Introduction

We had the pleasure of interviewing The Crystal Casino Band Zoom video! The Crystal Casino Band is a rising DC-based indie rock quartet, who have quietly amassed over 10 million streams on Spotify, and recently released their new album, Maryland House. Maryland House, The Crystal Casino Band's most complex and varietal album to date, is a winding journey with unexpected turns that showcases their love for the DMV (DC/Maryland/Virginia) area and pays homage to their lives as young adults. The new album, produced by Kyle Downes and Jay Nemeyer (Color Palatte), showcases the artistic growth TCCB has undergone since the release of their 2021 album, Not About You, and is unlike anything the four-piece has done before. Maryland House, named for the band's favorite rest stop along I-95, is the first TCCB record featuring each member on lead vocals as well as a variety of instruments including trumpet, ukulele, mandolin, and harmonica. Kicking off with "Curfew," Maryland House opens with the perspective of someone in the DC area detailing the events at The Capitol on January 6, 2021. From there, "Twenty-something Socialist," a mainstay in the band's live shows, raises the energy as vocalist/guitarist Pete Stevens sings about the jaded young progressives of America trying to make it in the world while billionaires use their wealth for expensive vanity projects. The grit of "Socialist" continues on "Jamie" discussing the actions of a flaky friend who never follows through on what they say they're going to do. On latest single "City That Sleeps," guitarist Jarrod Hendricks sings about the transient nature of the people who call Washington, DC their home and its effect on their relationships with those they are close with romantically. Elsewhere on Maryland House, bassist Jordan Mullaney decries the injustices of the two Johnson administrations (both Andrew and Lyndon) and inwardly questions how much has changed with our nation's discontents on "Half Staff," while drummer Joey Mamlin channels his inner Ringo Starr for the album's final track, "Getting Closer," and reminds the listener to never be too hard on themselves and not forget their inner child. Formed in 2015 as a group of friends at the George Washington University, The Crystal Casino Band, originally named The Colonies, began their sonic journey heavily influenced by the likes of The Strokes and The Black Keys. Over the course of their college years and a few lineup changes, the band's sound transformed to combine their initial influences with the vibes of early 2010s-era indie that littered Tumblr dashboards and increasingly introspective and socially-conscious lyrics. With this turn to introspection and social awareness, the independent quartet – Pete Stevens (guitar, vocals), Joey Mamlin (drums), Jarrod Hendricks (guitar), Jordan Mullaney (bass) – grew uncomfortable with their original name's imperialist connotations and changed it to their current one in 2020. Since the release of their 2021 album, Not About You, TCCB continues to evolve as artistically showcased on their new album, Maryland House. We want to hear from you! Please email Hello@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #TheCrystalCasinoBand #TCCB #MarylandHouse #NewMusic #Zoom Listen & Subscribe to BiB https://www.bringinitbackwards.com/follow/ Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter! https://www.facebook.com/groups/bringinbackpod Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bringin-it-backwards--4972373/support. https://bringinitbackwards.com/