Rogue of Crüxshadows
Rogue formed The Crüxshadows in Tallahassee, Florida in 1992 with Sean Flanagan and Tim Curry. When both founding members left in 1997, Rogue absorbed the band's contracts and creative direction, taught himself synthesizers and programming, and rebuilt The Crüxshadows around his own voice. The band relocated to Jacksonville, signed with Dancing Ferret Discs for 1997's Telemetry of a Fallen Angel, and in 2009 Rogue founded Wishfire Records to release everything that came after on his own terms.
The catalog speaks for itself. 2002's Wishfire broke the top ten on Germany's Deutsche Alternative chart. 2003's Ethernaut delivered "Winterborn," a song built around the Trojan king and his warriors that became a scene anthem and still ends nights at goth clubs worldwide. 2006's "Sophia" debuted at number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Single Sales chart and number seven on the Hot 100 Single Sales chart, a rare crossover moment for a band on an independent label. 2012's As the Dark Against My Halo and 2017's concept album Astromythology both hit number one on Germany's Deutsche Alternative chart. Recent years have brought the singles "The Kingdom of the Moon" (2024), "Aurora (Eros + Psykhe)" and "A Dream Before Dying" (2025), with a new tour cycle now in motion.
Beyond the records, Rogue has built one of the most beloved live traditions in alternative culture: The Crüxshadows have played Dragon Con in Atlanta nearly every year since 1996, closing out the convention with a Main Stage show in the Hyatt Centennial Ballroom that has become required pilgrimage for two generations of fans. The live act, driving synths, electric violin, soaring guitar, choreographed dancers, anthemic vocals, is a genre unto itself.
Whether you've been screaming "Winterborn" at the sky since the early 2000s, you've closed out Dragon Con in the Hyatt ballroom, or you're meeting The Crüxshadows for the first time, this is a conversation with one of the few artists who built a scene and stayed in it.
What they get into
- The exciting upcoming shows
- What the new material in 2024-2025 is signaling about where the band goes next
- Greek, Egyptian, and Norse mythology as a songwriting engine (and why "Live, love, be, believe" is more than a slogan)
- Rogue’s creative inspiration
- The making of "Winterborn" and what it's like to write a song that becomes a tribe's anthem
- Crossing over with "Sophia" on Billboard from an indie label
- Why Dragon Con became home and how to build a live show that closes a convention
- Running Wishfire Records and 30+ years of independence
- As always, we’ll be taking live questions in our chat