Kris Kross in NYC - 1992
Photo: Steve Eichner/WireImage

When it comes to high-profile band reunions, 2007 was one heck of a year. There were the unexpected returns of rock giants like Rage Against the Machine, Led Zeppelin, the Police, Van Halen, the Sex Pistols, Genesis, and the Jesus and Mary Chain. For pop fans, there was, er, the Spice Girls. And metal fans rejoiced at the announcements of Carcass' and At the Gates' respective reunions. But there were a number of quieter reunions that happened in '07 that probably had at least a couple of fans, somewhere, smiling.

10. Squirrel Nut Zippers
The swing band responsible for "Hell," that infectious little number from 1996's Hot, announced early this year through their MySpace blog that they'd tour, with several of the band's founding members returning to the fold. The group performed gigs throughout the U.S. and Canada during the spring and summer, and the Zippers plan to record a new album for release in 2008.

9. Finch
The emo rockers broke up in 2006, claiming their "individual priorities lie in different places," but re-formed in 2007 for a couple of West Coast gigs. They're also booked for the 2008 Bamboozle festival, along with Chiodos and Mindless Self Indulgence.

8. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
They've been on hiatus since 2003, but in 2007, the kings of ska-core returned, announcing that they'd be performing together for the first time in four years at the 10th annual Hometown Throwdown at Cambridge, Massachusetts' famed Middle East club on December 26-30. While the band hasn't elaborated on its future plans, it has tracked three new songs that will be released on a forthcoming rarities and B-sides collection called Medium Rare.

7. Aqua
Those Danish-Norwegian dance-poppers, responsible for 1997's "Barbie Girl," announced in October that they had reunited for a 25-concert tour, set to commence in summer 2008. They've even threatened to release a "best-of" collection sometime late next year.

6. Crazy Town
The dudes who rocked 2001's "Butterfly" mended fences in 2007 and will release a new album in 2008. Frontman Seth Binzer also revealed that he's working on another album, Crazy Town Is Back, which will include the cuts "Hit That Switch" and "Hard to Get."

5. White Lion
Heavy-metal dinosaurs White Lion re-formed, again, in 2007, for a spate of reunion gigs in New York. The band is said to be crafting a new album, called Return of the Pride, and was one of the major draws for this year's Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma, alongside Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer.

4. Eve 6
Following a three-year break, Eve 6 got back together and started writing material for a new album. No word yet on when it will be available, but the band did perform October 20 at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. A handful of other shows have also been scheduled.

3. EMF
The British dance-rock combo, best known for their hit song "Unbelievable," got back together in 2007, giving EMF fans, er, "what [they've] been waiting for," according to a statement. The guys are set to perform in London on December 18 — whether they've got another album up their sleeves remains to be seen.

2. Extreme
The New England rockers responsible for the massive (in 1991, anyway) acoustic ballad "More Than Words" recently announced that they'll head out for a world trek in the spring, and that there's an album — produced by guitarist Nuno Bettencourt — in the works. It's unknown at this point whether the LP will see the light of day in 2008.

1. Kris Kross
That backward-clothes-wearin' teeny-bopper hip-hop duo from the 1990s are all grown up and back together to make us all "Jump" again. Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly, now 29, and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith, 28, have reached out to Jermaine Dupri to produce their comeback opus, according to rumors.

• Kris Kross
• Crazy Town
• EMF
• Extreme

Crazy Town
Photo: Chapman Baehler

We couldn't get enough of them. Their songs were our soundtrack, and we laughed, danced, cried and loved along with them. They flashed across our radio and TV burning brightly — but where have they been lately? As you'll find out in this regular feature, sometimes the stories behind your favorite songs are more interesting than the hits themselves.

Who?: City High

Biggest hit: "What Would You Do" (2001)

Why do I know that name?: If you watched the 11th season of "The Real World" from Chicago or remember the mama-drama smash "What Would You Do," you'll recall that the tune was sung by a Fugees-like trio called City High who quickly blew up and then disappeared almost as fast. The group, comprised of singer/rappers Ryan Toby, Robby Pardlo and Claudette Ortiz, originally came together as a duo featuring solo singers/songwriters Toby and Pardlo, who were signed to Fugees member Wyclef Jean's Booga Basement imprint. "It was sort of like 'Making the Band,' " said Toby of the duo's origin. "Wyclef put us together. We all went to the same high school, but not at the same time. I met Robby when I was a senior and he was coming in as a sophomore, and when he was a senior, Claudette came in as a freshman. We didn't meet until after high school and we started working together through a mutual friend who was managing Robby."

After Pardlo signed a solo deal with Jean, Toby was brought in to write songs for the album, and because Jean knew he could sing from his small supporting role in Sister Act II, he suggested the two form a K-Ci & JoJo-like group. By chance, Ortiz was brought in to sing the hook on "What Would You Do," and the rest is history.

