The Cribs Think It's Too Easy to Make Music

The technological revolution of the last decade has leveled the music industry's playing field, giving amateur artists the ability to easily make and distribute their recordings. But not all up-and-coming bands think that's such a good thing.

Gary Jarman, singer and bassist for UK indie rockers the Cribs, believes some of the passion has gone missing now that anyone can record and release a song.

"It shouldn't be easy [to be a musician], you know? Nowadays it's just like everyone's got a laptop, everyone's got GarageBand, everyone's got a MySpace page," Jarman tells Spinner. "People can have a band or do a song as if it's a vanity project."

The Cribs are anything but a vanity project -- they've been serious about making music since 2002 and have four albums under their belts. Though beginning as a three-piece family band -- twin brothers Gary and Ryan share vocals and play bass and guitar, respectively, with younger brother Ross manning the drums -- in 2008 they were joined full-time by founding Smiths member, sometime-Modest Mouse contributor and all-around indie guitar legend Johnny Marr.

But long before the band's rise to international fame, Gary Jarman spent music of his youth just trying to get his hands on the equipment needed to make music. He reminisces about trekking miles around northern England on buses to pick up crates of cassettes or buy a used bass drum. He admits it was tough at times, but insists he wouldn't have it any other way.

"If I wanted to make a demo I had to buy a four-track [recorder] for 200 quid, which was totally impossible to achieve. And then after saving up for ages you spent such a long time figuring out how to use the damn thing," he laughs. "Once you've done that you make a demo, which is probably terrible, but you had to stick by the conviction of the songs.

"Nowadays it seems that people don't have to try really," he laments. "But I'm glad that I did have to do that because it gives you the conviction. And it's fun. It's a shame that people miss out on the fun element of having to go pick up a box of cassettes...and then try to get local record shops to stock your demo."

The band's DIY ethics clearly served them well, as their most recent record, the critically lauded 'Ignore the Ignorant,' landed at number 8 on the UK sales charts in its first week, despite some, shall we say, stiff competition.

"We outsold all [but two of] the Beatles reissues, which is just insane," Jarman marvels. "But that doesn't make us rich and famous, it was just a cool thing that it was done on a different level and that's all we're proud of."