The Astronauts: Soaring in Southwest Philadelphia.
Text by Kiara McKnight. Images by G.W. Miller III.
The tan colored house on 66th street looks like every other rowhome on this quiet Southwest Philadelphia block. Then the front door swings open and out walks Steve “Pace-O Beats” Ferguson, clad in a red Sheridan Generals sweatshirt, black skinny jeans and red Vans to match.
He sits on the steps outside, embracing the warm spring day while waiting for his partner, Lamont “Mont” Brown. After 20 minutes, Mont arrives, fresh from work in his dark blue U.S. Airways uniform, and they make their way to the room where all of The Astronauts’ songs are born.
Mont Brown and Pace-O Beats came together in 2009 to form The Astronauts, a rapper/producer combination that creates danceable music but also encourages their fans to be themselves no matter what other people say.
“If you stay true to what you do and stay focused, anything can happen,” Mont says. “That’s why we’re The Astronauts. Because anything you want to do in life, you can do it. Look at Guy Bluford.”
The duo’s moniker pays homage to Guion “Guy” Bluford, the first black astronaut to enter into space in 1983.
Bluford, a West Philadelphia native, attended Overbrook High School. He was told by a guidance counselor that he was not college material and should take up a trade instead. Unlike many African-American men who were given the same advice at the time, Bluford ignored it and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering at Penn State University, a Ph.D in Aerospace Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and a masters degree in business administration from the University of Houston-Clear Lake.
“The Astronauts is a metaphor meaning you can do whatever you want,” says Pace-O. “Because who would’ve thought the first black astronaut would be from West Philly?”
Pace-O sits down at a marble-top dinner table, in his makeshift recording studio – a Macbook Pro covered in skateboard stickers, and to a 26-inch monitor with speakers stacked up on each side. He plays a beat he came up with the night before.
As the bass kicks in, Mont energetically bobs his head up and down, an intense look upon his face. Suddenly, he begins to freestyle a verse, going off of the pure emotion of the beat. His verse flows out effortlessly like a rap veteran who has been doing it for years. And in a way he has.
Mont has always had a passion for music and a love for hip-hop culture. When he was 11, an older cousin showed him how to write rhymes, stoking the flames of his interest in music. But he credits seeing Mase for making him really want to pursue music on another level.
“I was like, ‘I really want to do what he do,’” says Mont, now a 25-year old MC. “And that’s how I really started doing that shit.”
Pace-O Beats’ background in music goes a little deeper. He got his first taste of music in the first grade when his parents enrolled him in piano lessons. Everyone on his father’s side of the family knew how to play an instrument. But it wasn’t easy for him to tell his friends he had to practice the piano.
“I didn’t even think it was cool,” the 25-year old producer explains. “From first to eighth grade, I didn’t even tell people about it. I wanted to play football. So I would go do that, and then go take piano lessons. People used to clown me about it.”
That all changed, however, during the summer of eighth grade when he heard N.E.R.D.’s “Rock Star.”
“I always was into other stuff,” he says. “I guess you could say I was on some weirdo stuff. So when I seen Pharrell I was like, ‘Yo, this is my dude right here. I want to be just like this dude, yo.’ And that’s what really inspired me to make beats.”
The Astronauts have worked with numerous Philly artists like Meek Mill, Gillie da Kid, Chic Raw and Freeway. They’ve also worked with Lil Chuckee from Young Money and the Diplomats’ Hell Rell. But they’re interested in collaborating with artists beyond hip- hop as well.
“It’s a difference between a rap song and a record,” says Mont, whom DJ Diamond Kuts hailed as the “Wale of Philly.” “I want to make records!”
The Astronauts have already begun working on a collaborative project with the local indie pop/punk band Members Only.
“Pace-O and Mont are two of the coolest and smartest guys we have met in the business,” Members Only drummer Gabe Rosen says excitedly. “They have really shown us a lot of love. The fact that they are so excited about working with young kids like us is inspiring. And fucking awesome!”
The Astronauts created much of the music in the documentary, Tailor Made: The Bucky Davis Story, which drops on June 19. Directed by Damony Giles, it chronicles the life of Mont’s father. Davis was a promising young boxer who put his career on hold when he joined Philadelphia’s ultra-violent crime cartel, the Junior Black Mafia, thinking it would provide a better life for his family. Davis was murdered on Mother’s Day in 1990.
“That goes to show I’m not about that life,” Mont states defiantly. “It was so negative what he was doing but he had a good reason for doing it. He wanted the best for his family. I just take the hustle that he was doing and put it into my music.”
As the beat begins to fade out, Pace-O already has a hook formulating in his head and beings to record himself singing the hook.
Once he finishes he looks up at me and says, “And that’s pretty much how we do it.”
