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Crimzon Lake

CRIMZON LAKE is a hard rock/metal band from Newcastle in NSW. They are a band of seasoned musicians who create music that is simplistic in its nature but very intricate in its delivery. CRIMZON LAKE is fronted by the original lead singer of IRON MAIDEN, Paul Day and backed by a rhythm section and lead guitarist who have been played in established Australian acts for years and need to be seen to be believed. Over a short period of time the band has created a real buzz around their performances and their fan base is growing rapidly. They have just released and EP and they are currently moving in to the more pertinent music markets of Sydney and Melbourne to further spread the word of CRIMZON LAKE’s music. I caught up with Paul and Mark (bass) recently to reflect upon their short history and the next step for the band -

How was CRIMZON LAKE formed? What did the original members bring to the unit and what other bands did they come from?

Alex Saz (drums) gave Mark a phone call and asked for a jam and we thought well we need a guitarist and I (Mark) contacted Danny (guitar) who I have known for a while. This was about four years ago, there was chemistry straight away really it all felt right. So we started writing songs, because we didn’t want to do covers, so through riffs that Danny brought  to the table we starting composing straight away. We worked together for eighteen months rehearsing and writing, without a vocalist. It took us two years to find a vocalist in Paul amidst a lot of auditioning! We actually heard about the original lead vocalist of IRON MAIDEN living in Newcastle so we looked him up. We all went and saw Paul play in a pub in Warners bay (Newcastle) and he came for a rehearsal and he liked what he heard. We had original songs and he was sick of playing covers so went from there. Paul said yes but thought that he wasn’t sure if that is what he really needed. For me, Paul stated, I was in a covers band to finance me through University, and it was that I have always wanted to be in projects as original artists. I was a little curious and unsure, but after twenty minutes I was sold! As soon as I heard the material, the playing and the camaraderie that was it. I liked that they worked so hard, rehearsing and honing the material – 6 to 8 hours at a time. I was thinking, where has this band been for the past twenty three years, it was what I was looking for so long. Really we are a “closet” band and just working through songs and building our base up to this point. Now we are ready to put this hard work to the test!

Hailing from Newcastle you are a band that is immersed within a “pub music scene” culture that revolves predominately around cover bands. As an originals band how have you organised work and how has the pub audiences taken to the band?

Beyond our hopes really, the first gig was at Wickham Park Hotel in November 2010. We actually opened with an IRON MAIDEN cover and it was well attended because of the promotion. A lot of the audience were actually musicians. We had huge roars after each song. From this first gig attention has really grown, I guess our audience has changed from the musician base to real punters. So it’s building from show to show and things like Facebook and the website – www.crimzonlake.com are getting a lot more hits and people are coming along.

How does CRIMZON LAKE develop new material? Is it an organic process with songs developed through rehearsals or do individuals bring finished songs to rehearsal that are arranged?

Both ways really, however, songs are never totally finished when they come along, and then at times they evolve through rehearsals and jamming. There is no hard and fast rule it happens as it happens, and we arrange songs as they develop. Generally an evolution process, using the volume and the energy and feeding off this as band in a rehearsal room. A lot of the earlier songs, like before Paul, the vocal lines were laid out and Paul came in and gave them his own flavour as this is what he does well. Lyrics are always the last thing, lyrics come at certain times and in strange situations like when you try and find something, when you stop looking for it, it turns up!

Your debut EP has a pretty big range in material from a straight out hard rock songs, a power rock song that revolves around a simple structure with a highly melodic chorus and then the epic metal number. So where do you see your material fitting are you a hard rock band or a metal band?

All of the above, no two songs are the same. Every song has a different beat, a different feel and a different spin. This is what keeps it fresh for us and gives us the beauty. The EP is a sample, something that shows the range of material that we have. Having your melodic song in between epic numbers splits up the set – like a movie, it isn’t just a car chase there are light moments and dark moments as well as fast and slow pieces. As a music fan I don’t even listen to an album from start to finish but I move across different songs and bands with an MP3 Player with that luxury of the digital medium.

The EP to me has a real URIAH HEEP feel, I guess an Australian hard rock version of the HEEP. Is this a fair summation of your music or do you see it differently?

I am honoured about that, and see that as a compliment. URIAH HEEP were one of those first bands like BLACK SABBATH and PRIEST in the early 70’s that got me into being a musician. I don’t know if we really do but I guess what you are saying does really fit, but it isn’t a conscious thing

 

You have recently been placed on some bills in Sydney supporting TABERAH at the Valve Bar on the 7th of October and you are currently speaking with the promoter Metal Evilution and Hardline Media, so is the timing right to move your product into Sydney, and the more important national markets? 

Yes, we are ready, we are starting to roll and we need to launch into bigger gigs. We don’t want to dwell on anything but to move forward.  I personally do not want to sing for a hobby, I get enjoyment out of singing for people, in front of an audience. The more we do that the happier we are and the more people we will hopefully bring on board. Things can’t go too fast as far as I am concerned. We just want to get in to and see how bigger audiences react to us and what we do. As much as recording is part of the process, it is getting the instant feedback from people and this is the best part of the business.

Are there any plans to record further and complete an album at this point?

Yes definitely, the only hurdle is finances. We would do this tomorrow if we could. Now we have this opportunity we can see how we fit and look at where our next amount of material comes from. We think that releasing one of our more accessible songs would help to get some air play and extend our audience base. And really the current EP is selling really well, both at gigs and over our website.

What about management, who is currently looking after your further business development, are you looking for national management support?

Well it is basically all internal at the moment. We have had some help by people who know us and then just venue managers. So we need to move forward and get some national coverage. At this point nothing is on the table but the right manager is vital, someone with a track record and someone who really loves the music and believes in it. For us it is not just about making money but building our own empire and piece of the music scene.

So where would you like CRIMZON LAKE to be say in a year or so?

Really to have overseas interest and I guess as a dream to play some of the big festivals like Donnington, South America and Wacken. I guess for us to live that dream and play all of those big metal shows. Like all bands really just doing it for real. The destination isn’t the most important thing it is the journey, it isn’t a plan but a dream. Playing again with IRON MAIDEN again would be a good thing and to do, as we said, bigger venues to more people.

Is there anything that you would like to say to people reading this who haven’ yet listened to or seen CRIMZON LAKE

I guess give us a go and please come and see us. I am sure that we won’t let you down. I guess we are a band with heart and we feel the songs and we want to interact with an audience that feels the same.

The guys in the band come across as sincerely genuine people who just believe in what they do and who are passionate about their music. Their enthusiasm is quite infectious and I guess this explains the fact that attention for them is growing quite rapidly. Their debut EP is now available at UTOPIA RECORDS and more information about the band can be found at www.crimzonlake.com