Crucible has decided to increase their number of appearances this summer so it's no surprise that they're now playing at clubs where they haven't played before. They made their first appearance at The Crossroads Cantina Saturday night. The Crossroads is a Tex-Mex Cafe which usually tends to lean toward country-flavored or southern rock bands. The club is fairly large and features some great BBQ ribs, some saddle seats at the bar, and a Western-themed decor.

The band tailored their set list somewhat to suit the Tex-Mex crowd by including additional covers from The Allman Brothers Band and ZZ Top. They did manage to work in some originals such as their new song "World's Apart" and "Over The Falls" from their first CD, "Tall Tales." They drew a large crowd which seemed to consist of equal parts already-converted Crucible fans and the Crossroads regulars. The lead guitar work of Dan Esposito was particularly sharp tonight and received heightened applause from the regular Crossroads patrons, who hadn't seen him play before. The Crucible fans present called for some harder stuff and the band obliged with covers of Black Sabbath's "Fairies Wear Boots" and Rush's "Limelight."

This was a pretty different environment for a prog-rock band to perform in but they managed to pull it off without much of a problem. The show was another example of fine musicianship winning over a crowd that may have been expected something slightly different.

Crucible returns to their regular gig at The Lily Lake Inn later this month. You can contact the band for info about purchasing their CD, upcoming shows, and to sign up for their mailing list with the info below.

C-V Management
23 August Ave.
Wolcott, CT  06716