photo by Shawn Robbins at Bonnaroo 2010
When I saw The Crystal Method on the bill for this year’s Bonnaroo, I was hoping to God that there would be no conflicts in my schedule to see the respected electronic duo. You see, I have been a fan of the group ever since 1997’s Vegas and while my music tastes have branched out, there has always been a special place for The Crystal Method. So to finally witness the duo take the stage at Bonnaroo this year was a real treat. They present themselves as professional yet very energetic for an electornic act. And it was kind of cool to watch them gain new fans from this new generation of electronic music lovers.
The group just released their 4th full length last year entitled Divided by Night, which features their signature big beat electronic dance sound with guests like New Order bassist Peter Hook, Metric front-woman Emily Haines, drummer Samantha Maloney, one-time Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle and She Wants Revenge vocalist Justin Warfield.
We were lucky enough to get Ken Jordan, one half of The Crystal Method to answer our second Bonnaroo Series Kuestionnaire.
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1. Could you state your name and what you do in the band?
ken jordan, i’m one half of tcm. there’s only two of us in tcm – myself and my partner scott kirkland – we both share all the responsibilities making our music. we record, produce, mix everything ourselves. i come from more of an engineering background and scott is stronger in composition and musicianship but we like doing everything ourselves.
2. How would you describe your sound?
art soulful electronic music
3. What is your favorite local band?
little red radio
4. Any concerts that blew your mind recently?
yes, muse at coachella. seriously cannot believe it’s just those 3 guys and they performed perfectly. i still can’t believe it.
5. Any non-musical influences you would like to mention?
yes, the first time i saw wayne gretzky play hockey.
6. If your music was to be the theme of a film/TV show, what would it be?
well funny you should ask that because we created the theme music for the tv show ‘bones’. if i could choose another show – i would love to score this one section of one of my fave shows called the soup on E! where they do the ‘let’s take some E’ section. they currently show clips of outtakes from their own network with super cheesy techno music.
7. What musician/artist would you like to collaborate with for a day?
josh homme from queens of the stone age
8. What is the album you listen to on a cold rainy day?
portishead, dummy
9. List four songs you would listen to on a roadtrip?
shining star (earth wind fire), everlong (foo fighters), one (u2), and living for the city (stevie wonder)
10. Where do you see yourselves in 7 years?
i see myself catcing an awesome wave in costa rica and resting on the beach a lot
11. What is the last book you read?
the mission of art by alex grey
12. Is image a factor in music or is it a waste of time?
well clearly image is a big factor in the music busines but image should never really be part of the conversation when talking about music. it’s sadly a huge factor in music, though – just look at the pop stars of today.
13. Any embarrassing moments on stage you would like to share?
i used to always think that when roadies would walk in front of the rockstars with flashlights onstage that it was funny and unneccessary. once after a show in arizona a few years ago, i was walking offstage and i didn’t wait for guys with flashlights. i walked right off the 6 foot high stage and totally fell face down to the concrete! i became all too aware of the reason for the flashlight guys. typically while you’re doing a show, the lights are very blinding and so walking offstage without guidance is hard as you can’t see anything! only the crew saw my fall but i’ve learned to wait for the flashlights now.
14. Any favorite tour locations?
yes a few – we love playing florida and australia. one of our new fave spots is anywhere in eastern europe. they have amazing crowds there – people are really hungry for cool musilc.
15. Lastly, what is your present state of mind?
quiet confusion.
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[mp3] The Crystal Method – Come Back Clean (feat. Emily Haines) (Kaskade Radio Edit) from Come Back Clean (2010)