Landon Cripe showed a talent for music at a young age. From age 9 to 14, he trained in classical piano winning a prestigious Bach Festival competition at the age of 12. But his axe changed to guitar after watching Marty McFly play guitar in “Back to the Future.” After a rough time in his teens, music was put on hold. After 15 years of heavy drug and alcohol abuse, Landon was admitted into a rehab facility in 2012 to begin the healing process. In 2015, Landon took to the studio to record a song on his own which garnered the attention of Ronnie Winter (Red Jumpsuit Apparatus) when he played the song for him in a chance meeting. Shortly thereafter Minor Rockstar was formed with Landon as the frontman.
I had a hard time piecing together the discography, in particular the years for the releases. Their first release was apparently a three song EP with the delicious title of “You Had Me At Bacon.” Spotify has this as a 2022 release with more songs than three including “Narcoleptic” which is on this release. I get the feeling that their discography is a sprinkling of singles and short releases which may have gotten patched together over time.
The album starts off with the song “Wasted” which has a strong alternative 90’s rock feel similar to Stone Temple Pilots or Pearl Jam. Clean guitars and bass with drums open with an unsettling chord progression. The lyrics bemoan living life wasted and how it is holding him back. The chorus has heavy guitars come through and intensify the singing then fade back into the clean guitar riff. It is delightfully simple.
Thumper Punk Records is honored to introduce SoCal based Minor Rockstar, and announce the release of their five song Wasted EP. Songs from the heart. Songs of passion and struggle. Songs of everyday Americana, written and performed by Landon Cripe and friends. Minor Rockstar’s unique 90s alternative sound refreshingly combines elements of Weezer and Husker Du (Warehouse era), with a dollop of Ramonescore. The band’s debut single ‘Wasted’ can be streamed below: