UPCOMING SHOWS:

SATURDAY MAY 10
SAN FRANCISCO
DNA LOUNGE
BOOTIE
375 Eleventh Street at Harrison, San Francisco.
We're the house band at the biggest mashup bootleg party in the world! Show at 11 PM.

SATURDAY JUNE 7
LOS ANGELES
ECHOPLEX
BOOTIE LA 3-YEAR ANNIVERSARY PIRATE BALL
1154 Glendale Blvd., Echo Park. We finally return to LA, to rock the big stage at the Echoplex! Show at 11 PM.

Yes, of course we are on MySpace. Visit us here!

Closer to Rock 'n' Roll –
NINE INCH NAILS
vs. JOAN JETT
download

Sweet Nation Army Dreams – EURYTHMICS vs. the WHITE STRIPES
download

She Sells White Weddings – BILLY IDOL vs. THE CULT
download

God Save Madonna –
MADONNA vs.
the SEX PISTOLS
download

Smells Like Billie Jean – NIRVANA vs.
MICHAEL JACKSON
download

Talking Franz -
FRANZ FERDINAND
vs. TALKING HEADS
download

Tainted Like You –
SOFT CELL vs.
the DANDY WARHOLS
download

Jet Lady Joe –
JET vs. the BEATLES
vs. JOE WALSH
download

Tricky Sandman –
RUN-DMC vs. METALLICA

Girls Just Want Bloody Sunday – CYNDI LAUPER vs. U2

Black Sabotage –
BEASTIE BOYS vs.
LED ZEPPELIN

Rapture Riders –
BLONDIE vs. THE DOORS

Everything's Back In Black – AC/DC vs. QUEEN vs. DAVID BOWIE vs. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

Close To Faith – GEORGE MICHAEL vs. THE CURE

Don't Stop Believin' 1979 – JOURNEY vs. SMASHING PUMPKINS

Beat It Blur – MICHAEL JACKSON vs. BLUR

Sgt. Pepper's Paradise –
THE BEATLES vs.
GUNS N' ROSES

A Stroke of Genius –
CHRISTINA AGUILERA
vs. THE STROKES

Kelly Cars –
KELLY CLARKSON
vs. THE CARS

You Believe Me All Night Long – CHER vs. AC/DC

Jerks On Film –
DURAN DURAN vs.
THE CAESARS

Anything Dance, Anything Dance – FALL OUT BOY vs. DRAMARAMA

Smells Like Kelly's Behind – KELLY CLARKSON vs. NIRVANA

Ministry Milkshake –
KELIS vs. MINISTRY

Gay Paranoia –
BLACK SABBATH
vs. ELECTRIC SIX

Boulevard of Broken Songs – GREEN DAY vs. OASIS vs. AEROSMITH

Don't Call Me Blur –
BLUR vs. MADISON AVE.

Free Party –
PINK vs. THE VINES

LATEST NEWS:

SMASH-UP DERBY A WEEKLY PICK IN THE SF BAY GUARDIAN
In the "Weekly Picks" of the April 9, 2008 issue of the San Francisco Bay Guardian, they write: "The only thing better than a mashup — that fantastic alchemy that makes two songs, played together, better than either is on its own – is a live mashup. Which is exactly why Smash-Up Derby — the world's only act to cover and mix songs on stage with actual instruments — is the crowning jewel on the bizarre tiara that is Bootie SF. (Imagine the bassist playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and the vocalist singing "Billie Jean Is Not My Lover" and you'll have some idea.) This month, the strange (and strangely sexy) mashup party features the internationally renowned band along with French mashup master DJ Moule."

VOTED "BEST COVER BAND" – SF WEEKLY BEST OF 2007
Smash-Up Derby was voted "Best Cover Band" in the SF Weekly Readers' Poll in their annual Best of SF 2007 issue. Thanks, San Francisco!

IN THE RECORDING STUDIO
In late February 2008, we will finally be recording our long-awaited album! We're working a dozen different songs, plus a bonus Christmas song, which we hope to possibly release as a full-length CD. Of course, for what we're doing, song licensing is a bothersome nuisance, so we'll probably be doing this underground style -- at least until we can find some sucker who wants to pay all the publishing companies and lawyers that represent the songs we're bastardizing! Stay tuned...

