Graham MacDonald
Graham MacDonald, was born in Glasgow, Scotland but since the days of his youth has called the West Coast home and has mostly lived in and around Vancouver, BC, Canada. But music has always been Graham's natural habitat beginning in the late 80’s when he fronted Vancouver’s Big Electric Cat. This particular Cat garnered a huge following which culminated in sellout performances at the world famous, Commodore Ballroom and 86 St. Music Hall.
Big Electric Cat came on fast, burned bright and felt waves of great acclaim in the scene. Offers poured in but tragically something so bright can also flame-out. This was the fate of Big Electric Cat, but a wise man once said, "It's better to burn out than fade away".
When the fire went out of Big Electric Cat they were scattered to the wind. It was then that Graham began fronting Liquid which rose from the ashes of the once great Cat. As the fates would have it, Liquid fractured at the very moment that deals lay on the table and pens hovered above dotted lines. Ah yes, rock 'n' roll dreams...they come...and go.
Then tragedy struck at the dawn of the 90's when Graham was involved in a brutal car accident in which he was a passenger. During his recovery, he wondered if he would be able to return to his love of making music and singing at all, due to the extreme nature of his injuries and the long road to recovery which lay ahead.
As he began his journey back he received word that an old friend was trying to track him down for a new project. That project became Subrosa and that friend was Glen MacLeod.
Glen MacLeod
Glen MacLeod, was born in Vancouver, BC, Canada and joined his first band, the punk group Contraband in 1982. Contraband (who was heavily influenced by Winnipeg's legendary Personality Crisis) played non-stop anywhere, anytime. And of course they graced the boards and stages of seminal and legendary venues of the day including the fabled Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret and the iconic Town Pump. Contraband also played shows with D.O.A. and other Vancouver legends of the time. They recorded and released an EP of all original material that quickly sold out through word of mouth.
After Contraband, Glen spent the next years on the road to ruin in a varirty of original and cover bands that toured up and down the West Coast. In the late 80’s Glen worked with the legendary Brian “Too Loud” MacLeod (no relation) who produced several projects, initially Centerfold and then Front Line. These projects led to the formation of Shy Thunder in 1988. Shy Thunder rose to the top of the heap in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canadian hard rock scene. Relentless touring and recording made them a steady draw with sellout performances at the Commodore Ballroom, Town Pump, 86 Street, Club Soda as well as SRO stops in Seattle, Calgary and Edmonton and many towns in between. In 1993, Shy Thunder became Crown Of Thorns before crashing and burning and acquiescing to new styles and therefore new musical opportunities.
This led to Glen and fellow guitarist/producer Deon Scott to start a new project. That project eventually became the very ambitious, multimedia touting, oil drum bashing, sex-doll augmenting behemoth that was Subrosa.
SUBROSA
Right from Subrosa's inception, Glen and Deon sought out Graham as the perfect singer/frontman for the project. Subrosa recorded their self-titled debut in 1999, mixed by GGGarth Richardson at Bryan Adams' The Warehouse Studios in Vancouver. In 2001 they released an EP. They followed this up in 2002 with the mammoth and epic 2nd album. Subrosa released their final full length album in 2005.
Subrosa “live” was a beast to behold featuring a multimedia presentation years ahead of its time. Subrosa garnered a devouted following in the Pacific Northwest and their live shows became the stuff of legend. 40 televisions flanking the stage anybody? And that was just for starters!
Subrosa hit pause in 2011 after 3 albums, 1 EP, a final single and a legacy of creativity and audacious live performances.
Subrosa is currently dormant, but like King Crimson, you never know what the future holds in store…
Crash World
After Subrosa's demise Glen took 3 years to study Jazz theory and styles and began to focus on acoustic music with an eye towards a primarily “live” musical endeavor aimed at connecting with an audience in intimate settings and through a wide variety of genres performed acoustically. When Glen ran into Graham at a Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds show in 2014 he proposed the idea of an acoustic duo. Well a year of rehearsals later, CRASH WORLD made their “live” debut on September 5, 2015. Many performances later at such venues as Guilt & Co., Ouisi Bistro, El Camino’s, Cottage Bistro, Slickity Jim’s, The Main, The Cascade, as well as a Jazz Fest 2019 appearance, CRASH WORLD have established themselves as a unique night out. History meets music, with a live radio show vibe and CRASH WORLD's growing audience have shown a hunger for more of what they're offering up. CRASH WORLD has a presentation and style that appeals to a incredibly wide age demographic. All ages indeed!
In 2022, Crash World released, "So The Story Goes" an immersive full-length debut album which showcases their multifaceted talent. Their work is wildly sincere, endlessly captivating and refreshingly accessible to all. Progressive Canadiana is one way to describe Crash World as they cover a lot of musical ground both in terms of songwriting and arrangements.
"So The Story Goes" has received stellar reviews from all around the world and Spotify streams are closing in on 340K.
And Crash World returned to the stage in 2022 to support the album and continued performing regularly throughout 2023 where they shared songs from "So The Story Goes" and so much more to wildly enthusiastic audiences!
In April of 2023 Crash World released the brand new stand-alone single and video, "Cup Of Coffee".
The song is about our human connection, the face-to-face connection and how beautiful it can be. Nobody said it was easy, but it is so important for us all.
And coffee is a very common age-old component of connecting. A common ground for humanity.
It can be one of the binding elements in a relationship..."Remember, we met over coffee?" or "Remember we used to meet at the little coffee shop on the corner?"
"Cup Of Coffee" is uplifting, optimistic, and in this chaotic world and life, as we all lean on each other, it’s a reminder that we're all in this together.
