Interview: All Underground Sound (A.U.S)

Interview with Mogwai Of All Underground Sound. Outta Toowoomba, Australia this group mixes many different styles and hits you with catchy lyrics and great beats.

How did this group get its start? A.U.S came about through a close bond that my other group The Lowdown (which is currently on hiatus) formed with Skinz Markus and Nikzman of Brisbane hip hop crew Kryptamistik. The Lowdown and Kryptamistik performed together very often and we quickly developed a mutual appreciation for each other's music. We had been kicking around the idea of collaborating together on some tracks and the opportunity presented itself when The Lowdown's other emcee (Dom) went overseas at the end of 08 beginning of 09. Previously things had been crazy busy with The Lowdown and it wasn't until then that we had some downtime to get into collaborating with the Krypta lads.

I was on the facebook page for AUS and I noticed the huge members list, How did this musician line up come to be? Its not really that we have a huge number of members, more so that we have a lot of really talented friends who have hung out in the studio with us and jumped on a track or people who have had an idea for something and collaborated with us. The core members so to speak would be Nikzman, Skinz, Cook, Lizard, myself and recently New Year's Steve on deejay duties.

How do you describe your music to the peoples? That is a hard question to answer as we tend to come out with whatever we feel at the time. Our music is definitely hip-hop but we also have a huge love for reggae, same with soul/funk/blues/jazz etc. We don't tend to repeat ourselves when it comes to sounds or styles, all the songs sound different and that keeps it fresh and interesting for us. The short and easy answer however is that we are a hip hop group.

Whats the Australian music scene like and How do you guys fit in it? Its extremely competitive due to the fact that there are an incredible number of super talented bands/groups/musicians out here of all styles and genres. Add to that the fact that due to our relatively much smaller population compared to places such as the U.S and Europe the music market is a lot smaller and therefore it is much harder to break through to the top of the game. As for how we fit into the scene it is a bit hard to tell just yet as we're just getting started with All Underground Sound. We just did our first show with one of Australia's premiere hip hop groups Spit Syndicate and one of Queensland's most up and coming crews Eloquence & Truths. We were lucky enough in The Lowdown to play with pretty much all of Australia's biggest and most well renowned hip hop and reggae groups and Kryptamistik have been doing their thing for 10 years and have opened for some incredible names both local and international. Both groups have respect in the scene and we hope to build from that. I think A.U.S's music will appeal to a lot of different people, there's really something in it for everyone, or at least I think so.

With there being as many artists in one group how do songs usually come together? There's no set process really. It can happen in any number of different ways. A lot of times it can start with a beat that someone (mainly Cook, Nikz or Mark at this stage) has put together, say a programmed drum pattern or a sampled loop and either live keys and bass or sampled instruments found from wherever. Then if it calls for it I will come up with some guitar (or in some cases Kipper from The Lowdown). When it comes to the musical instrumentation the process is on going in terms of refining and experimenting with sounds and ideas until the song is done. I tend to come up with a lot of the vocal hooks but not in all cases. I find its easier to get verses happening once a hook is established as it gives you a central feel and idea to work off. Whoever has the best verse to fit the song at the time its being done jumps on on the mic for raps and that's about it. Scratch and samples were basically added last to this first record but that not necessarily the case all the time either. The creative process is a really interesting animal with a life of its own.

I heard that theres a debut album coming out, How was recording this new album? The debut album is called 'Quest'. Its a 14 track album including one remix. The remix was done by someone we have a great deal of respect and admiration for – Lotek, he was born in Jamaica but moved with his family to England when he was young. He's now based in Melbourne Australia. He started his production/emceeing career in England and has worked with Roots Manuva (one of our all-time favourite artists) extensively. Lotek also dropped a verse on our lead single Flip the Situation. He has been very supportive of our music and has also mastered the album. I highly recommend checking out Lotek's albums, they are seriously dope. Find him online here - http://www.facebook.com/wayneabennett?ref=ts

As far as recording the album was concerned it was a bunch of fun mixed with a lot of hard work and time. We recorded everything ourselves between Cook's studio in Toowoomba and Skinz's studio in Brisbane. We took our time with the album to get it as close to perfect as we could, all up it took a bit over a year and a half.

