Marcus I Yates, formally Oobergeek, Talks about changes!

"My imagination ain't based based around Oobergeek. Its based around me, Marcus Yates."

Marcus Yates, who you may currently know as Oobergeek, is making a big change for himself. He's changing his name back to his own. He says, " The music is about me and not a name. I wasn't really into the name from the beginning, and so I'm going back to who I am." Marcus is being himself and going to keep it real to himself.

When asked how he thinks this will effect his fan or fan base he said, " I don't think it will. The music was never about the name, but about the content."

Marcus let me tag along with him all day on the Portland, OR stop of Summer of Strange at the Roseland Theater. The line-up of artists (Krizz Kaliko, Oobergeek, Stevie Stone, ¡Mayday!, Cool Nutz, Tragedy, and a young local artist) consisted of some of the most talented artists Portland and Strange had to offer and the crowd was ready to accept them to Portland and turn up the night. (official blog and pictures to come this week!).

Marcus heads to Spokane today to continue the Summer of Strange Tour stops and stay tuned for the exclusive behind the scenes pics, interviews, and more coming this week!

TECH N9NE AND THE DOORS MAKE A COLLABORATION!

Check out this exerpt from Rolling Stone Magazine written by Kathy Iandoli
posted today, June 24th 2013
Tech N9ne Aligns With the Doors for 'Strange 2013'
Rapper offers inside look at the collaboration for his upcoming LP 'Something Else'

Check out the Youtube feed by clicking HERE!

In 2010, after playing his first show in Paris, Tech N9ne headed straight for Père Lachaise Cemetery. The Missouri rapper sat down beside the gravesite of Doors
frontman Jim Morrison, cracked open a bottle of Jack Daniels and poured a glass for the late singer and himself. "I told Jim, 'Thank you so much for the inspiration,'" he recalls. "It saved my life."
Tech N9ne has been a Doors fan for years – when he launched his independent record label in 1999, he called it Strange Music in tribute to two Doors classics, "People Are Strange" and "Strange Days." "If I didn't listen to their music and their fusion of sounds, I probably would've never called [my label] Strange Music," he says. "I have Jim Morrison to thank for that. Who would've fuckin' thunk it years later that I would work with his homies?"

500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Doors, 'Strange Days'

Tech N9ne is talking about "Strange 2013" – a new version of "Strange Days," created in collaboration with the surviving members of the Doors for his upcoming studio album, Something Else (due out July 30th). The track came together through producer Farid "Fredwreck" Nassar, who got to know the band after working with them on Snoop Dogg's 2004 cover of the Doors' "Riders on the Storm." "I told [Strange Music], I know the Doors, so if you really want to do a song with the Doors and you have the budget for it, then maybe I can call them," Fredwreck explains. "I figured, let's get the real guys to do it."
Last year, the surviving band members – guitarist Robby Krieger, drummer John Densmore and organist Ray Manzarek – gathered in L.A.'s Village Recorders studio to record the track. Tech N9ne had initially suggested reworking "People Are Strange," but Krieger had another idea: "I said, 'Why not do "Strange Days"?'" recalls the guitarist. "That has more of a driving beat." They cut the new version in under a week, using instruments including tablas, guitars, sitars and the original Gibson/Kalamazoo organ that Manzarek had played with the Doors.

Manzarek died on May 20th of this year, leaving "Strange 2013" as one of his final recordings. Tech N9ne still remembers turning to the keyboardist over a glass of Pinot Grigio during last year's sessions and asking him about one of Morrison's lyrics in the original recording. "At the end of 'Strange Days,' Jim Morrison says, 'As we run from the day, to a strange night of stone,'" says the rapper. "I asked Ray, 'What was Jim talking about when he said that?' And Ray turns to me and says, 'I don't know, man – you'll have to ask him.'"


Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/tech-n9ne-aligns-with-the-doors-for-strange-2013-20130624#ixzz2XGMYQpPC

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P.S. This article was NOT written by Lettey Buchanan, but was passed on to me and I had to share it!!

We've Hit The Jackpot With Lucky Number 6ix!

