thepaintedman rates this:

The RBCs (aka The Roast Beef Curtains) are from Long Island, New York, but if you put on the Pleasure EP, you’s swear that you were chillin’ in Long Beach with the Skunk Records crew. Five tracks of Sublime inspired reggae-punk-alternative-rock guaranteed to deliver on the promise of the title.

Track 1 – “You’re Great”

Song opens like a track off of a Halfway Between Here and There-era Rx Bandits album. There is an obvious Sublime influence, as with most of the album… nice rock chorus, vocals are solid, and there’s a killer lead guitar solo. From the door, here’s the proof that Andrew has his own voice, both lyrically and vocally.

Track 2 – “L.I.B”

I’m not sure what “L.I.B” stands for… Long Island Beach, perhaps? Any way you slice it, this track is white boy reggae at it’s finest.

Track 3 – “Rabbi David”

Here’s the obligatory punk rock track. Clever lyrics about a screwed up rabbi dude, for instance: “Rabbi David is eating bacon, I’m gonna tell his mom he’s fakin’.” Love it. It makes me laugh, all the while rocking my face off.

Track 4 – “5th Base Girl”

Musically, this song is what Fugazi would sound like as a reggae band. Lyrically, this song is dirty… like very dirty. The bass line is sick and the song is informative… I learned that 5th base is Diet Coke and gloryholes.

Track 5 – “Salty Vile Dub”

Final song of the EP is a solid dub track. The bass booms. And, it makes me wanna be sitting poolside with an ice cold beer. That, my friends, is a good song… taking me to a vacation in my mind.

So… the synopsis here… 5 good tracks of white boy reggae ala Long Beach Dub Allstars, Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, Si Senorita etc. There is killer tattoo flash art including a rad interpretation of the Unabomber. Great, great, great EP. Check it out!

With the audition shows of American Idol back this week, I thought an appropriate Question of the Week would be a nice an simple one: If you were trying out for American Idol, what song would you sing?

We all know that some people rock their auditions and some MUST be joking, but so much of the success of the contestants seems to hinge on song choice (and outfit choice, as can be see here by the INFAMOUS BIKINI GIRL from last season’s auditions).

A good song in your vocal range can make you shine… or, you can try to sing a Mariah Carey song and, hence, sound like a dying bird (like the girl who “sang” Mariah Carey tonight).

For me, despite considering going the William Hung route and singing “She Bangs”, the choice would be Sublime’s “What I Got”. When I rock karaoke, I usually go for a bring down the house song (“Big Balls”, “Closer”, and “Gin and Juice” rank among my best performances), but here the choice is more simple. Familiar and in my range (mostly), gotta dig on the song that made Sublime famous (well, that and tragic death).

So, again I ask: If you were trying out for American Idol, what song would you sing?

My favorite choices win free CDs. Think of me as Simon (though I think of myself more as a Randy, DAWG). Oh, and thanks to those who chose how to be immortalized. Never too late to throw in your two cents.

thepaintedman rates this:

The 3rd day of Christmas (at least by thepaintedman’s math), brings more fresh hip hop, in fact… what I am presenting to you is the freshest Christmas themed hip hop since Rev Run, Darryl McDaniels, and the Jam Master presented us the classic tune of which I shared with you yesterday.

This 10 song compilation is thoroughly enjoyable and can spice up you Christmas playlist very easily, as it has mine. All 10 songs are solid, featuring artists like LA Symphony (including my boys CookBeezy and Uno Mas, who incidently I saw on JCTV yesterday while flipping channels), MG! the Visionary (a man responsible for getting me much deeper into hip hop than I ever had been before when he released Transparemcee…), Scribbling Idiots (JustMe, Cas Metah, Mouf Warren, Theory Hazit, and Wonder Brown), Sintax the Terrific (free download of track “Snow Day” coming on Friday’s mixtape), Page One, Elias, Caramel Skillington, and Sivion. And while, I can honestly assert that all 10 tracks are fun, enjoyable, and well made, here are my top 4, in David Letterman-esque fashion:

4. LA Symphony’s “Christmas Song”

While I have not confirmed this, I assume this is an older LA Symph track, notably because of the presence of Pigeon John on the track. The beat takes a back seat to the rhymes of this all star cast of MCs. (Their other track on this comp is a sweet track, too. It’s entitled, “It’s Christmas” and has a beat I dig a bit more, but the lyrics and showcasing of the delivery of these talented MCs on this track make it my favorite of the two).

