Music
Press
"Crystal And The Wolves are a Pop band with bundles of imagination. I like the diversity in both the lyrics and music that they write. They´re well worth checking out."
http://www.punkglobe.com/crystalwolvesinterview.html - Punk Globe Magazine
"I have this beauty sitting in my player and turned up loud. The more I hear this band the more I like - They are very original and Crystal writes some great songs. There´s 13 tracks on here and with the vast Blues, Jazz and Country influences in the sound - This album gripped my attention from start to finish. Every track is different and how they´ve structured them is very clever and shows what quality musicians they are. The music certainly compliments Crystals excellent vocals. You just have to listen to Crystal sing - Her vocal range is very wide. A modern day Kate Bush maybe? Production wise is the best and packaging is the tops. Probably one of the best albums I´m ever going to hear. ***Album of the Month*** 11/10"
http://www.fullfrontalrecordings.co.uk/reviewlink.php?reviewid=584 - Steve DIY, Full Frontal Recordings
"Crystal and the Wolves’ alt-Americana music is sunny but not saccharine. The lyrics are political but not preachy. Crystal herself beams joy and wit into every note she sings. Rhythm, melody, spirit, their debut album has it all. The band is a walking, talking peace declaration. Between men and women, people and our earth. With songs like, “Called Off the Borders” and “Maimouna,” I dare you to resist singing along as they clear the cobwebs from the dark corners of your soul. But can you dance to it? Oh yeah. To paraphrase Emma Goldman, “I *can* dance to it and this *is* my revolution.” As the guys exclaim at every show, “Crystal is HOT!” With this album, everybody knows it."
http://www.redwoodrivermusic.com/ - Nina Jo Smith, Redwood River Music
"Crystal and the Wolves have wiggled into America's music scene at just the right time. The young and old alike need a breath of fresh air. Crystal is that fresh air. These songs are tended with an amount of care that is apparent to all age groups and walks of life. Feel good music that's smart, powerful, and danceable: smart enough to convince you she's put in her musical time; powerful enough to make you think; and rockin' enough to make you dance. "Shapinska Rock" is surely my pick for most anticipated album of 2006 thus far."
www.myspace.com/grapejuicerecords - Ian Tsan, Grape Juice Records
"The sounds of Crystal and the Wolves can not be summed up by any easy label. Perhaps the best summary is the album title of Shapinska Rock, described as being “a world that creates endless opportunities to make the most of any situation”. The lyrical references Crystal makes to Gillian Welch and Ani DiFranco in Lucky Girl hint at her musical influences, but this belies a range of musical expression which includes bluegrass, ballads and ballsy dance tunes. The folksy country side of the band is heard on Daughter Little Wins and Lullaby for Shai, songs with sound reminiscent of Kate Wolf and Iris DeMent. Hints of Beatles classic pop rock influence are apparent in Called Off the Borders, while the more intense rock of Patti Smith is evoked in Merry Mary Contrary. Throughout all of their different sounds, Crystal and the Wolves maintain a strong sense of their own identity as a band, led by Crystal’s smooth voice and supported by strong lyrics about the Shapinska Rock world. It shouldn’t be long before the Lucky Girl lyrics “She’s a famous girl/ Got lots of friends and fans” apply to her." Kathryn Vercillo, "Top Eight Indie Albums for June 2006"
http://www.torron.net/cd-catw.html - Sure Shot Magazine
"An inspirational band..." This is a quote from a feature article on Crystal and the Wolves for the May 06 issue of Intermixx Magazine. CATW was also put on the cover!!! http://www.intermixx.com/
Download pdf version of the magazine here:
crystal.earswithgears.com/InterMixx_101.pdf - Lauren Quinn, Intermixx Magazine
Discography
May 11, 2006: Independently released album "Shapinska Rock"
July 2005: Independently released Shapinska Rock SamplerEP
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
This whole thing started when a house fire destroyed all of Crystal's belongings except her guitar. A few days later, she was sent to Europe by a company that could no longer afford to pay her after two weeks. Jobless and homeless, Crystal seized the opportunity and remained in Europe for half a year. She roamed the streets of Denmark, Czech Republic, UK and Spain, with her guitar, notebook and a simple recording set up. Each newly written song arose from an aspect of the imaginary Shapinska Rock world.
Crystal came back to the US excited to develop the songs into an album. She met producer/multi-instrumentalist Filippo DeAngelis a few months after her return and they began production. As recording progressed on the album, the Wolves started playing infectiously fun live shows in the San Francisco Bay Area in May 2005. By the end of the summer the band had completed their first tour, including a benefit show at CBGB in NY to save it from closure, and independently distributed over 2500 copies of "Shapinska Rock Sampler EP", a six-song taste of the debut album.
The record Shapinska Rock features an upbeat pop/rock sound that touches on all styles of american music, and combines soaring melodies with great singing and inspired lyrics. What does Shapinska Rock mean? It is a world that creates endless opportunities to make the most of any situation. Every atom of Shapinska Rock is immersed in joy. Both physical and immaterial, it embraces all forms of life and music emanates from its core.
Shapinska Rock was released May 11, 2006, and the album has been played on college and small commercial radio stations around the US, such as MFVR (Decatur, AL), KJCC (San Jose, CA), WHQO (Augusta, ME) , KWLA (Many, LA), KMSC (Moorhead, MN), KDWG (Dillon, MT), WVLF, (Malone, NY), Electric Eye Radio (Rye, NY), CKLU (Sudbury, ON, Canada), 'Nette Radio (Austin, TX), KGY (Olympia, WA), WOCO (Oconto, WI), KASL (New Castle, WY), WPMD (Norwalk, CA), WOSP (Jacksonville, FL), KKCR/KAQA (Hanalei, HI ), WBKE (N Manchester, IN), CFCR (SASKATOON, SK), WIUV (Castleton, VT), KTCV (KENNEWICK, WA), KYTV (formerly KYSC - Yakima, WA), KABF (Little Rock, AR), WRBC (Lewiston, ME), WJCU (Cleveland, OH), CFUR (Prince George, BC), KYMC (CHESTERFIELD, MO), WQMC (Flushing, NY), WUPJ (Johnstown, PA), WEXP (Philadelphia, PA), WGDR (PLAINFIELD, VT), WSRI (Eau Claire, WI), WSHC (SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV). In March 2006 they played during SXSW in Austin, Texas and went on to tour the east coast in April. In August/September 2006 they will tour both the USA and Europe.
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