Name: Adam Bernard Home: Fairfield, Connecticut, United States About Me: Entertainment journalist w/ over a decade of experience. Lover of good music, fringe movies, day baseball & chicken shawarma. Nerdy, but awesome. See my complete profile
Funk, jazz, soul, Hip-Hop… Breakestra is all of these things and more. Over the past decade the Los Angeles based group's distinct funky/soulful sound has garnered them both an incredible buzz and a hardcore following and in September they’ll be releasing Dusk Till Dawn, the long awaited follow up to their 2005 effort Hit The Floor. According to Miles Tackett, who is the man behind Breakestra (pictured third from the left), the four year wait between albums was due to two years of touring and his own admitted perfectionism when it comes to song creation. Breakestra, in actuality, is less a group and more a musical collective. “It's not a set group of folks,” Tackett explains, “never has been for more than a year due to conflicting schedules, but when we tour I am lucky to have a large roster of talented funkateers ready and able to put it down live.” This week I caught up with the leader of those funkateers and asked Tackett about Breakestra’s history, how their sound developed, and the power of positive music.
Adam Bernard: For the uninitiated, describe what a Breakestra listening experience is like. What are people in store for when they either put in one of your CDs, or attend one of your live shows? Miles Tackett: It depends. If they're checking out the new recording, Dusk Till Dawn, or the previous, Hit The Floor, they will hear a variety of funk/soul/jazz instrumental and vocal tracks. If they're hearing The Live Mix Part 2, that's a live, in-studio, non-stop mix of deeper, in the cut, funk/breaks covers done in a seamless flow inspired by the original 70's Bronx Hip-Hop art of DJing one jam into the next. If you see Breakestra live you’re gonna get the best of both worlds, new original tracks mixed in with deep, hard, funk and soul jazz classics in the same style as The Live Mix Part 2 recording.
Adam Bernard: What kind of audience do you find Breakestra attracting? If I were to show up at one of your shows who would I be rubbing shoulders and moving my feet with? Miles Tackett: Deep funk music enthusiasts, authentic Hip-Hop fans, casual funky soul-jazz music listeners, b-boys and girls, emcees and even neo-hippie music appreciators who love to do their dance.
Adam Bernard: Sounds good to me. Now, for those who don’t know the history of Breakestra, hit people with how you guys got started. Miles Tackett: In 1997, after my previous band, Inclined, which I’d played guitar and sang in, had disbanded after a long run I was in need of a musical outlet and change, so I organized a weekly funk/classic soul/jazz/Hip-Hop breaks jam that soon became what was known as The BREAKS at a small coffeehouse in LA. Having heard party DJs like Cut Chemist and Mixmaster Wolf years earlier planted the seed. Todd Simon, later of the Daptone/Quantic/Keystones family, and Carlos Guaico of The Rebirth were among the first musicians to be involved on a regular basis and we had a number of other rotating cats. Since there were too many guitarists and not enough bass players in town I picked up the electric bass and upright cello. A large cast of musicians, emcees, b-boys and DJs would roll through weekly including Cut Chemist, Mix Master Wolf and future Hip-Hop groups like People Under The Stairs. The jam sessions were based on breaks/groves that I had grown familiar with from the samples in late 80’s/early 90’s Hip-Hop tracks. At first I would just change up bass lines and see what the other cats would do, but soon after I started making tapes of the tracks I wanted to hear and they would learn the melodies or the specific drum breaks. I would have a list of breaks written down and I’d call out the name and hope they'd follow. After a while I started putting together a specific set with exact segues worked out in The Live Mix style. We would also have freestyle sessions with emcees.
Adam Bernard: Why do you think those BREAKS jam sessions created so much buzz? Miles Tackett: At that time, in 2000, there was barely anyone keeping those sounds alive and definitely no one else connecting the dots between OG Bronx Hip-Hop culture and the original funk/soul/jazz musical legacy. Also the very first Breakestra release, "Getcho Soul Togetha" (on 45 single) was the most authentic raw sounding new funk recording to be released since The Poets of Rhythm had rediscovered the gritty funk alchemy back in 1991.
Adam Bernard: In 2007 you lost a member of your group, DJ Dusk, to a traffic accident. How important was it for you to make sure his track with Chali 2na, “’Posed To Be,” made it onto Dusk Till Dawn and what feelings does it bring up when you listen to it? Miles Tackett: My soul brother Dusk (Tarek Captan) was and is part of my Root Down Sound System DJ crew, in spirit now, but I had heard his skills as an emcee behind the scenes when only a few were paying attention. I encouraged him to start taking it to the next level. On the last record I had him kick a verse on "Family Rap," which was cool and funky, but due to the length of the track and there being so many emcees I ended up only using his intro rap. The version with his verse will see the light of day soon. When it came time for the lyrics to be written for "Posed To Be" I had asked Chali 2na and Wolf to try and incorporate some element of Dusk’s memory, or inspiration. While the rhymes and flows they came up with were some good shit, something was missing. Then I remembered that I had a whole 'nother beat with him rhyming on it for around 80 bars that was recorded about five months before he passed on. I found a perfect verse from his rhymes that fit the style and spirit of the new song and thankfully there was a section open in the track so it worked au natural. Whenever I hear any recording of him it is, of course, a bittersweet mix of feelings, but I more so feel absolutely proud of his spirit and the talent he used to share that soulful spirit with folks.
Adam Bernard: That’s an amazing way to keep his memory alive. I like the way you keep things positive, so let’s close out the interview by staying in that lane. With so much of your music being uplifting, what do you feel is the power of positive music? Miles Tackett: To me music is the international language and its transcendent power can affect people’s lives in ways that are long term. It can get one's head and heart opened to other cultures from having heard the universal humanity in those foreign sounds. It can also give us immediate emotional/spiritual happiness. I don't feel all music has to be positive, since I believe that catharsis is also helpful for both the performer and the listener, but when I express a hopeful, joyful, strongly and sincerely felt emotion I believe it can have a positive reverberating effect on open ears and hearts and that will add some good fuel to the balance of our humanity’s seemingly inevitable seesaw condition.
Many folks may recognize Verbal as the emcee portion of the NY Hip-Hop group Verbal Sideshow (they were Artists Of The Week here back in Jan ’08). With “Tonight” he’s giving listeners a taste of some of his solo work. The song fits in perfectly with Verbal Sideshow’s long history of uplifting Hip-Hop that’s positive without being preachy and if you watch the video till the very end you’ll see some hilarious outtakes. Enjoy!
Nowadays it seems every former millionaire associated with the music industry is outside their place of work ringing a bell and wearing a sandwich board that reads “The End Is Near.” Their claims are more than a little exaggerated. Just because artists and industry types can no longer enjoy all the excesses of life doesn’t mean the music industry is dying. I do believe an end is near, but rather than the end of the music industry, I think it’s the end of the opulent lifestyles that so many once associated with being in the music industry.
What does this mean for all the artists out there? It means we’re in a changing industry and artists need to reassess their goals. Do you want to live off of your music, or do you want to live in a mansion? The two aren't connected. The good news is that an industry without a promise of incredible amounts of wealth will only attract artists who actually have true artistic goals, who actually want to make music, which means the music should get better.
It’s pretty sad that the death of the major labels could be good for music. I think that speaks volumes as to how poorly run those labels have been, as well as the kind of “artists” they’ve been attracting. This huge shift is at least partially a result of people trying to measure the arts in terms of money and fiscal quarters and that, as they are finally seeing, is a recipe for disaster.
