Shake n Bake: Donuts w/P.O.S. and John Grider

Halloween Bash w/ Plain Ole Bill, Last Word & B-Rock

Tomorrow niiiiiiiight at Honey.  RSVP ch'ere!

After last years successful Halloween Bash, Plain Ole Bill & Last Word have decided to do it again. This year we invited our good friend DJ B-Rock to join the party and grabbed our girl La Manchita to come and hold down hosting duties. Surprises all night long. Get down to Honey early for FREE Punch from 9-10 PM. We'll be dropping all the classic jams through out the night. BAMMER!

Lineup:
Plain Ole Bill
Last Word
B-Rock
Hosted by:
La Manchita

21 Plus
7 Bucks
8:30 PM - 2 AM
FREE punch from 9-10 PM

Kid Koala and Plain Ole Bill - Cedar Cultural Center 1/30

Turntablism isn't dead! Kid Koala, your mother's favorite DJ, has been pushing the limits of the turntable as an instrument for many years now. He will be getting funky on two Techs at the Cedar Cultural Center on January 30th. Our very own turntablist, Plain Ole Bill, will also be featured. I'm still unsure whether Bill will be collaborating with Kid Koala or if he'll have his own opening set. I'll keep you posted if I hear anything. Don't miss this. If Minneapolis can't pack the Cedar for Kid Koala (tix here), then Technics might as well stop making the 1200... oh, wait. DAMN!

Get Cryphy and the return of Plain Ole Bill TONIGHT!!!

In case you didn't know, "THEY GO IN!"...

"Do you have any plans for the weekend?"

Ugh.  If you work in corporate America, you hear this every Friday and you dread the inevitable exchange.  Hopefully if you're reading this blog you have many interests that you pursue and participate in over the weekend.  You always have something sweet to look forward to.  Sadly, most co-workers' things worth mentioning about their weekend are watching TV, a movie, or going out to dinner.  I sure hope I never have such a lame answer.  If you're worried that you may have such an answer, fear not!  This is what you're doing...

You're getting buck with some of the best DJ's in Minnehappiness.  The only rule... there are no rules.  They'll be playing anything and everything so long as gets bodies moving, frothing, writhing, hooting, hollering, exposing, drinking, jumping, banging and flailing with a side of dancing.  Unfortunately, co-founder Plain Ole Bill is repping Minneap hard along with P.O.S on the "Never Better" tour.  Fear not because Jimmy 2 Times, Mike the 2600 King and Fundamentalist are all party scientists that know exactly how to turn oxygen, water molecules, weed smoke and spilt beer into a nucking futs atmosphere.  Be there or live an unfulfilled life!

It might go a little something like...

Jimmy2Times & Plain Ole Bill, "Drop (Dress You Up Remix)"

with a splash of...

Jimmy2Times, "Nasty New Booty"

and a healthy dose of  "FUCK YEAH!"s

P.O.S | Never Better

"Sorry it took so long," Steph says as the album opens up.  I've been looking forward to this, but contrary to Steph's assumption I haven't been waiting.  Not because I'm not a fan and don't dissect everything he does, but because his sophomore album was so thick and freakin' good that I listened to it in its entirety just a few weeks ago because I was in the mood.

On my way to Fifth Element I happened to catch P.O.S live on The Current with resident Rhymesayers DJ and all-around good guy, Plain Ole Bill.  It was a great interview and excellent performances by both Steph and Bill providing just the right amount of Plain sauce.  During the interview Steph made it clear that there isn't anywhere in the country as "cool" (no pun) as Minneapolis.  He's been everywhere and states that there's nothing like Minnehappiness: it's not too big where he's bombarded with advertisements when he goes downtown, and it's not so small that there's nothing to do (highly paraphrased).  As for the winter, he welcomes it because it forces him to be productive.  Definitely check P.O.S and Bill as they storm the country bringing the perfect fusion of hip-hop, spoken word and rock on their Never Better Tour.

The Album

It's really good.  For perspective, I think Audition is amazing and I knew it after my first listen.

The sound is still distinctly what you've come to expect from P.O.S and the rest of the Doomtree crew.  This time around, they've stretched even further towards a rock sensibility.  There's a little more guitar and a few songs seem to have almost a classic rock frame to them.  For instance, "Low Light Low Life" production feels too polished for the album, for P.O.S, and definitely for Sims and Dessa.  Don't get me wrong, both Sims and Dessa can rock a mic and are poets in their own rights.  But their verses seem out of place and almost put to shame by the polished  beat by Paper Tiger.  This is all unusual especially because this doesn't seem like a beat Paper Tiger would make.  I'm all about artists experimenting, but I think this million-dollar-beat attempt doesn't quite work.  To top it all off, the semi-singing of the hook just makes this track more... usual.  "Goodbye" also falls into a similar disappointment.  I actually love the lyrics and message of "Goodbye" but the production would be better suited for a Top-40 song.  I really hate to say that because it pained me to see that "Goodbye" was produced by Lazerbeak (Legend recognize Legend).  Until this track, I've loved everything he's done and, in fact, worshipped some (most notably, "Stand Up").

Enough bashing two songs.  That's two songs out of 15 (16 if you count the "hidden" track at the end) that aren't refreshingly genuine and well crafted.  Despite my ribbing of the production on the aforementioned tracks, the rest of the songs are awesome.  In fact, the drums are so heavy, spacious, and detailed on most of the tracks ("Drumroll", "Get Smokes"...) that I was sure I was going to see credit to Steph's punk band Building Better Bombs.  Nope, perhaps Lazerbeak, Paper Tiger et al sampled a live drum kit to make the beats.  Nevertheless, production on most everything feels very organic with stabs of drums, synths, horns and whatever in just the right spots to keep you guessing and making every listen a new experience.

The production would be nothing without an amazing wordsmith with a flow that can heat up a Minnesnowta winter.  Steph's flow is at home riding eighth-note high-hats or lingering over heavy kicks.  More often it's spat a mile-a-minute with thoughts intricately woven and layered so thick that it takes multiple listens to truly appreciate his writing ability.  And once you take-in everything he's conveying you appreciate his flow even more for his uncanny ability to fit it all in 16 bars.  Steph has also grown as a songwriter most evidence in "Been Afraid" where he paints a story of two abused children, turned lovers.  It's disgusting and beautiful at the same time, made all the more potent by his ability to build two complex characters so quickly.

There are a lot of amazing quotables from the album that I'd like to call out, but I'm done writing.  I'm on to listening to the album again, as you should.

Pic for next single (next on the airwaves): "Optimist"

Brilliant track: "Purexed", "Been Afraid"

Deeply introspective track: "Out of Category"

*** I will not post any tracks.  If you want to listen, head to Fifth Element, peep his Myspace... nah, just buy it because you need this.