Is there any other recordings planned in the near future? We're already working on the second album. We have shit-loads of beats in varying stages to work on already. Some are more developed than others but over all they have one thing in common and that is that they are solid fucking gold. I have no doubt that the second album will be a lot better than the first even though I am proud of and love the first album to death.

Other than that Cook and myself are working on a dub recording project called Up To Ya Nuts in Dub. We've got a fair bit of the music for it already. It will feature some killer guest vocalists

Do you guys plan on touring in support of this new album? We will be touring and gigging in support of the album for sure. We're in the initial stages of organising an east coast tour of Australia later this year when the album drops. We'll also hopefully be doing some shows with Lotek here in Queensland as well as performing locally and wherever there's a crowd for us to rock.

Do you plan on doing some shows in the United States? That would be fantastic. There was tentative talk of it with The Lowdown. We have some solid connections there so other than the obvious financial expense of such a tour I don't see why it couldn't happen. I guess we'll just have to see how things pan out but I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best!

Whats the next move? Right now we're looking at securing a distribution deal for the album. The way the music scene is in this modern day, things like that are becoming more difficult with people buying less physical copies of cds. If we somehow don't manage to secure distro we'll just hustle the disc on the independent tip. Other than that we're just gonna keep doing what we do, having fun with it and doing it for the love.

If your drinking what are you drinking? We've got a pretty open mind when it comes to drinking haha. We'll drink whatever but we're fond of good beer. Lately its been some New Zealand beers such as Monteith's, Mac's. Also beers like Big Helga's, Big Head, Paulaner and whatever. Cook and myself have also become quite a fan of pear cider to start a drinking/jamming/recording session, its really refreshing.

What would you like to say to your fans and peoples out there? Take a listen to what we do. If you like our sound stay tuned and buy the album when it drops. Also if you're digging it please spread the word around to your friends. Remember to support the music you love so that the musicians have a means to keep doing it.

Check out some of their tracks at

http://soundcloud.com/all-underground-sound

CHeck out their Facbook page at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/All-Underground-Sound-AUS/122388604469950?filter=1

Interview: Deadman Relay

Arron of Deadman Relay answers my questions on whats going on with the band and their new cd dropping soon

So Arron how did you come up with the name Deadman Relay? I work (in real life) as an electronics engineer. It's an electronic component very similar to a kill switch. Like, take your lawnmower for example: If you (man) fall off (dead) of the seat, the switch (relay) is thrown and the mower shuts down. It also lent itself to a zombie theme, which is killer (literally). And I liked how is sort of gave a name to the game that the zombies are playing. They sort of keep passing death along in a relay style.

So what got you started in music? My momma played the guitar in her teens and she had one sitting around collecting dust. That was my first real pleasurable experience in music, but I guess I didn't really get into that guitar until I went through concert band in grade school. The conductor of the band was this real cool jazz type cat name EE Pointer. Taught us about Parliament, Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis, Tower of Power and really kind of got me out of the 80's hair bands shit that i was listening to at the time. The hair band stuff came from my uncle who has sang in rock cover bands all his life. My grandma plays piano, grampa the drums, aunt and mom also sing. Hell, I should have put together a family band like the Patridge's or Hanson.

How did the bands current line up come to be? I went to high school with Roach (drums) and Ace Falco (Mic Check). I met Wesley (bass) through a mutual friend in a college town in Missouri, where he was living at the time. We had a pretty big following there and he'd been to some of our shows at the local joints, so when we needed a bass player, we knew where to go. Wesley also brought a hardcore side to the music that really wasn't there in the earlier stuff. He had never played punkrock before, though. We used to fuck with him in the studio sometimes because he would be trying to play this really difficult bass line, really fast over a punkrock section. "Man, it's punkrock! Fucking...who cares! Play that bitch like you stole it."

You got an sound that has alot of Reggae and Punk Elements mixed like a good drink who's your biggest musical influences? Sublime. Mostly. Bob Marley, Toots, Tosh, Dub Allstars as far as reggae. The punk is mostly influenced by NOFX, Ramones, Misfits, The Vandals, ALL. Mostly Southern Cali punk and hardcore from 80's and 90's. Plus, like The Doors, Hendrix, SRV, Hank Williams and a ton of other sort of outlaw musicians who liked to break conformity.