If the major labels want to stay in business there’s an easy solution to their problem, they need to realize they shouldn’t be looking to compete with Fortune 500 companies and set earnings records, but instead should be looking to make the money they need to operate and focus on putting out great music. People will buy great music, that has been proven time and time again. Timeless music sells forever. It’s why classic rock albums outsell the stuff that was released just three years ago.
So if you can’t handle trading in your dreams of a Hummer for a Honda and your want for a mansion with a heated pool for a regular home, music was never your love in the first place, it was just a way you thought you could get the money you wanted. If those “artists” are the kind of causalities this major shift in the industry takes, I just want to know what we can do to speed up the process.
Washington, DC has long been known as a political playground; a city where senators and congressman are celebrities, and suits and ties are commonplace. Not surprisingly, it hasn't exactly been known as a home for hip-hop.
DC rapper Boobe explains his hometown's music scene saying "it's really a gogo circuit, but we're trying to break that mold..."
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from Miley’s pole dance, to Diddy’s laziness, to what The Beatles coming to Rock Band means to you. And since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
The other day one of my editors gave me an assignment I’m really not looking forward to putting together (not my editor at the Weekly, just wanted to make that perfectly clear!). He wants his entire staff of writers to attempt to put together their top ten albums of the decade.
Despite my reluctance I started sifting through a decade’s worth of CDs, or at least the ones I felt might qualify for such a list. When it came to the Hip-Hop involved I noticed that this decade more than any other has seen a huge variety of styles break through. At the start of it we had Eminem and Nelly, who were decidedly different emcees, ruling the charts. We moved on to 50 Cent and Lil’ Jon and then took a funky turn with Gnarls Barkley, all the while with acts like Jay-Z seemingly ever present in the background.
This got me to thinking about Connecticut Hip-Hop and how a decade of randomness uncannily parallels our own scene. Unfortunately, while variety may be the spice of life for a decade, it’s not the greatest way to build a scene, and despite our long history in Hip-Hop, Connecticut’s scene seems to suffer from an eternal identity crisis.
New York has a sound, LA has a sound, the Bay Area has a sound, the South has a sound… you see where I’m going with this. Connecticut, unlike all those places, doesn’t have a defining sound. You can’t hear a song or an artist and instinctively know “that’s Connecticut Hip-Hop,” and that’s something that’s holding us back.
Yes, artists need to be individuals within a scene, but right now only a few dozen emcees in the state are actually being individuals and attempting to develop their own sound, a sound that might, if they become large enough, end up defining the state. That may, at the outset, seem like a huge task to accomplish, but it should also be something that excites every artist out there. There aren’t a lot of places left where artists have the opportunity to literally define a scene. Unfortunately, it seems the majority of our rappers would rather be followers than leaders. Once again, there are exceptions, most of whom end up being featured in this very column (blatant plug to search the archives at FairfieldWeekly.com), but right now there are basically two kinds of rappers that dominate our scene – the “underground” rappers and the wannabe mainstream rappers.
The “underground” rappers work off of the misguided idea that underground is a style of Hip-Hop. My buddy Substantial, who is an amazing emcee from Maryland, noted during an interview we did a few years ago that underground isn’t a style of Hip-Hop, it’s a position in the industry, a rung on the ladder. That’s a concept that a lot of our underground rappers don’t seem to understand. It’s also why I put underground in quotes when I first mentioned these rappers.
Some of our underground emcees are actually pretty good, but they’re not going to help the state rise to any sort of national prominence as their originality is thin. They aren’t attempting to create a defining sound, they’re simply emulating what they hear their favorite, not so widely famous, rappers do. The topics you’ll hear these artists rhyme about include being underground, hating the industry, and being a rapper.
The wannabe mainstream rappers are a similar animal. It’s actually kind of amazing the “underground” rappers and wannabe mainstream rappers don’t get along better, because like our underground rappers, our wannabe mainstream rappers are simply imitating something they like, the only difference is they’re imitating the hits on the radio in hopes that they will eventually score a radio hit of their own. Unlike the underground rappers, however, the wannabe mainstream rappers rap about topics like money, fame and women (although not necessarily using that particular word to describe the ladies). The irony is that many of them actually have none of these things.
So how can our state’s problem be solved? (The problem of not having a defining sound, not the problem of our wannabe mainstream rappers being broke, not famous and loveless) Easy, artists just need to start taking the initiative to be unique. It’s a scary prospect for many. Being “underground” or attempting to be mainstream ensures at least a small audience while doing something different requires going out on a limb and not knowing where your audience will come from, or if one will even develop at all. This is where we come in as fans. It’s our job to support the emcees who are really doing something innovative, creative, and that we would love to say represents our state. This means showing up at shows, buying albums, adding the artists as friends on the social networking site, or sites, of our choosing, and getting people involved. If we all play our part maybe the next decade will be the one where people will finally be able to hear a song say “that’s Connecticut Hip-Hop.”
I combed the entire planet looking for hot new joints for ya and this week's podcast features my findings. With new songs from Big Stat, Top $ Raz, Kalil Kash, J-Monopoly, Kaz-well and more, it's safe to say any musical fever you have won't require more cowbell to be cured, just more of the Adam B Experience. Enjoy!
You can stream or download the entire show at RapReviews.com.
Playlist
Top $ Raz, J-Monopoly, Kalil Kash - Right In The Kissah Big Stat - Don't Quit Your Day Job Sleepwalkas w/ Euphon - Euphonasia Reload - Johnny Rockets Waitress Kaz-well - Take Me Home Swamphouse - Twisted Doomtree - The Wren Bavu Blakes w/ Terell Shahid - Go Blaze Vinnie Scullo - I Spit On Your Grave Sum & Belief - Rivers PreZZure w/ Niles - Go In Poison Pen w/ MOP - Magnifique Mr. Beatz - MC On The MPC Russell Young - My Life
Solomon Jazz is an emcee who has been making a name for himself since he arrived in NYC in 2006. Originally from the British Virgin Islands, where his musical influences ranged from Peter Tosh to Public Enemy, Solomon Jazz came to the States in 1996 to attend Hampton University in Virginia. Ten years later he found himself in Brooklyn, NY, emceeing, and getting together with his band, The Vibe, which was named after the musical chemistry they found they had. Over the past few years plenty of people have been vibing to the work of Solomon Jazz and this week I caught up with him to find out more about his music, some of the people who showed him the ropes when he first came to NYC, and why he feels everybody getting into Hip-Hop needs a big brother.
Adam Bernard: Start everyone off with some basic info. Imagine whoever is reading this has never heard of Solomon Jazz. How would you describe him? Solomon Jazz: Solomon Jazz is a Hip-Hop student. Before he would ever call himself a Hip-Hop artist or rapper, he sees himself as a student of the culture. The mission of Solomon Jazz is to add on to the culture and leave it in a place where others can see that Hip-Hop can be used for the good of everyone. I know it sounds corny, but that’s how Solomon Jazz views Hip-Hop.
Adam Bernard: You recently released an album titled I Know Where I Come From. That’s a pretty deep title. Solomon Jazz: You really think it’s deep? {laughs} The title I Know Where I Come From was chosen to convey two things; one, I know that I am a child of the Caribbean and no matter where I rest in this world I will do my best to represent the Caribbean in my own way, and two, while I am from the Caribbean, in another sense where I come from does not matter. I know that we as a human race all essentially come from the same place in this world, so no matter how different we appear to each other I still see us as being connected and we can get along if we strive to be civilized. When you think about it, I guess the album title is deep. {laughs}
Adam Bernard: I told ya! Now, tell me about the content of I Know Where I Come From. Solomon Jazz: I strive for people to get a personal and comprehensive view of how I approach life via my music. I talk about how I view myself, my home country, personal relationships, and various social issues. Is this album my autobiography? No, not at all, but I Know Where I Come From is a musical snapshot of how I view the life experiences I’ve had that have involved Hip-Hop playing a major role in shaping my train of thought.
