Interview Last Crack

There are bands who suddenly seem to disappear completely off the radar. They release an album that you cherish, you share it with your friends, you feel part of something special and then..total silence. Last Crack was one of those bands. After seeing the cover of their Burning Time I just knew that their music had to be something different. Their music was intense, spiritual, the guitar playing was incredibly unique and on top of that was their singer Buddo, who sang like a kind of alternative Bono, very passionate and with a sincere concern for mother earth and love. And I can honestly say that even today there isn´t a band who sound anything like them.

Last Crack was part of a very healthy alternative scene in the early 90´s. A period which seems a little bit forgotten in history, but which created a lot of unique bands. There were no boundaries and a lot of different genres were mixed. Their debut album was Sinister Funkhouse #17 (1989) and it was immediately evident that something was going on here. The album created some buzz, Aardschok magazine loved it, and in 1991 Last Crack released their magnum opus: Burning Time.

Burning Time gathered positive reviews from all over the world and seemed to mark the big breakthrough. But..nothing happened. Their was a long silence and then suddenly in 2002 there was a one off reunion show. In 2004 Last Crack was flown in to do a show in Amstelveen. A second life was in sight and new, very promising demos appeared on the internet. Awesome new tracks like Greta Grinder and Siren Song raised high expectations for a new album. But again, nothing happened. In 2009 I tried to get in touch with Last Crack´s very charismatic singer, Buddo. After some searching I found him and was delighted I found him and very happy to give me an interview.

Buddo,what are your memories looking back at the early 90's? In my opinion it was a very healthy period music wise. There were no boundaries and everything seemed possible with bands like Jane's Addiction, Mind Over Four, Rapscallion en King's X.

I just came out of my alternative punk phase. I listened to bands like Fear, Desecendents etc. When I auditioned for Last Crack I had this idea of mixing alternative rock with metal. I didn't like typical 80's metal like Poison or Warrant. I just moved to Austin when I auditioned and Austin had a very healthy underground scene with bands like Glass Eye or Zeitgeist.I wanted to use the intimacy and roots of those bands and combine it with the power of punk and metal. I loved Jane's Addiction from the first second I heard them and really thought they re-invented hardrock. Soundgarden was important and so was Mother Love Bone. When Last Crack first started touring the focus really was on the music. You didn't had internet like nowadays and I was still listening to tapes on my Sony walkman. It was really a healthy time where risks were taken. Most important for me though was the end of hairrock domination hahaha!

Did you guys realise at the time you were doing something unique?

Funny that you ask me this. Don Bakken (guitarist) used to say at the time that our music was unique. I didn't believe him at the time. I just thought we were a metal band because my perspective on the whole scene was different because of my hardcore/punk background. The other guys loved bands like Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and Van Halen. Paul Schluter (guitarist) was heavily into metal and always brought in the hardest music possible. I think what eventually came out of this formed Last Crack. Not until years later, and the band didn't exist anymore, I realised how special we were.

Don't you think that many people have forgotten how much beautiful music was being made in the early 90's and that this period got stuck between the hardrock from the 80's and the current musical era?

Yes..I do. The 80's was a time of excess, stadiumrock. After that, rap took over. And somewhere in between the alternative scene came up..but that was short lived. We have to give credits to bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam and Chris Cornell for not giving up between al those fake popmusic.

When I listen to Last Crack I hear a lot of love, spirituality and a deep concern for this planet coming out of your songs. Agree?

As far as my lyrics go; i always try to express my personal and private emotions. I always compare myself to a coal miner who digs deep to get the precious diamonds to the surface. A lot of my lyrics came out of meditation. I always saw the stage as an altar, a holy place.

Do you feel Last Crack got enough recognition over the years?

I think we would've gained a lot more if we stayed together. It's simply our own fault for not being able to keep this band together. But everyday I'm blown out of my chair from the messages I get from fans all over the world. We are very grateful that there are many people today who are listening to our music and remember us.

* I recently talked to guitarist Paul Schluter. Almost a whole new album was recorded in 2005 but is still in the vault. I was fortunate to hear 5 complete songs and I can already tell you that it would be a pity if they never see the light of day! I hope to publish a follow up interview with Paul here on Needle Dose as soon as possible*