Brian Krumm and His Barfly Friends

What the Critics Had to Say about Just Fade Away by Brian Krumm and His Barfly Friends

This is a gorgeous record, where the songs that hit hardest, that insinuate themselves as open questions, change by the day, but each one seems to send down deeper roots, and come up with more history—personal, social, mythical—every time you play it.

—Greil Marcus (Rolling Stone, Creem, Village Voice)

The 11-song collection produced by Christian Moder and Brian Krumm is a delight with tunes like “Never Do as I’m Told,” excellently performed.
—John Apice (Americana Highways)

Krumm, who cites influences ranging from the Jayhawks and Warren Zevon to Bob Dylan, has a gravelly voice that at times recalls artists like David Johansen, Tom Waits and Garland Jeffreys. Among the well-hooked numbers are “Barfly Friends,” a ballad that looks back affectionately on a past relationship and the rocking, organ-spiced “Back in My Old Neighborhood,” in which Krumm revisits assorted haunts and concludes “nothing much has changed, except for me.”
—Jeff Burger (theaquarian.com)

BRIAN KRUMM AND HIS BARFLY FRIENDS 2025 BIO

Brian Krumm and His Barfly Friends is the first solo project from Brian Krumm, front man for Chicago’s Americana-noir group The Great Crusades. His debut album, Just Fade Away was recorded with members of his regular band as well as a who’s who of Chicago music scene notables with Crusader Christian Moder and Krumm producing. Just Fade Away was released by Pravda Records in June 2023.

Influences like Robyn Hitchcock, the Jayhawks, Warren Zevon, and Dylan shine through all the material on Just Fade Away with his storytelling at the forefront. The album gives listeners a sonic snapshot of remembrances from Krumm and a life lived observing a perplexing yet utterly inspirational world. Now, Krumm is preparing a much-anticipated follow-up for issue in 2025.

Krumm wrote the songs on Just Fade Away during the pandemic. In an effort to stay sane during the lockdown, Krumm would drink a shot of whiskey each evening at 5PM and try to write a song. Twenty-five days later, he had 25 songs, 11 of which he’d take into his and Moder’s home studios.

Along with longtime bandmates Brian Hunt (bass), Brian Leach (keyboards, vocals, guitars), and Christian Moder (drums, percussion, keyboards, production), Krumm recruited Dana Anderson (vocals), Tony Artimisi (drums), Erik Attkisson (bass), Jake Brookman (cello), Laura Coy (vocals), Pete Galanis (guitars), Jessie Hotaling (vocals, co-lead vocals on “Just Fade Away,” “Stuck in the Van” and “Wasn’t Born Yesterday”), Hazel Krumm (vocals), Vivian Krumm (vocals), Dirk McElravey (bouzouki, mandolin), Kristina Priceman (violin), Nelson Strange (guitars), Brian Wilkie (pedal steel, guitars) and the Montrose Horns: Jon Boley (trumpet), Rich Lapka (trombone, horn arrangements), and Justin Past (saxophone).

Many of these musicians had performed as special guests at Krumm’s monthly residency at Chicago’s Montrose Saloon from 2021 to 2023.

Vocalist/guitarist Brian Krumm formed The Great Crusades more than 25 years ago, following his tenure with The Suede Chain. The Great Crusades’ debut, The First Spilled Drink of the Evening was released in 1997, earning the praise of Rolling Stone’s David Fricke: “The Great Crusades look at life through a shot-glass lens, mixing anger, muscle and minor-key remorse like a roughneck Tindersticks with the bonus of a singer who’s got the tubercular pipes of Tom Waits and Axl Rose’s love child.”

In 2000, Damaged Goods was released by Glitterhouse Records in Europe and Checkered Past Records in North America. Next, the Never Go Home tour was presented by Musikexpress Magazine and the band appeared on the legendary TV program Rockpalast. (The band also played Rockpalast in 2015—one of only a few bands to play the show twice.)

Welcome to the Hiawatha Inn, Four Thirty, Keep Them Entertained, Fiction to Shame, Thieves of Chicago and Until the Night Turned to Day followed, each providing a new focus for Krumm’s ever-evolving songwriting and storytelling. Two songs from Keep Them Entertained appeared in the season 4 finale of the HBO vampire series True Blood.

In 2020, as the pandemic put music venues on hold worldwide, Krumm focused on solo work and began writing the materials that’d wind up on Just Fade Away. He will release music with both The Great Crusades and the Barfly Friends in 2025.

https://briankrumm.com
https://pravdamusic.com/brian-krumm-and-his-barfly-friends
https://www.instagram.com/barflykrumm/

https://www.facebook.com/briankrummandhisbarflyfriends
https://www.youtube.com/@briankrummmusic/videos

https://twitter.com/BarflyKrumm

https://www.bandsintown.com/briankrummandhisbarflyfriends
https://open.spotify.com/artist/27WVRD2GM3mVTKW27c3rJw?si=oSsNmSw1QPiVYxDvWX0MWA

Contact: Brian Krumm (briankrumm@yahoo.com)