Krewmen

THE KREWMEN WAS FORMED ORIGINALLY IN 1982 BY TONY McMILLAN: THE BANDS SOUND AT THAT TIME WAS PURE ROCK-A-BILLY.



FROM 1982-1984 THE KREWMEN PLAYED MANY GIGS AROUND THE UK, MOSTLY AT SMALL PUBS AND CLUBS.



THE START OF 1985 THE BAND WAS PICK TO PLAY "ELVIS PRESLEY" EARLY BAND IN "ELVIS THE MUSICAL" . WHICH TOURED THE USA-CANADA AND THE UK FOR 9 MONTHS.



ON RETURNING FROM CANADA THE KREWMEN HAD SEVERAL OFFERS FROM LABELS FROM UK-FRANCE-HOLLAND-SWEDEN AND THE USA. THEY WERE ABOUT TO SIGN WITH LOST MOMENT RECORDS, WHEN TWO OF THE BAND DECIDED TO LEAVE THE BAND TO DO OTHER THINGS, LIKE CAR WASHING AND PLAYING IN LOCAL PUBS.



TONY THEN RECRUITED JIMMY FAHY (DRUMS) AND CARL SONNY LEYLAND (GUITAR/VOCALS). WITH THE NEW LINE UP THE KREWMEN'S SOUND CHANGED FROM PURE ROCK-A-BILLY TO A MORE BLUES/ROCK-A-BILLY SOUND. THEY THEN SIGNED TO LOST MOMENT RECORDS. IN1985 AND RELEASED WHAT YOU ARE TODAY AND RAMBLIN.



ALTHOUGH THE BAND WERE HAVING A GREAT DEAL OF SUCCESS, WITH BOTH THEIR RECORD SALES AND TOURING ALL OVER EUROPE. TONY DECIDED HE WANTED THE BAND TO GO IN ANOTHER DIRECTION. FOR HE WAS GETTING TOTALY BORED PLAYING OTHER PEOPLES MATERIAL. HE WANTED TO RECORD -WRITE AND PLAY HIS OWN MATERIAL. ALSO LOST MOMENT RECORDS WANTED THE BAND TO RECORD TONY'S MATERIAL. ldblquote BUT CARL AND JIMMY WERE ONLY INTERESTED IN PLAYING COVERS. SO THEY HAD TO GO.



SO IN LATE 1985 TONY ONCE AGAIN REFORMED THE KREWMEN. IN CAME MARK COLE (VOCALS), JASON THORNTON (DOUBLE BASS), AND DOMINIC PARR (DRUMS) WITH TONY GOING BACK ON GUITAR.



WITH THIS NEW LINE UP TONY WAS AT LAST ABLE TO WRITE AND PRODUCE THE HARDER HEAVYER SOUND HE HAD ALWAYS WANTED THE KREWMEN TO PLAY.



THIS LINE UP RELEASED THE ALBUMS THE ADVENTURES OF THE KREWMEN (1986): SWEET DREAMS (1987), AND INTO THE TOMB (1987).



EVEN WITH THE BAND HAVING A GREAT AMOUNT OF SUCCESS ALL OVER THE WORLD WITH THE SALES OF ALL THREE ALBUMS. ALSO HAVING PLAYED SEVERAL TOURS AROUND EUROPE AND WITH TOURS BOOKED FOR JAPAN AND THE USA. ATTITUDES IN THE BAND WERE SHIT.



IT WAS MARK COLES AGGRESSIVE ATTITUDE AND NOT JUSTIFIABLE EGOISM, NOT JUST WITH THE BAND BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY TO OUR FANS AND PRESS. WHICH WAS THE CAUSE OF ALL THE PROBLUMS IN THE BAND.



IT WAS DURING A MAJOR TOUR OF EUROPE, (INFACT AFTER ONLY THE SECOND GIG OF THE 30 GIG TOUR). IT WAS DECIDED BY THE REST OF THE BAND THAT COLE HAD TO GO AT THE END OF THE TOUR WITH TONY TAKING OVER THE VOCALS.



EVERTHING WAS GOING REALLY GOOD FOR THE BAND FOR A YEAR OR SO. THAT WAS UNTILL BOTH JASON AND DOMINIC FOUND THEY COULD NOT HANDLE ALL THE HARD WORK, THAT IS NEEDED FRON A BAND WHO WERE TOURING AND RECORDING AS MUCH AS THE KREWMEN WERE DOING AT THAT TIME.



SO THEY BOTH DEPARTED IN 1988. SO IN COME STEVE (WOLFMAN) PIPER ON DRUMS.ONE OF OUR VERY BEST DECISIONS.



THEN WE MADE OUR TWO BIGGEST EVER MISTAKES. THAT WAS TO TAKE MARK BURK AND THEN GRAHAM GRANT INTO THE BAND, BOTH SO-CALLED BASS PLAYERS. INFACT NEITHER OF THEM WERE GOOD ENOUGH TO PLAY ON OUR ALBUMS, ALTHOUGH WE GAVE MARK BURK THE CREDITS ON THE PLAGUE OF THE DEAD ALBUM, IT WAS TONY WHO PLAYED THE BASS ON THAT ALBUM!



AFTER RETURNING FROM OUR 1989 TOUR OF THE USA, WE MADE ANOTHER GOOD DECSION THAT WAS REPLACING GRANT WITH PAUL OXLEY.



OK. THE ONLY OTHER CHANGE IN THE KREWMEN'S LINE UP SINCE THEN. WAS IN 1992. WHEN STEVE GOT TO OLD AND SENILE TO STAY PLAYING THE DRUMS. SO WE PUT HIM OUT FRONT ON RHYTHM GUITAR. WHAT A BIG MISTAKE THAT WAS, FOR WE NOW HAVE TO PAY HIM MUCH MORE MONEY . FOR HE IS NOW BECOME THE BANDS SEX IDOL.



SEROUSLY, THIS MOVE OF STEVE'S GAVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECRUIT TONY GALLAGHER, ONE OF THE BEST DRUMMERS IN THE UK. PLUS IT GAVE US A MUCH FULLER SOUND WITH THE EXTRA GUITAR.



IN THE PAST 12 YEARS THE KREWMEN HAVE RELEASED 10 ALBUMS AND SEVERAL SINGLES ALL ON LOST MOMENT RECORDS. THE CURSE OF THE GRAVEYARD DEMON ALBUM WAS RELEASED ON THE USA LABEL SKYCLAD.



THEY HAVE TOURED EUROPE MANY TIMES, THE USA (EAST & WEST COAST TWICE) - CANADA AND JAPAN.



IN 1997/8 LOST MOMENT RECORDS, RELEASED THE KREWMEN'S FIRST 3 ALBUMS (THE ADVENTURES OF THE KREWMEN- SWEET DREAMS- INTO THE TOMB ) ON THREE CD's. THE ORIGINALS WERE RELEASED ONLY ON VINYL: ALSO THEY RELEASED THE BANDS OLD BLUES SINGLES; "WHAT YOU ARE TODAY", 7"&"12: RAMBLIN ON ONE CD.