The Crüxshadows

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The Crüxshadows

Origin	Florida
Years active	1992–present
Genres	Gothic / Darkwave
Labels	Dancing Ferret Discs
Members	Rogue (vocals, violin) Jen Jawidzik (keyboard) Rachel McDonnell (keyboard, violin, backing vocals) George Bikos (guitar) Jessica Lackey (interpretive dance, backing vocals) Sarah Poulos (interpretive dance, backing vocals)

The Crüxshadows are a gothic/darkwave band from Florida, formed in 1992 by Rogue, Sean Flanagan, and Tim Curry. While not immediately acclaimed by music critics, their distinctive style, combining electric violin, guitar and synth, has earned them considerable success in the darkwave and goth scene. European magazines discovered the band in 1997 and many began to praise the band's blend of 80s inspired synth-pop and modern goth. For most of the band's career, they have been signed to a worldwide contract with Dancing Ferret Discs, based in Philadelphia, PA.

Their debut album, ...Night Crawls In, was released on cassette in 1993, followed by their first CD release, Telemetry of a Fallen Angel, in 1997. Although a US band, they have enjoyed phenomenal success in Europe: after debuting at #5, the 2002 album Tears stayed in the German alternative charts for 8 weeks, and subsequent releases have consistently placed at #2. While not a household name in America, the band's sales are roughly equivalent on both sides of the Atlantic and their music remains a staple of club dance floors worldwide. In Germany, they have appeared on several TV shows and the covers of a number of magazines.

Their 2006 single, "Sophia", made its debut on the Billboard Charts in the issue dated September 23, 2006. "Sophia" debuted at #1 on the Hot Dance Singles Sales chart, replacing Beyonce in the top spot. At the same time, it placed at #7 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart. On both charts, "Sophia" was the highest-ranking debut entry that week. ^[1]

The band has built a reputation as something of a touring juggernaut, averaging between 100–120 live shows per year. Their tours have thus far taken them to roughly thirty countries, sometimes playing for crowds of 25,000 or more. They have also made a point to play smaller cities in the US and Europe that do not often have the chance to host live shows by major touring acts.