TONIGHT: Milo w/ Ceschi, JPEGMAFIA & Jarv @ Arts Riot

Arts Riot opened their doors in the summer of 2012 -- a heavy, heady time to be alive. We all knew the world was ending, and there was a Mormon running for president. Since then, the team on Pine Street has been continuously improving their kitchen game and creating space for great underground culture. Case in point: their steady support of uncompromising art rap. Arts Riot was the home of the short-lived but well-done Sound Affects showcase series, and they've hosted Milo several times now.

(They've also brought BTV some legendary nights with People Under The Stairs, Akrobatic, Masta Ace, Blockhead and even Waka Flocka Flame. Really, yes.)

Milo is a prolific wizard currently based in Chicago. He will be joined this evening by Ceschi, the founder of Fake Four Records and a serious entertainer in his own right -- expect the unexpected. Rounding out the bill is JPEGMAFIA, who makes astoundingly good music, both as an emcee and a producer.

They'll be joined by Vermont phenom Jarv, really the most appropriate choice for a bill like this. The doors open at 8, the show starts at 8:30, and everyone on the bill is dope. $15. All Ages.

ROUNDUP: Hip Hop Shows in February

Feb. 1st - Mister Burns and Jarv @ Switchback Taproom An early set at a great spot downtown. A treat for BTV locals; these guys still improve every time they get onstage. 6 pm. Free. 21+.

Feb. 2nd - Building Blocks 2 @ Swan Dojo The first time around was a big success, getting all four elements under one roof for a proper party. The second installment will be even bigger. There will be breakdance battles, there will be an invitational open mic, Headphonious Monk and DJ Kanganade on the tables, and -- believe it -- far more. All Ages. 5 pm - 10 pm. $10 / $5 with food or clothing donations.

Feb. 3rd - Dilla Day @ Sidebar. This should be an exceptional evening for your earholes. Beat sets from Crusty Cuts, Loupo and Old Gold, and Possibly Human doing a special Dilla set. All killer, no filler. 21+. Free Show.

Also Feb. 3rd - Mister Burns & Jarv at Notte Neapolitan Pizza Bar. The state's reigning tag team champions take their show to Middlebury, VT. 10 pm. $3. 21+.

Feb. 8th - Milo @ Arts Riot. Milo will be bringing his caravan through Arts Riot again, this time bringing along CT-based troubadour and label founder Ceschi. Sadly, NYC wizard/god Elucid will not be making the trek to Vermont, but this will still be a great night thanks to JPEGMAFIA, who is nothing short of amazing. 8pm. $15. ALL AGES.

Feb. 15th - 3rd Thursdays: HLR Takeover @ Monkey House. Even by 3rd Thursday standards, this one will be a big deal. The lineup is stacked, Street Religion and Bar None The Best will both be making their Winooski debut, and there's going to be a contest to open up for The Perceptionists on Feb. 23rd, too. Ten artists will get one song each to convince the crowd they deserve it. 9 pm. 18+ $8 / 21+ $3

Feb. 17th - Joell Ortiz Valentine's Bash @ Social Club & Lounge. NYC rap god and Slaughterhouse member Joell Ortiz will be packing Social Club & Lounge for a Saturday Night show. He'll be bringing through Philly revivalist Judah Priest, who has been both a back bench Wu-Affiliate and a Christian rapper in the past. 9 pm. 21+. $27.

Feb. 23rd - The Perceptionists w/ Cultural Chemistry @ Monkey House. The 802 is getting spoiled this month -- days later, Akrobatic & Mr. Lif will be coming through to sell out The Monkey House. Openers will be Cultural Chemistry, Jarv and...whoever wins the contest at 3rd Thursdays. 9 pm. 18+. $12 adv / $15 door.

ROUNDUP: Hip Hop Shows in June

A couple of choice cuts from what remains of June:

June 14th: Bucksaw and Loupo at SideBar. An evening of collaborative DJ sets. Expect woozy, deep cuts and heavy "electronic trap" influences. Spaced-out ill shit, in other words. 10 pm. Free.

