David Crosby on 'freedom' of solo career

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By ( Classic Rock ) published

David Crosby admits he got "tired" of going through the motions in previous bands, as he prepares to release 5th solo album Lighthouse

David Crosby
David Crosby (Image credit: Getty)

David Crosby says there’s a “freedom” to having a solo career which he didn’t experience when he was in his previous bands.

The singer-songwriter, who was a founding member of Crosby, Stills and Nash, says he “strongly” felt the need to carve his own path in the music industry to progress.

He tells Canoe: “There’s a freedom to going solo. I have enjoyed being in the bands I’ve been in. They’ve been good bands and they’ve been successful.

“But after a while, you get tired of it. And it kind of devolves to the point where you turn on the smoke machine and play your hits. That’s not really good enough.

“There’s no forward motion – and I need that. I need it very strongly. I need to keep making new music. And I need to feel like I’m having fun.”

He also says his forthcoming solo album Lighthouse is designed to make the listener “feel something.”

He adds: “If they don’t, all the production in the world can’t save ’em. But we were very fortunate to have written songs that do make you feel something. And we did them very simply and plainly. We didn’t try to get complex.

“This is going to sound corny too, but I feel music is a lifting force. It makes things better.”

Crosby is currently touring Canada. Lighthouse can be pre-ordered on Amazon.

In other related news, the singer’s former longtime bandmate Graham Nash recently said he wouldn’t rule out a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young return – despite that the pair have been embroiled in a bitter feud since 2013.

Lighthouse artwork

Lighthouse artwork

David Crosby Lighthouse tracklist

  1. Things We Do For Love
  2. The Us Below
  3. Drive Out To The Desert
  4. Look In Their Eyes
  5. Somebody Other Than You
  6. The City
  7. Paint You A Picture
  8. What Makes It So
  9. By The Light Of Common Day

David Crosby remaining tour dates 2016

Sep 08: Winnipeg Burton Cummings Theatre, Canada
Sep 09: Regina Casino, Canada
Sep 11: Calgary Jack Singer Concert Hall, AB
Sep 12: Edmonton Winspear Centre, Canada
Sep 14: Kelowna Community Theatre, Canada
Sep 15: Vancouver Vogue Theatre, Canada

Politics: David Crosby

Christina O'Neill

Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.