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The Chrome Cranks are an American punk-styled blues band based in New York City. They were originally formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1988. [1] The core membership consists of singer-guitarist Peter Aaron, guitarist William Gilmore Weber III, drummer Bob Bert, and bassist Jerry Teel.
Aaron and Weber moved together through a variety of projects in Cincinnati starting in early 1986; The Chrome Cranks began to jell in 1988, though they went through a period of woodshedding that lasted for nearly two years, and during this time the lineup was constantly changing. They did not play out until 1990, on a date opening for Pussy Galore which included future member Bob Bert. With Aaron finally established as singer, the group first recorded in 1991 for an Atavistic Records compilation, Out of Their Mouths and Into Your Head. The Chrome Cranks subsequently took a brief hiatus as Weber moved to New York City later that year; during a return visit, however, Weber rejoined the band to record its first single. Despite that Weber subsequently joined GG Allin and the Murder Junkies, Aaron also moved to New York City in 1992 and re-established The Chrome Cranks, adding former Honeymoon Killers guitarist Jerry Teel on bass. They signed with PCP Entertainment, a label distributed by Matador Records. After moving through a succession of drummers, including Charles Hanson; former lead guitarist, singer/co-songwriter for seminal New Orleans punk band “The Normals”, founder & co-songwriter for Mercury/Polygram artists “The Vels”, & bassist for Amphetamine Reptile artist “Loudspeaker”, & designer & builder of Fun House Studios, who played drums on all but one track on their debut album & recently remastered ”Chrome Cranks” & all tracks on 7” “Vice Squad Dick”, Bob Bert joined The Chrome Cranks in the summer of 1994. He first appeared on The Chrome Cranks' second album, Dead Cool, released on Crypt Records.
After releasing Vice Squad Dick—a PCP Entertainment EP shared with J. G. Thirlwell—The Chrome Cranks eponymous first album made its debut in November 1994 and was warmly received by the underground music press. Jerry Teel remodeled The Chrome Cranks' modest rehearsal space into a fully functioning recording facility—Funhouse Studio—where most of their subsequent recordings were made and they recorded other acts as well. In 1996, The Chrome Cranks once again toured Europe on the strength of an EP, Lost Time Blues, again issued by PCP Entertainment. The next studio album, Love in Exile, featured the song "Hot Blonde Cocktail" which went into rotation on MTV and occasioned another six-week round of touring in Europe, during which Live in Exile (Konkurrent) was recorded during a date in the Netherlands. Atavistic Records subsequently issued a package of early demos as Oily Cranks, and The Chrome Cranks did a Canadian/North American tour in support to Geraldine Fibbers. But by this time The Chrome Cranks were getting worn out with the constant pressure of touring, and after a final European tour in 1998 the group went on an indefinite hiatus.
All of the groups' members went into other projects, save Aaron, who went into music journalism; he currently edits a magazine, Chronogram. Teel ultimately moved to New Orleans, and though his home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, has since settled there permanently. After two tours with the Candy Snatchers, Weber returned to Cincinnati where he established his own recording facility, Krakdhaus Studio, and played with local groups while still appearing, on occasion, with the now GG Allin-less Murder Junkies. Aaron participated in a studio project, Avondale Airforce, with Venture Lift's Stanton Warren.
The Chrome Cranks enjoyed a revival of interest when, in 2007, Atavistic Records released Diabolical Boogie, a compilation prepared from rare, live and unreleased material. After a series of well-received reunion gigs in New York City in May 2009, the group played the Nuits Sonore festival in Lyon, France. The success of further New York engagements convinced the band to make a new studio album, Ain't No Lies in Blood, which was released on Thick Syrup Records (CD) and Bang! Records in Spain in 2012. Reviews were exceedingly positive, with some writers proclaiming Ain't No Lies in Blood a better effort than any of The Chrome Cranks' 1990s recordings. In early 2013 Bang! also released Moon in the Mountain, a long EP which combined new material with a session recorded in the UK in 1995. This has led to a new European tour for the formerly "defunct" band, that took place in August and September 2013.
