Detroit Live Magazine Article

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.

Sweet Crystal Bio 2010

Just had a new bio written up on the band by author Brett Callwood- thought you might enjoy reading it:

Sweet Crystal is a very rare group of musicians. Not only has the band remained in existence for an impressive 39 years, but the core trio of Marq Speck (lead vocals, keyboards), Bill Blatter (guitar, vocals) and Steve Wieser (drums) has remained intact for the entirety of that time. That’s 39 years of quality hard, progressive rock music. 39 years of honing their skills as musicians and artists. 39 years of generating a respectable fan base. Perhaps most importantly, 39 years of finding their sound and standing on the front lines of the Michigan Christian rock scene, even before that particular branch of music had a name.

Sweet Crystal was formed in the winter of ‘71/’72, as the three young men were leaving high school and choosing their individual life-paths. As it happens, they were destined to spend the next four decades together, and Sweet Crystal would spend the ‘80s opening for bands as diverse as Bob Seger, Nazareth, Steppenwolf, Foghat, Rare Earth and Stryper.

In ’85, Brownsville Station drummer and gold-record-awarded Blackfoot producer Henry “H-Bomb” Weck sat behind the desk for Sweet Crystal’s debut EP, Power-N-Glory, which was subsequently released on the Nightcrier Music label. The band spent the ‘90s in the studio, writing and recording songs for independent films, corporate client events and personal music projects until, in 2003, they released Still Standing…, their second record and debut full-length release.

The new millennium also saw the band reaching fans across the globe, thanks to the internet. Taking advantage of the new technology available to them, the band rereleased Power-N-Glory in re-mastered form (tagged Resurrected Masters), and saw the album generate as much excitement as it did first time around.
Recently, Sweet Crystal has gone from strength to strength, signing with the Tate Music Group (TMG), a high profile Christian music label out of Oklahoma.
“After our recent showcase in Nashville,” says Speck, “an acquisition agent from TMG contacted us about taking over production and marketing of the next CD and we quickly agreed. This should be a great partnership in getting to a wider audience.”

The singer is right. Their new record deal is seeing Sweet Crystal gain new fans both from the Christian rock scene, but also with all fans of progressive and hard rock. With influences ranging from Queensryche, Yes, Genesis and Pink Floyd to Styx, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Queen, there is plenty in the Sweet Crystal arsenal to please all fans of quality rock ’n’ roll.

For proof, listen to Sweet Crystals latest full-length album, 3. Released in November 2010, the record has generated stellar reviews and song rotation on radio stations and internet music sites across the globe. Nearly 40 years into their career and the band are still reaching more and more people with their message. “We’ve always wanted to reach the world with the message in our music,” says Speck. “Our songs are meant to inspire and leave the listener feeling better about themselves and the direction their lives can take.”

Amen to that.

New Review From Closer To (our) Home

We continue to gather some nice nuggets for "3".
This just in from an Emmy award-winning audio engineer and sound designer here in Michigan

"Your CD (3) is great! The song-writing is powerful. I've listened to it four times start to finish.
I can't remember the last time I did that for a new album."
Kevin Sharp
Owner/Operator
Metro 37 Studios
http://www.myspace.com/metro37studio

Thanks Kevin - looking forward to seeing you at the release party.

"3" Review from South of the Border

Thanks to Roberto Lupercia who produces ROCK EVOLUCION, a progressive music radio how in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. http://www.myspace.com/rockevolucion. His comments on receiving a copy of "3":

"The CD arrived... I will schedule it for airplay in the next weeks.
I have been (listening to) it during the day, and I found the great elements from 70's and 80's hard rock, prog, classic and pompous rock, excellent !!! I found the copy of "Still Standing" that you send us some years ago for airplay. A great album too."

Thanks Roberto - from your lips to all your listener's ears.