Crazy Town
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1995 in Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Founder | Bret "Epic" Mazur, Seth "Shifty Shellshock" Binzer |
| Defunct | 2003 (first dissolution) |
| Fate | Disbanded in 2003; reunited in 2007; rebranded as Crazy Town X in 2017; uncertain status after 2024 |
| Successor | Crazy Town X (rebranding) |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Bret "Epic" Mazur, Seth "Shifty Shellshock" Binzer |
| Products | Albums: The Gift of Game (1999), Darkhorse (2002), The Brimstone Sluggers (2015); EP: Flirting with Disaster (2024) |
Number of employees | Members varied over time |
Crazy Town—occasionally abbreviated as CXT—was a rap rock ensemble originating from Los Angeles in 1995, founded by Bret "Epic" Mazur and Seth Brooks Binzer, known as Shifty Shellshock. Their 2000 hit single "Butterfly" reached the pinnacle of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, significantly increasing sales of their debut album, The Gift of Game (1999), which sold over 1.6 million copies. However, their sophomore effort, Darkhorse (2002), did not meet commercial expectations and played a role in their dissolution in 2003.
The band reunited in 2007 with Mazur and Binzer returning, culminating in the release of a third studio album, The Brimstone Sluggers, in 2015. Mazur exited the group in 2017, after which Binzer rebranded the project as Crazy Town X. In March 2024, they introduced the EP Flirting with Disaster. The passing of Binzer in June 2024 has left the band's future direction uncertain.
Origins and Early Years (1995–1999)
In 1995, Bret Mazur and Seth Binzer—known by their stage names Epic and Shifty Shellshock—began collaborating under the moniker "The Brimstone Sluggers" in Los Angeles. Early involvement included DJ Adam 12 (Adam Bravin), who preceded DJ AM. By early 1999, the lineup expanded to include Rust Epique on guitar, James Bradley Jr. (JBJ) on drums, Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein (DJ AM), and Antonio Lorenzo "Trouble" Valli. Bradley brought experience from his tenure with jazz trumpeter Chuck Mangione and alternative rock band Mary's Danish. Their debut album, The Gift of Game, was recorded earlier that year and released in November 1999.
The Gift of Game Era and Breakthrough with "Butterfly" (1999–2001)
Post-release of The Gift of Game, Crazy Town supported the Red Hot Chili Peppers on tour. During the album’s mixing phase, guitarist Rust Epique departed and was succeeded by Kraig Tyler. Initial singles "Toxic" and "Darkside" did not achieve chart success.
In 2000, Crazy Town briefly joined Ozzfest but withdrew after two weeks following Binzer’s arrest related to property damage while intoxicated. Their 2001 single "Butterfly", which incorporated a sample from Red Hot Chili Peppers’ "Pretty Little Ditty", climbed to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to this single’s success, The Gift of Game had sold approximately 100,000 units; sales surged beyond 1.5 million thereafter.
Returning to Ozzfest in 2001, the band encountered mixed reactions and earned the nickname "The Butterfly Boys" among some attendees. Their fourth single "Revolving Door" achieved modest recognition. That same year, Crazy Town appeared in the music video for "Bad Boy for Life" by P. Diddy, Black Rob, and Mark Curry.
Second Album: Darkhorse (2001–2003)
Released on November 12, 2002, their second album Darkhorse, produced by Howard Benson, marked a stylistic shift toward a stronger rock orientation under Benson’s guidance. Drummer James Bradley Jr. exited prior to recording sessions and was replaced by Kyle Hollinger. The album experienced limited commercial impact but yielded two singles: "Drowning", which saw minor charting in the US, UK, Austria, and Germany; and "Hurt You So Bad", which failed to chart. Shortly after releasing Darkhorse, Crazy Town disbanded in 2003 amid pressure from their label to replicate the success of "Butterfly".
