Marshall Cretin came to be more as an accident than anything else. Ben Behrens (bass/vocals) and Andrew Michaelson (drums) played together in Make Me Real until the guitarist moved to Oregon. Ben met up with Tom Carrera (guitar/vocals) and moved on to play with him in the alt-country outfit The Old Standbys. After a successful run, they too were felled by the departure of a guitarist, this time to France. Before too long, Ben and Andrew got to talking about putting a band together again. Tom's name quickly came to the top of a short list of possible guitar players. The three started jamming on a few rock standards that they all knew. At the time Tom didn't even own his own electric guitar or amp. The three found their sound quicker, and easier, than any of them expected, and within months of forming recorded their first full-length album, This Is Marshall Cretin. The record was more about getting some shows booked than carving out a niche, but managed to do both. "This Is" pulled together elements of 70's arena rock, 80's post-punk, 90's alternative, and a little country too. The result is a sound that is all of those, yet none of those. Straight-up rock, backed by solid songwriting, played in way that is powerful, but not overpowering. And loud. Real loud.
Tony Sweet signed on in the Summer of 2006, lending his skills in bass and vocals, and letting Ben refocus on guitar. Doug Ascot Martin filled out the keyboards not long after, resulting in a fuller, louder still, Marshall Cretin.
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