On Saturday, January 10th, 2026, I had the awesome opportunity of photographing local PA legend Willy Blaze and the Bad News Crew after their first show of the year hosted at Mickey’s Black Box. Shortly following, I met up with Willy Blaze to really get to know him and talk about his bandmates. Willy Blaze and the Bad News Crew is a newly rising group of country-hard/rock bandits whose roots stem from a combination of Pennsylvania, Kentucky, & Louisiana. As a primary hardcore genre fan, it actually came as a total shock to learn that the lead singer, Willy Blaze, was originally in a hardcore band named (Sp)lit, who just recently played their very last show (easily one of the craziest shows I’ve been to, by the way—you can still find their music on YouTube). Willy Blaze has a steady hold within the outlaw community with one of the most loyal fanbases that I’ve ever mingled with. They recently released a new song with Sammy Sno titled “On My Own”—which easily throws you back to that early 2000s rock era, with catchy rap and harsh vocals all twisted in-between.
Taylor from MSM: Alrighty, let’s get started. What was your initial inspiration behind Willy Blaze & BNC?
Willy Blaze: I think coming from, I’ve spent so many years in the heavy music scene—and I don’t regret a second of my time over there, but I put out a song in 2020 called Rain Comes Falling (it’s a hip hop song), and the response from my people was overwhelming in regard to how it made them feel. It was such an emotionally driven song, and I spent so many years of my life just playing caveman music for people to beat each other up to. So after having done something with substance, it really hit me like a ton of bricks; I really think I like how that feels a little more. And I’ve always been such a fan of other styles of music that I just wanted to do something that felt like me in a nutshell—something that was heavy but also catchy, with elements of country. You know, I feel like that’s me.
Taylor from MSM: When and where did your career as a musician start?
Willy Blaze: I mean, I played like little high school gigs here and there, but the first band that I ever did any kind of touring with was a band called Your Nightmare Awaits (it was a death metal band), and it was 2007—so the first tour I ever went on was in 2008. Coming up on 20 years, and I have pretty consistently throughout that time played in bands and toured in just about every single one of them. So, this has been a long time coming kind of thing. That’s where I would say it all started.
Taylor from MSM: Would you be able to give us a list of all of the members in the band?
Willy Blaze: Of course, we have myself (Willy Blaze), Grasshopper on guitar, Sweetness on bass, and Ammo on drums.
Taylor from MSM: Who would you say is the most chaotic in the band?
Willy Blaze: I would want to say Sweetness (our bass player) because of his sense of humor, but it’s 1000% Grasshopper (on guitar) just because that’s the way he lives. He is like that little brother, so much so that you feel like sometimes you have a permanent hand mark on your face just from facepalming. He finds my last nerve and gets on it.
Taylor from MSM: What’s your favorite song to play live?
Willy Blaze: I know that this feels like a cop-out because I truly do love all of my music, but as of right now—I would have to say the "You Oughta Know" cover that we do because it’s such a familiar song to the audience, and we end our set with it. Or I would have to say our song, Pennsylvania.
Taylor from MSM: So, following up on that—if the Bad News Crew had an opportunity to collaborate with any artist—dead or alive—who would it be?
Willy Blaze: This is a loaded one because I feel like there are so many, but I think being able to do that collab on You Oughta Know with Alanis—that would be amazing. Obviously, as someone who is such a fan of this heavy but also catchy music, I would love to at one point in time cross Sevendust. But also too, I think it would be amazing because as much of a hard rock/metal band as we are, we still do have that element of country. So, I would love to do something with Brantley Gilbert—you know, a country artist that has that edge. I’ll even go as far as (with representing the 717) saying Warren Zeiders. That would be really cool, being from Central Pennsylvania.
Taylor from MSM: You mentioned that this is your only hometown show of the year; where can others expect to see you this year?
Willy Blaze: We have some tour dates in the works for the summer. The goal by the end of 2026 is to be on the road full-time.
Taylor from MSM: Okay, now for the important questions—what’s the one thing you’d take along with you to a desert island?
Willy Blaze: I’m a country boy, so some kind of blade or form of protection—rope.
Taylor from MSM: Any favorite movies?
Willy Blaze: I do love a good action-packed movie—and I’m a sucker for comedy too. But often things that have to do with music, like the Blues Brothers, are some of my favorite movies. But again, as an outlaw biker and a country boy, anything that’s gritty and in our world setting—like Lawless and those types of movies. But listen, I do love a good romantic comedy too, I’m not going to lie!
Taylor from MSM: Last question, sadly. What’s your favorite thing about performing?
Willy Blaze: I don’t have much of an ego at all. I like to think that I’m a very humble and also modest person. I don’t necessarily go out to draw much attention to myself, which is saying a lot for someone that looks like what I do. With that said, it’s more so the notion of writing what I do and being in a room full of people who all agree that that song is amazing. And being able to do this thing and essentially serve it to them as a show of gratitude for their appreciation of the song. There are lots of feelings in the world—like riding your bike at high speeds down a beautiful back mountain road and feeling that wind in your face. The touch of a companion—seeing your kids smile. All of those feelings are unmatched in and of themselves. And the same applies to being on stage in a room full of people, whether it’s 5 or 5,000, who are passionately singing to this music that you worked so hard for.
Keep up with Willy Blaze and the Bad News Crew on social media:
Instagram / Tiktok / Youtube / Spotify / Apple Music