Period of Inactivity (2003–2007)
During this hiatus, Bret Mazur established a record production firm named The Pharmacy. Former guitarist Rust Epique formed pre)Thing but tragically died of a heart attack before their debut album 22nd Century Lifestyle launched in 2004. Binzer collaborated on Paul Oakenfold’s 2002 single "Starry Eyed Surprise" and released a solo album titled Happy Love Sick in 2004 under his Shifty Shellshock persona. Meanwhile, Kraig Tyler joined industrial outfit 16Volt led by Eric Powell.
Band Reunion (2007–2011)
At the end of 2007, Crazy Town announced plans for a reunion along with an anticipated new album provisionally titled Crazy Town is Back, scheduled for release in 2008; however, this album never materialized. On August 26, 2009, they performed together in Hollywood for the first time in five years. Two days later, former member DJ AM passed away due to an accidental drug overdose. On August 7, 2010, Crazy Town appeared at California’s SRH FEST 2010. Throughout 2011, they introduced new songs such as "My Place" on YouTube and released tracks including "Hard to Get" and "Hit That Switch" via their Myspace platform.
The Brimstone Sluggers Period (2013–2017)
In 2013, Shifty Shellshock and Epic announced that Crazy Town was recording a new album entitled The Brimstone Sluggers. The lead single "Megatron" debuted on December 18, 2014; it served as the theme song for Impact Wrestling broadcast on Destination America during 2015.
The Brimstone Sluggers was officially released on August 28, 2015. This record features DJ AM on the track "Born to Raise Hell," which was also issued as a single that August. In 2016, guitarist Elias Tannous joined the band’s roster. Between August and October of that year, Crazy Town toured as part of the Make America Rock Again concert series alongside other early-2000s acts. During this tour cycle, Epic participated intermittently and was temporarily substituted by Bobby Reeves, formerly vocalist for Adema.
Mazur's Exit, Lineup Changes, Rebranding as Crazy Town X, and Binzer's Passing (2017–2024)
In January 2017, after a year-long break from touring activities, Epic announced via social media that he would no longer perform live with Crazy Town but intended to maintain involvement behind the scenes. Subsequently, Shifty appended an "X" to the band’s name to signify a new chapter or claimed territory.
On November 3, 2019, during a tour stop in Ontario, Canada, Crazy Town’s van collided with a moose; Binzer along with Elias Tannous and Roland Banks sustained minor injuries.
In 2023, Crazy Town was removed from a scheduled tour with Hed PE following an incident where Binzer assaulted guitarist Bobby Reeves outside a Myrtle Beach venue.
March 2024 saw release of their EP Flirting With Disaster, featuring Binzer alongside Mark White, Rick Dixon, and Sean Heenan.
Tragically, on June 24, 2024, Binzer was discovered deceased at home due to an accidental drug overdose.
Musical Style and Influence
According to Billboard, Crazy Town blended elements of rock and hip hop genres.[1] The band described themselves as “hip-hop kids who needed a bit of rock,” reflecting their roots within Los Angeles’ hip hop culture,[2] merging hip-hop's lyrical swagger and rhythmic energy with live rock instrumentation.[3] Their rap rock sound developed within LA’s underground scene prior to the rise of nu metal.[4] As noted by AllMusic, their music encapsulated Los Angeles’ vibrant sociocultural landscape.[3] Influences cited include N.W.A., Cypress Hill, Ice-T, and The Cure.[3] Their style combined aggressive rapping with heavy guitar riffs,[5] though purists within metal circles sometimes criticized their hip hop image.[2] Their fan base predominantly consisted of young males drawn to themes of rebellion.[2]
