The Creeps talk about experiences in the studio, the recent addition of a new guitarist and what’s to come.
The Creeps are one of Houston’s most beloved metal bands. After playing shows all over the city and even making an appearance on the Stars Over Texas Stage at Rodeo Houston in March, the group has created a name for themselves. The Creeps released their self-titled debut LP in February and haven’t slowed down since. Featuring seven thunderous tracks, the album proves the talent and force of the band. Off Record Blog had the chance to visit with the band’s members and discuss some intriguing topics.
ORB: Let’s begin with getting to know you guys. How did you meet and when did The Creeps officially form?
Collin Cardenas (CC): We all met through a music school in Clear Lake, School of Rock Webster. Essentially, The Creeps started in late 2019 or early 2020, but we kind of just say fall of 2020 cause that’s when we started gigging. It started with Iran and I, then Carter joined us about a year later. Rowan joined us two months ago, so he’s brand new.
ORB: Back in February, you released your debut self-titled album. What’s your favorite track off the record and what was the recording process like?
Carter Pevoto (CP): Oh, that was a pain in the butt to record. I had to go through back surgery because of a herniated disk. I had to record right before and right after my surgery.
CC: Oh, yeah. We competed at the Houston Rodeo competition and won first place. We were already in the process of recording our album and the Rodeo told us we were getting a full day to record at this really professional studio for free. We scrapped all we had done before so we could do it this way instead. We recorded the whole thing in a session and a half, so all seven songs in one or two days. Through the whole thing, Carter had to get his surgery right before recording. After that, once he was okay enough, we finished recording and yeah, that’s the album! The way we recorded the album was that we played drums, bass and guitar at the same time, so it was pretty much live. Then after, I would just overdub the vocal lines and the rhythm guitar.
CP: We jumped right back into it. My favorite song to record was probably “Wicked [Candle]” because of the drum fills and everything.
Iran Becerril (IB): Mine was probably “Do You Want My Lovin’” because I have a nice bassline in there.
CC: Mine’s “Black Tar”. I really got to layer my screams. When we heard the screams all together it sounded like a big monster and we were like, this is the best 30 seconds of the whole album!
Rowan Svetlik (RS): I personally wasn’t on that album, but right now my favorite song to play live is “Lover’s Lane”.
ORB: You cover Metallica songs pretty frequently. What’s your favorite song by the legendary metal band?
CP: “Disposable Heroes”.
RS: “The Shortest Straw”.
IB: Probably “Battery”.
CC: What’s that one song called? I know it’s Carter’s least favorite. “Wherever I May Roam.”
ORB: You recently played a set of Metallica covers at White Oak Music Hall for their Benefit Show series. What was that experience like?
CP: So amazing.
IB: It was pretty neat. I loved it.
CC: It was honestly a dream show. It was our first time playing White Oak, and when we got the news that we were gonna do it we got super excited. When we were starting, we were trying to think about who we wanted to cover. It was kind of a no-brainer cause we cover a lot of Metallica. We thought it was fun because we feel like we do a pretty decent Metallica and I think my voice is pretty close to James Hetfield’s voice. There was a moment when we were in the green room about fifteen minutes before the show, and our friend Trey went out and looked at the crowd and said “guys, you have to see the crowd right now.” We all, one by one, were peeking out like oh my god. When we looked out, it was a whole crowd of people, pretty much packed. There was not a single space. We had never played for a crowd this packed before. We were a little nervous, but in a good way. The whole thing was almost like a fever dream and I couldn’t believe it was actually happening.
ORB: Rowan, was this your first show with The Creeps?
RS: I played two songs at their show at White Swan a couple weeks before, but White Oak was my first full set with The Creeps. It was everything I had dreamed it would be, you know? The crowd energy was on point and it felt pretty good being on stage.
CC: I want to give a shoutout to the guys in Bounty, Down We Fall and Wick. They were all up front mosh-pitting. You could tell who had seen us play before, it was all of the mosh-pitters in the front.
ORB: For quite some time your band has consisted of three members: Collin (vocals, lead guitar) Carter (drums) and Iran (bass). Just last month you introduced Rowan, your new guitarist. What made you guys want a second guitarist in The Creeps?
CP: It makes it more full.
CC: We’ve considered a second guitarist a lot of times and we’ve had some people come in and come out. When we were a three-piece, there were a lot of things we couldn’t do because we didn’t have another guitar, or we couldn’t do it because I can only sing it or only play guitar on it. So there were limitations as a three-piece. We kind of just worked around it. When it came to the White Oak show, we were like okay, we need another guitarist. Through mutual friends we met Rowan, and he had some clips on Instagram where he would play Lamb of God and Alice in Chains and his picking hand was just so fast. We thought he could totally do Metallica.
ORB: Rowan, what’s it been like as the newest addition to such a talented group of musicians? What’s been your favorite experience so far?
RS: It’s been absolutely incredible so far. For the longest time, I’ve been trying to find another group of musicians that are dedicated and committed. It’s been kind of hard to find people to play with, so I’m fortunate to have them. Hands down, the best experience so far has been the White Oak show. We’ve played a few shows since then and they’ve all been great too, but the energy that night was unbeatable. Maybe we’ll play something even bigger someday.
ORB: Finally, are there any upcoming shows or announcements fans and followers should be on the lookout for?
CC: We don’t have a date for anything yet, but all summer and even right now we’ve been polishing up some new songs. If you’ve seen us play recently, you’ve definitely heard some of the new stuff. That’s kind of how we do it. We write and experiment with it live, polish it, and then we record. A lot of people will record and then play, but we go the other way. There will definitely be something out 2024.
CP: Oh, without a doubt.
CC: We’re playing Scream Fest again this year. Scream Fest is a really cool haunted house. We’re playing on Friday the 13 and Halloween night, so if you’d like to go get spooky with us, you can. We’re playing at Harrisburg Art Museum on October 7 and we have a show at 1810 Ojeman on the 28. Another show I want to bring up is the one we’re playing at the Houston Vert Ramp November 10, which is a cool half pipe. That same weekend we’re opening for Brujeria, a Mexican death metal band. We’re super excited about that. I think it’s our next really big show and we’re excited to be opening for a really cool band. That’s what’s coming up!
ORB: That’s so awesome! Is there anything else you guys would like to say?
CC: From the top of my head, if you’ve been to our shows or listened to our music, thank you so much. We really appreciate it. We truly just do this for the love of playing. We pretty much say yes to any gig that comes our way, as you can tell from our really busy schedule. We just really enjoy doing what we do. No egos, just four dudes who really love playing music and really love metal.
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I’m a Houston based photographer who loves being around live music and all the creative people involved in the local music scene. I enjoy capturing performers and artists doing what they love and the essence of how live music makes people feel. When Im not behind the lens, I love trying new things and visiting new places.
