PREMIERE: Alkaline Trio’s Derek Grant To Release Split EP With Dan Cribb

For punk and pop-punk fans alike, Derek Grant is a man who needs little introduction, having remained a constant force of the US scene over the past 20-odd years as the drummer for seminal macabre-punk-rockers Alkaline Trio, as well as flaunting his skills in a raft of contemporary bands (The Suicide Machines, Walls Of Jericho, Broken Spoke and many others), including as fill-in guitarist for the likes of The Gaslight Anthem and Face To Face.

Now, fans can get ready to be exposed to another whole side of Grant – that of guitarist, singer and songwriter – on an upcoming split EP the veteran stick-smith is releasing with local pop-punk luminary Dan Cribb, of Dan Cribb & The Isolated (also, incidentally, The Music’s Perth-based editor). The pair have been developing their rapport for some time now, with Grant most recently taking advantage of an Aussie sojourn earlier this year (while playing with scene icons The Vandals) to stage a run of co-headline shows with Cribb, during which the pair launched their respective debut solo albums.

Capitalising on what turned out to be a fruitful team-up, Grant and Cribb conscripted Nick Diener – better known as the frontman for lauded pop-punkers The Swellers – to mix the release, the final product taking shape in the form of an acoustic (full-band) split, with Grant and Cribb each contributing two tracks apiece (plus a digital-only track each). Grant was responsible for every sound on his tracks, recording his contributions from his home in Vermont, while Cribb utilised Diener’s talents to lay down some bass, electric guitar and vocals for his songs.

All up, the pair recorded six songs, four of which will appear on Derek Grant & Dan Cribb’s split EP when it makes its way into the world via Pee Records on Friday 11 December. You can hear two tracks — Grant's Love Because and Cribb's This Is Closure — below before its official physical release, which comes in limited-edition transparent red-with-white-splatter vinyl.

For more information, see Pee Records’ website. Pre-order available here.

Derek Grant & Dan Cribb – Split EP track list

Grant:

1. Almost Whole
2. Love Because
3. Little Bit Of Makeup (digital-only)

Cribb:

1. This Is Closure
2. Getting Started
3. I Wanna Do It All With You (digital-only)