Last Crack (album release), Vanishing Kids, 7 Seasons Deep

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Alex Havey

Last Crack (left to right): Paul Schluter, Don Bakken, Buddo, Chris Havey, Todd Winger.

Hard rockers Last Crack made waves with two international album releases, Sinister Funkhouse #17 and Burning Time, before fracturing in the early ‘90s. Here in their Madison home base we’ve been lucky enough to hear the band emerge for an occasional show during the last couple decades, but fans still pined for a proper third album — until now. The tightly constructed and anthemic lead single, “Icicle,” has spent spring in rotation on WJJO, and The Up Rising makes its debut at this show. With Vanishing Kids, 7 Seasons Deep.

$15 ($12 adv.).

press release: Reformed '90s Madison alternative hard rockers LAST CRACK have signed to EMP Label Group, which will release the band’s long-awaited third full-length LP, The Up Rising, in stores May 31. Recorded from 2017-19 at Megatone Studios in Madison, the release will be the bands first studio release since 1991’s critically-acclaimed Burning Time, the follow up to their breakthrough 1989 Roadrunner debut Sinister Funkhouse #17.

Formed in 1987, Last Crack recorded their first five-song demo and were quickly brought to the attention of legendary Roadrunner A&R man Monte Conner, who quickly signed the band, and sent them off to Prince’s Paisley Park to begin work on Sinister Funkhouse #17.

The album was aptly named, after their practice/storage unit they rented outside of their hometown of Madison. Dedicating hours of playing in a hot, sweaty garage with vocalist Buddo scribbling lyrics on the walls, the original lineup of Buddo, Don Bakken and Paul Schluter on guitars, Todd Winger on bass, and Phil Buerstatte on drums, Last Crack was more than ready to unleash their heavy/quirky sound and visions to the world

With the release of Funkhouse, Last Crack got the attention of the major metal magazines, and quickly developed a loyal fan base.

Their sophomore effort released in 1991, Burning Time, was recorded at Eldorado Studios in Hollywood, with now legendary Dave Jerden, famed for recording legendary records with Jane’s Addiction and Alice In Chains. Burning Time, was met with critical acclaim and the band embarked on a tour of the U.S. and Europe.

Says Conner, "Last Crack's Burning Time is one of the all-time most underrated albums in the history of Roadrunner Records. It predated the grunge explosion by less than year. Last Crack were not a grunge band, but their sound, their image and the realness of their music would have been way more understood and embraced by that audience and the acceptance that came with that massive climate change."

EMP’s Thom Hazaert adds, “Growing up in Wisconsin, Last Crack coming out of Madison was such a huge deal. I remember Burning Time coming out, and it was like dynamite. They were really doing something that no one else was doing at the time. All the “cool” kids loved them. They were always a band that was so ahead of their time, and it’s a huge honor to release the follow up to Burning Time, all these years later. Hopefully the world finally caught up.”

Fueled by conflicts and industry pressures the band broke up just months after the Burning Time tour had begun, leaving all wondering what happened? Phil Buerstatte would go on to play drums for White Zombie. Buddo, Paul, Don and Todd all continued performing in several popular regional bands in Wisconsin.

In 2002, the band reunited with the original members, except for drummer Phil Buerstatte, who was replaced by Chris Havey. After releasing a live album with songs from both studio albums, Last Crack toured Iceland and the Netherlands, enjoying firsthand that they still had fans around the world. All five original band members were brought back together in November of 2009, for one date in Wisconsin. This would be the last time, as drummer Phil Buerstatte passed away in 2013.