CRUSH
CRUSH is a great band currently performing in central Florida. Their play-list consists of a mix of both original and cover music. The cover songs range from the light sounds of Oasis and Live, to the heaviness of NickelBag and Creed. The original music is more a combination of many different rock and roll influences, yet always danceable and always fun!
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
CRUSH is composed of four members. The founder, Ben Shader is performing as
lead vocalist while also serving as the band's bass player.
After struggling to acquire a drummer, Ben was blessed by locating Chuck Imo.
Chuck has a solid background in percussion and is the backbone of CRUSH.
Chuck used to be in the Ted Skorman band Angel's Flight along with Ben's
sister Kimberly Shader. Chuck is also a master of sequencing which will
open up many possibilities for the band in the future.
Next is ax slinger, Bill Pellick.
Bill had already jammed with Dave Pettingill
(CRUSH's previous drummer), in another band so Dave suggested that the
band recruit him for his incredible command over the instrument.
In addition to being a master of the guitar, Bill also fills
in as bass player or singer, allowing Ben to pick up his acoustic
guitar for the band's smooth original music.
Last to join the band was Chris Porter.
Chris had responded to an ad he found in Jam magazine CRUSH had posted.
Not knowing who CRUSH was, Chris made the call only to discover the
number belonged to none other than Ben Shader, his long time pal from
Full Throttle! Chris is not only an incredible singer and guitarist, but
an excellent keyboardist, drummer, and bassist as well.
All four members of the band have too many previous band credits under their
belts to list. One thing is for sure, this is the last band they'll ever need to be in
to see their dreams become a reality. Getting their start playing parties, as many
bands do, the original members of CRUSH felt as if they could use several
unprofessional gigs to get acquainted with each other and their new material.
But only after their second party gig, the band was scouted by an entertainment
supplier and asked to play their first paying gig. Given only several days notice,
CRUSH went on to play and took the audience by storm. After the gig
was over, there were over fifty people asking to be placed on the
band's mailing list. Currently CRUSH has over 700 E-Mail addresses
on their mailing list and the response grows with each show.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
We play all over Florida. The House of Blues is our favorite venue.
Your musical influences
Everyone we ever listened too, including local unsigned bands have been an influence on our sound.
