PCM's Kristyn sent some questions out to Rouge, lead singer of The Cruxshadows. Read on to learn how the band feels about music categorizations, as well as, where they draw majority of their influences!

1. Where has the influence come from on the new CD "Dreamcypher"?

Rogue: A few places actually. I try to write about issues that affect me emotionally. When something moves me, I think it makes the best subject matter. These tend to be things like love, honor, humility, hope, courage, etc. But Cruxshadows songs have many layers to them. There was a lot of introspection on my
part, a lot of asking the big questions, and that really became the intellectual center for the songs. I want to make music that has a universal significance. I want to make music that is meaningful, in the future or the past, something that is capable of breaking free from the present having a positive impact on the listener. I used two minor myths- Theseus & Ariadne, and Pygmallion & Gelatia- in order to address the subject matter in two particular tracks... And then I bound everything together by placing a framework over DreamCypher that was drawn from the Aneaed. In addition to that, elements of my dreams have become the skeleton for the entire body of work that is Cruxshadows. The disc borrows from religion, history, myth, dreams, fables, and various experiences. DreamCypher is a latticework view of the world of Cruxshadows, filled with
mystery, magic, love, and humanity. And it offers insights into some of the more cryptic ideas within the band's lyrical texture.

2. How does it feel to finally have a #1 Dance track on the Billboard charts?

Rogue: Good. But the "finally" part happened last year. We have two of those #1s now. Both Sophia & Birthday occupied the top spot. Birthday hit higher as it was the #2 track on the Billboard Singles Sales Chart too. The biggest difference seems to be that we get a little bit more respect now. Particularly from the industry... but also we are finding a lot of new fans, and truthfully gaining the support of a new generation of supporters who feel connected to our music.

3. Please tell our readers a bit about the creative process behind the band? What comes first when writing music? The hook, the melody, lyrics, etc.?

Rogue: It differs from song to song, but I usually start with a concept, or a loose idea. Something to focus on, really... it might be a phrase or a feeling, maybe an event... but no completed lyrics yet. Then I will map out
the song with the percussion and the bass. Then I work the all the keyboard elements. I will start writing the lyrics at this point, and begin to think about hooks etc. Then I will bring in the others to lay down the guitar and violin. Once all the musical elements have been recorded I will lay down the vocals. A lot of times, i will have the song abstracted in my head. Sometimes nobody be me knows what the song will sound like until its finished. It allows me to really sculpt the song, and to addit up and make it into what i need it to be.

4. I love the message behind "Birthday", is there a story behind that song?

Rogue: I sat down and wrote that song on my Birthday. I took inventory of things, because another year had passed very quickly, and I felt that kind of introspection that comes with the realization that time... opportunity has been squandered or lost. I know that everyone feels like that sometimes. But I also began to look at what I had accomplished and how I had handled things in that time. At some point you realize that however important money and affluence is, it is not what really matters. I saw this song as kind of a pep talk from the higher self... a wake up call, saying something like "be who you want to be- be who you need to be... your running out of time!!!!"

5. I read that the band is on tour most of the time, how do you handle the pressures of life on the road?

Rogue: We are on tour as much as 9 months to a year... each year. Thats a long time to be out, and its filled with chaos. You learn to live without balance... but instead find balance in the spaces in between. I guess it's a bit of a zen thing. It takes a lot of focus, a lot of personal drive, a lot of love, and a never say die kind of resolve. You realize there is very little we actually need to be happy.

6. Where do you see the future of music heading and where do you see The Cruxshadows fitting into that picture?

Rogue: Technology. It will not go away, so its better to be on that wave than under it. So far iTunes has been the new paradigm. But I think you can't put all your eggs in one basket. Its like the stock market-diversification is good in a volatile market. We have to keep up on what works, what doesn't , and why. You have to also work hard to find and cultivate a fan-base that will stick with you. If you give everything you have, the fans will give back, no matter how the industry has changed... that's key.

7. How does the band feel about music downloading?

Rogue: It is a mixed bag. It has helped us compete with major label artists. Our sales have continued to climb each year, as the Industries numbers have been shrinking. But that Industry number is pretty much just the
major labels. People seem to me to want more than they can get from the majors a lot of the time. And since we have no access to radio- Most often it serves as an onramp to our catalog. Thing is, MOST people who become fans of the band will buy from the band, if not at first... eventually. It earns you new fans and gets more bodies out to support the shows. This helps grow the popularity of the band. The biggest problem is rather that the stores that depend on physical sales are becoming endangered, and they have an impact on the music world that is significant. These stores support a lot of musicians, so when they go out of business it hurts everyone. I generally invite people to go ahead and download... but if you like it try to get a legal copy, or find some other way to support the cause... And so far this has worked... Who knows where it goes from here.

