When
hes not cultivating pure pop magic with his band mate Steve
Barry in Tan Sleeve, and when hes not cutting solo albums running
the gamut musically, singer-guitarist Lane Steinberg can be
heard and seen with the band Cracked Latin. A project put together
by Lane and musical cohort, singer-songwriter Luis Accorsi,
Cracked Latin released their debut CD in 2009 and in 2011 they follow
with a new live Cracked Latin CD called In Situ - Live At The
Iridium. Recorded at the famous Manhattan jazz club,
the CD offers a great example of what this band are really capable
of. With Accorsi and Lane backed up by a smoking band, the sound conjured
is sort of the NYC equivalent of early Santana with more than a nod
to the humor of Frank Zappa. The Cracked Latin cover of the Rolling
Stones classic Lets Spend The Night Together
is truly imaginative, turning the Stones 1966 pop pumper into
a low down and dirty merengue-tinged Miami special. www.CrackedLatin.com
mwe3.com presents an interview with
LUIS ACCORSI and LANE STEINBERG
of Cracked Latin
mwe3: For
those of us who werent at the Iridium that night, can you say
something about the show that you recorded and have now released as
the Cracked Latin In Situ live CD, just released?
Luis: The infinite in music is captured note by note, and here are
small windows into universal black holes!
Lane: It was a really hot New York night. Iridium is in the center
of the theater district, so besides our fans, there were some tourist
types who really got caught up in the excitement. Perhaps the best
moment was when I saw a bunch of the kitchen workers standing on the
side grooving to the music. That was cool.
mwe3: It was a great choice covering the Stones classic Lets
Spend The Night Together. How did you guys come up with the
genius move to Cracked Latin-ize that Stones track?
Luis: The
Rolling Stones cover was a shoe in, as I've never done a single cover
in my life except when I was 12 and drunk I could imitate him real
well!
Lane: We have a huge love for early Stones, and we were just messing
around and it came out. The song really lends itself well to a Latin
rhythm, but a great song can survive all sorts of permutations.
mwe3: Can you say something about the band appearing with you on the
Cracked Latin live In Situ CD? Theres some great playing
there and what did Charlie Z. who also played drums, bring the proceedings?
Luis: The band is a reincarnation of both of us as expert top flight
musicians!!
Lane: Charlie took a lot of the head arrangements on the CD and wrote
them out. He also expanded some of the songs to utilize some of the
monster players that we had with us. There are some really amazing
moments, like Mark Goskins piano solo on Aceite,
which is timeless.
mwe3: Again, the cover art of the live In Situ is fantastic.
How did you you come up with the shrunken head cover art? Another
cover that should be nominated for a Grammy. Almost as cool as The
World Is Cracked Latin cover art!
Lane: Were
very sensitive to presentation and we scoured hundreds of pictures
before landing on that one. It seemed to jump out. And Jon LaPorta,
who does all our graphics, just took it over the top.
mwe3: I hear the new Cracked Latin studio album is supposed to be
even more far out than The World Is Cracked Latin. Can you
say something about the direction of the next Cracked Latin CD and
what can the fans expect this time around?
Luis: This new CL record is our hearts and soul as bloodied up and
tattered as can be without revulsion for the world to hear and be
exorcised from the catatonic state of modern baby formula music.
Lane: The new Cracked Latin CD is just about finished, and will be
called Alone With You. All I will say right now is that it
is a big step forward for us. There were many personal situations
that arose during the making of the album, and we sought refuge in
its creation. There are some things on it that dont sound like
anything either of us have ever done, alone or together. In fact,
today I am mixing a track that we co-wrote with R. Stevie Moore that
features a string quartet chart that was written by Drew Farmer of
the Stolen Idols. Waitll you hear it!
Thanks to Luis Accorsi and Lane Steinberg @ www.CrackedLatin.com
and www.myspace.com/CrackedLatin