Crazy Town
| Crazy Town | |
|---|---|
 Crazy Town performing live in Germany | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Genres | Rap rock, nu metal, rap metal, rapcore, alternative rock, alternative metal |
| Years active | 1995–2003, 2007–present |
| Labels | Columbia Records, Suburban Noize Records |
| Website | http://www.myspace.com/cxt |
| Members | |
| Bret Mazur (a.k.a. "Epic") Seth Binzer (a.k.a. "Shifty") Kraig Tyler ("Squirrel" / "SQRL") Kyle Hollinger Doug Miller (a.k.a. "Faydoedeelay") Anthony Valli (a.k.a. "Trouble Valli") | |
| Past members | |
| Adam Goldstein (a.k.a. DJ AM) (deceased) James Bradley Jr. (a.k.a. "JBJ") Rust Epique (deceased) | |
Crazy Town is a rap rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1995 by Bret Mazur and Seth Binzer. The band is best known for their 2001 single, "Butterfly", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. As a group, they have released two studio albums, The Gift of Game and Darkhorse.
History of the band
Formation (1995–1999)
Mazur and Binzer, who go by the names of Epic and Shifty Shellshock, respectively, started collaborating together in 1995. However they did not become serious about releasing any material until much later. By early 1999, Crazy Town consisted of Mazur, Binzer, Rust Epique, James Bradley Jr., Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein (aka DJ AM), and Antonio Lorenzo "Trouble" Valli. Their debut album, The Gift of Game, was released in November 1999, having been recorded earlier that year.
The Gift of Game and "Butterfly" (1999–2001)
The release of The Gift of Game was followed by a tour support slot for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Guitarist Rust Epique left the band while the album was being mixed, and Crazy Town was joined by Kraig Tyler shortly after. The first two singles from The Gift of Game, "Toxic" and "Darkside", were released but failed to chart.
In 2000 Crazy Town was signed to tour with Ozzfest, however they were forced to withdraw after only two weeks when Binzer was arrested after he threw a chair through a window while he was drunk. Turntablist DJ AM left at this point. Crazy Town then released their third single in 2001, "Butterfly" (which uses samples from Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Pretty Little Ditty"). It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. After this DJ AM returned. Soundscan reports 100,000 album sales of The Gift of Game prior to the release of Butterfly, after Butterfly reached number 1 sales exceeded 1.5 million.
Crazy Town toured with Ozzfest in 2001, however without DJ AM. They were received with mixed reviews, many people in the Ozzfest crowd mockingly called them "The Butterfly Boys". A fourth single, "Revolving Door", was released with limited success. Crazy Town also made a cameo appearance in Sean Combs music video "Bad Boy for Life" in 2001.
Darkhorse (2001–2003)
Their second album, Darkhorse, was produced by Howard Benson and released on November 12, 2002. Benson's influence resulted in a more rock oriented sound. Prior to recording the album, drummer James Bradley Jr was replaced by Kyle Hollinger. The album achieved little commercial success, spawning only two singles: "Drowning", which became a minor hit in the US, UK, Austria and Germany, and "Hurt You So Bad", which failed to chart at all. Shortly after the release of Darkhorse the band broke up in 2003, citing amongst other things, pressure from their record company for a "Butterfly" follow-up.
Hiatus and comeback (2003-present)
During Crazy Town's hiatus, Bret Mazur went on to form The Pharmacy, a record-producing company.
Shortly after leaving Crazy Town, Rust Epique formed a band which would eventually go by the name pre)Thing. He died of a heart attack shortly before their debut album 22nd Century Lifestyle was released in 2004.
Binzer contributed vocals to Paul Oakenfold's 2002 single Starry Eyed Surprise. He released his first solo album in 2004, Happy Love Sick, under his alias Shifty Shellshock.
In late 2007, Crazy Town announced that the remaining members had reformed and were working on a new studio album, tentatively titled Crazy Town is Back, which would be released sometime in 2008. The album has yet to be released.
On August 26, 2009, Crazy Town performed at Les Deux, in Hollywood, California, on stage together for the first time in five years. The event was to promote their upcoming album and celebrate the late August birthdays of lead singers Mazur and Binzer.
On August 28, 2009, former member Adam Goldstein was found dead in his apartment, of an accidental drug overdose.
On August 7, 2010, Crazy Town played together at the festival SRH FEST 2010 in California. They played a new track titled "Come inside". At the show it was announced that Crazy Town have signed a record deal with Suburban Noize Records.
On February 15, 2011, 30 seconds of the track "Come Inside" was leaked to the internet.
Discography
Albums
Singles
References
External links
Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Town