Adam Bernard: Let’s get into the history of Solomon Jazz. Tell me a little bit about the area you grew up in, the British Virgin Islands. Does it differ much from the US Virgin Islands? Solomon Jazz: I am from an island called Tortola which is Spanish for “Turtle Dove.” Tortola is a popular location for sailing, horse racing, boat racing, getaway vacations and international banking. I think the BVI is very similar to the US Virgin Islands but if an American visits the British Virgin Islands they will notice that we do not have the businesses that are popular in American culture, stores such as Macy’s, McDonalds, Burger King, K-Mart, Wal-Mart and so on. We have our own businesses that provide similar products and services and they are just as good if not better.
Adam Bernard: What kind of influences did you grow up with there? Solomon Jazz: I am strongly influenced by my parents because they stressed the importance of good manners, respecting yourself and others, avoiding the use of profanity, and getting a good education. That’s why if you listen closely to my album you’ll notice that I keep my cursing to a minimum. I do this because I think it’s important to create music suitable for children and parents.
Adam Bernard: When you first came to NYC, how did you break into the city’s Hip-Hop scene? What were some of the things you did and who were some of the people who were instrumental (pun intended) in showing you the ropes? Solomon Jazz: Actually, I stumbled upon the Hip-Hop scene a year after I arrived in NYC. I was bored in my apartment on a snowy Sunday night and I decided to take the train to Manhattan. Once I got to the Lower East Side I was walking around checking out the area and I walked past the Pyramid Club. As I walked past it I heard the sound of Hip-Hop music. Needless to say I asked the guy at the door what is going on and he said with confidence, “Hip-Hop open mic.” The rest is history. That’s when I learned about End Of The Weak. The first person who was instrumental in my introduction to the Hip-Hop scene was Likwuid Stylez of Rebel Starr. She taught me a lot of things about the Hip-Hop game, especially about the world of event planning and promotion. She was also the first person to let me host a show (The Hairitage Lounge). I also have to mention that Kalil Kash, Mr. Beatz, M-Tri, and Mark Carranceja (of Noisemaker Media) were all very instrumental in my development as an artist.
Adam Bernard: What moments in your life or career would you say have been the most defining, or altering, for you? Solomon Jazz: The two biggest moments I can think of were coming to the United States and my father having a massive stroke. I knew that when I came to the United States that I would have a lot of cultural norms to learn, but knowing and experiencing are two entirely different things. Nevertheless I can still see where I have things in common with others, i.e. everybody wants to be successful and have peace of mind. When you look at things that way it is easier to accept people for who they are and act accordingly. When my father had his stroke it obviously affected my train of thought. I have not been able to write and perform like I used to because I am always thinking about my father and the fact that he will never be what he was. My father was a teacher and I am proud to say that I get my ability to speak publicly and host shows from him. I remember watching him host events growing up and when it comes to teaching… my father is one of the best to do it. Frankly, my father is the original Solomon Jazz and I am just striving to carry on the tradition.
Adam Bernard: That’s deep, man. Thank you for sharing that. Ending things on a slightly lighter note, you got into Hip-Hop the old fashioned way, an older sibling handing you a mix-tape. How do you think the next generation is going to get into Hip-Hop? Solomon Jazz: For the next generation the internet is now their big brother and I have to admit that I am worried about that. When it comes to Hip-Hop music young people today need to learn the history of how it started and should get some guidance on how to listen to Hip-Hop. That is what my brother was for me and I worry that kids today will miss out on that experience.
Vinnie Scullo is awesome. This video is awesome. Watching it will make you awesome. “Domino Effect” features the wit and creativity that have become Vinnie Scullo staples and it will take multiple listens just to catch all the pop culture references he worked into it. If you’ve been sleepin on Vinnie click play immediately.
Right now there are a lot of great ways for an artist to get their work out there that are either free, or very low cost. From social networking services, to making albums available for download, never has there been a time with so many cost efficient ways for an artist to further their career. An issue has arisen from all this, however, and it’s the fact that many artists are only seeking out the free, or almost free, ways to get their music to the world and promote themselves. Some don’t even have budgets, it’s just a big “what can we do that won’t cost anything” plan. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of the artists who employ that plan aren’t making any strides in their careers and the reason should be obvious – they’re not investing in themselves.
While it’s great to find all the free avenues that can help you expose your work, if that’s the only way you’re looking to expose your work don’t expect very much in the way of results. Using only what’s free is the new definition of half-assed.
Take a trip back to 1996. Imagine you were an artist trying to get your foot in the door back then. If you wanted to be heard you had to pay for studio time, cut a demo tape or CD, make copies of that demo yourself, and seek out labels and potential management to hand it to. Obviously there are much easier ways of doing some of those things now, but the fact of the matter is you should still look at the time, money and effort you would have had to put in back then and put in the same kind of time, money and effort right now. Being in 2009, and having a number of conveniences that can make your life easier as an artist, just means you now have the freedom to put a larger slice of your time, money and effort into your career in other, possibly even more productive, ways.
Unfortunately, too many artists aren’t putting together budgets and many of those who are putting together budgets are doing it all wrong. I see far too many artists putting together budgets based how much they feel they should spend rather than how much they’re willing to spend. Having a career in music isn’t like shopping at Wal-Mart, you can’t just look for the cheapest possible deals and expect to have great results. The first question an artist needs to ask him, or herself before starting a project is - how much of a percentage of my earnings from my nine to five job can I, or am I willing to, put towards the career I want? Once you’ve figured out that number, that is your budget, spend it on your career. Obviously, start by looking at all the free options you have. Once you’ve assessed those options and decided which you’ll use, take a look at how much money is still in your budget. That money is NOT to be put towards anything other than your career. Have a ton leftover? Great. Press up CDs, find good independent distribution, hire a publicist, seek out a booker, create promo materials, make a video, fly outside your area for shows. Don’t want to spend money on those things? Then don’t expect to get very far.
If you seriously don’t have anything to draw from to get a real budget just start putting a small part of each paycheck you bring in into a personal “Artist” fund and wait for it to grow. Record your butt off the entire time you’re building your money up, generate all the buzz you can using the low cost and no cost avenues that are out there, and then when you finally have the funds you want put everything together so you can really make something happen. You’ll be amazed at the results. A buddy of mine just hired his first real publicist a few months ago. The leap his career has taken since then has been unbelievable.
A lot of people, when they discuss their favorite artists, mention performers from ten, or fifteen, years ago. All those artists had one major thing in common - they invested in themselves. If, as an artist, you’re not willing to make that investment, why should anybody else?
There are two distinct sides to singer Sarah Blackwood. First there's Sarah Blackwood the country rock artist who just released her first solo album, Way Back Home. Then there's her alter ego Sarah SIN, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the pop punk band The Creepshow. Blackwood, a Toronto native, has been a musician since her father first taught her a few basic chords on the guitar when she was eleven. With the numerous punk rock shows she went to with her friends, her father's impressive record collection, and her own life experiences acting as influences, both sides of her musical personality developed simultaneously. At 19 she moved to Whistler, BC, to snowboard and during the four years she was there she hit the stage for the first time. Since then she has traveled the world and put out two records, the most recent being Way Back Home. This week, I caught up with Blackwood to find out more about her music, what her numerous tattoos represent, and why diner food is something she hopes is in her future.