The band used to be called KB Posse for the fans out there that don't know. Why the name change to Deadman Relay? When we named KB Posse, we just thought that it was hilarious to use the word Posse in a band name, especially after ICP. We grew to dislike it, but that's not the full story of why we changed it. People do help to keep you pretty fucked up with a name like that, though. We enjoyed it for a good long while. But, really, we changed it because of a falling out with our "manager" at the time. He had some mental instabilities. Roach had broken his hand on a door in Little Rock, AR where he'd tried to punch a club owner for dicking us out of some dough. Our "manager" was going to sit in for him on the drums for a show in Lawrence, KS. Well, he flipped his fucking lid two days before that show. It's always about a girl, right? He called my girlfriend a bitch for no reason. When I confronted him about it, he tried to stab me with a homemade shank that he made out of a toothbrush. Now, this dude is one cool motherfucker on a day to day basis. To see him do some shit like this was completely out of character. I was worried that he was having a breakdown or something, so I sat down and tried to talk to him (shank in hand, mind you). He is a dear friend of mine and I'm genuinely concerned about him, but he didn't want to talk. He shut himself in his room (right next to mine) and he smashed glass all night long. When we found him in the morning, he had cut himself all up. He cut out parts of his scalp and left a love note for my girlfriend with pieces of hair and blood in it. Now, we were really concerned about him, but more concerned about our well being in the end. We broke all ties with him. He had created and ran all of the social sites and websites for the group and when we lost contact with him, we saw it as an opportunity to start over. I have not spoken to that dude since that shit went down. I hope he remembers to take his meds nowadays. Really though, I hope he's better.

Whats the Kansas City music scene like how do you guys fit into it? The scene here in KC is different. I would say that we do not fit into it at all. You get a lot of artsy stuff. Blues. A fuck load of metal, thrash. Some punk, but those dudes are traditionalists and really frown at the other shit that we do. We haven't actually performed as Deadman Relay for a number of months. Me and Roach play in a blues and outlaw country band that fits in a ton better. It also makes more money. So, that's how we deal with the KC scene, I guess.

Anything happen during any of your live performances you would like to share? Lots of shit. We were playing a gig in a college town on the Missouri/Iowa border one time and Roach passed out in the middle of a song, fell back on his thrown and cracked his fucking head on a concrete wall. When we finished the song two minutes later (without drums), he was still passed out on the ground. We were able to "revive" him and he played the last hour and a half of the set. The P-Funk Allstars came up and jammed with us one set in Iowa City. It was sick. Another time, one of our past bass players got fucking wasted and jumped into the drumset. One of the cymbals put a big nasty gash on Roach's face about a centimeter below his eye. Almost lost that one. He did knock that bass player out after the show in the name of liberty. Most of the best stories generally happened on the road, but off of the stage, thankfully.

If your drinking what are you drinking? Myers's Rum and Coke. Jack and Coke. Wine. Boulevard Wheat Beer. Red Stripe.

Pipes or Blunts? Pipes. I like it as clean as possible. But, peach Optimo on occasion.

Who would you like to play on a bill with if you could pick any band/artist? Toots. Dirty Heads. Sublime w/ Rome. NOFX. Vandals. Hank III.

Whats the good word on the new cd? It's finished. We are exploring our release options. It will likely be a download only (with cover art). We just don't know who we are selling it through yet. You will probably see it out during the month of August.

What else do you and the band have planned for 2010? Playing shows and getting back in the studio, brother. It's what we love to do.

Anything you want to say to your fans/peoples out there? Yeah man. We really appreciate all the support. We love playing music, but it's totally different to do it in front of people who love it too. I have bad stage fright and it's kind of a battle sometimes to get up and play, but it's a ton easier when the crowd is like real laid back and dancing and singing along. Nothing like it. Bless you all.

Check out the bands myspace at

http://www.myspace.com/deadmanrelay

Interview: A Bear With A Car On Top

A Bear With A Car On Top answers some questions I had for them about their starting up and their new album thats gonna drop soon.

