From popping bottles of champagne in hotel rooms to showering gallons of Jameson Irish Whiskey on its manager’s head and a nightclub floor, electronic dance music trio Krewella has been making good on its guarantee to make fans wet, one song at a time.
The Chicago-based combo will play a sold-out show in Gainesville at The Florida Theater, 233 W University Ave., as part of its “Get Wet or Die Trying” minitour.
Jahan Yousaf and Kris “Rain Man” Trindl first experimented with music production together in 2007, adding Yousaf’s younger sister, Yasmine Yousaf, to the mix after she graduated from high school in 2010. Krewella picked up popularity in 2012 after it released the single, “Killing It” and its first EP, “Play Hard,” which features hit tracks, “Feel Me” and “Come and Get It.”
We caught up with the band members on their nonstop cross-country party, which has been dubbed “Krewlife,” to talk about touring, raging and producing their new album.
Q: You released the single “Come and Get It” a couple of months ago. What direction is Krewella headed in with its new album?
A: “The writing that we are currently working on has more heart ... than our previous work. It is vulnerable, honest and emotionally open. ... We want to share experiences that listeners can relate to, because music can be your best friend when you need a shoulder to lean on. However, we will never let go of our roots and our hunger for rage. The production in the works is sounding heavier than we’ve ever created. We get bored easily, so expect a little bit of everything to keep you on your feet.”
Q: What has been the craziest experience you’ve had on tour since you put out “Play Hard”?
A: “...There are three of us that sometimes have strange experiences individually, but here are a few to put Krewlife in a nutshell: almost getting kidnapped in the ghetto of Puerto Rico by a cocaine dealer, missing flights, frat house fights, failed stage-dive attempts and trips to the ER, fire marshals crashing shows, Steve Angello getting Rain Man black-out drunk [and] strange sexual encounters.”
Q: You’ve sacrificed a lot to get Krewella this far. While touring, you’ve resorted to eating Cheetos for dinner, traveling all night and even getting sick a few times. How do you keep going?
A: “It’s the music, baby. If we had the same schedule but were selling cars or Mary Kay cosmetics, I think the lifestyle would catch up to us, and we’d be a mess. Playing shows truly does heal and numb any feelings of sickness and lack of sleep. Every few weeks, we schedule ourselves a little breaky, and having that to look forward to is very motivating.”
Q: It’s said that every tattoo has a story, and you all are no strangers to body art. Have you gotten any ridiculous ink while on tour?
A: “The three of us were buzzed in L.A. one night and decided to spontaneously pop into a tattoo parlor to get tattoos and didn’t scope out the artists’ portfolios. Kris got ‘Rain Man’ on his inner lip, and now it just looks like he’s been chewing on ballpoint pens.”
Q: Final Question: What’s your opinion on frat tanks?
A: “Love ‘em. F--k sleeves. Get wet. Air the pits out.”
