Cruxshadows

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One of the most popular Darkwave bands internationally, the Crüxshadows started in the early 1990's in a little town in North Florida. Over the last 15 years their success among the gothic, ebm, new wave, & dark electronic genres has earned them a near legendary underground status. The band’s dark electronic rock and introspective lyrics quickly earned them a fan base beyond the United States, particularly in Europe. With a constant and ambitious release schedule, and a dizzying live performance itinerary, they have turned conventional wisdom on it's ear & maintained their position among the scenes elite from each year to the next. They have played many hundreds of shows worldwide including concerts in Norway, Sweden, Scotland, Ireland, England, Belgium, The Netherlands, Poland, France, Hungary, The Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Canada, Spain, The United States, The People’s Republic of China, and many, many more. They were one of the first Western acts to play in Romania & Serbia following the cold war. During 2006 and 2007 they undertook a year long tour that covered North America, Europe, and even parts of Asia. The Crüxshadows were the first band from the Gothic genre to receive permission to play in China, and in 2007 they became one of only a handful of western alternative bands to perform at the Greenpeace Midi Open-air Festival in Beijing, China. In recent years they have had several alternative chart toppers in Western Europe and their festival shows have drawn audiences in excess of 20,000 people to the front of the stage during their performance. In fact in 2005, The Crüxshadows headlined the free 4-day Bochem Total festival in Germany, which drew a total attendance of just under one million people.
In the United States, the band has had two Billboard 1 hits; the late 2006 release of Sophia (1 Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales Chart, 7 Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart), and more recently in September 2007 with Birthday (1 Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales Chart, 2 Billboard Hot Singles Sales Chart). Both songs appear on the 2007 album release Dreamcypher.
A blend of new wave, gothic, pop, rock, and electronica, the band's unique and often catchy songs have become staples of the darkwave, ebm, and electro- alternative scene. Notable tracks from The Crüxshadows include Leave Me Alone (the all time highest charting "goth" song on the now defunkt mp3.com), Eurydice (it spent over 2 years in the top 10 New Wave charts of mp3.com), Deception (originally part of the Vampire the Masquerade - Music from the Succubus Club disc, it has been recorded in both English and German), Winterborn (this Sacrifice) (2 DAC*), Dragonfly (2 DAC), Tears (2 DAC), Helen, Return, Resist/r, Foreverlast (4 DAC), Monsters (2 DAC), & of course the legendary Marilyn, My Bitterness (2 DAC).
The band's uniqueness transcends the realm of dance or club music. The rich and romantic flavor of the electric violin, mixed with crunchy and sometimes biting guitar lines, gives the Crüxshadows a wide berth of musical possibilities. This is juxtaposed with the cold digital world of electronic textures and synthesis associated often with synth-pop and EBM. Add the moody musings of front man, composer, founder, and lead singer Rogue, and you have a guarantee that this band is anything but typical. Songs by The Crüxshadows are immediately recognizable. Lyrically, they draw heavily from ancient mythology, and tend to focus on themes of responsibility, loyalty, passion and faith. The band’s motto is “Live, love, be, believe,” and it serves as a reminder that while The Crüxshadows may write catchy songs, the band has depth that extends beyond the dance floor.
That depth has earned the band many fans among the literary crowd, including notables Caitlin Kiernan, John Ringo, and New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman. The Crüxshadows wrote a song based on Gaiman’s movie, Mirror Mask called Wake the White Queen, which Gaiman included on his CD, Where’s Neil When You Need Him? With over 14 CDs, a DVD, and more compilation appearances than you can count, The Crüxshadows have made themselves synonymous with a new breed of electro-goth music. Their energy and intensity on stage led them to be called "the best live band in Europe today" by the host of Hamburg's popular Crazy Clip Show and their performances have been aired regularly on German national television. Songs by The Cruxshadows have appeared on ABC World News, National Geographic Television, The Style Channel, MTV and many others including some in Europe and Asia. In 2005 The Crüxshadows was voted the 5 best band in the EBM, Darkwave, Gothic, & Industrial scene (all time) in a recent international poll hosted by the Wave Gothic Treffen in Germany. If you have an opportunity to see them live, don't pass it up. Known for their theatrical, yet sincere, impassioned, and exciting performances, The Crüxshadows are indeed one of a kind.
Over their 15 year history, The Crüxshadows have performed with a broad range of bands including some notables like The Cure, Bjork, Ladytron, Apoptygma Berzerk, Placebo, Sisters of Mercy, Skinny Puppy, VNV Nation, Mesh, Bad Religion, Clan of Xymox, Tool, The Jesus & Mary Chain, 69 Eyes, Covenant, Project Pitchfork, and many, many more.
Current band members are: Rogue (vocals, songwriting, programming, lyrics, keyboard programming, some violin, front man), Valerie Gentile (guitars), Jen Jawidzik (AKA Pyromantic - keyboards / back-up vocals), David Wood (violins), and JoHanna Moresco (violins). Current dancers are Jessica Lackey and Sarah Kilgore (dancer / back-up vocals).
Following the 2007 DreamCypher Tour, Rachel McDonnell (violin and some keyboards) retired from the band. Other Former members & dancers include: George Bikos (former guitar player), Chris Brantley (former keyboards), Stacey Campbell (former guitar player), Sean Flanagan (former keyboard player), Tim Curry (former guitar player), Trevor Brown (former keyboard player), Kevin Page (former guitar player), Sarah Poulos (former singer/ dancer), Rachel Ulrich (former dancer), Beth Allen (former dancer), Holly McCall (former dancer), Roo Smith (former dancer), & Liz Repass (former dancer).
The Crüxshadows @ Greenpeace MIDI Festival
Beijing, China. May 4, 2007
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