Lead vocalist Shifty Shellshock characterized their lyrics as generally lighthearted with straightforward messages encouraging listeners to “learn from your mistakes” and “don’t get taken advantage of.”[6]
Despite being recognized primarily for rap metal stylings, their most successful track "Butterfly" embraced a distinct hip hop approach.[7] In 2001,The Oklahoman praised "Butterfly" for effectively blending hip-hop with rock elements appealing broadly across rock and pop audiences.[8] Their third studio effort,The Brimstone Sluggers, marked a return toward alternative hip hop influences with reduced guitar prominence reflecting their foundational sound.[9]
Regarding their place within nu metal history,I'm Music Magazine observed that although often labeled as a “one hit wonder,” Crazy Town exerted considerable influence on the genre.[10] Additionally,Radio.com included them among its “Top 10 Alt-Rock One-Hit Wonders”.[11]
Members
- Final roster
- Seth "Shifty" Binzer – lead vocals (1995–2024; deceased)
- Steven "Epic" Hendricks – guitar (2023–2024)
- DJ Rick One (Rick Dixon) – turntables (2010–2013, 2015–2017, 2018–2024)
- Mark White – guitar (2023–2024)
- Brian "Ruby" Selleck – bass guitar (2023–2024)
- Sean Heenan – drums (2023–2024)
- Past members
- Bret "Epic" Mazur – vocals, bass, keyboards, piano, turntables, beatboxing (1995–2017)
- Adam "DJ Adam 12" Bravin – turntables, sampling, programming, keyboards (1995–1996)
- Charles "Rust Epique" Lopez – guitar (1999–2000; deceased 2004)
- Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein – turntables, sampling, programming, keyboards (1999–2000, 2001; deceased 2009)
- Doug "Faydoe Deelay" Miller – bass guitar (1999–2003)
- James "JBJ" Bradley Jr. – drums (1999–2001)
- Antonio Lorenzo "Trouble" Valli – lead guitar (1999–2003)
- Kraig "Squirrel" Tyler – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2000–2003)
- Kyle Hollinger – drums (2001–2003)
- Ahmad "Deadsie" Alkurabi – guitar (2014–2015)
- Omar Gusmao – guitar (2015–2016)
- Nick "Dax" Diiorio – bass, backing vocals (2014–2017)
- Elias "ET" Tannous – guitars, backing vocals (2016–2023)
- Hasma Angeleno – bass, backing vocals (2017–2022)
- Kevin Kapler – drums (2014–2017)
- Roland Banks – drums, percussion (2017–2022)
- Jarred "Party Time" Jackson – guitars, bass guitar (2022–2023)
- Touring and session musicians
- Boondock – vocals (2016–2017)
- Bobby Reeves – vocals (2016–2023)
- Pigsy - bass guitar, vocals (2020 Australia/New Zealand Tour)
Timeline
{{#tag:timeline| ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:120 bottom:110 top:20 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1995 till:24/06/2024 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:4 start:1995 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1995
Colors =
id:band value:skyblue legend:Band_name id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:backing value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:perc value:claret legend:Percussion id:tables value:lavender legend:Turntables id:album value:black legend:Studio_album id:bars value:gray(0.93)
BackgroundColors = bars:bars
LineData =
layer:back at:09/11/1999 color:album at:12/11/2002 color:album at:28/08/2015 color:album
BarData =
bar:BS text:"The Brimstone Sluggers" bar:CT text:"Crazy Town" bar:CTX text:"Crazy Town X" bar:Shifty text:"Seth Binzer" bar:Epic text:"Bret Mazur" bar:DJ_Adam text:"Adam Bravin" bar:DJ_Am text:"Adam Goldstein" bar:R1CKONE text:"Rick Dixon" bar:Trouble text:"Antonio Lorenzo Valli" bar:Deadsie text:"Ahmad Alkurabi" bar:ET text:"Elias Tannous" bar:Rust_Epique text:"Charles Lopez" bar:Squirrel text:"Kraig Tyler" bar:Dallinferno text:"Filippo Dallinferno" bar:Jackson text:"Jarred Jackson" bar:Hendricks text:"Steven Hendricks" bar:White text:"Mark White" bar:Faydoe_Deelay text:"Doug Miller" bar:Dax text:"Nick Diiorio" bar:Hasma text:"Hasma Angeleno" bar:Selleck text:"Brian Selleck" bar:JBJ text:"James Bradley Jr." bar:Kyle text:"Kyle Hollinger" bar:Kevin text:"Kevin Kapler" bar:Chris text:"Chris Barber" bar:Roland text:"Roland Banks" bar:Heenan text:"Sean Heenan"
