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Template:FixHTML The Crüxshadows (Pronounced as /ˈkru:ʃædoʊz/) is an independent music group from Florida. Their sound is made up of a combination of moody male vocals, electric violin, guitar, and synth. They have enjoyed a great deal of success within the New Wave, goth, and Darkwave music scenes. Centered around vocalist & songwriter Rogue, the Crüxshadows blends 80's inspired synth-pop and modern rock with poetic, introspective, and intelligent lyrics.
The band has enjoyed global popularity, releasing CDs worldwide and touring extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
For most of the band's career, they have been signed with Dancing Ferret Discs, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lyrically much of the Crüxshadows' music draws its influence and subject matter from mythology, history, and dreams. Often referred to with the acronym CXS, their motto is Live Love Be Believe.
History
The band was originally formed in 1992 by Rogue, Sean Flanagan, and Tim Curry, in Tallahassee, Florida. Their debut album, ...night crawls in, was self-released under the "Black Widow Music" label in 1993, followed by their first CD release, Telemetry of a Fallen Angel, in 1996. Telemetry earned them a fair amount of recognition and produced the band's first signature song, Marilyn, My Bitterness. In 1997 they signed a short-lived record deal with Nesak International. Flanagan and Curry left the band a few months later. Toward the end of 1997, their interests were transferred to Dancing Ferret Discs, and Telemetry became the new labels first release. Rogue assembled a new musical lineup and recorded The Mystery of the Whisper. Paradox Addendum and Until the Voices Fade... (1998-2000).
In 2000, the band released the song Deception as part of the Vampire: The Masquerade soundtrack. During that year, they began to actively promote their music in Europe, particularly Germany, and recorded Deception in a German language version titled Täuschung. They played their first tour of Europe and In 2001 they released a highlights and rarities disc under two separate titles: in Europe it was originally called Intercontinental Drift and in the USA it was titled Echoes and Artifacts. Subsequent printings on both Continents adopted the US title.
Although a U.S. band, they have enjoyed phenomenal success in Europe: after debuting at #5, the 2002 EP Tears stayed in the Deutsche Alternative Charts for 8 weeks and subsequent releases have consistently placed in the top 5. That same year they released the album Wishfire which also placed at #2 on the DAC and secured the band's popularity both in the USA and in Europe. In Late 2003, The band released Ethernaut and produced one of its most recognizable and enduring songs to date, Winterborn. In 2004 The Crüxshadows released a remix disc based on the material on the Ethernaut CD called Fortress In Flames. Both CDs featured cover art created by noted artist Chad Michael Ward.
In 2005 The band released a DVD called Shadowbox. The DVD featured a 2004 performance given to 15,000 fans at the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in Leipzig Germany and demonstrated the kind of theatrical intensity the band's concerts are known for having. It also contained several music videos, a few documentaries about the band, many extras, and an additional audio CD. The song "Foreverlast" was released as part of the DVD/CD combo.
Their 2006 single, "Sophia", made its debut on the Billboard Charts in the issue dated September 23, 2006. "Sophia" debuted at #1 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart, replacing Beyoncé in the top spot. At the same time, it placed at #7 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart. On both charts, "Sophia" was the highest-ranking debut entry that week. The release of "Sophia" coincided with the band's performance at 2006's Dragon*Con. In an interview on the Dragon Con website, Rogue credits much of the single's success to that performance. Sophia remained in the charts for 19 weeks, including a re-entry almost a year later. In 2007 The Crüxshadows released the long anticipated Dreamcypher, followed by a second single, Birthday. Birthday debuted at #1 on the Billboard Dance Singles Sales Chart and was the #2 selling single of any genre in the entire country that week , second only to the single from High School Musical 2
The band toured China in May of 2007, and became the first goth band ever to perform at an open-air festival in China. This performance took place during the MIDI Festival and was covered by Chinese television and print media .
The band's sales are strong on both sides of the Atlantic and their music remains a staple of club dance floors worldwide. In Germany, they have appeared on several TV shows and on the covers of a number of magazines. Their music has been used in American Television programs on VH1, MTV, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, LOGO, and ABC.
Throughout their history, the band has built a reputation as something of a touring juggernaut, averaging between 100–120 live shows per year. Their tours have thus far taken them to more than thirty countries, sometimes playing for crowds of 25,000 or more. They have also made a point to play smaller cities in the US and Europe that do not often have the chance to host live shows by major touring acts.
Touring
The band is known for extensive touring, appearing at festivals in Europe and North America annually. In 2007, they were invited to play at the Midi Festival in Beijing, China.
