The Championship is quickly emerging as one of Milwaukee’s favorite rock and roll bands; and for good reason. Their latest release, Moving at the Speed of Darkness, displays a sophisticated folk-rock band that reverberates the sound of artists like The Jayhawks and My Morning Jacket. The band’s songwriter Joe Crockett discusses his songwriting, being a bouncer and their recent release.

**There have been various lineup changes throughout your 4-year stint with The Championship. As of right now, who does what in The Championship?**

I write the songs, sing them, and play the guitar. My brother John plays bass, Jordan Burich plays guitar, Travis Doar plays drums, and Allen Cote plays lap steel, guitar and harmonica, although he started in the band playing mandolin.

**Songwriters all seem to have their own unique songwriting process. How do The Championship’s songs develop as a band from your early efforts with a song?**

I usually arrive at the studio with a song fully written and then show the band what my intentions are. Most of us have been working together for so long as musicians that everything seems to unfold very naturally from there. I’ll play the song for them acoustically and in a matter of minutes everyone’s playing along. We’ll run through this process for a few weeks until everyone feels comfortable with what they’ve written. After that we loosely set it in stone and move onto something else.

**Your new EP, Moving at the Speed of Darkness, displays a band working with more textured and atmospheric arrangements than the ones on your previous work. What elements of the writing and recording process influenced the transition away from a more Americana, organic style?**

The songs on the EP were written about a year or so prior to the recording. Songs we had been touring on for quite awhile. When the idea of making an EP came up we decided to go with a producer instead of doing it ourselves as we’ve done in the past. This approach seemed appropriate due to the direction we wanted to take with these particular songs.

We recorded most of the material over two days at our friend J. Christopher Hugh’s studio. He had done a lot of work in Nashville and St. Louis and had moved to Milwaukee about a year or so ago. One look at his equipment list and I knew we were in good hands.

After we had done the basic tracking we took the sessions home and did the necessary overdubs and what not. The overall sound of the EP can be attributed to the post production work Allen did.

**Songs like “Ferris Wheel,” off Midnight Golden, seem to reflect on your strong ties with a beaten-down city and your struggle of escaping it. You sing, “It tells me to go/For reasons I don’t know/I’m sticking around.” Do you identify with this in a city like Milwaukee, or did this outlook arise from connections to a different region?**

That song was written during my times as a bouncer. That job gives you a sober perspective into the life of a lonely alcoholic. With plenty of time on your hands you find yourself observing the patterns of regular patrons. After awhile you become bored and start to fabricate stories about their lives in your mind. Then you begin to relate to these tales.

The backdrop for that song could take place in any town. It’s more about the community you’re surrounded by. Everyone’s reaching for the stars yet drinking away their ambition. There’s something comforting about that and everyone seems fine with being mediocre.

I can relate because I know that if I moved to some other place (say New York or L.A.) my chances for success in music would be much greater due to the resources. Then why am I still here? The same reason everyone else is.

**Did your musical background begin in your hometown of Sturgeon Bay or did your involvement in bands come later?**

My brother John and I have been playing together in one band or another since 1994. In fact, I can’t remember not doing this.

**Wisconsin’s music scene is thriving with many new bands. What are some of your favorite acts?**

I had the opportunity to hear some of the new unreleased Father Phoenix tracks recently. Those dudes are onto something. Decibully is far from a new band, but still one of my favorites. Juniper Tar can’t seem to write a bad song. This list could go on forever.

**So, what’s coming next for The Championship?**

Well, we’re going to take a couple of months off so I can get myself good and married. Jordan and Travis are back in school for the first time in ten years. Then it’s playing out here and there while simultaneously recording the new full length. Spring time means tour time. So we’ll be doing a lot of that around then. In other words, the usual.