3. Elias’s “Maria”

Different than the other tracks here, Elias’s track is not really a hip hop track, but rather an acoustic reggae track ala Bradley Nowell of Sublime. A fantastic track for fans of hip hop and those who don’t bump much hip hop alike. Been stuck in my head for a few hours now (as I type this I am singing the song aloud in my office).

2. Page One, Theory Hazit, MG! the Visionary, and DJ Because’s “We Three Kings”

I’m just such a sucker for MG’s flow and adding a few other fantastic artists into the mix doesn’t hurt. I wholly dig the jingle bells and how they pair with the scratch work and the backbeat. Hot track. Period.

1. Scribbling Idiots’ “Jingle Bell Knock”

Sampling “Jingle Bell Rock” is genius for this track. The construction of the beat is phenomenal. While the LA Symph track noted above is almost entirely about the MCs on the track for me, this selection as my favorite track is easily as much about the production and beat as it is about the rhymes and flows. A very well put-together track from the collective that seems to be at the helm of all that is Illect.

Download these tracks today from sphereofhiphopstore.com or on coming soon on iTunes… you won’t be sorry. And then you can come back and tell me which tracks are your favorite. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, telling me about your favorite track(s) will pay off with a little Christmas surprise in the way of some free music.

Pictured below is Beefy w/ his buddies in Optimus Rhyme. Who is Beefy? Let’s find out.

Beefy? What’s up with the name?

I’m a big guy. Someone was trying to make fun of me on a message board once and called me MC Beefy Bee and I liked the Beefy part, so I used it. Then it just kinda morphed into Beef Thompson over the years. I likes it. How about you?

I appreciate that, I am also quite a large fellow… So, besides your name, tell the readers a little bit about you.

I’m a nerdcore hip-hop artist from Southeast Washington. I’m very much into my Xbox and iPhone and have been a comic book nerd for years. I’ve put out 2 full albums and a bunch of free EPs that you can get at my website and I’ve done shows with people like MC Lars and YTCracker in Seattle, Portland, and even Amsterdam. I’m also very sexy. Don’t deny me. You’ll just look foolish.

I have a couple of your albums, personally my favorite song is your cover of Frontalot’s “Nerdcore Hip-Hop”… not sure why exactly, I just dig it a lot. In fact, I like it a lot more than the original. Is Frontalot an influence on you, who else in the Nerdcore scene do you consider an influence on what you do?

Front is definitely an influence. I can’t write like him at all, but he’s cleaver with his concepts and is an amazing performer. I look up to the big acts in Nerdcore like Lars, mc chris, and YTCracker. I’m also a fan SJ the Wordburglar for his wordplay and punchlines. My favorite band and biggest influence is Optimus Rhyme, a Nerdcore Seattle act that sadly broke up recently. It sucks. Hard.

Nerdcore aside, who are some you you favorite hip hop artists?

I grew up on Notorious BIG and Jay-Z so that was my base. I’m a big fan of the first few Gym Class Heroes albums before it got really radio-friendly. Big fan of Lupe Fiasco and early Kanye West and Eminem. That’s honestly about it.

How about other music?

I’m a White Stripes fan. I don’t know if it makes me less manly but I dig Regina Spektor. Tenacious D is the greatest band in the world, but everyone already knows that. I’ve listened to Sublime’s 40oz to Freedom a million times and was in love with the first Gnarls Barkley album. I don’t know if that last one counts as hip-hop or not though.

Good stuff, Sublime is likely my favorite band of all-time and that is their best album, hands down. On the topic of other musical styles, what type of music is the scariest? I just re-read Lords of Chaos, about the Black Metal scene, but I find myself still most afraid of most Country music.

I don’t like music that seems like it’s pissed off at me. I don’t want my music to scream at me. I don’t get that whole scene. If it works for some people that’s cool, just not my cup of tea. I don’t know if I’m really afraid of it since it’s all just a big act when their on stage. I think balls deep Christian music scares me the most. Those people really really believe.

