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Atmosphere – Virgo
Defining success is not an exact science by any means. In some ways, it’s especially difficult to quantify one’s success when they have a job that places them in the public eye, a position that is ripe for critique and high expectations. Perhaps those who best thrive in those scenarios are the ones who can navigate through all noise and continue to evolve and grow, both in their skill sets and as individuals.
In many ways, that is an integral part of the Atmosphere story. Over their twenty-year career, they have managed to continually tweak and strive to perfect their formula, while neither straying too far off their path nor resorting to playing it safe. Starting at 1997’s Overcast, the group’s first official album, and traveling through 18 years of new albums, side projects (e.g. the Sad Clown series and Felt), and various collaborations, all the way up until 2014’s Southsiders album, Atmosphere’s music has evolved in a way that differs from many of their peers and predecessors. A hard look at that evolution doesn’t reveal the commonalities of following trends or struggling to fit in, by either over-extending in an effort to stay cool to the younger generation, or succumbing to the pressure people tend to place on artists to maintain the same sound from album to album. Instead, the Atmosphere discography evolves in a natural way.
Musically, Ant has continued to define Atmosphere’s sound, ranging from a healthy mixture of upbeat and fun to the oft more iconic, moody and personal. Throughout the 1990s, Ant spent countless hours in his basement with a wealth of records, a keyboard sampler, a turntable and a 4-track, working with a who’s who of the Twin Cities’ Rap talent of that time. Those experiences tuned his ear, molded his work ethic, and shaped his vision. In turn, those lessons have continually become more prominent in the Atmosphere aesthetic, blending live musicians and sampled production with his keen sense of how to compose a well-arranged song.
As for the lyrics, Slug started his passion for rhyming with an obsessive-like penchant for the way words intersect, as well as how those words can be manipulated for unexpected and clever meanings. But, at the same time, early on Slug expressed an interest in doing more than simply proving he could be witty, but also writing about subjects that speak to people personally, as well as emotionally. These practices also naturally helped the Atmosphere fan base to expand beyond the usual independent Hip Hop audience, extending their reach to an alternative audience who also related to the personable appeal and emotional range of both Slug’s songwriting and Ant’s musical backdrops. Particularly, Slug has been consistently successful in leveraging his understanding for the power of words, recognizing that a song containing the right story or personal perspective can be extremely effective in capturing and holding the listener’s attention.
Undoubtedly, the impact of Atmosphere’s music has been the roots to their long-term success, but their continued rigorous touring and performance schedule has been the vessel for engraining these stories and the legacy of the music into their fan base. Early on in their careers, Atmosphere stepped beyond the genre lines and performed shows throughout the Twin Cities with Rock bands, Punk Rock bands, and Jazz Ensembles. This was directly influenced by the fact that both of them were already fans of a wide range of music. Although this was a natural reaction to being a fan of the music, that experience also afforded Atmosphere, and their Rhymesayers peers, the opportunity to witness first-hand the D.I.Y ethos shared by some of these other musical movements.
Atmosphere began to apply many of these tactics and work ethics to their growth, which was specifically influential in the development of Atmosphere’s approach to touring. These strategies found Atmosphere expanding their tours into cities that few if any, Rap artists were including in their routing. The result is a storied connection between the artists and the listeners, which has grown into long-term Atmosphere fans passing down that experience to their children and so on, and thus continually ushering in a new generation of Atmosphere fans. Early on in their touring excursions, Atmosphere shows were noted in history for challenging the idea that Hip-Hop audiences had to be filled exclusively with scowl-faced males fueled by ego and testosterone. Instead, they created an environment that invited women to join in on the party. All of these factors have led to a fan base that ranges from ages 14-54 and beyond, and one that remains solid, as well as ever evolving.
As Atmosphere steps into their 21st year of making music, Slug & Ant show no signs of slowing, compromising or losing sight of their vision. Nor has time revealed any diminishing of those qualities that have brought them this far. As 2016 swung into gear, Atmosphere had already ended the previous year and led into another with a string of singles, and still have an abundance of music on the way, including their latest album, “Fishing Blues”. The title of the new album speaks directly to the sentiments that opened this bio; Is this the point in the career where Atmosphere chooses to step back, put up the Gone Fishin’ sign and reminisce about their successes? The answer, a resounding no, is found in the music, a collection of songs that both define and redefine the Atmosphere sound. Their passion and creative spark are as illuminating as ever. Slug and Ant still have plenty of stories to tell.
SOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
http://rhymesayers.com/atmosphere
https://www.facebook.com/Atmosphere
https://instagram.com/atmosphere
https://snapchat.com/add/seanmosphere
https://twitter.com/atmosphere -
Jules Rendell – The Return
Exploring themes of self-worth, perfectionism, and fear, Rendell has fused her soulful roots with electronic soundscapes, hints of funk and pop hooks. Filmed by Gareth Kay and directed by Ricardo Castro, Jules Rendell is excited to unveil the visuals for ‘The Return’, the third single off her debut album ‘IMAGINE’.
Speaking of her new song, she adds: ‘We spend our lives worrying about things that don’t really matter. We chase after success, value achievement, and stature, but it’s a trap that can tie us up. I think love is what can free us from all of that stuff – I long for that resting place of acceptance.’