The "new Fugees": "I was like, why is she singing the hook? But when 'Clef heard her, he was like, 'Who's that girl?' And when he saw her he fell in love and they were like, 'You could be the next Fugees!' " Toby recalled. "What Would You Do" first popped up on the soundtrack to the 1999 Eddie Murphy movie "Life," and then was included on the band's eponymous 2001 debut with a new mix that interpolated bits of Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode." The unlikely hit about a woman who becomes a stripper to make money to feed her kid was a top-10 smash and was quickly followed by another top-20 single, "Caramel," on which Ortiz sang lead. A third single, "City High Anthem," didn't hit as big. "We were blowing up pretty fast," Toby said. "But we were three solo artists that were put into a group situation. It was successful and rolling along, but there was still that thing where everyone wanted their solo careers. It started to take a toll on us, and with the rigorous schedule and being with each other 24 hours a day we decided we had to go our separate ways before we wanted to knock each other's heads off."

An end ... and a new beginning: The band appeared in a series of mini commercials/ music videos promoting 2002's "The Real World: Chicago" and then quietly disbanded a year later. But that wasn't the end for Toby and Ortiz, who got married and started a family shortly after. Toby — who co-wrote the hits "Miami" for Will Smith and "Caught Up" for Usher, as well as two songs on Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough — has completed work on his solo album, Soul of a Songwriter, which he plans to release later this year on his own label. Ortiz has finished work on her self-titled solo debut, due this spring on Interscope, which features tracks co-written by Toby and such hitmakers as Bryan-Michael Cox, Dre & Vidal and the Trackmasters, with guest spots from Fabolous and the Game. Though he hasn't spoken to Pardlo since the group broke up, Toby said his old bandmate is back in New Jersey working on music and producing.

The moral: "Success isn't worth risking a friendship and peace of mind," said Toby. "We got lucky because we got the exposure and we got to travel and sell records and make money and then part ways and go back to our solo careers."

Who?: Crazy Town

Biggest hit: "Butterfly" (2001)

Why do I know that name?: Fewer acts in recent memory looked like less likely pop-pin-up material than the tattooed and pierced club kids that made up Hollywood's Crazy Town. Formed by rapper/producers Seth "Shifty Shellshock" Binzer and Bret "Epic" Mazur in 1995 out of an earlier group called Brimstone Sluggers, the band eventually morphed into a collective that was equally influenced by punk rock, hip-hop, pop and old-school metal. Mazur, whose father was once Billy Joel's manager, went to high school with Ice Cube and House of Pain's Everlast and Danny Boy, and began making beats at a young age, working on records by Eazy-E, Bell Biv DeVoe, Prince and MC Lyte, briefly serving as House of Pain's DJ and helping put together and produce the first album by the Black Eyed Peas. As nü-metal bands like Limp Bizkit were ruling the charts, the duo hatched their idea for a group that blended rock and hip-hop in a different way, bringing in a group of backing musicians that included Doug "Faydoedeelay" Miller on bass, guitarists Rust Epique and Anthony "Trouble" Valli, turntablist DJ AM and James "JBJ" Bradley J. on drums.

"Butterfly" to the top: The group's 1999 debut, The Gift of Game, was produced by friend and nü-metal go-to guy Josh Abraham (Orgy, Limp Bizkit) and featured special guests KRS-One and dancehall toaster Mad Lion. While the first two singles, "Toxic" and "Darkside," failed to connect, the third, the smooth pop-rap hybrid "Butterfly," along with its cartoony punk-girl-nymph video, became one of the biggest-selling singles of the year. "We were on the road for a year and a half at the point that 'Butterfly' hit," said Mazur while driving to a recording session in Los Angeles recently. "When it went #1 in 15 countries we were in Germany, and pretty much everywhere else in the world we were known for more than that song, but in the U.S. it was 'Butterfly' except for some kids who knew us from the second stage at Ozzfest." While they had worked hard to earn their success, several of the group's members had debilitating drug habits and the pressure to follow up "Butterfly" marked the beginning of the end.

Darkhorse loses the race: "We were more than 'Butterfly,' and when the second record came out and it wasn't hip-hop crossover like that song the label didn't know what to do with it," said Mazur of 2002's more rock-oriented Darkhorse, which found Kraig "Squirrel" Tyler replacing Epique on guitar (Epique would die of a heart attack at the age of 35 in 2004) and former Shuvel drummer Kyle Hollinger taking over for Bradley. Despite a guest guitar solo from Weezer's Rivers Cuomo on the single "Hurt You So Bad," the group had trouble regaining whatever street cred they had left. "Everyone seemed to love the album, and then our management signed Shania Twain, we came back from Europe and it was almost like the record was dead before it started." Because "Butterfly" had gotten so big, the group's fears that it would define its career came true. Though they were really tight before, success began pulling them apart and Mazur said they realized they were not what they had set out to be. "It's a lot easier to manage working on your own than as part of a band with six people," Mazur said of the group's acrimonious dissolution in 2003. "It's like having six ex-wives."

What now?: Mazur and Tyler have gone back to producing under the name the Pharmacy, with two songs on the recent Plain White T's album and an upcoming debut they wrote and produced for a singer named Rama Duke. Binzer, whose poppy 2004 solo debut, Happy Love Sick, was a flop, scored a dance hit with his vocals on the 2002 Paul Oakenfold tune "Starry Eyed Surprise," has completed an album under the name Cherry Lane and has been performing around Los Angeles in his new band, Porno Punks. DJ AM has become a staple of the tabloids, getting more attention for his exploits dating Nicole Richie and Mandy Moore than his turntable skills, though he has several residencies and reportedly commands more than $20,000 for a three-hour set.

