When Dan and I came up with this whole Crabwise thing over a decade ago, I remember the excitement it brought to our lives. 18-year-old Keith and Dan had been into the punk/ska scene quite enthusiastically for a long while now, which entailed constant pursuit for the coolest “underground” labels and artists and sharing them with each other by swapping mixed CDs and minidiscs. With this as an addicting habit, the thought of starting up a label to promote music I was creating and the music of my friends we could call our own was the greatest idea we ever had!

We had a relatively small circle to work with, but it was how we churned within this small circle that turned Crabwise into, dare I say, a movement of our time for anybody that got involved. Good old fashioned footwork was what we did best. I’m talking creating, printing and taping/pinning up posters; handing out flyers, LOTS of word of mouth… Actually going around to venues to talk with managers and owners to hustle gigs and promote events. We even helped a coffee shop build a stage so we could put on regular Crabwise events to showcase our many talents! It’s amazing what we could do without the internet. We have not lost this drive and dedication.

Although we lean heavily on the internet because, frankly, it’s the best way to reach people these days, we will not work solely from a computer desk. Our roots come from supporting artists by showing our faces and shaking hands. I see Crabwise being that friend who goes out of their way to hand deliver a collection of music we put together just for you. It might be an unconventional blend of this and that, but there was some reason behind it and it shows that we promote exposure to new things in order to broaden musical horizons. Just take it in and you can decide from there whether or not you want to take it further.

Now, many years later (with MUCH more experience and insight, I might add), the excitement my 18-year-old self once had at the first thought of a new idea is back but even more so now due to our new secret weapon: A weapon which has unlimited ammunition that can both stun and amaze. Adding our friend Nate Case to the mix is like adding chocolate chips to French vanilla iced cream; ain’t nothing wrong with French vanilla, but adding bits of chocolate makes it so much better! My respect for his musical taste, judgement and professionalism has always been there since he first got involved with Crabwise only a couple short years after it was born. Like me, he is a musician, but we come from completely different perspectives as far as our styles go and I really enjoy this dynamic of variety.

Between the three of us, I am very confident in our capabilities and am eager to send out new vibrations into the vast world of music as we continue to move forward (or maybe sideways) in our own natural Crabwise manner.