A year ago, The Astronauts were patiently waiting for their big break. They keep dropping new music and reaching new audiences. This spring, they performed with Theodore Grams and Chill Moody, and that touring bill will likely continue.
The Astronauts have always seen success in their future, despite what anyone else has thought about them, and they plan to keep that optimistic mentality throughout their career.
“You just gotta put your faith in God and just go,” says Mont. “That’s all we doing.”
Restorations: Grown Up Punks Gaining Buzz.
Text by Beth Ann Downey. Image by G.W. Miller III.
Jon Loudon doesn’t really know what kind of day it’s going to be.
He sits outside of the Rocket Cat Café in Fishtown, eating a tomato, avocado and veggie cream cheese sandwich, which he had to wait way too long for. But there was little else within walking distance of Miner Street Studios, where Loudon’s Philly-based indie rock band Restorations is in the process of recording a new 7-inch album, titled A/B.
Slow food is a small price to pay to record in one of the most well-known studios in the city. Loudon and the other band members are quick to mention how much they’ve enjoyed it, and that Sufjan Stevens had just been there just a few days before.
“This will be the fun day,” Loudon suggests, noting that the more laborious task of tracking drums and many of the lead guitar parts had been done the day before.
Today is devoted mostly to vocals. In fact, Loudon just finished a 30-minute vocal warm-up. He had never prepared for recording like that before.
After the sandwich, he’ll be ready.
Loudon has a right to be optimistic about a lot of things these days. What started as a “casual band” for him and his Restorations bandmates – guitarist Dave Klyman, guitarist/keyboardist Ben Pierce, bassist Dan Zimmerman and drummer Carlin Brown – has turned into something a little more serious, thanks to the warm reception of their debut self-titled LP, which was released last year. The metal-tinged, 90s-bred indie rock that the album put forth blended elements of shoegaze and Americana, and was dubbed as music for grown up punks.
A buzzed-about performance at Fest 10 in Gainesville, Florida last October didn’t hurt either. Among other accolades, Restorations was given the title of “Best Debut” at the hardcore festival by Alternative Press Magazine. Klyman likened the press reaction to the after that show to the jerk movement of the zombies in the “Thriller” video.
Buzz is a welcomed noise for this collection of long-time musicians, all of whom were in other serious bands before or still have other projects. Restorations was started by Loudon and Klyman as an escape from their former post-hardcore band, Jena Berlin, after recording and touring a lot but cashing in very little.
“This band really let us dial down, just chill out for a bit and really enjoy what we were doing for a while,” Loudon says. “Not having any real expectations on it really helped us write. It changed everything, our whole approach. It’s a much happier environment for sure, hence the name of the project.”
But even with the 7-inch release, a forthcoming sophomore LP, a newly-minted fan base, label involvement and opportunities to tour that could be taken if the band were to go full-time, Loudon says that things are even easier now.
“We got really good at just sort of learning how to make music without having to worry about any level of success or support or anything,” Loudon says with a laugh. “It’s just been so long with us, you know, playing small shows and doing it ourselves. So now it’s a bit of a surprise that it’s connected. But there’s always pressure, especially when, you know, people are sort of paying attention.”
A barefooted Jon Low gives Loudon tips while he tracks vocals. Low, who has worked with Dr. Dog, Kurt Vile and Sharon Van Etten and is known for his involvement with the XPN/Miner Street recording project Shaking Through, is producing the Restorations 7-inch. Having also mixed their LP, his excitement to be working with their material again is palpable.
“It’s nice because this is the kind of music I grew up listening to,” Low says. “I don’t get to work on loud music that much. So it’s kind of refreshing. It’s very refreshing.”
Low wants Loudon to fake strum his guitar in the live room so that he can get his timing down. Loudon requests a capo, a clamp that goes on the fretboard and makes the guitar pitch higher.
“Excuse me, I’m Jon Loudon and I need a capo to play air guitar,” jokes Pierce from behind the deck.
They do whatever Loudon needs to get that third-generation Billy Joel sound (the second-generation being Gaslight Anthem’s Brian Fallon, whom Loudon admits he sounds like). It’s a tone almost unexpected from Loudon, who talks in a somewhat high-pitched, rushed manner, but projects a low, raspy singing voice when performing scream-o vocals.
“Hey kid, in time they’ll forget you, just do what you’ve gotta do,” croons Loudon on the album’s track “A” as Low continues offering instructions.
“Singing to sound good is not something I’ve really ever done, at least since I’ve been playing in bands,” Loudon says. “I keep finding new things I should pay attention to.”
Being a decent songwriter , and having talent in general, isn’t something Loudon owns up to easily. He writes lyrics as “hodgepodges of little scenes,” blaming not being a good enough writer on an inability to piece together overarching themes. But while writing about “the boring stuff,” Loudon admits he does take writing very seriously. He said track “A” is about the feeling that age doesn’t matter, and that things don’t always matter as much as you think they do.
