We had the chance to focus in on the “Directors of Photography”, Dilated Peoples during their visit to Fremont Country Club on Jan., 16th. Local hip hop newcomers, NOVN (Nation Overheadzz and Vegas Natives) and Vegas hip hop veterans, Cash Coligan, Mr. Ebranes, & Ekoh put one energetic sets the first half of the night and paired perfectly with the pizzazz of internationally known DJ Lethal. They all pumped the crowd particpation levels to the limit right before the velvet curtain opened up for Evidence, Rakaa and DJ Babu.

Performing select tracks like “Kindness for Weakness”, “Marathon”, “This Way” & “Century of the Self”, Evidence even sought out request from the crowd for more jams to vibe to before show closed. It was certainly underground hip hop at its finest hearing the melodies sang out loud from classic albums like “The Platform”, “Neighborhood Watch”, “20/20”, “The Weatherman” & the already instant success from “Directors of Photography”.

This is only the first of many great hip hop acts to hit Sin City this year. And we haven’t made it out of January yet.

photo credits by LVSC’s @JRosenzweig

Source: http://www.lvstreetculture.com/feature/2015/1/25/photolog-dilated-peoples-hit-dtlv-w-ekoh-mr-ebranes-more-vegas-hip-hoppers

The post Dilated Peoples hit DTLV w/ Ekoh, Mr. Ebranes & more Vegas Hip-Hoppers appeared first on Campfire Music.

What Vegas band might you be hearing on the radio in the near future? Read on and find out in the latest roundup of local music releases:

Various Artists, “Skilluminati The Campalation”: For more than a decade now, Campfire Music not only has stoked the flames of the Vegas hip-hop scene, they’ve provided the kindling for many of its brightest blazes.

This 23-track compilation offers a survey of the label’s deep, diverse roster of talent. Plenty of standouts here, beginning with Samson, one of Campfire’s go-to guys for years now, who torches pretenders over some pulsating organ licks on “You Wanna Get On.” Similarly inspired is Mr. Ebanes, who boasts of “movin’ minds above the average records being made” on jazzy vamp “Real Emcee.”

Elsewhere, De Le Soul-referencing duo Late For Dinner, the bilingual Phraze Lingatong, the supremely confident Mikey V.I.P., the needle-voiced Sic Black Falcon and the narcotic drawl of Mic Vegas keep this Campfire burning hot.

Paper Tigers, “Paper Tigers E.P.”: Paper Tigers’ life-affirming alt-rock seems tailored for uplifting the spirits of triple-A radio listeners on their drive-home commutes.

This bunch would sound right at home on commercial airwaves with their earnest, well-executed attempts at locating the silver lining in just about any cloud.

“It’s a damn fine day,” gut bucket singer Danny Burrus announces on album-opener “On Display,” a shout-along rocker about hurdling hard times.

Burrus is a big-voiced frontman, and he needs the lung capacity to power himself over Jason Juandines’ muscular guitar playing. Paper Tigers temper such bombast with three- and four-part harmonies and occasional detours into funk (“Flock Fools”) and slow-burn power balladry (“Everbright”).

This is music for the masses, not music critics, but even the latter can acknowledge the band’s chops.

Spiritual Shepherd, “The Monkey’s Paw”: The song titles here are frequently suggestive of otherworldly domains — “Milky Way,” “It Came From the Sky,” “Interstellar Superhighway” — but the tunes themselves are firmly terrestrial: They’re meant to rumble the earth beneath your feet.

This young instrumental power trio favors meteoroid-heavy jams dense with lumbering riffs, bass lines that could vibrate fillings loose and some pretty acrobatic drumming in places.

Their focus is mainly on bottom-heavy doom that often surges into a head bobbing gallop, though they delve into post-rock atmospherics on “The Mountain Told Me So” and some full-contact funk on closing track “Zero-G Jugs.”

Yeah, their heads may be in the clouds, but their feet are planted firmly on their distortion pedals.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow on Twitter @JasonBracelin.

Source: http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blogs/jason-bracelin/doom-metal-hip-hop-alt-rock-highlight-local-music-releases

The post Doom metal, hip-hop, alt-rock highlight local music releases appeared first on Campfire Music.

