The Cryptkeeper Five (sometimes referred to as CK5) are an American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

band formed in 1997 in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

History

Vocalist Johnny Ott, guitarist Jimmy Ray, and drummer D.T. Graves (on and off) have been in CK5 since its 1997 origin, with many different supporting players over the years. The trio played music together in a band called ''Navalistic Death'' prior to the Cryptkeeper Five as well. Johnny's first CK5-leaning lyrics were for a song called "Black Death A Go-Go." At the outset, the group were a "straight ahead punk rock band", according to D.T. Their first album, ''Dear Dr. X... I Wanna be the Creature'' (1997) not only reflects this musical direction, but also was characterized lyrically by a preoccupation with "B-movies." Although they have evolved since, they have retained a "raw" and unpremeditated approach to music, letting the music flow organically. This attitude is not, again according to D.T., to be confused with being content with "sounding like shit". The band's name would appear to be a blended reference to the fictional "crypt-kicker five" from the ''Monster Mash'', and the host of

EC Comics E.C. Publications, Inc., (doing business as EC Comics) is an American comic book publisher. It specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, nota ...

Tales From the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

. However, vocalist Johnny Ott has stated that this was only a subconscious influence, and that the name was instead a horror rock update of the pop/rock "Fives", such as

Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark was the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964, they had their first UK top-ten single, ...

and

Jackson Five The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Tito ...

. Unlike those groups, CK5's name does not refer to the number of band members, which has fluctuated from between 3 and 7 musicians.Cryptkeeper Five keeps evolving
GoUpstate.com. Retrieved on 2015-03-23. CK5 have toured extensively along the US east coast and midwest since their formation, they toured Europe and the UK in 2016, and continue to play frequent dates, internationally, to this day. The current lineup includes Johnny Ott ''(vocals/ guitar)'', Jimmy Ray ''(guitar/ vocals)'', D.T. Graves ''(drums/ vocals)'', Mikey G ''(bass guitar/ vocals)'', and Brian Mazzarini (''drums''). The band's music was used in the 2007 movie ''Welcome to Dreadville II: Red in Dreadville'' written by Jason Patfield, directed by Michael Schmid and John Bienasz. On December 13, 2014, CK5 played a benefit at the Brighton Bar for that legendary club's long time booker Jacko Monahan, who was battling necrotizing fasctitis.

Influences and musical style

In addition to

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...

and The Misfits, the band counts

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

, and

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...

among its influences. While other punk rock and

horror punk Horror punk is a music genre that mixes punk rock and 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics which are often influenced by horror films and science fiction B-movies. The genre was pioneered by t ...

bands have produced a blend of 1950s rock and Ramones/Misfits inspired punk, CK5 are unique for introducing a sax-including Jersey rock element to that mix. Regarding this mix of influences, a writer for Punk Globe Magazine, in reviewing ''Rise of the Palace Depression''/''Darker Days'', suggested that a comparison to the

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recordin ...

is valid, and that CK5's

Doo wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

usage is in a more similar vein to

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

than to

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

. In a 2002 interview, drummer D. T. Graves said of the music which inspires them: "All the great genres of rock- 50's rock, the girl groups of the 60's, the 70's punk, Jersey shore rock... all tend to rely on the same qualities. They tap into something that makes your heart skip a beat or two, the magical quality."Cryptkeeper Five , Trenton Makes ... The World Takes , Interview
Chorusandverse.com (2010-06-21). Retrieved on 2015-03-23. Their sound has inspired some colorful descriptions. Music journalist-author Gary Wien, who wrote that CK5's music is "most likely like nothing you would expect", described said music thusly: "Roy Orbison singing lead for the Ramones covering John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band". Other commenters have come up with "Elvis does the

Monster Mash "Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a full-length LP called '' The Original Monster Mash'', which contained ...

",Welcome to the Elvis Information Network
Elvisinfonet.com (2004-09-20). Retrieved on 2015-03-23. and "

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...

(singing) for the Misfits"; a reviewer for punk fanzine ''

Razorcake Razorcake is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that publishes the ''Razorcake'' fanzine, a DIY punk rock fanzine published bi-monthly out of Los Angeles, California. It was co-founded by Todd Taylor (former '' Flipside'' managing editor) and S ...

