Choice Concerts
Festival favorite Lotus is coming to town, and bringing a traveling act with it. No, it's not a circus, but between songs that jump from atmospheric improvisation to pulsing club beats and a light show to match, you might feel like you're seeing five acts in one. Lotus is touring
Choice Concerts
Much like chemistry, hip-hop revolves around a number of elements. But unlike chemistry, the Elemental 2 hip-hop show won't bore you to death. To celebrate the release of his album "Consumption," local lyricist Gillateen called up all his friends from across the periodic table - DJ'ing, MC'ing, breakdancing, and graffiti
Choice Concerts
Valentine's Day Massacre with The Emersons, Stone Believer, and more occurs Saturday, February 13 at 8 p.m. at the Bug Jar, 219 Monroe Ave. $5. 454-2966.
Choice Concerts
A cross-section of Upstate hip-hop bands are coming together to offer a sampler for discerning tastes. Locals The Blackened Blues eat hip-hop deep fried in jazz, while the members of Subsoil like theirs as a shot served in a dirty glass. Syracuse's Sophistafunk, like the name implies, prefers its hip-hop
Choice Concerts
"Clap your hands everybody, if you got what it takes..." Because JFN Radio and Festival Prints are throwing a party, and it's all about the breaks. Hosted by local celebrity MC Nikal Fieldz (whose rhymes are much better than my own), this jam is bringing all the elements of hip-hop
Choice Concerts
Hassaan Mackey is what I like to call Rochester's "Mad Scientist of Rap." This is for a number of reasons. Offstage the experienced emcee comes across as soft-spoken and pensive. However, as soon as he gets a mic in his hand, the transformation from Jekyll to Hyde is complete. Freestyle
Choice Concerts
I recently saw a bumper sticker that read "Drum Machines Have No Soul - Coalition for the Rehumanization of Music." Now, without getting into a big discussion on the history of electronic music, the technological importance of the New York City Blackout, and all the class politics this simple statement
Choice Concerts
Someone much more eloquent than I once said, "The pen is mightier than the sword." Ithaca's own Gunpoets are quite familiar with this, and put the theory into practice regularly. The band's brand of live rebel rap echoes the sentiments heard in barrios across the globe, and the name is
Choice Concerts
For those of you who divide your time between living in Compton and living in the World of Warcraft, do yourself a favor and check out MC Lars. The self-proclaimed "post-punk laptop rapper" will satisfy your craving for nerdy pop-culture references and banging beats at the same time. Despite his
Choice Concerts
The Nu Roc DJ Crew has been an international player in the breaks scene for five years now, and if that isn't reason enough to celebrate I don't know what is. They've put in work around the world, all from their home base in the 585. From hosting a radio
