Andrea Thompson introduces you to Shifty Shellshock of Crazy Town, a seven-man “extreme rock-rap” band from L.A. that’s building a buzz on the strength of their debut record, The Gift of Game, and a prominent slot on this summer’s Ozzfest.

Music Midtown is a great chance to catch bands you might never get to see otherwise. Frank Mullen took some chances at this year’s festival in Atlanta, and found out what he’d been missing from the likes of Jimmy Cliff, BR5-49, the Jungle Brothers, and Bjorn Again, as well as a pre-Noel Gallagher walk-out Oasis.

Every time I turn on the local college radio station and tune in to the hip-hop hour, between every song I get this itching in the back of my eyes….like “I should know better, just turn off the radio and don’t go along with the rest of the damn suburbanite kids ripping off perfectly good music that they should have nothing to do with….” And then the next beat comes in, some really cool samples and the poetry that old people refer either as “that noise” or, on occasion, as “rap.” And I’m lost in the noise…….