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. This week Pop Shots is going to be a little bit different as I’ve decided to do a theme based edition of the column. The theme – the top pop stars to follow on Twitter. These are the artists that aren’t going to bombard you with tweets every five seconds (love ya John Mayer, but you are a chronic over-tweeter) and they don’t use Twitter simply to self-promote (like a number of artists do). Rather, these are artists who open up a bit, have a great sense of humor, and let us into their lives 140 character increments at a time. So with that in mind, consider following the following…
Graffiti is the one element of Hip-Hop that doesn’t result in personal notoriety. Unlike emcees, DJs and breakers, graffers, thanks to their actions being illegal, have to be known solely by their art. There can be no face recognition for these creative people and their fame has to solely lie in the work they create, work that may only be up for a short period of time. Randy DeVol’s documentary The Graff Life chronicled the struggles these artists go through for their art as he followed the lives of a crew of graffiti artists in southern California. This week I caught up with DeVol, whose mainstream production work includes numerous reality shows for the Discovery Channel, to find out what inspired him to create The Graff Life, how it changed his views on graffiti, and the role he feels the government played in fostering the growth of the illegal art form. Here are some of the highlights:
On the graffiti community: “Everyone’s so different, but somehow their common ground is writing graffiti, rebelling through art somehow and making a social statement that society can see.”
On the artistic integrity of graffers: “A lot of artists talk about not wanting to compromise much of their art and staying true to their art, but I have not seen the kind of commitment and dedication and integrity for staying true to the art as I have in graffiti.”
On how a lack of arts funding in America impacted graff: “That’s the way it started, because in this country we have the freedom to express artistically and when not given that opportunity through your normal avenues we’re still compelled to express artistically.”
At first glance one might not automatically think “soul singer” when they look at Kristen Maxfield, but at first listen it becomes obvious that the sultry lead singer of The Kristen Maxfield Band is overflowing with soul… and talent. I caught Maxfield and her band in NYC a couple of weeks ago and after seeing their performance and listening to their EP, Whatcha Waitin’ For, I knew I wanted to feature them here as an Artist Of The Week. This week I linked up with Maxfield to make that happen and we discussed everything from how her sound developed, to why it took her so long to find her way to soul music, to the unique musical title one of her relatives holds overseas.
Adam Bernard: Let’s start off with the basics. Who’s in The Kristen Maxfield Band and what the group is all about? Kristen Maxfield: The Kristen Maxfield Band consists of Kristen Maxfield (lead vocal), Dan Stein (keys), Mike Rens (Bass) and Warren Grant (Drums). In the past we have brought in additional musicians to take the stage with us, including Josh Dion, Scott Sharrard, Pat Firth, Toni Seawright, Carol Brevard, Digg Deep and Woody Quinn. We combine elements of old school R&B, Motown soul, 70’s funk, modern Hip-Hop and classic songwriting into a powerful, inspiring sound that grabs the listener’s ear, engages the brain, and gets the booty in gear.
Adam Bernard: You’ve also performed with some other folks over the years, correct? Kristen Maxfield: Yes. On top of doing my own project I have also toured for two years as a backup singer with The Square Egg, lead by Lee just Lee of NYC, and have participated as a backup vocalist/writer on various projects with producer Charles Martinez (Steely Dan, Rob Thomas, Scott Sharrard, etc.), and singer/songwriter Kristen Bussandri.
Adam Bernard: Wow, that’s an impressive resume! When it comes to your own band, when did you all come together and officially start the group? Kristen Maxfield: I started writing the music about four years ago. During that time I worked with a number musicians until I finally met Dan. We began working on new music and forming a band that would bring out the combination of modern and old school R&B that we were going for.
Adam Bernard: You noted earlier that you’ve also worked with The Square Egg, who are longtime favorites here at Adam’s World. How would you compare KMB to TSE? Kristen Maxfield: KMB and TSE are very similar in many ways and I’m not just talking about the fact that we share many of the same musicians. {laughs} Both groups incorporate a variety of sounds and genres and although I may be a soul singer and Lee may be an emcee, our outlook on music, its importance, and its effect on people, are very similar.
Adam Bernard: Diving into your personal history a bit, were you always surrounded by music growing up, or was your path to being an artist a familial anomaly? Kristen Maxfield: My parents are both musicians and they’ve always supported my decision to make musical performance and composition my career. Actually music runs throughout my entire family. My great grandfather is the oldest tuba player in England at age 95. That’s pretty awesome if you ask me!
Adam Bernard: Very awesome! So when did you start becoming interested in soul music? Kristen Maxfield: I turned on a little Bill Withers and some Al Green and was sold. {laughs} Actually it is funny because I come from a classically trained family. Both of my parents graduated from Eastman School of Music. My father was an opera singer and my mother taught music education, so growing up I was surrounded by classical music and didn’t really listen to soul. But in my first year of college I began to listen to jazz a bit more which then lead to me listening to Motown, 70’s Funk, old school R&B, and from then on I studied the sound, the song structure, the lyrics and all that inspired me to write in that soulful style.
Adam Bernard: What kind of initial reaction do you think people have when they see you, a smiling red head, belting out some serious soul songs? Kristen Maxfield: “What the heck?” People say what you see and what you get are two completely different things when it comes to Kristen Maxfield and The Kristen Maxfield Band. I take that as a compliment.
Adam Bernard: Redheads are often thought to have a fiery personality. Do you have any stories from your life that you can share that might work to prove this theory? Kristin Maxfield: {laughs} I don’t know if I should answer that. Let me just say we may be feisty, but we are fun!
Adam Bernard: Fair enough. Finally, many people come to NYC to “make it,” but you’re about to move out of NYC and take up residence in Rochester, NY. What’s up with that? Kristen Maxfield: These days you really can live anywhere and create and perform music. I love NYC, but I also love the Rochester music scene. The energy that reverberates throughout the city of Rochester and its surrounding cities sends you on such a high adrenaline rush. I first started my songwriting in Rochester, NY, and when I visited last spring and saw how much the music scene had evolved from when I left it eight years ago, I knew I wanted to go back.
Doomtree may very well be the best Hip-Hop crew going right now and those of you with good memories will remember that their 2008 self-titled album ranked high on my year end top albums list. Mike Mictlan's "Game Over" comes straight off that Doomtree album and it's the perfect high energy way to start your weekend. Enjoy!
Not a lot of artists can say they've worked with the RZA. Even fewer can credit the Wu-Tang legend with giving them their name. LieFocals is one of those privileged few. The "Lie" in LieFocals comes from his real name, Lionel, but the "Focals" comes from his time working with the Wu. "I would be in the studio with RZA, 9th Prince and all the cats from Killa Army," Liefocals remembers. "I would study the RZA, and how he would talk and how he would move and how he would control everybody else to get them ready to lay down a song. They said that I was always looking at stuff like it was under a microscope, so they called me LieFocals."
I think I need to start this blog post with a small disclosure – I am a huge, unabashed fan of Sugar Ray and Mark McGrath. Musically there isn’t anything they can’t do and their ability to create timeless music that crosses generational lines is nothing short of remarkable. I was fortunate enough to witness this up close and personal when Sugar Ray closed out this year’s Alive at Five series of $5 shows at Columbus Park in Stamford, CT, last Thursday. Sugar Ray doesn’t have to play these kind of events, but not only did they perform, they went above and beyond in so many ways, making it a memorable occasion for the reported 10,000 in attendance. The following are my personal highlights from my day in the park with one of my favorite bands.