THE FLYCATCHER

Saturday, July 26

I’ve heaped plenty of much deserved praise on Tucson rapper Big Meridox in these pages over the last year, but that’s not to say anyone needed to read about him if they hadn’t heard him before. But for this member of the very small club of Tucson’s genuinely great emcees, his personalities on record and in a live setting are two different animals. The visceral, verbal knockout punches of Meridox on his albums are very much on display in a concert setting, but so are his humor, easygoing demeanor and personal accessibility. He abandoned the stage for much of his performance, turning a regretfully unattended performance into an intimate conversation. When this rapper is literally in your face—interacting, tossing off jokes that he probably just made up in the spot—a quality of humility, in stark contrast to the militant brick wall that defines his records, actually adds to his authenticity.

Las Vegas’s Astro Blunt—rapper Phil A. and DJ Chrnologic—provided a breezier counterpoint to the fiery intensity of Big Meridox. That’s not to say the duo were any kind of letdown—quite the opposite, actually. Phil A. is full of effortless, aquatic rhyme patterns, while Chrnolgic’s harder take on Daisy Age – era, so called psychedelic hip hop, simultaneously solidified and personalized the already evocative storytelling of Phil. Phil A.’s trump card was his vulnerability, even amidst his proudest boasts. His humanity gave us a character we could root for and identify with.

Mr. E Branes, also from Las Vegas, was all swagger. An elite performer, one of the few whose charisma inflates their physical stature tenfold, E Branes appeared to be ready for a magazine cover shoot when he was grabbing his beer. His authoritative presence, in tandem with an irrepressible flow over bouncing electro beats and orchestral Wu-Tang Clan productions, was infectious enough to cause an uprising. Each song raised the bar and upped the momentum, which caught enough steam that when he stopped one cold after a lyrical misstep, it only raised the pressure in a woefully empty room, as Mr. E Branes took a victory lap with the few of us lucky enough to witness it.

Joshua Levine, mailbag@tucsonweekly.com

Source: http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/live/Content?oid=4794848

The post Live appeared first on Campfire Music.

By Jason Harris, Source: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/ae/music/2014/apr/30/supergroup-local-rapper-mikey-vip-picks-dream-band/

Here’s how it works: I ask a local musician to pick three favorite (famous) songs. Then I choose one and ask the artist to piece together the dream (local) band he or she would cover it with. The catch: The musician can’t have been in a band with any of them—ever. This supergroup has to be brand new.

Mikey VIP might be an imposing figure, but it’s his flow on the mic more than his physical size that makes him a rapper to watch. No matter who else is onstage with the Detroit native—a member of the local Campfire Music collective—your eyes always wander back to the big white boy spitting nasty rhymes with unique flair.

VIP chose “C.R.E.A.M.” (“Cash Rules Everything Around Me”) off 1993 Wu-Tang Clan debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) since, he says, he might never have become a rapper without the Wu. “Wu-Tang made me want to be a part of hip-hop. It’s a different way of talking and dressing, and it’s intelligent. There’s wordplay and song structure, plus personality involved.”

“C.R.E.A.M.” features verses by Raekwon and Inspectah Deck and a famous chorus from Method Man: “Cash rules everything around me/Cream, get the money/Dollar, dollar bill y’all,” as fresh now as it was in the ’90s. To cover the song, Mikey put together his own group of Killa Bees.

Method Man

Me “Meth was the go-to guy. I always consider Campfire being like a Wu-Tang, and what Meth did for Wu-Tang, I could do for Campfire.”

Bass

Coco Jenkins (Rhyme N Rhythm) “She gives off good vibes, and she’s a real artist. She would play the same way for the big crowd or for herself.”

Keyboards

Jimmy G (The Audibles) “He’s doing a lot of big things. I knew him back in the day, and his keys are nasty. He’s badass.”

Raekwon

P. Freeze (Hood Sent Entertainment) “He’s strategic. There are no bars off. There’s not a dull line. He makes every part of a song count.”

