Crease (band)
Encyclopedia
Crease is an American hard rock
band that formed in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1994.
Three quarters of the band (Kelly Meister and brothers Fritz & Eric Dorigo) originally came from the Alt-Thrash band XSF (Excessive), which formed late in 1985. When their bass player quit the band to get married, friend of the band, Greg Gershengorn was brought in to replace him. Once a few shows that were previously booked as Excessive were completed, the band changed their name to Crease and started writing all new material. The band recorded a full-length studio album, Interference
, on a local indie label in 1995. But it wasn’t until the self financed/self released album ...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty
was released in 1998, that the group found success. Their major label release, Vindication
and Indie release Only Human, would follow.
. Trouble began almost immediately as the band was extremely unhappy with the records final mix. Lack of promotion and distribution led to poor sales. However, the album did garner the band a Jammy Award nomination from JAM magazine for “Best Independent Release of the Year for the State for Florida”. A year later, the contract between Crease and DM Records was over and the band was back to square one.
& Vindication
. The group became a fixture on the South Florida scene and would open for such heavyweights as Quiet Riot
& Vince Neil
. It was during this time that the group, through a mutual friend, met legendary band manager Bill Aucoin
of Kiss
& Billy Idol
fame. Aucoin liked the band enough to help set up a label showcase. The labels would all pass, but Crease was introduced to music producer Paul Trust that evening. Trust was taken with the band and expressed interest in working with them.
. The band printed 500 copies of the EP and to save money, the CD was shipped in pieces to be assembled by the group. The EP was given to a DJ (Kimba), at the rock radio station in town, 94.9 Zeta (WZTA). Kimba picked the anthemic “Frustration” to play on “Zeta Goes Local”. Program Director Greg Steele of 94.9 Zeta, happened to be listening. Steele called the band and told them that “Frustration” has the sound that he envisioned for Zeta and wanted to put the song into a regular rotation to see what would happen. A week later, 94.9 Zeta asked the band to open for Dishwalla
in front of 8,000 people. “Frustration” went to a heavy rotation and hit #1. Over 7,000 copies of ...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty
would be sold. Crease signed with New York based manager, Jamie Schoenfeld, and began shopping for a deal. Industry magazine, “Hits”, named Crease the “Hottest Unsigned Band in the Country” during the summer of 1999. During this time, other radio stations in Florida would add “Frustration” to their playlists and 94.9 Zeta would release Crease’s cover version of “Jenny 867-5309” as the band’s second single. Crease was added to the “Zetafest” bill, four slots away from headling the show and proved that they had what it took to entertain a crowd of 35,000 Floridians. Crease outsold Kid Rock
& Metallica
, who had new CDs released at that time, in the Miami market for the next 2 weeks. Crease spent the rest of the year playing a slew of showcases up and down the East Coast as well as opening for Godsmack
, The Goo Goo Dolls, Our Lady Peace
, Finger Eleven
& Def Leppard
. The New Times of Broward/Palm Beach voted Crease “Best Local Rock Band of 1999”. Smelling success, DM Records resurfaced with claims that they still owned the band. The group decided to take legal action against DM Records and wound up settling, instead of letting the matter get drawn out in court. With DM out of the way once and for all, Crease signed with Roadrunner Records
in December 1999.
, on what would become Vindication
. The record was finished at Audio Vision recording studios in Miami, Florida in March 2000. “Frustration” was released to radio in June 2000 and was the 8th most added song across the country for its first week out. "Frustration" was featured in the film, "Thank You, Good Night". Jenny 867-5309 was featured in an episode of TV's "Roswell" and the video game "ESPN X-Games Skateboarding". "Building Up" was used by HBO in their documentary, "Middle School Confessions". By October 2000, the President and their A&R person were gone from the label. All of the bands these two signed were dropped the same day. Crease was one of those bands. The group was now without a label and didn’t own the rights to Vindication
. Without losing any momentum, the band headed back to the studio to record 5 new songs. After a few showcases, any label interest was waned after the September 11 attacks.
to helm their next studio record. Dye, who was writing a column on Digidesign’s (Pro Tools) website, Hard Disc Life at the time, asked the band to do something that had never been done before. Dye & Crease made available all of the tracks from one of the songs (Live To Be In Love), to give Pro-Tools enthusiasts an opportunity to practice and hone their mixing skills. Through Dye’s column, users would be given a rare opportunity to download and work with high-end material and high-end recordings, at no cost to the users, and learn to mix through Dye’s groundbreaking teachings. The column was a huge success. In 2004, Only Human was complete and released on Crease’s own label, Whateverman Records. "Nothing Is Real" was released as the first single. Unable to repeat the success of ...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty
& Vindication
, Crease disbanded in 2006. Guitarist Fritz Dorigo and bassist Greg Gershengorn went on to form the punk/rock group, Dirty DNA.
