Today we’d like to introduce you to Crumb Structure.
Hi Crumb, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Crumb Structure is a 2-piece father/daughter band made up of Erin Schuster and Dave Schuster. Erin tells this part of the story.
ERIN: Our story starts during the 2020 lockdown. I told Dad I was bored, and his solution was “Want to learn to play guitar?” I couldn’t think of a reason why not! We spent the next few months learning so many songs that we have both loved to listen to. Later, we’d have jam sessions late into the night when I came home from college. When we were back living in the same city, we found Dallas’ best open mic at Guitars and Growlers in Richardson and decided to try out our duo onstage, just thinking, why the heck not? Now, we’ve become regulars at GnG, playing together almost every single week for three years and supporting our friend group of amazingly talented local artists. IN 2023, GnG gave us our first full gig, and we’ve been playing shows all around the Dallas area since.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s supposedly a cliche that there’s no bond like that of family, but being a father-daughter duo provides us with an unbeatable shorthand. We complement each other’s strengths and we know each other’s tendencies, and that makes for a really easy process of collaborating and improving. Living 7 minutes apart makes it pretty easy too! Lining up our rehearsal and performance schedules against full-time jobs, graduate school, volunteering, travel, and vocal rest has been the only real challenge. We have very solid understandings of our respective musical instincts, and communicating to problem solve is fluid and easy.
DAVE: One challenge I had before we started performing together was a lack of confidence in myself as a solo performer. My guitar had been sitting quietly in a corner for years. Erin gave me a reason to play again, and once we started performing together, I gained the confidence I needed to do some open mic nights solo! It was an amazing gift she probably didn’t even realize she was had given me!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We prioritize feeling and energy in the music we play, above anything else. Right now, we focus on covers, but many of them are off the beaten path. Anyone who sees us onstage or listens to our set can tell that we play music that we love and that we believe in, regardless of the track’s popularity. We enjoy promoting a powerful message – and occasionally a bit of snark – to share our experience of the world around us with our audience. Whether it’s being belted or whispered, shredded or finger-picked, our music promotes the joy of a shared musical experience. We are looking forward to continuing to translate this energy from covering our favorite artists into writing our own music.
How do you think about happiness?
The joy and energy in the room when we lock in with each other is tangible. Like deciding to turn Alanis Morissette’s Hand in my Pocket into a punk rock tune, or nailing the harmonies on the first go-round of What Money Paid For by The Good Mad? Unreal! Getting to share these ideas and innovations together, and then working hard to implement them into our set and share them, is the closest we can get to that lightning-in-a-bottle feeling all musicians crave. Sharing the stage as father and daughter is an experience that we will never take for granted; every show, every song, every moment is something we truly cherish. Getting to share this adventure with the rest of our family and our incredible community of other local musicians keeps us smiling and rocking.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crumb.structure
- Other: [email protected] for booking inquiries