“But ‘B’ is about waiting for the trolley,” Loudon says. “There’s not much to it. Writing is very cathartic for me because it’s like being able to talk about and describe things that you don’t get to talk about much in conversation.”
It’s more than just Loudon, however. He credits the success of the band to their collaborative song writing. With everyone sharing ideas and keeping their egos in check, it’s kept them from getting in ruts.
This creative approach is evident in the studio as the pace lags a little bit while the band hashes out guitar parts and harmonies for back-up vocals. This has led Loudon to change his opinion, deeming yesterday as the “fun day.”
Even though the mood is more tense, it’s still noticeable that the songs on this 7-inch are turning out slightly more pop-sensible – maybe even happier – than the older material from the Restorations catalogue. Was knowing that the band has a few things to be happy about rubbing off in the music?
The notion is brushed off.
“I assure you,” Loudon says, “the other songs on the record that’s coming out will be just as mopey as the last ones.”
Sib Cybulski: Captain Of The Boat.
Ryan Temple talks to Ryan ‘Sib’ Cybulski about his new project, Rowboat Casino. The former frontman for the live hip-hop rock band Spanish Blue, Sib takes his new jawn into a more underground and roots direction. Image by Silvertower Photography.
Rowboat Casino is an unusual name for a hip-hop project. What’s the meaning behind it?
You mean besides it conveniently sharing the same initials as my birth name? On the surface, you have a Rowboat which is a vessel completely capable of being operated by one person, but with room for passengers who are always at the mercy of the man with the paddles. Coming from such a large band (Spanish Blue), where each and every decision had to be accepted by 4 or 5 other band mates, I always longed for that sole responsibility. Either I get you safely up or downstream to your destination, or I take you over the falls and we both drown. There’s no one to blame or praise for any failures or successes except the captain of the boat. On the other hand, the Casino represents not necessarily the risk involved in venturing out on your own, but the potential that lies within that decision. Win, lose, or break even, sometimes the odds are in your favor, sometimes they’re not. Sometimes luck is on your side, and sometimes it’s not. There are deeper meanings as well, some very apocalyptic in nature, where the name represents a kind of Noah’s Ark, preserving the species and culture for a rebirth after the next Great Flood. It is impending by the way. Hahaha. But you’re gonna have to listen to the music if you wanna get with me on those levels.
Tell me about your home studio. What are you using?
An empty bedroom, a used Mac tower, LogicPro, an interface and mic salvaged from the Spanish Blue fire sale, and a bunch of old comforters draped from the ceiling to act as a vocal box. At this point it’s raw with a bunch of potential and some great ideas that need to be implemented, and I like it that way for now. It kind of mirrors the whole concept of Rowboat Casino. It will evolve with the project…. I hope.
Spanish Blue was a full band endeavor -how has working almost exclusively with various local artists and producers affected your writing style?
It hasn’t affected it much at all. Either I write in waves or sudden bursts of inspiration, always have. I can go weeks at a time without opening my notebook once, then fill a third of it in just a couple of days. Most of the verses I wrote for Spanish Blue were actually first written over hip-hop instrumentals, like the Alchemist or the Snowgoons. I would basically use our jam sessions at rehearsal to come up with the concept and hook, and maybe experiment with the cadence a bit, but most of the writing was, and still is, done in the wee hours of the night with some headphones, a jar of kush, and case of beer – and then just applied to whatever suits it best.
Who are some of the Philly artists that you’ve yet to work with but would like to?
Well, I’ve recently had the honor of linking up with the legendary DJ Too Tuff from Philly’s own Tuff Crew through my long time friend, and fellow hip hop artist, Bad News Bars. To me that’s crazy considering we use to play his Philly anthem ‘My Part of Town’ when we were like 11-12 years old until the cassette would break. It was literally one of the classics that made me fall in love with the whole culture of hip hop. Then Spanish Blue covered the song at live shows and it became a fan favorite. And now, Too Tuff will be on the 1s and 2s for my next Rowboat show. Life has a inspiring way of coming full circle. As for artists I would love to work with now, I’d have to say anyone from the entire Army of the Pharaohs camp. I’m not sure if my style is hardcore enough for the likes of Vinny Paz (JMT) and Reef the Lost Cauze, but those are the artists that I listen to the most, and who inspire me to make in your face music that comes right from the heart, while preserving the purity of what has become a diluted movement and culture. I want to make the kind of music I heard growing up in the 90s, just with new flavor. And that’s exactly what those local artists (AOTP) have always done, so it would be a blessing and honor to link with the likes of them in the future.
