Cromwell on Forbidden Radio with E! entertainment channel
"I think Cromwell is a perfect example of the transition out of screamo rock back into
Hard Rock, which I believe is the future of rock and roll. Don't get me wrong, I loooove metal and screaming but
there needs to be a revival of powerful singing and melody in rock music." - Atlantic Records
Cromwell Leading LA's Next Rock Revolution - Taken from Buzzine.com's feature article
The nights in Los Angeles have an air about them that settles on the landscape like a fog resting just beyond the realm of perception. Within it, a gravity draws the denizens of the city and its surrounding communities in, dropping them like stones at the doors of the hundreds of clubs lining the streets.
On this balmy Friday night in West Hollywood, gravity releases a large number of Angelinos at the entrance to the city’s premier rock venue, The Troubadour. Here, they have been inexorably drawn to bear witness a set by a musical force, born out of the deserts of the Inland Empire and unleashed upon the inner city with a relentlessness seldom equaled in the Southern California music scene..
Their name: Cromwell. Their goal: World Domination.
This night, the would-be dictators of the new world order, vocalist/keyboardist Kenny Clark Russell, guitarist Markus Estrada, bassist Scott Deloyer, and drummer Marty Elliot stand just out of range of the throng waiting to enter the club. They are composed in a semi-circle around a man with a Dictaphone, prodding the band about their past, present, and future. This man is I, and had I not been at full alert around this group of post-hardcore metal masters, than perhaps the fact that I had forgotten to hit “record” on my Dictaphone would have been a serious problem later on.
Over the past few years, Cromwell has emerged as a veritable juggernaut among the hordes of rock acts in the Southern California area, contending for the same end. What sets them apart, though, is a keen determination and a sound/image that is tighter than…well, let’s get our minds out of the gutter. Suffice to say, it’s tight. Their fan-base is rabid (just check out the tattoos on their MySpace page), and the people immediately surrounding the band all attest to Cromwell’s unwavering dedication to their goal.
“They’re one of the best bands I’ve ever worked with and also one of the best bands I’ve ever seen live. They’re also some of the most determined individuals that I have worked with,” touts their manager, Joseph Acosta. “Cromwell is just a band that has everything"..
Earlier in the evening, as I just arrived at the venue, I met their manager near the double-door entrance, only to be informed that the band had not yet been assembled to begin the interview. However, Joe hastily ushered me to an unlit area just aside the entrance where I quickly recognized Cromwell’s frontman, Kenny Clark Russell, leaning against a wooden pillar and conversing with a heavily tattooed vixen. I promptly introduced myself and was stunned to find his personality in stark contrast to the conclusions I drew after following the band for a year. Conclusions mainly reached by viewing dreary band photos and immersing myself in their dark blend of rock and metal. Kenny’s warm demeanor and quick wit took me slightly aback, as the rest of the band, one by one, gathered around to give their account of the events that had brought them to this point, and to muse about their future, which will likely be very great indeed.
“Well, we all pretty much went to the same high school together,” Kenny said, as he reminisced about their past. “We were all hanging out in the same groups and were very much into music, so it was only appropriate that we started jamming”
Markus, their smoke-toting, heavily tattooed guitarist, talks about the origins of their name, saying, “Cromwell was actually the name of the street that was the center of our world at the time. It’s where we all met, and when we were looking for a name, it just seemed to be an adequate representation of who we are and where we came from.”
It was readily apparent from the beginning that the foursome had discovered a special connection built around a common love of music and equalized talent. As time drew on and their compositions solidified, Cromwell hit the scene in the Inland Empire and nearby cities, building a fan-base with their powerful live performances. With the word beginning to spread and the bodies packing into the venues, it was then that the guys entered the recording studio and laid down the tracks for their debut EP, So Close to Forever. The successful unveiling of the disc earned them a spot on the 2006 Warped Tour and further expanded their following.
“We knew, at that point, it was time to take it to the next level,” explains bassist and backup vocalist Scott Deloyer. “After getting that kind of attention, we knew it was all or nothing at that point, and recording a full-length LP was the obvious next thing to do.”
Cromwell took the next five months off from playing live to go back to the studio and record Illusion and Obsession, a 12-song powerhouse of raw vocal emotionality set to a thundering musical backdrop. Not that “backdrop” is an adequate term for what goes on behind Kenny Clark Russell’s superb melodic storytelling. It’s an assault on the senses that takes you on a ride to extreme dynamic highs and lows. The tempo shifts and structure deviations that Cromwell sews into their arrangements keep the songs fresh, where other bands might use them ad nauseum strictly for the sake of sounding different. One of the best things about the album is Cromwell’s ability to accomplish “different” in a way that is nuanced and accessible, rather than alienating.
