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“It was May of 1994 that my personal journey with Crawlspace began. Not coming from any band background, it was a real whirlwind start for me, and all because Kurt Cobain decided shoot himself in the head. Not all are Nirvana fans, but back then, it was a phenomenon, and in a way of a tribute to the band, myself and a group of friends performed two acoustic songs from the ‘Nevermind’ album in my local watering hole just outside Shirley.
I had befriended a band at the time called Asphyxia, soon to change to Asphyxiator, a death metal outfit from around Birmingham. Vocalist/guitarist, Dave Jones, joined me, along with their bassist for “Come As You Are” and “Polly” with thanks to DJ Paul Burrell. All seemed to go well, greeted with applause and cheers. After the performance, I grabbed myself a well earned pint of Diesel (the drink of choice at the time), where I was approached by a woman who asked if I was into that sort of music, and if I was currently in a band. My reply was in the negative in regards to the band, and a meeting was arranged the following week with a drummer, the woman’s son.
It seemed to be doomed from the beginning. The following week he wasn’t there and all was almost forgotten, but regular as clock work, I was in the local the following week.
My brother, Matthew, had started talking to a couple of people, one of which was sporting a Pantera hat. This took me by surprised a little, as my brother hated that sort of music and was deep into his drum and bass. But nevertheless, I wondered over and joined in. As best I can remember, the convocation went something like this:
“Nice hat dude, you into your metal?” I asked
“Yeah, I’m supposed to be meeting a vocalist up here”
“You’re not a drummer are you?”
“Yeah, how’d you know that?”
“’Cuz I’m the vocalist!”
It seems as funny now as it was back then, but my meeting with Dean Herbert was to bring a wealth of opportunities, good times and what’s more, the chance to meet and work with some of the greatest people I have ever known. Having had a few more beers, Dean and I planned to meet again and arrange a time for a trial with his band, T.H.D (Total Harmonic Destruction).
Time came and went, and once again, I had that doomed feeling. After a few weeks of absence, Dean (or Dino) arrived at the pub with his fingers all strapped up. He had been attacked in Birmingham by someone wielding an iron bar! Bastards! That put a hold on any trial, but as it turns out, it also fuelled the title track from our first and only demo, “Ballistic”.
Eventually, the trial went ahead, and I was accepted by Dino and guitarist, Greg Haynes as their new vocalist.
Times of fun began, in three short months, I was in Frame Work Studios recording “Ballistic”, and gigging in various venues across Birmingham, under the revised name of THC. One of the gigs had support from friends and fellow metalers, Asphyxiator, an eventful one in which Dino managed to loose his stool through the stage floor! But the one which lead us closer to Crawlspace, was at the City Tavern in Birmingham. It was a support gig for Mugwump! I met Mugwump down at Robanna’s Rehearsal Studios, in the damp, musty depths of the basement lockup rooms. It was here that I met Mark Shilvock for the first time.
A few gigs later, and an added guitarist got THC writing, in my opinion, some of the most adventurous work it ever did. But soon, musical differences and financial issues with the new guitarist caused and inevitable split of the band. It was a sad day fro me, living away from Brum and the intensity of the music it spawned, but it was the right thing for the band as both myself and Dino felt it wasn’t moving forwards as a unit.
So there I was in limbo land, after being plucked from a non-musical life to having tasted the creative movement of a working outfit. Difficult to leave and surely missed. Having tried to form a band in Stratford upon Avon, but finding the level of commitment half hearted compared to the high speed drive in the form of Dean Herbert, I felt at a loss and brimming with frustration, anguish, hatred and opinions, all fuel that needed burning. Dino to the rescue! One phone call from him led me back to Birmingham with lyrics in hand, and soon, Crawlspace started to take shape...”
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