The moral: "It's not like we live in the past and think about what could have been," Mazur said. "We were lucky to have the success we had and we got to see the entire world and had a #1 hit. If it had been handled right, maybe we'd still be together. But after going through that experience, I'm happy with where I am in my life."

Ever wonder what happened to Semisonic? How about Snow? Ace of Base? Tell us which faded stars you'd like us to check up on, and you just might find them in a future edition of "Where Ya Been?" Send us your suggestions and we'll get digging ...

Past "Where Ya Been?" artist profiles:
"Where Ya Been? Lilith Fair Edition: Sarah McLachlan, Joan Osborne, Lisa Loeb"
"Where Ya Been? '90s Hip-Hop Edition: Onyx, MC Lyte, Rob Base, Young Black Teenagers"
"Where Ya Been? Grunge Edition: Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Mudhoney"
"Marvelous 3 Now Down To One, SWV End 10 Years Of Resting Their Voices"
"Sammie Graduating To Comeback, Third Eye Blind Can See Clearly Now"
"Vitamin C Juicing Up A Comeback, Fastball Heading Back To The Mound"
"Dream Wake Up, 'Sex' Burns Marcy Playground"
"Willa Ford Strips Down, Jesse Camp Drops Out"

• Favorite Artists From The Past: Where Ya Been?

• City High
• Crazy Town

Christina Aguilera, in jeans and with her hair slicked back, made a surprise appearance Wednesday night at the premiere of "Dawn of the Dead." Disturbed's David Draiman and members of the Murderdolls also joined stars Mekhi Phifer, Ving Rhames and Sarah Polley at the Beverly Center Mall in Beverly Hills, California, for the event. ...

Former Crazy Town guitarist Rust Epique died Tuesday morning of a heart attack in Las Vegas. He was 35. After parting ways with the rap-rock band, best known for their 2000 hit "Butterfly," Epique founded the trio Pre)thing, who were on the verge of releasing their debut, 22nd Century Lifestyle, in April. "Faded Love," the album's first single, had just surfaced at radio at the time of Epique's death. ... Dave Blood, bassist for '80s punk band the Dead Milkmen, committed suicide on Wednesday. In January, Blood's mother died, and in a post on the band's message board, the bassist's sister wrote, "Inner peace seemed to elude him for the last many years. Maybe David just had had enough." Blood was a founding member of the band, which formed in 1983 and made a name for itself with novelty hits like "Bitchin' Camaro" and "Punk Rock Girl." The Dead Milkmen broke up in 1995. ...  

Lionel Richie has recorded three songs with Lenny Kravitz, two of which will appear on his next album, Just for You, due May 4. The third, "Destiny," will appear on Kravitz's next release. Richie also collaborated on the album with 7 Aurelius (Ashanti, Mariah Carey), Paul Barry and Mark Taylor (the duo behind Cher's smash "Believe") and Daniel Bedingfield, who produced and co-wrote a song called "Do Ya." ... Metallica have announced a new batch of tour dates that start in the late summer after the band returns from Europe. The first date is August 16 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and there are dates confirmed straight through September 1 in Wichita, Kansas, and then intermittently through October 10 in Buffalo, New York. ...

Guitarists Jerry Cantrell (Alice in Chains) and Billy Duffy (the Cult) will join forces with members of Puddle of Mudd and other musician friends for a cover band that will headline a concert series benefiting the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The series, taking place April 5, 12 and 19 at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California, will also feature the reunited American Music Club, Michelle Shocked, Paula Cole, Grant Lee Phillips, Michael Penn, Glen Phillips, an acoustic set from Concrete Blonde, and Norah Jones songwriter Jesse Harris. ... Coachella may be grabbing all the headlines, but Atlanta's Music Midtown 2004 is shaping up to be a cool festival, too. The 11th annual concert will feature performances by Foo Fighters, Twista, Parliament/ Funkadelic, Lil Jon, Cee-Lo, Fountains of Wayne, Journey and three dozen other artists. The three-day festival kicks off April 30. ...

The original lineup of Duran Duran, currently prepping their first studio album together since 1983's Seven and the Ragged Tiger, continue to prime the pump for their comeback with reminders of their glory days as well-coiffed, Capezio-wearing pop heartthrobs. In the wake of a club tour, song on the "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" soundtrack and DVD of their classic videos, the group is now planning to release two concert films on DVD this spring. "Arena," which captures a 1984 performance by the band in Oakland, California, and "Sing Blue Silver," a behind-the-scenes documentary filmed throughout the three-month Arena tour, will both hit shelves May 4. ... Actress Juliette Lewis and her band have recorded a demo with producer Linda Perry (Christina Aguilera, Pink) and are preparing to join the Warped Tour this summer. "I think we are going to put some tunes on iTunes and Napster," Lewis said. "We are just going to play more and if [the major-label offers] come they come, otherwise I am just going to record stuff myself and put it out." ...