LINKS:
https://julesrendell.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/julesrendell
https://twitter.com/julesrendell
https://www.instagram.com/juleswools
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa3paCLPOQ402qn49JBrIHd1sRxn0aDNL
https://soundcloud.com/julesrendell -
Scattered Hamlet – Stay Hungry
Hard Southern Rock Band Scattered Hamlet has released the official music video for their cover of the Twisted Sister classic single, “Stay Hungry.” “Stay Hungry” is a heartfelt tribute to the band’s drummer, Jake Delling Le Bast, who is currently in a coma.
“There we were, one second we were waiting to see if we landed a tour support slot with an artist we really looked up to, and then next, I got the call. The heartbeat of the honky-tonk metal machine, Jake Delling Le Bas, was celebrating his 30th birthday and fell off a third story balcony….. They didn’t know if he was going to make it. Later though, he did defy all odds and made it, but was in a coma with a traumatic brain injury. The kind of brain injury soldiers get from IEDs.
I couldn’t make this crap up if I tried, it was like an episode of Behind The Music, but this time, instead of me watching it we were living it. I’m writing this nearly eight months later and I haven’t heard his voice since September. After talking with his family and the guys, we realized Jake didn’t work most of his adult life this hard to get the band to where we were only for us to decide we couldn’t move on. Honestly, that would piss him off most.
Since the album cycle was cut short for Swamp Rebel Machine, we wanted to make something special so we put a call out to our fans on social media to pick a song for us to cover as a tribute for our fallen brother.
We had some great ideas pitched to us and some not so great ideas [laughs]. Anyway, we demoed a few and they ran a complicated series of emotions: reflective, sad, sentimental… you name it, we tried to link that emotion to a song we could do justice. In SH though, we always had one gear and that’s balls out straight ahead. At the end of the day, we were still hungry and still wanted that same thing we were after the first time Jake, I and the early SH machine drove halfway across the country to SXSW in Austin to announce to the music community that we were here. So that’s when my older brother stepped in, the fella who gave me my first Kiss album and got me started on this journey, he said, “Do Twisted Sister.” My brother grew up on Long Island and he and his friends used to see them in their early days. I’d always been a fan, but I watched their documentary and thought, wow, these guys knew how to overcome. Here we are feeling sorry for ourselves and should be out kicking ass again. With the help of Jake’s best friend, and decorated producer, Jason Donaghy, and Jake’s younger brother, Alex, doing the video, this tune gave us a chance to get back on the horse and maybe when we play Warped Tour it can introduce some of the younger folks at the shows to the badassness that is Twisted Sister, or of course, Dee and the band can go NY style on my ass if they think we messed up their song.”
– Adam Joad (Frontman)About Scattered Hamlet
Imagine Stone Cold Steve Austin with his partners Bo and Luke Duke in a parking lot brawl on Saturday night set to music?“It’s Honky Tonk Metal, like you took a handful of cheap tucker speed and headed out on the highway. “ That’s how the guys in Scattered Hamlet describe their sound. To many others, they describe it as a mix between Motorhead, Molly Hatchet, and Clutch. Take a listen and you be the judge.
Scattered Hamlet was created to capture the essence of growing up in the country while still giving nods to the original outlaw countrymen of years past. Scattered Hamlet is one part Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet with a little flavoring of Motorhead and Down. All wrapped up in a fine shotgun shell casing. Their influences range everywhere from Southern classic rock, to groove, to doom and punk. With humble origins all over the United States and a relentless touring schedule of 100+ shows a year visiting 40 + states, the band makes no apologies for the equal love of Harley Davidsons, Honky Tonks, Les Pauls, Marshalls, shotguns and the classic American symbolism they all amass.
Their debut full-length album, Skeleton Dixie, was produced by 2-time Grammy nominated Jason Donaghy who’s credits include Rob Zombie, John 5 and the Murder Dolls and mastered by legend Howie Weinberg who’s credits include: Pantera, Slayer, White Zombie, and Danzig. Their second full length, and most recent, S_wamp Rebel Machine_, would go on to give the band their most success with nearly 5,000 copies sold since its release in 2016, landing them a place on the Billboard Heatseekers charts for first week sales in November 2016. All of that mixed with a rigorous touring schedule during the 2017 season has made Scattered Hamlet a top competitor in the underground rock scene.
Scattered Hamlet has gone on to perform at some of America’s greatest music festivals such as Rocklahoma, Rock Fest, Steel Horse Bike Rally, and Warped Tour. Plus, their latest release garnered heavy rotation on dozens of radio station across America and found placements on CMT, MTV, and several other media outlets.
These hillbilly boys know how to grab the bull by the horns, hold on for dear life, and ride that cow into the ground. All humble, yet determined, Scattered Hamlet is aiming down the barrels and ready to pull the trigger on the monstrous career ahead of them.
LINKS:
http://www.scatteredhamlet.com
https://www.facebook.com/scatteredhamlet
https://www.twitter.com/scatteredhamlet
https://www.instagram.com/scatteredhamlet