Correspondent
It’s hard to believe that a band can manage having a MTV reality show, two albums and a song featured on the popular video game “Rock Band” — especially when the band is made up of members who are only 14 years old.
It’s also hard to believe that as high-school freshmen, a band could be touring the world, playing with heavyweights like KISS and Ted Nugent.
Crooked X, though, is accomplishing all of this and more.
Crooked X was formed when the four members, Forrest French (vocals, guitar), Jesse Cooper (lead guitar, vocals), Josh McDowell (bass) and Boomer Simpson (drums), got together in the fifth grade. That’s right — when the rest of the class was gossiping about the newest “SpongeBob” episode, these guys were writing and playing songs.
In fact, “Nightmare,” the eighth track on the band’s latest, self-titled album, was written when the boys were only 11.
Crooked X got its start when the band was featured on the CBS “Early Show” contest “Living Room … LIVE.” The guys placed second and caught the eye of McGhee Proffer Media. Since then, the teens have released an EP-only album, “Til We Bleed,” are set to release “Crooked X” in January and have had their song, “Nightmare,” on “Rock Band.”
On top of it all, in January, MTV will air a documentary featuring the guys, called “Start a Band, Rock the World.”
Now I’m not going to lie. Typically, the hard-rock-guitar-heavy-type bands aren’t normally my thing. So when I first put Crooked X into my CD player, I wasn’t exactly pleased. The songs seemed to blend, combining the 10-song album into one long 37-minute one. The guys sound like their rock heroes: Pantera, Metallica, AC/DC. In fact, French’s voice sounds more like he’s 34 — not 14.
Still, it’s hard to deny the talent that these guys have. Jesse’s guitar solos and riffs are impressive, while Boomer stays true to his name, doing a great job on drums. Cooper’s bass is heavy, and French seems to tie it all together with his vocals.
I admire the guys for attempting to do a true rock album. They manage to give a classic ’80s-rock feel to the album, yet it lacks a modern feeling. As a whole, the songs are good — just not spectacular.
Individually, though, each song finds a way to feature the talent of the band. Sitting back, you can hear the natural ability of the band shine through. The music isn’t good considering their age … it’s just plain good.
There are a few charms on the album. “Fade” uses classic teen angst and combines it with a catchy chorus and awesome guitar solo. If there’s one song on the album that should have been in “Rock Band,” it’s this one.
I can see Crooked X going far. The guys have the talent to do great things; they just need to make their voice a little stronger. While classic rock is a great starting ground, a little forward thinking will help take these kids straight from the classroom to the Grammys.
Kendal (Gapinski) Kloiber 