Crazy Town

Bret Mazur and Seth Binzer began collaborating under the name "The Brimstone Sluggers" in 1995 in Los Angeles, alongside Adam Bravin, also known as DJ Adam 12. The project did not initially focus on releasing material. By early 1999, Rust Epique, James Bradley Jr., also known as JBJ, Doug Miller, Adam Goldstein, also known as DJ AM, and Antonio Lorenzo "Trouble" Valli had joined the group. Bradley had previously been the drummer for jazz trumpeter Chuck Mangione from 1977 to 1981 and had been a member of the alternative rock band Mary's Danish in the early 1990s. Crazy Town's debut album, "The Gift of Game", was released in November 1999 after being recorded earlier that year.

Following the release of "The Gift of Game", Crazy Town toured as a support act for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Epique left the band while the album was being mixed and was subsequently replaced by Kraig Tyler. The first two singles from the album, "Toxic" and "Darkside", did not chart.

In 2000, Crazy Town was scheduled to perform on the Ozzfest tour but withdrew after two weeks following Binzer's arrest for throwing a chair through a window while intoxicated. The band subsequently released "Butterfly" in 2001 as the third single from "The Gift of Game". The song samples the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Pretty Little Ditty" and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. According to SoundScan, "The Gift of Game" had sold approximately 100,000 copies before the release of "Butterfly", while sales subsequently exceeded 1.5 million copies.

Crazy Town returned to Ozzfest in 2001. Their performances received mixed reactions from audiences, with some members of the Ozzfest crowd referring to them as the "Butterfly Boys". Their fourth single, "Revolving Door", achieved limited commercial success. In 2001, the band also made a cameo appearance in the music video for "Bad Boy for Life" by P. Diddy, Black Rob and Mark Curry.

Crazy Town's second album, "Darkhorse", was produced by Howard Benson and released on November 12, 2002. Benson's production contributed to a more rock-oriented sound. Before the album was recorded, drummer James Bradley Jr. left the band and was replaced by Kyle Hollinger. "Darkhorse" had limited commercial success and produced two singles. "Drowning" achieved moderate success in the United States, United Kingdom, Austria and Germany, while "Hurt You So Bad" did not chart. Crazy Town broke up in 2003, citing several factors, including pressure from their record company to produce a follow-up to "Butterfly".

During the band's hiatus, Mazur formed The Pharmacy, a record production company. Epique subsequently formed a band that eventually became known as pre)Thing. He died of a heart attack in 2004, shortly before the release of the band's debut album, "22nd Century Lifestyle". Binzer provided vocals for Paul Oakenfold's 2002 single "Starry Eyed Surprise" and released his first solo album, "Happy Love Sick", in 2004 under the name Shifty Shellshock. Tyler later joined Eric Powell's industrial band 16Volt.

In late 2007, Crazy Town announced that the remaining members had reformed and were working on a new studio album provisionally titled "Crazy Town Is Back", which was expected to be released in 2008. The album was not released. On August 26, 2009, Crazy Town performed at Les Deux in Hollywood, California, marking their first performance together in five years. On August 28, 2009, former member DJ AM was found dead in his apartment from an accidental drug overdose. Crazy Town performed at SRH FEST 2010 in California on August 7, 2010. In 2011, the band released "My Place" on YouTube and "Hard to Get" and "Hit That Switch" through Myspace.

In 2013, Mazur and Binzer announced that Crazy Town were recording a new album titled "The Brimstone Sluggers". On December 18, 2014, the band released "Megatron" as the album's first official single. The song was used as the theme music for Impact Wrestling during its run on Destination America in 2015.

"The Brimstone Sluggers" was released on August 28, 2015. DJ AM was featured posthumously on the track "Born to Raise Hell", which was released as a single in August 2015. In 2016, lead guitarist Elias Tannous joined the lineup. From August to October 2016, Crazy Town toured as part of the Make America Rock Again concert tour alongside other artists associated with the 2000s. During the tour, Mazur performed with the band before being temporarily replaced by Bobby Reeves, a former vocalist of Adema.

In January 2017, following a year-long hiatus from the band, Mazur announced through Facebook that he would no longer tour with Crazy Town. He stated that he intended to remain involved with the band in a non-member capacity. Binzer subsequently added an "X" to the band's name, creating the name Crazy Town X. The band stated on Instagram that the X represented a symbol used by gangs to mark territory that had been won.

On November 3, 2019, a van carrying Binzer and band members Elias Tannous and Roland Banks collided with a moose during a tour stop in Ontario, Canada. All three were treated at a hospital for bruises and cuts.

In 2023, Crazy Town was removed from a tour with Hed PE after Binzer was involved in a physical altercation with Bobby Reeves outside a venue in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

On June 24, 2024, Binzer was found dead at his home following an accidental drug overdose.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crazy_Town

Studio albums

The Gift of Game (1999)

Darkhorse (2002)

The Brimstone Sluggers (2015)