About

Hailing from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Crank Stallion is a boundary-pushing trio that thrives in the spaces between genres. Seamlessly blending the chaotic brilliance of avant-garde rock with the groove-laden textures of Jazz, Cuban, funk, 90's Hip Hop, and Psychedelia, the band conjures sonic landscapes that defy time and expectation. Their sound, both fiercely modern and eerily timeless, is as if Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits, Marc Ribot, and a jazz organ trio collided with Missy Elliot.

The band’s lineup—Jon Dowse, a commanding keyboard and Moog player, Wes Lambe, an 8-string hybrid guitar-bassist who holds down basslines while painting shimmering leads, and Ben Maschal a drummer whose solid break-beat-steady rhythms drive the chaos—creates a dynamic soundscape that "sounds entirely from another time without being able to ascertain if that time is the past or the future."

Jon Dowse - Keys / Bass

Ben Maschal - Drums / Bass

Wes Lambe - 8 string Guitars / Bass

Crank

krangk NOUN

A bent part of an axle or shaft or an arm keyed at right angles to the end of a shaft by which circular motion is imparted to or received from the shaft or by which reciprocating motion is changed into circular motion or vice versa

STALLION

stal·lion[ˈstalyən] NOUN

An adult male horse.

More about us!

Jon Dowse

Ben Maschal

Jon Dowse is the primary songwriter, vocalist, and keyboardist for Crank Stallion, blending his dedicated musical training with a deep, eclectic range of influences from Tom Waits, Thelonious Monk, Rubén González, to Missy Elliott and 69Boyz.

Since the late 90s, Jon has been a key member of other bands like The Astronaut Sex Pants and The Guns of El Borrach, which included musicians from The Dynamite Brothers and Grammy-winning Steep Canyon Rangers. In addition to his music, Jon is a celebrated chef, known for his creative culinary skills as much as for his musical prowess.

Ben Maschal

Ben Maschal is a multi-talented musician and craftsman based in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Starting his musical journey in the 1990s and early 2000s, Ben played mandolin with bluegrass bands, touring extensively across North Carolina. Eventually, his rhythmic sensibilities eventually returned him home to the drums, his first instrument.

For over two decades, he has been crafting and repairing guitars, blending technical expertise with an artist’s eye for detail. Today, he serves as the head luthier/owner at Pre-war Guitars and Hybrid Guitars in Hillsborough, where his craftsmanship is celebrated by musicians far and wide.

www.pre-warguitars.com

www.hybrid-guitars.com

Wes Lambe

Ben Maschal

Wes Lambe

Wes Lambe is a guitarist, luthier, and longtime fixture in the Chapel Hill music scene. Since the late 90s, he’s been part of notable local projects, including The Astronaut Sex Pants and The Guns of El Borracho, which featured members of The Dynamite Brothers and Grammy-winning Steep Canyon Rangers.

Wes also builds guitars, including the ones he plays, a passion he's pursued professionally since 2000.

He currently serves as the head luthier/owner at Pre-war Guitars and Hybrid Guitars in Hillsborough, NC, where his skill and attention to detail have earned him respect among musicians and craftsmen alike.