Tag Archives: Rap

Music

Bonesaw’s Top Non-Metal Shows of 2016

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Although 2017 has finally arrived, we’re still not done with our best shows of 2016 countdown. Being metalheads, we tend to be a little more diverse than most give us credit for. To polish off our countdown, here are our favorite non-metal shows of last year – with hopefully many more to come in the new year.
Chris – Cypress Hill and Naughty by Nature at Terminal 5
Chris: I caught Cypress Hill and Naughty By Nature for their annual Halloween tour. They ruled and the place reeked of weed to the point where I reeked of weed even though I stuck to beer. You could not get away from it. My only complaint was that it was my first rap show and there were mostly white people there.
Anthony: My first rap show was Hopsin two years ago and he had mostly white people watching him. Oddly enough, it was the same type of crowd when I saw Mobb Deep.
Chris: Oh Hopsin is amazing. I’d love to see him. Such a talented guy. Perhaps I will get him on the pod in 2017.
Birdman – The Beach Boys and The Temptations at Bethel Woods

Anthony: Nice. Bethel Woods is such a cool place.
Lyon: And historic.
Birdman: Went more for The Temps, and was disappointed that this wasn’t a co-headlining tour even though it was marketed as the “Surf and Soul” tour.
Anthony: That happens a lot I’ve noticed.
Birdman: The Temps played all their hits and I bought a shirt of theirs.They had two. Meanwhile, The Beach Boys had two dozen designs.
Anthony: You should wear that when you play in Roargh! How did The Beach Boys sound for their age?
Birdman: On point. Their set was in chronological order.
 Lyon: Sick.
 Birdman: Problem is my dad was getting tired and we left as they were just beginning the songs from Pet Sounds. Mike Love’s a great frontman even if he’s no Brian Wilson.

 

Tony – Prophets of Rage at Barclay’s Center

Lyon: Oh awesome! I was hoping they would be good.
Anthony: The two openers weren’t my thing but this show was basically equal to seeing Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill on one bill since they played tracks from all three.
Lyon: Any originals?
Anthony: No, I don’t think they had any at the time. But it was cool to hear all three acts classics.
 Birdman: Must’ve been. They have an EP out.
Anthony: That EP is mostly covers. There is an original song on it but they didn’t play it. Maybe they want to wait until they have an album. Mid-set they even had B-Real and Chuck D walk into the audience and rap Cypress and Public Enemy songs with the DJ doing the beats.
Birdman: Sick.
Lyon – Bad Religion with Against Me at Irving Plaza

Lyon: I’m not the biggest fan of the first band, but I understand why people are and everyone was really digging their set. Bad Religion is still fucking amazing and I pitted ’till I couldn’t pit no more.
Birdman: Bad Religion’s a band I really wanna see.
Anthony: Does Bad Religion still play a decent amount of their 80’s stuff?
 Lyon: They sure do. It’s my second time seeing them.
Antony: Nice. I’m sure hearing “We Are Only Going to Die…” live would give me Tony Hawk memories.
Birdman: Any chance they played “Leaders and Followers?” Brings back another type of memory.
Lyon: Their energy is unmatched and every song is like, “Oh shit.” They played most of Generator, a few songs from True North, a few Against the Grain and some other sick shit.
Music

My Experience at MDF 2015: Part 1 – Thursday

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Memorial Day Weekend was back yet again which of course means another Maryland Deathfest.

The fellowship consisted of Josh (a.k.a. Heavy Metal Horseman), his then-girlfriend Nicole, our friend Matt and I. We spent Wednesday at Josh’s so we could all head out on Thursday to venture into Baltimore for the first day of the fest’s amazing lineup.

On day one (Thursday), Edison (the main stage) wasn’t open but the two smaller stages, Soundstage and Rams Head were. Thursday’s Soundstage was all brutal death metal (and one rap group) while Ram’s Head had all doom bands. Thanks to traffic caused by a baseball game, we arrived at our hotel late. When we finally got there, we met up with our friend Jason who would room with us for the duration of the fest. After checking in and getting everything in order, we walked down to Soundstage.

Mortal Decay

The first band up was Philly’s brutal death metal band Mortal Decay. Because of the traffic, I missed 20 minutes of their set, which wasn’t too sad since I didn’t know this band too well. Brutal death metal is a subgenre that was always hit or miss for me. Mortal Decay was pretty hit and had a very enjoyable set.

Origin

Next up was the ultra technical death metal band, Origin. I’d seen Origin a few times before and they’d always delivered. As always, Origin had tons of energy and vocalist Jason Keyser would crack jokes about everything – including Mobb Deep not fitting the bill and the Baltimore Riots. These guys never disappoint.

Internal Bleeding

Next up were New York’s “slam” pioneers Internal Bleeding. This band never fully interested me and even live I just found their songs boring. Their set was slightly redeemed when they let everyone get on stage. This included Josh wearing his horse mask, a guy in a penis suit and the MDF chicken (yes, there is a man in a chicken getup at MDF). After Inernal Bleeding’s set I went to Seven Eleven for some cheap food then back to Soundstage for the next band.

Skinless 

Like Origin, I’d seen Hudson Valley brutal death masters Skinless a few times (including MDF 2011). Like Origin, they always kill. Skinless had tons of energy and an amazing set list. My favorite part was seeing Keyser again, singing on songs from “Trample the Weak” (the album he appeared on). This gave me memories of when I first saw Skinless back when he was in the band. Without a doubt Skinless were my favorite band to see Thursday night.

