Mad Rad has declared it’s “out for stardom,” but with a return to the epic Sasquatch! Music Festival and SPIN’s claim that it’s one of Seattle’s best-kept secrets, the band may have already found it. Read on to see what all the freakin’ fuss is about…

The Seattle-based act consists of MCs Buffalo Madonna, P Smoov, Terry Radjaw and DJ Darwin. Mad Rad categorizes its music as “a combination of hip hop, electro, dance, newer wave, and face-melting rock ‘n roll,” as stated on its official website, though the guys say they don’t like to be restricted by genres. Videos of the group’s performances can attest to this, highlighting the guys’ abilities to make the crowd go wild – a fitting atmosphere for Sasquatch!.

The guys made a video of their past Sasquatch! experience – I’d recommend watching it only if you don’t get sick from shaky videography a la The Blair Witch Project.

Mad Rad’s debut album, White Gold, dropped in 2008, followed by The Youth Die Young in 2010. I’m particularly fond of “Party Mountain” from The Youth Die Young; it’s like the millennials’ version of “Big Rock Candy Mountain,” supercharged and energetic yet still laden with reckless abandon.



Mad Rad – Party Mountain by Monica-BestNewBandscom

I got an email Q&A from Terry Radjaw and the Mad Rad guys – here’s what they had to say about their upcoming Sasquatch! appearance:

Monica Christoffels: What are some things you’d like all your fans, old and new, to know about you?
Mad Rad: Music is music, we try not to be defined by genres. We’ve always been lumped into something and it really doesn’t do our music any justice. We don’t try to be hip hop, we don’t try to be dance music, we just make music and what comes of it comes of it. We are some crazy motherfuckers on stage and are known to lose our mind, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t regular nice people. Also, we love our fans. Without them, none of this would be as fun for us.

MC: We’ve seen the video of your past Sasquatch! experience, but what are you expecting and/or looking forward to at this year’s festival?
MR: We are looking forward to playing at a later time slot and playing to a bigger legion of our fans. We are definitely looking to climb onto something, possibly sacrifice a virgin onstage.

MC: What can fans expect from your performance?
MR: [An] all-out, lose your mind, kill-or-be-killed performance.

MC: What else is coming up for your band?
MR: Always making new music. We are working on a remix project with Hugo Douster. Another US tour in late summer. MFNW in Portland and Capitol Hill Block Party in July.

MC: Anything else you’d like to add?
MR: Sasquatch is going to be insane. Don’t be an idiot and miss us!

Mad Rad will be performing on the Yeti stage at 5:45 p.m. Sunday, May 29. Follow the band on MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.