Hip-Hop and Zombies, Oh My!!!

Last weekend, I saw one of the greatest combos ever for music and performance: hip-hop and zombies! It was all local, very entertaining and within 24 hours!

The Groove Commences

On 2/24/2006 , the local hip-hop show at Coffman tasted sweet after a long work week, with Kanser, Heiruspecs and Brother Ali rocking the crowd with their tight playing and rhyme-spitting. I didn't arrive in time to see Kanser play, and I was disappointed since they had a full-backing band. Oh well; they're local, so I'll get a chance to see them again sometime soon.

Heiruspecs got the crowd of college kids, indie kids, hip-hop kids and hippie kids going with their lightning-fast rhymes, feel-good lyrics and crushing musical endeavors. They played a few new tunes, with one hilariously making fun of all the 'whack-ass' rappers out there. It's always a great time seeing them perform, as they stay true to the art form. They'll freesytle when they're supposed to be singing the second verse of a song, and they have great on-stage banter, making sure we are with them with every song played. They swore a lot more, and acted more cocky than the times when I've seen them before. But, the show was sold-out, and sponsored by locally-heralded stations Radio K and The Current, so wouldn't be extra psyched to play! I know I would. We danced, swayed, put our collective fists in the air and grooved carelessly.

Brother Ali headlined, pumping the post-Heiruspecs crowd up much as possible, considering we all grooved intensely for quite a while beforehand. I found Brother Ali's delivery very smooth; his rhymes clever, complicated and fast. His solo spoken word, however, really got my attention. He told of very personal stories of family and life and death, themes that are self-evident as I grow older for sure. I enjoyed his performance, and with Keith Token on his side riling up the crowd, the night ended on a very good note.

The Gore Begins, and it is Lovely and Consuming...

The next night we headed to Big V's in St. Paul to see our friend's band, Wagner and The Zombiemen! There's no exclamation point, but there should be; this band is pure genius! A mandolin, rolling and crashing drums, sound effects and zombie spoken-word stories, all wrapped up in one perfect package! It doesn't get any better than that. The stories contained a mix of hope, sadness, desperation, fear, intensity and acceptance, spanning quite the human spectrum of emotion. This band is definitely the most original band I've heard this year.

It's like epic folk-post-rock-zombie-word, if you critics are looking for yet another genre to add to the oversoaked categorization of music. Each song was about 10-15 minutes long, with the music rising and falling in sync with elements of the story spoke. During the intense parts, the singer reprises a phrase meant to run away, be alert. It's a signal for survival through song, and it couldn't have been better executed. How these stories turn out, though, will remain untold here. You simply must see them for yourself! If there ever was a chance to see originality unfolding with the unlikeliest mix of genres, here it is, so do it already! Rumor has it there will be a CD release party in the future, so be sure to be checking the band's updates regularly! I know I will be, and if you have any decency, you will too.