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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.
SMASH-UP
DERBY
ON MYSPACE:
Yes,
of course we are on MySpace. Visit
us here!
MASHUPS
PERFORMED LIVE:
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
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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.
THE
STORY SO FAR:
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.
CONTACT:
For booking
or more information, e-mail: info@smashupderby.com
PRESS
PHOTO:
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 |