Filthy Broke Fest on Oct 3 @ SuperPosition / Interview with Parlay Droner

Filthybroke Recordings is a record label that has recently migrated in part to the east coast from Arizona. With major players in CT and RI, the east coast is about to get bumping, and to celebrate this there will be Filthybroke Fest #1 held October 3 at SuperPosition in Meriden CT.

MALCOLM TENT AND EMCEE M.D. @ Molten Java on 4/9!

Here's a one of a kind show! Local Legend Malcolm Tent is sharing a bill at Molten Java playing his special brand of acoustic punk rock with Emcee M.D. performing some old school hiphop. I doubt this type of bill has ever happened in the state so you owe it to yourself to check this out!

Mandrake Mechanism - Monetary Artforms

All hip hop producers could learn something from this release.  One look at the cover and you’re not sure what to expect.  One listen through the album and you’re not quite sure what you just heard.  Mandrake Mechanism bring a stellar hip hop album to the table, drawing influences from across the musical spectrum.

 

BEEF SHOCK The Musical - as performed by Neon Leather Drip @ The Sidestreet Grille on 10/20

So here's a strange one. Neon Leather Drip will be performing their new musical, Beef Shock @ The Sidestreet Grille in Hamden on Saturday. They have apparently spent quite some time developing a performance that lasts a couple of hours and features music from their upcoming LP Beef Strokinoff. All I can say is: WTF?!??!
Here is a video by Neon Leather Drip so you know what you're in store for!

Apathy Syndrome - Darkly EP/CS

Apathy Syndrome is a New Haven "Dark Trip Hop" project. They have just released their new Cassette EP "Darkly", and its a collection of songs heavy on groove and sound environment.

Review: Profesa' Dibbs

Hip hop, as a genre, it seems, has done nothing of late but slowly and deliberately collapse under the dead weight of its own provocative and iterative tendencies. Ten years ago, it was new and threatening. Today, it is comical at best, but more often than not, sadly pathetic. What was once a sharpened edge of wit and social commentary is now nothing more than an open forum for the arrogant and the foolish. Case in point: whereas Snoop Dogg once rapped about what it's like to be a gangsta, Jay-Z now raps about what it is like to be a corporate officer, and whereas A Tribe Called Quest once rapped about the struggles inherent to urban black youth, Lil’ Jon now raps about his testicles.

Let’s be realistic. How many times can we hear the same recycled beat and still be excited to hear it? How many times can we hear a man speak passionately and enthusiastically about his generative organs, and the novel ways in which he seeks to employ them upon the opposite sex, and still be shocked? Did we really expect this train to ride on forever?

Sadly enough, it seems like it will. Despite being utter crap, moronic anthems to wanton greed and puerility are still topping the charts. This success, however, runs in much the same vein as the Call of Duty series of video games. It sells more and more copies with each successive – and infinitely less-inspired – sequel because there just isn’t anything else on the market.

Or is there?

Hip hop is a young genre, in the grand scheme of things. It didn’t achieve mainstream popularity until the late eighties and early nineties. Coincidentally, it was right around this time rock music had hit a similar level of stagnation, and those of us with more “refined” tastes were looking towards the emerging genre of alternative rock to save us from the hair-spray chugging metalhead morons who were ruining rock music and destroying the ozone layer at the same time.

Hip hop, I would argue, is at about this point, and I should hope the masked horsemen of underground hip hop should be riding in at any moment to save the day.

Well, maybe not. But there is always Profesa’ Dibbs…

He doesn’t have a ton of money. He doesn’t drive a fancy car. He doesn’t skeet, skeet, skeet. He doesn’t “oooooookay!” or “yeah!”. He doesn’t rap about his label – because he doesn’t have a label. Neither does he have an album, or an EP, or even a single. What he does have, however, is a collection of songs, completely free, for your enjoyment. They can be found here.

Because Profesa’ Dibbs doesn’t charge money for his music, and because I base my reviews largely on the premise music consumption is an expensive pastime, it would be hard for me not to recommend giving Dibbs a listen. In fact, in the absence of cost as a mitigating factor, I cannot think of a single reason why people shouldn’t. What harm could it do?

However, if you require more convincing, please read on.

Profesa’ Dibbs is much like any other underground/old school hip hop act. Grainy, dry beats drive the songs, which are augmented by sampling which, in the scope of the genre, is fairly sparse. What sets Dibbs apart from his peers, however, is copious helpings of (presumably) Dibbs’ own piano and guitar playing. They certainly don’t sound like samples ripped from old James Brown tunes. This is not to say, however, that Profesa’ Dibbs is just another pompous, destined-to-fail crossover act. The instrumentation is deployed in a very hip hop way, so much, in fact, the bluesy guitar bends and jazzy Rhodes chords almost sound sampled.