Last time RC played the Grape, I brought my old Spanish Blue band mate, Dave Schimpf, and members from his new project Burnswitch to back me and the result was an overwhelming success. This time, on June 16, I’ve got DJ Too Tuff, with Puffy and Dar from Da Rezarekt holding down the drums and bass, and the results will be equally maddening.
Rowboat Casino will play The Grape Room on June 16 with A Cool Stick, Crackers Rogers Gang and Mike Weyrauch. See here for details.
El Malito: The Puerto Rican, Party-Rapping Platypus.
Text by Maddy Court. Images by G.W. Miller III.
South Philly-based hip-hop artist El Malito isn’t afraid that people will hate his music. He’s afraid they might not pay attention – as hard as that may be, given his proclivity to strip down to his briefs during live shows.
“I did a show in Manayunk and there were some dudes sitting at the bar,” he recalls. “As I was doing the monologue and stripping, they were all, ‘No, no, don’t do it.’ Those cats, they couldn’t freakin’ handle it.”
A
t least those cats in Manayunk were hating. A lot of El Malito’s surprisingly cerebral songs deal with just the opposite – people trying to pigeonhole him or failing that, dismiss him. Maybe that’s why he’s obsessed with the possibilities of space, which he claims to travel around in a time machine powered by fruit.
“When I’m here on earth, I have all the same trappings of everybody here,” Malito says. “But when I get away, I take a ride past 18.15.23-0901 or all these other places in outer space. I’ll go through a wormhole in my time machine and just get away from it all. But when I’m here, it’s just like, ‘I’m a platypus because people look at me weird.’”
El Malito, who’s 37 and goes by Les Rivera off-stage, has a CV that includes such job titles as hip-hop dancer, filmmaker, diver, performance artist and gymnast. On the verge of the release of his first album, he’s grappling with how to present himself and his music in one palatable package. He’s not sure it’s possible.
“My thing is the platypus because I’m made up of all these things that don’t necessarily make sense,” he says. “It can throw people off a little bit, but whatever. That’s on them.”
El Malito was born in Puerto Rico. He relocated to West Chester with his family when he was 10. As a high school student, he dreamed of becoming a doctor and was accepted to the University of Pennsylvania. The high tuition caused him to instead enroll at La Salle University. He joined the Rennie Harris Puremovement dance company when he was a freshman. Soon he left school altogether to tour with Puremovement full-time.
He always meant to finish college, he says, but dancing professionally and traveling the world for more than a decade was an education in itself. El Malito saw his dance company experience enormous success in Europe, only to be greeted by crickets in their hometown.
“It’s really, really, really tough here for a musician or any kind of artist,” Malito says. “But if you persevere and get out of Philly, you will rule anywhere you go. You will have the thickest rhino skin ever.”
El Malito and his bandmates – named the 33rd Century after the futuristic ideal where Malito finds inspiration, have slowly built a loyal following in the area. With Ruthie Meadows on guitar, Jebney Lewis on bass, Melinda Gervasio on drums and El Malito rapping in Spanish and English, the group gets crowds dancing.
Their zany live performances involve original video projections and two dancing alien sidekicks named Luke I Am and Your Father. The aliens are El Malito’s shameless, commercial alter egos. The duo performs a song called “Girl Hike Your Skirt Up,” full of racy lyrics that El Malito tries to avoid.
He occasionally performs in a yellow tracksuit as a nod to Bruce Lee’s The Game of Death. He sometimes dresses like George Washington, complete with a powdered wig, as he did at his birthday show in March at Milkboy.
“We still haven’t categorized what we do,” Malito says. “But we’ll figure that out.”
El Malito may not know how to pigeonhole himself or his music but he does know that he has something to say, and that the music is fun.
The 33rd century, apparently, is a giant party and El Malito is inviting you to come.
Cold Fronts: Back to Basics.
Text by Caroline Newton. Images by Rick Kauffman.
Craig Almquist is 20 minutes late. When he finally arrives, he frantically jumps out of his car and offers to buy drinks or snacks as an apology for his tardiness.
He’s the vocalist for Cold Fronts, an old-school rock band that makes infectious, danceable songs. He’s a recent college grad but his future, he says, is in making music, not sitting at an office desk.
“I feel a little crazy,” he admits. “I feel like to make it in the music industry is like playing the lottery. But I have every intention of making Cold Fronts a career.”
All the members – Almquist, guitarist Shaky Jake, Jake’s brother Dylan Hammill on bass and drummer Alex Smith – grew up in South Central Pennsylvania. Shaky Jake and Almquist were rivals in high school.
“I went to a battle of the bands show, watched Craig win and thought I could certainly do better,” Shaky Jake says. “I started a band with my brother and we beat Craig the following year.”
