SHREDnews

Know Them Before They’re Famous: Crime in Stereo

By: Steph Mirsky

In the current mainstream alternative music world, the punk scene of yesterday’s Warped Tour has been replaced by the power pop and electro funk movement of today. The iconic hardcore sound of NOFX, Bad Religion, and The Ramones is slowly fading. But in the face of loss, there is always new birth. Crime In Stereo is the answer to where today’s hardcore scene is headed, and this Levittown, New York band knows how to embrace and initiate change. Kristian Hallbert (vocals), Alex Dunne (guitar, vocals), Scotty Griffin (drums), Gary Cioni (bass), and Eric Kuster (guitar) have begun to revitalize the hardcore genre.

Crime In Stereo formed in 2001 and since then has released a slew of singles, EPs, LPs, and albums. In 2007 they signed to Boston-based hardcore label Bridge Nine and released genre-defying Crime in Stereo is Dead, which pushed the boundaries of punk and hardcore and entered the progressive realm. The album featured melodramatic guitar parts that paralleled those of Circa Survive, whilst holding true to their punk roots: raspy vocals similar to Brand New and a hard bass and kick drum similar to Four Year Strong. Crime In Stereo’s new album release Selective Wreckage should not be viewed as a b-sides collection because it is truly a collection of unreleased songs that document the band’s evolution from the 2005 recording sessions for The Troubled Stateside to 2007’s Is Dead.

Currently Crime In Stereo is on the Gig After Life Tour with Four Year Strong, which ends September 4th. However, the band has no plans for resting; they are immediately jumping on an east coast tour on September 9th with Have Heart, followed by a two national tours, with Strike Anywhere and Brand New respectively, which will carry them through till the end of November. Crime in Stereo is finally achieving the level of recognition they deserve and as they tour with what they see as a new beginning the band will surely show concert goers that there is no musical crime coming out of their stereos.