Sugar Ray: Let’s get right to the meat and potatoes of the show. Sugar Ray was amazing. They did an 80 minute set that included all their hits, a couple covers, and a whole lotta fun. Mark McGrath is incredibly engaging and was having a great time being back in his home state. Yes, that’s right, McGrath was born in Hartford, which he pointed out a couple of times during the show. He even said he wrote “Mean Machine,” the band’s first official single, about one of the Hartford Whalers’ enforcers (I would really love to know the validity of that, or if he was just playing to the audience.) He spoke with the crowd a number of times and even though he said the band was coming back from a six year layoff from touring he was so natural that you would have never guessed he’d taken a break from the road.
Sugar Ray’s choice of covers was really interesting and showed a ton of range. I don’t know of any other bands that can go from Kid Cudi’s “Day N Night” to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” (check out Sugar Ray doing the former on YouTube). I actually don’t think they intended to do the latter, but when DJ Homicide, who is a fantastic DJ, threw it on and the whole crowd did the first half of the first verse McGrath said “we’re really gonna do this? OK!” and took it from there.
I came in expecting a fun time and a great show. Sugar Ray provided both and even exceeded those high expectations. They’re now firmly ensconced on my Top Live Acts list (which, I swear, I will write out one day).
Lending a Helping Hand: Crowd surfing in an area where some people have beach chairs set up qualifies as a definite challenge. One young lady learned this the hard way when she attempted to pass over my area only to find there were chairs to my right and not people. I had to lean over two girls who weren’t really equipped to carry the crowd surfer and with my right hand push her upwards and toss her over to the next part of the crowd. I’m pretty sure that act qualifies me for humanitarian status. I mean, has Angelina Jolie ever done anything like that? I think not.
Mortified By a Minor: Sometimes things happen that you just have to laugh at. During Sugar Ray’s set I was only about ten rows or so from the stage. This meant I was packed in with a ton people, including kids who I thought would be way too young to have even heard of Sugar Ray, let alone be familiar their music. At one point I felt an ass smash up against my crotch. This wasn’t in a “sexy gyrate” kina way, just a straight up smash and it was coming from my left hand side. Turning around I saw a girl, totally bent over, rummaging around trying to pick up her phone. An adult would have crouched, but this 14 year old clearly didn’t understand that concept. Her friends looked at me as I turned around. I had quite the look of shock and horror on my face which gave them all laugh. I guess the girl bending over didn’t see the humor in it, though, as, despite my lone attempt to assuage the bad/embarrassed feelings she seemed to have, she apparently gave me dirty looks for some time afterwards (a couple new acquaintances I had been talking to told me this). I wonder if she knew she was young enough to be my daughter.
Fastball: Fastball opened for Sugar Ray (a band called Super Satellite opened for Fastball, but I only caught two of their songs) and although I remembered “The Way” from my sophomore year of college, I never realized just how many of Fastball’s songs have been on the radio and gotten stuck in my head over the years. The good news is they still sound exactly the same as they did all those years ago and they’re still cranking out a classic brand of rock music that will be playable pretty much until the end of time. I have to say, it was a very enjoyable set by a band that hadn’t been in the forefront of my mind for quite some time. Kudos to them!
Jerry! Jerry!: The one and only Jerry Springer was in attendance, as was Steve Wilkos, to announce that both of their shows, along with Maury Povich’s, have made the move to Stamford, CT. This received a rousing ovation, as did Springer’s attempt to strum and croon a tune during Fastball’s set. It goes without saying that I’m very happy to hear three major TV shows are coming to the state, even if it does mean Stamford may end up the new home of kissing cousins, toothless pimps, and an insane amount paternity tests.
So there you have it; fun in the sun listening to one of my favorite bands with the added bonus of a Jerry Springer sighting. It really doesn’t get any better than that.
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from Vanessa Hudgens’ latest, ahem, pictures, to Paula Abdul’s exit from American Idol, to a look at a new artist you’ll definitely want to keep on your radar. And since it’s Pop Shots you know everything is seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
In 2008 Fairfield County Weekly readers voted Sketch Tha Cataclysm their favorite Hip-Hop act in the area. A handful of months later he felt it was time to see where else he could make an impact.
“My idea,” he explains, “was to come out to another area of the country and try to get something started the way I was starting to build up things in Connecticut and regularly return to Connecticut, not abandon it, but be really supportive of my state. I love the people there.”
The plan is working to perfection as Sketch, who moved to Minneapolis, MN on June first, will be making his triumphant return to CT for shows on August 21st, at Cousin Larry’s in Danbury, and August 22nd, at the Acoustic Café in Bridgeport. The latter he’ll be headlining.
Many may ask, of all the places to move to, why Minnesota? For Sketch the answer lay in the unique artistic community he had heard the area featured. It seemed like, to him, the perfect place to build. According Dessa, of the Minneapolis based Hip-Hop crew Doomtree, Sketch was right on the money with his assessment as she says “musicians here collaborate a lot. We play mixed bills and drink beer with people who make music that sounds different than our own. Compared to other cities, we also might be more likely to celebrate the successes of our colleagues. We don’t necessarily perceive them as threatening.” Sketch felt the community vibe as soon as he arrived, noting “there’s a quality to the musicians here to where they’re personable. They’re people you can go up to and have a conversation with.”
None of this is to say Sketch doesn’t still have an appreciation for the artists in his home state. He’s quick to say “one of the things that is incredible about Connecticut is the amount of musicianship that there is. There are incredible musicians of all different genres and increasing levels of talent.” The audience for those artists, however, isn’t the biggest and Sketch wanted to find a place where the music fans are just as rabid as he is. Receptive audiences happen to be something Minnesota has in abundance and Sketch received his first taste of this his very first day there while attending an event at McNally Smith College of Music.
“The event was hosted by Toki Wright from Rhymesayers,” he remembers, “the invited special guest interview was Davey D. It featured a beat battle between the two brothers in Big Quarters, and the closeout was a performance by Toki Wright and Doomtree.” The reaction Doomtree received when they hit the stage solidified Sketch’s notion that this was the place where he needed to be right now. “It was like the fuckin Backstreet Boys had just come out. There were girls like ‘oh my God, Mike Mictlan, I want your body!’ And guys yelling ‘Dessa, marry me!’”
Another moment from the show that made Sketch very confident that things were going to go well in his new place of residence happened during one of Dessa’s songs. “There’s a song by Dessa called ‘Mineshaft,’” he explains, “she has a part in it where her rhymes are chopped up in triplets for a brief moment. There was thunderous applause when she did that. I was like, this is crazy, this is why I moved over here, it’s an appreciation for things like rhyming in triplets.”
Sketch hopes to generate a similar reaction from his hometown crowd for his upcoming performances, saying “I want people to have something to talk about, so they’ll stick around and they’ll be back again when I pop up in either October or November.” He’d also like for people to pick up one of the many projects he’s been working on while they’re there.
Before Sketch left for Minnesota he produced The Protégé’s Untitled Is Hard Enough EP and he’s just finishing up another album with one of The Protégé’s partners in rhyme from the group Phanetiks, deto-22, titled Sharing Is Caring. In addition to those projects Sketch also recently completed a CD with DJ Halo titled The Shoeless Flow Jackson EP. His hope is to put together enough money from this tour to record his next EP, Indie Rappers Do It For Gas Money.
According to Sketch gas money will likely be one of his main goals for the next few years as he’s convinced his globetrotting ways are just in their infancy. “I’ll probably move again,” he says very matter of factly, “if not right back to the tri-state then somewhere else in the country.” He notes that Europe is also on his radar. “I gotta keep it moving and start building something up,” he says of his career plans. “I think now is always the time.”
Feenin for some good Hip-Hop? This week's edition of The Adam B Experience should fit the bill (when does it not?). Jamming 15 tracks into one full, stream-able, download-able, hour long show wasn't easy, but I think you'll find it was well worth the effort. Play this at high volumes around friends, family and co-workers. They'll thank you for it in the long run.
