The Band...
- Tim Hall - Lead Vocals
- Steve McKnight - Guitar/Vocals
- Phil Deckard - Bass/Vocals
- Chris Moore - Drums/Vocals
A Summary…
Originally formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in the mid ‘80s before relocating to Southern California, Cry Wolf has been described as “much a part of the LA rock scene as Poison, Mötley Crüe and LA Guns, but they only managed one album, 'Crunch', released in 1990. This was a harder, darker affair than the products of their peer group and categorically distanced them from hair and glam rock.”
Twenty years later, Cry Wolf has returned with their highly anticipated new CD ‘Twenty Ten‘. “This is modern melodic rock“, states Brian McGowan (Revelationz.net), “Edgier, grittier, more challenging than its eighties' predecessor. A generation later, 'Twenty Ten' is a natural progression from 'Crunch'. We've all grown up and so has the music.”
A History…
Looking to set themselves apart from the thousands of other bands flooding into Los Angeles in the late ‘80s, the band recorded a four-song demo to be given away to anyone willing to sign the band’s mailing list. Soon, however, the demo was garnering international attention. Kelv Hellrazer (“Metal Forces” magazine) described the four song demo the best he’d ever heard, and further stated “I know it’s all been said before but I kid you not. Cry Wolf almost defy description. The legend begins here!”. Billboard magazine even recognized Cry Wolf as “One of the top five unsigned bands in the world” (The only other American band being the then unsigned Pantera).
The success of the demo, along with their growing reputation as one of most energetic and powerful live bands playing in Los Angeles, Cry Wolf was given the unprecedented invitation to tour Japan in February of ‘89 as an “unsigned” band (releasing their original demo as a limited-edition “Red Vinyl” EP via Monster Records). This was short-lived, however, as the band was promptly offered a recording contract from Epic/Sony on the night of their first show of their tour, which by then had completely sold out.
In Sept ‘89, the band returned to Japan for a month long sold-out tour to support their critically acclaimed self-titled debut on Epic/Sony, which featured the Beatles song "I Am The Walrus" and the immensely popular "West Wind Blows", a hit video on MTV Japan.
The Japanese success led to an American recording contract and the re-release of the debut album on Grand Slamm/IRS records, titled "Crunch." This album, along with the debut in Japan, were produced and engineered by David DeVore (REO Speedwagon, Foreigner), and mixed by Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, The Melvins).
Touring the United States in support of “Crunch”, Cry Wolf played alongside such bands as Judas Priest, King’s X, Savatage, Every Mother's Nightmare, Saigon Kick, Lynch Mob, as well as many others, and released a video for the single "Pretender" on MTV's Headbangers Ball.
The early-mid 1990’s brought a change in the musical landscape, and the band decided to part ways and embark on new musical endeavors.
The Present and Future...
In 2006, a “Cry Wolf Tribute Page” was created on MySpace garnering an enormous response from Cry Wolf fans worldwide. A few eager fans even created a grass-roots type movement to reunite the band for a reunion show in it’s native San Francisco Bay Area.
Finally, at the urging of their most fervent fans, the original members of Cry Wolf gathered to play together for the first time in 15 years in August of 2007 for what was intended to be a one-off show as a “thank you” for their most die-hard fans.
The response to the Reunion Show was overwhelming. The magic was still there and strong, and the band realized that as they had all matured as musicians, their music had never sounded more powerful or dynamic. In short, the band sounded better than it ever had. They also realized that their passion and drive for Cry Wolf had not faded. So, the decision was made to reform the band in earnest.
In 2009, the final piece of the puzzle was complete as original members Tim Hall (vocals), Steve McKnight (guitar), and Phil Deckard (bass) joined ex-Orcus drummer Chris Moore to form the new “Cry Wolf”.
The band spent 2009 and early 2010 recording their highly anticipated new CD ‘Twenty Ten‘, mixed and mastered by Bob Daspit (Sammy Hagar and the Waboritas) and perfecting their live show. Cry Wolf is discovering that there’s a wide audience for hard rock delivered with fire, emotion and relevance without being nostalgic.
We believe that Jeff Abercrombie (Fuel bassist) puts it best:
"The two best words I can think of to describe Cry Wolf would be "Dynamic" & "Explosive". I've had the opportunity to see these guys live a few times and was blown away every time. After one listen to the new album, I'm convinced they've got a winner with this one. The songs have hooks so big I just can't stop listening from start to finish."
