Crazy Town
Encyclopedia
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 US Billboard Hot 100
chart. As a group, they have released two studio albums, The Gift of Game
and Darkhorse
.
, 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.
. 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.
, 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.
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.
After Crazytown; Kraig Tyler joined up with Eric Powell a form the side project of "16volt". "Ringer" and their 2005 release which wasn't a big enough hit to become a mass marketed album. They titled their CD "Pink Bunnies and Spider Bites" with songs such as "Ok Ok", "Angel Wings", and "You Are". Only Die Hard fans of Eric Powell's unique style followed him through bands like "Ringer", "Graphic" (one song release), and "H3llb3nt" (aka Hellbent).
In late 2007, Crazytown 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 not been 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".
On February 15, 2011, 30 seconds of the track "Come Inside" was leaked to the internet.
On October 1, 2011, a new song called "My Place" was uploaded to YouTube.
Rap rock
Rap rock is a cross-genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock is often confused with rap metal and rapcore, subgenres that include heavy metal-oriented and hardcore punk-oriented bands, respectively....
band formed in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1995 by Bret Mazur
Epic Mazur
Epic Mazur is an American vocalist, rapper, and record producer. He is best known as a founder and frontman of Crazy Town.-Early life:...
and Seth Binzer. The band is best known for their 2001 single, "Butterfly
Butterfly (Crazy Town song)
"Butterfly" is a rap rock song by Crazy Town from their album The Gift of Game that was released in January 2001. It reached No. 1 in 15 countries, including the Billboard Hot 100.-Song information:...
", which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart. As a group, they have released two studio albums, The Gift of Game
The Gift of Game
-Certifications:-Singles:-Personnel:*Bret Mazur – vocals, keyboard*Shifty Shellshock – vocals*DJ AM – turntables*James Bradley Jr. – drums*Rust Epique – guitar*Anthony Valli – guitar*Doug Miller – bass*Troy Van Leeuwen - Guitar on "Darkside"...
and Darkhorse
Darkhorse
Darkhorse is Los Angeles based band Crazy Town's second album, released on November 12, 2002.The album peaked at No. 120 on the Billboard 200 and No. 164 in the UK. It was released without any touring or promoting, Crazy Town simply floated their second album into stores...
.
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 EpiqueRust Epique
Charles Lopez better known by his stage name Rust Epique, was an American guitarist and painter, who gained fame while performing with the bands Crazy Town and pre)Thing. A native Californian, he was also well known for his enthusiastic rock star lifestyle.-Biography:Epique was born in Stockton,...
, James Bradley Jr., Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein
Adam Goldstein
Adam Michael Goldstein was an American DJ, remixer, record producer and musician better known as DJ AM. Goldstein was a member of the rock band Crazy Town, co-owner of a management company called Deckstar and worked on albums for Papa Roach, Madonna and Will Smith, among others...
(aka DJ AM), and Antonio Lorenzo "Trouble" Valli. Their debut album, The Gift of Game
The Gift of Game
-Certifications:-Singles:-Personnel:*Bret Mazur – vocals, keyboard*Shifty Shellshock – vocals*DJ AM – turntables*James Bradley Jr. – drums*Rust Epique – guitar*Anthony Valli – guitar*Doug Miller – bass*Troy Van Leeuwen - Guitar on "Darkside"...
, 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 PeppersRed Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
. 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
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
, 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
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
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
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
music video "Bad Boy for Life" in 2001.
Darkhorse (2001–2003)
Their second album, DarkhorseDarkhorse
Darkhorse is Los Angeles based band Crazy Town's second album, released on November 12, 2002.The album peaked at No. 120 on the Billboard 200 and No. 164 in the UK. It was released without any touring or promoting, Crazy Town simply floated their second album into stores...
, was produced by Howard Benson
Howard Benson
Howard Benson is a two-time Grammy-nominated music producer and aerospace engineer.-Biography:Howard Benson has a degree in materials engineering from Drexel University and studied composition at the Philadelphia College for Performing Arts. Later he worked for Garrett AiResearch, where he worked...
and released on November 12, 2002. Benson's influence resulted in a more rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
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
Drowning (Crazy Town song)
"Drowning" is the first single from Crazy Town's second album, Darkhorse, and fifth released single in total. The song was written by Crazy Town and peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and No. 50 in the UK. The music video was directed by The Malloys.-Track listing: Australia...