Portland never ceases to amaze me. The immense amount of underground talent that is hiding in the wings can only be described as extrordinary. I love to watch the NW review on public access and see who is doing what in Portland hip hop and the NW scene.
So by chance and through some dedicated fans, I was introduced to an exceptional talent that goes by the name "6ix". 6ix was born and bred in Portland, OR. Like many of us in the music scene, 6ix had a musical family to pave his way. He was first introduced to the music scene by his father, who is also a musician and producer. 6ix's father paved the way for his love of music by giving him a drum set at three years old. For those of us who grew up listening to music in our homes from artists, it's in our blood and we live and breath it.

6ix got his first real start in music, recording on his father's local albums in the early 90's. Growing up with a studio in his home made it easy for 6ix to experience everything that the music business had to offer, from recording, to producing and mastering an album. 6ix started his first rap group at 10-11 years old and began doing local talent shows.

6ix started his second, more serious, group at 15. They were called "The Phranchise" and managed by one of Portland's favorites, Cool Nutz. During this time 6ix got the chance to open for some amazing artists like E-40, Mac Dre, Digital Underground, Cool Keith, and Tek Nine. The experience was one that sealed his love for music and pushed him forward in his pursuit of his dream. Unfortunately the group broke up and a record was never released. 6ix was able to produce his own track on Mac Dre's Cutthroat Committee album, scoring track # 3 "Its Nothin" during this time.
The next two years consumed this artist with music and perfecting his talent, until he had an unfortunate run in with the law and did a stint of time. Three years in a place like that will give a person nothing to do but write music and make plans. Some of the best music has come out of the cell from artists like 2 Pac, Snoop Dog, and many more.
When 6ix got out, he decided to make his dreams a reality and take a serious step in music. He decided to go solo and find what direction worked best for him. 6ix started releasing his own mixtapes locally and was later discovered on myspace by legend Warren G. As a child I idolized this artist and can remember spending so many hours singing and watching Regulate on MTV (when they still had music playing and videos). They began talking about business and possibilities and Warren G helped to give advice that would be valuable for an up and comer. 6ix recorded 3 songs with Warren G, one that included West Coast legend Nate Dogg. 6ix is still in contact with Warren G today, but more for incredible business advice and mentoring these days.

6ix continued to work on his mixtapes and create a musical sound that was his own. He continued as a solo artist spending most of his daily life in the studio. 6ix said "Throughout these years of continueing to rap, I began to find myself changing my message. From promoting the negative aspects of street life to speaking about it's negative effects on humanity. I wrote more about touching on the struggles and realities of life."  

As of the release of this review today 6ix is working on his debut album and a new mixtape release date TBA. 6ix chooses to remain unsigned for now and grow as an artist. He is looking to pursue a career as not just a rapper he said, but as an MC as well. 6ix said he wants to leave an ever-lasting impression on everyone he meets and works with. I asked 6ix what he had coming up in the future, so that people reading this could check him out live. 6ix replied "I'm opening for Bay area artist Keak Da Sneak on Feb 8th at the Avenue.  Tickets are just $10 in advance and this event would give everyone a chance to see the talent I have seen in this amazing up and coming artist. 

One judge of a great artist is the devotion and enthusiasm of their fans. I believe I found his biggest fan here in Portland. His father, who spends so much time getting his word out, bumping his music on the corner of MLK and Mason were I take my breaks, and showing his youtube video "1 and Only", which was shot very well and has a great hook. His fathers devotion and heart for the music really made me go home and check his page out. I feel this guy is going to go big places and you better catch it before he takes off. I look forward to seeing what he has to offer and working with him when I can. I wish the best of success and will help any local rapper with a real dream and a talent get to their goals.  As they say at the craps table in Vegas, you need a lucky 6ix to win!!

Hopsin puts the FU in Funk Volume!!

Hopsin Shows Us Why He Puts The FU in Funk Volume!! (Funk Volume Show Review 10/28/12) 

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year. There is just something about the smell in the air, like delinquents and chocolate, that really get the blood pumping. Its the time of year when you can get away with adding liquor to your coffee, when you can hide under layers of clothes and eat without people seeing the weight gain, and when amazing acts like Hopsin grace the stages of the Hawthorne Theater for an amazing night like no other seen before.

