Je Double F music video and tour

JE Double F is about to embark on a solo South East tour. Check the schedule and go to the show if he rolls through your town. This will be his last tour to promote Paganomics.

12/27/11 - NIGHTLIGHT (Chapel Hill, NC)
12/28/11 - COTTAGE (Atlanta, GA)
12/29/11 - BURRO BAR (Jacksonville, FL)
12/30/11 - SWEAT RECORDS (Miami, FL)
01/01/12 - UNCLE LOUS (Orlando, FL)
01/03/12 - SQUEAKY LIZARD (Ocean Springs, MS)
01/04/12 - SIBERIA (New Orleans, LA)
01/05/12 - 3 BROTHERS (Murfreesboro, TN)
01/06/12 - SHAMROCKS (Huntington, WV)
01/07/12 - HAMILTON COLLECTIVE (Baltimore, MD)
Following this tour he will be releasing his first full length, Half Man. Here's a video of a song off the upcoming cd.

get rad

Smoke Screen - Imagination Beyond Illustration: Reimagined. Urbindex - Ambidextrous

Urbindex and Smoke Screen(Chemist and Mooke) both of Cleveland, Ohio did a tour in May of 2011 that led them to Garfield Artworks in Pittsburgh where I was first introduced to these dudes. I'm not sure if either group had any merch with them or they just didn't both bringing it out because there was literally no one at the show. The only people at the show besides the touring acts were the owner of Garfield Artworks Manny, Lord Grunge, and myself.

I had found out about this show only a few hours before when Manny called me asking me to play because another band dropped off the bill. I eagerly accepted excited to play a show that someone else had done all the "promotion" for, and I could just swoop in and reap all the benefits without putting in any of the work. When I showed up to see only Manny, Urbindex, and Smoke Screen(Lord Grunge was a little late) I was less than enthused and contemplated not playing at all.

However after Smoke Screen and Urbindex each went up and completely rocked a set for absolutely no one I felt like a rock star asshole for even considering not playing over a poor turn out. After our sets I was talking with the acts a little bit and they were trying their best to stay positive about the turn out and not like the flopped first show of tour ruin the rest of the dates they had booked saying they just have to pay their dues in Pittsburgh like they did in Cleveland to get better turn outs. Later I overheard them talking with Grunge being a little harder on themselves about the lack of people at the show, he shook his head in disapproval and said, "no way dude, this is how you sharpen your teeth," and he was exactly right. Poor turn outs are part of playing DIY shows and there's nothing you can do to prevent it, all you can do is grin and bear it while playing your best at each gig no matter how many or how few people are at the show and you'll prevail, gaining however many fans/friends as possible at each stop. And that's exactly what Urbindex and Smoke Screen did with the three people at their show in Pittsburgh.

I'm pretty certain Ambidextrous is the release Urbindex put out right after the show in Pittsburgh. Check it out, it's good, it's free, and it's self produced.

This is probably Smoke Screens most recent release at the time of the show last May. These two compliment eachother really well and you can tell they've been rapping together for nearly five years by the way they can go back and forth and not just stick to switch off between verses.

Urbindex
Urbindex on facebook
Urbindex on bandbamp

Smoke Screen
Smoke Screen on facebook

MC Homeless - Still Trapped

Youngstown, Ohio's MC Homeless released Still Trapped independently in 2009 as a follow up to his first full length Trapped Under An Ohio Sky on DIY Bandits. Still Trapped, featuring Riddlore, Richard Benjamen, Swordplay, and more, is a compilation of rad lo-fi songs Homeless recorded and released with pretty much no intention of ever playing live. For instance I've requested the song, Opposite of Happy at more than one show but to no avail(once he caved in and said he'd do it over another beat because he didn't have the original but neither of us could remember how it started). When I saw Homeless the only time he had Still Trapped it was at Most Wanted, and it was just a burnt cdr with a hand written track listing. This was just something he put out to hold people over from when he ran out of copies of Trapped Under An Ohio Sky until 27 came out on Milled Pavement. I think I spent all my money buying 6 packs at the bar up the street and couldn't afford his cd and/or was to drunk to remember to buy it. Now it's free, turns out being an irresponsible drunk worked in my favor.

Pretty certain this was the show he had Still Trapped. It wasn't May 6th though, it was March 6th. Maybe I was drunk when I made the flier too. Actually Jack from Worn Out Tigers made the flyer but I'll take the heat for him.

The first time I saw MC Homeless he was on tour with Brandon Miles(now CrunkWitch) at The Smiling Moose and had Lord Grunge(of Grand Buffet) and myself(Stealboner Inflammatory) as local support. During his set I'm pretty certain he was wearing either a Teeth or Annihilation Time t-shirt, did his interpretation of a Crass cover which ended in him dry humping the pa monitor until he fell off stage and the monitor landed on him(sound guy was pissed and brought it up months later when he played The Smiling Moose again), sampled Smiths song How Soon Is Now for Champagne Wishes, and ended with an acapella about an aspiring pedophile in his hometown named Kev-Dawg. I was a fan.

