Going into Saturday night at Phuzz Phest in Winston Salem, NC, one of my most anticipated shows of the evening was seeing Durham rapper Eggy Strange at Reanimator Records. Being a venue that has a max capacity below 50 people, I knew this would be a rare opportunity that I would not want to miss out on. Right before the show started, Eggy was asked if he wanted the lights on and he thankfully declined which resulted in just one lamp being brought out to serve as the lighting for the entire space.
Eggy was only accompanied by one other member who was put in charge of running the laptop beats to run in the background. From here, the rest of the show consisted of Eggy walking around his tiny corner with mic in hand and lyrics spilling out from the soul. Eggy Strange is currently signed under Cardigan Records which is also based out of North Carolina.
Ithaca, NY based funk-jazz collective, Big Mean Sound Machine, will be playing Shakori Hills 2015 and bringing with it their collection of booty shakin’ dance grooves and jazz based funk. Big Mean Sound Machine is taking a days break after their recent tour for the album CONTRABAND to attend the festival. This group pulls together an incredible collection of multi-national languages and musical conceptions to bring the listener an unforgettable musical journey. Compared to BMSM’s previous albums, Contraband brings to light a whole new level of psychedelic funk and advanced showmanship. In their vastly matured new sound, BMSM is making waves, so be sure not to miss them at the Shakori Hills Cabaret Tent on Thursday, April 16, 2015 from 11:30pm to 1:00am and Carson’s Grove on Friday, April 17, 2015 from 9:30pm-10:30pm.
The final night of the festival brought monster performances all over the city of Austin. If one super power would be useful during SX, it would be astral projection, because there is seriously no way to see everything you want.
Redman got the night started right at Moody Theatre with one of the best performances of the night. The aging rapper still rocks a crowd harder than most, and had the audience jumping and screaming curse words at him.
G-Eazy followed him with a performance that was good, but not as good as Red’s.
Joey Bada$$ stormed the stage with his Pro Era crew and ran the crowd through hits from his new album B4.DA.$$. He led the audience in a moment of silence for his fallen Pro Era cofounder Capital Steez, then exploded into the single that started it all, “Survival Tactics.”
J. Cole hit the stage, reppin North Carolina to the fullest, and sending every females in attendance into hysterics.
The night ended at The Belmont, where Ghostface Killah and Raekwon celebrated the 20th anniversary of their classic album Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. They performed the whole record back to front for the fans. It was an epic performance that was a once in a lifetime show for any Wu head.
Here is DJ Iron Mic’s last day in Austin for South by Southwest. You can see some more pictures on our Instagram.
Day 4 at SXSW is when the weekend started, and things started to ramp up. The rain didn’t stop anyone from wildin’ out!
The day started with keynote speaker Snoop Dogg talking about his new album Bush, his youth sports and film ventures, HBO series plans, and Willie Nelson.
Hipnotic Brass Ensemble showed everyone that Jazz can do Hip Hop too.
Dej Loaf popped up out of no where at a random bar.
Killer Mike and El-P murdered the stage at Spin Magazine’s day party, and dared anyone to try to step on their stage.
Later that night I worked on the stage crew again at 720 Club, and got to see Montreal grunge metal band JPNSGRLS. They killed it, along with Atlanta’s Black Linen who put some soul back into rock!
Day 4 of DJ Iron Mic’s South by Southwest adventure.
Power producers Mannie Fresh, Just Blaze, KLC, and Young Guru held a panel discussion hosted by Hot 97′s Paul Rosenberg. They discussed production techniques and working with artists through the years.
Later on, Migos rocked the stage at Mohawk’s on Red River St.
I worked at 720 Club on Red River St. as a member of the stage crew this night, and got to see some killer indie rock bands.
Fotogramas came from Chile just to rock Austin, and did an awesome job.
The Nuns put on an impressive set, as well as a band from our neighboring state of Tennessee called Daddy Issues. Not to be confused with NC’s Daddy Issues.
It was another fun and music-filled day for DJ Iron Mic at #SXSW2015.