The pair tried collaborating on projects and tried to be friends but it didn’t work out. They even dated the same girls for a while, which made things worse.
“We were actually kind of like enemies at one point,” Almquist says.
Almquist and Shaky Jake both found themselves living in New York at the same time, their lives drifting together by their common love for music. The two met up and began writing songs, realizing they now work well together. They picked up Smith and Hammill in 2011 and have been recording and performing ever since.
“We always call it ‘four-car garage rock’,” Almquist says with a laugh, describing their sound. “Or ‘riff rock’ because of the guitar riffs in it.”
Cold Fronts doesn’t use loops and they don’t stand in front of Macbooks while performing.
“It’s so easy to take a laptop on stage and play to a track,” says Shaky Jake. “I support electronic artists who create new sounds and push the boundaries of music but I can’t agree with a rock band using electronics to supply a bigger sound or fill in drum loops. It’s all possible with live musicians if you take the time to work out all the parts.”
Cold Fronts have an early 2000s Strokes-like sound, which is rooted in 70s New York punk.
“I’d love to see more bands get back to the basics of what made rock and roll so appealing to begin with,” Shaky Jake continues. “It was more about attitude and less about popularity. Fuck ’em.”
Rowdy kids from all over Philly have come to see Cold Fronts play at various venues and in their own garage, The Rathaus in West Philly. Last year, if you asked Almquist what are his favorite kinds of shows to play, he would’ve said basement shows. But after chipping a tooth, getting shocked and having gear stolen, basements have lost their appeal.
Plus, Cold Fronts spent the winter touring with mewithoutYou in larger, cleaner venues. For the first time, the one-year old band experienced life on the road, performing and selling CD’s to people they’ve never met.
“We checked into a hotel (in Kalamazoo, Michigan),” Almquist recalls. “The guy pretty much just said ‘I don’t care what you guys do. You guys can get drunk. You guys can get stoned. Just please don’t cook meth.’ It was the first time I’d been accused of potentially cooking meth! And he’s like, ‘Seriously, this place will burn down.’”
They played at SXSW and recorded in The Stroke’s old studio. Then they came home to Philly.
“I love Philadelphia, but sometimes I hate Philadelphia,” Almquist says. “I feel like if I lived somewhere in New York, I would just love it and I would have no inspiration.”
Chill Moody Is Ready To Take On The World.
Text by Sofiya Ballin. Image inside Sigma Sound by Colin Kerrigan.
Despite releasing the third album in his Valentine’s Day series, dropping a 15-track mixtape in April and preparing to take the stage at his biggest show ever, Chill Moody continues to stay true to his moniker.
“I’m chillin’,” he says. “I’m continuing on with the plan I set for myself. The plan was to make Chill Moody a household name. Now, I want people to know me internationally.”
In October, he’s planning to perform in Germany. In June, though, Moody is sharing marquee space with The Roots, Rakim, De La Soul and others on the 5th annual Roots Picnic lineup.
“It’s inspiring,” he says. “It’s a testament to how hard I’ve actually been working. After the Picnic, I plan to take the show on the road, to a lot of different fans I haven’t had the chance to meet yet.”
The West Philly native, however, will always stay true to his roots, he says. Last year, after a vicious 4-minute freestyle on the Cosmic Kev “Come Up Show,” Moody ended with the incendiary statement: “If I ain’t on that freshmen cover next year, freshmen take cover.”
He was referring to XXL magazine’s annual cover featuring the rising stars of hip-hop.
“The people who are on there represent different parts of hip-hop, different regions in the country,” Moody explains. “There really wasn’t anyone from Philly. It wasn’t really me saying I deserve that cover.”
He wants Philly represented. In response, he named his most recent mixtape, which dropped in April, Freshmen, Take Cover.
He hopes to release his first album under a label, and headline his own tour. The Roots Picnic, he says, is only the beginning.
“I don’t go out and say I deserve anything,” he says. “I go out and show you I deserve it.”
Kevin Stairiker speaks with Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, who founded The Roots in 1987 with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Images by G.W. Miller III.
So The Roots Picnic this year is gonna be the first time the festival is two days. Is it making its natural evolution into a full-weekend festival?
Ever since we started doing it, there’s been a larger audience and it’s only logical for it to be spread over two days this year. And very possibly in the near future it could grow into a full weekend event with more stages and we’ll be able to implement a wider variety of artists.
How much of a hand do you have in picking the artists for the Picnic?
The artists that play The Roots Picnic are hand-selected by Questlove, myself, our management, Richard Nichols, Sean G. from Sports and Financial Group, and that’s how we put it together. It’s based on artists we desire to see and work with, and artists we’re fans of, things like that.