So, for every relationship that’s been started, ended or mended over coffee...this one's for you.
In November of 2023 Crash World released their first ever Christmas song, “Ol' Christmas Mission”.
"Ol' Christmas Mission" plays into our collective desire to make Christmas "special". These feelings are often based on our early, youthful Christmas experiences. Throughout life the pressure to make Christmas "wonderful" can be a lot to manage. So the lyrics slide through the years and touch on different times of life. The ol' Christmas mission of the title is about bringing something truly special back to the season and creating a warm, safe welcoming place for one and all.
A song of hope, of realizing dreams and being reunited with loved ones at Christmas. Happy Holidays from Crash World!
The North, West, South, East Remixes Project for 2024!
In the Spring of 2023, we reached out to several Hip-Hop artists in the US, regarding the idea of collaborating on 2 remixes from our album, "So The Story Goes". The idea was enthusiastically received as we were already fans of each others work.
Here's how the project came to life:
During an Instagram conversation between Glen and Tha IronMantis, an established Rap artist from San Francisco with a huge catalogue of releases of the highest caliber, in which they were extolling their mutual love of each others work, Glen asked if he would have any interest in working on a remix of “Third Time’s The Charm”. Tha IronMantis was intrigued and excited by the idea and the project was born.
Empowered by the enthusiasm from the West Coast, Glen then reached out the East Coast. Glen met Trav Da Poet, a Hip-Hop, Spoken-Word, Rap artist from NYC on a Ten10 podcast in 2022, and immediately fell in love with his extraordinary talent and deeply socially conscious work. Like his West Coast counterpart, Trav Da Poet is truly an artist of the highest order. Glen presented his idea for a possible collaboration on “Before & After” (also from “So The Story Goes”) and the creative blood began pumping.
Through a collaborative collective called Slaps Family, Tha IronMantis connected with Justin JPaul Miller, from Arlington, TX, the co-owner of Lava Beat Productions whose mantra is “making dope beats with arrangements that will tell an amazing story!” and the beats he built brought a truly special touch to the collaboration.
The final member of the team was Brutha Maintain, a brilliant San Francisco Rap artist and colleague of Tha IronMantis, the two having collaborated on several earlier works together.
So we all got down to work, and the results are truly beautiful, extremely unique and incredibly special. Inspired by each other and love of the collaborative process, Crash World and all of these amazing artists have crossed genres and borders to bring something socially relevant and deeply inspiring to fruition.
Welcome to The North, West, South, East Remixes!
Two tracks that have been reinvented and through the collaborative process have achieved something truly special.
Standing on the shoulders of giants such as Nas, OutKast, Gil Scott-Heron, De La Soul & Damian Marley we are incredibly proud of this project, and now it’s time for you to hear it for yourselves…
One love,
Crash World (NORTH – Vancouver, BC)
Tha IronMantis (WEST – San Francisco, CA)
Brutha Maintain (WEST – San Francisco, CA)
Justin JPaul Miller (SOUTH - Arlington, TX)
Trav Da Poet (EAST – New York City, NY)
The first single, "Third Time's The Charm" [Remix] (feat. Tha IronMantis, Brutha Maintain & Justin JPaul Miller) was released on February 2, 2024.
and the second single, "Before & After" [Remix] (feat. Trav Da Poet, Tha IronMantis & Justin JPaul Miller) was released on March 1, 2024.
We can't wait for you to hear this beautiful work.
On June 7, 2024, Crash World released a brand new single for summer, "Pauline".
It has been said that love makes the world go ‘round.
And while this may be true, there are rare, profound loves that come into our lives and burn so brightly that we're thankful we even had the opportunity.
Like grabbing onto a blazing comet and hanging on for dear life. They leave an indelible mark full of glorious moments and we know we were forever changed for the better.
They are forever, the one…
“Pauline” is the perfect addition to summer playlists and includes and accompanying Deluxe Lyric Video!
On February 18, 2025 "Mysticism Blues" hits the streets!
“Mysticism Blues” brings all things Crash World together under one musical roof. This song represents the eclectic sound of Crash World and we just might consider it our signature song.
It is rooted in the blues but bends the form beyond the traditional and ventures into the creative ether. Lyrically it is a nod to Bob Dylan and Tom Waits, but channels many other artists that have influenced our sound.
Its message may be to live in the moment and appreciate life.
Or, just maybe there is a deeper meaning. It's up to you.
Accompanying the single is "Mysticism Blues" Deluxe Lyric Video.
2026 will be a big year for Crash World. There will be multiple singles and videos for brand new Crash World songs.
The first of these singles is “Promise” released on January 16, 2026.
Promise is an introspective song that deals in the self reflections of a wounded soul.
In a time when so many people are walking wounded through their lives trying to manage the challenges of mental illnesses to varying degrees, it seemed poignant to hear from the struggling individuals perspective.
These people know it effects their loved ones but may be powerless to change the road in front of them.
These are strange times and we all need to front with empathy.
“Promise” is available everywhere you watch & listen to the music you love!
The second of these singles, “Devil's Right Hand” was released on May 29, 2026.
Devil's Right Hand is a journey through cold war and clandestine themes. Espionage, spies and their tradecraft are the stuff of John le Carré books, Hollywood films and our own vivid imaginations.
Sometimes we forget that these things really happened and continue to happen today. Shadowy figures lurk around corners and behind smokescreens and false identities.
Are they relics or relevant? Where does the truth lie as we pull back the curtain on their dark machinations?
“Devil's Right Hand” is available everywhere you watch & listen to the music you love!