So first thing first I gotta know what the names all about guys? Brian Whipp - The name is pretty random it's an object you can pick up on one level in the japanese video game "Katamari Damacy." We always make up and hear new versions of it though. The other day we were introduced as "A Beer On Top Of A Car." I think that's the most hallarious one yet.

When and how did you guys start playing? Brian - I was trying to start a band in college and none were really coming together until I met Brendan and Alex Lurhman my sophmore year. I was starting to write reggae songs instead of just punk and Alex really kinda guided that transition. He was this crazy kid from Spain who eventually got kicked out of school and went on to take classes in Santa Barbara and work at a cannibis collective. He was hella good at guitar and we wrote a few songs together and would jam. He pretty much taught Brendan to play a reggae beat. Since then we've just been playing alot and getting alot better and things have been going really well since we got Jeff on bass. Our playing is super solid and things are going really well.

Jeff - Ive been playing music since i was in 3rd grade and when i moved out to cali from AZ i had played with numerous bands off and on until i met brian and brenden and we hit it off, the jams were Dope and are evolving into some really heavy shit. Our live show is where its at, we love the energy and the improv.

What are your guys influances/inspirations musically? Brian - My biggest influence and musical inspiration is Bradley Nowell for sure. I'm pretty much always listening to sublime. I am also really into Tim Armstrong and Jack White. I think Michael Jackson should definitely get alot of props. Led Zeppelin. Eminem.

Jeff Laos - I would have to say for bass it would be Aston Family man barrett and john frusciante all around. i love Fat Freddy's drop, flea, omar rodriguez lopez and the mars volta, Passafire, Salmonella Dub, minus the Bear, dub trio, lee perry and king tubby, madlib, oh and tatanka im really digging their shit. there are so many i love music as a whole, it inspires me.

How does the song writing usally go down? Brian - Songwriting could happen any way. I would say most of the songs we play started with a Jam. We develop it a little an come up with parts then we record it and I kinda freestyle and skat around some lyrics,

Jeff - Improv Jams for the most part for sure. we jam it out to get the vibes right and usually the more you jam and feel it out it will just come together naturally. but i think its best to approach song-writing in every way possible.

Brian - other times me or Brendan or Jeff will just come to the table with a full song done that we had written on our own with all the parts and then teach it to the other guys or have them add to it.

Whos been your favorite band and best spot to play shows with so far? Brian - I love playing at Kilkenny's. It's cool because you can go get crazy beers at Najas, then check out Andy Walo next door, and get some crab for dinner or some live sea urchin. Some bands I'm always down to play with are Meet Me At The Pub, Stinky Pinky, Ease UP, Seedless, and Sand Section.

Jeff - Yea Kilkenny's on the redondo pier is always dope cause i live right up the street and get to make good use of the free drink tickets, haha. i still dig to play the house partys, its just good vibes, we played a dope pool party in the hollywood hills with the sickest view of all of LA. I really dug playing with seedless, those dudes killed it, as well as the movement, Stinky pinky, and the homies Ease up.

What have you guys been jamming lately? Brian - Been jamming Sublime, and Bob.

Jeff - ive been jamming Fat freddys drop for the past 3 years as well as tatanka big shout outs to them, minus the bear, passafire, flying lotus, madlib, classics

Pipes or Blunts? Brian - Pipes and Blunts!!!

Jeff - Whatevers Clever, Vaporizors!!

So I hear you guys are about to drop your first full length album soon? Brian - The album! Yeah I'm psyched for it. I've been working for the last week on the album and we are doing alot of planning for the album release. We started this project in March 2008! It's the longest I've ever worked on anything in my life and its gonna be awesome to see it finished. Its been quite a struggle. Here is a preview of our album art, i have been working on it for the past week, check it out

Jeff - Be on the look-out for it, its a sick record. its not gonna be your typical reggae rock release. Lots of hard work put into it and its only the beginning. Im really stoked to be apart of it!!

