the Kraze

Since I was a little kid all I ever wanted to do was play music. I remember writing songs before I could even play an instrument. It’s as if music has always and will always be a part of me.

I can remember recording awards shows to a VHS tape and then playing them over and over again wishing that someday I could be on a stage like that. Everyone has a passion and I guess mine was more apparent to me at a young age. I knew I wanted to write lyrics and play the guitar and sing songs.

Fast forward 10 years.

At this time I was playing in a local garage rock band called Aramaic from southern Ohio. We had a good time and played small festivals, events and churches all around the region. I would not consider any of this of much success but we did have fun and gain a lot of experience. A good friend and myself started writing songs together and began to play shows. We started recording some demo tracks with Producer/Drummer/Writer Rick May and soon found ourselves playing all over Ohio.

Then it all changed…

Instead of playing music for enjoyment or pleasure we turned it into a business. All of a sudden we were under this heavy burden that we had to become the next mega group. Writing songs became an extremely difficult task as nothing we wrote was ever good enough. We lost our hearts. We lost our soul.

After much consideration we decided to go to college.

This decision consequently put an end to the gigging and writing and recording. We spent the next five years going to school and in a way disbanded.

I started serving at a local church, leading the music. The other guys found ways to play music and creatively express themselves. We were done. It was time to grow up.

Fast forward to now.

We have new songs and a new vision. We love music. We want to play music.

The current lineup of the Kraze formed in the summer of 2011 and has been writing and rehearsing together since. We have a passionate, energetic set that really captures our passion for the songs and music.

Recently, we've had great opportunities to play larger scale concerts in our hometown of Columbus, Ohio. This culminated with us opening for our friends, Twenty One Pilots, for a sold out show of 2,200+ at the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion in downtown Columbus. The response was very encouraging and we could not be more excited.

Our goal now is to simply write for whomever will listen. To share our ideas and our passions with new friends and musicians. This music is for you and we appreciate you taking the time to share it with us.

-Wes Thompson