When you’re seeking out an “old school” act to bring up, like De La and Rakim this year, are you thinking about what names will bring people there or is it all purely personal preference? Like, to pull a random name out of the air, could you see someone like Kool Moe Dee in that spot?
The reason you see Rakim and De La and everyone you see in that spot at The Roots Picnic – like Public Enemy, Wu Tang, Nas – those are the people that are either our peers, that we’re major fans of, or people that came a generation before The Roots and were super, super influential as far as what it is we do.
As far as Kool Moe Dee? Kool Moe Dee is dope and I have an uber appreciation for Kool Moe Dee as one of the first freestyle/battle artists and just as gritty and intelligent as he was coming off the top. But no, I don’t think we’d put Kool Moe Dee on the bill. I don’t think he’d be as well received by the audience at the Picnic as some of the artists we’ve had at that spot before.
Do you see the Picnic growing out of the Festival Pier, like maybe encompassing a bigger area or maybe moving to another area in Philly?
I don’t know cause like, where else could we have it? I think at one point, we had considered having it at Fairmount Park, like around the Plateau or a more open, grassy traditional picnic area. But yeah, if it turns into something like a Friday-Saturday-Sunday thing, then it could very possibly be something that gets moved out to the park. But that’s the only other place I can see it happening in Philadelphia. I wouldn’t wanna do the Roots Picnic on the Parkway AND the Fourth of July at the Parkway, you know?
Truth. Switching gears to Undun, who was the first to come forth with the general outline of the album? Was it sort of a group thing or did someone come in and say “Hey! I got this idea for a concept album about death told in reverse!”
Sonically, it was a group thing. I’d written lyrics before I knew they were going to be on Undun that became the foundation of all my lyrics on Undun. But the actual concept for Undun was the brainchild of our manager. He came up with the whole idea of basing it around one protagonist character – “Redford.”
It seems like a real “for the fans” type of album as opposed to one reaching for people who have just been introduced to The Roots through Late Night. Would you agree with that?
Absolutely. Our concern with doing this Late Night gig and taking on all the other stuff that we’ve taken on in the past two or three years is that people that have been supporting The Roots forever don’t feel as if we’ve abandoned them, you know what I’m saying? But we definitely take that into consideration.
In a way, is it like there are two different Roots operating?
Man, there are so many more than two Roots operating! There’s like 10 different Roots operating.
I was talking to Patty Crash a couple months ago and she was talking pretty vividly about how she had been invited on your tour bus and freestyled a bit and suddenly she was singing “The Day” on How I Got Over. Do you think that you guys are more willing to put on younger or more unknown artists because of how you were treated at the beginning of your careers?
You know, I don’t know what it is but I just don’t front. If it’s something that I can’t front on, then I won’t front. So if there’s any artist that I come into contact with or interact with on the road, if they prove themselves as a credible musician or a worthy writer or a dope lyricist or singer, I’m gonna try to figure out a way to implement what it is they do and fuse it with what it is we do so that we can both become better from the collaboration. That’s what happened in Patty’s case. I just invited her on the bus to spit, thinking that it wouldn’t go any further than that. But she was dope and she wanted to go on for hours and she and I exchanged verses on the bus and that’s what sparked an interest in hearing what else she had to offer.
Do you think there is a connection between when you started and now?
I think the connection is that The Roots haven’t changed, you know? We’re the same. We have the same ideals and fundamentals that we had starting out. Had it not been for A.J. Shine and Richard Nichols and King Britt and the countless people who let us come rock on their radio shows and play at those small Philadelphia venues, then there would be no Roots. Sometimes I’m in a position to put someone on. Sometimes I’m not. But if I am and someone’s worthy, then I’m not gonna not put them on, you know? Someone had a belief in The Roots and if you can convince me or if you’re dope enough to make me believe in you, then I’m gonna try and rock with you.
One last thing. It seems that The Roots came up at the same time as some of the acts that you play with at the Picnic. Do you see yourself more as an elder statesmen or someone that’s still pushing the boundaries?
I feel like we’re both. I think we’re elder statesmen simply based on a time perspective, you know? The Roots, we’re a black band. Like, a band of African-American men who play live instruments and rap and sing, and we’ve been around since 1987. We’re elder statesmen whether we want to be or not. The challenge is to continue to push the envelope with the records that we put out. And if we reach a point where we’re not pushing the envelope, then maybe we won’t put out any more records. Right now, we still have a lot of stuff to put out because the envelope has to be pushed.
I mean, I remember when I was introduced to The Roots through Phrenology and I was pretty astounded that the first album, Organix, came out in ‘92.
I don’t know how much of a feat that is, but there aren’t many people from our graduating class who are still working on that level or higher.
