It's the loudest ship in the sea. Photo by Amy Harris

Crobot is everything that is right about hard rock, pushing the limits with its music and high-energy shows. The bearded group is definitely in demand on the festival and touring circuit, going on the road this year with Anthrax and Black Label Society. Crobot feels just as comfortable in  small clubs as it does in front of 20,000 in the blazing sun of a festival crowd. So the group will definitely be in its comfort zone on the deck of Motörboat Cruise, known as the loudest ship in the sea, leaving Miami on September 28.

We caught up with lead singer Brandon Yeagley before he and the rest of Crobot set sail for what — Yeagley promises — will be an experience unlike any other in the Caribbean as his band performs alongside headliners Anthrax and Motörhead, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

New Times: What are you most looking forward to with Motörboat this year?
Brandon Yeagley: The lineup is incredible this year. The return of Pepper (Keenan) with Corrosion of Conformity is definitely one of the things I am looking forward to seeing most on the boat. Also the fact that we are going to be winding down a few months on the road, so I try to take it easy. I am saving my drinking and debauchery for that week on Motörboat.

I was on ShipRocked this year with you guys. Will Jake be in his bathrobe the entire cruise again?
I think so. I think he is going to try to set that precedent and maintain the robe status. Maybe he will try out a different color — who knows? But I am sure he will definitely be rocking the robe at some point.

I am sure it is hard for some bands to be in the cruise ship environments, but you guys were out and about with the fans the entire time having a great time. Why is that so important for you?
I think that is one of the things we hold on to as a band in general. The fans are there and why would you not want to totally submerge yourself into everything there is to do on the boat with so many bands playing and activities happening all the time. There are so many great people aboard. Unless you are secluding yourself to your cabin, you are definitely going to have a lot of fun, maybe a little too much fun sometimes. That is what it is all about. That is why we do this. If we didn’t have any fans then we would still be practicing in the garage. It is just as important as the music to interact with the fans because we are just dudes that like to play music. 

You guys have been out with some really big bands all year. You have been on the road with Anthrax, Volbeat, Black Label Society and many more. What has been your craziest tour story this year?
It all seems like a blur honestly. We have been to 20 different countries this year, all of which we have never seen before. That, in itself, is crazy. We had a night in Hamburg, Germany, that got pretty crazy. I lost my leather jacket that night. I lost my keys. Bishop broke his glasses while an entire bar was singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” at the top of their lungs. We learned a few German words too. The Germans were a little standoffish about it. We learned how to say group sex in German and that’s all we knew how to say. We were all over the streets of Hamburg screaming “Group sex” and it’s one of the highlights.

The band has been working on new music. Can you tell us about any of it yet?
We just finished having two and a half weeks off which is a lot for us. So we spent it locked up in the writing shed working on new tunes. The new stuff is definitely darker but it’s funkier at the same time. I think Crobot fans are going to be happy with what is coming out of the writing shed. We have also been playing new material at the shows as well. I’m sure we will have more new material for Motorboat and it is a continuation of “Something Supernatural.” Being in the studio with Machine and being around him and working with him helped us evolve as a band. I think the new stuff is the strongest stuff we have ever written. I know you probably have heard that so many times from so many artists but I think that will stand true when we go back into the studio and make this second record. Like I said it is heavier and funkier and that is what we are all about. That is what we want to hold onto. It is a continuation of the Crobot spectrum.

I love your live set. I just recently saw you guys again at Rock on the Range. You get crazy on stage, jump on top of each other, and just have a really good time. Have you gotten hurt or has anybody had any injuries as a result of this?
Not as many as you would think for how many shows we play a year. We don’t hurt each other too much. One of the first times we played Bishop does his guitar spin, and I was hit with the head stop of his guitar and it split me open pretty good. We had a show in New Jersey, a place called the Wonder Bar, and he was coming up with his guitar head as I was going down and he caught the back of my head somehow and put a pretty big gash in my head and there’s still a nice size lump there today. That is probably the worst that has happened outside of us slipping on the elements. I think it was Rocklahoma, there was a little bit of water on the stage from the rain and I won’t point any fingers at anybody but one of us fell down and went boom-boom.

Motörboat Cruise with Motörhead, Anthrax, Crobot, and more. September 28 through October 2. Cabins cost $749 to $1,149 plus fees. Call 877-438-9438, or visit motorheadcruise.com.