Christian music can indeed be a bit frightening. So let’s move beyond music for a minute, shall we? As a Nerdcore artist, I thinks it’s safe to assume that you are a self-proclaimed nerd (as am I). What are your nerdiest traits and tendencies?

Like a lot of nerds I can carry entire conversations using nothing but movie and TV quotes. It’s like speaking a different language. Besides that I don’t think there’s really one particular thing that is my nerdiest quality. I have a <3 and a Bullet Bill tattoo, so I'm clearly hardcore. Oh, I know, I've made albums worth of songs about things like Street Fighter and board games. That's pretty nerdy.

I actually got a Star Wars Father’s Day card from my 7th month old son, how awesome is that? You have any kids?

My girlfriend has a year and a half old daughter we call Nugget and she gave me a Batman chocolate box for Valentine’s Day. It might have been the greatest day ever. I’ve been involved with the little one since she was 5 months old so I get all the joys of changing diapers and cleaning up after her but lack the ability to make decisions or call her a daughter, so it sucks a little but I loves her so I allow it.

That’s really cool, great V-Day gift… so back to music… or rather, hip hop feuds. I believe the reason Nerdcore isn’t more prominent in the national scene is that there are no publicizedhardcore beefs and feuds like in every other sub-genre of hip hop. I am requesting that you start one now, by dropping me a short freestyle about a Nerdcore artist of your choice.

How out of the loop you are sir. Nerdcore started with nothing but beefs and fighting. I should know because it seems like I started 90% of them. It’s actually just finally calmed down. And I already made a diss song called “Diss Missed” that was on my Private Dick EP. People dug it. Not so much the people dissed in the song though.

Well, I guess I’m a late bloom in the Nerdcore scene… care to start a feud with me?

Fuck you. I hate you! Feud Status: IT’S ON!

Well, that’s just too much for me sir! This interview is over! By the way, take care and keep in touch.

I change my mind. I love you. Let’s be BFFs. Feud Status: BFFs!

thepaintedman rates this:

Let me preface my assessment of Si Senorita’s High Times, Hangovers, and Harmonies by saying that if I was on a deserted island for the rest of my life with one album it would be Sublime’s 40 oz. to Freedom and that Sublime is arguably my favorite band of all-time. Thus, my standards for reggae influenced rock are pretty high, so it’s in no way an insult to say that I believe that this album sounds like Sublime with a less talented singer.

I don’t think the vocals are bad, in fact I would assert quite the contrary. Mike Garrity, the lead vocalist and one of two guitarists, has a great voice… but Brad Nowell (RIP) had the voice of an angel and a ridiculous vocal range. Mike isn’t quite an angel and doesn’t display nearly as much range, but has a great voice for their brand of white boy reggae. He hits all the notes, isn’t often flat, and has a more than decent range. It’d be fair to compare his vocal style to any number of Skunk Records vocalists not named Nowell.

To compliment the more than worthy vocal stylings, the music is nothing short of solid. There is a simplicity about most of the melodies that comes across as seemingly effortless… not effortless in a bad but, rather, in a great way, the way that sounds just right, the way that take no effort by the listener, the way that just makes you want to float away into a sea of Mexican beer and summery cocktails. These effortless melodies are melded with a tight rhythm section.

My favorite tune is “Country Rasta” about the legend of a gee-tar pickin’ cat living on the creek in backwoods PA inhabited by the musical soul of Bob Marley or, perhaps, Jimmy Cliff. My only gripe about the song is that it should be longer, as it ends abruptly and it leaves me wanting more… although perhaps that’s part of it’s genius.

Overall, Si Senorita is still young and growing into their potential, but the talent and drive is there. They know their sound and their reggae, jam rock, and country influences are all evident. Great music that will make you transport you to a warm Summer day where you crack open a beer and sit poolside lazing the day away… SoCal stylee hits Eastern Pennsylvania in the form of Si Senorita’s first full length release, do yourself a favor and get a copy. I guarantee this is one CD that doesn’t fall out of my rotation anytime soon.