For tickets…

http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/venueSearch.jsp?venue_id=7282&cobrand=theorangepeel

http://thestringdusters.com/site/

 http://music.thestringdusters.com/

For more info…

http://www.shovelsandrope.com/

Hearst & Trent are on tour in advance of their upcoming release O’ Be Joyful, scheduled for a July 31st release date. After much demand, the duo has released a single off their upcoming album… you can now find the single “Birmingham” on iTunes…

Here’s the link to “Birmingham”:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/birmingham/id524529354?i=524529394&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

If you can’t make the show Monday… Asheville is not Shovels and Rope’s only North Carolina show… you can catch them at Casbah in Durham on Wednesday May 16th! So… come on out and let’s boogie to some great original music! See you there…

Shovels and Rope website … http://www.shovelsandrope.com/

And you can buy their self titled release Shovels and Rope here … http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/shovels-rope/id305517992

Now, let me say… I don’t want to minimize the importance of equality for all people. That would include gay citizens and the right to marry. The reason I call this issue ridiculous is because it’s just a simple common sense issue. Has nothing to do with religion or the bible (don’t want my government to govern based on religion anyway, that’s for sure)… it’s just about being fair and treating people as you would like to be treated. We should all have the same rights… all of us. Rights are not just for the bible thumpers, or political pot stirrers, they are for us all. The issue here is not gay marriage! Yep, that’s right… it really has very little to do with gay marriage.

So now you’re probably thinking… huh? Well, the way I see it… gay marriage is just a vehicle. The gay marriage “issue” is just a way to get people to react. It’s all about power and control… at least for the people on the political right. These small minded folks toss this stuff out there as a way to bring their people together (rally the troops if you will…)… forcing rational people to respond and sadly putting our gay and lesbian citizens in a really unfair position. So… whatta we do? We didn’t start this fight, but we need to finish it… now. We need to support our gay and lesbian brother and sisters and get out and vote! We need to spread the word… why this type of political bullshit should just not be accepted. We must help educate our brothers and sisters that keep falling for these political tactics… we know them, work with them, may be related to them… but ultimately it falls on us to stand up and stop this political bullying. If not… who’s next? Maybe………………. you!

Rittz and Stitchy C

At this point, we were definately trying to make a statement. The reaction from the crowd can usually be determined from start to finish by the initial reaction of the 1st song, and this occasion found to be fact! “In My Own Zone” came next and the energy from the crowd never let up. “Switch It Up” & “In The Clouds” with yours truly, Stitchy C added some edge of a good back and forth section. “Smoke Some Weed” seemed to be a good fan favorite and “Line Yeah” and “Brown Bag” provided fanfuckingtastic interaction with the crowd! I can say that the crowd response was one of the best we have gotten from another headliners crowd mixed with ours.
Next up was the big homie Rittz! As many of you know, Rittz and the Iconoclast Crew are very tight! You can catch Rittz on Ed E. Ruger’s “Block 2 The Beats” coming out soon! With his latest release “White Jesus: The Revival”, Rittz also had tons of more shirts available, it seems at every show we perform with him. He came outta the game swinging with “White Jesus”. The crowd were like fish and Rittz was one big hook. The man worked the stage and worked the crowd like he popped out at birth with a microphone attached to his hand. Ripping thru his tracks like a mad scientist in a lab, of course the always on point “High Five” was my favorite. It’s always a treat to see the big homie Rittz!

Stitchy C and Ed E Ruger

The crowd is more live than ever now, Rittz is more drunk than ever now, Iconoclast is more high than ever now and Yelawolf takes the stage opening with “Daddy’s Lambo”. DJ Vajra can’t be denied behind him fading the track out very precise as the crowd chant the hook. Yelawolf is lucky to have DJ Vajra much like Iconoclast is lucky to have DJ Phillie Phresh. It’s about 120 degrees in the club, about 700 people packed tightly in Greene Streets main floor, people are passing out left and right but Yelawolf is shutting shit down onstage! He performs old songs off of “Trunk Muzik” such as “Pop The Trunk” and 2 with Rittz including “Box Chevy”. He closed with my favorite, “Good To Go” in which on wax features Houston king Bun B…… Or did he close with it? He left the stage but quickly came back with a classic leave-you-guessing ending an finished with “Let’s Roll” that features Kid Rock off of his latest “Radioactive” album.
To sum up this show, it was a hell of a night. Between it being equator heat in the club, fun with the police outside, of course my hotdog man showed up at the end of the night, it was an incredibly great night. Yelawolf was pretty stand offish in the beginning but surely came around and was cool to kick it with! The concert ended at 11:30 but the party DID NOT! After breaking down when our set was over, DJ Phillie Phresh took his equipment to the roof for a gigantic after party where the rest of the Iconoclast Crew, Rittz and the WHOLE crowd found there way! That was a great cap off to the night. A big thank you goes out to our booking agents Joel & Mitch at Progressive Music Group and Jonathan Riffey as well as the rest of the Greene Street Club staff! My next review will come from the Evil E birthday bash/Ty Bru going to China party at Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte on April 28th. Iconoclast 4-life.