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band that formed in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1994.
Three quarters of the band (Kelly Meister and brothers Fritz & Eric Dorigo) originally came from the Alt-Thrash band XSF (Excessive), which formed late in 1985. When their bass player quit the band to get married, friend of the band, Greg Gershengorn was brought in to replace him. Once a few shows that were previously booked as Excessive were completed, the band changed their name to Crease and started writing all new material. The band recorded a full-length studio album, Interference
Interference (Crease album)
Interference is the first album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease. This album was released in 1995, via DM Records...
, on a local indie label in 1995. But it wasn’t until the self financed/self released album ...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty
Six Pack Shy Of Pretty (album)
...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty is the 2nd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease. This album was released in 1998, via Whateverman Records.-Track listing:# "Building Up" – 3:36# "Jenny 867-5309" – 3:14# "Frustration" – 4:32...
was released in 1998, that the group found success. Their major label release, Vindication
Vindication (Crease album)
Vindication is the 3rd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease.. This album was released in 2000, via Roadrunner Records. "Frustration" was featured in the film, "Thank You, Good Night". "Jenny 867-5309" was featured in an episode of TV's "Roswell" and the video game "ESPN...
and Indie release Only Human, would follow.
Early years (1994)
Crease was an outgrowth of a previous band, XSF (Excessive), formed in 1985 by four high school friends: singer Kelly Meister, guitarist Fritz Dorigo, drummer Eric Dorigo and bassist Vinny Pereira. The latter was replaced by Greg Gershengorn in 1994. With new songwriting blood in the mix, it was agreed that the foursome would wipe their slate clean by writing all new material and changing the name of the band. With a new identity and sound, the band played relentlessly throughout the South Florida music scene in 1994. During this time, the group entered the studio to record a 6 song demo (Spiritual Bliss, Curiosity, Bored, I Don’t Think So, Manhole & Face) with local producer Gary Stryder. These recordings would eventually lead to the band getting noticed by a local Independent label.Interference (1995)
One year after forming, the band secured a record deal with indie label DM Records in 1995. Crease entered the studio to record their first full length studio album, InterferenceInterference (Crease album)
Interference is the first album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease. This album was released in 1995, via DM Records...
. Trouble began almost immediately as the band was extremely unhappy with the records final mix. Lack of promotion and distribution led to poor sales. However, the album did garner the band a Jammy Award nomination from JAM magazine for “Best Independent Release of the Year for the State for Florida”. A year later, the contract between Crease and DM Records was over and the band was back to square one.
(1996–1998)
During the next three years the group would write over 60 songs and wound up recording three albums worth of material. These albums (Stuck Like Chuck, Tastes Like A Penny & Lost In The Process) were never released to the public, but did contain some of the material that would later be included on ...Six Pack Shy Of PrettySix Pack Shy Of Pretty (album)
...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty is the 2nd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease. This album was released in 1998, via Whateverman Records.-Track listing:# "Building Up" – 3:36# "Jenny 867-5309" – 3:14# "Frustration" – 4:32...
& Vindication
Vindication (Crease album)
Vindication is the 3rd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease.. This album was released in 2000, via Roadrunner Records. "Frustration" was featured in the film, "Thank You, Good Night". "Jenny 867-5309" was featured in an episode of TV's "Roswell" and the video game "ESPN...
. The group became a fixture on the South Florida scene and would open for such heavyweights as Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot
Quiet Riot is an American Heavy Metal band. They are best known for their hit singles "Metal Health" and "Cum On Feel the Noize". They were founded in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni, under the original name Mach 1, before changing the name to Little Women and finally Quiet...
& Vince Neil
Vince Neil
Vincent Neil Wharton is an American vocalist and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of heavy metal band Mötley Crüe.-Early life:Neil was born in Hollywood, California to Odie and Shirley Wharton...
