy-punk approach in KMFDM. CRUD is not a mere pastiche of these inspirations, but essentially a dirtied-up, more playful take on the jet-black, ultra-serious psyche of cybermetal. This playfulness, also adopted by bands like My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult and Hanzyl Und Gretyl, essentially hot-glues fake fur, sequins and plush devil horns onto the otherwise cold machinery of the genre.

The album comes screaming right off the blocks with “Reality,” the band's first single and one of their strongest tracks; fast, loud and raunchy, it captures the band's essence in less than three minutes. “All Used Up” and “Assume the Position” are pure Thrill Kill Kult, and if that's an exciting idea to you (I wouldn't complain, me) then you'll ask for seconds. The down-tempo, slide guitar-driven “Girls That Swear” is quaint but disposable, and maybe a little too aware of its own sleaziness. “La De Da” showcases David Black's axe-work with some blistering harmonics and chugging tremolo picking. “Meat Detonation” is a nitro-powered rocker that gives the opening track a run for its money, but for me the standout track would have to be “Murder is Fun,” which manages to integrate sternum-thumping riffs with some remarkably catchy melodies. “Londe Del Amore” really lets Vin flex his vocal chops, in a style strongly reminiscent of Scott Weiland in his Stone Temple Pilots days.

“Devil At The Wheel” is actually the closing track – and rightly so, as it is a return to epic Manson-esque raunchiness and a perfect closer for the album – but on my download it comes up as “The Man,” which is actually the name of the first track from Sponge's 2005 album of the same name. Weird. Not a big caveat, as all the excellent songs are there, but be prepared to relabel the tracks according to their listing on the CD cover art.

Obviously the ideal way to capture the CRUD experience is to attend one of their live shows, but as they have yet to undertake a full North American tour, be prepared to do a little traveling. In the meantime, get your greasy mitts on this album pronto, duct-tape yourself to your favorite listening chair and and let it rip. Your neighbors will call the cops, but as I mentioned the album's pretty short, so you can probably squeeze the whole thing in before they arrive. - Fearnet.com


"Devil at the Wheel review on Fearnet.com"

CRUD has constructed a sonic weapon brutal enough to sear your cerebellum in seconds

Review by Gregory S. Burkart

To those of you who followed the output of Detroit indie rockers Sponge, the latter-day project formed by their lead singer Vinnie Dombroski may come as a bit of a shock. Moody grunge-era melodies and alt radio-friendliness were left in the dust in pursuit of a much harder, far more sinister sound – and I’d say they achieved that goal and then some. With the addition of second singer Danielle Arsenault (a noted Detroit burlesque performer), David Black on guitar, Dana Forrester on bass and Eric Hoegemeyer on skins, the lineup known as CRUD has constructed a sonic weapon brutal enough to sear your cerebellum in seconds.

Personally I can’t believe it took them this long to get their self-produced album Devil at the Wheel picked up by a label (they’re now on Full Effect Records with label-mates Faster Pussycat), and they’re still kind of a dirty little secret among hard-rock circles – but their breakout appears to be well underway. You’ve probably heard them already and don’t even know it, particularly if you’re a fan of CSI, ER or even Celebrity Fit Club. They’ve also performed on SPEED TV’s series Pinks and contributed tracks to The Playboy Channel (now I remember where I heard them before!) and games like Test Drive 2.

Though the band’s name is not indicative of the quality of their music, it tells you all you need to know about their attitude, self-described as “super-charged sex rock” with an emphasis on “gritty decadence.” Dirty, mean and nasty is how CRUD rolls… and rocks, with all valves open full and spewing menacing black clouds of carbonized rocket fuel. Their stage show is also reputed to be an unforgettably brain-damaging experience, often combining the talents of the band with burlesque performances (including the popular act Hell’s Belles), fire-eaters, snake-handlers, and the occasional puppet show (avant-garde troupe “The Gepetto Files” makes Crank Yankers seem like Fraggle Rock). They do occasionally perform outside of the Detroit area – they've been making quite a splash in Europe of late – but seem to stage their most elaborate shows at home.

