New Tracks

This is my Heart…

As many of you are probably aware, DragonCon is approaching fast. It’s a big event that occurs annually in Atlanta, Georgia over Labor Day weekend. Many tens of thousands of cosplayers, sci-fi fans, anime lovers, gamers, comic book collectors, trekies, counter-culture aficionados, goths, steampunks, stormtroopers, Klingons, and members of countless other subcultures and fandoms descend on the downtown area to participate in one of the most amazing, significant, and utterly enjoyable events in the world. If you have never been you should  absolutely go. If you have been… then you know.  It’s a helluva party… like nothing else anywhere.  Cruxshadows has played this event annually for many, many years, performing the final concert of the con late Sunday night— and it has become a staple in our identity as a band, for although we have performed shows all over the world, Dragoncon is always home…  

This year is the 40th anniversary of DragonCon, and since I often like to release a new single in the late summer or early fall… I started thinking… wow… Forty years… that means this event got its start in 1986!  Imagine if we were playing the first Dragoncon… what would that be like… and what would we even sound like? So I decided to play with that idea just a little bit… 80’s new wave and alternative have always been a major influence on me musically.  But what if I played into it just a little more?

The result was a brand new single with an upbeat anthemic, 1986 retro edge that I think you will absolutely love. It’s called “LOVECRUSHLOVE”, and while I was making it I couldn’t help thinking about some of those great soundtracks to John Hughes iconic films… Some Kind of Wonderful, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Weird Science, Sixteen Candles, and The Breakfast Club, to name a few. But there was one film in particular that stuck in my head, and I couldn’t help imagining that I was writing this song just so I could go back in time and submit it for inclusion on one of my favorite soundtracks, one of my favorite films growing up… that 1986 classic, Pretty in Pink. To that end LOVECRUSHLOVE is all about the ups and downs of falling in love. The kind of subject matter that would have been perfect for Andi, Ducky, and Blain.

Nostalgia aside, I honestly hope that you will adore this track. An insane amount of work went into it and it almost didn’t happen at several points, due to an unbelievable number of setbacks and mishaps that ran the gamut from emotional challenges to technical issues, not to mention aging and failing equipment.  I know all the things I had to overcome in order to complete this song. I realize that people have no idea how much work goes into it…. But what I am presenting to you today is a huge victory because getting to this point and actually releasing this song, is a triumph. I’m giving you my heart. I am SO proud of what was accomplished here. It was a real struggle… which brings me to another very important (not unrelated) point; Cruxshadows needs your help.

Earlier this year, Cruxshadows suffered a massive financial setback that currently threatens our future as a musical entity.  The amount of money necessary to keep things moving forward is steep, but I am not backing off one iota. Thing is, it’s getting really hard to manage everything money-wise, and while this new song can be downloaded free of any charge, we implore you to consider donating to help support Cruxshadows going forward.  We ask you to give whatever it’s worth to you— relative to your unique situation; it really helps. We rely on the patronage and generosity of our Cruxshadows family, our friends and fans. We thank you in advance. Currently the song is exclusively available on our website as a perk to our most loyal supporters, but keep in mind it should be available in streaming services starting in early September, just in time for Dragoncon.

I thank you in advance for the kind donation,

Live Love Be Believe.

Rogue of The Crüxshadows