A lot of bands seem to be reuniting, so why shouldn’t Doomtree? For the first time ever all seven members, including P.O.S., Dessa, Sims, Cecil Otter, Mikey Mictlan, LAZERBEAK, AND Paper Tiger, will head out on a month long, headlining tour starting November 4th.
Known for their unpredictable live shows, Doomtree’s Wings + Teeth tour will feature solo performances and a riotous crew set where anything can happen.
Tourdates below:
11/4 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep
11/5 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theare
11/6 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court (AA)
11/6 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge (21+)
11/7 - Missoula, MT - The Palace
11/8 - Seattle, WA - Neumo's
11/9 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret
11/10 - Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan
11/12 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
11/13 - Los Angeles, CA - Roxy Theatre
11/16 - Austin, TX - Red 7
11/17 - Denton, TX - Hailey's
11/19 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's
11/20 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
11/21 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
11/22 - Virginia Beach, VA - The Jewish Mother
11/23 - Washington, DC - DC9
11/24 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
11/26 - Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory
11/27 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East
11/28 - Portland, ME - Space
11/30 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore
12/1 - Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dee's
12/2 - Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room at Crofoot Ballroom
12/3 - Chicago, IL - The Bottom Lounge
12/4 - Grinnell, IA - Gardner Lounge (Grinnell)
12/5 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
Mad Decent is continuing their free weekly mixtape giveaways with one from Maluca. Mixed by Paul Devro, China Food, is the brain child of Maluca. Devro explained they wanted to create a “biographical trilogy (Past, Present and Future.)” It features Proxy, Don Omar, Jay Karan, and more.
Download it here and then spread it around!
From July 31-August 1, for the first time in history, the International Human Beatbox Convention came stateside. This year, the weekend long convention, traditionally held in London, was hosted in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn at one of the city’s newest music venues, Littlefield. Now in its sixth year, the event brings together beatboxing artists from across the globe to take part in workshops, panels, film screenings, live art, breakdancing, DJ's and showcases centered around the celebration of one of the most unique vocal art forms.
No doubt the weekend long convention in it’s entirety was a true hip-hop lover’s dream, but perhaps the most exciting, climactic event of the weekend was the historic, first ever American Beatbox Championships on Saturday night. Competitors worked their way through three online video rounds, and were whittled down from 65 competitors to eight for the Grand Final.
An all out mic-to-mic battle, the contestants wielded their weapons, an arsenal limited to their mouth, lips, tongue, voice, nasal passage and throat, to produce their own unique combinations of drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds. There to judge the epic championships were some of hip-hop’s elite: Parrish Smith of EPMD, Jarobi White of A Tribe Called Quest, Swiss Chris, drummer and musical director for John Legend, and beatbox legends Rahzel and Kenny Muhammad.
The night started off with a solo round, where each of the eight contestants got the chance to express their unique talent. A truly diverse arcade of technique, rhythm, sound, and execution reverberated from the stage. Experiencing the broad spectrum of style between the artists evidenced how much the art beatboxing has evolved from its early days.
In round two, the competitors were asked to do a two-minute routine incorporating pre-selected cover tracks. They could choose from any or all of eight covers by artists ranging from Missy Elliot to The Ramones. Possibly the most entertaining performance was delivered by the highly charismatic The Human Drum Machine, who worked the mesmerized crowd into a state of frenzied enthusiasm with his take on The Ramones “Blitzkrieg Bop.”
Round three separated the best from the rest. Competitors were asked use one or more acapellas from a predetermined list to put together a vocal track of no more than two minutes in length. The track was played back on stage and the artist had to create the music to go with it. A few contestants bit off more than they could chew by attempting to recreate legendary songs with epic beats that were simply beyond their skill level. The upper echelon of artists proved their adaptability and creativity by transcending the ability to impress by simply freestyling.
While the judges tallied their scores during an intermission, the crowd was entertained by some awesomely innovative performances. Judge Chris Swiss wowed the masses with a solo drum performance that was just as impressive visually as it was audibly. Conversational murmurs were silenced as the stage lights were extinguished and the glow-stick style drumsticks of Swiss Chris flashed to the beat of his ferocious drumming.