How was recording the album and did you guys run into any challenges while recording? Brian - We lost our bassist pretty much right after we started, and Brenden got sick with some strange stomach syndrome and went home to Deleware for like 6 months. At one point I was living out of my car and I found out we hadn't paid rent on our practice studio in a month and a half, which had all our equipment in it. But we've come a long way and I think all the time we put into it is really gonna pay off.

Jeff - Yea there is alot of heart in this album, you can hear it. i was really stoked that right after i joined the band i got to get right to work in the studio.

Whats the next move? Jeff - Tour, tour, tour

Brian - Next move is touring/partying!

Anything you wanna say to your fans/peoples? Brian - Come to our shows!!!!

Jeff - We got love for you, come out to our shows and kick it with us. and check us out online @ www.rastabear.com and www.reverbnation.com/abearwithacarontop

Notable Mention: SlaughterHouse Rootz

Check out SlaughterHouse Rootz a dub rock four piece hailing from Denver, CO. They also have a bunch of shows coming up also!

Check out their myspace at

http://www.myspace.com/slaughterhouserootz

Search for them on facebook theres also songs on their facebook page.

Reviews: Cyclones (Pre Rolled Perfect Cones)

NOTE(Please read legal disclaimer at the bottom of the page before reading)

I have almost no ability to roll a joint let alone a cone styled spliff, Saw these in a local shop and thought I would give them a try. These are pretty sturdy while loading your "mix" into it. I tried the flavor "Trainwreck" I don't really recommend the flavor as its 13 flavors smashed into one so theres alot of stuff going on with it still, none the less it was good. It ended up just being kind of fruity flavor I would say to try a normal flavor first. These are worth a try the next time your at your local smoke shop if your like me and cant roll a cone spliff.

Interview: Matt Irie and Ethan Grooms of Erosion

Matt Irie and Ethan Grooms of Erosion answers some of my questions about whats going on with their band Erosion

I wanna start this off By asking where the name for the band came from? Matt - Basically, going through a few different options and with about every thing under the sun being taken, we realized Erosion would be a good fit.

Ethan: yeah, we threw names around for a little while an we didnt want anything to cliche, erosion fit.

How did you guys all meet? Matt - Nate and I met years ago at one of the local bars and had alot of the same interests in the same music and clicked from there. Come to meet Ethan and Joey last year at one of the shows Nate and I were doing as a duo, few days later came over to jam and everything came together.

Ethan: Me an Joey have known each other since about middle school. We grew up through high school playing in different bands an stuff. Me an him were in a band for a while an it kind of became stale for us an everyone kind of went separate ways. We had a mutual friend that kept telling me an joey he had some friends that we should get up an play music with. So we go check matt an nates duo show one night an the rest is history.

Who has been your biggest inspiration so far? Matt - I would say my family, of course all the guys in the band, and all the cool people I have met so far doing this.

Ethan: Life, an the people around you.

How has your music evolved since you first began playing music as a band? Matt -Came quite far, with every rehearsal we take some time and jam out for a bit to get a vibe for a new song and take it from there. One thing I can say is we take it a step further everytime, not to be defined a certain genre. While still sticking to the reggae sound though.

Ethan: Its been reggae from the get go, but everyone has a bit of a different style they bring to the table that gives it a different feel.

So far how have the shows been? Matt - We have done 1 show as the band with Pasadena down in Myrtle Beach. We do plan on taking this out to the masses though. Looking to get the most energetic and fun live show we can together to make sure everyone remembers the name. Gonna be a good time.

Ethan: Like Matt said super fun. Have got to meet some cool people. Were ready to start doing more shows an get the name out there.

What has been your biggest challenge so far? Matt - In my opinion it's been everything, but in a good manner you could say. With the band you take in that everyone voices there idea for how something should grow. With this being the first run for myself in a stable musical setting, it's been really cool to take all of it in and just keep building.

Ethan: I wouldnt say ive personally had a challenge yet. Im getting to do what i love..play bass, hang with good friends, and overdose on reggae music!!

Hows the recording going on the debut album? Matt - We have alot of ideas brewing up, I had a few solo tracks we have worked on that never got released, and like I said before, every rehearsal we have, we develop so many new ideas for songs. Got some good stuff coming for sure in the form of an EP I believe.