During a March 1 Switchfoot video shoot in Los Angeles for "Dare You to Move," a friend of the band was hit by a truck, bassist Tim Foreman revealed in a post on the band's Web site. Despite the "horrible accident," the woman "was immediately coherent, talking and able to move all extremities. This seemed to all who witnessed the accident to be miraculous," the Christian rocker wrote. At a hospital doctors determined that she suffered two fractured ribs and a lacerated liver. ... A judge in Tucson, Arizona, has ordered singer Diana Ross to go back to jail for two days. Ross, who last month pleaded no contest to DUI charges in the city, was sentenced to 48 hours behind bars. She served her time in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she now lives. Or so she thought. After asking for a full account of her whereabouts during her term, City Court Magistrate T. Jay Cranshaw determined that Ross had spent only 47 hours in jail over three days. Arizona law requires DUI offenders to spend at least 24 hours in a row behind bars. In a written statement, a crabby Cranshaw said, "To avoid questions of impropriety, the defendant is ordered to return to Tucson to serve 48 consecutive hours in the Pima County Jail." A hearing will take place April 1 to determine when she will serve the time. ...

On Tuesday night, Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul, both longtime Van Halen fans, got to jam onstage with ex-VH singer Sammy Hagar at the Las Vegas nightclub Rain inside the Palms Casino. They didn't rip through "Why Can't This Be Love?" or "When It's Love," instead pounding into versions of the Troggs' "Wild Thing" and the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" (which Van Halen covered on their 1978 self-titled debut, with David Lee Roth on vocals). Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith also joined Hagar, for a take on Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll." ... North Carolina hip-hop group Little Brother will open up for Kanye West and Dilated Peoples on the first five dates of their spring tour, which begins March 16 on the campus of Virginia Tech. Little Brother features the production talents of 9th Wonder, who produced a track for Jay-Z's The Black Album. ... Disco-garage metal band Electric Six will play 14 U.S. shows this spring, starting in Chicago on April 21 and running through May 22 in Northfield, Minnesota. On May 1, the band will perform at Coachella. ...

03.10.2004

Alicia Keys and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds will host the 18th Annual Soul Train Music Awards, which will air live March 20 from the International Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Outkast, R. Kelly, Nelly, Murphy Lee, Jermaine Dupri, Usher, Ruben Studdard, Anthony Hamilton, Erykah Badu, Ron Isley and Michelle Williams are scheduled to perform. ...

Evanescence will release "Everybody's Fool" as the fourth single from Fallen. The band is currently writing the follow-up album. ... All those boy-band fans out there lying in wait for the next Backstreet Boys album have a new reason to live: The shape-shifting cute-boy troupe Menudo, which launched the career of Ricky Martin, is being resurrected. The international search for boys ages 10-14 interested in joining the outfit, touted as having "a contemporary hip urban/Latin crossover sound in both English and Spanish," begins in New York this summer. ...

The Army's 4th Infantry Division didn't give Saddam Hussein three steps toward the door of the rat hole in which they found him in December, and for that they might be treated to "Gimme Three Steps," "Gimme Back My Bullets" "On the Hunt," "That Smell" and other Lynyrd Skynyrd hits when the band performs especially for the Saddam-routing troops. The Tribute to Heroes event is scheduled for April 22 at Fort Hood, Texas. ... The recording industry's crusade against illegal file-sharers hit a stumbling block Friday when a federal judge in Philadelphia ruled that 203 individuals could not be lumped into one collective lawsuit. Instead, in order to gain the identity of the so-called "John Doe" defendants, the RIAA must offer evidence against each alleged song-swapper individually, at a cost of $150 in court fees each. More than 800 lawsuits, in Atlanta; Orlando, Florida; New York; Washington, D.C.; and Trenton, New Jersey, remain outstanding. The RIAA was forced to employ John Doe suits after a federal court prevented it from obtaining the identities of alleged pirates from their ISPs without a judge's signature. ...

The Crystal Method were the big winners at Tuesday's Dancestar USA Awards, taking home trophies for Best Act, Best Album (Legion of Boom) and Best Single ("Born Too Slow"). The Chemical Brothers, Madonna and Paris Hilton (Best Celebrity DJ) were also awarded at the ceremony, the climax of the annual Winter Music Conference in Miami. Moby was honored for his Outstanding Contribution to Dance Music and won Best Music DVD. ... Calling all axemen: Jagged Edge are looking for players to get down with them on a new album they're mapping out called Ghetto Guitar. The group says it wants to incorporate guitar into all the tracks on the album. Prince and Slash are two guitarists on the ATL singers' wish list. ... Prince's concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on March 29 will be broadcast in 32 Regal Cinemas movie theaters around the country. The show is the kickoff of his upcoming Musicology Tour. ...

Original Kiss drummer Peter Criss is again out of the band. In a post on his Web site, Criss said that his contract with the group has expired and neither he nor his attorney has been contacted about an extension for future touring. Kiss are expected to rehire Eric Singer for their upcoming tour of Japan, which starts May 27 in Tokyo. ... Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic has applied for a marriage license thorough the Pierce County Auditor's office, the Tacoma News Tribune reports. Novoselic's fiancée is 41-year-old artist Darbury Ayn Stenderu. ...