When people talk about CRUD, the inevitable comparisons to Ministry and Rob Zombie are usually kicked around, and admittedly the looped guitars, sampled vocals and electronic blast-beats are reminiscent of Ministry’s peak early-nineties period, as well as other bands following in Al Jourgensen’s steel-toed bootsteps, loosely labeled “Industrial Metal” (Dope, Deathstars and Society 1 also spring to mind) for those who insist on quick categorization… but Vin’s vocal and songwriting approach also suggests a touch of Marilyn Manson (mainly from the Antichrist Superstar period) and Forrester’s vocal contributions (both lead and backup) remind a bit of Lucia Cifarelli’s sexy-punk approach in KMFDM. CRUD is not a mere pastiche of these inspirations, but essentially a dirtied-up, more playful take on the jet-black, ultra-serious psyche of cybermetal. This playfulness, also adopted by bands like My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult and Hanzyl Und Gretyl, essentially hot-glues fake fur, sequins and plush devil horns onto the otherwise cold machinery of the genre.

The album comes screaming right off the blocks with “Reality,” the band's first single and one of their strongest tracks; fast, loud and raunchy, it captures the band's essence in less than three minutes. “All Used Up” and “Assume the Position” are pure Thrill Kill Kult, and if that's an exciting idea to you (I wouldn't complain, me) then you'll ask for seconds. The down-tempo, slide guitar-driven “Girls That Swear” is quaint but disposable, and maybe a little too aware of its own sleaziness. “La De Da” showcases David Black's axe-work with some blistering harmonics and chugging tremolo picking. “Meat Detonation” is a nitro-powered rocker that gives the opening track a run for its money, but for me the standout track would have to be “Murder is Fun,” which manages to integrate sternum-thumping riffs with some remarkably catchy melodies. “Londe Del Amore” really lets Vin flex his vocal chops, in a style strongly reminiscent of Scott Weiland in his Stone Temple Pilots days.

“Devil At The Wheel” is actually the closing track – and rightly so, as it is a return to epic Manson-esque raunchiness and a perfect closer for the album – but on my download it comes up as “The Man,” which is actually the name of the first track from Sponge's 2005 album of the same name. Weird. Not a big caveat, as all the excellent songs are there, but be prepared to relabel the tracks according to their listing on the CD cover art.

Obviously the ideal way to capture the CRUD experience is to attend one of their live shows, but as they have yet to undertake a full North American tour, be prepared to do a little traveling. In the meantime, get your greasy mitts on this album pronto, duct-tape yourself to your favorite listening chair and and let it rip. Your neighbors will call the cops, but as I mentioned the album's pretty short, so you can probably squeeze the whole thing in before they arrive. - Fearnet.com


"Crud N Guts"

