Kurt Crasper
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Kurt Crasper

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"It's Gonna Be One Hell Of A Party In Oakland"

There's gonna be one long, asphalt-ripping, straight-pipe-roaring, hell-uva party this weekend.
And you're not invited.
It's the 50th birthday of the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels, home to possibly the most notorious batch of bikers in the now-worldwide, incorporated and trademarked motorcycle club.
Starting tonight there will be a private concert in downtown Oakland, at the Historic Sweet's Ballroom, in a perpetual motion of private parties at the Oakland club house all week long. - East County Times On Friday March 30th


"Local musician makes Grammy short list"

Ruth Roberts
Published 11/16/2007 - 1:00 a.m. PDT

Kurt Crasper isn’t an overnight sensation, but ever since he got the call, things have definitely been moving at a rapid pace for the Brentwood musician.

The call, which came a few weeks ago, was from his recording agent with the news that Crasper had been placed on the official ballot, in two categories, for the 2008 Grammy Awards – big news for a small-town rocker who only just recently picked up the guitar after a twenty-year hiatus.

“It’s quite an accomplishment, a pretty big deal,” said Crasper, 56, regarding the Grammy nominations. “I’m really excited.”

The self-professed rock-a-billy “with a jazz and Latin influence” guitar player and vocalist enjoyed some commercial success in the l970s and early ’80s, opening for such legendary acts as Greg Kihn, Johnny Lee Hooker and Bo Diddly.

But the high-living, party lifestyle eventually caught up to him, and Crasper opted for a simpler existence. He put away the music and picked up a hammer, starting up his own construction and engineering business, which he ran for over 15 years.

“I had been playing music since I was about 12 years old, and in bands for as long as I can remember,” said Crasper. “But I started getting burned out in the ’80s and quit for a while to try something else. But I started missing the music and writing, and so I picked it up again last year.”

As he began playing again at local venues throughout the Bay Area, Crasper took a big chance in 2006 when he sent legendary producer Al Gomes some of his work. Gomes has managed such superstars as Christina Aguilera, Alice Cooper and the group Chicago, and it turned out to be a bold move that paid off.

“I got an e-mail back right away from Al and he said he loved my music and thought he could do something with it,” said Crasper. “He assured me he could get me on the Grammy list and he did. Since then it’s all been happening pretty fast.”

Crasper has been nominated in the Best Male Pop Vocal and Best Male Pop Vocal Album categories. The selection is the first step toward securing a spot in the final top-five category, and with it, the possibility for Grammy gold.

The nominations will be announced on Dec. 8, but Crasper said that even if he doesn’t make the final cut, the experience and musical exposure he’s received already makes him a winner.

“If I just get nominated, that would be enough for me,” said Crasper of making it to the final five nominees. “But I’ve been getting lots of attention already with all this and I’m working on putting out an album, so I’m in a good place either way.”

To hear Crasper’s music or purchase his latest CD, “Wolf Tickets,” log onto www.kurtcrasper.com.

- ThePressNewsPapers.com


Discography

The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences has placed Kurt Crasper on the Official Ballot for the 2008 Grammy Awards in the following categories:

Category 6 - Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Kurt Crasper - Ramp Tramp Award goes to Artist: Kurt Crasper, Ballot Entry # 028

Category 11 - Best Pop Vocal Album Kurt Crasper - Wolftickets Award goes to Artist and Producers: Kurt Crasper, Ira Walker and Johnny Gunn, Ballot Entry # 047

2007 - Kurt Crasper: Wolftickets CD. The songs Ramp Tramp, Golden Years, and Border Rinnin' Cowboy are recieving Streaning and FM radio airplay on: www.krim-fm.com, Hotmix106.com, and numerous College Indie Stations across the nation

1979 - Kurt Crasper: Honky Tonk Amnesia Album

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Bio

Kurt Crasper is a self professed “Rock-a-Billy” vocalist and guitar player. His sound is a fusion of Jazz, Blues and Classic Rock all in one. Born In Southern California and raised in Northern California his passion for music started at a young age. He picked up a guitar and learned how to play on his own at the age of twelve.
During his teens he played local gigs with other guys his age in various rock and roll bands. “When I was about twenty three, that is when I got pretty serious about writing my own music.” So for the next couple of years that is exactly what he did along with musician friends he had met along the way. They wrote just about everything they could think of. “The feeling of creating something of my own became infectious”, says Crasper.
Making his way into the recording studio first, Kurt then got to enjoy some commercial success in the 70’s and early 80’s by opening for such legendary acts as Greg Kihn, John Lee Hooker and Bo Diddley. But the high living, rock and roll lifestyle eventually caught up to him and the focus of his passion for music was clouded. “I was beat down by the whole scene and after losing friends and mentors to illness and suicide, I decided to quit the music business.” He put away his guitar and picked up a hammer and got into the construction business just like his dad.
True musicians never let that fire completely fade away and twenty years later Kurt decided that it was time to reignite the flame for the music and writing he passionately missed.
In November 2006, Crasper was reacquainted with Ira Walker with whom he had worked with in their early Twenties. Ira had gone on to produce over 20 records over the years and was hooked up pretty tight in the industry. After hearing Kurt’s music Ira approached Kurt and asked if he would be interested in having his record produced by Johnny Gunn along with himself. “I was totally thrilled with the idea and agreed whole heartedly” says Crasper.
As he began playing again at local venues with Ira Walker and the Passion Pirates throughout the Bay Area, Crasper took a big chance in late 2006 when he sent legendary producer Al Gomes some of his work. Gomes has produced such superstars as Christina Aguilera, Alice Cooper and the group Chicago. This turned out to be a bold move that paid off. “I got an email back right away from Al and he said he loved my music and thought we could do something with it. He assured me that he could get me on the Grammy nomination list and he did. Since then it has all been happening pretty fast.” Kurt has said that even if he doesn’t make the final cut for the Grammys the experience and musical exposure he has received has already made him a winner.
“My music is the story of my life. It’s where I have been, where I am at presently and where I am going. It’s a journey that I can express and share through the art of music. It’s one hell of a ride.