08.15.07
Atmosphere to Tour with Mac Lethal, Grayskul, Lucky.I.Am
(from Rhymesayers’ email newsletter) The mail delivered excellent news today – Atmosphere’s coming to Dallas as part of a tour that several different Rhymesayers acts are taking part in to promote their new albums. Atmosphere, of course, will be promoting Sad Clown Bad Fall 10, a limited tour series EP (so be sure to snatch one up at the show), not to mention the recently released Sad Clown Bad Summer 9 and the upcoming full-length When Life Gives You Lemons… . Grayskul’s got Bloody Radio coming out, Mac Lethal is pretty dope from the little I’ve heard of him, and Lucky.I.Am is best known for his work with hip-hop group Living Legends (featuring Murs, The Grouch, and Aesop Rock), though I am ashamed to admit that I haven’t listened past a couple of downloaded tracks – Night Prowler is naturally one of my favorites, and lucky for you it’s on their MySpace page. Anyway, Slug’s going to be hitting the fledgling Palladium in Dallas on September 27. Rest of dates follow below.
“Everybody Loves a Clown” Tour Dates
9/14/07 Duluth, MN Pizza Luce
9/15/07 Duluth, MN Pizza Luce
9/17/07 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection
9/18/07 Millvale, PA Mr. Small’s Theatre
9/20/07 Baltimore, MD Ram’s Head Live (Atmosphere, Brother Ali only)
9/21/07 Providence, RI Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel
9/22/07 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place
9/23/07 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
9/24/07 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club
9/26/07 New Orleans, LA Tipitina’s
9/27/07 Dallas, TX Loft @ Palladium Ballroom
9/28/07 Lubbock, TX Jake’s Sports Cafe
9/29/07 Albuquerque, TBA
10/1/07 Flagstaff, AZ Orpheum Theater
10/2/07 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theater
10/3/07 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern
10/4/07 San Luis Obispo, CA Downtown Brewing Co
10/5/07 Bakersfield, CA The Dome
10/6/07 Santa Cruz, CA Catalyst
10/8/07 Bend, OR Midtown Ballroom
10/9/07 Bellingham, WA Nightlight
10/10/07 Boise, ID Venue
10/11/07 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
10/12/07 Denver , CO Ogden Theatre
10/13/07 Aspen, CO Belly Up, Aspen
10/15/07 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
10/16/07 Madison, WI Barrymore Theatre
07.31.07
Two New Atmosphere Albums in the Works
(from Atmosphere’s MySpace) Fans of good rap music can finally breathe a sigh of relief – Atmosphere’s announced a new EP, out this summer, will precede a brand new full-length that’s due out early next year. This comes as good news to Atmosphere fans who have been wondering whether Slug’s been thinking about retiring (he’s older than you think). The EP, titled Sad Clown Bad Summer # 9 (continuing the Sad Clown Bad Dub series of EPs, some of which have become collector’s items worth hundreds of dollars), is available now for purchase on Rhymesayers’ FifthElement.com. The full-length album, which will come a little over two years after late-2005’s You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having, is curiously titled When Life Gives You Lemons… I’m interested to see how Slug finishes off that phrase in his own bitingly witty, cynical way. Perhaps it’ll be a title track? We’ll see. I’ll keep you informed.
07.24.07
New Grayskul track for download, album release date
The latest Rhymesayers newsletter came in a few days ago, and I have good news for fans of prodigious underground outfit Grayskul. The good folks at Rhymesayers have posted a free download for one of the new tracks, Dope, off Grayskul’s upcoming album Bloody Radio, officially announced for release on September 11, 2007. The 9/11 release date was certainly hand-picked, but I doubt there is really any significance aside from the shock value (or perhaps Grayskul is trying to win back the date?). Shifting from superhero characters on their previous full-length, Deadlivers, to…um…noblemen (JFK is now Count Magnus while Onry Ozzborn returns as Count Draven), Grayskul promises to deliver what will no doubt be an interesting album.
The guest lineup for the album is an underground head’s sweetest dream, featuring Slug of Atmosphere, Def Jux’s Aesop Rock and Cage, and, in an increasingly common trend of hip hop artists dipping into the realm of popular underground rock for talent, Andrea Zollo of PrettyGirlsMakeGraves is set to appear as well. You can preorder the album at the Fifth Element website, and if you do choose to preorder you’ll receive a Rhymesayers 4″x4″ canvas patch to slap on your man purse along with a Grayskul sticker to slap on a sign somewhere in Deep Ellum.
03.11.07
New Brother Ali Album on the way
This comes from Rhymesayers.com:
In the year 2000, Brother Ali Joined Rhymesayers with a self-produced demo called Rites of Passage. Three years later Ali took the underground by storm with an undeniable stage presence and his critically acclaimed debut full-length Shadows On The Sun. The impact was unquestionable and that next year Ali solidified his place amongst the independent Hip Hop elite with the release of 2004’s The Champion EP.
Like deja vu, here we are three years later and Ali is ready to take the world by storm with his latest creation. After struggling through a series of personal roadblocks, from parting ways with his wife of 10 years, becoming homeless and trying to secure custody of his only son… Brother Ali along with Atmosphere producer and Shadows & Champion collaborator Ant, present the long awaited sophomore full-length album The Undisputed Truth. Personal, political and more powerful than ever, simply put, the truth is here.
“I wanted to make an album that gives you no choice but to feel what im saying at that given time”, Ali explains of The Undisputed Truth. “I made choices that sent me through a lot of struggle in the past few years and Ant and I have made music that really communicates the exact feeling of those situations.” -Brother Ali
Pre-Order here.
Listen: Truth Is – Freedom Ain’t Free
Download: Truth Is
Brother Ali is definitely one of the sickest MCs around. He’s a huge, albino black man. Everything about him is unconventional, and his words are amazing. He’s also got some great beats as well. Listen to some of the sample songs! A majority of the stuff on Rhymesayers is super high caliber bad ass music…I love Rhymesayers.
