{David Van Kleeck answering} Crosstown was originally chosen as the name for the band I put together for Chéz Reed in 1985 (Chéz & Crosstown), and it seemed fitting to continue with that name. It is a common phrase, and plays a part in defining some of the music on this particular album. Some of the songs on POINT OF VIEW honors people important in our lives. And the entire album is dedicated to the memory of our son Jason, whom we lost to suicide. Some of the songs are written from the point of view of looking at life through the eyes of Biblical Spirituality, though we are trying hard not to let it get "preachy".

Yes, we love playing as often as possible! Mostly in the Recording Studio finishing the new album! But we'll play anywhere in Arizona or Southern California we get the chance. We placed 3rd in the EMERGENZA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL and made it to the Semi-Finals! Unanimously, the most special moment for us was having Derek Sutton in the audience at that very performance! He's a very interesting man to talk with, and well-known in the biz, widely known and respected in the music industry with some impressive accomplishments! (Managing STYX, Robin Trower, launching the US side of Chrysalis Records with Terry Ellis). To have a man of that stature in the business, drive from Los Angeles to Phoenix just to see a short competition performance by us was fantastic! AND he was actually pleased with the show we put on! Derek even put me in touch with ex-GAMMA and current Robin Trower vocalist, Davey Pattison, for our new CD project!

The issue of music files now being so easily available is highly charged and there is more than one "Point of View" (argh! another shameless plug!).
While it seems clear that artists have been losing money due to the advent of the CD-ROM ReWritable drives allowing CDs, cassettes and LPs to be recorded by the general computer savvy public, the Internet and some of the business ventures it has spawned has turned file sharing of copyrighted songs into a serious threat to the sales of the songs in a physical medium like CDs. This leaves performing via tours and Artist merchandise sales to cover the costs of a band's very existence and livelihood, and that goes for all the various entities involved in maintaining a local, national or international artist/band to realize a profit from their investment and hard work. The physical medium of relying on CDs to sell the Artist's songs to the public is approaching the same "back of the store bargain bin" that 8-track tapes, LPs and cassettes have been residing in. It will be interesting to see how the Recording Industry responds to the technology of this New Millennium. We'll be watching the Music & Retail Industries closely, though we expect the changes to take awhile - maybe 5 years or so.

The most desirable contract for us at this time is a "Non-Exclusive Distribution Contract", where our records are distributed through a larger company that can place the CDs in more stores and throughout a larger region while also giving added Promotion to the CD.

We have been playing together since the 1970's in various bands. In Cross Town, our live shows are very fluid, in a state of constant flux, changing the song order and performances to pump the crowd up as far as they will go. We perform our original songs and also play cover songs by the Artists who inspired us. We get into some Jazz-Blues/Rock Fusion jams that always get the crowds amped up! We LOVE to give the audience what they come for, a high-energy show without any limits!

ALETHEA RECORDS, an exclusively Indie Artist record label, has promoted our songs around the world through the Internet. Songs from our Regional/Internet Release debut album "POINT OF VIEW" receive airplay in various cities across the USA and Canada. We also receive airplay on various radio stations in Australia, Russia, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Sweden. To date, the Title Track of the Album and three other singles, 'Hell To Live', 'Point Of View' & 'To Die For Me', have maintained high Top Ten positions on the Internet Radio Station charts in Blues, Rock, Instrumental, Christian and Jazz Fusion genres on many Internet Radio Stations including SoundClick, SongRamp, PureVolume, iSound and MP3.com, when it was still around. The same songs also currently enjoy airplay both local and abroad, on radio stations such as K-LOVE in Phoenix, Len Amsterdam Radio in Canada, Jazz & Blues Radio Tour in the Netherlands and ROAR Radio in Australia.

Here's some of the reviews we have received;
Len Amsterdam Radio Review says, "An exciting ride throughout, very catchy material sure to be a big hit. One of the best new acts we have heard in a long time. Cross Town had us hooked from start to finish - a total powerhouse! A killer rhythm section, engaging intellectual offerings. This band is the total package! Cross Town really has something happening here! Cross Town's sound is as big as the Grand Canyon, a complete breath of fresh air."
--Gil Powers, Len Amsterdam Radio

103.9 ROAR Radio Review says, "If I could find good, inspired songs like this every day, I could put a CD on the station deck and go down to the pub for an hour and nobody would complain about missing my dumb quips between tracks. Good lyrics, good music and more important from my point of view, real fine listening.
--Graham Henderson, 103.9 ROAR Radio, Esperance, West Australia

The revised National Release Date for our debut Album "Point Of View" is Summer of 2007 and we are completing the studio recordings while rehearsing for a possible support tour.

A variety of Artists have influenced us all individually. If we have to choose "who we sound like", our style and sound is best described as Robin Trower meets Stevie Ray Vaughan & Bad Company.

In the studio, on stage and back home after a road trip! Well, my favorite (Dave) city has to be Maui, Hawaii. Love the clean clear warm ocean and the beautiful people there. If I could, I would move there today!

Not being Techno or Electronica hasn't stopped our use of MIDI instrumentation through the use of Cakewalk Sonar and various triggers. We use an Alesis DG-8 Digital Grand Piano and an Alesis SR-16 Drum Machine (for special percussion effects) all controlled by a computer/MIDI link via Cakewalk Sonar Producer Edition with multiple Edirol DA-2496 PCI Interface AD/DA rack units.

Come out and enjoy some music with us when you can... we love meeting people and making new friends.