Devourment

This was the third time I went to a show with Devourment on the bill.The first time was at MDF 2011 and the second time was on tour with Dying Fetus and Exhumed. Devourment dropped both of those shows. This time however, they actually played. As someone who mostly enjoys older Devourment, I was glad they had a mostly retro set list. The crowd was nuts and got even crazier when they played the classic heart warming song, “Babykiller.” After their set I headed over to Rams Head.

Conan

I walked into Rams Head and heard Jex Thoth play the last minute of their final song. I relaxed on one of Rams Head’s couches as these British stoner doomers set up. Conan was super slow and super heavy, which as a stoner/doom fan I was impressed greatly.

Mobb Deep

After Conan I went back to Soundstage for the Mobb Deep bonus show. When this was first announced as part of the MDF package, a lot of people complained. As a fan of old-school hip hop, I was stoked.

After the hype man had the crowd yell “Mobb Deep” over and over, the legendary New York duo got on stage (fun fact: Mobb Deep were celebrating the 20th anniversary of their classic sophomore album, “The Infamous”). To my surprise, the crowd had more metalheads then rap fans. I watched the set for a little over half an hour before leaving for Ram’s Head due to what looked like a fight starting.

Yob

Next up was the Thursday band I wanted to see the most. Yob is one of my all time favorite stoner/doom bands and my second favorite band from the Portland metal scene (next to Agalloch). Jason and I went in to watch these guys while the rest of our group (due to not being big doom fans) went back to the hotel.

Yob’s set was amazing. The band would draw you in its atmosphere and as soon as you’re calm, the songs crush you with their overbearing heaviness. After they were done we went back to the hotel to get some rest for the next day (one that would blow us away even more).

Check out part 2 here.

Music, Podcast

Bonesaw Podcast: Episode 32 – AllOne Returns (Part 2)

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The second coming of Bruce “AllOne” Pandolfo’s second appearance finally sees the light of day when we talk about the economy, his new album “I’ve Been Thinking” (which can be purchased atwww.allonevoice.bandcamp.com) and more.

 

Music, Podcast

Bonesaw Podcast: Episode 30 – Bruce “AllOne” Pandolfo Returns – Part 1

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Underground freestyle rapper Bruce “AllOne” Pandolfo returns to talk about his new album “I’ve Been Thinking” (available on May 3rd via Dope Sandwich Records and www.allonevoice.bandcamp.com) as well as winning the 2016 NPR Tiny Desk contest and more in part one of this multi-faceted podcast.

Graphic Novels, Music, Podcast

Bonesaw Podcast – Episode 16: E. B. Phillips

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This time around we take a look at underground New York Rapper E. B. Phillips. Phillips is a humble, down to earth character who brings us into his world discussing his roots, love for comic books, and a whole lot more. The featured song is “Third Eye” from Phillip’s album “Visions” which can be streamed and purchased at ebphillipshiphop.bandcamp.com.

Music

AllOne Releases “Cause & Effect” Video

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While on his tour in May, independent rapper/poet AllOne got together with fellow freestyle lyricist D.o.drent in Lone Island, NY to film several videos for their 2014 collaboration EP “Creative Differences: A Split.”

Slowly, the two released video after video with their latest being for the song “Cause & Effect,” the last song from the EP.

While there is seemingly not much going on in the video (which can be viewed below), that is the point; as AllOne and D.o.drent want you to listen to their lyrics through a fisheye lens in a small room adorned with sideways painting and a headless golden mannequin in a t-shirt and skirt.

The videos were shot by friend and artist Angela Newman whose work can be viewed on her site, anjipan.com.

“Creative Differences: A Split” can be both listened to and purchased for six dollars at this location.

Music

Bonesaw Podcast: Episode 11 – Bruce “AllOne” Pandolfo

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Our guest is independent Hip Hop artist Bruce “AllOne” Pandolfo. Pandolfo is you’re average Long Island Joe with an uncanny mastering of the English language. Channeling different music genres with poetic, freestyle lyrics reflecting life in the vein of Mos Def and Eyedea, AllOne is a force to be reckoned with.

Check out AllOne here.

Movies, Music

Trailer Feedback: Straight Outta Compton

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You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge on the big screen.

Universal Studios and Legendary Pictures are bringing us the story of possibly the most aggressive and celebrated rap group in history, N.W.A.

Ice Cube and Dr. Dre’s introduction immediately legitimizes the film in every way, giving us a clear idea of how hard the studios worked on this and how extensive the production will be.

Although certain aspects may be dolled up by Hollywood (founding member Arabian Prince is not featured at all), this biopic should be one of the best. The casting seems to be dead on accurate as Cube’s son O’Shea Jackson Jr.,  Corey Hawkins (Non-Stop, Iron Man 3) and Jason Mitchell (Contraband) look and even sound like young versions of Cube, Dre and Eazy-E. Paul Giamatti (12 Years A Slave) is great in everything he is cast in and should be no different as he takes on the role of N.W.A’s manager Jerry Heller.

The only concern is how much the film will center on N.W.A. as a group rather than its focal members. Hopefully MC Ren and DJ Yella will not be pushed into the background and become afterthoughts in the feature. It doesn’t look that way, but only time will tell.

We won’t know how the presentation will be until it hits the big screen but when it does, we had better get the whole story, all of the controversy and every piece of the N.W.A. puzzle without much (if any) compromise. If “Straight Outta Compton” holds any water, there’s a strong chance we could get a Run DMC, Wu-Tang Clan or Public Enemy biopic in the future.