Plastic Crimewave Sound Interview: SXSW 2010

Fueled by the herbal energizing power of green and black teas, Steve Krakow is a modern day Renaissance Man who has to cram sleep time into his enterprising schedule. The assiduous Chicago resident is the frontman for Plastic Crimewave Sound, a freelance artist and writer, owner of his own record label, Galactic Zoo Disk, and a member in two other bands. With the psychedelic music of Plastic Crimewave Sound coming to Austin for SXSW, Spinner recently spoke with Krakow about his band and his nonstop routine.

How did your band form?

We have been going since 2001. It started as a solo record that I recruited some friends to play on. We just decided to keep at it. Of course, that solo record never came out but the band kept going. Since then, we have had four albums. We had one called 'Painted Shadows,' which came out in October 2009 for an Italian label call A Silent Place.There's me and my brother, Adam Krakow, who just joined on guitar. We have a new bass player, John Brearly, and Lawrence Peters on drums, who has been with us since the beginning.

How did you come up with your band name? Your alias is Plastic Crimewave, so is Plastic Crimewave Sound just an addition to your namesake?

I just always had bands that broke up. I always put in 110 percent into a band then someone would quit, so I was like "You know, I'm gonna get my name in there."

How did Plastic Crimewave become your alias?

There was a Canadian psychedelic band call Plastic Cloud and I really like the idea of something being plastic. I'm also a big comic freak and there is a Daredevil villain called Crimewave, who had a cool purple and green costume. Then the "Sound" part I always liked. Pink Floyd was originally Pink Floyd Sound.

Describe your sound.

If I had to do the two-word description, I would use acid punk or space punk, which usually confuses people. I guess I'd have to say it's like the psychedelic rock from the '60s and '70s.

What are your musical influences?

I guess the ones we always get compared to and I am totally happy with is like Hawkwind and Chrome and a lot of the German bands. Also, Velvet Underground people have thrown at us.

What is the Vision Celestial Guitarkestra that you started in Chicago, where multiple musicians play a unified note?

It is a guitar orchestra, loosely conducted. A couple of years ago, Empty Bottle indulged me. We are going to have our seventh one in March, which is crazy. We have had up to 70 guitarists of all ages, sizes and creeds. I always encourage people who can't play to come because it is more about playing a certain key or note. The first one at Empty Bottle was just amazing. People hugged each other, cried and even gave each other their guitars.

Where do you guys tour in addition to SXSW?

We play almost everywhere in Chicago. We played the Empty Bottle, the Chicago Theatre, which was bizarre. We played the Double Door for like mosh shows and parties. We are also going to go back to old Oklahoma, St. Louis, which is always fun, and Cleveland, probably our favorite spot. They love us in Cleveland. We get the true freaks there, which we love.

What's your biggest vice?

Probably buying records and comics. We have been on tour starving and I see a record store with $20 to my name and go buy a record. I probably have about 7,000 LPs.

What's in your festival survival kit?

We bring a cooler on the road. Sometimes you are on the road and you are looking for even a Denny's and there is nothing in sight. I am a vegan, so that's pretty tough for me and my brother has dietary restrictions, so we bring a cooler. We also have this book 'Healthy Highways,' which tells you how to get to a healthy restaurant anywhere.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

I'm a big Brigitte Bardot fan and Veronica Carlson, who was in the Hammer films in the '70s but you know a lot of these are dead or not looking so good anymore.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced while on tour?

I have seen a guy crush a bottle in his hand and bleed everywhere, guys drop and do pushups and someone set a dumpster on fire in Detroit. In Oklahoma, the bartender was giving the girls shots to flash their breasts.

You are a freelance artist on the side. Talk about the 'Galactic Zoo Dossier,' a comic you produce published by Drag City.

I was preparing myself for a straight comic book career but I was always drawn to weirder stuff and to music, so it hit me that I didn't know if I wanted to be drawing someone else's stories. I think we are up to eight issues of the 'Dossier' and there was like a compendium, a book that compiled the first four. It combines all the things I like with music and underground.

Talk about your label Galactic Zoo Disk.

We have done four LPs and we have two more on the way, all really obscure '60s, '70s folk and metal. The vinyl is all sold out. We have this experimental pop thing with the George-Edwards Group and this outsider rock guy Ryan Trevor. Also, some other things in the works.

What else do you do?

I do some freelance poster art and every other week in the Chicago Reader I also do a strip called 'The Secret History of Chicago Music.' The strip covers obscure Chicago music history and that has been going for five years now with 100 strips. I'm also looking to do a book of those.

Do you ever sleep? You must drink a lot of coffee.

I switched to tea! Coffee was making me a bit jittery. The tea is doing pretty good for me.

Mike Rothman is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.