I was really excited when Nick Gorrie, the guitarist of a Crooked Ways, reached out to me about writing a review of his band’s recent album, No Design. I knew of Crooked Ways already, as they are from my hometown, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and I had seen them live a couple years ago. When Nick asked me about doing the review, I had some personal things I was dealing with, so I got a little behind on my writing. I’m really glad the band still wanted me to do this. Crooked Ways did a great job on their third full-length album. I listened to it in its entirety while working on this piece, and I found it be very interesting and exciting. Nick was kind enough to share with me some great information about the band, their music, and the album.
First, I’d like to share some background on Crooked Ways. The band includes: Zack Esposito (vocals); Pat Dietrich (bass); Steve Glesias (drums); and Nick Gorrie (guitar). Zack and Nick started out doing acoustic performances. They became friends in high school and had performed on the school news, and went to the same college where they did a bunch of acoustic shows both on campus and in the greater Lehigh Valley area. They met their bassist, Pat, in college and became friends, and later asked him to join their band. They went through several drummers before finding Steve about five years ago. He was a perfect fit, and has become one of their best friends now. They don’t even know if the band would exist if they hadn’t found Steve.
When I asked Nick about the band name Crooked Ways, he admitted that it was hard to come up with at first. He shared the story of how the band got its name. Nick has scoliosis (a twisted spine) and got a tattoo of a windy road sign on his back as a tongue-in-cheek reference to his “crooked back”. When Zack saw a picture of the tattoo, he immediately said “Dude, that’s the band logo right there!” So, Nick changed the street sign logo to a lightning bolt, and the band name Crooked Ways is based off that.
Much of the credit for the No Design album goes to the band’s “go-to guy”, Justin Mitchell at King Studios. The band writes 100 percent of their songs, just the four of them. Then they go into the studio ready to record everything. Justin really brings the sound they have in mind to life. He does it all, from engineering to producing, mixing and mastering, etc. They basically consider Justin an honorary fifth band member. The band has done all of their records with him.
For this third album, however, Nick personally wanted to add a twist and branch out a little and experience new studios. He actually recorded the guitars for one of the songs at Soundmine Recording Studio in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, with Dan Malsch. Then he had the amazing opportunity of a lifetime to record a few songs at Abbey Road Studios in London. Being a massive Beatles fan, that was a surreal experience for Nick. He recorded there with Paul Pritchard, who’s worked with artists such as Elton John and Paul McCartney. It is one of Nick’s favorite memories, and makes this record extra special to him.
Anyone who has read my reviews knows I like to ask bands about how their music is created. I think it gives great insight into a band’s identity and is interesting for fans who want to dive deeper into the background of the music. Nick was happy to share with me the story of the songwriting process for Crooked Ways, because of all the different things about being in a band, he said this is his favorite thing to talk about. He shared with me that he’s always taking notes on lots of ideas in a Google Doc – types of beats, instrumental ideas, and song concepts. He also scribbles down every random time one of the band members says something like, “I would love to have a song that does this thing or that thing.” Nick says his bandmates may not always notice it, but he always writes down what they say they like and are into.
Eventually, Nick will start with a song idea he’s written down and put together a drum track for it. He likes to begin with knowing the concept of the song before he does anything, and he says he’s most inspired by rhythm and beats, which is why he starts with those two components. From there, he will demo out the guitars, then send everything to the rest of the band for their feedback.
This is the songwriting process for Crooked Ways 80-to-90 percent of the time. There are usually a couple songs on a record that one of the band members has a very specific idea for, and Nick will put together demo drums and drum tracks based on their notes. They demo everything out that way, and then it’s usually either Nick or Zack who write melodies and lyrics. Pat will contribute lyrics and melodies for one song on an album, too. There are some songs that become special to certain band members. When they demo the vocals, that gives them a pretty good idea of everything that will be in the song when they take it to the studio. Sometimes they will play the song live in practice first, but not always.
I want to share some of my thoughts on the music style of Crooked Ways. Simply put . . . I think it’s awesome. They have a unique sound that is appealing to listeners of all different hard rock sub-genres, such as alternative metal and pop punk. Zack’s passionate vocals bring out the emotion in every song he sings. Pat and Steve are in perfect harmony on bass and drums, and Nick is a very skilled guitarist, which is showcased in the guitar solos on many of the band’s tracks.
Nick shared with me that the name of the latest Crooked Ways album, No Design, is quite literal. There is really no set direction or theme for the album. Nick had a ton of song ideas saved, and, as he says jokingly, just kind of “musically vomited” them out into demos with whatever he was having fun with at the time. He believes he wrote all of the rhythms for five of the songs within a span of two weeks. He didn’t want to over-think things – instead, he wanted to work with whatever he enjoyed that came to mind. Luckily, the rest of the band liked them, too. The whole band embraced how the demos were all over the place and how the songs showcased a bunch of different sides to Crooked Ways. No Design is a hard rock record that showcases a variety of different sub-genres. It’s the kind of interesting album that really keeps listeners on their toes because you never know what you’ll hear next. Nick shared with me that this is something he loves about music – when bands incorporate different sounds and styles in their music.
I would like to highlight some of the individual songs on the album.
“Lightning In A Body” is a fun, energetic song. It was the first track written for the album, and they wanted a fun vibe. Nick says he likes “feel-good” music, and this song is definitely that. The lyrics are about the nervousness or anxiousness you feel before doing something, then basically saying “fuck it”, putting your head down, and going full steam ahead into whatever it may be. Anything worth doing is hard and might make you nervous, but you just need to do it. Those experiences can often lead to something positive or special – like catching lightning in a bottle, so to speak. The song title is a play on that phrase, while also describing the physical feeling of those moments.
