With the walls of The Crash Engine’s practice space – a small, cramped loft on the second story of their house – adorned with posters of musicians like Radiohead, Jimi Hendrix and Hot Water Music, as well as a giant road sign warning “Watch For Rock,” it isn’t difficult to observe that this
Eugene-based rock band lives and breathes music. But the boys that make up The Crash Engine don’t just listen and play music.
They’ve made it their academic specialty.
All four members – 22- year-old Tom Dawson, 23- year-old Aaron Jester, 22- year-old Alex Heller and 20- year-old Wes Cross – have either completed or are working on a degree from the University’s School of Music and Dance. Eugene is blessed with two chances to see this musically educated band live this month: February 5 at WOW Hall and February 14 at John Henry’s.
The Crash Engine originally formed in the University residence halls in 2001. The lounge became their practice area, but not everyone appreciated it.
“We started out as an acoustic group with another member who’s not in the band anymore,” Heller said. “We played at coffee houses around campus, and just did that for a while. Then Aaron shipped out his drum equipment from Alabama and we set up in the lounge in the dorms to practice and pissed everyone off. We got yelled at by the RAs and all of that good stuff.”
But getting in trouble is a natural part of being in a rock band, and it wasn’t about to stop these boys from doing what they loved.
“Something was clicking from the very beginning, so we knew we had to pursue it,” Dawson said.
The Crash Engine ran into some difficulties after losing the bass player. But Cross, who had known Dawson since their high school days in Grants Pass, came to the rescue.
“I used to come to their shows all the time, and then they lost their old bass player,” Cross said. “I was just chatting with Tom one day, and I decided that I’d try out.”

With a bass player, the quartet was able to further develop its music, which has a sound Heller would rather not label.
“We don’t like to describe our sound; it’s more like, ‘Listen and decide for yourself,’” he said.
The description isn’t what’s important to The Crash Engine, but rather the feeling they want to transmit to their audience.
“We want people to come out and see our shows and after the show, we want them to say, ‘Wow, that was something. There was something there, something more than just your average band,’” Dawson said. “That’s the feeling that inspires us from the bands that we love and the memories from the shows that we’ve loved. That’s what we try to give back.”
And it’s something fans have come to appreciate. But living in a college town, The Crash Engine has found that when trimesters end, new fans replace old faces.
“It’s been kind of a revolving thing, just because of the fact that Eugene is a turnstile town in a lot of ways,” Heller said. “We’ll make new fans and then they’ll either drop out of school or go somewhere else- move home for the summer. So it’s kind of hard to get people to stick around, but we definitely have some dedicated fans.”
Jester, Cross, Heller and Dawson work hard to please their fans, constantly writing new songs and trying out fresh sounds.
“We try to make each song distinctive and not repeat ourselves. And hopefully people can tell that when they see us live,” Heller said. “We go through a lot of different styles and emotions with our songs.”
Although The Crash Engine hasn’t put out an official full-length album, it’s something that’s in the works, along with dreams of a tour across the United States.

“We want to put out a full-length record, tour the United States and just get out there and play,” Dawson said. “Just hit the road and see where it takes us.”
But that doesn’t mean they’re ready to leave home quite yet.
“We had the opportunity to go down and record with a producer down in California, but we decided to stick around here for now for a couple of reasons,” Heller said. “One of them was that we love the vibe of the Northwest. It’s our element and it’s where we thrive creatively. It’s where we want to pursue making this album.”
Until then, Eugeneans will have to make do with live shows. But Dawson assures that no one will be disappointed, promising “awesome rock and roll shows.”
“Everyone should come out to this WOW Hall show because it’ll be a venue where we can really stretch our legs,” Dawson said.
The Crash Engine will open for The Ike Reilly Assassination Sunday at WOW Hall. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. with a show time at 9 p.m.
Tickets are $8 at the door. The Crash Engine can also be seen on Feb. 14 at John Henry’s at 77 W. Broadway. The show begins at 9 p.m. with a cover charge of $6 at the door. Visit www.myspace.com/thecrashengine for more information.
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