. It was during this time that the group, through a mutual friend, met legendary band manager Bill Aucoin
Bill Aucoin
William "Bill" Aucoin was an American band manager, well-known for his work with the rock band Kiss.-Biography:...
of Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
& Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
fame. Aucoin liked the band enough to help set up a label showcase. The labels would all pass, but Crease was introduced to music producer Paul Trust that evening. Trust was taken with the band and expressed interest in working with them.
…Six Pack Shy Of Pretty (1998–1999)
Crease entered the “Dungeon” recording studios in North Miami with Trust in hopes of recording a full length album to shop with. However, five tracks in, the band was almost out of money. As luck would have it, “Frustration” was one of the tracks recorded. The band released ...Six Pack Shy Of PrettySix Pack Shy Of Pretty (album)
...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty is the 2nd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease. This album was released in 1998, via Whateverman Records.-Track listing:# "Building Up" – 3:36# "Jenny 867-5309" – 3:14# "Frustration" – 4:32...
. The band printed 500 copies of the EP and to save money, the CD was shipped in pieces to be assembled by the group. The EP was given to a DJ (Kimba), at the rock radio station in town, 94.9 Zeta (WZTA). Kimba picked the anthemic “Frustration” to play on “Zeta Goes Local”. Program Director Greg Steele of 94.9 Zeta, happened to be listening. Steele called the band and told them that “Frustration” has the sound that he envisioned for Zeta and wanted to put the song into a regular rotation to see what would happen. A week later, 94.9 Zeta asked the band to open for Dishwalla
Dishwalla
Dishwalla is an American alternative rock band based out of Santa Barbara, CA. The band's name comes from a Hindi term for a person providing cable television to a neighborhood...
in front of 8,000 people. “Frustration” went to a heavy rotation and hit #1. Over 7,000 copies of ...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty
Six Pack Shy Of Pretty (album)
...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty is the 2nd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease. This album was released in 1998, via Whateverman Records.-Track listing:# "Building Up" – 3:36# "Jenny 867-5309" – 3:14# "Frustration" – 4:32...
would be sold. Crease signed with New York based manager, Jamie Schoenfeld, and began shopping for a deal. Industry magazine, “Hits”, named Crease the “Hottest Unsigned Band in the Country” during the summer of 1999. During this time, other radio stations in Florida would add “Frustration” to their playlists and 94.9 Zeta would release Crease’s cover version of “Jenny 867-5309” as the band’s second single. Crease was added to the “Zetafest” bill, four slots away from headling the show and proved that they had what it took to entertain a crowd of 35,000 Floridians. Crease outsold Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
& Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, who had new CDs released at that time, in the Miami market for the next 2 weeks. Crease spent the rest of the year playing a slew of showcases up and down the East Coast as well as opening for Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
, The Goo Goo Dolls, Our Lady Peace
Our Lady Peace
Our Lady Peace is a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Headed by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band additionally consists of Jeremy Taggart on percussion, Duncan Coutts on bass, and Steve Mazur as lead guitarist...
, Finger Eleven
Finger Eleven
Finger Eleven is a Canadian rock band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 1989. They have currently released five studio albums, with their album The Greyest of Blue Skies bringing them into the mainstream...
& Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
. The New Times of Broward/Palm Beach voted Crease “Best Local Rock Band of 1999”. Smelling success, DM Records resurfaced with claims that they still owned the band. The group decided to take legal action against DM Records and wound up settling, instead of letting the matter get drawn out in court. With DM out of the way once and for all, Crease signed with Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
in December 1999.
Vindication (2000–2001)
Crease entered Elysian Fields recording studio in Boca Raton, Florida, in January 2000. The band tracked 7 new songs (Gravity, Just For A Second, I’m The One, Spin Around, Butterfly Stitches, Stuck Like Chuck & Watch What You Wish For) and included revamped & remixed versions of the 5 songs from ...Six Pack Shy Of PrettySix Pack Shy Of Pretty (album)
...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty is the 2nd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease. This album was released in 1998, via Whateverman Records.-Track listing:# "Building Up" – 3:36# "Jenny 867-5309" – 3:14# "Frustration" – 4:32...
