Manufacturing Fun: An Interview with Sweet Crude

by - July 25, 2019


Summer festival season means hot, humid weather for most – but less hot and humid for Louisiana-based Sweet Crude.

Just when the sweltering heat hits New Orleans, the band packs up their instruments and their costumes (oh yes, there’s costumes involved) and travels around to slightly less scorching states. There’s a lot of logistics involved – rotating who is driving and navigating, hauling equipment in and out of a venue or on and off stage – yet each band member feels like they’ve got a routine down. Most important, they’ve got a solid group of people who are always ready for a good time.

“We don't have to work that hard to manufacture fun,” band member Sam Craft said. “Everyone is just ready to go and that's something that's especially great for us. We can start off on the same level as the audience and the band.”

In case it’s difficult to tell, Sweet Crude has what some might call an “aerobic” live performance. There’s dancing, jumping, yelling and any other intense verb that makes them sound like they don’t stop moving for a millisecond. It gives them quite a workout, but gives their audience an once-in-a-lifetime musical experience. It also gives them a very important task immediately following their show – laundry upkeep.

Craft jokes that laundry detail is the first thing he thinks of when it comes to summer touring, but it just goes to show how hard they pay attention to each detail of their performance. It’s a process just the same as rehearsal, creating the set list, planning logistics or even where they’re sleeping each night. It’s part of what makes them Sweet Crude.

Music is just as important off stage as it is on stage, and the band’s summer playlist is what really helps them keep their mind off the low-running air conditioning and long drives between shows. For Craft, his playlist must-haves include “Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston and Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen” – a song in which the entire band is rocking overalls in the music video. Overalls is a staple clothing item that Craft swore he was going to get into this year, and thinks more people should rock during the summer.

“We’re not talking about some big, heavy denim situation; I'm just talking about breathable slaps of textile draped over yourself that just gets the job done and upholds the very basics of human decency while allowing you to be stylish and be yourself,” Craft said. “All shapes and colors and designs. That's my vision for the future.”

 Sweet Crude is a band of hardworking individuals who have the most fun at what they do. It comes naturally to them, and makes their live performances an intimate gathering. Whether you catch them before humidity strikes their hometown or at your hometown’s best summer festival, it’s a set you won’t want to miss.

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