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Aft the end of the 1980s, Camper Van Beethoven's alternative rock output had come to an end, embarking on a long hiatus in 1990. Lowery instead put together Cracker, along with guitarist Johnny Hickman and bassist Davey Foragher. They quickly got to work recording music, gaining a record contract with Virgin Records by the end of 1991.
Cracker recorded their debut album in their native state of Virginia, US, in Richmond, with the self-titled release appearing in 1992. The album helped establish Cracker's sound with driving riffs and bourbon-soaked vocals. With the single, "Teen Angst (WHat the World Needs Now)," they achieved a number one single in the rock charts. Their second effort, "Kerosene Hat" built on the success of the debut, featuring crossover hit, "Low," which charted in the UK as well as America's mainstream pop charts. The album was soon certified Platinum, becoming a commercial success.
However, after 1996's "Golden Age," the band's lineup began to crumble with bassist Faragher being replaced by Bob Rupe with the drummer spot occupied by a revolving roster of three musicians, Charlie Quintana, Eddie Bayers and Johnny Hott. After touring in the support of the album, Lowery returned to Richmond, US to set up a recording studio, Sound of Music, recording the likes of Joan Osborne, Lauren Hoffman, Magnet Fightng Gravity and Sparklehorse.
Having again solidified their lineup, finding a permanent drummer in Frank Funaro, as well as adding keyboardist/accordion player Kenny Margolis, they got to work on a new record, releasing "Gentleman's Blues" in 1998, hosting a more southern rock/blues oriented sound. Lowery's Camper Van Beethoven surprisingly reformed shortly after, putting Cracker on the back burner for a couple of years as the band toured.
Cracker returned in 2001 with the live album, "Travelling Apothecary Show & Revue," followed by 2002's "Forever" and a collection of country covers with "Countrysides" in 2003. It was three years before new music would again surface, having signed with UK based indie label, Cooking Vinyl, bringing forth "Greenland," bolstered by guest additions David Immerglück and Mark Linkous.
2009's "Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey" brought Cracker back into the charts, breaking into the Billboard 200 Chart. In 2010, the band went on tour with Camper Van Beethoven, for their "Travelling Apothecary Tour." Four years later, the core Cracker lineup, with drummer Michael Urbano and keyboardist Thayer Sarrano, released "Berkely to Bakersfield," an ambitious two-disc effort that featured more prominent country influences alongside there alternative rock sound.
It was awesome to see Lyrics Born doing his thing, rapping and performing awesome hip hop, and also with his fantastic backing vocalist performing with him. He opened the show with The World is Calling, and it was a great track to get everyone into the vibe of the show. The great thing about having a backing vocalist with him was that Lyrics Born was able to speak to the audience over her vocals, and get everyone dancing and singing along. He kept shouting ‘all the beautiful people make some noise’, which got everybody on the dance floor, showing their appreciation for his music, and just having a really great time.
He played through the new album, Real People which was so brilliant to hear live. Most people were big fans at the concert, so everyone was familiar with the new music. His performance, both vocally and physically was even better than I anticipated, and his energy was so high throughout the entire concert. I’ve seen many hip hop artists live before, and something that really stood out about the lyrics born show was that his diction was fantastic and it was easy to understand what he was rapping about, and in the past I’ve found that other artists struggle with this. His lyrics are powerful and grounding, and hearing them live brought another layer of meaning to them, being able to see his facial expression and body language. I’m an even bigger fan after the show.
yazhow
Cracker is a band that was formed after Camper Van Beethoven had broken up earlier. The lead singer David Lowery went on to form Cracker, with Johnny Hickman on guitars and Davey Faragher on bass, playing alternative rock that was slightly less oddball that its predecessor.
This band lives to play their instruments. It is not uncommon for them to just get up on stage and play the instrumentals for periods of time. The pace of the music is on the slow side and is almost a mix of country, rock and blues. The music also seems like if comes from the heart and actual experiences from the band members. The band travels all over the country. They are well known from coast to coast in the United States. They are also known for playing "I Hate My Generation" on Conan's Late Night Show. The group started playing together as young men in the mid 90’s and continued to play for a long period of time.
You'll find all kinds of fans at Cracker shows - country, rock, grunge lovers, people that play the guitar or try to master the art of the air-guitar in their free time, people that are looking to rock out and have a good time.
Karl D and Tiny Universe were great as usual. The Belly Up was rocking for this hometown show. It was business as usual with a few Allman Bros. nuggets tossed in (Dreams, Ain’t Wating Time No More). Not to be missed. Organ Freeman opened and this 3-piece Los Angeles band brought the hammer. Definitely will be checking them out next time they are in town.
jeff-polacheck
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