If you threw Aerosmith, Van Halen, AC/DC and Nickelback into a blender and smashed it all up, you’d come out with Krome.
The Vancouver-based hard rock band is out to make its mark with their sophomore album Kronic Rock. The 10-track CD is produced by Cordova Bay Records, an independent Canadian label that distributes through Fontana/Universal.
Now on a five-week Canadian tour, Krome will set up their amps at the Taphouse on Saturday, Aug. 21.
Driving force and principal vocalist/songwriter Shawn Meehan finds today’s popular rock genre lacking in turbo thrust. And while he says the band’s not out to reinvent rock and roll, “We want to give our interpretation.”
Meehan has played in bands since he was 13 and Krome is a defining moment in his life. Although the band released its first singles in 2004, it lacked the spark to create more than a few ripples and some of the original members left.
With the inclusion of guitarist Derek Merrel, bass player Adam Reid and drummer Scott Aquino, the band rebooted itself with a clean slate. “I wanted a fresh start. I wanted to do what the Trews and Sloan did when they dug up an old 70s sound.”
In 2006, the band released a self-titled album and a year later the four-piece had caught the attention of Dexter Entertainment, a company that developed them for Cordova.
Initially cautious about any deals, Meehan says his reservations disappeared when he stepped into executive producer John Dexter’s office. “There were platinum records all over the walls. His artist repertoire was unbelievable and he has a great pop sensibility.”
It turns out Meehan bet on a winning horse. The May 2009 release of Turn It Up, Kronic Rock’s first single, became the most played track on Galaxie Rock Radio and sat on the Top 30 Canadian rock charts for six months.
“The new single did well and the pressure was on. But we were so grateful. It led to a record deal and that led to more support.”
The rest of the album was centred around their first hit with tunes such as TMZ, a tongue-in-cheek jab at celebrity culture, Misunderstood, a piece of abstract writing, several ballads and a whole lot of songs about rebellion, living in the present and having fun.
Although Krome played at Campus Chaos 2009 and lauds The Bear rock radio as one of its biggest supporters, it has never visited St. Albert. “Just tell everyone we’re going to expose them to a new type of music.”
