According to the "German Dictionary" of the Brothers Grimm, "Gebrösel" or "Brösel" in the Lower Rhine refers to vegetables cooked in a mess. However, the name of the folk herb prog-whatever-you-can-get formation Crumble Machine, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018 with the box set "It Was 50 Years Ago Today", owes its name to a cannabis crusher. After the Duisburg cult band had only given concerts sporadically between 1985 and 2005, they have been much more active again in recent years and with "Elegy" 2019 they have presented perhaps the strongest work in their long history.
Peter Bursch, known through his books as the "Guitar Teacher of the Nation", is the last remaining founding member of the Breadcrumb Machine, which was founded in 1968. In the interview he talks about the band's latest activities and the joys of age.
eclipsed: There are only two years between the two studio albums "Indian Camel" and "Elegy", yet the musical direction is quite different.
Peter Bursch: The band has grown together more and more over the years, we rehearse more and jam a lot out of pure fun and joy. The atmosphere within the group is just wonderful, also and especially because so many different characters meet each other.
eclipsed: Stella Tonon has been your front woman for about a year. How much influence does she have on the band?
Bursch: First of all, Stella is a really great appearance. Her father is Italian, her mother Portuguese. A lot of southern European blood flows through her veins, which is noticeable in her stage appearances, she moves sensationally. Stella had her second baby this summer, but now she is fully in our service. (laughs) Regardless: Stella may be in the foreground on stage because she's the singer, but she's a band member like all the others - albeit a very curious one, who is getting more and more into the crumb machine universe.
eclipsed: Did the anniversary last year lead to the resurrection of the group?
Bursch: I would not speak of a break or even a new beginning. We just recently became a real band again under our old name and have a lot of fun creating new stuff together. This collective concept has always been the hallmark of the crumbling machine.