8. Nowadays it certainly seems that we live in a MySpace generation. How do you feel about MySpace as a medium to be able to connect with fans?

Rogue: Myspace, webpages, file sharing.. these are all examples of how the internet has created a reality in which the playing field between major and indie becomes less slanted. The web is a great equalizer. Of course I think we should find every way we can to use it to reach our fans.

9. Tell our readers a little bit about the history behind The Cruxshadows. How did you meet? Where are your roots?

Rogue: I started the band in '92. Back then we were all students of Florida State University. I was playing violin in school, and had been a vocalist since Since then we've had a lot people come and go. We started by playing shows in Florida, then moved into other areas of the Southeast, then took our show national, and
finally international. It has been a slow and tedious process, and in that time we have played more than a thousand shows. Thematically the band revolved around a set of strange dreams... repeating dreams, that I had just prior to the bands start in the early 90's. The dreams had a profound effect on me, and i have used many of those dream's characters and symbols within the context of the band.

10. Your slogan/motto is "Live, Love, Be, Believe". How did that get started? And how did it become your motto?

Rogue: It really seemed to simply and accurately sum up my musical vision. It slowly but surely became an idea that is inseparable from Cruxshadows, both in the view of our fans, but in my own way of looking as well. I mean... we all leave some kind of a mark... something however little that shows we were here- I just wanted my mark to say something worth saying... Live Love Be Believe.... there's something powerful in those words.

11. How do you feel about being categorized at a Goth/darkwave band? How do you feel about music categorizations in general? Is that type of sound what you were going for from the beginning?

Rogue: Interesting question... I am not really sure. It seems to me that categories help people find what they like, and so they can be useful. It allows hip hop fans to get what they like, and metal fans to find what they like, and so on and soforth... But it also keeps people from trying things that are outside the boundaries of what they typically like. Truthfully, the association most people have with goth music is inaccurate. There's a stereotype that goth is all about death and depression. Its not. Its about individualism, emotion, introspection, and depth. Thats not to say a few individuals haven't sold it short to make a fast buck, but it does mean theres a whole lot more to it than a sound-bite oriented mainstream cares to dig for. We never said-
"hey, lets be goth", but we have never run away from it either. Everybody in the scene who has a chance at real success seems to hide from the moniker, because it will turn off prospective fans...At the end of the day you have to do what you do and stop worrying about the media and the Critics. They have hated the biggest successes from Elvis to Depeche Mode... I think the best artists are the ones who change the paradigms. So thats what we want to do... We want to change the paradigm.

12. What should fans expect to be on the horizon for the band in the future?

Rogue: More music, I hope... I love what I do, I want to do it in a way that makes a difference, and I want to do that as long as it makes sense wherever it makes sense. I think there are some changes on the horizon, but its all about staying focused.

13. Lyrically I find your songs to be quite powerful. What are some of the main themes/messages that you are trying to get across to audiences?

Rogue: I want people to break out of their lives, and realize that they are really the masters of their own destiny. I want people to find the strength to be the who and what they need to be. I want people to find the purpose in their living that only they can find. I want people to face their fears, and overcome them. Basically.... Hope, empowerment, sacrifice, courage, selflessness, and thought. I want to do something with music that at least for a few people, changes everything. I believe Socrates said if you change the music of a people, you change a people. I want to change it all... with a song. Ok, so I'm a dreamer. I know it... But the world needs a few dreamers.

14. I see that the band has traveled extensively throughout the world? Where have been some of your favorite place to travel? Any fond or not so fond memories of certain areas?

Rogue: We have been all over the globe. It has been amazing. And there are far, far too many places to name, and they all have stories. We've seen things first hand that other people can't even imagine. From the Great
Wall of China to Berlin Wall, from the Alamo to the Acropolis to Stonehenge. We have been through raging storms in the North Sea, and trapped in the snow on an Icey ridge far from civilization in the mountains of Norway. We have had adventures, and mishaps, and great times and awful times. It has been exciting. Not always fun... but exciting for sure.

15. Finally, just for fun, can you tell our readers one thing about the band that we may not already know?

Rogue: Ok- Just for fun... The two dots over the U in Crüxshadows are called an Umlaut. Its best to drop the umlaut when searching cruxshadows info online.

Also please feel free to add any additional message that you would like add!

Rogue: Live Love Be Believe

Check out the band's Official Site and MySpace page