The advent of the band RUBICON CROSS is rooted in the connection formed between two prolific musicians facing adverse conditions together. The friendship between vocalist CJ Snare and guitarist Chris Green is as solid as the bond that they share as songwriting collaborators and that bond is the creative nucleus for this recording. The two first met backstage while sharing the same stage at a rock festival in Madrid. From relationship break-ups to standing next to each other as best men at each other’s weddings, they have traveled the bumpy road of life as best friends. CJ is godfather to Chris’ toddler son and for over a decade they have experienced heartaches, hangovers and even transcontinental relocations together. With this kind of solidarity, it was inevitable that they would become bandmates. For the last two decades, both CJ and Chris have been making a bountiful living practicing their craft. Their career achievements would be the envy of any professional musician: Award winning vocalist, CJ Snare, a native of Tampa, Florida is a founding member, primary songwriter and lead vocalist for the supremely successful, multi-Platinum-selling hard rock outfit, Firehouse. Highly respected London-born guitar virtuoso Chris Green is a founding member of both internationally known metal bands Pride and Furyon. What initially began as a solo project for CJ soon became a collaborative effort between two like-minded craftsmen. And, as all creative people will attest, the creative process often dictates policy--as opposed to the other way around. Immediately upon the completion of the first song they wrote together, “Moving On,” they knew that it was going to be something completely new and different for them both. Some projects just have to be made. And for this one, they knew that they would need to do it outside of their other pursuits. Together they formed RUBICON CROSS. With the addition of Pride/Furyon bassist Simon Farmery (who co-wrote, “Save Me Within”), Seventh Omen drummer Robert Behnke, and second guitarist Jeff Lerman, RUBICON CROSS became a band of brothers, willing to tackle the music, the road, and bring life to these songs of fight, commitment and connection. The lush melodic core of the songwriting is given a forceful, aggressive boost on this record. From the first single, “Bleed With Me” that starts just as propulsive as it ends to “Kill Or Be Killed” that has a relentless metal drive, RUBICON CROSS is a collection of contemporary heavy music that sits just as comfortably next to hard rock classics as it does modern rock upstarts. The opening track “Locked and Loaded” is featured on the Xbox360 and PS3 game “Dirt Showdown” along side of new rock heavy-hitters Rise Against, Rival Sons and The Parlor Mob. With all of the life experience, career accomplishments and expert musicianship between them, it was a “no-brainer” for Universal distributed label, INgrooves, to sign them upon hearing the finished tracks on this remarkable debut offering. All songs written by C J Snare and Chris Green except “Save Me Within” written by CJ Snare, Chris Green and Simon Farmery. The album was mixed and mastered by platinum-selling, award-winning producer/engineer Rick Beato.
