Following the success of their acclaimed 2018 album ‘Invincible’, which spent an incredible ten consecutive weeks in the Top 30 Official German Rock and Metal Charts and was voted Sleaze’s Nation’s # 2 album of 2018, Australian based Theatrical Glam Rock Warriors, CROSSON, return in 2020 with their new album “Rock ‘N Roll Love Affair“. Mixed by legendary U.S producer Duane Baron who has worked with Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, Poison and mastered by Dave Donnelly (Aerosmith, KISS, Whitesnake), “Rock ‘N Roll Love Affair” as well as featuring guest appearances by members of Baby Animals and Death Dealer, the latest release punches you in the face from the opening chords and erupts with ten infectiously catchy, highly addictive rock tunes.
Crosson most recently toured with a few bands from the 2020 Melodic Rock Fest which ended up being some of the very last shows before the pandemic lockdown, including Ron Keel, Janet Gardner and Enuff ‘Z Nuff. We grabbed a few words from frontman and main visionary behind the band, Jason Crosson, to find out the backstory behind the band, what it was like to tour with some of his heroes and how the new album is the next step to their future goal.
Thanks for taking the time to chat to us, there’s much to talk about but the first thing is the new album “Rock ‘N Roll Love Affair”. Tell us about the process of writing and recording these new songs.
Following our last album (2018’s Invincible) and the great response we had to it, we knew that the next album had to be better in terms of songwriting and production, so the pressure was on!! I write and demo everything in my home studio, usually working till the early hours of the morning which I find is the best time for the creative juices to flow. As we need to put our best foot forward with respect releasing music to the public, I had to get brutal and trash a few tracks that weren’t as good as they could have been and start the writing process again until we had 10 great songs withno fillers. Once the songs were demoed, they were handed to the musicians to learn and add their own feel, and the we headed into the studio to start laying down the tracks. The drums , bass and vocals were tracked at Damien Gerard Studios in Sydney with engineer Russell Pilling ( The Vines, Noiseworks) .
Upon completion of the tracking ( Drums, Bass, Guitars, Vocals) and after I’ve completed all underlying sounds, keys and layers, it’s all sent to Duane Baron in the USA ( Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Poison, Alice Cooper). After Duane have waved his ‘magic wand’ and its sounding huge and vibrant, its then sent off to Dave Donnelly in the USA ( KISS, Whitesnake) for the mastering. We’ve been using this combination of engineers for the last 3 albums, so we have a great team.
Stu Marshall from Death Dealer and Dario Bortolin from Baby Animals make guest appearances on the album, how did that come about and what was that experience like to work with them?
My philosophy is, if you want the best, you’ve got to use the best. Dario played on our last album and he is amazing so it was a no-brainer to use him again. Stu, I’ve known for a few years now so when I was looking for someone to really ‘blow the speakers’ , I asked Stu and he was happy to do it. We spent about 3 days in his studio over the Christmas break and boy, did he deliver!!!
What were some of the things you wanted to achieve with the release?
CROSSON’s music has always been about writing catchy anthemic rock songs with big guitars, big harmonies and choruses that stick in people’s heads . This time, the album needed to be bigger and better than the last one and I think we definitely achieved it. We just want our music to reach as many people as possible and if it puts a smile in someone’s face and makes them feel good, then its worked.
Do you enjoy the process of creating? Are you someone who continually writes or does the best come out under a little gentle pressure?
Writing for me is little pulling off a band aid. I know it needs to be done and I will look for all sorts of excuses to avoid it ( “ Oh!! MAFS is on!!! “ ). However, once I actually force myself into the studio and start writing I can be there for 3 hours and it only seems like 30 minutes. I prefer to work under pressure and have a deadline, otherwise you can procrastinate for years. For example, the next album needs to be released in 2 years, so now I’ve pulled my finger out and am in the studio almost every day because now I have a deadline!
What does it feel like as an artist waiting for the songs you’ve lived with for some time to get released to the fans? Is there a sense of excitement or a little panic in there too?
It’s like “ Finally!! ( sigh)”. If I know we’ve put our best foot forward and released the best album we could have, then I can’t ask for anything more. It’s great to get positive feedback from fans and critics alike and fortunately ‘Rock N Roll Love Affair’ has been greatly accepted all over the world from Germany, Italy, UK, Sweden, Spain, USA, Austria, Brazil, France, Australia …. even the Czech Republic.
What were the lyrical themes and the main inspirations for the songs?
Many of CROSSON’s songs deliver an uplifting positive message such as ‘Everyone’s A Star’ and ‘Givin’ Up Living Giving Up’. That being said, it wouldn’t be a CROSSON album without some tongue-in-cheek such as ‘Weak At The Knees (For a Hot Brunette!!)’. ‘We All need An Enemy’ (which goes down great during the live show with the CROSSON dancers in their skimpy army uniforms ) is a big middle-finger-salute to the politicians who create wars for their own financial gain not caring whose lives are destroyed in the process.
‘Weak At The Knees ( for A Hot Brunette!!) was inspired by the fact that there are plenty of songs about blondes and it was about time the beautiful brunettes in the world were celebrated plus I have a weakness for brunettes 😊 ) . ‘Rest In Peace’ was a tribute to my mother who passed away recently whilst ‘Rock N Roll Love Affair’ ( the title track) is about our love of rock and metal which we all share!!
Any favorite moments or songs on the release?
Mmmmm!! “Everyone A Star” is one of my favourite CROSSON songs and we open up our show with it. My 11 year old son came up with the counter melody in the beginning which fitted in perfectly so it also has that sentimental value. The video really shows CROSSON in its element, delivering our bombastic , energetic stage show!!
