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Rap crew Honeypot is at Akron's Musica while tribute bands play at Lock 3 Park
By Malcolm X Abram
Published on Thursday, Jul 02, 2009
An Ohio hip-hop showcase headlined by Columbus independent emcee Illogic and featuring Akron's left-of-center rap crew Honeypot will be tonight at Musica in Akron.
Illogic, a 10-year vet, is touring behind his most recent album, Diabolical Fun, a combination of Illogic's dense, complex rhyme schemes and energy with beats by Ill Poetic.
Illogic is not for rap fans looking for the latest dance or ringtone-ready hook or new ways to rhyme ''swag'' (as in swagger). He makes head-nodding rap for fans who don't mind hitting the rewind button to absorb his rhymes, which avoid the materialism and misogyny of many mainstream artists.
A married father of three, he's not a former drug dealer or a gun-toting wannabe thug. He prefers the classic brags and boasts (What's My Name?) that have been a part of rap since the beginning, as well as tunes that question the direction of the genre (What Happened?) and a surprisingly tender love story about two troubled youngsters who find strength and solace in each other (I Know You).
Likewise the Honeypot emcees, Gator and Chaka, are both proud fathers (Chaka has two children and Gator has four) whose rap verses are based in the reality of their blue-collar lives. The duo (sometimes a trio when satellite member MC Infiniti is in the mood) has a new album, Soul Colossal, available for free on the Internet at http://patternbased.com. It features beats by Corey Farrow, aka electronic artist Baloo, who is also a member of the Legendary Seagulls.
The rappers are longtime associates of the Low in the Sky crew, which features Farrow and former members of Poets of Another Breed, Joe Minadeo (also the mastermind behind patternbased.com) and Pat McNulty. Chaka told me Soul Colossal is the culmination of their years of working together.
The group plans to become more active as performers and wants to expand its local following and is preparing a couple of albums it hopes to release by next spring, including a project called Pluto with rapper/beatmaker Franchize. Gator plans to release a mixtape called Fallen Plane by the fall.
Though dances and easy-to-chant hooks are not Honeypot's raison d'etre, members believe that is not all some fans want from their hip-hop.
''There are still real hip-hop fans everywhere — Elyria, Chagrin Falls and definitely Cleveland,'' Chaka said. ''I believe they want to hear real hip-hop and that's why we're giving it away for free as a nice appetizer, a taste of what we do.''
Also on the bill is the Nappyhead Inc Crew out of Cleveland and Akron's b-boy crew ILLSTYLE Rockers.
Meat, explosives, music
It's that time again, time to sing Happy Birthday to theU.S. of A., and in true American style, that means it's time to gorge ourselves on slow-roasted animal flesh slathered in sauce (tomato or vinegar based), watch things go boom in the night sky and jam to some classic rock.
Yes, beginning tonight is the Rib, White and Blue Festival down at Lock 3 Park in Akron. The music starts at 7 p.m. with longtime Cleveland roots rocker Cletus Black, whose latest album, That's the Story, was released last year.
The evening's headliner will be the Machine, a Pink Floyd tribute band from New York City that has been playing Floyd's music for nigh on two decades and has garnered acclaim from Floyd associates, including The Wall producer Bob Ezrin who said of the Machine: ''These guys are great!''
Machine members are celebrating their 20th anniversary of playing Floyd's music (and being able to quit their day jobs and tour the world) and recently released a DVD called Live in Amsterdam featuring Floyd's Wish You Were Here in its entirety along with a few cuts from Floyd's magnum opus The Wall.
The guys in Machine look nothing like the guys in Pink Floyd, but they do sound quite a bit like the originals with singer/guitarist Joe Pascarell doing a decent approximation of Roger Waters' bellow and a better imitation of David Gilmour's husky, relaxed tenor and signature guitar tone.
Machine also does a fine job of re-creating the stage show, including some elaborate lighting and the giant circle/screen that Floyd has used in some incarnation in its show since Dark Side of the Moon.
I'm not sure what Machine will play at Lock 3, but its next gig is performing Dark Side of the Moon with the Pittsburgh Orchestra, so I would expect a few hits from that classic as well a few hits from The Wall.
On Friday, the music will continue with a homegrowner, the Juke Hounds, a blues rock party band that mixes originals with old favorites from Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix and newer songs from folks such as Robert Cray and Keb Mo'.
The headliners will be Satisfaction, a Rolling Stones Experience, which is a tribute band that features ''cast members'' and works to re-create the look and sound of the 1970s Stones — complete with a puffy lipped lead singer and a bandana-wearing lead guitarist and a disinterested looking bass player in a suit.
Saturday is American Roots Day and will begin with the University of Akron Steel Drum Band, which must be the hardest working steel-drum band in America. Admittedly, I'm not well versed in the steel-drum band market, but every summer I see those kids in restaurants, fairs and any place people gather, beating the heck out of those steel drums, so more power to them.
Next up will be local Zydeco/Cajun band Mo' Mojo, which frequently gets the folks at Northside in Akron and other local bars shimmying and shaking with its uptempo party music.
Saturday's headliner will be the Rebirth Brass Band, a 26-year-old nonet that continues the New Orleans tradition of brass bands but also plays contemporary songs such as Bustin' Loose and originals that focus on the funk.
Details:
What: Illogic with Honeypot, the Nappyhead Inc. Crew and ILLSTYLE Rockers
When: 9 tonight
Where: Musica, 51 E. Exchange St., Akron
Tickets: $10
Information: 330-374-1114, http://akronmusica.com/
What: The Machine and Cletus Black at the Rib, White and Blue Festival
When: 7 tonight
Where: Lock 3 Park, 200 S. Main St., Akron
Tickets: Free
Information: www.lock3live.com
What: Satisfaction, a Rolling Stones Experience, with the Juke Hounds at the Rib, White and Blue Festival
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Lock 3 Park, 200 S. Main St., Akron
Tickets: Free
Information: www.lock3live.com
What: Rebirth Brass Band with Mo' Mojo and the University of Akron Steel Drum Band at the Rib, White and Blue Festival
When: Gates open at 11 a.m., show starts at 2:30 p.m. with UA Steel Drum Band, Mo' Mojo at 4:30 p.m. and Rebirth Brass Band at 7:30 p.m. - Saturday.
Where: Lock 3 Park, 200 S. Main St., Akron
Tickets: Free 11 a.m., $5 after 1 p.m.
Information: www.lock3live.com
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Akron, OH
Posted 06:31 AM, 07/02/2009
that dude is wack... why cant the city spring for "the roots" or any real hip hop act.
Canton, OH
Posted 10:13 AM, 07/02/2009
Or The Beastie Boys. . .
Akron, Oh
Posted 06:47 PM, 07/02/2009
tribute bands are a gimmick.
Akron, OH
Posted 07:09 PM, 07/02/2009
Tribute bands = no-brainer baby boomer attractor