It’s a pretty select group. You’ve got Nas, Common…
Yeah, Nas, Com, Wu Tang, Mobb Deep, Redman and a bunch of other guys who just didn‘t last as long, for whatever reason. But that’s who we’re trying to do this for. We represent all of these dudes. It’s a blessing to be here and making music and not feeling like we’re compromising our integrity. I feel like I don’t say anything that I don’t stand for, you know what I’m saying? I don’t feel like I have to tone down my lyrics, ever, you know? And I don’t know if it’s that people don’t hear what I’m saying or something but my lyrics really haven’t changed from the jump. It’s a little bit political. It’s a little bit street. It’s a little bit advisory. And it’s always been that way. It’s just a blessing to still be able to do what we love to do and get paid to do it.
Kevin Stairiker points out four reasons you should go to The Roots Picnic this weekend.
At 31-years old, Danny Brown (above) finally arrived in the form of a free album that still has people totally baffled a year later. Proclaimed as Spin’s best hip-hop album of 2011, XXX is the type of bizarre masterpiece that hip-hop fans clamor for. Early in the album, Brown declares that he makes “anti-clean rap,” so rest assured that his stage act is not for the faint of heart. Even though Brown isn’t one of the main headliners at the picnic, his name will be on everyone’s tongue by the end of the weekend.
Nearly a year after the release of her third album, Strange Mercy, Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent, is riding on the crest of a wave of ever-growing success. Clark‘s music career began in earnest after playing with the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens, gaining live experience while working on her own music as well. She released her debut Marry Me in 2007. Long since removed from the sensitivity of Marry Me, Strange Mercy is the sound of a glorious collapse, the kind that promises a performance even more intense than the recordings themselves hold. (Photo by Kirsten Stamn)
Whether or not you were there from the outset of the D.A.I.S.Y. age, you should know that De La Soul are a vital ingredient in the recipe of hip-hop history. Filling the vital “old-school” spot in this year’s Picnic, De La Soul are an interesting choice because they never really fell off. While some albums received more critical acclaim than others, the past 25 years have more or less been something of an award tour for the ever-loveable and highly-respected trio of Posdnous, Maceo and Dave. Classics like “A Roller Skating Jam Named ‘Saturdays’” (above) will have attendees dancing with abandon.
At this point, it seems like everybody wants Diplo. While he’s fresh off of an unexpected hit with Usher, Diplo long ago hit his stride and has been reaping the benefits. He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi but Philadelphia welcomed him with open arms and has since claimed him as our own. A slow and steady climb up the rickety ladder of popularity led him to producing/co-writing M.I.A.’s breakthrough “Paper Planes,” which became his breakthrough as well. Diplo has been jet-setting the world in search of new types of music and new artists to work with to expand his musical palette. After all that, Diplo still shows mad love for his adopted home.
Text by Cary Carr. Images by Marie Alyse Rodriguez.
Oliver “Twist” Feighan runs across Walnut Street unconcerned with the traffic lights and oblivious to the cars that just miss him. He takes off his hat right before the wind steals it from his shaggy, brown hair. With his hands up in the air, he seems so carefree. He is young and he feels invincible.
He directs his big brown eyes at his partner, DeQuincy “Moosh” Coleman-McRae, who stands patiently on the sidewalk, waiting for the right time to make a move. Reserved and modest, Moosh keeps a steady pace, aware yet undaunted by the bustle of the city. A gray beanie resting atop his head, Moosh laughs in harmony with Twist before meeting him on the other side of the street.
The duo, both 19, may seem like opposites at times but they’re perfectly in sync, antsy for their future and prepared to take over the world with their beats.
After meeting in the first grade at The Philadelphia School, near Fitler Square, they started exploring their musical talents together. By eighth grade, they had recorded their first hip-hop song. Feighan and Coleman-McRae became OCD: Moosh and Twist during high school.
The name came natural to them. Feighan, taking a cue from the novel Oliver Twist, adopted Twist as his new identity while Coleman-McRae made use of his childhood nickname, Moosh. Considering the pair’s obsession with all things music, paired with their relentless goal to make their own sounds perfect, OCD just fit.
By the time they graduated from high school, they had put out their first mixtape, Up Before The World.
They’ve been going non-stop ever since.
They have more than one million views on their music video for the Journey-sampling hit “City Kids.” They have shows booked all over the country. Their third mixtape, The Vestibule, brought Moosh and Twist national attention, transforming them from regular kids in high school to full-time musicians.
“We’re running a business right now,” Moosh says, taking a second to look up from his cell phone. “We realize that more than before. In high school, we were spitting, making music. But now, we’re CEOs of our own business.”
Moosh starts to pull on the glass door at UBIQ, the sneaker shop on Walnut Street – one of the locations in the “City Kids” video, and says, “You know we got to get some free stuff.”
