By Jerry Del Priore 

The alternative indie rock band Crooked Flower decided to do a little something different when it released Legalize Me, Love Me, a collection of 10 tracks from previous recordings, on April 20th, 2019. 

Crooked Flower put together Legalize Me, Love Me, a cool, innovative video album, which contains a distinct message, as guitarist Daniel Ingberman, speaking behalf of all members of the band, said: “This video album seeks to create a defined visual and musical aesthetic, tied together with what we think of as some “messages” of Crooked Flower.
 
“Our music and imagery are perhaps best described as a substance-free LSD-trip,” he continued. “The substance-free LSD-trip aesthetic and ethos is another part of the discussion, really an observation that substances are not required to elevate consciousness….that is what the videos are for!”

To add some illumination and further explanation on his aforementioned statement, Ingberman said: “Just to be clear, we are not advocating drug use for anyone. Or any form of irresponsible behavior, including sex or love. Certainly not for kids. But we do believe that adults should have more freedom.”

Musically sounding like bands No Doubt, Spin Doctors, The Cure, Nirvana and Pretenders, great songs on the video album include The Belt, from the 2017 disk On My Mind.

The tune was scribed by Ingberman and lead singer Angelina Dang and is about a friend of Ingberman’s, whom lives far away and is struggling with the pangs of drug addiction, a habit he cannot drop by the wayside.  

Go Back, Go Back, from the group’s 2018 “live” disk, Blooming: Live at Light Rail Studios, was written by Dang, an accomplished and gifted musician in her own right. 

The tune is about reaching adulthood and harkening back to your childhood, realizing how magical and special it was to be a kid. 

Hit It, from Crooked Flower’s 2017 disk, The Moon, Anyway, is arguably my favorite track. Dang, who sounds like Gwen Steffanie on this particular tune, lends her velvety vocal talents to this song, an homage to the timeless art of puffing and passing for the first time. 

Please don’t forget the funky bonus track, Came to Me in Dreams, from Live at the Mint. Ingberman noted that it’s “possibly existentialism at its best/worst? But it’s a true story. About life and karma, and what it’s all about.”

Are you looking to own Crooked Flower’s video album, or just listen to it? I’m glad you inquired.

You can purchase a 32 GB USB with approximately six GB USBs of super high-quality versions of the videos, plus images, at www.crookedflower.com, for $16 for one; $26 for two; $36 for three. Hurray, as supplies are limited. 

Additionally, you can buy downloads of Crooked Flower’s albums on a pay-what-you-want basis on its website at www.crookedflower.com.  Plus, if you desire physical CDs, the band can do that, too. Just message dan@crookedflower.com. 

The good news? You can also view it for free. The band is publicly releasing each video one-by-one on YouTube. And Crooked Flower has a number of other videos there, too.

But it would behoove you to follow the groovy group on social media, as you receive early access to videos if you like Crooked Flower’s Facebook page and subscribe to its YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/CrookedFlowerTheBand.

Crooked Flower is:

Angelina Dang: Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Daniel Erik: Bass, keyboards
Dan Ingberman: Guitar
Will Kyriazis: Keyboards (on Coming Back to You, Came To Me In Dreams, and Go Back, Go Back)
Patrick Shields: Drums, percussion
Drew Southern: Guitar (on Around and Around, Freedom, Coming Back to You, Came To Me In Dreams, and Go Back, Go Back)

You can read some of the Crooked Flowers’ members’ side project, The General Maynyrd Band, by following this link: https://nynjentertainmenteats.com/2019/05/02/review-the-general-maynyrd-band-by-the-general-maynyrd-band/