Goths rarely rejoice, but they might crack a smile when they hear that Siouxsie and the Banshees frontwoman Siouxsie Sioux will play 14 shows starting May 19 in Seattle and running through June 9 in New York. The show, billed as "An Evening With Siouxsie: The Creatures & The Banshees," will feature two hours of material from her 25-year career. ... John McGeoch, a punk guitarist who has worked with Siouxsie and the Banshees, Magazine and Public Image Ltd., died in his sleep on Thursday at the age of 48. No further details on his death are available. In 1995, McGeoch gave up touring and got a degree in nursing, however he continued to write music. In a post on his Web site, Banshees bassist Steve Severin said, "He was always in my heart and often in my thoughts. Without a doubt, he was the most inventive guitarist of our generation and my favorite Banshee." ...

Truth Hurts and Raphael Saadiq have finished up work on her next LP. Set for released through Saadiq's Pookie Entertainment Label on May 11, Truth has titled her sophomore album Ready Now. The first single is the title track and comes out March 30. ... In an underground hip-hop union of the minds, Long Island, New York, rapper MF Doom and Los Angeles producer/MC Madlib will become Madvillain in their first full-length collaboration. The album, Madvillainy, will see release on March 23. ...

Pioneering German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten will play 15 shows in North America, starting April 23 in Washington, D.C., and running through May 16 in Asheville, North Carolina. The band is touring to support its new album, Perpetuum Mobile, which came out last month. ... Thuggish metal-rap band 3rd Strike have broken up. The band has posted a message on its Web site that reads in part, "Sorry people, it's true. Thanks to all our loyal fans." The group's debut album, Lost Angel, was released in 2002. ... The High Times stoner-metal compilation The Stoner Rock Collection has been delayed a few weeks from its previously announced date of May 4. The disc will feature songs by Corrosion of Conformity, Unida, the Hidden Hand, Clutch and others. ...

• Christina Aguilera
• Lionel Richie
• Lil Jon
• Switchfoot
• Twista

Crazy Town
Photo: Chapman Baehler

Most bands would be disappointed if the follow-up to their platinum debut bowed at #120 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, but with a glass-half-full perspective Crazy Town say the only way to go is up.

"I'm glad that we charted at all," Bret "Epic" Mazur said with his chin up.

The band was in Europe during the weeks leading up to Darkhorse's November 12 release. So without much stateside promotion — no promo tour, no radio hit months in advance, no in-store pressing of the flesh — Crazy Town simply floated their second album into the abyss, moving less than 13,000 units in its first week.

"We're letting this just be about the music," guitarist Craig "Squirrel" Tyler said. "If this record works, then people will realize that this is a legitimate band."

Added Seth "Shifty" Binzer, "We're not going to be known for one song."

That "one song" to which Binzer refers is "Butterfly," the groove-based tune that gave Crazy Town their wings in the summer of 2001. Critics skewered the band for liberally borrowing a Red Hot Chili Peppers riff, while deeming Crazy Town "the new Sugar Ray" for scoring with a song so obviously unlike the rest of 1999's The Gift of Game, which was dominated by brutal, distorted riffs in a confrontational aesthetic.

At Ozzfest they were bumped up to the main stage against their better judgment and were forced to perform before crowds waiting for sets by harder acts like Marilyn Manson, Slipknot and Black Sabbath. They were mocked as the "Butterfly Boys."

A swift rise to ubiquity combined with a less than flattering designation as pretty boys singing soft rock made for a backlash to rival the surge. It's the push and pull of enjoying success while trying to keep their feet on the ground that made the bandmembers feel they were getting in over their heads. The result was Darkhorse's first single, "Drowning."

"It's about trying to figure out who you are in the midst of being in a band on tour," Mazur said, "and being that person that everybody wants you to be and finding yourself in between everybody else's expectations of you and your own expectations of yourself."

After only a couple of weeks at radio, "Drowning" is #35 with a bullet on Radio & Records' alternative radio chart. The short time spent on the airwaves, combined with relatively modest promotion, might explain Darkhorse's poor first-week showing, but it also sets the stage for the album to live up to its name.

"We're in the middle of the game right now," Mazur said. "We'll see where it takes us. The people out there who have our back, our fans, they're the only ones who can put it there. The kids gotta request it; it's gotta come from the source. It can't come from the label, and it can't come from critics."

• Crazy Town

Michelle Branch
Photo: MTV News

The success of Michelle Branch's 2001 album, The Spirit Room, and its hit "Everywhere" jump-started the 19-year-old singer/songwriter's career. Her performance on Santana's new single, "The Game of Love," is keeping her in the public eye so that when her sophomore album hits in March, Branch may, indeed, be everywhere.

"When I get through with promotion with Carlos I am going to go home and relax and finish making the new record," she said, smiling (see "Santana Says Angels Recommended Michelle Branch For Song").

Why shouldn't she be calm? Branch already has six songs written for the disc, including the reflective ballad "Standing on the Edge," which she has regularly performed in concert. And she's got a game plan for the rest of the album, which won't necessarily reflect the tone or mood of her debut.

"The whole overall feel of the record is more organic," she said. "It's acoustic at times, but it also rocks a little more in certain parts. I think I've done some growing up, so the way I'm writing and the chords I'm using, it's all changed."