7/6/08 11:53 AMLoading “Crud 'N' Guts (Metro Times Detroit)”
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Crud 'N' Guts
Detroit's B-movie metal heroes sing of girls, guns, gasoline and, um, glitter
by Brett Callwood
4/9/2008
The Oxford Dictionary's definition of crud is "an unpleasantly dirty or messy substance,"
an explanation that's apt when listening to the band's music or, more importantly, attending
one of its shows. Composed of ex-MTV star and Sponge and Orbitsuns frontman Vinnie
Dombroski, ex-Stungun hottie Danielle Arsenault, Seduce guitarist David Black, Eric
Hoegemeyer of Gold Cash Gold and Charm Farm on drums, and 60 Second Crush bassist
Dana Forrester, the five Cruds have been local notables for years now, but this new lineup
finds them reborn and re-energized. As the dictionary attests, though, there's nothing
pleasant about Crud. And they are very, very dirty. Think Marilyn Manson performing with
ex-wife Dita Von Teese or Rob Zombie playing in a sleazy, backstreet strip club.
Crud released its debut album, Devil at the Wheel, on Full Effect Records last year, and in
doing so unleashed a hard-edged industrial metal din and gloriously trashy porn imagery
on Detroit and, in turn, the world. Indeed, word of Crud's chaotic and "erotic" live shows
soon reached the other side of the Atlantic with an enviable U.K. Internet buzz. Of course,
that Dombroski's Sponge had shifted a few million units worldwide hasn't done them any
harm, either ...
"Initially, it was just the music that inspired the concept," says Dombroski, a man who
looks remarkably fresh considering his many years invested; he resembles a skinny Trent
Reznor. "We did one Crud show without Danielle. At that point, prior to her being in the
band, I felt like something was missing. It just felt like another rock band. It needed
something more besides the songs, so bringing her in dictated the whole direction and
concept. And I honestly just have a love for harder music."
Dombroski did all the band's recording on his own dime. That way, he says, "it was just a
matter of firing up and writing some songs."
Now more than ever, it's difficult for Detroit bands to earn a living here or on the road.
Club owners fork over less and less as each month passes, and a record deal doesn't mean
what it used to — financially, anyway — even for those lucky enough to land a good deal
at all. So it's not uncommon for musicians to fill their time with numerous ventures outside
the main band. That's how it is with Crud.
"The way things are in the band business these days, there's not enough gigs for any one
band," Dombroski says. "In the Detroit area, there are only so many gigs that we can do.
There are a million $250 gigs out there, but this band requires that we make money
because we've got production. We like to take the lights out and we've got to have a great
PA."
Forrester is similarly content making room for two bands: "I take a cue from Vin because
he balances three bands, plays drums in different projects and produces. It's funny because
we have certain nights where we're playing two gigs on the same night at different venues.
7/6/08 11:53 AMLoading “Crud 'N' Guts (Metro Times Detroit)”
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Vinnie inspires me. I don't complain. It's like, if he can do it, then so can I."
For David Black — whose other band, Seduce, once looked set to explode nationwide,
alongside Poison and Mötley Crüe, having achieved reasonable success in the '80s Detroit
market — Crud gives him an outlet for a harder style of playing.
"Seduce is more organic and guitar-based," he says. "Crud is more noise-based and sonic.
With the Crud thing, I get to play in a way that a lot of guys don't get to play guitar.
Because you get to play with all kinds of crazy feedback. No matter what crazy stuff I do,
it always seems to fit if I put it in the right place."
"This music definitely has an energy to it, so, drum-wise, it's like running a marathon in a
45-minute set," Hoegemeyer adds.
As the chick whose power-pout graces the group's T-shirt's and posters, it's fair to say that
Danielle Arsenault, with her perfectly toned, athletic figure, sultry-but-deadly glare and
fuck-me aura, is the face of the band.
"And the ass of the band," she laughs
"I don't make any compromises, though. When Vinnie approached me and told me what
the concept was, I was like 'I'm your girl'. It's exactly what I can do. I always downplay it
and say 'I'm the mascot,' but I know I'm a little more than that. I'm like Flavor Flav."
"We're just the background for her shenanigans," Dombroski says. "We're probably more
the mascots than she is!"
It's quite normal for a Crud show to involve various young ladies from the audience
jumping onstage and getting spanked and grinded by Arsenault, and for the guys at the
front to reach out with hopeful, groping hands. When asked to describe the average Crud
fan, Arsenault, without hesitation, says "horny."
But Dombroski is a tad more thoughtful. "I wish I could nail that down," he says, trying to
describe a typical Crud patron. "We get all kinds of people I would never expect. But horny
is probably the one thing they all have in common, no matter what age they are."
Arsenault, though, is sure of the horny part. "There are guys pushing their girlfriends up at
me, trying to make them lift their tops and stuff," she explains. "Some guy in the U.K. told
me on MySpace that I had a hot ass, so I told him he could feel it when I went over there. I
guess he was waiting for weeks, but I lived up to my word and let him touch it!
For her part, Forrester delves deeper. "Crud is the soundtrack to evil sex.
That it may be, but a Crud show is very much carnival-like. The kind of carnival you
wouldn't want your parents to see, where cotton candy is served with bourbon, where
barkers hawk pornographic sideshows with throbbing soundtracks.
Having earned local notoriety since its formation in 2000, Crud took its S&M circus to
England last fall.
7/6/08 11:53 AMLoading “Crud 'N' Guts (Metro Times Detroit)”
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"I don't think it could have gone any better over there," Dombroski says. "I thought it all
went great. And I thought the gig that we really wanted to make great — The Whitby
Gothic Weekend — was awesome. I thought [the British] would drink more than us,
though, but they didn't."
"I now really underestimated the power of the Internet," Arsenault adds, "because I didn't
realize the people would already be so familiar with us, singing along to the songs. I was
shown a really good time.
And if Crud wanted to kick up controversy across the pond, its cover of Gary Glitter's "Do
You Wanna Touch Me?" (better known stateside by Joan Jett's hit version) was a sure-fire
way. The fallen icon's child-molesting exploits are still raw in the minds of the British
public.
"Isn't he in a rat-hole country right now?" Dombroski says. "I'm thinking of doing a cover
of Ted Nugent's 'Free For All' next ..."
Having seen full-on rock stardom with Sponge, Dombroski's holding back his Crud
expectations.
"I've never had expectations for it," he says, "but maybe that's not a good thing. I just like
to go where the music takes us. We've signed a small record deal (with Full Effect) and
we're promoting the band to radio. If those things work out, who knows? The whole thing
is basically a labor of love for us and I do what I want with it."
Arsenault, the band's "ass," has the final word: "I like the level we're at right now because I
don't have to work too hard. But I wouldn't mind working a little bit harder if it meant
making a lot more. I don't want to not be able to go out of the house without makeup. I
want to be able to go to the grocery store with a hangover and not get my picture taken."
Saturday, April 19, at TC's Speakeasy, 207 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti; 734-483-4470.
Brett Callwood, a recent Brit transplant to Detroit, is a music writer for Metro Times.
Send comments to letters@metrotimes.com. - Metro Times