", 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.
Side Projects, CXT back, and More (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
Pre)Thing
pre)Thing was a rock band fronted by former Crazy Town member Rust Epique. Signed to V2 Records, the group released one demo and one major-label record, which came out after the lead singer's death in 2004.-History:...
. He died of a heart attack shortly before their debut album 22nd Century Lifestyle
22nd Century Lifestyle
- Personnel :* Rust Epique – vocals, guitar* Bob Vaughan – bass* Ted Barakat – drums* Ayo Adeyemi – percussion* Biff Wilson – background vocals* Brian Virtue – producer* Will Blochinger – Photographer...
was released in 2004.
Binzer contributed vocals to Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
's 2002 single Starry Eyed Surprise. He released his first solo album in 2004, Happy Love Sick
Happy Love Sick
-Leftover tracks and B-sides:-Singles:...
, under his alias Shifty Shellshock.
After Crazytown; Kraig Tyler joined up with Eric Powell a form the side project of "16volt". "Ringer" and their 2005 release which wasn't a big enough hit to become a mass marketed album. They titled their CD "Pink Bunnies and Spider Bites" with songs such as "Ok Ok", "Angel Wings", and "You Are". Only Die Hard fans of Eric Powell's unique style followed him through bands like "Ringer", "Graphic" (one song release), and "H3llb3nt" (aka Hellbent).
In late 2007, Crazytown 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 not been 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
Adam Goldstein
Adam Michael Goldstein was an American DJ, remixer, record producer and musician better known as DJ AM. Goldstein was a member of the rock band Crazy Town, co-owner of a management company called Deckstar and worked on albums for Papa Roach, Madonna and Will Smith, among others...
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".
On February 15, 2011, 30 seconds of the track "Come Inside" was leaked to the internet.
On October 1, 2011, a new song called "My Place" was uploaded to YouTube.
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
CAN Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
AUT Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
CHE Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
NLD |
NZ |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
||||||
| 1999 | The Gift of Game The Gift of Game -Certifications:-Singles:-Personnel:*Bret Mazur – vocals, keyboard*Shifty Shellshock – vocals*DJ AM – turntables*James Bradley Jr. – drums*Rust Epique – guitar*Anthony Valli – guitar*Doug Miller – bass*Troy Van Leeuwen - Guitar on "Darkside"...
|
9 | 7 | 27 | 4 | 11 | 133 | 6 | 40 | 10 | 15 |
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... : Platinum Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... : Gold Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... : Platinum British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... : Silver |
|||
| 2002 | Darkhorse Darkhorse Darkhorse is Los Angeles based band Crazy Town's second album, released on November 12, 2002.The album peaked at No. 120 on the Billboard 200 and No. 164 in the UK. It was released without any touring or promoting, Crazy Town simply floated their second album into stores... |
120 | — | — | — | 90 | 139 | 52 | — | — | 164 | ||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Alt. |
US Main. |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
AUT |
CAN Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
CHE |
GER |
NLD |
SWE Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||||
| 1999 | "Toxic" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Gift of Game | ||
| 2000 | "Darkside" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2001 | "Butterfly Butterfly (Crazy Town song) "Butterfly" is a rap rock song by Crazy Town from their album The Gift of Game that was released in January 2001. It reached No. 1 in 15 countries, including the Billboard Hot 100.-Song information:... " |
1 | 1 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 3 | |||
| "Revolving Door" | — | — | — | 75 | 29 | — | 43 | 26 | 71 | 46 | 23 | ||||
| 2002 | "Drowning Drowning (Crazy Town song) "Drowning" is the first single from Crazy Town's second album, Darkhorse, and fifth released single in total. The song was written by Crazy Town and peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and No. 50 in the UK. The music video was directed by The Malloys.-Track listing: Australia... " |
— | 24 | 24 | — | 45 | — | — | 45 | — | — | 50 | Darkhorse | ||
| 2003 | "Hurt You So Bad" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||||||||