Crack The Sky
Meet the best US prog rock band you might not have heard of!
“Anything that could go wrong did. There were no records in the shops. We couldn’t get airplay or promotion. So, basically we were hung out to dry.”
They’ve been around for five decades but Prog readers might be forgiven for not knowing about Crack The Sky. Now they’re back with a new album called Tribes, singer John Palumbo is ready to be vocal about the “complicated” band that should be on your radar.
If circumstances had been kinder, Crack The Sky would now be regarded as one of the most important American progressive bands. Right up there with Starcastle, Styx and Kansas. Sure, there are countless others who can claim that, instead of caressing their careers, fate brutally slapped them into oblivion. But consider this. When the West Virginia band released their self-titled debut album in 1975 it was hailed by Rolling Stone as “one of the year’s most impressive debuts”.
But despite critical praise from many quarters, the LP was a commercial disappointment.
This writer bought it on import because the owner of the local record store said, “You’re a Styx fan. You’ll love this.” He was right. And we’ve waited for
46 years to ask vocalist John
Palumbo the obvious question: what went wrong?
“Our label, Lifesong, were new at the time, so anything that could go wrong did. There were no records in the shops. We couldn’t get airplay or promotion.
So, basically we were hung out to dry.”
Crack The Sky released a second album,
Animal Notes, in 1976, but this fared little better and Palumbo left before third album
Safety In Numbers came out in 1978.
“I had this idea for doing a rock opera based around the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Heaven knows what I was thinking!” he laughs. “But the record company were after a hit single and I hadn’t written what they believed could be one. So they rejected my idea for this concept album. The rest of the band also wanted to go in a different musical direction. So I quit. They ended up using three of my songs on the first side of Safety In Numbers, but I had no involvement in the recording process.”
Soon after the album came out, the band split up. Occasional brief reunions happened from 1980, but since 1996 they’ve been consistently recording and touring, with all the original members bar guitarist Jim Griffiths once more part of the line-up, although these days bassist Joe Macre only contributes as a guest. Tribes, their latest studio album, showcases a band still capable of making everyone take notice.
“Crack The Sky has had the same musical influences since we began in the 70s. That’s The Beatles, Yes, Genesis and King Crimson. Nothing has changed in that respect. I will occasionally hear something new on the radio that grabs my attention, [but] this never makes any difference to what we do.”
Palumbo does feel an affinity to at least one band he toured with in the 70s.
“We went out on the road with anyone and everyone. One of these bands was Rush, and we got along really superbly with them. We were their support act and they treated us amazingly well. There was definitely common ground in the music both bands loved, and we also picked up on their work ethic, which was phenomenal. The guys’ level of commitment made a huge impression.”
However, Palumbo sadly found the Rush attitude toward Crack The Sky was a rarity.
“Most of the others we played with treated us terribly. I’m not prepared to mention any names, even though it was a long time ago. But I think more than a few were intimidated by us, because we were a great live band and they didn’t like that at all! And we’re talking about some major names here.”
Although not a concept album, the recently released Tribes does deal with current global conditions. And the frontman isn’t too optimistic about the immediate future.
“How can you not write about what you see all around you? The extremism, the negativity and the divisiveness. I’m not naturally a pessimist, but I can’t see a way out of the situation we find ourselves in for some time to come. I’m not just talking about the pandemic, but also social and political issues. As a writer, it fascinates me. But as a human being it’s depressing.”
Work on the album started two years ago, when Palumbo – very much the main songwriter – began to assemble the material.
“All the members of Crack The Sky are scattered around the USA – for instance,
I now live in Philadelphia – so, it’s hard for us to get together. But these days that’s no barrier. Once the tracks were written, I recorded them in my home studio to a high quality. I then sent the files to
Rick Witkowsi, who added his guitar parts. Bobby Hird, the other guitarist in the band, then went to Rick’s home studio to do his bit. And the recordings were then dispatched to the others to add their contributions. That was the most sensible way to assemble the tracks. We had everything finished a year ago. It’s just taken this long for Carry On Music, who are our current label, to release the album.”
But given the absence of any live shows at the moment, wouldn’t it have been prudent to delay the release until touring is possible?
“No, because Carry On had given us a deadline to meet for delivering the tapes, as they had slotted Tribes into the release schedule, so, we had no choice. Of course, we’re frustrated, because it’s not a good situation to be in when you try to promote a new album without the opportunity to play live. But every band is facing the same craziness.”
Palumbo hasn’t been idle as he’s waited for Tribes to come out.
“I’m constantly writing. It’s what I do, and being unable to go anywhere has meant that not only have I got material ready for the next Crack The Sky album, but also have a new solo record in the can.”
Crack The Sky do have a couple of outdoor shows lined up in the US for June, and they hope 2022 will see them able to make their long-overdue live debut in the UK and Europe.
“I can’t wait to play for crowds in Britain, because that’s where our roots lie. What we’ll probably do is play no more than three songs from the new album. I know that as a fan I never want to go and see an artist I love and then endure them playing loads of stuff I don’t know. I want to hear the popular songs. That’s our philosophy. First and foremost we’re entertainers, and not on stage to educate people about our new album!”
Palumbo also believes Crack The Sky have little in common with modern prog bands.
“We’ve done a few festivals in the States where the majority of those on the bill are what would be described as young progressive artists. They’re all fine bands and have talented musicians. But their stuff is multilayered with a lot of intricacy, with lyrics that seem to border on the medieval. We’re different to these bands, and I’ve often stood at the side of the stage, wondering what the reaction might be when we kick into gear. Thankfully, the fans have always accepted us.
“Are we a genuinely progressive band? If you define this in relation to Yes, Genesis or King Crimson, then we don’t fit that category. We have them as influences, but what we have done is follow our own path. The way I’d describe Crack The Sky is that we are essentially a rock’n’roll band who have a unique and complicated dynamic.”
Tribes is out now and John Palumbo’s new solo album Hollywood Blvd is out on May 21 – both via Carry On Music. See www.crackthesky.com for more information.
“Crack The Sky has had the same musical influences since we began in the 70s. That’s The Beatles, Yes, Genesis and King Crimson. Nothing has changed in that respect.”