Crossfade Follows Gold With 'Colors'

This time last year, Crossfade was best known as a rock band from South Carolina. Now, one year, seven hundred thousand album sales, two smash hit songs, 300 live shows, and ten national TV appearances later Crossfade is the artist development story of the year!

"I was completely blown away," says Crossfade lead singer/guitarist Ed Sloan of the phenomenal success of the band's first single "Cold." "We didn't even hear it as a single at first, and now to keep hitting all these milestones, it's amazing us."

One of those milestones for 2004/2005's #1 most played rock song is charting for a record breaking 65 weeks in the top 10 on active rock radio. The airplay has carried the band's self-titled debut album, released in April, 2004, to what is now nearing platinum status.

"People say they rarely come across a song they feel is talking about them, that they can take and mold it to fit their life," says Sloan, trying to explain the lasting appeal of "Cold." "We hang out after every show and every night I get at least five stories -- "Cold" made couples get back together, or one guy who said he wrote in his will he wanted "Cold" played at his funeral. I get all sorts of stories about the impact "Cold" had. I don't know if any song we do can ever be as monstrous as that one."

Yet the year since Crossfade's debut was released has been a year of wonderful surprises and steadily increasing momentum. Last month saw the release of the popular debut as a Dual Disc that features live footage, a lengthy and candid personal interview with the band as well as the video for "Cold." The group is now releasing its third single "Colors" to follow "So Far Away."

"We had a hard time deciding whether 'So Far Away' or 'Colors' was going to be the second single," says Sloan. "We decided to give them a taste of our heavier side before getting back to the melodic side with 'Colors.' 'So Far Away' is heavier and more angst-ridden but people who give us their opinions tell us 'Colors' is their favorite song even above "'Cold.'"

Crossfade hasn't had a free moment since leaving its home base to hit the road in early 2004. The band -- which also includes bassist Mitch James, drummer James Branham and vocalist/turntablist/sampler Tony Byroads -- started touring, opening for Smile Empty Soul, Shinedown and Alter Bridge, co-headlining the SnoCore Tour with Helmet and Chevelle, as well as doing a series of radio festivals. Now the band is out on its first headlining tour, selling out the 400-1500 capacity venues it played last fall opening for other bands.

"Now every kid there is singing along with every song, not just 'Cold'," says Sloan. "It amazes me because we've worked for so long to get a song on the radio. And they're not just singing along, but singing with passion. To see the looks on their faces -- some of them are even crying!"

Crossfade inked its Columbia deal in 2003, after spending most of the previous year holed up in Sloan's garage home studio, writing, recording and producing what would become its debut release with few changes, other than some post-production work by noted engineer/producer Randy Staub (Metallica, P.O.D., Three Doors Down).

"I wrote about 50 songs and with these 10 we made a CD" Sloan say. "We knew we were onto something and we were just going to keep going with it. We had 2000 CDs pressed and released it locally in October 2002. We set up all these shows and were going to start promoting it when on October 10, Columbia Records called and flew us up to showcase and wanted to sign us. We had a grand plan but ten days later, Columbia Records changed all that."

  Indeed.

  Upcoming Tour dates are as follows:
  with April Sixth supporting!

   May 5 Chicago, IL House Of Blues

   May 6 Louisville, KY Jillian's Pavilion

   May 7 Traverse City, Mi Streeters

   May 8 Off

   May 9 Struthers, Oh The Cellar

   May 10 Off

   May 11 Ft Wayne, In Pierre's

   May 12 South Bend, In Heartland

   May 13 Detroit, Mi Harpo's

   May 14 Treasure Island, Fl St. Petersburg Pier

   May 15 Off

   May 16 Columbus, Oh Newport Music Hall

   May 17 Cincinnati, Oh Bogarts

   May 18 Off

   May 19 Cleveland, Oh The Odeon

   May 20 Philadelphia, Pa Trocadero

   May 21 Worcester, Ma The Palladium

   May 22 New Haven, Ct Toad's Place

   May 23 Off

   May 24 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom

   May 25 Towson, MD Recher Theatre

   May 26 Charlotte, NC Fastlane Speedstreet Festival

   May 27 Asheville, NC Orange Peel

   May 28 Noblesville, In WRZX Radio Show @ Verizon Wireless Music Center

   May 29 Flint, Mi Machine Shop

   May 30 Off

   May 31 Off

   Jun 1 Off

   With Seether!

   Jun 2 Norfolk, VA Norva Theatre

   Jun 3 Winston-Salem, NC Ziggy's Music Park

   Jun 4 N. Myrtle Beach, Sc House Of Blues

   Jun 5 Off

   Jun 6 Lake Buena Vista, Fl House Of Blues

   Jun 7 Ft. Lauderdale, Fl Revolution

   Jun 9 Off

   Jun 10 Louisville, KY NBC Dew Action Sports Tour Date @ Kentucky Expo
   Center

   Jun 11 Kansas City, Mo Liberty Memorial Park

   Jun 17 Des Moines, IA Val Air Ballroom

   Jun 18 Sauget, Il Pop's

   Jul 1 Milwaukee, WI Milwaukee Summerfest

   Jul 2 Muskegon, Mi Muskegon Summer Celebration

   Jul 14 Nashville, TN Dancin' In The District

   Jul 15 Lansing, Mi Adado Riverfront Park

   Aug 1 Springfield, Mo Ozark Empire Fairgrounds

   Aug 11 Sioux Falls, SD Sioux Empire Fair

   Aug 13 Billings, Mt Montana Fair

   Aug 20 Louisville, KY Kentucky State Fair

   Sep 24 Oklahoma City, Ok Oklahoma State Fair

SOURCE: Columbia Records

CONTACT: Benny Tarantini of Columbia Records, +1-212-833-5858,
Benny_Tarantini@sonybmg.com; or Veronique Cordier of V Entertainment Network,
+1-908-889-6639, ventnet@aol.com, for Columbia Records

Web site: http://www.columbiarecords.com/
http://www.crossfadeonline.com/
http://www.sonymusic.com/b2b