Apples in Stereo, Beat Happening, Black Flag, Black Sabbath, Brainiac, Boss 302, Circle Jerks, Contortions, Cows, the Cynics, Dead Kennedys, Denver Gentleman, Dinosaur Jr., El Espectro, Fluid, '57 Lesbian, the Fall, Girls Against Boys, Gina Go Faster, Grimace, Thee Headcoats, Thee Hectics, Hammerhead, Hound, Husker Du, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Joy Division, Lubricated Goat, the Makers, Melvins, Mudhoney, Nirvana, No Knife, Old Bull's Needle, the Seeds, 16 Horsepower, Spell, Stooges, Sonic Youth, Swell Maps, Tad, Unrest, Vaselines, Van Halen, Violent Femmes, Voidoids....
Cold Crank was a Denver, CO, punk trio formed by three Americans with European ties. Craig Campbell (vocals/bass) and Erik Roper (guitar/vocals) met while attending high school at Hahn, a U.S. airbase in Germany; Roper was an Airforce brat and Campbell's parents were teachers at the school. Eric Butterfield (drums/vocals) was an expatriate, living in Ireland and playing in the rock band Mexican Pets before returning to the States. The group formed in late 1992, released a big buzz demo tape shortly thereafter, and received much attention during the post-Nirvana major-label grab. They eventually hooked up with an indie label, Caustic Fish, for their debut release Saccharine (1994). Though it was not without its melodic moments, the grungy hardcore sound of the album was much different than what would later emerge.
Cold Crank became one of the most popular underground live acts in Denver, and began touring the U.S. in 1994. Their energetic and often self-destructive live performances helped earn the band a following in cities such as San Diego, Omaha, and Albuquerque. Jello Biafra, one of the band's most famous admirers, was keen on signing the outfit to his Alternative Tentacles label, but lost interest after witnessing a disastrous show in San Francisco. Two EPs, Flinch and Lifer, arrived in 1995, and were not dissimilar to the full-length Saccharine. A real change occurred in 1996 with the release of the Kung Pao Kitty EP (on the Drastic Plastic label), which betrayed a more accessible, punk-pop style. Arguably, the band would have gone on to greater success had they not broken up the same year. Zone of Accumulation is a career-spanning collection of outtakes.
All former members are keeping busy with current projects: Erik Roper was playing with the Seattle band
Alta May (with Garret Shavlik, formerly of the Fluid & Spell) and is currently in the Press Corps with Garrett and has formed a new project, Guns for Radios; Eric Butterfield plays guitar and sings in
Sons of the Golden West and is drumming for
the Subtractions in San Francisco (featuring members of Denver dynamos, Grimace and El Espectro); and Craig Campbell, who resides in New York City, has assembled a new ensemble
Rock 'n' Roll Monkey and the Robots, and released Detroit Trauma, a full-length which features peformances by Butterfield & Roper, followed by Back to Beatsville, released in 2008 on Belfast, Ireland's Motor Sounds Records. Craig has a new LP slated for early 2010 featuring Jon Spencer's Heavy Trash sideman Bobcat Arkham.
Cold Crank makes me want to drink beer and jump around in the best way. I really like that you have such a variety of sounds and structures while never forgetting the primary need to ROCK. Why can’t more bands do that? It’s not an easy feat, obviously! Most music just retreads the same old templates (which is not always bad...) or gets so self-indulgent that it ultimately just bores you. My thoughts on the rock anyway.
Cold Crank ---It's tonite! Our days may be numbered at P17.. We may be leaving..
Come out this wednesday Parallel 17-17th and Franklin-9:30 PM
We'd love to see you! DJ Matt Bandy on all good things that go around Casey Sidwell on bass and joy Joey Porter SON!! Ginger Perry in all her luscious glory and me, Venus with all my heart
Happy Halloween!