Did you imagine how these songs would play out in a live situation?
Yes absolutely. As the girls have numerous costume changes throughout the show, its like “Mmmmm, this song would be great for the live show. Now, what sort of skimpy costume can I try and convince the girls to wear 😊 “
You recently did a run of shows earlier this year with such melodic rock greats as Reckless Love, Janet Gardner etc. What was that experience like?
It was great fun travelling around the country with these guys. It was quite surreal being backstage and listening to these songs by Ron Keel, Janet Gardner and Enuff ‘Z Nuff that I grew up with. They were all really lovely and they loved what CROSSON did with the theatrics. You could see them peeking through the curtains or standing out the back during our set. On our final night after our set, I was out the back with Ron Keel and he says “ Would you like to come up tonight and sing The Right To Rock with me? ” I was like “Are you serious?”. I then put on my sweaty wet clothes and costume and joined him for the encore for the Rock N Roll Anthem. I ended up getting a cold by hanging around in my wet clothes, but it was worth it!! I’ll always remember that experience.
Opening for Reckless Love was great as we put a great show and I think we it really expanded our fan base.
How do you pick out a setlist and is that a difficult process?
As the CROSSON performance is a show we need to make it flow and also be able to choose songs that the girls can do a costume change that will bring the visuals to life while mixing the older material with the new. A few songs that go over really well are ‘ I Wanna Be Japanese ( girls in geisha outfits) , We All Need An Enemy (girls in army uniforms) and our heavy version of Money Money Money where the girls are wearing girls 1920’s flapper.
What is your favorite song to play live?
Probably ‘Money Money Money’ as everyone sings along and it gets the crowd going.
How has the experience of playing live been like for the band so far?
Playing live is what we really live for so we give 110% every time we step onto a stage. We rehearse quite solidly before a show and having a great tech (Sean Hampstead) I know things are in control. People who don’t know us are a little skeptical at first when they see the costumes and visuals but by the end of the night, they have had a great time and we have won them over, so our mission has been accomplished.
Any favorite places to play live?
Frankie’s in Sydney always goes off every time we play there. I also love The Crowbar Sydney and The Zoo in Brisbane. That being said, we are happy to play anywhere were there an appreciative crowd.
Read our review of “Rock N’ Roll Love Affair
How did Crosson form and get started?
I started this crazy adventure many years ago and there have been various incarnations of CROSSON over the years. I wanted a band that delivered not only good songs but an entertaining live show with myself and 2 girls as the focus of the group. We released two albums and a few EPs independently but it wasn’t until 2012 when we got the image and look the way we wanted it and got Duane Baron involved as our mixing engineer and recorded Spreading The Rock N Roll Disease that people started to take notice. We secured a licensing deal with a German label which put on the map with all the European press we received. Our next album ‘Invincible’ hit the German Rock and Metal Charts and spent 10 weeks in the top 30.
What have been your greatest challenges to date, and your favourite moments musically?
At first , and to some extent still is, is getting people to take notice. When we had recorded Spreading The Rock N Roll Disease and I was shopping it, it was pretty much do or die until we got a deal. Once this happened and people started to take notice, the CROSSON ball was rolling and it’s a matter of continuing to put out good product and play to as many people as possible. An unlimited marketing budget and touring budget would be great 😊.
From what you’ve learned so far what is the most valuable advice you’ve been given so far as a musician?
– Associate and surround yourself with talented people
– Always ask questions. Don’t be afraid to get on the phone or email someone for advise. That’s how we got our break.
– Put your best foot forward before releasing anything
– Most importantly are the 2 Spartan rules: 1) Never Give Up 2) Repeat rule number 1
Who are some of your main influences?
If there was no KISS then there would be no CROSSON. Musically it’s the 80’s hair bands with the big choruses like Motely Crue, Stryper, Dokken, Scorpions, Bon Jovi, Ozzy, Keel, (and about 50 others) mixed with 70s’s glam rock (Queen, Sweet etc) and modern day melodic rock
Who or what inspired you to be in a band and play music?
I was bewildered by KISS and the whole image as a kid. However, it was when I first saw Iron Maiden with all the flames, smoke, explosions and 15 ft Eddy that my jaw hit the floor and I went “ I wanna do that!!!”
How do you feel about the current music scene right now?
There are some great melodic rock / glam metal out there that I love such as H.E.A.T, Crazy Lixx, W.E.T, Eclipse , Shakra, Grand Design to name a few who are really keeping the genre alive and delivering some great music.
Do you believe music can still change the world?
The song we close our set with is called ‘Spreading The Rock and Roll Disease ‘so that’s we what intend on doing….. “we’re heading for a revolution, join us for the execution”.
If you could invite any 3 musicians to dinner at a restaurant, who would they be?
Id say Gene Simmons ( he’s hilarious plus I’d love to pick his brain), Jon Bon Jovi and Jim Steinman ( I’d get some great writing tips)!
If you could be a fly on the wall for the recording of any album in history, what album would it be?
Queen’s ‘Night At The Opera’ would have been very interesting to see those guys and Roy Thomas Baker at work.
What is the meaning of life?
Be true to your heart and true your soul and be grateful for everything!!
Final words?
If you like catchy anthemic rock anthems, then check out ‘Rock ‘N Roll Love Affair’. You wont be disappointed.
FOLLOW CROSSON:
www.crosson.com.au
www.facebook.com/crossonrock
www.instagram/crossonrock
www.youtube.com/crossonrock
www.reverbnation.com/crosson
www.facebook.com/galaxyrecordsAUS
