You’ll no doubt have already read our review of ‘Fire On The Mountain‘, the re-interpretation by Bill Crews and the Crews Cartel of The Marshall Tucker Band classic. Now we present to you our chat with the man himself, where he answers some of our burning questions.
Hi Bill, thanks for speaking to us today!
I keep seeing your band name and thinking you’re “Bill Crews And Crews Control” – if ever the Crews Cartel wants to change their name, they can have that one for free!
I actually never thought of Bill Crews and Crews Control. But I do like that a lot. I sell airplanes for a living and back in the 90s people would ask me “are you running drugs”, which led to the intrigue of adding the Crews Cartel. Of course, I wasn’t running them but I did sell a lot of airplanes in south Florida that they would pay for with cash in briefcases…..
I’ve been enjoying your new single, ‘Fire On The Mountain’, and I’m loving the Americana vibes. The video follows the lines of the song as it tells the story of gold prospectors and their hard life seeking their fortune, and I love it, it’s cinematic and fits perfectly. At any time you think of making a less literal clip, or was it always going to be done that way?
I just sent to the song to the girl who does my videos and let her go. I didn’t know what she would come up with, but I absolutely love it.
‘Fire On The Mountain’ reimagines the Marshall Tucker Band original – what is it about this song that made it something you wanted to cover?
I just was playing around with different chords and rhythms and I liked the kind reggae feel and in a minor chord. I just thought it worked well…..
Your latest album, ‘Been Hanging Around’, covers the classic songs of many of the stalwarts of country music. How did you settle on the tracks you chose to reimagine, and if a track didn’t make the cut, why?
I take some of my favourite songs and try to make them different than the original with lots of gut string guitar and percussion…..
If you could go back to the very earliest days of your music journey and tell yourself something based on what you know now, what would it be? And what advice do you have for anyone else, whether they’re just starting out or music industry veterans?
I would say go to social media to spend your time and effort on. It is so much more rewarding than trying to build a local following over years and years when you can get thousands of hits on You Tube, etc……
Finally, what question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview, but nobody ever does? And what’s the answer to that question?
Do you know more than 4 chords?
YES……but they’ve served me well, so why change now?
‘Fire On The Mountain’ by Bill Crews And The Crews Cartel is out now. You can read our review here. You can follow Bill Crews and the Crews Cartel online on their official website.
