Sugar Tongue Slim: Playing With Words.
Text by Chris Malo. Images by Michael Bucher.
Magicians make things disappear, then reappear. Working in the opposite fashion is Atlanta native and longtime Philadelphia MC, Sugar Tongue Slim. Slim makes spliff after spliff appear, then disappear. Every magician has a good assistant and Slim’s is producer and DJ, Bear One. Bear pulls the same trick but with beer after beer.
Working in reverse is something that is not completely unfamiliar to the MC. While most rappers see music as the end to the means, Slim views rapping as the means to an end. He identifies as a writer even with his roots in poetry and notoriety from rap. The goal isn’t platinum plaques, celebrity or even buckets of money. Well, maybe the money but only insofar as that it will provide the financial freedom to pursue what he holds closest to his heart – writing.
“I can write,” says Slim, exhaling equal parts of carbon dioxide and cannabis smoke. “That’s just what I do. Rapping ain’t nothing but just staying on the beat. At the end of the day you can take that away and I can write. A lot of the stuff I write, I write without the beat.”
Slim sits on a loveseat in Bear’s studio dressed in jeans, a Dub Ceaser T-shirt with an Eagles’ logo, an Eagles hat. Within his tattooed arms’ reach are his iPhone, Macbook, rolling papers, an ashtray and weed grinder. The cadence of his speech is slow, owing to the facts that he is from the South, he is high and he thinks about what he is going to say before he says it.
“The thing about writing with me is it is the one thing that nobody can ever take,” Slim says with conviction. “It’s my belief in writing that makes me good. It’s the belief that I am meant to be one of the greatest writers. I believe that shit. If I didn’t believe it, then I’d stop doing it and chase a check. My belief is that there is a reason why I feel this way and why people tell me this.”
Third Thursday Live and Local @ Race Street Pier, Featuring City Rain, Nicos Gun and More.
Images by Luong Huynh.
It was insanely hot by the time the second Third Thursday Live and Local event at the Race Street Pier began yesterday at 6 PM. Still, there was a good-sized crowd there and they experienced great performances by DJ Apt One, Pink Skull, Nicos Gun, the Worldtown Sound System and City Rain.
This Is Hardcore Fest Preview: Rock Bottom.
Over the next few weeks, JUMP will preview This is Hardcore 2013, which runs from August 8th-11th at the Electric Factory. TIH is the biggest, most anticipated, annual hardcore fest in the country. Gracing the stage this year will be Gwar, Kid Dynamite, Judge and Paint it Black, to name a few.
This week, our Bree Wood caught up with John Lowe, lead guitarist for Rock Bottom. Signed to Harvcore Records, they put on a great show. Frontman Dion’s energy is contagious and the intense guitar riffs are not to be missed. You can catch them in the opening slot Friday, August 9th, at 5 PM. Don’t be late! Hail Satan! Photo by Kate Bodnar.
You guys are one of the local bands on the fest this year. What area of Philly do you live?
We’re a little spread out. My wife and I live by the Italian Market. Jordan lives in Port Richmond. The other losers are up in Doylestown.
To catch everyone up, who is Rock Bottom?
Rock Bottom is Dion on vocals, Chris Evans on the bass, Jordan Berk and I on the guitars and Jon “Icebox” Martello on the drums.
We know you played in 2011. How is this year’s TIH going to be different for you?
Well, the big difference is we have our original singer, Dion, on the mic this time. In 2011, we had a different dude, Matt Karll. He sang on our record Your Demise. He left the band a few months after TIH and Dion came back to the fold. I’m real stoked for him because the first time we played was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had playing music. Plus it’s at the Electric Factory. I’m pretty sure Coal Chamber played there a month ago, so that rules.
What prank are you going to play on drummer Jon Martello this year? What is the best one so far?
The best one was probably last time we played, when we put up Martello’s number on a big sign at the Harvcore table. He got a shitload of calls and texts, most of which we’re along the lines of “FUCK YOU LOSER!” and whatnot. Our friend and local merch mogul John Bowes also got him pretty good. He sent out a tweet from Cold Cuts Merch that said, “Text this number in the next hour and get a free shirt!” I’m pretty sure his bobo phone ran out of batteries from vibrating too much. This year I think we’re going to save the pranks and just beat the shit out of him.
TeFF: In Riddim With Two Cultures.
Text by Aneesah Coley. Image by Sharon Calvin.
Travis Johnson, better known as TeFF, creates music that seamlessly blends reggae and hip-hop together in a genre he calls “regg-hop.” Raised in both Philadelphia and Jamaica, TeFF allows his music to showcase both of his dominant cultures.
“I think it’s the best of both worlds,” he says. “Philly’s got the best artists in the world, that’s what I say. And Jamaica is just the best place in the world to me.”
Zwaanendael: Harnessing Hard Times.
Text by Brian Wilensky. Images by Michael Bucher.
FDR Skatepark, underneath the overpass of I-95 in South Philly, isn’t just the stomping ground for a slew of punks and skateboarders. It’s the incubator of a scene, built on a cornerstone of do-it-yourself ethics. It’s one that fostered the rootsy punk band, Zwaanendael.
Text and images by Michael Bucher.
I’ll be honest, Creepoid is what brought me to Johnny Brenda’s on this cool, dreary Friday night in Fishtown. But Amanda X and Dreambook each brought their distinctive sound to entertain the mild hipster crowd. Read more…
Check out “Girl,” the new track from Lockets, the dream pop project from Dani Mari and Todd Mendelsohn.
The track is going to be on the 10 inch EP, Surrender, that the band will drop on August 15. You can pre-order the vinyl version here. The first single from the forthcoming EP was recently listed among “The Best Songs of 2013, So Far …” by the Huffington Post.
Lockets will perform at Johnny Brenda’s on Thursday with Philly’s own Worshyper and Sylvan Esso from North Carolina. See here for ticket info.
Text and image by Greta Iverson.
Seismic Thrust is more than just a sex joke or the last few words of a one-liner.
The band has seen rapid expansion in the last few years, going from playing basement shows and suburban churches to landing gigs at Philly venues like the Fire and World Café Live. where they’ll perform Monday with Astro and Jackie Paper (see here for ticket info).
Nearly every Monday evening, the North Star Bar hosts free, acoustic performances by local acts in their second floor Victorian Dining Room. It’s a small, intimate space that has evoked some wonderful performances. See here for upcoming events. Our writer Jumah Chaguan and photographer G.W. Miller III attended this week’s portion of the series.
In the hot and humid second floor at North Star, the White Cheddar Boys got at it with the banjo and guitar.
Russ McNasty, a member of this Appalachian-style duo, put his guitar above his head and played it like a rock star. The crowd laughed and applauded and stomped along with the country rhythm.
There is so much to love about Japanther. They are loud and fast and full of witty social commentary. And they’ll play anywhere – basement parties, Williamsburg Bridge, Goldilocks Gallery, wherever.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 