Dedication and fortitude. That’s important when attempting to succeed in the entertainment industry. Notwithstanding, Tampa trio The Cruz understands hard work and dedication can ultimately  lead to bigger and better musical accolades. Consisting of vocalist/bassist Randy Ojeda, keyboardist Ryan Backman, and drummer Andy Holt, The Cruz cleverly blends the alternative sounds with smidgeons of classic rock, indie sounds, jam band, and alternative Brit Pop to create unique pitchblende of salient music. That is both eclectic and very distinct.  Their self-titled 2009 debut CD reflects the aforementioned musical resources utilized. Ojeda, Backman, and Holt have been musical associates since 2004. They met through the music program at Jesuit High School and started performing at school functions.  Ojeda was inundated with “countless number of screamo/emo/hardcore bands spreading throughout Tampa” and decided to mold The Cruz into a “melodic, enjoyable, and more importantly, unique sound.”  Having already accomplished such a monumental feat, including the band’s aforementioned February release, The Cruz decided to reach higher goals, specifically, funding a mini-tour throughout the Southwest to fund the much anticipated second release. Randy Ojeda took a few minutes to chat with Bay Area Beat about The Cruz, the tour, and “screamo/emo bands.

Bay Area Beat: Your music has cool sixties feel to it. It’s very refreshing.

Randy Ojeda: Thanks! While we don’t consciously try to sound like a classic rock band, we’re definitely influenced by the music from that era. Hopefully that shows through our songs, and we’re glad that’s refreshing. Our goal has always been to create something new, but those influences affect how we think about music

BAB: You’re getting ready to “tour.” Is this something you booked on your own or are you affiliated with Steele Management? If the latter, how did you hook-up with Bret Steele?

RA: We have a very active and busy schedule right now, but all the bookings came from different places. We met Bret Steele at Dave’s Aqua Lounge, and contacted him about booking some shows with him this summer, beginning with May 15^th (at Dave’s Aqua Lounge with Memphis Train Union), but as of right now, we’re not affiliated with him and all our booking is done on our own.

BAB: Tell us about your cd. Where did you record, when and how long did it take. Is it self-produced?

RO: We recorded the last record at Seven Sounds Music in Tampa, FL last summer. It took a few months to complete because of scheduling conflicts, which included the beginning of the Fall Semester! The record chronicles a long period of writing and rehearsing; all the songs were written over a period of 2 years during our time at Jesuit High School. It’s currently a Digital Exclusive available on iTunes, Napster, AmazonMP3, and a number of other digital stores.

BAB: Obviously you don’t consider The Cruz to be “neo-emo”. What do you describe as ‘screamo” “emo” and hardcore” music?

RO: What’s “neo-emo?” (Laughs). Screamo, emo, and hardcore are very popular genres amongst our age group, but we’ve been decidedly different from that. While we respect the artists of those genres, however, we don’t feel that adhering to a particular style that stymies our creativity.

BAB: Are your musical influences sixties, seventies?

RO: Well, while we’re all on the same page, and a lot of our influences overlap. We listen to many different things. Our drummer, Andy, is influenced by classic rock like Traffic and Led Zeppelin. Our keyboardist, Ryan, listens to stuff like Radiohead and The Flaming Lips. I like Butch Walker and Paul Westerberg. We all share an appreciation for good songwriters and good musicians. We love everything from The Beatles to Dave Matthews to Arcade Fire. Oh…and we all dig Jazz.

BAB: Are you financing this tour or getting sponsorship?

RO: We are financing EVERYTHING!

BAB: What is the “Hot-Topic” status on your MySpace?

We booked an in-store tour at all the regional Hot Topic stores. The tour begins on May 12^th and ends on May 28^th, taking us from New Port Richey to Sarasota. We’re really looking forward to it, and we hope it can give us a more intimate relationship with our fans. It’s one thing to be on a stage, but this allows us to perform in a more personal setting. We never want to be a faceless band that only advertises. Add us on MySpace, and we’ll always do our best to make conversation. Talk to us at a show, and we won’t ignore you. The people who like us tend to be pretty interesting…and that’s cool.

BAB: You’re all born and raised in Tampa?

We are all born and raised in Tampa, FL. We met while we attended Jesuit High School. But one interesting fact is that we’re now separated for part of the year. Andy attends Wake Forest University in North Carolina, Ryan’s at the University of Florida, and Randy goes to University of South Florida. Yet we continue to write and promote even with the distance. Of course…the summer’s our big opportunity to be as active as possible. In fact, we’re already planning our follow-up record with George Harris at Clearwater studio, Panda Productions, for late-July.

BAB: Tell us something interesting about each of you…

RO: As far as interesting things go…Ryan has a radio show in Gainesville on 94.7WGOT, Randy is obsessed with his Papillion named “Mr. Mojo Risin’”, and Andy has never seen Star Wars (laughs).

BAB: Do you plan on remaining a three piece? Ever consider adding a fourth member?

RO: We feel we have such a tight friendship and cohesive band dynamics that another member may disrupt our current vibe. We’ve experimented with adding other instruments in the past, but it never really added much. We like instrumentation, but keeping it simple always works best. It allows us plenty of breathing room and also sets us apart. However, if we ever did add a fourth member…a saxophone player would probably be the new addition!

For more information, contact The Cruz at http://www.myspace.com/thecruzmusic