When Thrasher first emailed me about the show, he asked me if I knew who Hopsin was and if I thought he would sell at all in Portland. I was so excited to get this email and I knew this would be an amazing opportunity for all of Portland to see the genius that my closest friend, Joe, has been shoving down my throat for months now. I responded to Thrasher that yes, I knew about Hopsin, that he was amazing, and that I would sell the show out and that we would love to play the show. So the deal was made and history was in the making for Portland. This would be Hopsin's first time ever here and I was going to be a part of this incredible event.

So our team began working feverishly to let everyone know that this was not a show to be missed. Many of you may not know, but Hopsin got his start on TV and is no stranger to the camera and lime light. In 2001 Hopsin had a part as an extra on the Disney movie Max Keeble's Big Move, he had a small part in 2002 on That's So Raven (which is were many people may recognize him) and he even had a guest appearance on the remake show Fame. Hopsin has always been a musician, but had a difficult time originally starting off on his career.

Eventually Hopsin did get going and started off with Ruthless Records in 2009, but Hopsin eventually left Ruthless Records due disagreements with the record label.  His debut album, Gazing at the Moonlight was dropped in 2009, but without a lot of backing it only sold 42 copies. After that Hopsin decided to do what many intelligent artists do, who see that the money is in the production, he started his own independent label, Funk Volume.

Presently Funk Volume consists of Swizz, Hopsin, Dizzy Wright, DJ Hoppa, and Jarren Benton. Together these guys heading, like a tornado, to Portland. Leaving a path of hung over partiers, broken relationship (fans), and exhausted venue owners behind. The fans of Portland counted down the days to the show, watching Funk Volume's Facebook posts about previous shows anxiously, and waited to see what they had in store for us. What we were to see would surpass my expectations by far and I would experience a moment during Hopsin's set that I had never witnessed by any other artist before him.

When I arrived at the show, there was a line practically around the block. Even in the pouring rain, fans were ready to get in and waited over and hour for the doors to open, just to get a coveted spot up front, close and person with the artists.

The first artist of the night was a local group. We sat diligently through the group waiting for the artists of the night and getting drinks and food out of the way.

Next up was Tragedy 503, a local favorite. With Tragedy tonight was fan favorite Knothead, Art Hardy (the amazing voice all over Tragedy's album), and Merax. Merax treated us to an amazing dance and some very special Halloween pop and locking, for an 8 year old he is truly an amazing talent. Tragedy had the crowd jumping and we even got to see a crazy mosh pit erupt in the middle of the venue.

As the show progressed we got amazing songs from Swizz, a very funny joke from Hoppa about Justin Beiber coming out to do a song with him, and incredible tracks by Dizzy and Jarren. I thought it was amazing for Hopsin to come out before his set and grace the stage with other artists for collaboration songs, which many artists won't do before their set.

Finally the lights went down, and Hopsin appeared on the stage. He sang out hit after hit and the crowd was jumping, singing, screaming, and girls were taking their tops off. Hopsin was having some great banter with the front row and really bringing the crowd in. Then Hopsin backed up on the stage and we could all tell what he was going to do, stage dive. One of the crowd favorites and a change for people to reach out and touch the star that they so idolize. What happened next no one would have guessed. During Hopsin's crowd surfing event, he rolled over, got the crowd to support him by the knees, slowly stood up, and finished his song..on the top of the screaming fans, in an almost super hero pose, and to everyone's excitment and enormous applause.

In my 13 years of working in music and doing shows, I have honestly never seen an artist do this and I was genuinely happy to have witnessed it. I know you may say that his is not a diffficult feet, but think about it. These fans were not prepped before hand. This was completely spontanious. These people held him strong, stable, and he gave an ultimate showmanship by giving the audience something to go home and talk about for years to come. I guarentee that next time Hopsin comes to town, the show will sell out twice as fast and people trying to get on it will flood the promotors email box. Just know Hopsin, I was the first to give ya a chance and I won't be the last. Keep selling out shows and keep doing what you do best, entertaining.

Underground Artist of The Week: Grayskul

 

For The Power of Grayskul!