John Shanks, who worked on The Spirit Room (as well as albums by Melissa Etheridge and Chris Isaak) will again produce for Branch, but the chanteuse is also lining up a more unlikely cast of production assistants including Greg Wells, who has worked with Rufus Wainwright, and Josh Abraham, who has produced for Crazy Town and Limp Bizkit. And, if all goes well, Branch will also be hooking up with Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland.

"He would be producing a track or two," Branch said. "I am a huge fan of his, so I'm really excited to see what turns out."

• Michelle Branch
• Scott Weiland
• Crazy Town
• Limp Bizkit

Crazy Town
Photo: Chapman Baehler

Sometimes success can be a double-edged sword. Just ask Crazy Town, the rap metal act that scored a major radio hit in 2000 with the lightweight pop song "Butterfly" and then suffered the consequences.

"Drowning," the first single from the band's new album, Darkhorse (out November 12), was written on Ozzfest 2000, and at the time, Crazy Town felt as if they were underwater gasping for air. The group's lineup was unstable, vocalists Bret "Epic" Mazur and Seth "Shifty" Binzer felt uncertain about the path they had taken and some metal audiences were greeting Crazy Town with showers of water bottles and other debris (see "Crazy Town Take On All Comers With Darkhorse").

"We were on the main stage taking a slot away from Mudvayne or somebody," Mazur explained. "So we'd go out there and we'd be on the main stage playing to a really weird crowd. There was definitely a contingency of haters, and that's cool because, you know, love us or hate us, just don't say we're 'OK.' Sharon [Osbourne] said she put us on the tour for the girls, but, uh, it was mostly guys in the crowd."

"Drowning" starts with a mid-paced guitar rhythm, reminiscent of Linkin Park, then shifts into a softer passage colored with dribbling undistorted guitar. Rapped lines are interchanged with sung passages, and for the chorus, Crazy Town crank the volume back up with a chugging riff and hooky vocal harmonies. A middle-eighth with a distorted rap, skittering beat and urgent, scribbly guitar intensifies the track's impact.

"It all began with a great guitar part that Trouble came up with, and then we put a beat to it and rapped over it," Mazur said. "I thought the crazy, dark shift on the chorus was so cool. We just wanted to write a great song and not be swayed by what we think anybody would want to hear from Crazy Town, because all we can do is what we do."

A video for "Drowning" was shot last week in San Pedro, California, by the Malloys, who have recently worked with New Found Glory, Papa Roach and Blink-182, among others. The clip, a take-off of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," involves a high-school rock geek who falls for the sister of a jock. When the athlete finds out, he and his friends beat the kid up on the docks while Crazy Town rocks out. Then the humiliated kid seeks revenge.

"They go out looking for these guys, and they find them and there's a chase scene, and the kid ends up squaring off with one the jocks," Mazur said. "He's on his hands and knees and you think he's totally beating this [jock] up because there's blood flying from his fists. But it turns out he's just pounding on the concrete. He's just tormented. These people tormented him to the point of like insanity."

• Crazy Town

Crazy Town's Seth "Shifty" Binzer
Photo: Josephine Close

Seeing that it's scheduled to be released on November 12 — the same day as the new Pearl Jam, Dru Hill, Fat Joe, Saliva and TLC albums — it seems kinda appropriate that Crazy Town's new disc is called Darkhorse.

"We've always rooted for the underdog, and this time we're the underdog," said vocalist Seth "Shifty" Binzer, who used to go by the name Shifty Shellshock. "We're the last thing the competition is worried about."

Maybe so, but don't write the band off as non-contenders. Sure, Crazy Town are remembered by many as the rap-rock group who had that lightweight radio hit "Butterfly," but with their new disc, these Townies are playing to score.

"The dark horse is never viewed as a threat, but in the end it unexpectedly steps up and blows everyone away," Binzer warned.

Darkhorse, which was produced by Howard Benson (P.O.D., Motorhead), is considerably beefier than Crazy Town's 1999 record The Gift of Game, blending brooding atmospheres and crashing rhythms with melodic vocals and boasted raps for a sound reminiscent of Linkin Park's (see "Crazy Town Ready To Record Second LP").

Before they headed into the studio to work on the record, Crazy Town refined their lineup for maximal impact. First they parted ways with their turntablist, DJ A.M., then replaced drummer James "JBJ" Bradley J with ex-Shuvel skin-basher Kyle Hollinger. The rest of the roster remains the same — Binzer, vocalist Bret "Epic" Mazur, guitarist Craig "Squirrel" Tyler, and bassist Doug "Faydoedeelay" Miller — but this time around there was a lot more teamwork at play.

"The first record was basically just Seth and I doing 90 percent of the work," Mazur said. "This album was a true group effort. We spent three years on the road and learned how to be a band. So when it came time to record, everyone came to the table so it's much more focused."

The first single from Darkhorse will be "Drowning," a track about being overwhelmed by the temptations of stardom. The cut includes the lines, "I hate that chaos surrounds me when all the answers that I see go around me/ Am I drowning/ Am I fading away or am I living up to all your dreams that made me this way."

"We wrote 'Drowning' in the bus during Ozzfest," Mazur said. "It was a crazy time for us. There were a lot of things going on that were both good and bad, and we were trying to deal with it all. So we wrote the song about walking the fine line between enjoying your success and maintaining your sanity. You don't want to drown in all the hype."