Still Trapped for free
I'm sure you could message him to get an official burnt cdr on facebook
twitter
last fm
myspace/time machine(has some cool collabs at the bottom of the play list that are hard to find)

Jack Wilson - Jack Tar

A while ago current Baltimore(formerly Pittsburgh) resident Jack Wilson released Jack Tar. Not sure who produced this cd because I'm slacking on my research, but whoever it is did a great job sampling 1990's "pop" songs from artists like; Radiohead, Oasis(my favorite sample), Blur, and more. This is absolutely free because the production is absolutely illegal, so never mind those pesky "donate" buttons that guilt trip you into donating 20 cents to the artist just so you can sleep better at night. Jack has never been shy on putting out media and rarely bothers with trying to make a profit off of it. If anything he tries to break even every once in a while because that's really all an underground rapper can hope for.

Jack was one of the first and most helpful mc's I met in Pittsburgh when I was starting rapping. He put me on a handful of shows, helped me record a few tracks, and offered me insightful advice that always came from his personal experience.

A while ago I got to open for Vast Aire(of Cannibal Ox) thanks to Jack and his short lived crew Crash Course Collective, alongside EMS(now Kid A).... and I completely bombed it. Hands down my worst performance at the biggest show I've played to date. After my set when I was getting down on myself alone at the bar, Jack came over and told me that it wasn't a big deal, that all that would matter in the future was that I played with Vast Aire. He said all I could do at that point was learn from my mistakes and try not to make them again. Although playing a show that poorly may be a minor set back it's no reason to change my stage name or worse yet quit rapping. At the time I had trouble believing it, then Jack told me how a few years ago at Mr. Smalls when he opened for Atmosphere he had a similar night. Years later all that people remember(if they remember anything) was that he opened for Atmosphere. That advice may seem a bit pessimistic but none the less it was helpful at the time.

Jack Tar for free
bandcamp
facebook
soundcloud

B L A C K I E - Spred Luv

B L A C K I E, of Houston, Texas is said to be the pioneer of "American Grime."Spred Luv came out in 2010(I think) and is 12 tracks of blending punk, hip hop, harsh electronic, UK Grime, and noise all together for one truly original sound. Self produced, check it out and form your own opinion.

website
download
facebook
Not sure where you can but this online but I'm sure if you message him on his facebook you can work something out.

The first time I saw B L A C K I E preform was in Pittsburgh, PA at Most Wanted Fine Arts Gallery on tour with Limb. Dave of Edhochuli, said they needed a local hip hop artist with punk vibe and asked me(Stillborn Identity)to play(along with Skinless Boneless and Greenlander). I had never seen a hip hop artist with so much gear, B L A C K I E lined up a wall of amps behind him when he played. His set was super intense, he was in the crowds face the whole time and they loved it. By the end of his set he was crowd surfing and dripping buckets of sweat.

flier from the show

Almost a year later we played a show together again at The Lemon Grove in Youngstown, OH with Greenlander, and Le Singe Blanc on tour from Europe. Despite the small attendance at the show and lack of attention from the audience B L A C K I E still played his set with as much enthusiasm and intensity(although there weren't enough people to crowd surf this time)as he had in Pittsburgh, and in my mind surpassed the test of a true artist who is making/playing music because he loves it.

Round' the World Part 1

Rob Starr(filmer and editor of Fuck Yinz) is a child hood friend of mine. It's rad to see the transition of him filming us in my or his parents garage led to him filming with reputable skateboarders and occasionally getting making some small change while doing so. This is a lifestyle video of his cross country road trip with Austin Kanfoush, Ryan Harris, and Lunchbox.

check his youtube for new videos

Educated Consumers - The Waiting Room

This is by far my favorite Educated Consumers release. Seven tracks, straight bangers, no bull shit. Originally this release was for free on their site for download only. No hard copies, which is a bummer for a media nerd like myself. They also did that for Hello Big Mama, no hard copies, just a drop card. Whatever, gotta cut costs somewhere I guess and media doesn't hold it's worth anymore. None the less this is good, check it out for free. Or pay the buck and support the cause you cheap scumbag.

bandcamp
twitter
facebook

Eyenine - Free Music

Eyenine from Dover, NH put this out for free online to bide over his listeners between The Insomnia Sessions(2009) and Afraid To Dream(2011). Despite this being a filler release it's still rad. It's a sort of a short compilation of the songs he has no chance of getting the rights to, he blatantly samples, The Refused for pete's sake, and it's gooood.

Eyenine - Free Music
facebook
Pure Volume
Flyrock Records

HW - A Years Worth Of Worry

'A Years Worth Of Worry,' Cambridge Massachusetts' HW was released in 2009. I've been fortunate enough to catch HW a few times over the years and each time I saw him perform or listened to his music I was blown back by his progression every time. Although this album is going on 3 years old the opening track Shithead(produced by Mac Lethal) still holds it's ground among his upcoming material. Check this dude out.

