The Game

I was looking forward to this show because I always enjoy a megastar rapper live in concert. I'm not a huge fan of The Game, but from my experience, these guys bring the fire when they hit the stage. Well The Game broke the cycle. I have been simply awestruck by rappers in the past including Red and Meth, Ice Cube, W C, and even Wyclef came to rock the party, but The Game was a sheer disappointment. He performed 30% of the lyrics, the crowd had to fill in the rest. I'm not saying I disagree with allowing the crowd to prove to you how much we like you by shouting your lyrics at the top of our lungs... however I did come to hear YOU! The video I decided to post is of one of his mainstream hits "This Is How We Do". You can see his lack of energy and complete disregard for his own lyrics. Check it out.


The Game from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Beejan at The Mansion

Last Friday (Feb. 20th) was my opportunity to see some local hip-hop live, at The Mansion on SE 11th and Morrison. I heard about the show through a friend, and I have to say I was NOT completely dissappointed. While the crowd wasn’t incredible, it was certainly characteristic of a local rap show, especially at a place called The Mansion. I have to say I was particularly impressed by a kid named Beejan coming from Tigard. I enjoyed the kid’s old school flow; you gotta love being able to understand each word. Especially when the words are things like “you might catch an uppercut like Tekken, what, check him, he might have brought the Tech in. haters, fake thugs they all carry weapons.” After his set I bought one of his Mix Tapes, which is apparently in stores.(EveryDay Music, 360 Vinyl) The album, I Guess That’s the Name Vol. 2, has some very solid tracks on it including Fire, Embrace the Day, and Timeline, all of which I believe can be found on his myspace page (myspace.com/beejanmusic). Many of his songs involve normal life themes, as opposed to the drug dealing lifestyle we are so used to hearing about. Some of his lines were illustrative of his local standing and aspirations. “They’re living in the studio, I’m living in reality. Trying to turn my art into a seven digit salary.” I took a few videos at the show but the one I decided to post is one where he decides to ignore that the song is over, and continues to spit a capella when the beat drops.The kid next to me was thoroughly excited about it, and I imagine fairly intoxicated, check it out. I enjoyed myself, and look forward to seeing more from this local artist. His upcoming show is free, at Urban Hookah on TV Highway next Saturday(March 7th). (www.urbanhookah.net)


Beejan at The Mansion from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Cradle of Filth

I really just want to put this show behind me, so let’s make this quick. I showed up in between sets, just before Cradle of Filth was ready to start. I often plan to arrive right around this time for shows like this because the headliner is going to be bad enough; might as well save myself the pain and skip the openers. The Roseland was the setting for this blackened mob, all decked out in their Children of Bodom T-shirts and studded belts. My buddy Matt and I had been getting mentally prepared on our walk from my downtown apartment and going in, I was pretty pumped to get hit in the face by a Goth kid. Unfortunately upon rising up into the Roseland floor, I found myself standing in a nearly empty auditorium. The worst thing about a small turn out at a metal show is the direct effect it has on the pit. Naturally. Needless to say the pit sucked and the music was worse. That’s the short and sweet. Check the vid.


Cradle of Filth from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

Rebelution

“Hailing from Santa Barbara California, wearing the baggy jeans in the pot leaf trim, the defending California Reggae champions of the world… Rebelution!” While that all may be a little over the top, you seriously need to check these guys out. Their album “Courage to Grow” was something I didn’t stop talking about for some weeks leading up to the show. I had never heard of Rebelution before seeing their show announced on MikeThrasherPresents.com (pitch!) and once I saw their poster, I immediately headed to my torrent search engine of choice _______ (send check to see name there) and downloaded their debut release. I’ve never had a particular interest in this genre, but this disc certainly changed my mind. The album features hit after hit of solid relaxing ska infused reggae that you can’t help but dance to. Their live performance was no different. The show was at The Hawthorne Theatre, and they sold the place out. The first thing I couldn’t help but notice as they took the stage was Marley Williams (bass) rocking a Blazers jersey. What a badass. They opened up with a few tracks from the album, and then as many bands like to do they threw us some new material to digest. The new stuff was pretty good, but what I found most enjoyable was their performance of almost the entirety of Courage to Grow. I was impressed as the entire crowd knew each and every word. Their encore was Feeling Alright, which just so happens to be your video for this show. Go check it out, and throw me a comment.


Rebelution from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.

The Walkmen

Showing up just before the headliner comes out, is a skill that I have been trying to develop through the years, as my availability gets tighter, and social engagements take precedent to your brothers garage band. But on the other side of that arrangement you’ll find that more often than not you are missing solid talent that is yet to be discovered. This show was a great example as I arrived during the final set change. I went up to the bar with my buddy Mark, and asked around about how the show had been thus far, and I couldn’t stop hearing rave reviews about Beach House, the band that had just left the stage. I spoke to around 15 people that each said they performed outside of their expectations. I even ran into one guy who was on his way out, having seen what he’d come to see… Beach House. I on the other hand was there for one thing, Red Moon. A single off of The Walkmen’s fifth studio release “You & Me”. It was my favorite track of the solid indie album and I think they played the rest of it pretty well. The showmanship was mildly lacking, but I wasn’t exactly in the right mind to make that distinction so maybe take that with a grain of salt. I enjoyed myself, and that is what it’s all about. Check out the vid which is the song Red Moon. Download their studio stuff, much better representation of their music than this live show footage.


The Walkmen from Aaron Nicholls on Vimeo.