Drums

Vanessa Tidwell (ex-Holding Onto Sound) “I saw her at the Bunkhouse a long time ago—drumming is a guy’s sport, supposedly, but I walk in and she’s killing. It made me forever remember her.”

Inspectah Deck

Ethereal (Living Mechanism) “He’s a truth-seeker. It would be aggressive if he went after it.”

Turntables

G-Minor “He’s one of the best I know as far as cuts. He can blend anything into anything.”

The post Supergroup: Local rapper Mikey VIP picks his dream bandmates appeared first on Campfire Music.

The post Music scene worthy of cornucopia of gratitude appeared first on Campfire Music.

Omino Jakku is co-founder of Las Vegas’ largest hip-hop movement, Campfire Music which has over 40 members ranging from poets, DJs, and more. He was introduced to various music genres at an early age by his father, but didn’t find hip-hop until the early nineties. Influenced by Del the Funkee & the Hieroglyphics crew, A Tribe Called Quest, Redman, Michael Jackson, Mos Def, and more, he is determined to build a solid music career. He uses his unique sound and creativity to set himself apart from others.

“Destro is an introspective look into the society we live in without the sugar coated censorship of the mainstream media or corporate music machines. It’s the idea of everyone wants to shine but is too hardheaded to succeed and get it,” says Omino Jakku.

To date, Jakku has released several albums and produced tracks for many local and nationwide artists such as Mikey VIP, Mob Zombie, to Homeboy Sandman and more. He has also performed shows nationwide and has “The Hangover Tour” which hits 12 cities in August.

The highly anticipated project “Destro” is available for download and streaming now. The mixtape takes listeners on a journey through Jakku’s past life experiences and how he has escaped the stresses of the world. He is currently working on his next album “Poorsche”.

About Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes

Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes are the most widely distributed mixtapes in the world, with over 100 million downloads/plays generated by over 200 volumes officially hosted by major artists. Coast 2 Coast has a solid reach in the new music industry with a digital magazine, DJ coalition, industry tips blog, yearly convention, and more. Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes represents a unique opportunity for artists of all urban genres, from major to indie. For more information, visit http://www.coast2coastmixtapes.com.

Media Contact:

Ashton Lynne Haywood
786.953.6522
pr@coast2coastmixtapes.com

Coast 2 Coast Mixtapes Presents the “Destro” Mixtape by Omino Jakku
The mixtape is presented by Coast 2 Coast Mixtape Distribution

The post Coast 2 Coast Press Release for “Destro” appeared first on Campfire Music.

Jason Aragon (The Clydesdale/Same Sex Mary)

“Firecracker” by Skorchamenza. “An older song by an older Vegas band. When I hear it I visualize a big, manly truck driving off-road through some rugged desert landscape. It’s aggressive and sexy, and there’s barely any of that left in Vegas.”

Felony Melony (The Objex)

“In on the Self Medicator” by Deadhand. “The meaning I get from this tune reminds me of a saying: You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be.”

Melissa Marth (The Big Friendly Corporation)

“Weepy Horn” by The Clydesdale. “I love Paige’s vocals and [my husband] Andrew’s doubled acoustic guitar solo.”

Matt Frantom (Caravels)

“Oh My Goblet!” by Lester Freamon. “Blending groovy and ferocious hardcore with intricate, interweaving guitar melodies. Damn, I love this band.”

Trevor Jones (Trevor and the Joneses)

“Umbra Penumbra” by Black Camaro. “A singles’ single from an albums’ album. This song would be a nice introduction for somebody that hasn’t been open to the idea that ‘local bands’ can make world-class masterpieces.”

Austin Jeffers (Last Call)

“Tidal Waves” by Narrowed. “Intense and thick. It flows with energy, but makes me feel sad. I love when music gives you emotions that you need to sort out in order to process.”

Jackson Wilcox (A Crowd of Small Adventures)

“Forbidden Love” by Same Sex Mary. “I love the simple and sparse instrumentation. The track pays off big with lyrics I can really get behind and gets to the heart of why I love Same Sex Mary as songwriters.”