- Stitchy C

Juggling Cinder Blocks

The album starts off with the intro “Christ’s Coming”… right off the bat, you know… this ride is gunna be different! One of my favorite tracks is “DEADhop” featuring Stitchy C. I give a personal shout out to the GPD with another of my favorite tracks “Hello Officer” (it seemed like Mr Addams took this song from my brain). Tell it brother Christ!!! Some other stand out tracks from Juggling Cinder Blocks were “Bender Blender”… “Murder Vote” featuring Ty Bru & Paxx Morris… “Dookie Balls” featuring Ed E Ruger & Chris Sharpe… and in my opinion the best track on the disc, “Facts & Dreams”.

Christ Addams should be proud of his latest release. He is defining himself as an artist, a artist who isn’t afraid of swimming against the current of a flood of cookie cutter bullshit music. As well as cutting his own path, Addams continues that vibe by giving his music away. Check out the link below, download the album and enjoy!

http://tpm2.brookiellen.com/2012/second-coming-of-addams/

Cutthroat Smitty

Next up, Arsenik hits the stage with his partner E-Lite. This is a talented duo to say the least. They are meshing well on stage and have the potential to be a well rounded live act as they grow together. The song “House Party” was a strong one displayed with E-Lite energy and Arsenik’s steady hyping.

Next on stage, Cutthroat Smitty who’s been absent from the scene for a little bit back in back in full effect with G. Groove Entertainment by his side. His first song, cleverly titled “I’m Back” immediately got a good crowd reaction. It’s pretty much like he hasn’t missed a step and is even more polished than ever. His 15 minutes were quite polished and he looked very comfortable back on the stage.

Kaveman

Next up, Ed E. Ruger & the Iconoclast Crew took the stage for a 4 song power performance that was energetic and full of non stop flow with songs line “In The Clouds”, “Brown Bag”, “In My Own Zone” and the dub infused “So What”!

Next to the stage, Hawkface & Kaveman with a full band featuring members of the legendary triad band The Five L’s. Mixed with hip hop, funk and a bit of rock, it’s always a treat to see them all together on one stage. Opening with “Put Ya Hands Up”, Kaveman followed with “Lose Control” with James Hilton of the Five L’s and Koozie providing a very psychedelic rift behind him. My personal favorite “Rappers Beware” was as always flawless! Ending was a surprise performance by none other than The Five L’s for one song in which they performed “Chest”! It was definately a mood changer and was for lack of a better word, DOPE!
Next up, C. Pitt, a young blood from the triad who is on his grind like no other. With a east coast NY sound, he reminds me of a blend of Common meets Lupe Fiasco. “This is For My…” shows a strong side of confidence of the youngster who aims to claim his throne in this one. C. Pitt also earned a spot on my list of last months “Top 5 Upcoming Artists” along with Young Dirt, F. Dux, D Williams and DJ Koedeen. At this point, there is about 140 people huddled inside the Clubhouse.

The next act up is Mightier Than The Sword Records headlined by Ty Bru. By his side are D. Williams, Ty Shoffner and Medic. They rip thru songs feeding off of each other like a tight group on the same page. With a guest performance by Ed E. Ruger, Ruger and Ty Bru ran thru “Machine” with traditional fire. Medic then came thru with “I Tell Her” and got a good response. Throughout the rest of the set, MTTS’s young guns Ty Shoffner and D Williams finished the set shining through with good crowd control, still at 2:10 am.

With appearances by Christy Johnson of Dreamkiller, a surprise song by the Five L’s, a knockout at the bar and a crazy bald guys birthday, the Ed E. Ruger birthday bash was a success! Next review will come from Greene Street Club w/ Yelawolf and Rittz for our 4/21 show. (All photos provided by Kyran Scott… thanks much Kyran!)

After 18 years, the Crescent City’s funktastic feel good band Galactic has finally released a Mardi Gras album… Released on Fat Tuesday, Carnivale Electricos is nominally a concept album about Mardi Gras and its Brazilian counterpart Carnival, but, like all Galactic offerings, it’s a freakin’ throw down goodtime jam. Kinda like kickin’ around the streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras with all the different sights, sounds, smells, and crazy ass folks. From 90′s hip-hop beats to nasty horns and deep end bass rifts, Carnivale Electricos delivers.

It contains multitudes of guest stars both familiar (like Cyril and Ivan Neville, who show up on the buoyant, brass-happy “Out in the Street”) and unexpected (like NOLA rapper Mystikal, semi-fresh from his prison stint and growling his way through the cheery “Move Fast” alongside local rapping legend Mannie Fresh). Its finest tracks, like a hip-hop/samba cover of Sérgio Mendes’ Carnival staple “Magalenha” and the sublime “Guero Bounce,” blur the divide between continents so effortlessly it seems to have never existed at all.

If you are a Galactic fan this album is a must have! If you’ve never heard Galactic’s music… do yourself a favor and check’m out. I really have enjoyed this album, it puts a smile on my face each time I push play…. hope you enjoy it too!