Crossfade spins a unique blend of rock and rap

When you see the roadies setting up the deejay tables for Crossfade’s set tonight at the Big Easy Concert House, fear not.

The South Carolina hard-rock outfit’s use of turntables sidesteps the rap-meets-rock that Limp Bizkit gave a bad name.

Instead of crowding the sound, Crossfade’s deejay Tony Byroads uses his spinstrument to slide in subtle samples that help enhance the overall texture of the music.

Byroads completed the Crossfade square – with lead singer/guitarist Ed Sloan, bassist Mitch James and Crossfade’s original drummer Brian Geiger – in time to record the “Cold” demo where the radio-ready single of the same name led to the self-titled debut on Columbia/FG last year. Upon the album’s release, Geiger left the band and was replaced by James Branham.

The album was pre-produced at Crossfade’s garage-style homebase, Sugarstar Studio, and post- engineered with the award-winning Randy Staub, so it’s no coincidence that Crossfade’s music draws comparisons to Metallica, Three Doors Down and P.O.D., bands Staub has worked with in the past.

And yet Crossfade comes across as a distinct four-piece rock band, due mostly to Sloan’s soaring vocal agility and unique harmonies over deep, bottom-heavy instrumentals and crunching riffs that reluctantly fall into the nu-metal classification.

“None of us are really studio musicians,” Sloan states in Crossfade’s press bio. “We’re just a band with some cool equipment.”

Crossfade’s live show – no rock-star posturing nonsense, just groovin’ and grinding with no-fail chops – is garnering praise as well.

Crossfade is remembered locally for its standout performance at the Alter Bridge concert at the Big Easy on Halloween. It was also a support-slot highlight on the Shinedown/Silvertide tour last year.