You can stream of download the entire show at RapReviews.com.
Playlist
Jake Lefco - Comfort Zone Sleepwalkas w/ Euphon - Euphonasia Sum & Belief - Rivers Eprhyme - Beggin For Change Sketch Tha Cataclysm - Rebel Music Bavu Blakes w/ Terell Shahid - Go Blaze MC Frontalot - Goth Girls Doug Simpson - Freight Train Vinnie Scullo - Blood and Chocolate Milk Rugged N Raw - The Ultimate Hopie Spitshard - The Hopie Spitter Edreys - Get Free Core Rhythm - 8AM Bluez Cavalier - Ink Zoser - Wind Blows
I am a firm believer that everybody needs a little funk in their lives. This is why when I first heard Swamphouse’s The Fade EP it brought both a smile to my face and movement to my feet. The eight man group from Los Angeles knows how to crank out the funk and they do it with aplomb. The Swamphouse team consists of (back row L to R) rapper Pause, piano player TunaButter, who likes to say he’s “funky like tuna, smooth like butter,” bassist Mike aka DJ Navi, trumpet player Forrest aka Forrest Trump, (front row L to R) singer Devin, trombone player Nick T, guitarist Jmfs and drummer Blewfoot. This week I caught up with the majority of the group to find out more about their music, what makes funk so special, and how a Polish beer company inadvertently helped set the stage for one of the most interesting nights of their lives.
Adam Bernard: Start everyone off by talking a bit about the music of Swamphouse. For someone who’s never heard a Swamphouse record, describe the sound they’ll hear and the vibe they’ll get when they put one on. Pause: Swamphouse is the secret love child between the son of Tupac and Tower of Power and the daughter of Jamiroquai and George Clinton.
Adam Bernard: What aspects of Swamphouse do you feel people will connect with most? DJ Navi: I think when people hear Swamphouse it’s easy to connect with the feel good vibe. We make upbeat, funky, Hip-Hop, soul pop jams that I honestly can't help but bob my head to. It's hard not to like music that reverberates in your soul. Pause: There really are so many aspects that appeal to so many different people. There have been multiple times that we have been playing at a festival and after we’re done, as I'm meandering around in the crowd, a younger kid will spot me and walk up with his mother, or even grandma, and I end up jabbering on with his grandma about old school tunes. A lot of times I end up getting the feeling that the grandma dug the show even more than the grandson. I always joke that I'm gonna make t-shirts that read "Swamphouse - your grandma loves us."
Adam Bernard: Make it happen! Speaking of making things happen, you’re in a position to help funk make a comeback. Do you feel you have any peers in your own generation, or do you mostly see yourself as an extension of the George Clintons of the world? Nick T: A little of both, really. We all have our roots in various kinds of music like jazz, soul, gospel, R&B, Hip-Hop, etc., so to say that we're not an extension of our mentors and the people that we grew up listening to would be a lie. But, on the other hand, we're taking our eight different styles and creating something that is new and unique. We're combining new technology and ideas with some of the old classic styles to create something that I feel most of the world can really dig. TunaButter: We occasionally drew comparisons when this lineup was starting out (Swamphouse is on their second lineup) to live Hip-Hop acts such as The Roots or Gym Class Heroes, as far as contemporary acts go. However, I haven't caught on to anything yet that compares to the current sound that we've developed. We are a fusion of each individual’s influences and playing style and considering that there are eight of us, that's a lot of elements that we've managed to effectively mix into a tangible presentation. In that sense, as that’s what George Clinton did with his various projects, I would say that we are in that spirit of what George has done and hopefully one day those founders of funk will be happy to claim us as part of that community, as well.
Adam Bernard: What does funk music provide that no other genre can? Pause: Interesting question. I would say an atmosphere that actually welcomes the mix of beer and acid. Blewfoot: Funk music is a way of life. Funk is space and you create funk out of space and that gives you time to relax, listen, and just have a good time. TunaButter: For me funk is as ubiquitous and hard to define as soul. It gives you the rawness of rock, but also the hard hitting or slinky grooves that soul and gospel give you. At the end of the day, what matters most is the groove. I came from a Gospel church background where music has a transcendent effect on your body and mind. In the secular sense, Funk gives you that if it’s done correctly. The groove hits the gut when you hear the bass and percussive elements lock in, then you can do nothin' but shake yo stank ass.
Adam Bernard: I’m guessing your live shows are pretty crazy. Do you have any stories you can legally share about an especially wild moment or happening from a Swamphouse show? Nick T: I'll never forget the time that we did an X Games/dirt bike style show. The stage was in-between two ramps with three dirt bike riders doing back flips and crazy tricks over us. Then there was the time we first went to Chicago to play for a Polish festival called Taste of Polonia. We got sponsored by a Polish beer company called Okocim. Awesome, right? Well, they kept wheeling in cases of this free beer. One was a pale ale and one was dark and not only were they all in tall cans, but the dark was like eight or nine percent (alcohol). So after our first show we were all just kicking it in the tent and drinking our free beer until we had to go back on stage for our second show. I don't think any of us realized the damage that had been done until we hit that stage. After the first song we all just kind of looked at each other and knew that it was going to be a rough one. Later, all sorts of crazy mishaps happened. We found an awesome bar and grill, talked shit to people, Forrest threw up in Dan's parents' car… what a great weekend and what a great beer! Go Okocim!
Adam Bernard: Sounds like a lot of potential YouTube moments. Now, before I let ya go, take 30 seconds to convince all the readers out there to pick up The Fade EP. Nick T: If you like any kind of music from the last 40 years, even if you get down to the likes of T-Pain and Kanye West, you are going to dig this album! We've got the funky grooves, the polished sound, and the music and lyrics to back up all of the talk. TunaButter: Our music is all about having fun and it comes across the speakers as efficiently as it does live. Holla at thine Tuna! Blewfoot: Even the cover alone will get you {laughs}. I had my man Double K from People Under The Stairs over the other day and he looked at it and was like “yeah, that says you right there.” Pause: And remember, your grandma will love it, too!
Mr. Beatz has become one of the most prominent figures in NYC’s underground Hip-Hop scene over the past few years. One look and listen to “Plain and Simple” and it becomes plain and simple as to why. The dude is dope. He’s a dope emcee and a he’s a dope producer. What else could you possibly ask for? Oh, some top notch graff art? Yeah, that’s in the video, too. Check it out!
I know, it’s been a long while since the last episode of From A to B and you were all probably wondering where we’d wandered off to. Well, fellow superstar journalist Bear Frazer and I were actually hard at work in the lab making some adjustments to the column. We got out the power drills, hacksaws and acetylene torches to make a number of improvements to From A to B and this week we’re finally ready to unleash our revamped creation to the world! For this triumphant return we’re providing our unique brand of commentary on clips from Blackstreet feat. Mya, Mase & Blinky Blink, En Vogue and Silkk The Shocker feat. Mystikal. Just hit play and enjoy!