PlotData=
width=11 bar:BS from:start till:01/01/1999 color:band bar:CT from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2003 color:band bar:CT from:11/01/2007 till:04/01/2017 color:band bar:CTX from:04/01/2017 till:end color:band bar:Shifty from:start till:01/01/2003 color:vocals bar:Shifty from:11/01/2007 till:18/06/2024 color:vocals bar:R1CKONE from:01/01/2018 till:end color:tables bar:ET from:01/01/2016 till:18/08/2022 color:guitar bar:Dallinferno from:01/01/2018 till:end color:guitar bar:Selleck from:start till:end color:bass bar:Hendricks from:start till:end color:guitar bar:Hendricks from:start till:end color:guitar bar:Selleck from:start till:end color:bass bar:Hendricks from:start till:end color:guitar bar:Selleck from:start till:end color:bass bar:Hendricks from:start till:end color:guitar width=11
Studio albums and extended plays
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Positions | Accreditations | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | AUS | AUT | CAN | FRA | GER | NLD | NZ | SWI | UK | |||||
| The Gift of Game | 9 | 27 | 4 | 7 | 133 | 6 | 40 | 10 | 11 | 15 | ||||
| Darkhorse |
|
120 | 90 | — | — | 139 | 52 | — | — | 90 | 164 | |||
| The Brimstone Sluggers |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| Flirting with Disaster EP |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" indicates the release either did not chart or was unavailable in that region. | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Single Title | Release Year | Highest Chart Positions Achieved | Certifications | Associated Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Alt. |
US Main. Rock |
AUS | AUT | FIN | GER | NOR | NLD | NZ | SWE | SWI | UK | ||||
| "Toxic" | 1999 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Gift of Game | |
| "Darkside" | 2000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Butterfly" | 1 | 1 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| ||
| "Revolving Door" | 2001 | — | — | — | 76 | 29 | 19 | 26 | — | 71 | — | 46 | 43 | 23 | ||
| "Drowning" | 2002 | — | 24 | 24 | 72 | 45 | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | 50 | Darkhorse | |
| "Hurt You So Bad" | 2003 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Lemonface" | 2013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Brimstone Sluggers | |
| "Megatron" | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Backpack" | 2015 | |||||||||||||||
| "Born to Raise Hell" | ||||||||||||||||
| "Come Inside" | "2016" | |||||||||||||||
| "The Life I Chose" (featuring Hyro the Hero) |
"2020" | |||||||||||||||
| "Fly Away" (featuring Tanner Alexander) |
"2021" | |||||||||||||||
| "Butterfly 2021" (featuring Ekoh) | ||||||||||||||||
| "Leeches" (featuring Ray Garrison) |
"2022" | |||||||||||||||
| "Faded" (featuring We Are PIGS) |
"2023" | |||||||||||||||
| "Lighthouse" (with Silos and Judge & Jury) |
"2024" | |||||||||||||||
Notes
External links
- ↑ ...
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedUdo - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedallmusicguide - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedlaweekly - ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNME - ↑ ...
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedComplex - ↑ ...
- ↑ ...
- ↑ ...
- ↑ ...
- Articles with short description
- 1995 establishments in California
- American rap metal musical ensembles
- American rap rock bands
- Artists signed to Columbia Records
- California-based hip-hop groups
- Musical acts formed in 1995
- Musical acts disbanded in 2003
- Musical acts reunited in 2007
- Los Angeles musical groups
- Five-member musical groups
- Nu metal bands originating from California
- Musical groups disestablished in 2003
- Pages with reference errors