Slathered Apron (aka the blues note) by Profesa' Dibbs

Dibbs’ lyrical styling is iterative of the underground movement. No bitches or hos here. No crunk or grinding, or booty-shaking permitted. This is adult swim, and the lyrical pool is noticeably uncontaminated with the obstreperous splashing and hawing of puerile children. Dibbs raps about life, about politics, about the metaphysical. While this may seem novel to those accustomed to Lil Wayne’s particular brand of vodka, it will seem wholly unoriginal to those who have already committed themselves to underground rap. His are the words of the rapper/poets, like Saul Williams or Sage Francis, and his words have been spoken, and recorded, before. Still, Profesa’ Dibbs is probably one of the region’s better hip hop acts, especially so when one considers all the Top 40 imitators who plague Hartford like a bad case of the clap.

Snapped Ring Finger by Profesa' Dibbs

So, if you’re looking for break from the self-indulgent self-immolation of modern mainstream hip hop – or if you’re just looking for a decent local act – Profesa’ Dibbs is well worth your time, especially when you consider it won’t cost you anything. If you’re an underground veteran, Dibbs won’t offer much in the way of new material or techniques, but he’s a good listen, nonetheless.

SoundCloud: Profesa' Dibbs

All The Trimmings Benefit @ Heirloom Arts Theatre, November 27th

'Tis the season for good times and giving, and there will be a whole lot of both going on Saturday, November 27th at Danbury's Heirloom Arts Theatre with the 'All The Trimmings' Benefit concert featuring The Stepkids (CT), Mother Brother (CT), Black Churches (MA), Diztrict Allstarz (CT), Ovlov (CT) and Vinyette (NY).

Organized by Matthew Vitti (of Mother Brother) and Amanda Bloom (of The Mercurial), the event had its beginnings this past July when Vitti and Bloom met following a house show and promptly merged minds in setting up "a monumental rock show." According to Vitti, "Amanda and I had similar ideas about the concept and nature of the event, so we worked fairly quickly and cooperatively finding the bands, finding the venue and forming the skeletal structure that would hold this party high and mighty above all else." The main 'nature' of the event that Vitti alludes to is the food and clothing drive that will be taking place along with the show. Benefiting will be the Dorothy Day Hospitality House which, since 1982, has fed and sheltered Danbury's homeless. In addition there will be a booth set up by the China Care Foundation, a Westport, CT. based non-profit dedicated to saving the lives of medically fragile orphaned children in China.



To spice up the good will, Vitti and Bloom have also put together a whole assortment of other activities and treats including a giant Twister competition, $1 plates of pizza and salad provided by Nico’s Pizza, an old-fashioned photo booth courtesy of Tin Sparrows (y'know, for documenting all those big smiles created by giving), and between-band sets by DJ Symetrex who will apparently be spinning faces off at the upstairs bar.



And how about those bands?? In addition to Vitti's own Mother Brother (often engaging, always shape-shifting synth/noise/jam quartet from Bridgeport), a whole stable of great bands will be performing including Black Churches (odd-timed guitar rock from MA. (with keyboards!)), Diztrict Allstarz (hip-hop with guitars from Danbury), Ovlov (solid alt-rock from Newtown) and Vinyette (alternately dream-rock/hard rock with elements of electronica and post-punk from NY.). Headlining will be CT's the Stepkids whose brand of synth-psych-soul (and recent signing to Stones Throw Records) has created a significant buzz around the band. If the potential acts of good will don't draw you to Heirloom Arts Theatre on Nov. 27th, the music should.

Truly living up to its name, All The Trimmings' equal parts of good cause, good fun and good music look to fit the spirit of the season quite well.

If When You Go:

Saturday, November 27th

The Mercurial and Mother Brother present
'All the Trimmings' Benefit
THE STEPKIDS (CT)
MOTHER BROTHER (CT)
BLACK CHURCHES (MA)
DIZTRICT ALLSTARZ (CT)
OVLOV (CT)
VINYETTE (NY)

@ Heirloom Arts Theatre
8pm / All-Ages
$10 ($1 off w/food donation!)

Ohsaurus 3 Pounds of Flax

3 Pounds of Flax is the newest free digital download from Ohsaurus. Blippity beeppity beats that HPSU might want to take notice of. Some of what's going on with this release flirts with the dubstep thing, but it's too frivolous for that kind of dark ambience. Maybe overly busy at times, but never annoying. I find Ohsaurus is great to listen to when baking cookies. Also check out The Energy About Us and Housing District on the Ohsaurus bandcamp.