Mikey VIP

“On My Way” by Samson. “A really triumphant anthem track. Talk about being successful in the music industry and putting in years of work. It’s finally paying off.”

Eric Rickey (Most Thieves)

“Devil’s Choir” by Dusty Sunshine. “I love the soulfulness of the vocals and the swingin’ groove. The vocal build in the breakdown section and the crescendo of the song afterwards is a great dynamic change.”

Jenine Cali (The Dirty Hooks)

“Zebraska” by Black Camaro. You know when you like a song in the first 10 seconds? When you catch yourself humming the tune shortly after listening to it, I think that’s a good sign, a sign of good songwriting.”

The post Vegas musicians share the tracks they’ve been listening to appeared first on Campfire Music.

Upon arriving to Las Vegas in about 2007, there was really only one question that still awaited an answer in the city that was considered the Entertainment Capital of the World…..Where is the hip hop in Vegas?

Surely, it would be found on the strip!? Which it was. Acts like Talib Kweli, Common, Rakim, hit The Strip on any given night for a dress code get up, a $20 for guys cover charge, and $15 drink that could get dropped before it got sipped. But then, standing in line to see Mos Def(Yasin Bey) rock House of Blues on night, flyers were being handed out that read…”I <3 Hip Hop”. From there, it was the mission of an transplanted hip hop head from the Midwest was to find what Sin City had in store behind the Hennessy on Rocks and valet parking.

During this time, and up to about 2008-2009, the invitation to check out an open mic night at the Square Apple lead to the findings of Image Wone, Isaac Sawyer, and many others in this laid back jazz bar that seemed like it was more out of the golden days of Harlem rather than Modern day Las Vegas.

Fast forward to present day. The Square Apple is no more, the men and women who performed that night have grown in measured leaps and bounds. Today, we were able to break ground with 2 of the 6 members of that form Demolition Men – Isaac Sawyer & Post Scripted.

LVSC: So what was your introduction to hiphop like for you in Las Vegas? What type of grind did you need to put in in order to get your names out in the streets?

ISAAC SAWYER: I got started in Hiphop by my older brother and watching ridiculous amounts of Rap City (1997). One of the most notable acts that inspired me to emcee was the Wu tang Clan. Their raw sample based production intrigued me. I started writing raps in middle school. by high school I was recording my own 12 song album at Diamond cutter studios. I was also part of a 3 man rap group called “Lyrical Deluxe” (1999). We did numerous talent shows perfecting the art of stage presence the whole time.

I was exposed to the Open Mic and poetry scene in the Historical Westside (1999). by being a part of that scene it sharpened my craft. At one point I was hosting and organizing open mics/ full productions. These events included dancers, singers, emcees, musicians. Then a high school friend, Image Wone, told me about a place called The Cooler Lounge (2001-2006). They had events there every Sunday. That is where all the local hiphop artist that had something worth sharing shared their music. There was also a Thursday option called the Aloha Kitchen. which not only catered to the emcees, but also to the BBoys because of the hard wood floors. The Cooler Lounge is where I earned a name for myself.

During this time I worked on an Ep with an East coast producer Dj Ikhon titled “The Introduction” which sold a few hundred copies locally. I was able to open for notable acts such as KRS one and The Living Legends.

Then the Blackbook sessions came from The Chapter Crew (2005-2009) . It was a live band open mic. This was another platform for Vegas artist. I did a few performances there and I guess the crowd reacted in such a good way that The Chapter Crew felt compelled to include me into their band. I was somewhat of a hype man, even though I did some of my original stuff in the sets. Through being a member of The Chapter I was able to grace the stage at The House of Blues opening for acts like Ice Cube, Wu Tang clan (2007). I was also featured on the last Chapter release which got some coverage locally as well as in Germany. After the band decided to slow down.

Post Scripted: Well i’ve been making music for 8 years or so. I was introduced to hip hop at a young age through my father who was a deejay in the military and since then i’ve loved every aspect of the four elements of hip hop. lol originally i wanted to be a deejay and i would stash away my pops old records and make mixtapes on cassettes lol but it wasn’t til i went to college when i realized i wanted to make beats, it became sort of a dorm room obsession lol. My good friend whom is now signed to Fake Four and I would spend all day chopping records and crate digging for those dope samples and around this time i started to blossom my emcee skills. I didn’t record to much during college but i used this time to tone and master my style of beats that i make.

