Canada’s Karmic Collision

When ex-The Tea Party member Jeff Burrows received a call from his old manager regarding the possibility of drumming for a new project, he was made to think he was the missing link in the band that would eventually become Crash Karma.

“[My manager] told me about this great bass player whose name is Amir [Epstein] who is trying to put this thing together with both Edwin [ex-I Mother Earth] and Mike Turner [ex-Our Lady Peace],” Burrows recalls. “Each of us was led to believe that the others had already said, ‘Yeah, we’re in,’” he laughs. “[We] kind of got tricked into that one.”

Epstein’s crafty persuasion led to the formation of Crash Karma in 2008 – and Burrows said that the group meshed right away: “We got together literally for one day and we started laying down some tracks.”

After spending some time jamming at guitarist Turner’s The Pocket Studio in Toronto, the group decided to go for it. “When we got together and things started flowing along after a few weeks of trying different songs and so on, we were like, ‘You know what? Let’s give this a go. We’re having a great time and everyone really misses [playing music], so let’s just have fun.’”

Crash Karma’s efforts culminated in the release of their first album this spring. The 11-track, self-titled record contains “some pretty monster songs,” according to Burrows, who also mentions that every member of the band brought some great musical ideas to the table. “It fused well, like Thai food and sushi,” he explains, laughing. “[Amir] had a bunch of songs he was working on that sounded absolutely amazing and everyone added their own elements to it.”

The result of that fusion has been well-received by listeners across the country. Crash Karma’s first single, Awake, was in the top 10 on the Canadian rock charts for 14 weeks. “It’s pretty amazing... we’re very happy,” says Burrows.

Although the band is thrilled with its radio success, it’s getting back out onto the road that Crash Karma looks forward to most. “We’re anxious to get [the album] out there and show that we are still pretty good at what we do,” Burrows explains. “That’s where I’m thinking we’re going to shine most – live and onstage.”

If the first album is any indication, Crash Karma could be shining on the Canadian music scene for quite some time.