EMQ’s With SWEET CRYSTAL
EMQ’s With SWEET CRYSTAL
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with USA Christian Progressive Rockers, Sweet Crystal. Huge thanks to their lead Vocalist/ Keyboard player, MarQ Andrew Speck, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Thanks for inviting us back! Been long time fans of EVER METAL!
I’m MarQ Andrew Speck, lead vocalist and keyboard player for 26-time Detroit Music Award winning band SWEET CRYSTAL. Along with founding members guitarist Bill Blatter and drummer Steve Wieser and now joined by newest member and bass player Martin Kuchar, we have been at the forefront of the Christian rock scene here in Michigan even before this genre had its own radio and broadcast outlets.
Unlike most bands who have a life cycle of about three to five years, this band of high school buddies (myself, Bill and Steve) has been playing together for 50 years. 2024 is our GOLDEN JUBILEE year, meaning 50 years of the music and message we are known for. Not many bands can claim that.
We got together right out of high school (and actually Bill and Steve played together during high school!). To this day we get together every week to rehearse, record and just enjoy each other’s company. Does it get old 5 decades later? Absolutely not! We just get better with age.
How did you come up with your band name?
The name of the band reflects the message of our music and mission, referring to passages in the Book Of Revelation that describe a river of sweet water flowing out from the throne of God, clear as crystal. Sounded like an amazing sight to see and place to be… so we adopted it and never looked back!
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
Basically, we are considered a Detroit Michigan Christian Progressive Rock band and have been since we started this journey. Metal and Hard Rock have been a cornerstone in the Motor City since the 60’s (think Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, MC5, Stooges and more) and are alive and well both in big concert arenas and small local venues. You want metal? You will definitely find it any weekend of the year around here.
What is your latest release?
The new single ‘Whatever Is Needed, Whatever It Takes’ is the first release from our upcoming album ‘8’ (slated for third quarter 2024) and continues where last year’s “7th HEAVEN” left off: it’s a Rock anthem of hope and inspiration featuring our signature guitar sounds, synth melodies, straight ahead drumming with just a few hundred chanting fans thrown in for good measure. You can listen to it here: https://open.spotify.com/album/2mjF0LUQIZL31FqL4Agibo
Who have been your greatest influences?
We started out totally influenced by the Progressive Rock English music scene of the 60’s and 70’s. Bands like Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis, Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep all left their musical marks on our writing and playing. In the 70’s, we started listening to a lot of American bands like Kansas, Journey, Rush and Spock’s Beard to keep our creative juices flowing.
In the beginning, we opened up for such Classic Rock acts as Bob Seger, Foghat, Nazareth, Steppenwolf and many more before finding our true path into the Christian music field. As we hit our Golden Jubilee (50 years of SWEET CRYSTAL!), we realize we are just as tough and enduring as Detroit – a city that’s been up, then down and now rising up again!
What first got you into music?
Everyone in SWEET CRYSTAL has their own story but for me (Q) personally, I was living in Nashville in 7th grade and my next door neighbour was a teenager who played guitar with his band. They rehearsed in their garage which was right across from my bedroom window and watching and listening to these ‘grown ups’ play their music… they just seemed to be so happy. I decided that was a road I wanted to travel.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Not so much a musician (although he is a massively talented musician in his own right) but we feel our music would be a great fit for producer/super star Alan Parsons to work with. His signature sounds and musical styling (think “Dark Side Of The Moon”) would make any and every SWEET CRYSTAL song that much… you know, sweeter!
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
We would love to take a ‘road trip’ to the UK. Being totally influenced by the Progressive Rock English music scene of the 60s and 70s, how cool it would be to play a festival in the country that left it’s mark on our musical journey!