The standout tracks on Illusion and Obsession come forth in the forms of “Better Days” — a brutal slap to the face of the melodramatically self-pitying personality — “Cry” — a call to the emotionally repressed to let it all out — and “Almost Midnight” — a tale that rings true to the scorned hearts that revenge is indeed a dish best served cold. Through and through, the album delivers all the way until the end and practically leaves you salivating for their next effort.
Once the recording was finished, Cromwell exploded onto the Los Angeles music scene. Completing a string of dates around the Southern California area, they took the next great big leap in a band’s life — touring. The guys did two, actually. The most recent was the Summer of Love tour, which took the band from Los Angeles to Miami and back again. When asked about the experience of touring, their soft-spoken, insanely talented percussionist, Marty Elliot, had this to add: “It was a learning experience.”
And no doubt it was.
The tales returned from the tour are rife with trials and tribulations, but also of the kindness of the human spirit. Kenny explained that, at one point, the band, being broke and waylaid in Florida, parked in front of a Starbucks at 8:00 in the morning, placed out a collection jar, and just started jamming acoustically. They were soon approached by a woman who asked them how much they needed to be on their way home. Three hundred dollars was the number, and the woman provided the funds in the form of a check, telling the band that God himself had instructed her to do so.
With God clearly on their side, Cromwell has been experiencing an upward momentum that could be veritably attributed to divine intervention. A few months after coming off their tour, the band signed with indie-label Redefined Records, which falls under the Universal Music Group umbrella.
Inserting the new label deal into the conversation and inquiring about the future of the band immediately brings smiles to their faces and a dreamy quality to their eyes. You can tell that this is a group of guys optimistic about their future in the entertainment industry. And why not? There’s very little that Cromwell doesn’t have going for them. An ever-expanding fan-base, media attention, label recognition, a kick-ass CD on the way…it’s a rock and roll cream dream.
So what does the future hold for Kenny, Markus, Scott, and Marty? I could go on and on about their seeming destiny for rock stardom, but in the immediate sense, they have another tour coming up in the next month or so, no doubt put into place to sate the hungers of their thousands of fans across the country. Also, they have the official release of Illusion and Obsession to look forward to in early to mid-January — a release undoubtedly set to launch this band onto an unsuspecting public, almost completely unaware that a group like Cromwell was just the thing that they were looking for.
As I was leaving the venue that I night, I had to ask myself a couple questions. What is it about this band, Cromwell, that has me so interested? What is it inside of them and in their music that is so alluring that I felt compelled to do this piece? I can tell you the answers I needed came in the form of my memories from their performance that night and from the interview I had just conducted.
These guys are the real deal.
Their honesty in their music and love of what they do is apparent not only when speaking to them, but when they take the stage and hold an audience transfixed with their musicality and flawless delivery. It is a sense that while you are near them or watching them perform, you are truly part of something great. It is a reminder that music is still a powerful mechanism and, when wielded by those truly fit to brandish such a thing, it reminds you of the importance music holds in the lives of all.
Cromwell. I suggest you remember this name.
Written by: Joshua Parsons
Send us pictures of your Cromwell Tattoos and we'll add them!
man it was really good seeing you guys again!!! i know its been a while!!!! as always you guys sounded amazing!!! the new addition really adds a difference to your sound!!!!
Well my three sisters and I are going to another one of your shows coming up. we really liked you guys and couldn't stop listening to both your cd's today. freakin awesome! I hope you will be there after the show so we can get our cd's autographed :)
Yes, Connie's daughter Raylene she had soo much fun!She loves u guys now!!Next time we have to hang,you guys are so talented,I hope to see you guys again soon!
Great reunion show last night..sick puppies sucked balls and was a huge disappointment to most people i talk to...why play a whole line up of songs your fans havent heard of yet...booo .....but i can always count on you guys to be the shit...u guys really shined last night...looking forward to many more years to come with you boys....love u guys <3
So after listening to the cd that your manager bought for me, I have decided that the emotion I feel about missing your show far surpasses depression. I believe I may need some prozac.
You guys rock. I can't wait to see you at the Knitting Factory!
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