B.O.M.B. Fest New England

Connecticut local Frankie Bombaci put together B.O.M.B. Fest last year as way to get local artists onstage with national acts. B.O.M.B. stands for Bring Our Music Back, and last year's was a huge success, helping donate $30,000 to Connecticut’s Sound Music and Make-A-Wish organizations. They announced that the B.O.M.B. Fest New England this year will be held in Durham, CT on Sunday, May 30th. So far, they've only announced a few major players, but it will be 10 insane hours of music including more national headliners to be announced along with 20 incredible regional acts, so more info will be coming later. Here's the lineup so far:

Lupe Fiasco
Of Montreal
Girl Talk
Mute Math
Cool Kids
Roots of Creation
Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez
40oz to Freedom

Sunday, May 30, 2010
12:00pm - 10:00pm
Durham Fairgrounds
24 Town House Road, Durham CT

Tickets:
$50 in advance, $60 at door
Purchase tickets online or at B.O.M.B. outlets - Ticket info

Beneficiaries:
Hole In The Wall Gang Camp
Connecticut Children’s Hospital
YPI - a children’s residential arts camp for artistic enrichment.
bringourmusicback.org

There will also be arts and crafts, picnic-style food, carousel rides and more!

Fake Four, Inc. Spring Tour

New Haven-based recording label Fake Four Inc. is currently in the middle of a huge US tour. They've just finished a stint at SXSW and will be headed back to the East Coast very soon, hitting New Haven's Cafe 9 on March 31st. The bill features loads of indie hip-hop artists from the label.

Fake Four, Inc. was established in 2007 by Ceschi Ramos, a New Haven local. He started the label as an outlet for his own group of bands, Anonymous, Inc. and has been growing ever since. The label's been run with the strictly DIY ethic, partnering with Squids Eye Records and Grimm Image Records, but still maintaining a strong independent spirit. They don't really have a "sound," releasing everything from hip-hop to metal to indie folk from all around the world. The only thing they have in common is all of their artists are somehow slightly removed from the normal established musical traditions. They've been gaining national attention a lot lately, with releases from bands like Electric President, Boy In Static, Awol One, Factor, and more.


Headlining the show will be Sole and the Skyrider Band. They are fronted by Sole, one of the founding members of the Anticon collective and key figure in the experimental hip hop movement. The guy has played with everyone, from Genghis Tron to Enon. He's since parted ways with Anticon, and is currenly working with the Skyrider Band. They released the album "Plastique," in 2007, which got great reviews. It features the great tune “Battlefields." It's a collaboration with Markus Acher, lead singer of The Notwist. Check out the video below:



The show will also feature Onry Ozzborn (of Grayskul/Oldominion/Rhymesayers fame) and his new project Dark Time Sunshine. You can check out his new release "Believeyoume," which was made available as a free download. They play a blend of vintage hip-hop beats with trippy reverb and dub echo running throughout.

Label founder Ceschi will also be playing. While his tunes are hip-hop, they blend together pop and acoustic folk sensabilites. His music is relaxing and listenable, but he's got pretty deep-cutting lyrics. Check out this video of him on KRCX:



Here's the east coast tour dates:

March 29 - New York, NY @ The Knitting Factory
March 31 - New Haven, CT @ Cafe 9
April 1 - Boston, MA @ The Western Front
April 2 - Portland, ME @ The Space

For a full list of dates, head over to their site. Full details about the Cafe 9 show:

Manic Productions Presents:
Sole & the Skyrider Band
Dark Time Sunshine
Ceschi

March 31
Cafe 9, New Haven
9:00pm, 21+, $8

Tickets available here or at Redscroll Records.

Jedi Mind Tricks

If you know what a backpacker is, it's safe to say Jedi Mind Tricks need no introduction. For those that don't know, these guys have been a staple in the hip hop community for over a decade and on March 24th they'll be at Toad's Place dropping metaphorical editorials. No one is lined up to open yet but with all the rap artists coming from CT lately, whoever it is it'll probably be great.



Toads Place - March 24th
Jedi Mind Tricks

Legion of Liars + Ceschi Ramos+ More @ Freight Street Gallery - March 7

I was perusing around the ol' internets one day and I found myself listening to two guys rap about a day in the life of a pokemon master. I passed the wealth onto my personal friends now its time to pass it on to my CTIndie buds. These two have a show lined up with Ceschi Romas , MC Homeless , H.W. , Brzowski and Riddlore at the Freight St. Art Gallery this Sunday. Not only will you have a packed rap set you'll be surrounded by some of the best Contemporary art in CT.

Freight Street Gallery - March 7th
Legion of Liars
Ceschi Romas
MC Homeless
H.W.
Brzowski
Riddlore

Time: 8:00pm

Cost: $8

Anti-Fling @ Dwight Hall Chapel - Feb 27th

WYBC does it again with another sick show. This time it will be the crazed rap duo Das Racist, experimental group Lucky Dragons (if you like The Books/Animal Collective you'll love them) and new comers Your Nature right before their show at Brooklyn Bowl.

Dwight Hall Chapel - February 27

Das Racist

Lucky Dragons

Your Nature

Time: 8:00pm

Cost:???

