Conversations with Crossworm

Today we’d like to introduce you to Crossworm.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Before I first called Grand Rapids home almost 2 decades ago, I grew up in a small town on the other side of the Detroit/Windsor border in a small town in Canada. I’ve spent over 3 decades as a musician and those beginnings are what led me to where I am today.

I started as a drummer in 1991 at the age of 10. Won my first music aware three years later, became a producer in 1998 and created the pseudonym Crossworm and became producing and releasing music under that name. I became the first artist on paper to coin the term and claim the genre of “industrial-hiphop”.

In 2005 I was introduced to a musician living in Grand Rapids who needed a producer. After remixing his music we ended up with redular rotation on 97.9 WGRD.

In 2006 I was accepted into a private audio college downtown Toronto called Recording Artist Canada, where I studied Sound Design, Audio Engineering, and Music Industry Business.

In 2007 I became part of a production crew and toured with Ozzfest and Warped Tour. Which ended up leading me into a graphic design gig for Live Nation, House of Blues, and Jack Links Music Festival.

Using all of these different skill sets, and working with independednt hip hop artists, as well as releasing my own music brought me into the artist services industry where I would produce, mix, master, and design for independent artists all across the world.

I managed to get some pretty cool projects on my resume that include artists like Jelly Roll, Tech N9ne, Hopsin, Riff Raff, Twiztid, Merkules, Immortal Technique, Prada West, Mad Child and Prevail of Swollen Members and many more.

in 2022 I finally opened the doors to my own Record Label “Dirtcore”, which currently has over 7 artists signed including Grand Rapids / Kalamazoo Poet, Marcel Fable Price who was once the youngest, first person of color, and first without a college degree to serve as Poet Laureate of Grand Rapids, MI (2017–2020)

In addition to all of that, I’m also a creative coach for several indie artists across the country. I help creatives stay true to their vision without getting in their own way and being burdened but the non creative necessities of running a business from their artforms.

All of that aside, my first and foremost identity is that of a composer, producer, and solo artist of which I have well over 15 albums streaming across all DSPs.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think that every great story, is worth telling and worth listening to because of the chaos of the journey. It hasn not been smooth at all and I am eternally grateful for that ! It’s where all the flavor is. The charisma. The charm. Because I was not a US citizen until a couple years ago, there were many struggles that came with simply not being allowed to stay here for too long, or to work for a living.

Often times I resorted to trade just to have meals and room and board for 89 days at a time. In the early years I played cover shows as a drummer just for food and lodging. Just to be able to continue to work on art and music here.

The immigration journey was also extremely messy and took a long time, despite my wife being from here in Grand Rapids. The propblem with immigration is actually that there are 4 different departments working on each case and because of jurisdiction, they dont often communicate easily with eachother. They are understaffed, overworked, and underpaid, and that definitely had an affect on my case.

I could think of a major struggle or two for every major triumph and for me… that’s the beautiful part of this journey. I really do believe that.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
In the late 90’s I was in love with dark genres of music like industrial, and darkwave, as well as hip hop and trip hop. I felt like I belonged to some weird hybrid culture of both that didnt have representation. So I began to blend the two together.

Because those two cultures are starkly different there was a lot of push back so I disguised it with a term I invented called “Dirtcore”.

But this gritty blend became my specialty. As a beatmaker / producer there’s a sound and a vibe that is recognizable immediately. If you’ve heard Crossworm, you recognize it right away when you hear it again, and I love that the most.

Over the years people have become less compartmentalized artistically, and so many subgenres have developed and crossed over. This has been to my benefit and as more time passes, I feel more at home and more accepted.

I’m always finding new ways to refine and innovate and I think that’s really important to me.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I’m not really an open book and there is quite a bit I don’t put on display. I think Canadian’s are more reserved in that way. Similar to Scandinavian countries where it’s difficult to talk about yourself.

I think what surprises most people I talk to is that I have never been offered any kind of contract with a record label. Most of the artists I have signed have had major offers. They’re usually put off and shocked that I’ve never been “given a shot”. But I think that’s because in the past I didnt take enough calculated risks in my networking. I used to be overly-guarded to my own detriment. As i get older I become more confident and more willing to branch out.

Pricing:

• $400 – song mixing (mastering included)
• Coaching / Consultation (contact me to see what you need and what’s in your budget, Id love to help. But I can’t blanket everything into a price online)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://industrialhiphop.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/crossworm
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dirtcore/videos
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/crosswormart