, on what would become Vindication
Vindication (Crease album)
Vindication is the 3rd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease.. This album was released in 2000, via Roadrunner Records. "Frustration" was featured in the film, "Thank You, Good Night". "Jenny 867-5309" was featured in an episode of TV's "Roswell" and the video game "ESPN...
. The record was finished at Audio Vision recording studios in Miami, Florida in March 2000. “Frustration” was released to radio in June 2000 and was the 8th most added song across the country for its first week out. "Frustration" was featured in the film, "Thank You, Good Night". Jenny 867-5309 was featured in an episode of TV's "Roswell" and the video game "ESPN X-Games Skateboarding". "Building Up" was used by HBO in their documentary, "Middle School Confessions". By October 2000, the President and their A&R person were gone from the label. All of the bands these two signed were dropped the same day. Crease was one of those bands. The group was now without a label and didn’t own the rights to Vindication
Vindication (Crease album)
Vindication is the 3rd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease.. This album was released in 2000, via Roadrunner Records. "Frustration" was featured in the film, "Thank You, Good Night". "Jenny 867-5309" was featured in an episode of TV's "Roswell" and the video game "ESPN...
. Without losing any momentum, the band headed back to the studio to record 5 new songs. After a few showcases, any label interest was waned after the September 11 attacks.
Only Human (2001–2006)
The band enlisted the help of Grammy winning producer/mixer Charles DyeCharles Dye
Charles Dye is a Grammy-nominated and Latin Grammy-winning record producer, engineer and mixer from Hollywood, Florida, USA.-Grammy:In 2001, Dye received a Latin Grammy for Best Engineered Album for Thalía's Arrasando....
to helm their next studio record. Dye, who was writing a column on Digidesign’s (Pro Tools) website, Hard Disc Life at the time, asked the band to do something that had never been done before. Dye & Crease made available all of the tracks from one of the songs (Live To Be In Love), to give Pro-Tools enthusiasts an opportunity to practice and hone their mixing skills. Through Dye’s column, users would be given a rare opportunity to download and work with high-end material and high-end recordings, at no cost to the users, and learn to mix through Dye’s groundbreaking teachings. The column was a huge success. In 2004, Only Human was complete and released on Crease’s own label, Whateverman Records. "Nothing Is Real" was released as the first single. Unable to repeat the success of ...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty
Six Pack Shy Of Pretty (album)
...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty is the 2nd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease. This album was released in 1998, via Whateverman Records.-Track listing:# "Building Up" – 3:36# "Jenny 867-5309" – 3:14# "Frustration" – 4:32...
& Vindication
Vindication (Crease album)
Vindication is the 3rd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease.. This album was released in 2000, via Roadrunner Records. "Frustration" was featured in the film, "Thank You, Good Night". "Jenny 867-5309" was featured in an episode of TV's "Roswell" and the video game "ESPN...
, Crease disbanded in 2006. Guitarist Fritz Dorigo and bassist Greg Gershengorn went on to form the punk/rock group, Dirty DNA.
New album (2011–present)
It was announced in January 2011 at their MySpace page that Crease is currently working on a new CD.Studio albums
- InterferenceInterference (Crease album)Interference is the first album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease. This album was released in 1995, via DM Records...
(1995) - ...Six Pack Shy Of PrettySix Pack Shy Of Pretty (album)...Six Pack Shy Of Pretty is the 2nd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease. This album was released in 1998, via Whateverman Records.-Track listing:# "Building Up" – 3:36# "Jenny 867-5309" – 3:14# "Frustration" – 4:32...
(1998) - VindicationVindication (Crease album)Vindication is the 3rd album released by the Florida-based hard rock music group, Crease.. This album was released in 2000, via Roadrunner Records. "Frustration" was featured in the film, "Thank You, Good Night". "Jenny 867-5309" was featured in an episode of TV's "Roswell" and the video game "ESPN...
(2000) - Only Human (2004)
Band members
- Kelly Meister – lead vocals
- Fritz Dorigo – guitars, vocals
- Greg Gershengorn – bass, vocals
- Eric Dorigo – drums, percussion
External links
- http://www.myspace.com/crease Crease @ Myspace
- http://www.youtube.com/user/creaseFL Crease @ YouTube
- http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/crease Crease – Only Human
- http://www.myspace.com/dirtydna Dirty DNA @ Myspace
- http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dirtydna Dirty DNA – Skeleton Sex Scandal