Interview: Kirk Windsetin of Crowbar @ Bloodstock Festival 2023
Interviewed by Matt Noble
The Razor’s Edge: This is Matt here at Bloodstock, with Kirk Windstein from Crowbar. How are you today?
Kirk: I'm doing good, man.
The Razor’s Edge: I thought there was a good energy from the crowd today.
Kirk: There was a lot of people in the crowd and we are drawing a younger audience. It was a good set!
The Razor’s Edge: Without a doubt. Do you get festivals like this in New Orleans, where you're from originally?
Kirk: We have one huge jazz festival, but I don't really care for it now. It's too big and too corporate. They book Lizzo, and Bon Jovi, or whatever, but it’s nothing to do with jazz or heritage anymore. Nothing wrong with those artists, but it’s over three or four days on one weekend and three or four days the next. It's in a big horse racing track and they get 120-150,000 people when the big artists play. It's great for the economy and it’s great for the casual fans, so we’re happy with that. But I don't go to it.
The Razor’s Edge: It does seem from an outsider's perspective that New Orleans really has a big, rich musical history. I mean, I'm from Birmingham myself. So we've got you name it, Black Sabbath etc,.
You've had a really busy EU run. I know you were at Desertfest earlier this year. But are there any festivals that you come to over on this continent that really stick out for you? Any ones that you like playing?
Kirk: Over here in the UK, Bloodstock is where it’s at. It’s a great festival, I like it. It’s a friendly festival, you know, you don’t need to clear a path for some dude walking through. You can just hang out with the artists, have a couple of beers. Most guys and ladies are in bands we know. It’s much more down to earth than most festivals.
The Razor’s Edge: I enjoyed the Jasta set in 2018, that was really good. Are there any songs in the Crowbar set that you still really enjoy playing? I know it's the 30th anniversary of the first album, but are there some that when it's time to perform them, you get a real rush?
Kirk: Well, Planets Collide.
The Razor’s Edge: Yeah. It wouldn't be a Crowbar show without Planets Collide, I guess.
Kirk: There’s a few others I guess, I love The Cemetery Angels, that’s a great song.
The Razor’s Edge: Yeah, I love the breakdown at the end of Cemetery!
What gear are you using at the moment?
Kirk: I'm very proud to say I am a user of Kemper amps.
The Razor’s Edge: It must be a bit easier to carry on stage compared to the old set up.
Kirk: I play it all around the world. It sounds consistent. Everything sounds great. Indoors, outdoors, great quality, it takes a beating.
The Razor’s Edge: I enjoyed your solo album Dream In Motion, which was about three or four years ago maybe. Are you thinking about doing a second record or was that just a one-off?
Kirk: It’s already done! It's a lot more… I don't want to call it heavy, but yeah, a little heavier. A lot more involved.
The Razor’s Edge: A lot of the heaviness came from the emotions on that record, compared to the riffs on a Crowbar records.
Kirk: There is nothing that sounds Crowbar heavy on it. It’s a lot more... I’ll say “jangly”. Like the title track Dream In Motion, that was a lot harder than the others. The new record is closer to that stuff. It's a little heavier here and there, but like I said not real heavy, more melodic. I mean at my age, I’m 58, I like great songs. I like hooks, songwriting and melodies.
So yeah, the second album is done.
The Razor’s Edge: Finally, to wrap it up, how'd you like to relax when you're at home and not on tour?
Kirk: We've been mad and getting up before the sun comes up to go to the gym. I have a great workout, do stuff around the house, and run a few errands for my wife. And going to the bar, still drinking and partying! My wife doesn't really do drinking, maybe 10 to 15 times a year.
But like any other late 50s couples, a perfect evening is to be with my wife, laying in bed and watching stuff. I enjoy it, I’ve got four dogs, and I like doing different family stuff.