Blackstreet w/ Mya, Mase & Blinky Blink – Take Me There
Bear: It's Tommy Pickles! Adam: And more importantly, Mya, who is an uber hottie. Bear: I wanna dance with her on that xylophone. Adam: Big ups to Teddy Riley for showing off his ability to spell Rugrats... sloooowly. Bear: Cause you're never too old to learn how to read. Adam: Hey Mya, nice crib. Bear: I wonder if that'll ever be featured on MTV's Cribs, cuz let's face it, it's a pretty big crib. Adam: Cribs, the cribs edition. Bear: Why does this sound similar to "Faith" by George Michael? Adam: Because you're high. Bear: No, it's like they borrow the whole style of the pre-chorus. Adam: I love that this song was made back when labels threw money around like crazy. “Mya, Blackstreet and Mase all on the same track for a kids movie? Sure, budget is of no concern, this money will last forever!” Bear: This house is huge. Does Big Show vacation there? Adam: I wonder how many seven year olds this influenced to buy Mase's Double Up album. Bear: Mase is such a bad bad boy, like Angelica. Adam: Hey, it's "Blinky Blink on the back of the Raptor wagon babblin about nothin." Bear: I never knew Rugrats was so Hip-Hop. Adam: The Rugrats ARE Hip-Hop choreography! And check it out, Mya’s been around the block a few times. Ha ha! Bear: Ha! And who ever said Nickelodeon wasn't cool? Adam: Drake?
En Vogue – Free Your Mind
Bear: I used to sing this to my prom date all the time. No wonder I never got a prom night kiss. Adam: She was probably a racist. Bear: I'm sure she was. I like this angry runway show. This is the baddest En Vogue video ever. Adam: I don't know whether to be horny or scared. Bear: I'm horny scared right now. Adam: Someone should let them know my mind isn't what I'm looking to free right now, if you know what I mean. Bear: Boy, don’t I wish I was a photographer at this video shoot. Adam: You can take pictures. I'll be the guy helping them out of those outfits. Bear: Just think, this was 1992, 18 years ago, and I bet they're still hot. Adam: You're really bad at math. Bear: That's why I was a communications major. This video was so gangster that is spawned artists like 50 Cent. Adam: They created a new style - runway gangster. Bear: Ralph Lauren, Marc Ecko, eat yer heart out. And this is mad hard on the rock side. R&B groups never go into that territory, at least not nowadays. Adam: Oh it's mad hard alright. Huhuhuhuhuh. Bear: Adam, I don't need to know about that. Adam: AAAAAH! Scary monkey! Scary monkey! Bear: Well I guess that answers the horny or scared question you had earlier.
Silkk The Shocker w/ Mystikal – It Ain’t My Fault
Bear: Oh shoot, it's almost midnight. Where are your children? Adam: Ironically, this video predicted something for Mystikal. Bear: The end of his career, or becoming obese? Adam: His jail time. Bear: Ghetto Express? I need that instead of my visa! Adam: Don’t make him peel your potato! Bear: I love the electric shocks the dudes get, they’re so cheesy. Adam: Just like a No Limit album cover. Bear: It looks more like a toaster. Adam: BATTLEDOME! Where's John Cena? Bear: These guys sound angry. They need an Attitude Adjustment! Adam: Hey Silkk, it's called the beat, FIND IT! Bear: How are these guys still alive in this video? Adam: Cuz they're No Limit soldiers. They don’t die. Bear: This electric toast machine sucks! No wonder lethal injection is the method of choice nowadays. Adam: What's up with these hot chicks watching? Bear: Baby mamas? Adam: Mystikal is still one of the greatest rappers ever… third grade music video CGI effects not withstanding. Wait, WTF just happened there? Bear: Ha ha ha! No clue. Adam: For real, they were being executed and it ended in a party. Bear: Maybe it symbolizes partying in the after life.
When people hear the phrase singer/songwriter images of a touchy-feely acoustic guitar player who writes about all of his unrequited loves quickly comes to mind. While that doesn't necessarily describe all of the singer/songwriters out there, one has to admit the image the majority of them portray is that of borderline emos who one could easily imagine crying in the shower. This is not the case with singer/songwriter Danny Rocco, though, who says "I would like to think my music is a lot more fun than some of those stereotypes!"
Welcome to your weekly dose of pop world musings. Covering all things pop culture, this week Pop Shots is hitting you with thoughts on everything from a magazine’s vampire list that left off the best to what Weird Al and the Insane Clown Posse have in common this month to the big Saved By The Bell reunion. And since it’s Pop Shots you know it’s all seasoned with a little bit of attitude.
Hip-Hop has always had a bit of a tumultuous relationship with its rap-rock / nu metal subgenre. Many refuse to even recognize it as Hip-Hop unless it includes an already established rap act, a la the songs of the Judgment Night soundtrack from 1993. The feeling many have is that rap-rock is a bastardization of the culture and that the rappers who lead these groups are nothing more than unskilled phonies who need a band backing them up because they can’t hack it with just two turntables and a microphone. Those critics, however, are missing the point entirely and in doing so are selling Hip-Hop music incredibly short.
Are lyrics important? Absolutely. But do you have to be able to flip complicated couplets that are lush with metaphors and similes to be an effective emcee? Absolutely not. Rap music, at its core, has always been about two main things - having authenticity and emotion. It’s about making the listener feel what you’re saying. Good rap-rock, just like any other good form of rap, does this. Hip-Hop fans hated on Limp Bizkit, but what they totally neglected to see was the real, genuine emotion they had, which was very Hip-Hop.
The latest rap-rock group to hit the airwaves is 3Oh!3 (don’t be fooled by their pop single, they have a kick ass band backing them) and I took in a set of theirs the other day when I was covering Warped Tour at Nassau Coliseum. “Don’t Trust Me” is a pretty fun song, so I was interested in hearing what else they had to offer. Unfortunately, there isn’t much in the way of heart or soul behind the emcee stylings of 3Oh!3’s raps. In fact, when listening to them perform about the only thing I could hear their music saying is “we’re trying to be pop stars.” That seems to be their goal and it’s painfully evident when you hear them perform.
I think most any music fan can tell the difference between an artist who is pouring their heart and soul into something versus one whose sole goal is fame. This is certainly the case for me as while I was watching 3Oh!3 perform I found myself wanting to hear the heartfeltness of a Limp Bizkit song. I know, to many that may sound crazy, but even if you hated Fred Durst’s lyrics he was undeniably passionate about everything he said and his goals were simply to let it all out and let it connect with whoever it connected with. 3Oh!3 had an entire set filled with songs about nothing that were clearly made to generate a huge teenage audience for them and listening to it all made me realize something, something kind of sad; what I view as 3Oh!3’s faults are exactly what makes them perfect for that large segment of society that embraces the faceless and soulless.
3Oh!3 is the ultimate in poser music and this is something that actually bodes very well for them. In 2009 making poser music is exactly what’s going to lead the group to superstardom, because, simply put, we’re in an era of posers. How else would you describe the masses of people 35 and under who spend their entire paychecks on one night out? And how else would you explain the popularity of clubs that feature “bottle service?” Sometimes life imitates art. At other times art imitates life. 3Oh!3 falls into the latter categorization, which, in their defense (sort of), is the lesser of two evils since it makes them merely a reflection, rather than a cause, of society’s ills.
None of this is too surprising when one looks at the acts this new breed of rap-rockers have been inspired by versus those who inspired the previous generation of rap-rock artists. At Nassau Coliseum 3Oh!3 were joined on stage by Lil’ Jon, who is known mostly for his one word catch phrases and is a usual suspect when people discuss the dumbing down of Hip-Hop. 3Oh!3 said being on stage with him was “a dream come true.” Limp Bizkit worked with Wu-Tang Clan legend Method Man. The talent gap between Lil’ Jon and Method Man is one of epic proportions.
What really disappoints me in all this, however, is that although I like when the humor element is brought to the table, and I think it’s important to laugh in tough times, we’re facing the worst economic crisis we’ve seen in our lifetimes; if there was ever a time to get mad and say something on the mic, it’s now. That’s a large aspect of what had me longing for those rap-rock acts of the 90’s. They were pissed off and right now is a time when we could use some of that emotion.