Event Info

IIIII - Bear Mask

Who would have thought that slowing down Britney Spears a little would sound so good? This was the first thought passing through my mind when I heard IIIII's new album Bear Mask. Don't let the first statement fool you into thinking this is some corporate twee pop album, its not; this is a trip-hop sandwich with fat beats and other samples in between the slices. If you like what you hear check out their other work Owl Worship I & II. This isn't for everyone but if this is your style this will probably be one of your fav local releases. We could have a new monster producer in our nutmeg mists.

IIIII - Bear Mask

tiny reviews pt. 4

The Liz Larsons - Talk Like a Male Artist

Hell yeah - Liz Larsons knows how to rock. She emits an attitude of complete nonchalance as she belts it out. Her songs sound like cleaned-up grunge tunes - rather than going for the fuzz pedal, the guitar sounds tiny and jangly. I find myself wishing there was just a bit more grit here, but at the end of the day it's still a solid album. Check it out on her bandcamp site.


David Bello - People of People That Are Confusing

David Bello is from West Virginia, but he released this album through Willimantic label OHYM, so I'm going to talk about it, just try and stop me. It's a best-of compilation of Bello's tunes through the years. The guy is a brilliant songwriter and the album's one of those you'll spin over and over again. I'd describe it like a cinnamon red hot - sweet indie pop, but it's still got a bit of an edge to it. You can download it for free right here.

Skobie Won - Autodidact

I'm not usually one to talk about hip-hop, but I somehow stumbled across Skobie Won and liked it. Sure, he's got kind of nerdy rhymes but he's got a DIY spirit that I really agree with, and the beats are good. The guy is offering the album as a free download so listen to it, who knows, you might like it.

Reakwon @ Toads Place - Nov 8th

Widely considered one of the best rappers of our age , Wu-tang's Reakwon da Chef will be at Toad's Place on Sunday Nov. 8th promoting his new CD "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.. pt2". If you're like me and have been waiting for this CD to drop for years then this show is a no-brainer. Don't know who he is? Buy his first CD (Only Built for Cuban Linx aka The Purple Tape) and get his new one and hear the sounds of quality hip hop. This show will be one of the best rap concerts you will see in your life time, no need to worry about crews taking up the stage its just a man and his mic versus you and your soul. Protect ya neck.


(video says its Ghostface but its really Reakwon this whole song)

Reakwon

Toad's Place
November 8th

Tickets: $20 advanced (get his new cd for an additional $5)/$25 dos
Doors: 8:00pm
All Ages

The Cool Kids @ Toad's Place - Nov. 14th

If you live within a 200 mile radius of any college radio station you should know who The Cool Kids are. You may not know them by name but when you hear them you should recognize them. Their music has been in games, commercials, sporting events,snowboard videos and anything else that can have a catchy song attached to it. Join them on the 14th and be one of the cool kids there.



The Cool Kids

Toads Place
November 14th
Doors: 8:00pm
Tickets: $15 Advanced/ $18 DOS

WHY?, AU, DARK DARK DARK

In case you forgot. TONIGHT

LOCATION:
Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street
Milford CT

$12 - 7:00PM - All Ages

WHY? plays Daniel Street

WHY? draws influences from all over the map, playing indie folk hip-hop psychedelic rock. They've been playing for years and have a huge following. If you haven't heard them before, you're in for a treat.

Wednesday, Sept. 30th, they'll be playing Daniel Street thanks to Manic Productions.

AU (pronounced “Ay-you”) will also be playing. They are the songs of multi-instrumentalist Luke Wyland with Dana Valatka on drums (Jackie-O-Motherfucker, Mustaphamond).

Also playing will be Dark Dark Dark - a weird freak folk band, with haunting vocals and melodic instrumentation. It's strange and beautiful music.

Wednesday 30 September 2009 at 7:00pm

Daniel Street
Milford, CT
United States
$12/All Ages

An Old Prince

photo ~ justin broadbent

Shad is an emerging hip hop phenom from Canada who's making his way through the States this summer in support of his new album, The Old Prince, while on the VANS Warped Tour. His style falls between Tribe Called Quest and Kanye West. He's even opened for Common and Lupe Fiasco. Simply put, Shad kills it. CT Indie doesn't get to cover hip hop as much as we'd like, let alone hip hop this good. Yeah, Shad is trying to break through, yeah, this is major label, yeah, the VANS Warped Tour has, like, zero indie cred. Whatever. It's about the music. There are a ton of acts that will come to Hartford on July 12, 2009 on the Warped Tour, but unlike the rest of them, Shad's PR people were grassroots enough to find our little local blog and send us a message. That can't be beat. So, whether or not you're going to Warped, be sure to check out Shad one way or another, and hopefully he'll come back around headlining his own tour.