Vince Staples, Meyhem Lauren, Heems, Curren$y, and Action Bronson got it poppin’ to start the night on Day 2 at Scoot Inn, accompanied by a surprise appearance by the legendary Funk Master Flex! #noriots
The night was ended at Moody Theatre where Dipset reunited on stage, hosted by 2Chainz and DJ Funk Master Flex, to kick off their reunion tour.
Day 1 of the SXSW Music Festival brought ASCAP’s first ever Hip Hop and R&B Showcase. Andra Day, BJ Da Chicago Kid, OG Maco, and Dej Loaf killed a full house at The Blackheart to start things off right!
We’ll have more photos from Iron Mic’s trip to South by Southwest in the coming days!
I spent the first night of the SXSW Music Festival at a small venue on Rainey St. called The Blackheart. It’s a really cool old timey saloon style bar in the Colorado River waterfront area of Austin, which is actually a historic house. The venue has its stage in the backyard, which is where Dej Loaf, BJ The Chicago Kid, and OG Maco, among others, were scheduled to perform last night. It was a good night of music, but the show was stolen early.
Starting off the night was a soul singer by the name of Andra Day, accompanied by a single guitarist. Andra Day’s beautiful voice had everybody swaying to her rhythm with glassed over eyes. Guys were falling in love with her, and women were bonding with her strong feminine stage presence. Her style is akin to Erykah Badu, with sweet melodies about love, pain, and everything else, that people can just connect to. There was no glitz and glam to her performance, just raw talent as she sat on a stool, holding her microphone, soothing the wary crowd who had spent the better part of the day battling hordes of drunk St. Paddy’s Day festival goers. Then to get everybody into a more Hip Hop vibe, she went into a jazzy and soulful rendition of Biggy’s classic, “Big Poppa.” Dope is an understatement! She nailed it, killed it, and set it on fire, for which she received a roar of applause and praise at the end of her performance.
The vibe that Ms. Day created was a hard one to come on stage behind, and unfortunately, Berklee grad, Kevin Ross couldn’t keep up. He hit the stage with a two piece band, and all of the dramatic movements of an arena show, but after the sweet simplicity of Andra Day’s performance, the crowd wasn’t connecting with his cliché R&B. He ran through a few of his singles including “Money Over Love,” and all disconnections aside, he actually did a very good job. His voice is naturally strong, and he doesn’t need the help of DAWs to sound good. I think the problem with the audience was simply an incompatibility of his style with the lineup he was put with.
Next up was BJ The Chicago Kid, who came on stage with a three man accompaniment of a guitarist, bassist, and drummer. BJ brought back the fire in the crowd. He serenaded the audience with tracks from his album, “Pineapple Now-Laters,” along with segments of his single with Schoolboy Q, “It’s True.” The energy of his band was on point. All three players were extremely talented, and kept rhythm for BJ perfectly, while highlighting their abilities. The end of the performance tore the house down with a monstrous guitar and drum solo that had everybody wildin’! The talk around the audience during the break between artists was that there was no way anyone was going to top that.
And they were kinda right. Hosts DJ Drama and DJ Cannon took the stage to a very welcoming crowd, and showed off a couple of their up-and-comers, to which the audience gave polite applause. Then OG Maco took the stage. Maco’s style may sound good after being mastered in a studio, and played through headphones where you can really listen to what he’s saying; but it doesn’t translate very well in a live performance. Don’t get me wrong, Maco’s stage presence is great. He has a dramatic flair, and never breaks character, but his erratic flow just sounds like a bunch of gibberish on a live mic. The crowd wasn’t really into it, to which he showed frustration by yelling at them: “Yall don’t even know my music?!” We do OGG, it’s just that “U Guessed It” sounds terrible live. In all fairness, you did make the song while you were blackout, so… Needless to say, the crowd was kind of sick of him by the time he got off the stage, and ready to see Dej Loaf.
When Dej Loaf hit the stage, everyone in the venue packed toward the front of the stage. This prompted the Fire Marshall to threaten everyone with shutting down the venue if they didn’t comply with fire codes. I’m guessing the city of Austin wasn’t trying to have another situation on their hands like last year’s Tyler the Creator show. When the crowd got in place, Dej kicked off her performance with “We Good,” and kept it moving through mixtape tracks like “Bird Call,” and “No Hoe In My Blood.” The people were happy, the Fire Marshall was happy, and Dej’s performance was pulled off without a problem.