Other tracks on Darkhorse include "Decorated in Flames," "Waste of Time," "Candy Coated Pain," "Locked in the Bathroom," "Skulls and Stars" and "Hurt You So Bad," which features a tuneful guitar solo by Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo (see "Weezer's Rivers Cuomo Records With Crazy Town").

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Weezer's Rivers Cuomo
Photo: Interscope

Rivers Cuomo seems really serious about his love for rap-rock and nü-metal.

Weezer, especially their guitar solos, have always been rooted in what was fundamentally a larger-than-life rock sound, but, for some, the modern rock love became a bit much when the band tapped Fred Durst protégés Cold to open last year's tour to support the Green Album. (Fans weren't as warm to the idea as Cuomo had hoped, and Cold were prodded into leaving the tour due to poor crowd response [see "Iced Out By Weezer Fans, Cold Go Their Own Way"]). In recent interviews touting the band's latest album, the rock-riff heavy Maladroit, Cuomo continued to profess his love of today's arena rock fare.

If Weezer fans thought Cuomo's tongue was planted firmly in cheek through it all, they now know that it's fully extended and accompanied by the metal sign.

Cuomo recently paid a visit to rap-rockers Crazy Town's studio to contribute a guitar solo on a track for the band's forthcoming album, according to a Crazy Town spokesperson. While the guys in Crazy Town were casually dressed, Cuomo arrived last Wednesday looking sophisticated in a dark suit, green shirt and blue tie, as evidenced by the photo that appears on www.weezer.com, and proceeded to lay down licks on the tentatively titled "Hurt."

The song is expected to appear on Crazy Town's as-yet-untitled follow-up to 1999's The Gift of Game. In October, the band, fronted by dueling vocalists Shifty Shellshock and Brett "Epic" Mazur, had written a slew of new material, which they described as much harder than their last effort, especially its breakthrough single, the lazily melodic "Butterfly" (see "Crazy Town Ready To Record Second LP").

All that prevented them from tracking the tunes sooner was the lack of a producer. At the time, they were toggling between Rick Rubin (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer) and Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, the Apex Theory) but have since decided on Howard Benson (P.O.D., Motörhead). The album is expected to be released in late fall.

Cuomo and his band kicked off their Enlightenment Tour with Dashboard Confessional, Sparta and, on select dates, the Strokes, Saturday in West Valley, Utah.

For a full-length feature on Weezer, check out "Weezer: Foosball Wizards."

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After arriving an hour late to Monday night's London premiere of "Crossroads," Britney Spears was booed by a crowd of 3,000 fans who didn't expect her to rush straight into the Odeon Theatre and had waited for hours for the chance to get her autograph or picture. A U.K. spokesperson issued a statement Tuesday (March 26) saying that security concerns kept the pop star from lingering or venturing into the crowd. ... Gorillaz' Dan "the Automator" Nakamura, Crazy Town and Sense Field are the first acts announced for the 7th Annual Boarding for Breast Cancer benefit scheduled for April 14 in Tahoe, California. Linkin Park and Static-X performed at last year's event. ...

Fatboy Slim won two awards at the inaugural DanceStar USA Awards in Miami on Sunday: Best International Act and Best Video (for "Weapon of Choice"). Other winners included Jennifer Lopez (Best Chart Artist), the Crystal Method (Best Act), Paul Oakenfold (Best International DJ), Felix Da Housecat (Best Album for Kittenz & Thee Glitz) and Deep Dish (Best Compilation Album for Global Underground: Moscow). ... And speaking of the funk soul brother, the Chemical Brothers' remix of Fatboy's "Song for Shelter" is the lead track on the Astralwerks' compilation, Rarewerks 2, due April 2. Daft Punk's remix of the Chemicals' "Life Is Sweet," a live version of Air's "Dirty Trip" and Felix Da Housecat's remix of Playgroup's "Number One" are among the highlights. ...

Bounty Killer can finally make good on the claim that if you look up raw rhythms (or riddims) in the dictionary, you'll see his face. The reggae Don is putting out a double LP, Ghetto Dictionary, on May 14 comprising two volumes, The Art of War and Mystery. ... On Saturday in Phoenix, electro-punk band Kill Me Tomorrow kick off a tour that runs through May 10 in Merced, California. They will be joined on the road by acts such as Xiu Xiu and Erase Errata. ... The Cranes will hit the road on their first North American tour in five years starting April 24 in Washington, D.C., and running through May 26 in Orlando, Florida. ... The second leg of Naughty By Nature's tour begins April 3 in San Antonio, Texas, and wraps up May 30 in Washington, DC. Their sixth album, Iicons will be released on May 7, while they're out on the road. ...

Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil will host the 6th annual Skylar Neil Memorial Golf Tournament to raise funds to fight children's cancer, leukemia and AIDS. The tournament — named in memory of Neil's daughter, who died of stomach cancer in 1995 — will take place on May 2 at the Malibu Country Club in Malibu, California. ... Our Lady Peace will release their fifth studio album, Gravity, in the U.S. on June 11. ... Fresh from their European tour with Radiohead, hip-hop's Anti-Pop Consortium will head out across North America to promote their album Arrhythmia,, which hits shelves April 2. The tour starts that day in New York City and concludes on May 9 in Montreal. ...