This weeks Underground Artist Review, has the pleasure of bringing to you, the group Grayskul. For those of you who have not been privileged enough to see these amazing artist live, you will get an overview today that will persuade you to do so and soon. Grayskul is made up of members Onry Ozzborn, JFK, and Rob Castro. These great artists are currently residing on Rhymesayers Entertainments' label. 

The first time I saw Grayskul was at a Tragedy show in the amazing, and long gone, Rock and Roll Pizza (that used to reside on 112th and Powell in Portland OR). Though the venue is now long gone, Grayskul still lives on and grows more talented and masterful each day. Grayskul put on an incredible show that night and even gave me an exclusive interview after that show, that will appear on the Tragedy DVD, release date TBD.  The band has continued to prove themselves worthy of such a great name after all these years. With their debut release of "Deadlivers" (2005), Grayskul paved the way for a new idea of Hip/Hop that has been a supervillian's design of music takeover. Set on nothing less then world and music domination. With great songs like "Action Figure of Speech" and "Deadlivers" the album gave the fans a great amount of lyrical stylings that were well written and full of actual content. 

The only complaint I had was that many of the songs and rhythm styles seemed the same. As I moved from song to song on the CD I felt the way the band put their lyrics to song was very similar in sound (same inflection on each verse of each song on the CD) but if that is the worst thing on the CD they are doing better then 98% of underground artists out there, that I could write a page of what they are doing that bothers me musically. 

Grayskul also released these albums in 2005: Creature, Wand and The Gun. 

The next CD I came across was Bloody Radio (2007). This CD shows amazing growth, improvement of talent, and infliction in lyrics that I had previously found disheartening in the first CD. The song shows that with time and practice comes better quality and more toned skills. I enjoyed songs such as "Missing", "Is It Me", and "Us". If Grayskul was able to maximize their growth from CD  to CD, like they have done here, in just two years then I am looking forward to reviewing what is next. 

Grayskul also released these albums in 2007: Facefeeder, Scarcrow, and Prom Quiz

The next CD that Grayskul put out is called Graymaker (2009). I enjoyed the change of pace in this album. The tempo was slowed down a bit, but the lyrical content was till present. Songs that make you think and see things in our world that many people turn a blind eye too or may not recognize, made for amazing songs that will last the test of time. Songs from this CD that really stood out for me were "Bread and Wine", "Duece Duece", and "Drapes". The album had a mix of slower beats and quicker tempos. I feel that each album has shown more growth and more lyrical maturity then the previous CDs. 

Grayskul has not released an album since 2009, which makes for the longest time period between albums since 2005. I hope that Grayskul has something amazing in the works for fans. The last Facebook post showed they were playing in Seattle in Sept 2012. So we know that Grayskul is still working and producing music, and until they release another anticipated album we will be patiently waiting. For the power of Grayskul can not be contained nor eliminated. So tell your Grayskul fans that the band is in the midst of their "super special, awesome ultra special, sexy transformation sequence...go! (Grayskull quotes). 

Artist of the Week: Moonshine Bandits

Out Of The Darkness, Shines the Moonshine Bandits, To Light The Way.

The Moonshine Bandits get their name from their deep  family roots running illegal booze during prohibition.  This all took place in Northern California during the years of the Great Depression. Now the Moonshine Bandits have their own actual 99 Proof "Outlaw Moonshine" Spirit which was set to hit liquor and grocery stores legally in 2011 and it is produced by Valley Spirits Distillery in California.  Now the Moonshine Bandits are not only known for their liquor  but also for an amazing lyrical talent that has put them in the midst of such great musicians as Tech N9ne, Rehab, Vanilla Ice, Kottonmouth Kings, Tragedy 503,  E-40, Twiztid, Haystak, , The Expendables, and many more. One of the most amazing honors and opportunities requested of these talented guys was when they received a phone call from the United States Military to perform at Fort Irwin, CA. The Moonshine Bandits performed on July 4, 2010 at the Fort Irwin Military Base located in the Mojave Desert for thousands of our U.S. Troops. They were able to give our troops a much needed release and a performance worthy our men and women of honor.

