Crimson Riot, a Las Vegas-based punk band, recently dropped the lead single from their upcoming album, “Third Time’s A Charm,” titled “Cross The Line.” The track is a classic punk anthem that has us impatiently waiting for more. Beyond making music, the band has their own organization, ‘Rockstar Recyclers,” that is dedicated to helping bring instruments to promising young musicians. To learn more about Crimson Riot and their upcoming album, read on.

Where are you based?
Chris: We are based out of Las Vegas, Nevada.

What inspired you to come together and start making music?
Roxy: We’ve been making music together for a long time. Ryan J is my dad and Chris is my husband and we’ve been working together as a cover band in Las Vegas for 15 years. Initially, they weren’t even supposed to be permanent members! Thankfully that changed. The inspiration to continue playing together for this band came from, simply, years and years of experience playing together. It’s when I’m most comfortable on a stage.

Your upcoming album “Third Time’s A Charm” is set to be released on March 20 of this year. What inspired the creation of this album? Can you tell us a bit about some of the themes we can expect to hear explored throughout the project?
Roxy: It may sound odd, but we love putting out albums. Even in a singles market, we’ve always held true to putting out full-length records, for better or for worse! This is our third release and it feels great to get it out after kind of sitting on it for a few years. I like to think of the theme of the album as “lived in”. These songs are some of the truest, most relatable stories we’ve written. I think every song will resonate with someone in some way.

Congratulations on “Cross The Line,” the lead single from your upcoming album! Sonically, the song is a very classic and nostalgic punk anthem. What’s the story behind this song?
Roxy: Thank you! We’re very proud of it. Honestly, it’s pretty much just the product of an emotional outburst I had compounded on years and years of being tossed around in the music industry. I’ve always written in a “tongue-in-cheek”, non-direct way when it’s about these types of topics but this was the moment I made the decision that I didn’t care if someone heard this and said, “wow…is this me?”. Art is best when it’s honest and this is one of the most direct and honest songs I’ve ever written.

How do you balance staying true to punk style while also pushing for innovation within the genre?
Chris: I’ve always been a punk kid. Since I was about 11 or so. I grew up listening to different bands from all forms of punk. The things I noticed between a lot of them wasn’t the sound but the message. The message of being true to oneself. Not being afraid to go against the norm. To question the answers and authority. So staying true to punk wasn’t very difficult, but pushing the envelope and writing something new yet familiar can be difficult. The answer to that is you just try. Try something new and different and hope people will get what you’re going for. We have a line in the title track that says “There are a few that will hate these songs, but I promise some day it’ll all be worth it.”

Ryan: We all have some sort of punk roots along with a ton of other influences: prog rock, funk, metal, blues, etc. We try to sneak in some of those influences in our music here and there.

Punk music can be very lyrically confrontational. How does that confrontational energy within your artistry aid your process of making music? How much does your environment influence what you decide what to write about?

Chris: This definitely a question for me hahaha. I studied political science in college and that just fueled my anger towards the ruling bodies of the world. Especially the last decade. We’ve always stayed true to our beliefs and we don’t hold back. If we lose fans over our beliefs or statements that’s ok. We don’t want those types of people listening to our songs.

How does this album differ from previous projects you’ve worked on? How has your process of making music grown over the years?
Roxy: We took a different approach to making this album than we did with the first two. We wanted to get a bigger, fuller sound on this record. We also added some other instrumentation in the background of most of the songs which is something we hadn’t explored before. Being on our own time really helped us create something that we’re extremely proud of and it definitely shows how we’ve grown as a creative unit. We used every tool at our disposal to make this, what I consider to be, our best work to date.

What do you hope listeners take away from your music?
Roxy: I hope listeners feel seen and understood. I hope that people listen to some of these songs and think, “Oh wow, I’m not the only person who feels like that”. We love people and we appreciate every single person who takes the time to listen to us. Whether at home or live at a show. These are our stories but I think they’ll resonate with most folks.

You have your own organization called “Rockstar Recycles” where you have people donate old instruments, clean them up, and give them to kids who want to get into music but don’t have their own gear. Can you tell us more about this organization and what inspired you to start it?
Ryan: I work part-time at a School Of Rock Music School here in Vegas, and discovered that there were several kids who either didn’t have an instrument or one that was in bad shape. With the amazing music community we are in here in Vegas, we figured that a lot of the musicians we know probably have instruments they don’t use anymore just sitting in a closet or garage. We reached out to our closest friends to ask them for old guitars, specifically for a female student at the school who showed huge potential. As we hoped, someone stepped up and donated a nice Strat. It was such an amazing experience gifting that guitar to her to help her along with her musical journey. From there, we decided to make it a legitimate not-for-profit charity organization. Once the word got out, tons of musicians from around Vegas have donated, and we’ve placed several instruments with young, aspiring musicians.

What’s something you wish you knew before pursuing a career in the music industry?
Chris: We don’t have enough time to answer this Hahaha! One thing is not everyone has your best interest in mind. Everyone has an agenda that is not always what is right.

Roxy: Cue “Cross The Line”! Haha truthfully, one of the things people don’t mention is how much “normalcy” you end up having to give up. How many birthdays, funerals, births, etc. you’ll miss. How the waves of stability ebb and flow. It’s a wonderfully rewarding and unique lifestyle, but it’s definitely not for everyone. Even I’ve had bouts of “screw this, I quit”. Very glad I didn’t.

Are there any upcoming projects you are currently working on that we should be on the lookout for?
Roxy: We have plans to do four more music videos going forward so definitely keep an eye out for those!

It has been a crazy few years, and we expect at least three more. How have you been staying positive?
Chris: Whiskey hahaha! Hope, perseverance, and resistance.

Roxy: What Chris said! Haha it’s hard to combat all of the insanity that is happening right now but I try to find positive things that are happening that I can latch onto. Friends putting out music or touring, friends getting married or having babies or getting a new pet, finding a cool new cafe or park; anything that will cleanse the palate even momentarily.

What is your motto in life?
Roxy: “Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes!”

To learn more about Crimson Riot, please check out the links below:
Website

Facebook: @crimsonriotband

Instagram: @crimsonriotband

Instagram: @rockstarrecyclers