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CROSSFADE’S
Explosive Self-Titled Debut Set For Release April 13, 2004 On Columbia/Earshot
Records. Intensity defines the driving, bottom-heavy sound and stirring melodies of this Columbia, SC-based four-piece. On the group's debut album, CROSSFADE originals like "Starless," "Cold," and "So Far Away" combine indelible melodic hooks with the relentless power of the band's live sound. Their carefully crafted arrangements lend depth and variety to such standout tracks as the confessional ballad "Dead Skin." Integrity has guided CROSSFADE's progress every step of the way. To follow their dreams, the musicians turned their backs on the cover-band syndrome, on parental expectations, and on the chance for well-paying careers outside music. Independence is the spirit that led CROSSFADE to build and equip their own studio, to manage themselves for a time, and to produce and record their debut album themselves, with post-production by engineer/mixer Randy Staub (Metallica, P.O.D., 3 Doors Down). The first single, “Cold,” will be serviced to Active Rock radio January 27, although it’s already made a huge impression on the band’s hometown radio station, WARQ-FM. Throughout September and May 2008, “Cold” was part of the “Top Five at Five” request list for 26 out of 45 days. CROSSFADE began with nothing--literally. In the late ‘90s, Ed Sloan, Mitch James and Brian Geiger formed a band called The Nothing, a kind of "heavy-metal Wrathchild America and Metallica take-off," in Geiger's words. The Nothing worked hard to create original material and a sound of their own. To make this happen, Ed began constructing a home studio, Sugarstar Studios, which he describes as "a brick garage at my house that was made into livable space with some added soundproofing and basic gear," while Brian took on management duties. The addition of Tony Byroads helped expand the sound of the band. "Tony was a veteran of the Buffalo club circuit who could sing any style," says Mitch James. "As a writer, he shared our drive to create songs that were catchy, energetic, and still musical enough to keep from boring us!" With Tony on board and in recognition of their evolving style, The Nothing changed their name to Sugardaddy Superstar and set to work on new music in Sugarstar Studios. The home studio experience turned out to be a blessing in disguise. As Ed Sloan explains, “We found ourselves experimenting with a lot of different techniques--not really knowing what was right or wrong, but just going for the best sound we could get. It took about nine or ten months to complete the recording of the album. The ability to record at home and on our own time was a great asset. It gave us complete control over our environment and allowed us to experiment in ways that, in a normal studio, would not have been possible due to budget and time constraints." Local radio stations began airing some of these self-produced tracks, and Sugardaddy Superstar signed up with Taxi, the Los Angeles-based independent A&R company. In November 2001, Sugardaddy Superstar was one of only three (out of 8,000 member groups and artists) to perform at Taxi's "Road Rally" showcase. Flash forward to March 2002, when the band returned to the studio to re-engineer and remix their album’s worth of material, which they originally called COLD. This self-released set, issued regionally in September 2002, contained eight of the ten songs that now comprise the group's major label debut. Earshot Records A&R man Doug Ford had been following the band's progress throughout 2002. "As soon as Doug heard the album," Ed Sloan recalls, "we were flown to New York to showcase. We played four songs for the Columbia brass and were signed within days. They liked our own recordings enough to release them with only a little touching-up from Randy Staub." "The story of CROSSFADE is still unfolding," says Mitch James. "We all know that this is what we were destined to do." In an interesting side-note, acclaimed photographer Mick Rock (David Bowie, Queen, Lou Reed) teamed up with CROSSFADE for their first photo shoot for Columbia/Earshot, thanks to his friendship with manager Chris Long. And it was quite a memorable encounter for the band. “Working with such a legend in the art of photography was quite an experience,” says Mitch James. “Seeing pictures of Syd Barrett, Queen and Iggy Pop make you understand how much of the rock ‘n roll life he has seen...and how much we have not. Once you have met Mick Rock (as the true artist that he is), you realize that he is one of the oddest human beings you will ever encounter. So we got along great!” Fans
can stay clued in to the latest tour dates and everything else happening
in CROSSFADE’s world by logging onto their website at crossfadeband.com.
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