Soundsphere journalist Itay Gilad recently had the chance to speak to frontman Matt Mucerino of alternative rock band Crossing I’s Dotting T’s mid tour about their live shows, and the inspiration behind their music.
S] Your music seems to be quite heavy whilst being very mid-tempo at the same time, has that always been the intention?
M] Yes, we’ve always been massive fans and influenced by the 90s and early 2000s alt rock scene. We’ve always loved the idea of somber verses and heavy pounding choruses shrouded in emotional lyrics, but we tend to mix it up from time to time.
S] Is melancholy and dramatic sounds something you’ve always aspired to make?
M] Yes, although we like to mix up genres and that’s why some of our songs sound different than others. We don’t love being boxed into one specific genre but we do like to have a cohesive sound.
S] Is finding the balance between that heaviness and melancholy hard for you to achieve?
M] There’s definitely a fine line to walk between making heavy and melancholy songs while also making new songs that sound fresh and not derivative of everyone else’s or your own bands. We think we’ve done a good job of mixing the two and we have a new album we are working on that really pushed the genre boundaries and we are excited about it.
S] What is the main inspiration behind your melancholic sound? There aren’t many rock bands who can say they have such an ambiental sound, or approach even to their music…
M] The 90s/early 2000s alt rock scene and the early 2010s emo alt scene has shaped our sound mostly. Bands like Bush, Hum, Mineral, Three Days Grace, Superheaven, Basement, Have Mercy amongst many others have majorly influenced our sound.
S] I have read that you started this band after having your cousin pass away after battle with cancer, would I be correct to assume that this has to be part of why this band sounds as dramatic and heavy both in emotion and in the guitar sounds as well?
M] Yes, my cousin passed away of a rare form of cancer and that is what gave me the original inspiration to seize the day and actually form a band to start making music. I try to get everything off my chest the best way possible in our songs.
S] Obviously, I saw that you guys are on tour now, so what are some of your favourite cities to play?
M] Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Mesa, Dallas are a few that come to mind that we really enjoyed. We just played San Jose for the first time this last weekend and it was an awesome experience.
S] What can fans expect from you on this run? Will there be any UK or European dates?
M] We are going to be doing a Southwest and West Coast tour in March 2025 and UK dates could be a possibility. We are teamed up with Best Life Records in the UK and know a ton of awesome bands, so we want to make it over there sometime soon.
S] How does your music get received live? Because obviously when you are in a live setting, music can feel much more powerful. Is that something you have noticed when you play shows? Can you notice if the crowd can relate and react well to your music?
Matt] It varies. Our music in live settings is high energy but somber at the same time. There’s moshing sometimes, but normally it is just people bobbing their heads and enjoying. Of course we’ve run into a couple crowds here and there who just don’t like us, but for the most part people love it.
