Dolo Jazz Suite at the Handlebar 2/6/14

Last Thursday smooth electronic production clashed with fiery passionate story telling in a haze of hip hop at the smoky Handlebar. Local artists  Sincere Logic and a Band of Saints, Maverick, Dee Villian and St. Pete the Beatman opened for the Dolo Jazz Suite which included AF THE NAYSAYER, Hop Box, Gilead 7 and Phantom Thrett. 

In a world of Mac Miller, Waka Flocka Flames and Jay Z,  a Band of Saints collaboration with Sincere Logic was a refreshing cross genre blend. Sincere Logic offered plenty of energy and movement to get the show going and Maverick kept the ball rolling. 

Dee Villian's smooth flow, generosity and swagger reminded me of Kid Cudi before his music became so unappealing and sub par. 

Gilead 7 opened the Dolo Jazz Suite and his raw, explosive flow grabbed my attention. His lyrics kept it. Not once did he boast of materialism or blatant sexism. His rapid firing tongue and piercing eyes made it clear to the audience that it was time to check out if you can't swim in the depths of the emotions he would be exploring. All this I found refreshing from the stagnant collection pond of boasts about shiny possessions, greed and empty sexuality that is modern mainstream hip hop. 

The most enjoyable part though of the evening was definitely the calm complex sounds of AF THE NAYSAYER. This was my second time seeing him and once he got started I couldn't remain still long enough to take a good photo. I became distracted by the desires of my feet to move along the swirling path his music has to offer. I followed my feet all the way to the end when he offered the crowd a Riff Raff remix for an encore. It was the first time I found myself enjoying the music of Riff Raff. 

All in all it was a great evening thanks to all the artists. A special thanks to Pass the Good and Stew for letting my broke ass in so that I could capture some of the energy that evening. 

Photographs by Jack Kunning, words by Kengir

Foozle and cowardhound 1/14/2014

The Crowd, an entertained joyful bunch

Below are images of Foozle and cowardhound performing at Sluggo's on January 14, 2014.
cowardhound had its first performance as a full band after a single day of practice. Despite this, they threw at the crowd a two song set of angry unrefined layered cacophony that leaves trend followers bored on facebook and artists craving more. 

cowardhound

Foozle on the other hand had clearly practiced more than a day together. They sound like if The Max Levine Ensemble and Silver Jews had a forbidden genre mixing affair that produced a sullen love child ready to smash the expectations of underground music and culture in suburbia. They have found a beautiful meeting point of raw energy, harmony, technicality and lyrical content that so many strive for but fail horribly in their attempt to locate it. Their performance didn't lack any of the components present in their recordings and brought with it the drive only small venues can produce.

Foozle

To hear Foozle: http://foozle.bandcamp.com/ 

All photographs by Jack Kunning, words by Kengir

Unfinished thought 4

I live an Xtreme life. When it gets too Xtreme, Diet Dew pulls me through. 

So, here I am lost and confused. Anxious as hell, in a corner by myself, in a room full of costumed drunks. Slurred conversations meant to indicate acquaintanceship blur the audio. In the crowd are faces I know but I do not want to converse with. "Shit" races through my brain. "(My bureaucratic name)!? It is so great to see you!" exclaims an excited young lady I technically dated less than a year ago. "Well you know, I have been working on my art, which brings me to my frustration with everything morally wrong in this world which I am going to brokenly ramble about until you zone out." it worked. Her eyes indicate that she has no clue what I am talking about or how she got here. "Wellll, I'm going to goo but I'll see you around." she offers as she wanders off into the crowded bar.  

An except from the random collection of unfinished thoughts