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
We were touring northern Canada and one night at a club in Sudbury, Ontario, we were presented with a bag full of… smelt! Seriously. These small fish were running at that time of the year and we all went outside, set up a campfire and proceeded to eat mounds of deep-fried smelt before (and after) the gig. Delicious but highly out of the norm. (Interesting fact: we also met a 13 year old singer named Celine Dion at that gig who was just starting out on her own road to fame… pretty cool looking back on that now).
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
One of the main reasons we are a 26 time Detroit Music Award winning band is because our fans have been with us for so many decades. We stay true to our musical course and they stay true to their support of us. We continue because they continue…a blessing to everyone in SWEET CRYSTAL. So what we have to say to all of the fans is: “You are all blessings to the band”.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Wow… for me (Q) it would be Keith Emerson, the legendary keyboardist of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. To this day I believe his tragic leaving could have been averted if he only had someone to talk to and inspire him the way he did to all his fans. I certainly would love the chance to do just that.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
On one hand: travelling to play new venues and meeting new fans – always unexpected and exciting.
On the other hand: the sometimes agonizingly long drive to get there… and then to get back home.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Stop promoting competitions between artists and bands – there is room in the world for everyone’s style of music. There is a negative to chasing current mainstream music trends but staying true to your personal music vision and path – that will lift you and your listeners to a higher satisfaction in life.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
How about two? “Meddle” by Pink Floyd (the first song we learned as a band was ‘Echoes’) and “Empire” by Queensrÿche… a huge influence on the band’s current writing at the time of its release.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
All those formats have their pluses and minuses. Can’t play downloads on your vintage turntable, can’t play CDs in the new cars they’re producing. We have access to all these media types and whatever one is most easily accessed at the time you want to hear it – that’s the best at that moment in time. Love and listen to them all.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Tough to single out just one: opening for Bob Seger & Silver Bullet Band one New Year’s Eve in the 70’s (Wing Stadium, Kalamazoo) was amazing for us at our (then) very young age; we played the Cornerstone Festival (largest Christian rock festival in the US) in 2010 which also marked a milestone for us but probably it would be opening the venerable Detroit Music Awards show in 2016 where we also swept every category we were nominated in. That was quite a year for us.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
It varies with each band member: I (Q) am big time into acting with four feature film roles and various television appearances. Guitarist Bill is into competitive marksmanship and was recently endorsed for ISP Technologies, a high-end music merchandiser here in Michigan. Drummer Steve takes to the golf course to release the extra energy he has and has gotten good enough to start competing in the professional circuit. Marty works with mentally challenged adults, giving back in a way that the rest of us admire more than he knows.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Love this question – thanks for asking! All our fathers have passed away, so a dinner with the four of them would be an amazing event for each and every one of the guys in the band… and finally of course Jesus Christ… because then we would never run out of fish, bread, wine or parables!
What’s next for the band?
What are we hoping for next? More new songs are already in pre-production for our next full release ‘8’ [slated for third quarter 2024]. This time around we will be featuring more lead vocals from Bill (guitarist), which will make it even sweeter. Looking for even more ways to get our music, message, mission and ministry out into an increasingly dark world looking for hope and light! With 26 Detroit Music Awards under our belt, we think it’s time to aim for some Dove and Grammy Awards. Basically, we plan to remain exactly who we are for as long as we can.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
WEBSITE: www.sweetcrystal.com
SPOTIFY: http://tinyurl.com/y76vcpqg
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/sweet_crystal
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/c/SweetCrystal
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/SweetCrystalBand
BANDCAMP: https://sweetcrystal.bandcamp.com
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/sweet_crystal
REVERBNATION: www.reverbnation.com/sweetcrystal
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
We would opt for a Barm Cake right about now as its breakfast here in the States!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Our trademarked slogan “Reaching The World, One Song At A Time” ™ pretty much says it all about our music, message, mission and ministry. We are here to reach out to a world with songs of hope and inspiration; a musical light at the end of every dark tunnel you might be going through because chances are good – we’ve gone through those very same tunnels ourselves and definitely have found a way out.
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
