Found another story on the band both in print and online. Although there are a few typos (read that: an interesting new spelling of my name in particular), it's always interesting to read another person's perspective on the history and direction of the band:
From the December 2010 issue of Detroit Live Magazine:
If patience is a virtue then the guys from Sweet Crystal are due for Sainthood. In 1971, these three high school kids united to form the band Sweet Crystal. With influences springing from British prog rock bands like Uriah Heap, ELO, Deep Purple and Pink Floyd, their main goal was like most bands, to create great music and eventually get signed to a label. As the 70’s rolled on Mark Speq (keys), Bill Blatter (Guitars) and Steve Weiser (drums) worked hard to create the epic 7-11 minute songs that were all the rage on the prog rock scene. It wasn’t until meeting producer Ollie McLaughlin that their writing began to evolve into something a bit more marketable. “Until I met Ollie I was into writing these epic songs, Ollie showed us how to “get to it”. He really helped us learn to tell the story more efficiently while staying true to the artistry of the song”, he influenced our writing style. Ollie has since passed but his expertise and legacy live on in us” says Speq.
Diligently working the late 70’s and early 80’s Detroit music scene, Sweet Crystal rocked clubs like The Silver Bird and the Ritz (10&1/2 Frazho), sharing the stage with bands like Toby Redd and the Almighty Strutt. Culminating at a performance in 1980 during the Republican National Convention at Harpos where the son of President Gerald Ford actually got on stage to rock out with the band. “The Detroit music scene in those days was a force to be reckoned with.” says Speq, “There were so many great bands as well as venues to play.”
Throughout the 80s Sweet Crystal continued to perform and record. With members coming and going the three main members stayed constant. By the 90’s the band was still together, yet doing more writing for TV shows and commercials. Playing live had all but stopped. And while the band continued to write and record, things had slowed a bit. Then around the turn of the century they began to feel the urge to perform again. In 2003 they released “Still Standing”. “The release of that album pushed us to perform again. One thing led to another where we found ourselves playing in Nashville, Tennessee for the CIS (Christian Music Organization). And to our surprise at the end of the show we were awarded a lifetime music award. It’s the biggest award we’ve ever received and we were honored beyond words to receive it. About a month later we were contacted by Tate Records. They said they loved our music and were very impressed by our longevity and they signed us. We couldn’t believe it, that after almost 40 years we were now a signed band. Tate records came in, signed us and helped us record our 3rd album. Fittingly entitled “3“. It’s by far, our best yet.” says Speq.
So there ya go boys and girls. To all of you who have been doing this a whole year and are feeling impatient about not being “discovered yet” this should serve as a lesson. Don’t be in a rush. It will happen or it won’t. But as long as you stay true to you dreams whether it takes 4 months, 4 years or 40 years, if and when it does you’ll be able to say you did it your way.
Congrats to Sweet Crystal. Be at their Charity CD Release Party on Dec 17th at the Token Lounge.
$10 cover at door gets you the new Sweet Crystal CD and $3 goes to the Detroit Rescue Mission.