'' chose a somewhat more contemporary reference, writing "imagine Danzig fronting

Rocket from the Crypt Rocket from the Crypt is an American punk rock band from San Diego, California, originally active from 1990 to 2005, then active during 2011 and again from 2013 to the present. The band gained critical praise and the attention of major record ...

".Punk Music Reviews , Cryptkeeper Five, The , The Rise of Palace Depression/ Darker Days
Razorcake (2014-10-19). Retrieved on 2015-04-23.

The Cryptkeeper Five in Published Books

Gary Wien, a New Jersey music journalist who specializes in writing about the music of his home state, included the Cryptkeeper Five's 2006 full length ''The Rise of the Palace Depression'' ("a tremendously interesting release with a sound completely its own") as one of the top 100 disks of the decade 2001-2010, alongside offerings by artists such as

My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance is an American Rock music, rock band from New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. They are considered one of ...

Fountains of Wayne Fountains of Wayne is an American Rock music, rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band included founding members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young (drummer), Brian Young. They released six album ...

, and

Bouncing Souls The Bouncing Souls are an American punk rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast li ...

, in his book ''Are You Listening?'' The CK5 song "Sweet Baby Jane" was likewise listed as the 72nd greatest Garden State offering of the same decade. The book was the product of 6 months of research for Wien, during which time he listened to over 2,200 releases by New Jersey artists. CK5 were reviewed in the 2009 book ''Music to Die For'' by former

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

journalist

Mick Mercer Mick Mercer (born Michael Mercer, 19 July 1957) is a journalist and author best known for his books, photos and reviews of the goth and punk scenes. Life and work Mercer is primarily a writer focused on the Gothic rock scene that emerged fro ...

, published by

Cherry Red Books Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything but the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well ...

, as part of that book's sub-titular international "Last Great Underground Scene." Fitting for a band that has been so inspired by some of its famous alumni, CK5 is one of many bands whose logo can be found represented among the collection of graffiti and stickers on the walls of

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...

in the coffee table book ''CBGB: Decades of Graffiti'' by Christopher D. Salyers. The band played the legendary club regularly during the time that both entities were extant.

Press Coverage

Steppin' Out Magazine/ Jersey Style columnist Josh Davidson has written that CK5 "plays a new brand of rock, drawing from some of its rawest composers like

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran ( ; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. His songs, such as " Twenty Flight Rock", " Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire in ...

and

Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist and founding member of the punk rock band Ramones, with Johnny Ramone and Dee Dee Ramone. His ...

. " Ray Lujan of influential

periodical Maximum Rock n' Roll included CK5's ''Unbeatable Cry'' CD as one of his top 10 recent recordings in the March 28, 2012 issue. Dan Armonaitis of

Spartanburg Herald The ''Spartanburg Herald-Journal'' is a daily newspaper, the primary newspaper for Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. History The origins of the paper lie with ''The Spartan'', a weekly paper reportedly first printed in about 1842� ...

compared the band to

The Dictators The Dictators are an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Known for their acerbic and provocative approach in their music, the Dictators underwent several changes in their lineups. Its founding members included musicians Andy " ...

and

Iggy and the Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...

. A writer for the

Trentonian ''The Trentonian'' is a daily newspaper serving Trenton, New Jersey, USA, and the surrounding Mercer County community. The paper in 2020 has a daily circulation of under 8,000 and a Sunday circulation of under 7,000. As of August 2020, it was r ...

referred to CK5 as "punk-a-billy giants". Scott Cronick from

The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The Designated marke ...

opined that "when it comes down to it, there's nothing really ordinary about The Cryptkeeper Five". Jose Diaz of ''Ink 19'' magazine noted that Johnny Ott has a "Elvis-by-way-of-the Misfits" bearing, and described the band's music as having a "muscular, loud, and fast garage punk sound with rockabilly influences."Diaz, Julio. (2000-08-10
The Independents
Ink 19. Retrieved on 2015-03-23.

Discography

Albums

Split EPs

Compilation Appearances

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cryptkeeper Five, The Horror punk groups Punk rock groups from New Jersey Musical groups established in 1997