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Crossfade is one
of those rare rock bands that will admit how much marketing plays a role in their
songwriting. The issue arose out of the latest sound bite trend in the music industry.
Whereas in past days, a band would bristle if you suggested that they weren’t
one hundred percent revolutionary or (gasp) belonged to a genre, today it’s
commonplace for musicians to shrug and say straight out that they have no interest
in breaking new ground.
A cynic might conclude that bands are finally figuring
out that it’s no longer savvy to pretend there’s any new ground to break.
According to Crossfade bassist Mitch James, it’s a simple matter of economics.
“We played a lot of off-the-wall stuff, like System of a Down, on previous
albums,” he said. “But it wasn’t going to get us anywhere. We needed
to write music that was going to get us out of the garage.”
Crossfade’s
newest self-titled album, their debut with a major label, strongly reflects the
change in philosophy as described by James. Combining soul-screaming vocals with
pounding metallic rhythms, it’s the sort of chest-thumping rock that inspires
young girls to erupt from their seats, dainty fingers jabbing skyward.
“Sometimes,
we throw out old songs here and there onstage,” James said. “The crowd
enjoys it. First, they’re trying to figure out what it is, and then they
really tune into it.”
Crossfade’s revolutionary problems may coincide
with their place of origin, Columbia, South Carolina, a place they themselves
have often conceded is no haven for original rock.
“Venues were pretty
few and far between and the scene just didn’t support it,” James said.
“It was a lot of cover bands and popular music that everyone already knows.
It’s hard to get people interested in you, I’m not sure why that is,
but I guess it’s because it’s a small town.”
Now, over a decade
after the band first formed in the early nineties, they have a single in heavy
radio rotation, an album that’s rapidly approaching gold status, and participation
in major tours and the late-night talk-show circuit. Now that they’re armed
with industry legitimacy, will Crossfade re-release their unappreciated opuses?
“Probably not, they had their place for us and we don’t see any
need to rehash it,” James said. “Unless we’re really hard up for
cash.”
Crossfade will perform at Dayton X Fest at the Montgomery County
Fairgrounds, 1043 S. Main Street in Centerville. Other featured bands include
Seether, Papa Roach, Theory of a Deadman, Hawthorne Heights, Cold, and others.
For more information, call (937) 224-1619 or visit www.wxeg.com.
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