Discography

Crud's debut CD "Devil at the Wheel" (Full Effect Records) - 2007 *Distributed Worldwide by Sony/Red.

"Crud on Monster Island" - November 2010

Photos

Bio

Super-charged electro rock that taunts and seduces you into submission. Crud creates sights and sounds that linger. Think Fight Club. Think A Clockwork Orange. Think you've seen anything like it? Think again. It’s “Grindhouse” meets“Easy Rider” – audio crack for deviants.

Crud’s debut CD DEVIL AT THE WHEEL featured fiendishly addictive tracks that continue to be the soundtrack of choice for TV’s hottest shows. The disc’s title track was recently featured in FX’s hit show “SONS OF ANARCHY” and was also used in the TV film trailer for the 2009 blockbuster film “SHERLOCK HOLMES,” starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.

Additional Crud tracks have been spotlighted on episodes of CSI (CBS), Burn Notice (USA), VH1's “History of Metal,” and “Celebrity Fit Club,” Spike TV’s “Scream Awards,” E’s “20 Acts of Love Gone Wrong,” MTV's “Cribs,” video game “Test Drive 2,” horror flick “Laid to Rest,” plus many, many more.

The single "Reality" (Bang, Bang, Bang!) in particular has enjoyed massive TV exposure -and was even A&E's theme song for their "CSI Wednesdays” promotion.

Now with the release of Crud's highly anticipated new sophomore CD "CRUD ON MONSTER ISLAND" the band is poised to further infect the masses. Already, Crud’s song "The Man Goes Down” – from the new disc - provided a dark aural backdrop to a frenzied criminal chase scene on ABC's "Detroit 1-8-7" TV show.

Live, Crud delivers an intoxicating and provocative rock show like none other. Fronted by Vinnie Dombroski (who the Austin Chronicle calls one of rock’s most mesmerizing front-men) and burlesque beauty Danielle Arsenault, Crud grinds out a visual and aural assault that leaves you begging for more. Band mates David Black (guitar), Dana Forrester (bass), and Leander Decordova (drums) set the stage ablaze with delicious gritty decadence.

Hailing from Detroit’s underbelly, Crud toured the UK, including a headlining slot at the Whitby Goth Festival. The band also rocked Rue Morgue Magazine's "Festival of Fear" with George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) in Toronto, in addition to headlining some of the coolest festivals across the land including Theatre Bizarre, The Peoples’ Arts Festival, Arts, Beats and Eats Festival, Noir Leather and Showtime Clothing Anniversary Bashes, “Pink’s All Out” party at Milan Dragway, Carnival of Chaos and more!

Crud has been profiled in “Bizarre,” “Spin,” “Metal Hammer UK,” “Girls and Corpses” and other cutting edge media outlets.

“Crud on Monster Island” and “Devil at the Wheel” are now both available on ITUNES.com, CDbaby.com and Crud313.com