Ethan: Good, taking our time. Its hard, everytime we get together an jam theres always something new we play or learned an want to incorporate into a song.

How do you guys feel about the current state the music business is in? Matt - In every genre of music you have a certain level they say you can reach. I believe this reggae\rock genre is starting to make a bigger name for itself with all the groups who are doing bigger things. The rising bands making a name for themselves as well. It's all about unity in my eyes. You have to get out and network with everyone you meet. Keep it fresh in the eyes of the fans,friends, whoever is taking time to give their support. This is not a business for the lazy,or weak minded that is for sure. Much support to those doing it up.

What are you guys drinking? Matt - GENNY LIGHT, IPA,Jager,Miller,Bud Light,Liberty micro brew,Ethan drinks alot of Christian Bros. Brandy as well. E Dubb Whiskey,and a ton of Sailor Jerrys.

Ethan: Brandy, alllll day.

Whats the next move? Matt - Taking it one stride at a time for the moment being, many things to come for sure. Erosion is a name you will be seeing for awhile, so get used to it haha. Got some cool things in the works we are keeping wrapped up till its time. You can keep up to date on the facebook "Erosion" and the myspace as well at www.myspace.com/erosionmusicnc

Ethan: Bass & Beer store

Review: Twisted Water Pipe (Cheap And Effective)

I was looking for an cheap starter bong and I ended up trying this one. I bought this at a local shop for only 40$. I think this is a good throw away piece based on the price (like if your moving or something). Its an decent smoke, Only problem is you really have to watch the water level or that water comes back real quick. The seal is decent. I did end up getting a little bit of a thicker bowl for it cause the bowl it came with made me feel like I could break it if I pressed on it too hard. I have hit it on a couple tables and it hasn't chipped or cracked yet. It's made is the USA and I think this is worth an buy based on the price or as a good starter piece.

Interview: NoNeedz

San Diegos own Underground Hip Hop artist NoNeedz answers some questions I dished out. Noneedz has a new album coming out soon and has just released five new unmastered tracks on his myspace http://www.myspace.com/noneedz. He also currently has 3 other full length albums out which can be purchased from www.cdbaby.com just search NoNeedz

So Id'e like to start off by asking how you got into music? I got thrown into a recording arts class in high school because there wasn’t any other classes available. Had to record a track for the final in the school studio and decided I liked doin the thing enough to keep going. Made some wack beats with hip hop ejay by copying and pasting loops haha and just kept going.

Who are the artists and the other things that inspire your music? I get inspired by every artist that sounds good to me, I listen to Stevie Wonder all the way to Snoop and Sly boogie, Billy Preston to Ray and Etta James to Lauryn Hill, but mostly God either fills me with inspiration or not depending on what I’ve been about in my life at the moment. I’ve been inspired lately to mix ministry with music (though I’m probably not the best example haha cuz I curse and say messed up things, but I’m cutting down on that aspect and won’t have it in future recordings). I just feel the need to promote some of the unknown parts of the New Testament, and combat the theory Christians put out there that a person must believe in Jesus as Christ or we go to hell, which is nonsense. Most of that comes from the losers that stretched the truth during the Crusades to take gold from third world nations and what not. Now everyone thinks its evil, and thought up certain ways the Bible can be. But if you know it like I know it, the Bible just tells it like it is, with verses like “Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law will be justified.” Same thing as a “good person will not go to hell, simply because they are not sure what happened 2000 years ago!” This has also been echoed by famous singers like Lauryn Hill and Bob Marley, and most Jamaican artists, which fits right up my alley being a first generation American. The Bible is great inspiration.

How do your songs usually come together? Typically, I’ll have a beat on my hard drive from some beatmaker or from something I made and I just write to it. Then I take it to the lab, the studio guy Aaron from Dead Records in Oceanside http://deadrec.com/ puts it up on protools, then I just spit into on a mic. Nothin too fantastic.


Whats the underground Hip Hop scene like in California? I wish it was larger. There really isn’t much of one like there is in LA. But I’m still searching for it. I know of www.accesshiphop.com, which is in San Diego and I just put a few cds of The GETAWAY on consignment there that I am hoping sell by January first or they will take it off the shelves haha. There’s some shows I can set up around the town at different places in Oceanside and San Diego but its hard to get started here.