Discography
Albums
| Released | Title |
|---|---|
| 1993 | ...Night Crawls In |
| 1995 (original release) | Telemetry of a Fallen Angel |
| 1999 | The Mystery of the Whisper |
| 2001 | Echoes and Artifacts |
| 2002 | Wishfire |
| 2003 | Ethernaut |
| 2004 | Telemetry of a Fallen Angel (Anniversary Edition) |
| 2005 | ...Night Crawls In (Reissue) |
| 2006 | The Mystery of the Whisper & Until the Voices Fade combo pack(Reissue) |
| 2007 | DreamCypher |
EPs, Singles, DVDs, & Remix Albums
| Released | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Until the Voices Fade... | EP |
| 2000 | Paradox Addendum | EP |
| 2001 | Intercontinental Drift | |
| 2002 | Tears | EP |
| 2004 | Frozen Embers | EP |
| 2004 | Fortress In Flames | EP |
| 2005 | Shadowbox | CD+DVD |
| 2005 | Until the Voices Fade... (Reissue) | EP (combined with The Mystery of the Whisper) |
| 2006 | Sophia | EP |
| 2007 | Birthday | EP |
Chart Positions
- #1 "Sophia" – (U.S. Hot Dance Singles Sales) – Issue Date: 2006-09-23
- #7 "Sophia" – (U.S. Hot 100 Singles Sales) – Issue Date: 2006-09-23
- #1 "Birthday" - (U.S. Hot Dance Singles Sales) – Issue Date: 2007-09-22
- #2 "Birthday" – (U.S. Hot 100 Singles Sales) – Issue Date: 2007-09-22
- #2 "Sophia" – (U.S. Hot Dance Singles Sales) – Issue Date: 2007-09-22
- #23 "Sophia" – (U.S. Hot 100 Singles Sales) – Issue Date: 2007-09-22
Related Artists
References
- Allmusic guide biography
- http://www.cruxshadows.com/about.htm
- http://vampirefreaks.com/content/comment.php?entry=100&t=Rogue%2C+from+the+Cruxshadows%2C+interviewed+by+Benny+Hell Interview with Rogue of the Cruxshadows
- http://tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/ENT05/60111009/1061 International Recording Artists
- http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A22842 Pittsburgh City Paper
- http://www.darkwavelounge.com/ferret.html Interview with Patrick Rodgers of Dancing Ferret
- http://www.side-line.com/interviews_comments.php?id=22607_0_16_0_C Sideline Magazine Interview with Rogue
- http://vampirefreaks.com/content/comment.php?entry=100&t=Rogue%2C+from+the+Cruxshadows%2C+interviewed+by+Benny+Hell Interview with Rogue of the Cruxshadows
- http://www.emusic.com/artist/11606/11606018.html emusic biography
- http://www.windowsmedia.com/Mediaguide/Templates/Biography.aspx?p_id=P%20%20%20211741 Microsoft windows media guide
- http://www.darkecho.com/darkecho/archives/rodgers_ferret.html interview with Patrick Rodgers
- http://www.cruxshadows.com/music.htm
- http://www.lollipop.com/disc56/thecruxshadows.html Cruxshadows go to Europe
- http://www.shout.ru/news/news_october2004_e.htm echoes & Artifacts review
- http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/ENT05/60111009/1061
- http://www.trendcharts.de/ German Charts
- http://www.cruxshadows.com/about.htm Cruxshadows Biography
- http://www.trendcharts.de/ German Charts
- http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/60831/top_10_songs_by_the_crxshadows.html
- http://www.digitalapocalypse.com/clients.php Chad Michael Ward client list
- http://www.starvox.net/crypt/wgt2004/3.htm Cruxshadows Concert review
- http://www.amazon.com/Cruxshadows-Shadowbox/dp/B0009KFQ4G Cruxshadows Shadowbox amazon page
- http://www.cruxshadows.com/billboard.html Billboard reference PDF's
- http://www.dragoncon.org/pdfs/biz.yahoo.com_news_crux.pdf Indie Band Replaces Beyonce at Top of Billboard
- http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=361&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Dance+Singles+Sales&ci=3086426&cdi=9395405&cid=09%2F22%2F2007
- http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=361&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Dance+Singles+Sales&ci=3086426&cdi=9395403&cid=09%2F22%2F2007
- http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=353&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Singles+Sales&ci=3086435&cdi=9395844&cid=09%2F22%2F2007
- http://www.midifestival.com/stage/Main_stage/04band.htm
- http://ent.sina.com.cn/y/p/2007-05-05/10321542855.html
- http://www.cruxshadows.com/ethernaut.html
- http://www.bmi.com please note this BMI information may not be open to the public
- http://www.cruxshadows.com/tour.htm Cruxshadows tour schedule
- http://www.cruxshadows.com/about.htm Official band bio
- http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A22842 Pittsburgh City Paper
- http://web125.burns.kundenserver42.de/rockinchina/index.php?Itemid=56&id=0&option=com_content&task=blogcategory
- http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=19581_0_2_0_C Cruxshadows play Beijing, China