When the duo walks in, it seems as though they know everyone, and everyone wants to know them. Twist flirts effortlessly with a salesgirl as Moosh’s eyes light up over every colorful pair of sneakers he can get his hands on.
Leaning over a display table, they act as though they’re the stars of their own reality TV show, broadcasting their conversations for customers to hear and often times speaking in unison. Surrounded by brightly lit racks of shoes, they take a seat on a pair of oversized chairs next to a fireplace in the back room of the shop. The two look like they own the place but no one seems to mind. Moosh and Twist check their emails while simultaneously talking to one another about the upcoming promoting they have to do, shows they must prepare for and people they need to meet.
“We just want to play music,” Twist proclaims, bored of his cell phone and ready for the next adventure.
The two work hard, putting in long hours in the recording studio, steadily producing new material. They write their own verses, oftentimes pulling inspiration from one another. Whether their songs deal with family troubles, relationships or memories of high school, they make it a point to keep their material personal.
“One thing that people are attracted to is the fact that it’s just real,” the loquacious Twist says of their music. “We aren’t super partiers. We don’t do drugs and all that stuff. We just talk about what we know and we think people like to listen because they can relate to it.”
Even for those who don’t regularly listen to hip-hop, Moosh and Twist’s music is approachable. They offer their own spin on the sound, rhyming over danceable, poppy beats. Twist has a surprisingly gruff voice and both vary the pace of their flow, infusing songs with bursts of energy. They keep their lyrics and performances fun, energetic and positive.
“We want the music to speak for itself,” Moosh explains. “We want people to get through situations to our music. I want people to fight to our music. I want people to laugh to our music. I want people to have fun to our music, to have sex to our music, anything. It’s music. Embrace it.”
Their Philly fans seem to appreciate the pair’s attitude. The day they released their latest mixtape in January, Moosh and Twist headlined their first big show at the TLA. There was a line wrapped around the corner with people waiting to get in.
The TLA show was a true turning point for them. After a few years of playing smaller venues for fifty people or fewer, or being part of the opening act, they were now headliners. They were Moosh and Twist, the real thing, with fans anxious to get a taste of their sound.
“It was dope because we’ve been seeing shows there since we were kids,” Moosh says. “And we opened up for cats there but it’s a different thing when you’re headlining.”
Twist saw one of his favorite groups, Chiddy Bang, perform at the TLA a few years prior.
“I was there screaming and jumping,” Twist explains. “And three years later, we had kids screaming and jumping for us. That’s all I need in life.”
Team OCD is used to exploring Philly. It’s where both grew up and it’s the place they know best (even though Moosh’s family relocated to the burbs, and he went to Haverford High). From spending all day playing at local basketball courts to hanging out at Rittenhouse Square, they see the entire city as home. And despite the numerous places they’ve toured and their plans to move wherever their music takes them, Moosh and Twist never fail to take the city with them.
“Philly taught us a lot,” Twist says. “It teaches you to hold your own. You kind of have to have a level of confidence.”
“Philly’s everywhere we go,” Moosh clarifies. “Even if we’re out in California or New York, we bring Philly there. Now that’s Philly.”
Team OCD also appreciates the music Philly has to offer. They both look up to Meek Mill as the city’s ultimate rapper and they gain insight from the sounds of Jill Scott, Beanie Sigel and their all-time favorite, The Roots. Last summer, they performed inside the side tent at The Roots Picnic, a memorable day when they got to meet their hometown heroes, as well as Nas, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller and Yelawolf.
“We were backstage with a bunch of cats who we looked up to, and it kind of felt like for a day, everybody was on the same level,” Moosh says.
They performed in front of thousands of screaming fans and basked in the warmth of the hip-hop family-like setting.
“There was a basketball court, and Wiz Khalifa might be shooting with an 8-year old who was there,” Twist describes. “It’s a music day. Everyone’s there for one reason.”
Moosh and Twist will be back at the Picnic this year, seasoned after a year of touring the United States and Canada, and boasting fresh material.
The boys hang outside on the corner near Pine Street Pizza, a regular haunt. It’s early in their day and they still have no definite plans other than venturing through the neighborhood and hanging out at the recording studio later.
“There is no typical day because we travel a lot for shows,” Twist says while fixing his mussed hair, a product of the strong wind (and from waking up in mid-afternoon and rushing to meet Moosh). “We don’t have a set schedule, which is part of the reason why we like doing what we do.”
Their heads are full of big dreams but they’re focused, anticipating their next steps toward success. They’re psyched up for their 33-city tour across the country this summer with Aer, the reggae/hip-hop duo from Massachusetts. And they have a ton of music they want to record and release. Moosh and Twist have only just begun.
“You guys still spitting?” asks a random pedestrian near the pizza shop.
“You know it,” Twist answers, smiling at Moosh.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 