The Chrome Cranks are renowned for their raw, dark, and fiery live performances, and they were regarded as one of the leading acts in the 1990s punk blues movement in New York City. The Chrome Cranks’ singular brand of dark, unhinged punk blues has been cited as a key influence by a growing number of younger acts, such as The White Stripes and Cat Power. Covers of songs by The Chrome Cranks as done by other bands are relatively commonplace, and several are being assembled into a tribute album tentatively entitled Collision Blues.
Crucifix was an American hardcore punk band from the San Francisco Bay Area, active from 1980 to 1984. They were among the most popular acts of the San Francisco punk scene of the early 1980s. Fronted by Cambodian-born singer Sothira Pheng, Crucifix were distinct among American underground bands for their strong D-beat musical characteristics and anarchist lyrical content and graphic design. The band's debut 1983 full-length album Dehumanization on Crass Records‘ offshoot Corpus Christi Records, is considered by many critics and fans to be a cornerstone of political punk music. After their breakup, Crucifix’s members went on to form the bands Loudspeaker and Proudflesh.
The Dead Boys are an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio. The band was among the first wave of punk, and regarded by many as one of the rowdiest and most violent groups of the era. They were formed by vocalist Stiv Bators, rhythm guitarist Jimmy Zero, bassist Jeff Magnum, lead guitarist Cheetah Chrome, and drummer Johnny Blitz in 1975, with the later two having splintered from the band Rocket From The Tombs. The original Dead Boys released two studio albums, Young Loud and Snotty, and We Have Come for Your Children.
Robert Bertelli, better known professionally as Bob Bert, is an American rock drummer.
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was an American three-piece rock band from New York City, formed in 1991. The group consisted of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on vocals, guitar and theremin. Their musical style is largely rooted in rock and roll although it draws influences from punk, blues, garage, rockabilly, soul, noise rock, rhythm and blues and hip hop.
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Joe Preston is an American bass guitarist and a former band member of the rock bands Earth, Melvins, Men's Recovery Project, The Need and High on Fire. Preston has also played with Sunn O))), and has his long-running solo project called Thrones. In 2007, he joined Harvey Milk in the studio for the recording of Life... The Best Game in Town and toured with them during their 2008 US and European tours. He is currently serving as a touring member of Sumac. He is the uncle of actor Dominic Janes.
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Boss Hog is an American punk blues band including the husband and wife duo of Jon Spencer (guitar) and Cristina Martinez (vocals) along with Jens Jurgensen (bass), Hollis Queens (drums) and Mickey Finn (keyboard). The band achieved some notoriety, not only due to their abrasive sound, but more to Martinez's confrontational use of nudity on the band's record sleeves. In their 27-year history, the band's releases have been relatively sporadic, but comprised four full-length albums, a mini-album, three EP's and several singles. Between 2008 and 2010, the band played live and toured Europe and the US.
Cleopatra Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1992 by Brian Perera. The record label has since grown into a family of labels, including Hypnotic Records, Purple Pyramid Records, Deadline Music Records, X-Ray Records, and Goldenlane Records, encompassing a variety of genres with emphasis on unique and experimental artists.
Dog Faced Hermans were a post-punk band that formed in Scotland in the mid 1980s and remained active through the mid 1990s. They emerged from the UK anarcho-punk scene with a guitar/bass/drums line-up, but also incorporated trumpet and other instruments not commonly found in punk music at that time. Their composition style incorporated many genres of music outside of rock, including folk, jazz, ambient and noise music with often unorthodox instrumentation.
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Gregory Johnathon Cartwright, also known by his stage name Greg Oblivian, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Memphis, Tennessee. From 2001 to 2022 he fronted Reigning Sound which was signed to Merge Records. After moving away from Memphis in the mid-2000s, he has since lived with his family in Asheville, North Carolina.
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Creaming Jesus were an English band, influenced by gothic rock, punk and thrash metal, who formed in London, England. Formed in 1987, their original line up was Andy (vocals) Lil (vocals) Tally (bass) Roy (drums) Lindy (drums) and Paul (guitar). Their original sound was a wall of percussive noise, Slayer-influenced thrash metal guitarists and screamed vocals.
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In the Fishtank 1 is an EP by Vancouver punk rock band Nomeansno. Recording during the band's 1996 European tour, it was the first release in the In the Fishtank series, in which the Netherlands-based De Konkurrent label provided bands with two days of studio recording time and released the final results.
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