At A Crossroads

It was a shiny moment in a cloudy year, and Robert Ortiz still sounds a little awed by it all, like a kid who's just discovered candy.

After years of attending the annual sports and music fest Extreme Thing as a fan of past headliners such as Story of the Year and Avenged Sevenfold, Vegas rockers Ortiz and his band mates in hard-edged Escape the Fate got to play the show last year.

Ortiz captured the scene on his cell phone, posting grainy footage of the band taking the stage on his MySpace page, an ocean of screaming kids before them, as the group's members launch themselves at the crowd like they were fired from a cannon.

"We went out there, and I was just blown away," Ortiz recalls before band practice recently, as Escape the Fate gets ready for another spot on the show this year. "I couldn't believe how gigantic we had gotten. There were 8,000 or 9,000 people watching us. Our merchandise out-sold two of the headlining bands. It was just like, 'Wow, dude, this thing is getting a little out of hand here.' "

And Ortiz knows all about things getting out of hand.

Last year was a bittersweet one for this bunch: After a well-received stint on the most recent Warped Tour, the band scored a hit with its "Hot for Teacher"-esque video for "Situations," which has been played more than 1.2 million times on YouTube and established Escape the Fate as a rising national act.

But with the highs came plenty of lows.

The band was booted from tours, lost tour support from its label at one point, shed a band member, and has had to weather a certain amount of tension among themselves, which is not uncommon for a bunch of cocksure, excitable 20-somethings out to become the next Mötley Crüe.

"The biggest thing is just holding it up within ourselves, it's just a test, how much can you stand this person? How much can you stand that person?" Ortiz says. "We've gotten kicked off so many tours -- I guess they just couldn't handle us or something. We're just a mess at times. We'd be falling apart, and there'd be fights, and band members not wanting to do it any more. But you've got to put it back together and just say, 'Dude, this thing is bigger than us. Let's keep it going, keep it moving.' "

Much of the turmoil within the band has revolved around fiery frontman Ronnie Radke, a combustible presence onstage and off.

In May 2006, Radke was involved in a physical altercation that ended with a local man, Michael Cook, being shot and killed by an associate of Radke.

The singer didn't pull the trigger, but he was sentenced to five years probation on a battery charge for his part in the incident.

"It's not like it's something new," Ortiz says. "I've know Ronnie for years, man, and that kid's trouble. But he's also amazingly talented. It's a Catch-22 with that guy at all times. It's heart wrenching, always. There's legal issues. At this point, it's like, can we legally even function as a band? Can we leave the state with you? We need to tour, we need to promote this record, and you're sitting here, going to court for a bunch of stuff that you might have done a while ago."

Currently, the band is at a crossroads.

With Radke on the sidelines for the moment, the band is utilizing Blessthefall singer Craig Mabbitt for its Extreme Thing set.

"He's going to fill in for these shows because of the legal issues that we have to deal with," Ortiz says. "He's going to fill in until we get things sorted out and settled for the band.

"We haven't made anything official," Ortiz says of whether or not the band will attempt to move on without Radke. "But just know that, as a person, you have to say, 'At what point is it enough?' I love him. I've worked with him forever, and making music with him is the best thing ever. It comes so easy and so quick. He is crazy, dude, he's a character, but those are the best ones, aren't they?"

Radke does make for a dynamic frontman -- he's a kinetic, wild-eyed presence who's hard to take your eyes off of.

But with his legal issues, the band has been forced into a holding pattern. They had to drop out of the recent Plea for Peace tour, where they were set to play right before headliners Every Time I Die.

Moreover, Extreme Thing will be their first show of 2008, this for a band that's used to playing hundreds of gigs annually.

"It is tough," Ortiz says. "Right now, we've been off tour for quite a while. We're not making millions off of album sales just yet, so we're not generating too much money other than a few online merchandise sales. I can't see many people who'd keep their jobs if they weren't getting paid. But I do, because it's something that you love and something that you just have to work so incredibly hard for."

Still, the band is pressing on, working on a new album for which Ortiz estimates they already have around 25 to 30 songs written. The group would like to hit the studio in the next month or so and get its sophomore disc out by the end of the year.

Until then, the band is trying to make the best of a bad situation. And for all the exasperation that he speaks of, Ortiz still sounds confident that his band will escape tis current fate for real.

"I tell you one thing, dude, we've got some stuff to write about. That's for sure," Ortiz says with a hearty laugh. "I don't know how many bands have gone through some of the stuff that we've gone through. I was listening to Eminem yesterday, and I was just thinking, 'If Ronnie was Eminem, he'd be fine, but when he's got other people dealing with him, we have to put up with that.'

"It makes you tough," he continues. "We just gotta be strong and get through everything. At the end of the day, we'll be fine, no matter what. Our band is going to do amazing things."

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0476.