All in all it was a good night for Hip Hop culture. However I couldn’t shake the feeling that BJ the Chicago Kid and Andra Day were the true stars of the night, even though they weren’t the headliners. At the end of the night, as I went back to war with the ranks of undead St. Paddy’s Day drunks, Ms. Day’s rendition of “Big Poppa” was on repeat in my head. She’s definitely someone who should be paid attention to, and will probably be seen at a venue near you soon. Keep an eye out.
Stay tuned for more updates throughout the week. Tonight I cover Curren$y and Action Bronson from the historic Scoot Inn.
As we enter October, the time draws closer to the bi-annual Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival next weekend in Pittsboro, NC. I’ve been to Shakori Hills a number of times and the lineups are always a diverse blend of local, national, and international groups from a wide spectrum of genres.
Many of the band’s I love checking out are the local, North Carolinian groups. The band I’d suggest to check out on Thursday would be The Holland Brothers, from Pittsboro. Following in the tradition of the Everly Brothers, The Holland Brothers keep tight harmony and play a mix of old-time and blues. Friday features a full day of music, but if you had to check out one band I’d suggest John Howie Jr. & the Rosewood Bluff, from Mebane. This group is true to the honky-tonk country music tradition, they’ve played the Grand Ole Opry, and even opened for the legendary George Jones. This is a band that’ll be sure to have you two-stepping in the Cabaret Tent.
On Saturday, I’d recommend checking out singer-songwriter Shannon Whitworth, from Brevard. She has an interesting take on Americana music and it’s something I would call atmospheric. I find there to be a big Mark Knopfler influence, especially since there’s a cover of the Dire Straits song “So Far Away” on her album High Tide. The local group on Sunday I’d suggest checking out is the duo of Lynda Dawson & Pattie Hopkins, from Raleigh. Both members of the Kickin Grass Band, their duo focuses more on harmony vocals and their fiddle and guitar work.
Something I love about Shakori is that there’s some bands just don’t play on one day, like Donna the Buffalo, Frank Fairfield, and The Duhks. Based out of Winnipeg, The Duhks play a blend of bluegrass, folk, zydeco, and all things roots. I saw them play at Merlefest, the “traditional plus” festival founded by Doc Watson in Wilkes County, and they blew the audience away. If the new-time music isn’t your thing, then Frank Fairfield is about as old-time as you can get. Hailing from SoCal, you’d think Frank Fairfield hails from a totally different time period with his knowledge of fiddle, guitar, and banjo tunes and of old gramophone records. His take on old classic tunes is not only awesome to listen to, but also educational as he explains the meanings of the songs. Donna the Buffalo, from Trumansburg, NY, play a similar blend of music like The Duhks, but more electric and with a heavier zydeco influence. They’re one of the founding bands of Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival and are a favorite act of the festival.
Other than the music, there’s plenty of art, workshops, kids’ activities, and vendors to check out at the festival. Shakori’s one of my favorite community festivals I’ve been to and it’s like it will certainly be another great fall festival! Tickets for the festival are still available in advance online until 4pm, October 6th.
The legendary EDM festival, Tomorrowland, is making its way back to America with its second year of TomorrowWorld! The festival will be held over September 25-28 in Chattahoochee Hills, GA. Headliners include Tiesto, Skrillex, Nero, and many more.
Along with all the dubstep, trap, and electro house that we’re all super excited for, Friday night will feature a stage hosted by the Dutch hard dance organizers, Q-Dance. If you’re unfamiliar with hardstyle, just imagine your favorite trance leads layered on top of a bouncy, deep kick at 150 BPM. Hardstyle can be uplifting, euphoric, melodic, and really quite beautiful, but it can also be aggressive, energetic, raw, and dark. There’s a lot to get into, and Q-Dance has picked some really great artists to play on their own stage on Friday night at TomorrowWorld!
