Jonathan Crayne is an Michigan garage rock duo that consists of Jonathan Crayne on vocals and guitar and Nate Zuellig as the drummer. The two met at a gig in 2018 when Jonathan saw how great Nate was on the drums and invited him to come jam, that turned into Nate drumming for Crayne’s previous band Wunderkid. The EP “Oknow” is the first release from the duo, it was recorded independently at Chris Momany’s studio in Adrian, MI and was mastered by Brandon Cooksey at Inc. Studio in Ypsilanti.
“The Good Kids” starts off the EP which is a dedication to Jonathan’s young relatives. The fun loving song is perfect as you get ready for the summer, it makes you appreciate of the little things. The heavy distorted guitar makes you feel nostalgic and like you’re back in middle school with little to no worries.
You know the classic story of Ariel of the Little Mermaid, you know what it’s like to see a character lose their voice, their power. “Broken Wing” is exactly that, telling the story of a character who loses their own voice due to their own mistakes and integral compromise. Crayne sticks to his gritty guitar style as he draws you in with his story.
The duo keeps you enticed with “Pistola” and “Don’t Play Joker”, songs that increasingly get higher in pace and increasingly makes you want to do some mild moshing, it’s a true punk track. Crayne and Nate are showing off different skills with this song.
“Monotone Mtn” is a very soothing and slow paced song, it’s preparing you for the ending of “Oknow”, as Jonathan and Nate are signing off, you kind of just close your eyes and let Crayne take you on this final trip. This acoustic jam will make you get a little sad and a little happy, but grateful to have heard it.
They couldn’t leave you on a note that somber, “Setting Sun” is what Jonathan considers to be the perfect summery song, the lyrics in this song show a willingness to take responsibility and open yourself to others despite that isolating feeling/experience.
The duo has taken you for whirl with this unique EP, it makes you wonder what else Jonathan has up his sleeves. He is making music that is hard to not love, you will become slightly obsessed as you end “Oknow”, play the EP on repeat until his next release.
Written by Jaye Maverick
Photo Credits: Lad Strayer, Griffin Schultz
FOLLOW JONATHAN CRAYNE
