BAND BIO

Let The Good times Roll!

“We should probably do a cover of that song because that’s pretty much what The Craze is all about,” says lead singer and guitarist Jesse Vaz. “And we hope that’s the feeling people get from our new EP “Get Up!”. ”

The Craze’s debut full-length, 2006's ‘Introducing The Craze’, quickly became a favorite with independent tastemakers at radio including the legendary Jonathan L at KUPD in Phoenix AZ, Capone at 91X in San Diego, Dwight Arnold and his ‘Sunday Night Music Meeting’ and Waitt Radio Network PD Polychronopolis. The tracks 'Turn On My Radio’, ‘Kiss Yourself', ‘Baby Blue’, and ‘Take It How You Want It’ all received considerable airplay and turned listeners across the US on to the fresh new sound of The Craze. It also opened doors for the band to tour.

And tour they did. Jesse, lead guitarist Chris Pastor, bassist Rudy Roque and drummer Ainsley Hubbard quickly became a crowd favorite, able to stand alongside The Black Keys, Trapt, The Gin Blossoms, Authority Zero, Army of Freshmen and a host of others, simply because their shows make people feel good.

“If we can give people just a few minutes of relief from the drudgery of their day-to-day lives – you know, just put a smile on their face, then we have accomplished something,” says Ainsley, who along with Rudy is still only 18. “We want to bring people together, ” Ainsley continues. “When you look out at the crowd and see people of all ages and from all walks of life smiling and singing your lyrics, it’s a good feeling. That’s what drives us to be better performers and songwriters”.

Touring for over 150 dates also got the band thinking about the normal routine of doing a full-length album and then touring for a year and a half behind it. “We had this idea of putting out EP’s with new music every 4 or 5 months to keep things fresh for us and for our fans,” says Jesse. “You have to play the songs that people know and expect or you’re cheating them, adds Rudy. “But we have so many ideas for songs and we were writing in the van and dying to get back to California to record”.

So, after their appearance at SXSW in 2007, the band took a break from touring and returned to the studio later that summer.

“We did our first album so quickly,” says Chris, “because we were dying to get out on the road and we wanted to have music for our fans to take home from the shows”. “By the end of the first album” he continues, “we were getting really comfortable in the studio and we knew that this time there was a lot more we could do creatively”. 

Indeed, on Get Up! The Craze’s fanbase will find plenty of the freewheeling spirit that made “Introducing The Craze’ such a word-of-mouth success. “The new stuff sounds big,” says Jesse, “We had the studio locked out for months and really got to try all of our ideas.” “Our producer Gary has a ton of cool vintage gear like the Linndrum which is the drum sound on ‘The Cars’ and ‘Prince’ records,” adds Ainsley. “We love those sounds and it was cool getting to play with that gear and see what it could add to our sound.”

“Another big addition in the studio were the guitar amps that Kustom gave us to record with,” adds Chris. “Their Coupe series all-tube amps have the sound I was always hearing in my head,” he continues. “They’re retro and modern at the same time – kind of like us,” he laughs.

And it is that unique blend of old and new - 60’s guitars, new wave dance beats and rock energy that sets The Craze’s sound apart from the crowd.

“We've made a really good album,” concludes Rudy. “And I think we’ve captured a lot of the energy of our live show on these songs.”

“We can’t wait to get back on the road and play these songs for our fans,” says Jesse. “Our shows are always a party and these are feel-good party songs”.