Srsly? Records debut, 3.19.09

"In a scene too often dominated by oldsters ... Columbia has an up-and-coming group of talent that deserves your attention.”

myspace.com/srslyrecords

Columbia has some exciting young bands emerging in the local scene. Seriously? Yes. Srsly.

Local music pimp Bakari Lebby has put together a stable of talent under the moniker of Srsly? Records, and believe me, his pimp hand is strong. Said strength was showcased last Thursday at New Brookland Tavern as Srsly? made its official debut.

The Artichokes
On seeing The Artichokes, questions abound: Who is the better singer? Who has the cooler guitar? Who has the sweetest belt buckle? Here are my expert opinions:

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1. Emrys does most of the singing, and he has the voice for it. His voice is clear, smooth, and doesn’t strain when he goes for higher notes. He can jump up into a falsetto range pretty effortlessly. However, keyboardist Jay handles vocal duties on a few songs, and he actually has better charisma/stage presence. His voice is not as good, but the audience responds better to his delivery. I’ll call this one a draw.

"Jay makes things a lot more interesting with a tabletop full of electronic equipment.”

2. Another tough question. Emrys played a baby blue guitar with an oddball shape. Second guitarist Daniel strummed a Fender-inspired axe with a sweet Japanese flag design. Daniel gets the nod here. Rising sun > baby blue. Check the pics and post your opinion.

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3. Jay had a chromed-out Batman buckle. Emrys sported a blue buckle with a Thundercats insignia. Clearly, the Thundercats take this one. Batman is badass as the only superhero not to rely on supernatural powers, but Lion-O easily takes him one on one with the sword of Thundara. That’s not even mentioning if Panthro gets involved.

Now that the big questions have been answered, a little about the rest of the show. The Artichokes play catchy indie-pop with an electro-edge. The lyrics are witty, a la Weezer. The guitar tones are clean and jangly, and the songs are well-written. The main focus is on Emrys strumming and singing, but Jay makes things a lot more interesting with a tabletop full of electronic equipment. With two synths and a laptop, dude looked like he was writing the whole thing down in Java script.

Sweet Vans

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Sweet Vans completely stole this show. Srsly? President/CEO/H.N.I.C. Bakari Lebby (MC B-Money) and his partner MC Ginger Snap showed off lyrical skillz, sick beats and fly outfits as the NBT crowd danced and laughed along to Columbia’s most outrageous hip-hop group.

Backed by nothing but a laptop, Sweet Vans delivered a mashup of familiar beats with hilarious rhymes. Their neckties and sunglasses recalled the Blues Brothers, but their deadpan delivery brought the wit of Flight of the Conchords. And their schtick is straight Steven Colbert. (Sweet Vans, and Republicans, don’t read this part.) You know how Steven Colbert acts so conservative that in reality he shows how absurd it is? MCs B-Money and Ginger Snap are so “gangsta” that they show how ridiculous modern radio-rap can be.

"Sweet Vans has changed this song around to give shoutouts to Columbia institutions like Five Points and USC, and the result is funnier and more creative than the original.”

But even the staunchest hip-hop head will crack a smile when they hear Sweet Vans rhyming about “purple drank”, money and Dr. Dre. The group imitated a familiar hip-hop convention of busting on the audience in the song “Goofin on It.” (B-Money to guy in the front row: “Dude, didn’t you know visors went out in 1987?”) Not even pseudo-rap styles were safe as Sweet Vans roasted Reggaeton with fake Spanish accents and ridiculously rolled Rrrrrrrrrrrs. (Street cred was bolstered on this one by the guest appearance of true South American superstar and local DJ Alejandro, who lent some legit Spanish rhymes to the track.)

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The set was a nice mix of the familiar and the original. I am no hip-hop expert, but I caught samples and lyrics from MGMT, Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z throughout the set. And I recognized the beat to new party anthem “I Love College” by Asher Roth. Sweet Vans has changed this song around to give shoutouts to Columbia institutions like Five Points and USC, and the result is funnier and more creative than the original. The audience happily sang the words “We Love College” as the MC’s jumped off the stage into the crowd for a huge dance circle.

Go see these guys; you will be entertained. Srsly.

Hello Tomorrow
Disclaimer: I didn’t get to see most of these guys’ set. From what I did see, these indie-rockers are reminiscent of Heist and the Accomplice’s first record (thanks to P. Wall for the comparison.) They are more upbeat than a lot of indie rockers -- drummer Nate Puza drives the sound with frenetic drumming, and bassist CJ Rhodes underpins the tunes with active, walking basslines. (Puza might be a little TOO frenetic -- check the ripped head on the front of that bass drum!)

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In the few songs that I caught, I saw a guest appearance by a female vocalist that stepped out of the front row and onto the stage. Singer Justin Hallas sang backup with her and their voices sounded great harmonizing together. Another nice touch was in the last song, when Puza tapped on a xylophone before picking up his drum sticks.

Toro y Moi
I had heard a lot about Toro y Moi prior to this show, so I was really anxious to check them (him? it?) out. I must say that it was not what I was expecting. I had heard the terms “dance” and “electro-pop” thrown out a lot, but that is not how I would describe Toro y Moi.

"To me, Toro y Moi frontman Chaz Bundrick is like a modern-day John Lennon.”

To me, Toro y Moi frontman Chaz Bundrick is like a modern-day John Lennon. He takes the stage quietly and seats himself behind the keyboard. Thick glasses frame his serious face. His manner when addressing the audience between songs is subdued, and his lyrics are sincere and earnest. He tackles subjects like his hometown (“Some people say Columbia sucks, but that doesn’t mean you should want to leave -- you should want to make it better”) and religion (a song about your mom and dad telling you to go to church but you don’t want to).

For a one-man band, Toro y Moi has a lot going on. Bundrick began the set playing keyboard over basic, sampled drumbeats. He used his left hand to play electric bass notes and used organ or synth sounds to form chords with his right. His vocals were heavily processed with reverb and delay through an effects box he had on stage. For the second half of the set, he ditched the keyboard for a nylon-string acoustic guitar.

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Though different from what I was expecting, Toro y Moi was still quite impressive. Bundrick’s songwriting is thoughtful and his artistic vision is exciting with the culmination of so many musical aspects from one guy. I think the set was hurt a bit by being at the end of the night -- after three loud and rocking bands, the intimate arrangements of Toro y Moi came off a little flat. Still, the audience showed Bundrick the respect he has earned in Columbia’s scene by standing right in front and listening attentively to his tunes.

In Summary…
Srsly? Records is bringing some exciting music to Columbia, and the best part is they are all young! In a scene too often dominated by oldsters, Bakari Lebby and his USC undergrad cohorts are proving that Columbia has an up-and-coming group of talent that deserves your attention.

For more info, visit: myspace.com/srslyrecords