Free download of A Years Worth Of Worry
official site 
buy something off his bandcamp
facebook
twitter

Plots - So Social

Don't let the photo booth cover art fool you, this album bumps. Plots, originally of Philadelphia now residing in Pittsburgh, Pa put this out in 2010 as his first hip hop release(excluding the mixtape titled The Struggle he did under the name Rich Anthony) Since this he's put out plenty of material, both solo and with his crew The 1s and 2s, but So Social stands out to me as my favorite release of his yet. With brutally honest lyrics over mostly Doomshark beats it's hard not to take something from this release.

this ep is only online for free so download it for free
then buy something from the 1s and 2s
and check his facebook out for show updates and new releases

JE Double F - Paganomics

JE Double F of Atlantic City, New Jersey sets his punk band, Cut It Out aside to pursue the uncertain life of an avid touring underground rapper. Maintaining his DIY ethics he produced, made the artwork, and recorded his first ep, Paganomics, just as he plans on doing for all his releases. This forward thinking hip hop ep is a must for anyone who doubts punks ability to influence hip hop artists.

get dat shit fo free
buy it
stalk his website
check out his reverbnation if you're into sites that are worse than myspace
have grandma like him on facebook
follow his every move on twatter
also check out his acoustic music on soundcloud

MC Homeless, PT Burnem, and JE Double F in Dover, NH.

Baker - fROMCALIFORNIA

Baker, originally from Youngstown, Ohio put out his almost entirely self produced(with one track produced by Grimey L and another by Al Smith) debut ep 'fROMCALIFORNIA.' The title 'fROMCALIFORNIA'  isn't a clever play on words. On top of paying homage fIREHOUSE, the release is literally named after his escapade to the west coast. Download it for free fellow scumbags and cumrags, step into Bakers world for 8 tracks.
his bandcamp has a free download
follow his tweeter, you nerds
check out his abandoned mywaste page to see old unreleased material
soundcloud it up


and don't move to california over a girl

Hand Written Fliers Always Seem To Say It Best

Dope fliers are always promising leads to good shows, and in the 21st century hand drawn ones are even more few and far between.
Raymond Strife 
JE Double F
Morning Starz 
Local Demise
Greenlander 
Stillborn Identity

Skate ditch, eat food, rap show, get drunk, drive somewhere, sleep maybe, repeat.

 

 

Don't miss it in Pittsburgh.

HW, Jesse Dangerously, Shane Hall, Fortified Phonetx, Proseed, Stillborn Identity

 3-12-11 at Garfield Artworks. Please note HW was so modest he apologized for such a vain flier(while everyone else just complained about such an unreadable flier), then proceeded to kill it after showing up fashionably late(due to traffic not being a "rock star")to the show. However Jesse Dangerously showed no such modesty seeing as he had no qualms with taking his clothes off during his set, dead give away that he was Canadian. Shane Hall was the last of the touring acts to play leaving the crowd pleasantly pleased with his ability to rap as well as play guitar and sing. It was later revealed that Shane Hall is a long time affiliate of Strange Famous Records, and I was able to dig up a pretty flatter thread about his release, Basic Draining.
HW
Jesse Dangerously
Shane Hall
Proseed
Fortified PhonetX
Stillborn Identity

Here is some lofi proof that this show went down. Proseed killing it.

Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Youngstown. "Piffalotown"

Wednesday March 2nd was the cristening of a new Pittsburgh venue with Dos Noun, who you thought was done rapping but has been killing it undercover for nearly half a decade since his retirement, MC Homeless who recently dropped his album 27 that you can buy on itunes or stream part of it on his myspace and still bumps jams from his first full length Trapped Under An Ohio Sky, Plots whose ep So Social you can download for free, and Stillborn Identity who also has an ep you can download for free called Less is More.
Thursday March 3rd at The Vault in Buffalo, Ny.  MC Homeless, Stillborn Identity, Frigid Giant splitting a set with Mic Mechannic of Narror Minded Youth, MilkSoda, and Zev spitting over a live improv band.

While waiting for his birthday show, Homeless anticipated his death around each corner eager not to join the 27 club, but lo and behold his 28th birthday was celebrated with great success in Youngstown, Oh Saturday March 5th thanks to some recent press he received in the local Youngstown paper among other things.

another tight show i'm posting about after the fact

Apostropheus and Jack Wilson were both back in the 'burgh for a bit and decided to get a show together. Shindiggaz and Stillborn Identity jumped on the bill to make the night complete.  Free local underground hip hop at Gooskis on a Saturday night, living the dream.

some fmx clips i poached a while back

no slide nose slide

Skating/gambling with Mark Ruby can be a pretty lucrative hobby.

it happened and you all missed it

Mega-Def
People in the Red Baloon
Terrordactyl
Stillborn Identity

Saturday Jan 1st in Kent @ Checkers and Trophies

I should have known the show was going to be a little suspect when this was the flier I got three days before the show via e-mail, and my name was spelled wrong.  MC Translation dropped off, luckily for him.  I don't even know how you make a flier in word!

Sunk in Ships was rad though, check their stuff out here.