Hip-Hop fans got it totally twisted when they threw the poser label on the rap-rock acts of the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Many of those acts had something to say, even if you didn’t agree with it, or think much of it or the way they said it. Heck, I know a lot of people who don’t think much of what’s being said by a lot of traditional rap acts today, but it doesn’t mean those acts aren’t part of the genre.
Perhaps in retrospect we can right the tags and labels that were given to acts that, now that we see what real poser music is, deserve more credit than they ever received during their heyday. If you’re still skeptical, download a couple songs from the rap-rock acts you remember not liking very much back in the day (did I really just refer to the late 90’s as “back in the day?” Damnit!). You might be surprised to discover a newfound appreciation for their work.
Most every music fan of a certain age group remembers Us3’s 1993 classic “Cantaloop (Flip Fantastia)” and it’s playful “biddy biddy bop” refrain. A significant amount of time has passed since then and later this month Geoff Wilkinson (pictured center), who is the mastermind behind Us3, is going to be releasing his seventh album, Stop. Think. Run, under the Us3 name. This week I caught up with Wilkinson to find out more the project, which includes a new lineup (Sene and Brook Yung, pictured L to R), and get his thoughts on the aborted jazz-rap movement. Here are some of the highlights:
On Us3’s original deal with Blue Note Records: “It was a bit of a marketing exercise for them, I must admit. I did get offended by people who said that to me at the start, but looking back on it now, and looking at what they’ve done since with other artists like Madlib and other remix projects, I’ve got mixed feelings about them as a label.”
On the disappearance of Acid Jazz: “I think the media kind of killed the whole Acid Jazz thing to where Acid Jazz quickly became a dirty word, or a dirty phrase, before the actual music had any chance to really develop.”
On the mediocrity he sees in Hip-Hop today: “A lot of rappers say that Hip-Hop is a science and it’s a rhythmical art form, but if it’s a rhythmical art form then why do most rappers rap on the most basic beats in the same time signature all the time?”
Chicago has long been a hotbed for Hip-Hop and Zoser is primed to be the next in line to become a part of the city’s storied lineage of great emcees. His latest album, which is his third overall, is Day 3: The Science and it features a jazzy blend of music, some lyrical dexterity and subject matters that have real depth and meaning. Zoser is laying his first seven albums out as separate days in a week, saying “the common thread is the fact that I am taking my career and life one day at a time. Growing and learning with each day.” Wanting to learn more about this dynamic artist I caught up with Zoser to find out about his musical background, which includes his father’s career as a jazz musician, the ways in which he feels positive thought can play an important role in our everyday lives, and the impact he hopes to have both on music and his local community.
Adam Bernard: First off, how’d you come up with the name Zoser? Are you looking to build some pyramids? Zoser: Zoser was one of the early great pharaohs and yes, he built one of the first great pyramids. I came across the name when I was about 17. I read this book, The African Origin of Civilization, and it talked a little about him, so I looked him up and found out he was also responsible for uniting upper and lower Egypt. I always saw myself as destined to do great things so the name was a natural fit. I pronounce it as Zo-Sair, though, to be a little different. And while I'm not looking to build some pyramids I am looking to leave a lasting mark in music and on the world. I wanna do some things that can never be forgotten, or overlooked, kinda like a pyramid, but through my music and actions.
Adam Bernard: Growing up in the Chicago area with a father who was a jazz musician, when did you get into Hip-Hop and was your father accepting of the music and the culture? Zoser: I got into Hip-Hop very early, like about the age of five. My older cousin gave me a mixtape filled with classic artists - Dana Dane, MC Lyte, Run DMC, Rob Base - and that’s all I listened to until I was old enough to find music myself. I used to write down the words and then substitute my name in. I guess those were my first attempts to rhyme. My father never tripped on the Hip-Hop music or culture. He used to try to play the beats out on the piano, or with other instruments. I thought that was funny back then, but now I find myself working with musicians and trying to get them to do the same thing. Everything comes full circle, you know.
Adam Bernard: With your father being a jazz musician, were the more jazz influenced rap acts the ones you were first drawn to, or was that not a factor? Zoser: As I got older I was definitely drawn to the more musical acts like Digable Planets and A Tribe Called Quest, but even the West Coast acts, like Dr. Dre, even though his music was considered "gangsta rap" he used a lot of soulful samples and made real melodic music with singing and all of that and I don’t think he gets enough credit for those things. Some people shy away from the singing aspect of Hip-Hop, but I think that a singer is just like another instrument if used correctly and can really add to certain tunes. As far as the jazz aspect I think I just feel the music in my soul. Sometimes when I listen to an artist who uses jazz music and live musicians, I just get a chill. It just feels right.
Adam Bernard: You have worked with a litany of impressive producers, from No ID to the Molemen. How have these beatsmiths each brought something unique out of you? Zoser: I worked with No ID for two years here in Chicago and he taught me that good isn't good enough. He was such a hard critic, but it made me better. He taught me a lot about rhyming in the pocket and making complete songs. I also learned a lot of life lessons from dealing with him. This was like five years ago and I thought I would get a deal, or get on or something, by messing with No, but nothing really came out of it except some good music. That situation brought the indie MC out of me. My delusions about the "rap deal" were officially destroyed and I decided the best thing for me was to make my own company and get myself on cuz if it’s gonna get done I'm gonna be the one to do it.
Adam Bernard: Your current album is Day 3: The Science. Tell me a little bit about it. Zoser: This album took me a year to record and I got the idea for the title from a book I read called The Science of Getting Rich. It was written in 1911 and is the basis for popular books like The Secret and Think and Grow Rich. On the album I rap a lot about changing yourself through thinking the right way. No matter what your current situation is you can change it by believing that you can. Using myself as an example, I was working in downtown Chicago thinking about being successful in music the whole time. Eventually I had to leap out on faith and quit the job to do music full time. Now I've made this album that’s in stores in Chicago and on iTunes that people really love and I have the opportunity to re-release it through E1 (formally Koch) later this year. In addition to all that I know there are even bigger and better things headed my way, too.
Adam Bernard: That’s fantastic. You know, I think when people listen to your work they can hear the kinds of music that have influenced you, but for my last question I want to flip that – what influence would you like to have on music? Zoser: I was touched and changed by the music that I grew up listening to. I know the music these kids are hearing now is affecting them. I want to influence the younger generation to look at life differently than many do now. They need to know that there are more options out there and that going to college is cool and good for them. I'm not against the hustle but I want cats to hustle with a purpose and a goal in mind and understand that there are consequences to everything. There's a 60% dropout rate in my city. That means six out of ten kids don't finish school and they think this is normal. I just want to be the one that tells them the truth about the world. They don't have fathers, or many good older male influences, and I need to be that. I look at how kids react to my music and I know what I'm doing is right. I've had some people tell me my music has made them better people and it’s not like I'm preaching. I connect with listeners in an emotional way because I actually DO care. I care about the youth and the city.
Skilled emcees who are politically active both on the mic and in their everyday lives, AR-15 is a duo that deserves to be heard. Some folks may recognize Jus Rhyme from his time on The White Rapper Show, but don’t get it twisted, he and Raw Potential take their roles in Hip-Hop very seriously. Check out the video and peep what they’re all about.
B-Listers are a select group of artists that were featured in my Artist Of The Week series that ran every Monday from April of '06 to April of '11. All of these artists have two things in common; extreme talent, and a flight path far too under the radar for my liking. They took on the title of B-Listers as they embraced being featured by me, Adam B. Check out the AOTW Archives for all the interviews.
