interview with CRÜEligans - A Tribüte To Mötley Crüe

Have any of you played in other bands? We all have.  Brad and myself played in a band called Thrown for almost 10 years.  Mitch played in another Crue tribute.  Donovan used to sing for Super Freak.  We've all been around.
How is it that you started playing music?
Personally, my dad used to play in a country band.  But I'm talking oooold school country.  Stuff from the 50's and 60's.  Every Saturday night he would play and I would go with him.  By the time I was 8 or so, I was getting up and playing with his band.  Pretty soon I was the drummer.  I was getting paid and as a kid I thought that was pretty cool.  
What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you?  
Jason Hood (me) - Drums  
Brad McFarland - Guitar
Mitch Johnson - Bass
Donovan Williams - Vocals
We are all in our 40's
Have you had other previous members? We've only had one other member.  Our lineup is rock solid.
Did you make music even when you were young? Absolutely.  I've been playing drums since I was 3 years old.
Where are you from? Dallas, Tx.
What year did the band form? 2015
What's your style of genre? We are tribute band.  We pay tribute to Motley Crue.
What inspires you? Putting on a good show.  We want people to feel like they just saw the real thing.
How often and where do you rehearse? This is a funny one.  We do not rehearse.  We rehearsed 2 times before we played our first show and that was it.  I wouldn't recommend it, but like I said... Our lineup is solid.
How have you developed since you started with the music? I've been in bands for over 20 years now.  That's hard to put into a concise answer.  The biggest thing would be learning how to coexist with your bandmates.  You are never going to agree on everything so you have to learn how to navigate through that and just listen to each other.  Hell, I don't know.  Like I said... that's tough to answer!
Do you have other interests of work outside the band? Most definitely.  But the biggest thing is just hanging out with my wife and kids.  
Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? Yes and no.  A booking agency is a useful tool.  But sometimes it's hard to justify paying someone 10-20% of your earnings for something you can generally do yourself.  The catch is that they have contacts you don't.  So sometimes it's worth it.  Currently, we do not use an agency.
Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? Nope.  We are just a tribute band.
What made you decide to make this music? When I was about 11 years old my brother came home and told me he had gone to a concert the night before and I had to see this guy play the drums.  The band was Motley Crue and the guy was Tommy Lee.  He showed me a video for Dr. Feelgood and my life was changed forever.  I just thought to myself "I want to play drums like that!"  Over the years, I played in many original bands and always tried to have a style similar to Tommy.  Then, about 5 years ago the tribute band thing became popular in Dallas.  I thought What the hell?  I gathered up the best guys I knew and off we went!  We've been at it for 3 years now and have built this thing into a pretty solid money maker. 
What language do you sing in? English
What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs? 3500 is probably the top end.  We've played a show once in a country bar.  I think we counted 7 people.  It was hard to get through that one.
What ages are most of your concert attendants? It varies.  At some of the bigger events you'll see kids there.  We played House of Blues in Dallas and there were little kids all along the front.  That was pretty cool!  I'd say our crowds are generally in their 30's or up.
Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? We always play the hits.  But we try to mix it up.
Do you have a regular place you play live often? Not really.  We always say we'll play anywhere there's electricity.
What was your first gig like? It was hot.  It was in a parking lot in the middle of the day.  The stage was not covered.  It was hard work!
What was your latest gig? We just played last Friday night (6/1/18) at the Iron Horse Pub in Wichita Falls, Tx.
Have you had to cancel a gig? Unfortunately.  Shit happens.
Where have you played live this year? We play primarily in Texas.  But this February we were flown to Seattle, Wa to perform.  That was cool.
Where do you plan to gig the coming year? Anywhere that wants us. 
When did you start to sell merchandise, and what do you have for sale? We have T-Shirts.
Where can people buy your merchandise? Currently, only at shows.
What do you think about people downloading music instead of buying records now a days? I miss the days of driving to your music store of choice to buy whatever new album was coming out.  I remember the cd's would smell when you unwrapped the plastic.  Then I would just sit there and look at the liner notes.  That doesn't happen anymore.
How do you think the music industry have changed because of this? Most definitely.  Sadly, I think it was a better day when labels ruled the music world.  Now days, anyone with some money in the bank can get their music heard.  I don't listen to much new music.  There just isn't anything our there that appeals to me.  However, I've become a pretty big fan of Ghost.  They are bringing rock and theatrics back to life.  It's very much needed.
What do you think of my work? A+
How do you think and know that this interview will help you in the music business? That's for you to know and me to find out.
Do you have any role models or idols? Role models? Yes.  Idols?  No.  We're all just people.  When you meet that person that you've "idolized" for so long you realize he/she is pretty much the same as you.  It's just that they have a cool job.  But we all put our pants on the same way.
Why do you think that they exist? Human nature.  We all think this person has it better than we do.  Truth is we're all fucked up.  Some people have more money than others.  But I wouldn't trade lives with anyone.  I've got my faith, family, and friends.  I'm set.
Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? For me, the answer is easy.  I'm not inspired by much new these days.
What have been your biggest obstacles? Getting out of my own way.  Lol.  Well, when we first started it was tougher to get gigs.  There was an established Crue tribute band that seemed to be "in" with everyone.  Over time though, we made our own contacts and cut our own path.  
What advice would you give other bands or artists? DO NOT HAVE AN EGO.
How do you get psyched for a gig? Great question.  It depends.  I don't really need much to get me amped up.  I've always know I'm there to entertain.  But sometimes you just aren't feeling it.  I'll listen to Pantera or something heavy to get the juices flowing and get my mind right!
Do you have any new material? Not unless Motley Crue gets back together and does a new album!
What are your web sites? www.crueligans.com
How can people reach you? Through the website or any social media site.
What are your plans for the future? To just keep doing what we're doing
Do you have something to add? Thanks for reaching out to us!

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