On his plans for the future with Sugarcane Jane, he said, “It’s my hope to return to the life we once knew. No masks no limited seating no social distancing. These restrictions make it very difficult for musicians to take on the road. We plan to continue to create and release music as always and perform them on Facebook live.”
When asked how the musical duo Sugarcane Jane came about, he responded, “Divine appointment is what I feel has happened to put us together. Too many blessings to be coincidence. Meeting Savana was a ‘light bulb moment.’ For years I drifted with out a direction. Savana set the course of direction and gave me a sense of purpose. Together we accomplish so much.”
He acknowledged that this quarantine period has been a “very prolific time” for Sugarcane Jane. “We made this shutdown work to our advantage. We once had to schedule our busy life with babysitting, traveling logistics, venues, and hotels. Now, we can simply go out to our studio and go live to people all around the world and if you back out all the expenses of touring we are making about the same via tips and merch, however we miss the interaction with our friends,” he said.
On being an artist in the digital age, he said, “The opportunity is unlimited. When I first started back in the 1970’s, it was near impossible to succeed without a record label. We have everything it takes to produce and promote to the entire globe.”
He has been Neil Young’s longtime guitarist for many years. “It’s been a feather in my hat for years. Neil is one of the most powerful people I have ever met. You can’t be weak to be around him in his band. I learned to be focused and be simple in my playing. He doesn’t accept anything but your best effort,” he said.
For young and aspiring musicians, he said, “Do it for the love of it not for the money and get rich quick dream. It’s a long road. Be patient and easy to hang with.”
On their music and songwriting inspirations, he said, “Lately, we’ve opened up to the Holy Spirit. Ruffled Feathers (songs in the key of me) is a perfect example. We wrote and fully produced nine songs in six days. I feel it is our best so far.”
Crawford concluded Sugarcane Jane, “We are compassionate non judgmental people preaching tolerance. Having an opinion and the right to express it is essential. For 11 years, we remained ambiguous though we recently took a stance. Some people were not so kindhearted though we understand that these are polarized times. We hope to build bridges.”
To learn more about Sugarcane Jane, check out their official website and his Facebook page.