SMASH-UP DERBY IS THE HOUSE BAND AT BOOTIE AT DNA LOUNGE
You can catch Smash-Up Derby every month at the DNA Lounge, where we're the house band at Bootie, the biggest mashup bootleg club in the world. The band hits the stage every second Saturday at 11 PM sharp! The DNA Lounge is at 375 11th Street at Harrison. More info: BootieSF.com

BEHIND THE SCENES AT A SMASH-UP DERBY REHEARSAL
Singer Trixxie Carr has just posted video of the band in its rehearsal studio, running through "Gay Paranoia," which mashes up Electric Six with Black Sabbath. Check it out here.

INTERVIEW ON SFSTATION.COM
Adrian did an interview about Smash-Up Derby for SFStation.com, talking about the creative process of rearranging songs, being the house band at Bootie, and how band practice can sometimes make his brain hurt. You can read it all here.

SF BAY GUARDIAN BEST OF THE BAY!
Smash-Up Derby made the San Francisco Bay Guardian's Best of the Bay issue for 2006. Woo-hoo! We were an editor's pick in the "Entertainment and Nightlife" section, under the category "Best Tori Amos meets Slayer." You can read all about it here.

SMASH-UP DERBY ON YOUTUBE
There are quite a few videos of various Smash-Up Derby shows up on YouTube. Here are some of our favorites:
Smells Like Billie Jean
Closer To Rock n' Roll
Anything Dance, Anything Dance
Sweet Nation Army Dreams - with audience singing along!
from Folsom Street Fair 2006 - guest starring Chuck The Bear!

DEAN GRAY - AMERICAN EDIT: THE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
On August 11, 2006, Smash-Up Derby presented the world's first mashup rock opera, based on the acclaimed (and banned) Green Day bootleg album, Dean Gray - American Edit. The show was performed live at the Bootie 3-Year Anniversary Pirate Ball at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco, and featured performance artist Foxy Cotton in the main role, with the band providing the instrumentation and vocals.

Okay, look, we know how most of these band bios start. It usually goes something like this: Imagine a band that mixes [insert well-known indie band here] with [insert famous pop artist here] sprinkled with a dash of [for intrigue, insert descriptive noun here]. And of course, it's usually complete bullshit. Unless, that is, you're talking about SMASH-UP DERBY.

That's because SMASH-UP DERBY indeed does do all of the above – quite literally. In fact, they're a totally kick-ass rock cover band – except the singers think they're in a pop band. So while the band is cranking out rockin' renditions of songs by Nirvana, Franz Ferdinand, U2, or Metallica, the singers are belting out Madonna, Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera, or Run-DMC - at the same time.

On paper, it sounds like a train wreck, but in actuality, it melds beautifully. With the band's skillful execution, these "hybrid songs" sound like they were always meant to be together. You'll never hear the originals the same way again.

It's no surprise to discover that SMASH-UP DERBY was started by none other than singer-turned-DJ Adrian Roberts, who went from fronting the well-known San Francisco glam band Blue Period, to becoming an even more popular mashup DJ and club promoter. Known mostly for throwing Bootie, the first mashup club in the United States, Adrian first conceived of the band in early 2003, thinking it would be fun to do live versions of the bootleg DJ mixes they had been spinning. He soon recruited ex-Blue Period drummer-turned-DJ Matty C., a.k.a. club Bootie's resident rock mashup DJ Dada, and guitarists Jamie Cronander and Jason Martinez and bassist Angela Eastman, and together, they succeeded in creating an unholy union of kick-ass rock versus shameless pop.

Soon after, the band was joined by singer Trixxie Carr, who provided the ideal vocal foil for Adrian. When the two discovered they had both won separate "Best Ass" contests, they knew they were destined to be in a band together. Now, Smash-Up Derby has an entire repertoire of bastard pop songs, and have released an eight-song demo CD, which they refuse to sell – instead, they give it away for free at shows. They pride themselves as being known as the world's only mashup rock band, and have a monthly residency at the DNA Lounge, as the club Bootie house band.

However, mashing up the music is only part of what makes Smash-Up Derby unique. Their stage presentation makes them one of San Francisco's most exciting bands, with singers Adrian and Trixxie playing off each other, bringing a polished sense of glamour and theatricality to the proceedings. Meanwhile, the band – to put it bluntly – simply rock out with their cock out. It's a culture clash that's exciting to watch, and even more exciting to listen to.

For booking or more information, e-mail: info@smashupderby.com

To download a high-resolution image suitable for press publication, click on the photo at right.

Caption: Smash-Up Derby, from left: Angela Eastman, Jason Martinez, Adrian Roberts, Jamie Cronander, Trixxie Carr, Matty C.

©2007 Smash-Up Derby