Following Swiss Chris was a very different kind of performance: Akim Funk Buddha Beatbox Theater. Akim Funk Buddha made a name for himself in the early ’90s as part of Zimbabwe Legit, one of the first African Hip Hop groups to sign with a major US label. On stage at Littlefield, he opened minds with a bizarre display of boundless performance art that fused meditative throat singing and high-energy hip-hop rhymes with a blend of break-dancing and interpretive dance. Accompanied by another vocalist and a talented female dancer, slow spiritual echoes from a Tibetan drum turned into a raucous rhythms and crowd surfing by the end of his performance.
As the intermission came to an end, the evening’s host, Hasan Salaam, returned to the stage to call up all eight contestants. The final four artists advancing to the final round were announced. The judges were dead-on: HeaveN, B.Flow, Maximillian, and FriScO were clearly the cream of the crop.
FriScO and B.Flow went head-to-head in the first semifinal battle. Hailing from the Bay Area, as his name suggests, FriScO’s uncanny electronic bass octaves and pitch perfect laser sounds were nothing short of brilliant. It’s hard to fathom how anyone could generate such robotic, complex sound effects with their mouth. The producers of Star Wars could have saved a lot of money if they hired FriScO instead of a team of sound designers with state-of-the-art equipment at their disposal. What B.Flow lacked in skill he made up for with personality. His stage-persona made the face-off feel like a true battle, not just a performance. The judges asked for a second 45-second sudden death round before they made their decision. This time FriScO stepped up his game by putting a little more competitive spirit into his act, and came out the unanimous winner.
Maximillian and HeaveN were up next. Maximillian pulled out an ingenious cell phone skit that was hard to top. While HeaveN’s aptitude and talent for the art of beatboxing may have been equal or greater than Maximillian’s, he failed to exude a sense of personality, and didn’t connect to the crowd, or the judges. Maximillian advanced to the final without the need for a second sudden death round.
The face-off between Maximillian and FriScO was truly a historic beatbox battle. After FriScO kicked things off with yet another World of Warcraft-esque performance, Maximillian retorted with a mockery of FrisCo’s style, posing the question “Sound-effects all day, how bout’ beats?” Initially scheduled for one round, the judges called for the face-off to go additional two rounds. The panel asked that in the final round FriScO refrain from solely sound effects and Maximillian avoid his uber-fast pace. Both competitors brought their A-game, making it hard to pick a winner. FriScO dished out a distinguishable, unique style all his own throughout the competition. His magician-like talent and originality went unmatched. Maximillian served up a completely different style. His lightning quick beats and creative brilliance as a performer carried him to the final.
While the judges struggled to make their decision, the venue was forcing the event to wrap up. The electricity of the opinion-bursting crowd intensified. After much consternation and back-and-forth haggling between the judges, FriScO stood victorious.
BOXCON 2010 proved to be an amazing experience for all who attended, and a testament to the art of making music with your mouth.
FOR MORE PHOTOS, VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE
With their new single, "We Ztay Shynin'" (Treats Remix), Brooklyn natives Metermaids lace their brash lyrics over the ear splitting beats of Sleigh Bells' "Treats." The song is just one of five Sleigh Bells tracks on the new remix EP that can be downloaded from the band's website now. The track blends the in-your-face and unapologetic style that both acts exude.
MC's Swell and Sentence strongly admire Sleigh Bells, stating, "We really dig Sleigh Bells and thought they're music would be amazing to remix, which it is." Although the group did say that they wanted to keep the project light-hearted the lyrical content does contain a few cleverly placed jabs. "It was also a subtle dig at a few institutions of the music world that we wanted to bully, but not in a real obvious way," explains Sentence. The duo re-affirms their position as hip-hop's "Bad News Bears" by delivering their lyrics with an outwardly nasty attitude, encouraging those who can't handle the grind of the city to move out to Hackensack.
"We Ztay Shynin'":
http://media.audibletreats.
"The Bedford Kings":
http://media.audibletreats.
"A Star Is Born":
http://media.audibletreats.
"Rust and Sharp Edges":
http://media.audibletreats.
Hello Mixtape:
http://www.metermaidsnyc.com/
"Girls and Music" Non-DJ Version:
http://media.audibletreats.
"Girls and Music" Animal Collective Remix:
http://www.audibletreats.com/
"Yellow Tape":
http://media.audibletreats.
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