03.25.02

Korn have recruited hitmakers the Neptunes to remix their latest single, "Here to Stay." ... Puddle of Mudd, Kid Rock, Rob Zombie, Sevendust, Adema, Stone Temple Pilots, Jerry Cantrell, Apex Theory, Fu Manchu and others are set to perform at this year's Livestock 12 Festival, which takes place from April 26 to 28 in Zephyrhills, Florida (more information can be found on www.livestock12.com). ... Puddle of Mudd, Kid Rock and Stone Temple Pilots will also play the Beale Street Music Festival between May 3 and 5 in Memphis. Other artists on the bill include Hoobastank, Bush, Pete Yorn, Better Than Ezra, Counting Crows, Ike Turner, the Isley Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Night Ranger, Cheap Trick and Hootie & the Blowfish. ...

Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, India.Arie, the Roots and Gerald Levert are among those who'll grace the stage on the first day of the eighth New Orleans Essence Music Festival, which is set for July 4 through 6 at the Louisiana Superdome. Day two includes Mary J. Blige, the Isley Brothers, Faith Evans and De La Soul, and the final day boasts Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Brian McKnight, Steve Harvey, Al Green, Angie Stone and Etta James. ... Dan the Automator and Mix Master Mike are among the latest additions to next month's Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California. Dan, Miguel Miggs and DJ Baba G/Soundz of the Asian Underground will join the April 27 lineup, while Mike, Bad Boy Bill and Herbert have been added for the following day. ...

While Hollywood honored their best and brightest stars at the Oscars, the 22nd annual Razzie Awards honored the lowest and lamest, with Tom Green ("Freddy Got Fingered") and Mariah Carey ("Glitter") celebrated as the worst of the bad. ... Ryan Adams, Bob Dylan, LeAnn Rimes, Jon Bon Jovi and Rufus Wainwright were among those hobnobbing at Moomba in L.A. for Elton John's post-Oscars party Sunday night, according to the Associated Press. ... "The Juniper Tree," the 1990 film starring Björk in her first major role, will be released on DVD April 2. ... A new Jimi Hendrix DVD and VHS, "Jimi Hendrix: The Dick Cavett Show," will be released on May 14. Footage includes the guitar hero's two guest appearances on the show, his handwritten interview notes and a new hour-long Hendrix documentary. ...

On July 16, Slum Village will release their Capitol Records debut, Trinity ... Past, Present & Future, which includes the first single, "Tainted Love." Producers on the album include Hi-Tek (Talib Kweli) and Dr. Dre keyboardist Scott Storch (the Roots). ... Ultrababyfat will head out on the road with comedian David Cross ("Mr. Show") starting May 14 in Charleston, South Carolina, and finishing up June 15 in the band's hometown of Atlanta. The man and the band will also appear in a DVD of the tour due from Sub Pop on June 11. ... Former Ugly Kid Joe singer Whitfield Crane and his new band, Medication — guitarists Logan Mader (Machine Head) and B. Blunt, bassist Kyle Sanders and drummer Roy Mayorga (Soulfly) — performed at the Viper Room in West Hollywood Saturday at a party for Locomotive Records, the overseas metal label that is launching Stateside with the April 2 release of Medication's self-titled debut EP. A full length from the band, Prince Valium, is due in June.

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Crazy Town's Shifty Shellshock
Photo: Josephine Close

HOLLYWOOD — Crazy Town are ready to hit the studio — they just need to know which producer will be sitting behind the board.

The Los Angeles rap-rockers have written the material for their next LP and are waiting to find out from their label if they will record with Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers) or Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Eve 6).

"Either way, we should be fine," Shellshock said backstage at Saturday's Breathe breast cancer benefit concert, where Crazy Town performed along with Third Eye Blind, Seal and others (see "Third Eye Blind, Lil' Kim, Nikka Costa, Sugar Ray Do Breathe For Breast Cancer").

As for the sound of the new material, "the heavy songs are a lot more heavy and the melodic songs are a lot more melodic," Shellshock said. "That's just growth. We learned a lot from touring the last couple years." He also said there would be more singing from the band this time around.

Crazy Town, whose debut album, The Gift of Game, sat on shelves for 14 months before "Butterfly" sent it flying (see " 'Butterfly' Gives Crazy Town Its Wings"), have said their new LP will have less pop appeal (see "Crazy Town Moving Away From 'Butterfly' Sound On Next LP").

The group has recorded some of the demos for the as-yet-untitled album at its own studio, and so far, those who have heard the tracks are digging them, Shellshock said. Crazy Town should be in the studio by next month with a first single out by spring, he added.

Aside from working on the new Crazy Town record, Shellshock contributed his raps to the track "Starry-Eyed Surprise," which also features Esthero, for DJ Paul Oakenfold's upcoming album. Nelly Furtado and Billy Corgan have also said they have worked with Oakenfold on the LP. The album has been pushed back from early next year to next summer, according to the DJ's spokesperson.

• Crazy Town

Ozzfest 2001 Tour Kickoff Photos

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