Greenville Scene

by: Michelle Hannon

www.myspace.com/coreycrowder

GS: When does your album come out? What’s it going to be called? What’s it about?
Corey Crowder: The album is scheduled for a late Summer 2008 release. It is going to be called Gold & The Sand. The album is very dark lyrically, which is a big change for me from past albums. Topics range from depression, divorce, love, politics, spirituality, heartache, and really just life in general.

GS: How do you feel you fit into the Tooth & Nail roster? I ask because I don’t see many country-ish songwriters on the label. You know, there’s no screaming in your songs.
CC: I feel that this album is a totally new direction for them. They wanted to put out an album that spread across a lot of genres and appealed to a wider audience than the typical albums that they have been putting out.

GS: Did you seek out Tooth & Nail or vice versa? How exactly does a guy from down south wind up in Seattle recording with Aaron Sprinkle anyways?
CC: Well, a little of both. I was feeling uneasy about signing with a major label and was looking for an indie to sign with that had ties with a major. Tooth and Nail was looking for an artist to take their label in a different direction. We hit it off right away. They are great people to work with and I consider them my friends. I feel like there is a trust that doesn’t exist very often in the music industry. I ended up in Seattle by choice. I knew that they used Aaron for a lot of albums put out on their label. After talking with Aaron and telling him the kind of album I wanted to do he was totally for doing it. He needed something refreshing to put out and I needed a totally new environment to separate myself for a few months and record an album. I had a blast and the record turned out way better than I could have ever imagined.

GS: Do you feel like Greenville is a good home base for you musically? Why or why not? Is it good for touring? Do you think you will stay here or move to a bigger city if things go well?
CC: I love Greenville. I am from outside of Atlanta originally and moved to Greenville a few years back. I think the fact that there isn’t as much going on here musically as some other big cities helps people like me to be able to make a name for myself faster. I was having a hard time standing out in the Atlanta area and have really enjoyed the music scene here. I think it is a good central spot for touring. There are a lot of big cities within close driving distance and that is very helpful. I think I will be in Greenville for at least 5 more years before I reassess my plans in life.

GS: What is your favorite venue to play?
CC: I love playing The Vinyl in Atlanta. Even though I love playing in Greenville, there is something about going back to my hometown and seeing familiar faces that I haven’t seen in awhile.

GS: What have you been listening to lately?
CC: I have been listening to lots of Bob Dylan. I have been really into Hank Williams and Waylon Jennings here lately. I also have been jamming some Al Green and Michael Jackson too just to mix it up a little.

*Catch Corey tomorrow, March 22 at The Channel. See the Events page for more details.

Name: The name Backseat Dreamer comes from a line in a song I wrote for a previous band, “backseat dreams a drive by scene through the night“. I just thought it would be boring to use my real name.

Members: Backseat Dreamer is a one man band kind of scenario in a lot of ways. I (Sean Neuse) write the songs and record the instruments in a small home studio. The live set up consists of guitarist Brian Draper of The Dirty Eighties, bassist Dani Doyle of Atom Bomb Baby and Michael Barksdale aka “Culture Prophet” on drums, whom I drum for as well.

How long have you been a band? We played our first show last May. I definitely feel we have grown a lot since then, somehow we have managed to pull through a set despite whatever blown PA system we were playing through at the time.

What genre would you consider yourself? Well..dream pop, electronic, experimental, dance somewhere along those lines…I guess.

Who are your main influences? My main influences always seem to change over time, but David Bowie’s album Low, Depeche Mode’s Violator, My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless those are just a few that have had an influence. Recently I’ve listened to Michael Jackson’s album Off The Wall and M83 Digital Shades vol.1.

What are you pursuing right now? Right now I’m recording new material and looking for the right label to release an album on.

What is your greatest accomplishment to date? Under the Radar Magazine is releasing my song “February Fires” on their CD compilation for the issue coming out in April. Some online and college radio stations have put the track in their rotation as well.

Do you have an album for sale? I have mp3s for sale on MySpace, but a lot of times I give out music to people that come check out our shows.

Any shows coming up? The next show will more than likely be at The Real Gypsy. Right now I’m working on a light show for the band, but more dates will be posted on MySpace throughout the spring and summer.

www.myspace.com/backseatdreamer

Needtobreathe play Furman University’s McAlister Auditorium Saturday, March 8 at 8:00pm. I-Nine and Absent Star open. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased through Ticketmaster.