Who are Crawling Crows, in one sentence?

You walk into the biggest arena you have ever played. The crowd goes wild and someone shouts, “Who are you?” What do you tell them in one sentence?

Monti: We are two crows. Not too gentle, not too hard. (both laugh)

Dan: Rock ’n’ roll without glitter.

For those who don’t know Crawling Crows yet, how would you describe your sound?

Dan: We talk about this a lot because people ask us all the time, and it’s actually quite difficult. We listen to and play so many different things. For us, good music is good music, and that should almost be enough. But if we really have to put ourselves in a box, maybe garage pop or indie.

Monti: If we’re forced to choose, I’d say alt rock. But it evolved a lot over time. Our first album was more thought for studio sessions, while the newer stuff is written with the live situation in mind. We just love music too much to stick to one thing. (laughs)

Every band has an origin story. How did Crawling Crows come together?

Dan: That’s his fault.
(laughs) We’re both from the same area, Péry.

Monti: We played in different bands for years and, to be honest, we were always a bit jealous of each other’s projects.

Dan: Different bands, different projects, but always keeping an eye on each other. Then we kind of lost touch for a while.

Monti: In 2019, I got this itch to start something again. And honestly, the older you get, the harder it is to keep a big band together. So I thought, why not a duo? Then I randomly saw on Facebook that Dan was still playing, reached out, and we started jamming.

Dan: He kind of forced me into rock music. I was playing more funk and pop before, so it was a challenge. I really had to start from scratch. And now I’m a rock drummer.
(laughs)

We got together just before Covid hit, which was a bit of a bummer at first. Everything suddenly stopped right when things were starting to feel good.

But in a way, it also gave us time. We rehearsed and played a lot during Covid, so when things opened up again, we were ready to go.

How did each of you individually start playing music?

Dan: Péry offered solfège classes, and my teacher told my parents I had a gift and should go to the Biel-Bienne School of Music. We visited all the floors with all the instruments. I liked the piano at first. But in the basement, there was the drum section.

When we were going back up, my mom asked which instrument I liked most. There was this old elevator. An elderly woman inside was claustrophobic and screaming. I looked at my mom and said, “The drums are in the basement. I’ll take the stairs.” (laughs)

I started drums around seven or eight years old. Big bands, school bands, all of that. I stopped around eighteen, then picked it up again in my mid-twenties out of curiosity, taking jazz drum classes. In 2017, I realised I wanted more and went to the jazz school in Bern. I also teach now. Teaching is good.

Monti: I started with flute and solfège. No choice in Péry. (laughs)
I wasn’t really interested at first. Then I found an old guitar with three or four strings in myparents’s attic. Around twelve, I really started playing and took lessons. My cousin had an electric guitar while I only had a classical one. Eventually, I convinced my parents to get me an electric one and a Line 6 Spider.

I also went to the Biel music school around thirteen or fourteen. We played a lot of funk and Motown there. I played bass as well. That environment really shaped me.

What made you want to play in bands rather than alone?

Dan: I played in the Biel Symphonic Orchestra when I was about twelve, doing percussion, not drums. I loved playing with others from early on. Being part of something bigger always felt right.

Monti: I was always around bands. My first one was basically us trying to play Sum 41 in an attic. Not very serious. In high school, I had a choir teacher I really didn’t like, and she didn’t like me either. Every year, she organised a big choir concert. One year, our band ended up replacing the choir. That felt like my first real rock ’n’ roll achievement. (laughs)

Which artists shaped you the most as musicians?

Dan: Ko Ko Mo had a big impact on me, especially as a drummer. When I discovered them, I realised we were doing similar things live without knowing each other. Led Zeppelin was huge for me, John Bonham obviously. Ringo Starr too, who is very underrated. The way he played open-handed as a lefty on a right-handed kit is fascinating.

And honestly, Monti inspires me a lot. He’s very critical of himself and of the sound.

Monti: The White Stripes and Jack White, especially the way he uses his guitar and effects. The Blue Stones too, another duo from Canada, more atmospheric. Royal Blood was important as well, the idea of filling space as just two people.

Funk influenced me a lot rhythmically. My playing is still very percussive. As a duo, I spend a lot of time shaping the sound to make it feel massive, because we need to fill the whole room.

Your music feels raw and energetic. What inspires your writing these days?

Both: The cement factory next door. (laughs)

How do songs usually come together?

Monti: We usually just start jamming. Sometimes something clicks, and then we focus on it and start shaping it.

Actually, our last four tracks came out of the same jam. I had a new guitar and a baritone, and everything just flowed during one session.

Is there one Crawling Crows song that represents who you are today?

Both: “Say Yeah.”
Especially when we played it at KIFF Aarau.

How does being a Swiss band influence your identity?

Dan: In Switzerland, you almost have to expect not to “make it.” But Biel-Bienne is incredibly diverse. There’s a huge music community, jams everywhere, no big expectations. That city really shaped us, both as musicians and as a band.

Monti: You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to start.

Are there any collaborations you dream about?

Dan: For us, it’s often more about instruments than specific people. Sometimes we think, “A trumpet would sound amazing here.” It’s more about textures and ideas than names.

What can fans expect next from Crawling Crows?

Monti: We actually recorded new songs during our week with the Touring Board. So something is definitely coming. We already have a lot of shows planned for 2026, and we’re focusing on filling the calendar. Playing live is really part of our DNA.

Final question. Elon Musk offers you one billion dollars to never touch a guitar or drum kit again. What do you tell him?

Monti: Next question, please. (both laugh)

Stay tuned for more Strings Attached interviews!