I hear your about to release an new album "Crazy Face" whats the good word about this? Yeah. This is my best album to date I think. The culmination of everything I have learned or worked for in this game. Hopefully it does big things. The Whaddup track (number 7) will be featured on DJ GREEN LANTERN’S Unsigned Hype so that’s a good start and I plan to send “Better Off” to radio stations across the country and see where that takes me!

How is this new album different from some of your other LPs "Feel Good Musik" and "Think More Musik"? Well, Feel Good Musik I had been living in my car for 8 months and got out of that situation after finding Christ which was random for me if you knew my life before that. I didn’t curse on either of those two albums I don’t think and I tried as hard as I could to put out nothing but positive vibes. The GETAWAY and CRAZY FACE are more real to my life in between severe losses I felt in my life after those points and even before those points when I went further away from God and closer to drugs and alcohol. I’ve cleaned up after recording this latest album but I still want it to go out just as is because there are many who will be able to relate to this album as it is. The outro message will reach ears that normally would just reject anything I have to say about God being out there and Christ being out there and how it can benefit life and bring great blessings, which explains how this album sounded half as good as it did when I changed my life around and put some more effort into it.

When do you usually record your music? Night. Usually at around 6 pm when the voice comes alive a little more. I’ve done it during the day but it don’t work as good haha. I think I just have a dead pan voice when im half asleep, which is all the time unless its late at night!!

You've collaborated with alot of artists whos been your favorite to work with so far? I’ve enjoyed working with Duddy B, Heather Green, Brederin Daddies, Daddy Scotty, Chapter 11, Ness, High Tide, Edly Shine, Rac Dub, Big John, and enjoyed working with them all equally.

What are your hopes for the near future? I hope to get signed so I don’t have to work so hard creating a buzz. I hope more people sign up and add me on my remade myspace http://www.myspace.com/noneedz and that I find the right woman and win the super bowl and eat ice cream at Disneyland.. nah. I just hope for a good life…

Anything you want to say to your fans and peoples out there? Yes, God is real. Believe in Him and He will know you care.

Interview: Tatanka

Tatanka is a dub three piece from Denver, Co. They mix sounds and styles like a good bartender. Including dub, progressive reggae, and electro. The bands Ep "Sounds in Technicolor" is worth checking out and a classic in my book.

How did the band get started? Me (Champian) and The Mexico became friends in late 2007 early 2008 and started playing around with some new riddims. Malonestar got ahold of me via Craig's list, it was game set and match from there.

Did any of you play in bands before Tatanka? All of us had projects before this - The Mexico played in a punk rock band called Audio Militia I played in Rassteady, P-Nuckle and The Language and Malonestar played in several groups out east. This has now become our most serious project.

What are your sepreate influences and what influences do you all share? All three of us like all types of music. I know that we are all into the new UK dubstep scene. Some of the tunes coming from that genre are as heavy as they get. Some of the bands we all enjoy listening to include Alpha and Omega, Midnite, Fat Freddys Drop, The Black Seeds and John Brown's Body.

Whats the Denver music scene like? Denver's music scene is getting healthier and healthier. Now that we have the Mile High Music Festival people are flying from all over to come to Colorado and watch music. We also have the UMS which is Denver's version of SXSW. The dubstep scene in Denver is a sold out every weekend kind of thing.

How was recording the "Sounds in Technicolor" Ep? Just a blast we learned alot about our selves musically. We now know how to push the limit on upcoming releases.

Why did you decide to give the "Sounds in Technicolor" Ep out for free? I have tried to sell music to my peers and others since i was 16 years old. No one wants to buy your bands 10 dollar demo that your hustling out of the back of your jeep. The economy has taken a turn for the worst and money is tight as ever. People are already convinced what type of music they like and how they will go about obtaining these tunes. If we make our product free it almost becomes impossible to turn your head away and not listen. And if we can get you to listen then i bet we will have you hooked after that.