After college, I moved back to Las Vegas, and was introduced to Isaac from a mutual friend, and I was also introduced to Mr. Ebranes and Youthie(YouthinAsia). Isaac and I didn’t talk much at first, but Mr. Ebranes and Youthie stayed in touch with me. And 2 years ago, I was recruited into Campfire Music.

LVSC: So with all the hard work and dedication that you have put into perfecting your craft on individual levels locally, how did the “Demolition Men” project come about?

ISAAC SAWYER: I currently live in Brooklyn New York now. But before I left to New York, I worked on a group project with Post Scripted (The Beatsmith) and Snuph (The Verbal Beast).

I met Post Scripted through a mutual friend. Post Scripted has a sound that is unmistakably Hiphop music. As soon as he presses play you automatically start nodding no matter which one of his instrumentals he chooses. He has been providing sound for artist in the California, Washington, Colorado, Arizona area as well as Las Vegas artist. His sound is influenced by J Dilla and other sample scientist. He produced the entire Demolition Men project. This is saying a lot about his production because Snuph, as well as myself, have an arsenal of trunk rattling beats that we could have presented to the project. Snuph has been in the music industry for much longer than I have. He started when he was in Elementary school. Him and his older brother have a group called Dirty Earthlings. Snuph and I met when my older brother, friends with Snuphs brother introduced us.

Snuph is a problem when it comes to the MPC with his sampling skills. His lyrics have an advanced quality to them. not many in the scene can match his abilities. This is why we joined forces on a bonus track on my album “Q&A”. The song was touted as a fan favorite.
The musical chemistry between us was apparent. So months before I left to New York we decided to work diligently on a few songs and the Demolition Men project was born.

Post Scripted: I was kinda going through a rough patch in my life at the time and one day isaac had came through to hang out and we started just listening to a bunch of old instrumentals i had made and this was 3 years ago before i was in campfire. I had moved to california for 6 months but isaac kept in touch then the following year when i moved back to vegas we started working on the demolition men project.

Demolition Men was already established. I’m the new member, but its members includes: myself, Snuph, Isaac, Text One, Odie, and Johnny O – they were all childhood friends. Isaac, Snuph and i sat down and started working on the first Demolition Men which I look at it as a prelude to what’s to come from Demolition as a whole.

LVSC: So now that the Demolition Men project is finally here – ready for the ears of Vegas on 4/20/13. You guys have seen quite a bit as far as the growth of the hiphop artistry in Sin City. How do you feel about the hiphop culture from an emcee standpoint today?

Post Scripted: Ok! So, i’ve been in the vegas scene for, I’ll say 3 years now. A short period compared to Isaac and Snuph, and when i started – I didn’t really know too much about the scene, but there was a lot of talent in Vegas then and even now. Theres are so many artist in Vegas, that a lot of dope artist get overlooked. And I was in that boat until I was introduced to Isaac and was recruited into Campfire.

The Vegas scene is the most diverse scene i’ve been apart of. It has a vice for everyone. We got the commercial cats, if you listen to underground hip hop we got that. We got live bands trip hop etc…. The Vegas scene has very talented artist within every genre, and that one day we will be recognized on a national stage.
Sorry didn’t mean to go on and on, but i would like to thank you for the write up, and I’m very humbled and appreciate that you’re doing that for us.

LVSC: It was our pleasure. Looking forward to getting even more from Demolition Men, and thank you guys for your time, and for keeping Vegas hiphop and street culture on the map.
Get more details on Demolition Men by visiting them on Facebook at facebook.com/demolitionmen and download the new Demolition Men album at Demolition Men’s Bandcamp page.

Source: http://www.lasvegasstreetculture.com/demolition-men-s-new-album-reconstructs-vegas-hiphop
Posted by M. Savage

The post Demolition Men’s new album reconstructs Vegas Hip Hop appeared first on Campfire Music.

