Exclusive Interview with Kerry Pastine of The Crime Scene

How would you classify your music?  

Genres: Blues, Rock, Garage Rock, Vintage Soul

Who are some of your top 5 musical influences?

Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Joan Jett, Etta James, The Black Keys

What do you want fans to take away from your music?

Our fans walk away with an uplifted energy that makes them dance, that makes them feel cool and also creates a sense of belonging, positivity and hope. 

How is the music scene in your locale?

The music scene in Colorado, particularly Denver, Fort Collins and the front range has landed us on the map as a “Music City”.  We have thousands of original music artists working 7 days a week for pay. 

What is the best concert you have been to?

The Rival Sons every time!

What do you like most about playing live?

The energy and connection between us and the audience! We exchange the fun, the laughter and the good times and it’s what keeps them coming back for more and keeps us doing what we love.

Is there a song on your latest CD release here that stands out as your personal favorite, and why?  

Leanin’ In is definitely closest to home for me. As humans we try so desperately to be enough for ourselves and the world around us. We kill ourselves to prove that we’re worth loving, but so many times are afraid to love and let ourselves be loved. Instead, we work on trying to be perfect in every other way.  At some point we just have to lean into love and find out what happens.

How have you evolved as an artist over the last year?

I’ve allowed myself to try to write different styles of music. This latest album, “City of Love”, has a jazz style tune called Singapore Downbeat and a Bossa Nova called Under Your Spell. These showed me that I can stretch and grow musically and I’ll still sound like Kerry Pastine.  

If you could meet, play a gig, co-write a song, have dinner, have a drink with any band or artist (dead or alive) who would it be? 

For me, the connection is all about the hang. I’d want a deeper conversation about who we all are, why we do what we do, and how to move through and over experiences on this planet. But I’m also a bit irreverent, so I like goofing around and laughing for hours while trying not to take it all too seriously. The conversation or co-writing would inevitably become something that sounds and feels soulful and rockin’.  

My favorites would be Nick Curran who is no longer with us, but had the vocal chops of Little Richard and Louis Prima and the guitar chops of Johnny Guitar Watson. I’d also love to hang with the The Rival Sons, the hardest working band I’ve seen in a long time that give a thousand percent every show.  And ultimately,  Louie Prima and his jump blues band with Sam Butera and Keely Smith. Louis was huge in the 50’s but you may know his music from The Jungle Book’s “I Wanna Be Like You”. He was the orangutan “King Louis”. 

What’s next for you? 

Festivals around the world; Blues, Rock and Jazz  because we’re such a unique cross-over sound that we fit perfectly with these genres while cleansing the audience’s palate and giving them something unique that they’ve never heard before. We’re excited to share the live love.

End of Interview