“I hear you tellin’ me you think I'm too young / I got so many things I wanna get done / I can't slow down / It’s not my way / I see the whole world comin’ / Startin’ today” – Time Is Now
The lyrics are a prophetic understatement. The young Coweta, Oklahoma quartet known as Crooked X is on hyper-speed, musically and career-wise…and the world is indeed coming their way. Even before scoring their 2008 deal with EMI, the intense but melodic hard rockers were opening for KISS in Europe, touring with Ted Nugent and chronicling their lives on the MTV special “Start A Band - Rock The World.” Crooked X’s 10-song debut for MPM/EMI/Capitol (out January 13, 2009) features such gems as the dark, riff-tastic “Nightmare” (featured in Rock Band™ ); the edgy and classic heavy modern rock tunes ‘Time Is Now’, ‘Gone’, ‘Adrenaline’, the powerful driver which is the subject of a Wayne Isham directed video made with Red Bull and MPM, plus the first single, ‘Rock & Roll Dream,” buoyed by an instantly memorable chorus and universal aspirational and inspirational lyrics.
Crooked X channeled their youthful agro-energy, confusion, hope and hormones into a 10-song debut rife with searing guitars, passionate vocals and ultra-intense, radio-ready heavy rock that’s inspired by the ‘70s, but sounds decidedly new millennium. It’s an organic sound honed over years--the members of Crooked X have been friends and playing music since fifth grade, going only by what their guts tell them is “cool.” In fact, Crooked X wrote their first-ever song, “Nightmare,” (track 8 on Crooked X) when they were only 11 years old.If it seems odd to dwell on the long ago pre-teen days, the thing is…it wasn’t that long ago: The members of Crooked X are only 14. High school freshmen. A few years from getting drivers licenses. Playing on the drum line in school band. Studying algebra. Playing laser tag. Kid stuff. Except for their music. Cooper emphasizes: “We don’t want to be looked at for our age, because our music is good for any age. We want to be known for our music, not our ages. And YES, we do write our own songs!” Cooper’s wishes are already coming true. Urban Tulsa noted that Crooked X “melds the modern and classic, and prepares for the long haul. Although the band is young, and unwitting crowds initially view them as a novelty, by the fourth song of the evening, Crooked X has won the audience over and has them eating out of its hand. Credit that not only to the band's amazing musicianship, but also to a foundation in staples of the metal and classic rock canons.”
As the MTV reality-docu “Start A Band-Rock The World” shows, music is their passion—thanks in part to failed elementary school football careers. “Me and Boomer were on the same football team in 5thgrade, and both of our dads were coaches,” French relates. “We were horrible! I’d played guitar since I was 4, and Boomer had a drum set. So we got together and jammed—I knew some Metallica songs back then. We heard about Jesse; he was going to a different elementary school and he’d been playing since he was 3. Then we found Josh in Guitar Center about a year ago. Everything seemed to fall into place.”
Enter media and music producer Proffer and industry veteran manager Doc McGhee, long time friends and partners in McGhee Proffer Media (MPM). They heard early garage recordings, then saw Crooked Xwhen they nabbed second place on the televised CBS Early Show "Living Room…LIVE" talent competition. Proffer explains: “Doc and I are all about the team. I try to be a true coach to the kids, not make them what they’re not, but help get them to where they could go. One of my roles is to nurture their music and direction, help bring it out for fans of all ages. Some of the greatest rock artists of all time started young. Stevie Winwood was 15 when the Spencer Davis Group hit, and he’s still in great voice; Robert Plant was a teenager who has defied time...Jesse Cooper, who I consider a pure talent, in the spirit of a young Jeff Beck, told all of us recently, ‘Hey, in 30 years, I’ll only be 44.’ Talk about putting Crooked X into perspective!
Crooked X’s goal is simply to rock like heroes Shinedown, Black Label Society and Pantera, explaining: “We want people to hear our music, decide what they think, and THEN find out, ‘wow, they’re 14.’ Instead of , ‘they’re 14, wow, they’re good for their age.’ We’re not a gimmick, we’re a band.” As for where they see themselves in five years—besides being 19 years old!—they conclude, “as long as we’re jamming, having fun and together, we don’t care.”