10 Vegas bands you should hear right now

The Las Vegas music scene is sprawling and scattered. It’s also home to lots of talented artists—you just need to know where to look. This week, we’re handing out a little extra help in that department, as we spotlight Caravels and nine other local acts making noise in 2013. Read about them here and give ’em a listen; you just might discover your new favorite band.

And don’t stop there. Dozens of local bands deserve a place on your playlist. Consider this simply a starting point.

Who: A community of artists with a scope beyond music, bringing rappers, DJs, painters and even graphic designers into a creative cooperative. The most active members include Synickle, Omino Jakku, Samson, Mikey VIP, Prez, Mr. Ebranes, Imagewone, C.H.R.O.M.E., Shamroc, Phraze, Post Scripted and Pawnshop.
Audio Clip

The Scoop: If a rising tide raises all ships, the same must hold true for beats and rhymes, right? Campfire Music’s mission is to elevate Las Vegas hip-hop through collaboration—and what founding rapper Jakku calls “friendly competition.”

It seems to be working. The Campfire crew has been on a productive tear lately, releasing nearly 10 albums and mixtapes in 2012, including a Kendrick Lamar-hosted Coast 2 Coast Mixtape, featuring eight Campfire artists. And Campfire shows no signs of slowing down. “It’s a new year, and we all feel a sense of impatient excitement for what’s to come,” Jakku says.

Already slated for the near future: the Prez mixtape H.A.T.E.R.S., the Jakku street album Destro (mixed by DJ September 7th) and Mr. Ebranes’ LP The Wonderful World Of. Though musical genres within the group can span from gangsta to old-skool to instrumental, a common thread runs through all of Campfire’s projects: a family attitude and a feel-good vibe.

source: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2013/jan/24/10-vegas-bands-you-should-hear-right-now/

The post Campfire Music Featured on Las Vegas Weekly appeared first on Campfire Music.

Using a style blended from his influences of Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Atmosphere & Sage Francis, Pawnshop de Vegas has become an eclectic melting pot of musical force. Since being introduced to blues music by his father when he was a young boy, Pawnshop de Vegas was infatuated with music. As he grew older his tastes expanded to Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Psychedelic Rock. “Once I heard Jimi Hendrix for the first time it was over. I needed a guitar,” said Pawn. Before his parents would ever buy him a guitar, Pawn would go to guitar shops and pawnshops and practice until they would kick him out. He would later be described in a local review as being a “Pawnshop guitarist…Someone who would go to pawnshops and play until they asked him to leave”, and the name was born from there.

Pawnshop began receiving accolades for his poetry as early as elementary school. He began performing live playing guitar at the age of 13 and by the age of 17 was a capable session guitarist and well known on the Las Vegas blues scene. From there, Pawnshop’s style grew to include more of a hip hop flavor, and Pawn began paying his dues in the Las Vegas hip-hop scene and battle circuit.

In 2003, Pawnshop won the first battle competition he ever entered the X-107.5 Xtreme Thing Emcee Battle. From there Pawn began to pave his way as a well-respected hip hop emcee using a witty, aggressive and angry tone that made him unique. It is this style and approach that has led Pawnshop to open up for such hip-hop and rock acts as: KRS-One, Bone Thugs and Harmony, Blueprint, Lucky I Am (Living Legends), Panic at the Disco, The Killers, Busdriver, Saab the Artist, and Q-Unique from the Arsonists. Pawns’ live performances have been regarded as being one of the best in Las Vegas. His showmanship has been seen on stages and clubs in Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Denver. Pawnshop has been featured on several tracks and mix tapes for some of Las Vegas’ most respected and well known hip hop artists, and Pawn is also a member of Campfire Music -Las Vegas’ most respected and well known hip-hop crew.

All of Pawnshops experience and skills were finally culminated with the release of his debut album Does Anybody Care Anymore? in May of 2012. Taking pride in being a pioneer of sound, Pawnshop de Vegas ensures that there will be still be an original element found in music for years to come.

source: http://www.xsesmag.com/journal.php?id=11

The post Pawnshop de Vegas Album release appeared first on Campfire Music.