The first time I had ever heard about the Moonshine bandits was back in the early 2000's when they contacted Tragedy 503 and requested him to be a part of their Whiteboyz In The Game compilation (featuring mainly white rappers and artists) in the industry, also known as the underdogs (in an industry like this, we'll just accept that as most truth). This record was in no way meant to be any sort of a race recognition or to say that any race was better then another, but to give some people who are usually known to be underrated in the industry the chance to show some talent. I am not sure how the CD did in the end, but I do own a copy and I think that the concept may have been flawed looking back now, but the idea was of good heart at the time.

The Moonshine Bandits have come out with their fair share of CD's these past years, moving up with hard work and determination to be a part of SubNoize's amazing lineup. Some of those great features are Divebars and Truckstops (Which features one of my favorite songs "Fists and Jager") , Prohibition,  Soggy Crackers, and theirs newest album to drop Whiskey and Women. The Moonshine Bandits recently hit up the Seattle are doing a tour with Rehab called United Shiners of America USA Tour. The show featured stops all across the US. The boyz just recently hit back home in Cali and from their Facebook status updates are grateful for the experience, but even more grateful for a moment home and with family. 

The Moonshine Bandits look like really fun and interesting guys, but they are quite the enigma of a group. Don't get me wrong, they are fun, great to watch live, and have an amazing gimmick going on, but how did this come about? Cowboy rappers from Cali? Was this part of a great game of truth or dare that went very wrong? "Hey truth or dare".."Dare dude...okay I dare you to start a rap group (drunkin snickers) and do it looking like cowboys. " (Drunkin laughter erupts . "No way dude its not gonna happen...Ya I'm ma do it, I'm totally gonna do it. " Years later their friend stare sitting at home watching them on TV thinking to themselves, man I had no idea that they would do it, let alone be famous. Maybe you shouldn't have dared him to f*%$k my mom either that night asshole!! (insert funny sitcom sounds duh duh duhhhh).  So no matter how the idea got passed around, it worked. You can even find the Moonshine bandits songs featured on CMT of all places. 

Well the sun will only shine on the days that Moonshine bandits have left to offer us great music and great shows, and the moon will light there way to the stadiums filled with fans and cheering crowds. Like a photographer at night aiming for the best picture of the orange moon rings, I'm gonna shoot...on out of here and leave you to do the rest of the research yourself. 

Restaurant/Bar Review of The Month

American Dream Pizza is a mouth full of amazing!










This months restaurant/bar review was of a place I stopped in at, during my lunch hour from work, called American Dream Pizza. The restaurant is located at 4620 Northeast Glisan Street  Portland, OR 97213. At first look, I thought it was just any other pizza dive that you would find off Hawthorne or in some local suburban neighborhood. Once I was inside, I could tell it was a totally different experience.

When I walked in the door, I could tell that the first major asset that American Pizza has, is their amazing staff. They set the place apart from all the others. The person at the front register had to be one of the funnies and most engaging people I have ever seen. He was patient with me, being I had never been there and didn't know what the menu entailed, and let me take my time with my order. He was extremely funny and made me want to come there to eat every day just to see him again. Also, during the ordering process, they were listening to Van Halen's Panama, and at the chorus the whole staff yelled out PANAMA and I just wanted to laugh and clap all at the same time. The charisma in the building and the staff having fun like that made the place a great environment to take a lunch break in and get away from a hard days work. The walls of the restaurant are lined with pizza take out boxes artfully colored by the customers who enjoyed their pizza and service as well.

I ordered the lunch special of single topping pizza and single topping salad (I got Canadian bacon on my pizza and smoked Gouda on my salad). It was great pizza. You could see the seasonings and the spices in the crust and you could taste the ingredients were fresh and that they cared about what went into their pizza. The staff checked up on me a few times to see if everything was great, which I like. They have a serve yourself style to get silverware and water, which at first confused me because I didn't know were these things were. I did finally figure it out and was glad I could do this for myself haha. Also you bus your own table, which I"m sure keeps the prices down to have people take care of their own mess. I am perfectly capable of busing my own table, so I had no problem with this.

Some specials they run was a happy hour of beer and pizza for only $5 from 8-10pm. This is great because most happy hours end right after people get off work and then you miss it. This gives people the ability to get off work at a later time and still make happy hour.

Overall I give American Pizza a 9 out of 10. I would definitely visit them again and hope to get a chance in the future.