You know that one friend you have that’s incredibly sarcastic all the time? You know, the one that even though they’re telling you something incredibly serious, you’re still waiting for them to say they’re joking and they can’t believe you actually took them seriously? Well, for young YouTube music fans, that’s pop-punk enthusiast Jarrod Alonge.
Known for releasing two comedy/parody albums (Beating A Dead Horse and Sunrise Skater Kids’ debut Friendville) and putting together countless hours of video poking fun at the Warped Tour music scene, Alonge has created quite the reputation for himself as a class clown.
Now, taking his chances at something a little bit different, the “Every Pop-Punk Vocalist” creator has teamed up with fellow YouTuber and Red Handed Denial vocalist Lauren Babic to create CrazyEightyEight – a new, joke-free post-hardcore band Warped-goers will undoubtedly love after the very first listen.
Sharing their first new track last week titled as “Tommy’s Planet,” CrazyEightyEight has already seen their new video surpass 30,000 views in a matter of days with plenty of comments questioning the band’s serious take. Then, to prove to the doubters that Alonge’s latest project shouldn’t be confused with his past gags like Amidst The Grave’s Demons, Canadian Softball or $wagch0de (yes, $wagch0de), CrazyEightEight also shared two cover songs from their just-released Covers, Vol. 1 EP.
Okay, so we know what you’re thinking, “Where’s the punchline? There has to be a punchline, right?” Well, by looking through the band’s Facebook page, it looks like this time around the YouTuber is taking things pretty seriously – just see what he wrote to his fans below.
“Thanks for all the positive feedback! I’ve noticed some frequently asked questions in the comments, so I figured I could solve all the confusion in one post:
1. Lauren Babic DOES scream, and she’s actually really good. However, the screams on the No Words Spoken EP are performed by David of Nanashi (also did Chewed Up). We made this decision since the tonality of Lauren’s screams are arguably TOO heavy for the instrumental, and would be better suited for a more “metal” song. I was aiming for a raw, melodic hardcore sound in the heavier sections and David’s style made more sense for the part. Lauren WOULD scream in a live setting, though.
2. I DO play guitar, believe it or not, although I understand the confusion since I play the “vocalist” character in all my satire bands (Sunrise Skater Kids, Amidst The Grave’s Demons, etc.). Sometimes I forget that my YouTube audience isn’t 100% OG fans that remember the guitar cover days *shudders*. I also write/program the drums, but I’m not physically skilled at playing them.
3. The Canadian Softball album is slated for a July 2017 release, and was rescheduled to accommodate the busy production schedule of Johnny Franck. The Indiegogo money wasn’t reallocated to this project, as this project was funded out of pocket.
We’re excited to release THREE MORE covers this week, starting with “The Ghost of You” by My Chemical Romance tomorrow. Let me know if you have any other questions!
- Jarrod”
Well, there you have it. Looks like CrazyEightyEight is certainly pretty serious and not to be confused with any previous material. To check out some of the band’s new music, be sure to look below. To pre-order their upcoming four-track EP No Words Spoken before it’s released June 2nd, head here.
