All it takes is one listen to The Veer Union to be able to tell that these guys have tapped into something special. The band, which was formed in 2004 by lead singer Crispin Earl, is a band that is very deep lyrically and that depth makes them stand head and shoulders above quite a bit of their competition that surrounds them. Music is just like any other art form and can be open to individual interpretation. I think if you are open and receptive to this band, you’re going to be taken on an amazing musical journey. The band re-released their 2012 sophomore album Divide the Blackened Sky in a deluxe version in June of this year and it’s worthy of being heard by the masses. I had the chance to talk to lead singer Crispin Earl about the re-release and other topics before their set at Operation Rock Fest.
Hey Crispin, it’s really a pleasure to meet you. How’s your day going so far?
Crispin Earl: It’s been a little crazy and hectic, but a lot of fun so far.
Well, let’s take full advantage of this little bit of peace and semi-quiet to knock out this interview. I wanted to start off by asking you about the re-release of Divide the Blackened Sky. What was the reasoning behind that?
Well, we signed a new deal with Pavement Entertainment; we were previously signed to Rocket Science. That label was going through some tough times and I think it was in the midst of going under. It was really bad financially and it was tough on us as well as it was causing us a lot of anguish. When we signed with Pavement, they thought that the record never truly got to see the light of day and they suggested re-releasing it with a few new tracks. We were already in the process of writing a new record and we thought this was perfect. We could give people a little taste of what’s yet to come as well as give people who hadn’t heard the record yet a new chance to. So, that’s how we came about with the deluxe version of the re-release.
Was Jonny (Hetherington) from Art of Dying on the original version of “Borderline?”
No, he wasn’t on the original version of the song. You know, we’re both from Vancouver and the crazy thing is that we’ve been talking about doing something together for so long. We were both in town and I asked him if he wanted to do a guest spot and he was cool with it. We ended up shooting a video for it the same time that we did the guest vocals
Now, before the re-release of Divide the Blackened Sky, you released Life Support, Vol. 1. Was that before you switched labels?
Yes it was.
With that being a volume one, are there plans for a volume two?
Absolutely, in fact it also kind of coordinated well with the fact that we were working on new material and we have a ton of it. There’s some really exciting stuff that we’re working on for the next record.
Are these big festival shows any different for you guys that a smaller, club date?
I think the cool thing about this is that you get to interact with your fans a little differently. You know, whether it’s a big or small festival, I’m out in the crowd because I’m such a fan of a lot of the other bands that are playing. This is like a free ticket for me! These festival dates are really cool because it’s a mix of people who you have played with and quite a few that we haven’t.
We talk to a lot of bands who are on the rise and trying to get to that next level or plateau. What have been some of your biggest hurdles or road blocks on this journey that you’re on?
I’m glad you asked that question and do think that it’s different with every band. I can say straight up for us that’s it’s been money; 
money has definitely been our biggest hurdle. There have been plenty of opportunities presented to us that we had to turn down because we didn’t have the money. I don’t come from money and the thing that’s kept me going on this journey from the very beginning is my passion for music. I think that it might take a little bit longer because of the financial situation, but I have this belief that eventually the truth will pop through. If people want to listen to music that has true passion to it, I think they will identify with the band. The music that I write for The Veer Union is all, pretty much, my life story. It’s all from the heart, it’s as real as it gets and sometimes, especially in this day and age, a lot of that’s missing. There are a lot of people writing because they want to be a rock star instead of writing because they have a passion for the music.
You hit the nail on the head right there and that my friend is why I love this band. I hear too much stuff today that’s very shallow and lacks that multi-layered depth that truly passionate songwriting makes happen. The art of storytelling in three and a half minutes seems to be a dying art form.
Thank you so much for saying that. You’re exactly right and although the rock music industry isn’t quite what it used to be, as far as the size of it, but the people who are staying in it have to truly love it. It’s not about a huge paycheck at the end of the day; it’s about doing it because you love it. I’d like to believe that there’s going to be a whole new generation of music that’s coming. One thing that true rock has always had is that you either get it or you don’t.
Jim Carrey gave a commencement speech a couple of months ago and he told of some advice that his dad gave to him one time. He told him that you can fail miserably at something you hate, so why not try doing something you love?
I actually saw that on Facebook and that was great and very true. It’s all about that passion and you know, as long as there are enough people who continue to have that passion, then it’s going to go somewhere and it’s just a matter of time.
Speaking of passion, I always like to find out from the front person of a band what they were like growing up. As you were discovering your passion for music, were you the shy, introvert type of the kid who always craved attention?
Actually, I was a little bit of both. I’m adopted and my whole, entire family is white. In our Christmas picture, there’s always that token colored kid in the corner and everyone looks at it and thinks ‘that kid shows up every year!’ It’s pretty interesting because of growing up in such a big family, I had a lot of opportunities to meet a lot of different types of people, whether I wanted to or not, and I learned how to deal with people. You know, but whenever I picked up that guitar or played drums, I was in my own little world. Today, most people don’t realize that a musician isn’t just a musician. A musician has to understand the business because the labels just aren’t doing their jobs anymore. The artist has to know what kind of music they want to do, what market they’re going for and you have to have a clue about what you are doing and you have to learn to adapt. I think that because of my upbringing that I’ve learned how to do that pretty easily.
So, was there a specific event that got you into music?
I remember this very well; a high school band came to my elementary school when I was ten years old. I saw this guy playing drums and I had never seen anything like it before. A couple of years later, I became good friends with him and he got me into Led Zeppelin. I heard that and I knew that was what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and I literally never turned back. Right now, I still have that same passion that I had back then when I saw that guy play drums. I was a drummer for many years and actually went to Berkley for drums because that was actually my number one instrument. I kept playing drums for all of these different bands and it drove me crazy because so many of the singers couldn’t sing in key. It got me to thinking that I was pretty sure that I could do that in key, so I gave it a go. I mean, I like to go back and play drums every now and I can if I want to, but this is what I’m supposed to do.
Now that is crazy! I interviewed a band called Nothing More at Carolina Rebellion back in May.
Yeah, that band is amazing!
I won’t argue against you on that point at all! I know this isn’t exactly the same thing, but their lead singer Johnny Hawkins used to be their drummer and he eventually moved from behind the kit to the front of the stage to be their singer; you don’t see that happening very often.
No, you don’t; that’s pretty awesome!
I have to ask you something that you probably get asked all the time. You’re rocking the Mohawk; is there a story behind it?
Boredom (laughs)! I don’t have a great story and I wish I did. Honestly, I just woke up one day and I had tried every hair style that you could possibly think of and the Mohawk just kind of became a part of me.
THE VEER UNION BORDERLINE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
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How about naming off three albums that would be your desert island albums?
I would say the first Perfect Circle album, maybe Temple of the Dog and if I could have a mix tape of John Mayer’s entire catalog that would be awesome.
Dude, this has been an awesome talk and I know you have to go get ready for your set. Do you have any closing words to share with the readers?
I’ve been through many, many up and downs ranging from financial ones, emotional ones, I’ve had band members change, but I keep doing this first and foremost because I have a passion for music. There has been more than one time when I thought that I might just try to be a normal guy and go and do a normal job. It usually lasts about six seconds and I realize this is just not what I am supposed to do. It’s all about being passionate about the music and I will continue to do it until I can’t physically do so anymore.