Where do you guys like to play the most so far and why? The Belly Up in Aspen - They treat us the best out of any venue we have ever played at. Anywhere in San Diego because people eat our music up out there. And my personal favorite is Cervantes Otherside in Denver. We always pack that place when we play there.

What have you guys been jamming out to lately? In my player personally I have been jamming Big Boi's new CD. Best rap album since chronic 2001.

If your drinking what are you drinking? Appleton Estate Rum the 12 yr. old bottle of course.

I hear your working on new material in the studio whats the good word on this? Every time we practice/perform we come up with new material. The soundscape we create is based heavily on improv. We are looking to get into the studio as fast as we can.

Whats the next move? Tour... Tour........Tour............Tour

Anything you wanna say to your fans/peoples out there? Much love to Silver Surfer. much love to our denver people showing us love and the rest of the world who are tuned into Tatanka. Mad props to Dom for doin this interview!


To download there Ep "Sounds in Technicolor" for free go to
http://tatankadub.bandcamp.com/track/dubtronic

Check out Tatanka's myspace at

http://www.myspace.com/tatankalive

Classic YouTube: A Couple Classic Youtube videos

Pat from B Foundation playing "Arrival"



KB Posse - "Livin' Da Life"

What I'm Jamming Today: Brandon Boyd - The Wild Trapeze

I'm liking this so far. Its a bit dark with most songs starting off with acoustic guitar. Vocals are a bit haunting. If your an fan of Incubus then this is definitely worth checking out. The songs are catchy as hell and take there time to grow on you.



http://www.thewildtrapeze.com

http://www.brandonboydbooks.com/

Classic Movie: Smiley Face (2007)

Starring Anna Faris. This movie is Hilarious. Full of stoner jokes and scenes that could remind you of times where you were high yourself. If you've ever gotten high before I can almost guarantee that you will laugh at least one time if you watch this movie. You can watch it free on Hulu.

http://www.hulu.com/

Smokeshop Review: All About It (Mchenry, IL)

Checked this smoke shop out recently. Pretty big selection of pipes and water pipes. Semi good prices. Great service which is key in that business. Custom work was quite impressive. Custom work came with an custom price though. They have pics of some of there custom work on there myspace page.

http://www.myspace.com/allaboutitsmokeshop

Old Favorite: City And Colour - Body in a Box (Myspace Transmissions)

Great Song :)

Short Cd Review: Maps And Atlases - Perch Patchwork

It was released June 29, 2010. I've heard most of there work. I also saw them live at The Metro in Chicago, a show thats very dear to my heart. I also listened to Cast Spells which Dave Davisons new solo record that came out before this. The solo record was great but, this record is amazing. Guitar work just a fury of lighting taps. Vocals full of presence, catchy songs that you can listen to over and over. This cd has alot going for it.

http://mapsandatlases.org/

One of my favroite songs off the record.



Another great track off the record.

Notable Mention: Louie V

I have listened to Louie V for many years now. His albums have always been solid. His recording and production work is nothing short of amazing. His track "On The Freeway" is one of my top favorite songs. Go and give it an listen!

http://www.myspace.com/louiev

Cd Review: KnowledgeBorn07 - Cosmic Knowledge

I grabbed this album for free from an download link. I gotta say this is my favorite album of 2010 so far. I've been a fan of Knowledgeborn07 for a while now. I have always liked how he attacks the mic with line after line of thought provoking lyrics. Production values are NICE on this record. Instruments all sound great. Some of the tracks are really really catchy like "27 Miles" also "What A Trip" and "Daily Hope". It also features some great guest apperances such as Popa Wu, P. Tugz, Prince Po, Ras Attitude and Zack Walters of 3RD Alley. This is definitely worth checking out specially cause its free.

Really have to respect an artist when they bring something to the table thats high quality and release it for free.

Download it here: http://knowledgeborn07.bandcamp.com/

Old Favorite: Matt Embree AKA Love You Moon - Why Pops Stars Sell Silicon

A fan of RX Bandits for many years this acoustic version is just mighty DOPE

First Post!

I have thought about creating a different kind of Blog for a while. I have decided to finally give my ideas a go. I want to try to have a range of different subjects I'm passionate about which is alot of things this fucked up life has to offer.