In the video below, Kirk Windstein of Crowbar talks musical heroes, new Crowbar music, past record label experiences, playing with Overkill and more with Iron Serbian of Capital Chaos TV on their recent stop in Sacramento, California.
On Surviving the Modern Music Industry
Yeah, sure… it makes you feel old, like we were just talking about. But no—it’s a tough business. I actually feel bad for the new bands these days, because as great of a tool as the internet is, it also oversaturates the entire scene, you know?
For a band like us—we’ve been around 27 years. Of course, I played music when I was a teenager before Crowbar was even created. But yeah, it’s a tough business. I’ve done it my whole life, pretty much. More than half my life—and I’m 51 years old. So, no regrets, no complaints. We’re just happy and blessed to be able to make a living playing music, which is what we love to do.
But trust me, it’s not easy. There are tons of fun times and all that, it’s a blast. Being on stage is one of the most amazing things—that’s what we all live for. But it’s a lot of hard work. We’re kind of a do-it-yourself organization. My wife does the merchandise, and we’re basically our own techs. We change our own strings, carry our own gear, whatever.
That allows us to make money instead of spending it on a crew or a bunch of elaborate stuff. We choose to do the work ourselves and keep the money, and that way, we can make a living doing it. But it works.
On His Musical Heroes
There are certain guys that inspired me. Ace Frehley was my first—KISS was my favorite band when I was a kid, and that’s what made me want to play music. I loved people like Eddie Van Halen. The first time I heard Van Halen, I was like, “Oh my God.”
I’m a huge fan of all the New Wave of British Heavy Metal stuff. Honestly, my favorite guitar player is Michael Schenker. He used to be in UFO and Scorpions, and he’s had a great solo career—put out a bunch of great stuff. We’ve been listening to him a lot lately.
I’ve actually met—and even toured with—a lot of my idols. I was lucky enough to tour with Heaven & Hell, which had Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinnie Appice. Of course, I was starstruck, but you kind of have to act cool. Then you meet the guys, hang out—maybe have a couple of drinks, like I did with Dio. He was just a regular guy, but God bless him—he had one of the most amazing voices. Such a talented dude.
At this point, I’ve kind of met most of my idols—or at least shook their hand and said, “Hey.” It’s a cool thing. I wouldn’t say I worship anybody, although I have my favorites.
I’m like you, though—if someone’s got a bad rep or whatever, I’m not gonna stop appreciating their music. That’s a whole different thing. If they’re a great musician or a great band, then that’s what matters.
Sure, it’s great when you meet them and they’re nice—it makes you love them even more. But if they’re not cool, or if you hear stuff like, “So-and-so’s a jerk,” I’m like, “Whatever.” That doesn’t stop me from listening to their music. If I love it, I love it.
Crowbar’s Next Chapter: New Album on the Way
Our label, eOne, continues to re-release a lot of the older stuff—take ownership of it, because it’s been through so many different labels and distributors. They’re doing a great job re-releasing the majority of Crowbar’s back catalog.
The new record is completely finished—turned in, mixed, mastered—everything. I can’t give you the title yet, because they’ll want to do a press release. Tentatively, we’re shooting for a September 30 release. Hopefully, we’ll hit that deadline. If not, I’d say it’ll come out shortly after. That’s the goal for now.
On the Business Side of Past Labels
We put out some good records on it (Pavement Music), but honestly, as a business, I was never a fan of how they ran things. I wouldn’t say I have too many fond memories—nothing personal, I don’t hate them. They gave us a break, and we appreciate that. I just think they could’ve done a lot better with what we gave them. But hey—let bygones be bygones.
Upcoming: Tour with Overkill
Yeah, we’re super pumped for that. Overkill’s a great band. I had the pleasure of playing one show with them when I was in Down. We headlined the Hard Rock Festival, and Overkill played right before us.
I remember Phil (Anselmo) had no voice at all. He’s like, “Oh my God, I don’t know what I’m gonna do.” It was this big festival, being filmed for Rockpalast—German TV. Bobby Blitz from Overkill hooked him up with some kind of throat remedy, and he was able to pull it off and do a great show.
They’re a legendary band, been around forever, and we love touring in Europe. We’re really looking forward to supporting them.
Gear Talk: Guitars, Amps & That Crowbar Sound
Michael, our artist rep guy, we met him at a show in L.A. a few years ago. Matt Brunson (our other guitarist) likes seven-strings, and Ibanez makes a lot of those models. They were talking, and I mentioned I liked Destroyers—more of an Explorer-type body. Michael was like, “Yeah, we make those again.” I said, “Send me one. If I like it, that’ll be my main guitar.” He sent me a couple, and that’s what I tour with now.
Amp-wise, we use Randall. They’ve always been good to us. A lot of people don’t like Randall, but I grew up on it because of Dimebag. When Phil joined Pantera, Dime was already playing Randall. I went and got one, too—this was before Crowbar even existed.
I got a great tone out of the old RG100ES heads. Now I use the RG3003s—solid-state amps, very inexpensive, but they sound great. People ask, “Why use that?” I say, “Because it sounds great.” I don’t care if it costs two bucks—just because something’s expensive doesn’t mean it’s good.
They’re not complicated amps. They’re durable. And if something breaks, Randall replaces it for us. We’ve been doing the Randall and Ibanez thing for a while now. That’s what we use in the studio, too—not just on tour. Every Crowbar record has a Randall on it. It’s kind of become our signature tone.
I don’t think they made pedals back when we started—lucky if you had electricity!
All I use pedal-wise is a Metal Zone. I know, people talk trash about it: “That’s the worst pedal ever made,” blah blah. But here’s the thing—we use it completely differently. We don’t use it for distortion. We put the level on 10, distortion on 0, and the EQ at 12 o’clock. That way, the EQ isn’t even affecting the tone.
What it does is tighten up the sound between the guitar and amp—it’s like a clean boost. Our rigs are super simple, but they work.
I’m not saying the Metal Zone is amazing—it’s not, really—but the way we use it just works. If I tried to get gain out of it, yeah, it would sound like crap. It’s a trash pedal in that sense—good for kids with practice amps. But it works for me. And hey, if it worked for Dime—not the Metal Zone, but the Randall—then it’s good enough.
Final Words to the Fans
Thanks so much for all your support. Our new record should be out in September. We appreciate everyone who comes out to the shows.
Since I’ve started focusing on Crowbar full-time—about three years now—we’ve become a very heavy touring band. Not just heavy in sound, but in work ethic. We’re on the road a lot. It’s hard work, but we love it. That’s how you make money these days—nobody buys records.
We appreciate everyone who supports us, all the bands we play with, and all the fans worldwide who are true Crowbar fans.
We love you. Thank you
Crowbar is an American heavy metal band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1990. Through infusing a slow, low-keyed, brooding doom metal sound with hardcore punk aggression, they pioneered sludge metal alongside other bands of the New Orleans heavy metal scene such as Eyehategod, Soilent Green, Acid Bath, and Down.
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