To me, “Izzit” is about not caring what other people think and living life the way you want to, especially since usually the people who want to criticize and judge and tell you what to do are no better than you, and sometimes they’re worse. Nick said I nailed it! He added that he’s big on song titles, and when he writes he likes to come up with titles that haven’t been used before or aren’t super common. In this case, he wanted to create a word or phrase that was unusual and would make people wonder what it meant, because that’s the point of the song – don’t judge a book by it’s cover, and give everything a chance.
When I started researching the meaning behind the number “151” online, I came up with this . . .
“151 is an angel number (a numeric code sent by your guardian angels) that means personal growth and positive change are on the horizon for you.” Nick told me the story behind this song, and it definitely relates to what I found in my research.
“My grandfather, who also was a musician, passed away about 20 years ago. He was a truck driver for the Preston Trucking company, and they were called ‘The 151 Line’. My mom (his daughter) had told me they were taught growing up that if they needed help to dial the 151 number. It became her lucky number, and she always said that any time she saw it after he died she knew he was with her to help.” Nick says he was his grandfather’s favorite grandson, and when his mother told him the story years ago, he started seeing the number everywhere. He said it undoubtedly shows up whenever he needs it to. It’s always been a positive sign and lucky number for him, and now it’s just his thing. He even has it tattooed on him, and it’s all over his gear, in his email address, etc. What a great story for a great song!
“Foreverly” is a very personal song for Nick and has a different meaning than I interpreted it. It gave me vibes of a “feel-good love song”. Though I was a little off, Nick said he can definitely see how it could be interpreted that way. I’m going to leave it up to interpretation for other listeners, out of respect for Nick and his family. He did share with me that it’s a perfect example of his writing style. He says that in addition to rock, he’s also a big pop guy, so he wanted to incorporate that while also keeping it rock. It’s definitely outside of the norm for Crooked Ways, but it’s a brilliant song.
“A Moment To Borrow” and “Timepiece” kind of go hand-in-hand. “A Moment To Borrow” was the brainchild of Crooked Ways drummer Steve, and singer Zack wrote the lyrics. It’s interesting because this song and the last track on the album, “Timepiece”, are kind of like “Yin And Yang”, in a sense. They are both related to the concept of time. “A Moment To Borrow” takes more of a darker look at time and how much we have left on this planet. It could be interpreted as being about the fear of dying. “Timepiece”, meanwhile, is kind of like the optimistic side of it and realizing how much time we have left and appreciating and enjoying everything we have. Nick talks about “portals” or a magic sort of “timepiece” that can take you back to the nostalgic parts of childhood – like visiting with old friends, being in a neighborhood you grew up in, etc. When we slow down and take a look at everything we have, life becomes a lot easier and more enjoyable.
I would also like to say a few things about the music video for “A Moment To Borrow”. It is a very poignant video and gets you thinking about your life and the fact that nothing is guaranteed. The main character is Zack, and he is walking through a house that evokes memories of a childhood home. At one point he picks up an hourglass that is on a mantel, then out of the corner of his eye he sees a figure with a black hood that would remind you of a Grim Reaper type of character, and he runs from this figure. At the end of the video, it is revealed that this character is actually Zack himself, which is interesting because it gives you the idea that, though we can’t actually control when we die, we can control our own destiny prior to dying. The full band is also featured in the video, performing the song. Credits for the video include:
Director: Steven Glesias
Cinematographer: Ted Colegrove
Assistant Camera: Alex Jacobson
Editor: Eric DiCarlo (SquareUp Studios)
What is Crooked Ways up to since the album dropped? Well, Nick says the writing process never stops. There is always new material in the works. But a focus of the band currently is taking their music on the road more. They’re trying to expand the markets they play in and reach more places. One of the reasons they put their hearts and souls into creating their music is so they can perform it live for people. They would love to play some bigger festivals and possibly put together a regional tour. These are all ideas they’re working on.
A recent highlight for Crooked Ways was being featured on Lehigh Valley local TV station WFMZ Channel 69 News as part of their “Music Monday” segment July 29th. The band was interviewed by anchors Bo Koltnow and Sara Madonna, and performed three songs. They were declared the loudest band ever to perform on the station’s Music Monday, and they’re proud of that designation because it literally “woke people up”. The link to their segment as well as some photos are below.
The band followed this up by opening for Lehighton-based hard rock band Another Day Dawns at The Wooden Match in Bethlehem Sunday, August 11th during Musikfest. The popularity of Another Day Dawns is on the rise, as they’ve recently been on national tours and performed at big music festivals and have been on SiriusXM Octane. This is great company for Crooked Ways to be in, and opening for a band like this could definitely help them gain more recognition, which they deserve anyway due to their awesome music and live show. I was fortunate to be at the Wooden Match August 11th! Crooked Ways put on a fun, high-energy performance which I really enjoyed. I’m sharing some amateur photos I took as well as a picture after the performance of the band with the crowd behind them.
Crooked Ways is not only a great band, but they are humble and have a great spirit, which makes them even more likeable. I’m excited to hear future new music from them, and I also look forward to seeing them live as much as I can! You can follow Crooked Ways on Facebook, Instagram, LinkTree, YouTube, and the band’s website.
No Design Track Listing
(Funcion: Intro)
Lightning In A Body
Izzit
151
Sparks & Rust
A Moment To Borrow
Foreverly
RAT
Locomotive
Dirty White Boot
Floodgates
Timepiece
Annie's Awesome Rock Blog 