Tell us about:
Your latest music you have released:
We just finished our latest release ‘7TH HEAVEN’ – which happens to be our 7th CD as well. This is our most powerful and passionate to date. ‘7TH HEAVEN’ starts bold out of the gate. Not only 5 songs written by the band but we also cover a ‘70s song by Christian alt rockers The Call and even reach back even farther to the glory days of the 60’s Detroit music scene by ‘Crystalizing’ a classic SRC rock tune. How’s that for diversity in music? We previously released 4 singles from ‘7TH HEAVEN’ during 2020/21 with video support (on our YouTube channel and other social sites) but thought waiting until this New Year (with the very challenging last two years behind us) might be just the spark our fans and audiences would appreciate to make 2022 a much happier New Year indeed.
Your first single and how you felt when it was released:
Our official first single was recorded on an 8 track analog tape system back in the 1970’s (we were all just out of high school with rock star aspirations!). The first time I (Marq Andrew Speck aka Q) heard that Sweet Crystal song on radio…took almost a minute into it before I realized what it was and started yelling “That’s us! That’s us!” to my mom (I was still living at home…).
Your favourite song that you have created that is an album track:
From our ‘III’ Cd released a few years back, the song “Warriors” is our musical salute to the men and women of the Armed Forces and to their loved one left at home. We don’t have to support any war, but we have to support all our warriors – what they sacrifice for us can never be repaid but can certainly be honored. We always dedicate this to the veterans at our shows.
Your favourite song to play live:
That’s a tough one as we have so many songs released over the years. Probably “Foot Of The Cross” (from our ‘QUAD’ CD – https://sweetcrystal.bandcamp.com/album/quad ) because it’s a full throttle rock song that features Bill on some great slide guitar and allows me to play from underneath the keyboard rig for my solos (a signature Q move with videos to prove it), adding just another layer of sweet to the show.
Your most emotional track:
“When I Tell You I Love You” from the upcoming ‘7th HEAVEN’ release – because sometimes all you can do to help someone you know get through a very hard time…is just tell them that you love them.
The best lyric you have ever written:
The lyrics to “Heaven’s Call” from ‘7th HEAVEN’ CD were written in 30 minutes when we heard the news of a very dear friend to the band unexpectedly passing away this last year… devastating to us all these are the lyrics that came to me faster than any I had ever penned:
Have you ever thought of all the friends you’ve got?
There is one that you just know was sent to you from God?
Now you’ll understand how we felt about this man
He came into our lives one day
How we hoped that he would stay but then
An angel got their wings today
Just before they flew away
We heard you had answered Heaven’s call
When we think of you, my friend
How one day we will meet again
Until then, we’ll wait on Heaven’s call
You opened up our minds to the higher truths we’d find
Acting as a guide, a friend, we felt that this would never end
If we’d only known you’d soon be called back home
We would have told you from the start
You have a place within our hearts and now…
An angel got their wings today Just before they flew away
We heard you had answered Heaven’s call
When we think of you, my friend How one day we will meet again
Until then, we’ll wait on Heaven’s call
Describe the feeling you get when you walk on stage to do a show:
We hope that the music, message and words we sing will make a difference in the lives of everyone who hears them. Our music is about us, but it’s also about you. We hope someone who attends a Sweet Crystal show will come away feeling better about themselves, knowing that whatever they are dealing with, chances are we’ve dealt with it as well. As the main lyricist for Sweet Crystal, I feel if the song doesn’t speak to me as I sing it, it won’t speak to anyone else so I make sure that what I write is inspired by my faith and is presented by the band as sincerely as it can be.
The hardest track to play live:
We have an instrumental called “Anthem” (also from the ‘QUAD’ CD) that is an emotional song that we get ‘lost’ in on stage as we play it… meaning it can come across so strong that even a seasoned musician can get caught up in the spirit of the tune and if we don’t have full concentration on all the passages, things can get…blurry. But when it’s on, it’s very sweet indeed.
Essential items you always take on tour with you?
A sense of humor, a good road crew and a backup to every piece of gear that is critical to the show.
Describe your fans in three words:
Very sweet indeed.
A song by another artist or band you wish you had written:
There is nothing stronger than the emotion and performance of Roberta Flack singing “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”… might not seem like a song a progressive rock band like SWEET CRYSTAL would admire but greatness like that can’t be denied.
What we can look forward to from your band this year:
New songs already being recorded for our next release ‘8’ this time around featuring more lead vocals from (guitarist) Bill. New promotion company Rogue PR taking the reins for a while to get the Sweet Crystal brand into more markets. Booking shows and benefit concerts to play again as we all get back to normal.
Basically we plan to remain exactly who we are for as long as can. 24 Detroit Music Awards can’t all be wrong! As our trademarked slogan puts it, we will continue to keep “Reaching The World, One Song At A Time”™
Categories: Music, Music Interviews, Today's Featured Artist