Long known for being a melodic hardcore band, Crime In Stereo broke through any and all genre defining boundaries in creating Describe,  a haunting album that perfectly laces together experimental grunge-rock with the punk roots from which the band came.  This new sound and direction has fans and press alike praising I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone, with PunkNews.org raving, “If this is the new hardcore, sign me up for more.”  If you haven’t done so already, head to a store near you to pick up a copy of I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone and own the album that “…should by all means, turn the head of every avid music fan who got into this kind of music when it first began” (The Music The Message).

How did you all first decide to get serious with music, and start this band?

We all really just wanted to do it, so we formed the band then something progressed. We didn’t really say to start this band, more like what are we gonna do next. We’ve seen and done so many cool things one year after another, and it’s something we all loved. We work as hard as we do so we can do that. Early on, when we started doing it we busted our asses so now being where we are is just awesome. It’s something I always wanted to do, it’s something we all wanted to do.
Was there ever any hesitation in what you guys were doing?

There always is, especially when you aren’t indecently wealthy and have the whole set up to fall back on. You just gotta throw yourself into it, and whatever happens in the end happens. Of course there is hesitation, like for it was paying my student loan and life getting in the way, but you just have to go for it and not look back.
You guys have already been playing together for seven, almost eight years. Had you ever thought that the band wasn’t going to work?

Oh definitely! We never thought we would make it this far. I mean we just finished our fourth EP, we never thought we would have done anything close to that. Every day I think about where we are and everything we do, it still shocks me.
How would you describe your style of music?

I am the worst person to ask that! [laughs] People would ask before, and I would say something then after think “What in the world was I talking about?”[laughs], but honestly I would just definitely say that we are emotionally driven, hardcore influenced music.

What do you think it is that attracts listeners to your style of music?

I don’t know actually, we always just have been truly honest. Honest about the lives we live, and it makes it easy for them to relate to us. We write about things that we go through, things that people are going through right now as we speak. In our songs, we write stories. And I think listeners can feel closer that way. We have a little bit of a unique Long Island sound, which I think attracts listeners.

In one sentence, what is your ultimate goal as a band?

I just want every person to be crying and singing “I love Crime in Stereo!” [laughs] and be able to have the songs just get to them.

It’s not hard to sometimes find trends between bands’ songs, as far as inspiration for what the song is talking about (love, hate, being happy, etc.). Is there one sort of emotion that dominates the songs that you guys write, or is it more sporadic?

This last record that we wrote was mainly just based on love, love lost, personal life heart-ache, heart-ache in general, again just life experiences. We write about what we live, which there is a lot of happy moments but there is also a lot of sad emotions included. All of which we write about.

You guys did a split album with Kill Your Idols in 2003. Has there been another band that you guys have wanted to do a split with since then?

There is a million bands! We actually tired to do a split album at first with another band from Long Island, which I was totally psyched about because the singer had inspired me so much. But, there had been some conflict with the label and such, which had made it so that couldn’t happen, which sucked.

Of all the tours you’ve been on, which would you say has been your most favorite?

We did an Australia tour with Against Me!, which was incredible! Australia is one of the best places, I loved it. We also toured just got off the tour with Brand New, which is honestly one of the best experiences because they are just awesome guys! So I would have to say both of those tours.

As you just mentioned, you just got off the tour with Brand New. What’s it like touring with them?

It’s honestly one of the best experiences like I just said before, they are just such cool guys and such positive, fun people. Since we all are from Long Island, it’s like we are just a huge family on tour.

What was the motivation behind writing I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone?

The biggest motivation honestly was just pushing ourselves musically as far as we could go! We want to give every record we make 100% and so it’s always just getting your mindset to that point.

Do you feel more or less confident about this album compared to previous albums?

Definitely more confident, I think that this is the best record yet!

You guys have moved from label to label, three in the span of almost six years. What do you guys look for when you’re evaluating which label is best for you?

We actually were really good friends with the guy that worked the label, and even initially working there he would help us sell our CD’s and promote us a lot because he liked our music. They still are amazing though he’s not there anymore, but the main thing we look for is just to have similar values, and to make sure the relationship between us seems right.

What are your goals for 2010 as a band?

Tour our asses off! [laughs] Definitely sell some records, and just get out as much as we can. Come hang out!

Do you have any touring dates just yet?

We have some upcoming U.K dates, but we’re just gonna be staying busy, so keep an eye out!

1.  queue moderns

2.  drugwolf

3.  exit halo

4.  not dead

5.  odalisque

6.  young

7.  type one

8.  republica

9.  I am everything I am not

11.  I cannot answer you tonight

Crime In Stereo – Upcoming Shows

12.29 @ Unitarian Church in Stratford, CT

02.25 @ The Note in West Chester PA

02.26 @ The Studio at Webster Hall in NYC

02.27 @ Middle East in Cambridge MA

I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone was recorded this summer and fall with producer extraordinaire Mike Sapone (Brand New’s Daisy and The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, Crime In Stereo’s Is Dead).  Hailed by fans as well as critics, Is Dead was called “The Shape of Hardcore to Come…some of the most ambitious, stunning songwriting melodic hardcore has witnessed in years” by Alternative Press, and was lauded by Big Cheese (UK) as “A great hardcore album? No, a great album, full stop.”

Writing and recording I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone was a grueling effort that spanned several months this summer and fall but the band’s hard work alongside Sapone clearly has paid off: the resulting album clearly transcends anything Crime In Stereo has released to date and is sure to be one of the most anticipated releases of 2010.

Crime In Stereo spent this summer touring the US with Four Year Strong and Have Heart, as well as on the 10 for $10 Tour, and recently wrapped up this fall’s Bridge Nine Tour with Strike Anywhere, Polar Bear Club and Ruiner.   The band is currently on the road with Brand New, Thrice and Glassjaw through November, and is set to tour throughout North America and overseas in support of I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone starting in early 2010.

APPEARANCES BY: TERROR, CRIME IN STEREO, VISION, WAR OF AGES, DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR, TRAPPED UNDER ICE, THE GHOST INSIDE, THE MONGOLOIDS, THIS IS HELL, AND MORE!

Date City Venue

7.09 Philadelphia, PA The Trocadero

7.10 New York, NY Terminal 5

7.11 Baltimore, MD Sonar

7.12 Jacksonville, NC Hooligans

7.13 Knoxville, TN Valarium

7.14 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall

7.15 Atlanta, GA Masquerade

7.16 New Orleans, LA The Hanger

7.17 Houston, TX Java Jazz

7.18 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit

7.19 Dallas, TX The Max

7.21 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theater

7.22 Pomona, CA Glasshouse

7.23 San Francisco, CA The Grand Ballroom

7.24 Los Angeles, CA House Of Blues

7.25 Chico, CA Senator Theater

7.26 Seattle, WA King Cat Theater

7.28 Edmonton, AB Starlite

7.29 Calgary, AB Warehouse

7.31 St. Paul, MN Station 4

8.01 Kansas City, KS Midland Theater

8.02 Denver, CO Gothic Theater

8.04 Chicago, IL Metro

8.05 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection

8.07 Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights

8.08 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom

8.09 Worcester, MA Palladium

8.10 Montreal, QC Fou Founes

8.11 Toronto, ON Opera House

8.12 Detroit, MI The Majestic

8.13 Cleveland, OH Peabody’s

8.14 Buffalo, NY Xtreme Wheels