June 15th: Anthill Collective will be hosting their third "Nights of the Roundtables" session at The Monkey House in Winooski. Expect a family vibe, eclectic vinyl and turntable excellence. Pool tables & great drinks. 9 pm. 21+ $3 // 18+ $8

June 16th: Ziontific Summer Solstice Festival will be kicking off and 802 supergroup Cultural Chemistry will be playing. More information (and tickets) available at their official site. Bring a tent, bud.

June 22nd: Yo! BTV RAPS Vol. 8 at SideBar. A variety show that keeps improving every time. The lineup is packed for this one, with Jibba the Gent headlining in support of his impressive new album, The Broccoli Tree. Also on the bill: Self Portrait, Mister Burns, Matt Hagen MC, LoKi, and "members of Bless the Child." What does that mean? You have to go and find out. 10 pm. Free.

June 29th: Busdriver at ArtsRiot. One of LA's best rappers will be coming through one of Burlington's best venues for a solo set. No word on opening acts but dude himself is plenty enough to leave the house for. 9 pm. $12 adv /$14 at the door.

2017's celebration of A-Dog Day will be on Saturday, August 26th.

Viva La Hop, Cultural Chemistry, Fresh Patterns, 3/11 @ ArtsRiot

One of my favorite BTV venues - the food! the people! the beer list! - will be hosting a damn promising bill next Saturday. The headliner is Viva La Hop, a Boston-based, Berklee-heavy nine-piece (!!!) band. They're a throwback act to the glorious days of acid jazz: killer rhythm section, a polished top end with keys and horn section, and even the whole "conscious lyrics" / "educate your mind" routine on the mic. Perfect for Burlington, in other words.



For local support, ArtsRiot are bringing the biggest & best outfit in town, Cultural Chemistry, an "802 supergroup" with a deep catalog. (And breakdancing.) Current lineup appears to be Skysplitter Ink on the beats, DJ Kanga on the 1s and 2s, and Learic, Mister Burns and Tha Truth on the mic; they're a dynamic posse so that is subject to change. Also, expect special guests.

Earlier in the evening, there will be performances from live hip hop crew Fresh Patterns, who held down Rusty Nail last night solo when Sophistafunk couldn't make it, and Bless the Child, always a reliable source of good vibes.

Milo w/ Elucid, 2/20 @ ArtsRiot

Created in Chicago, Milo started in Maine, wound up in Wisconsin, looped through LA for awhile with the Hellfyre Club and did one hell of a lot of touring in between. His shows are enjoyably weird, his beats often superb, and he will be at ArtsRiot on a Monday night.

Elucid is a god level rap writer. "Save Yourself" was one of 2016's best albums, and he took a hard left on his equally excellent followup, "Valley of Grace." Having him come through Burlington is very rare, very based.

Back in 2015, billy woods came through Nectars with Curly Castro and PremRock on a Monday night. There were not a lot of people there, but the music was fucking outstanding and the drinks were both delicious and affordable. Don't pass up the opportunity for that kind of luxury.

To sweeten the deal further, Adeem's new band/project Adam and the Flood will be opening up the evening. Getting Elucid on an off night is a big win for a small city, and that crew has been on a long tour. ArtsRiot is one of the best venues in the state, too. Go celebrate longer days.

Sound Affects: 10/27 @ ArtsRiot

The 6th installment of the monthly Sound Affects event at ArtsRiot goes down this Thursday October 27th in Burlington, VT. This months lineup features a great night of regional artists including Movement Of The Minds, a Hip Hop collective out of Portland, Maine as well as Judge Da Beast in support of his album "Arraignment". There will also be a producer showcase and beat auction from So.802's Brad Vazy as well as a cypher to end the night with DJ Kanga holding it down. Doors 8PM / All Ages / $5 advance & $10 Day of show. You can check out more about the event ---> HERE As always you can pick up a Sound Affects t-shirt courtesy of UnKnown Arts, live art by Anthill Collective and photography re-cap from DVP Cinematography.

Sound Affects Recap - Waking Windows Hip-Hop Showcase

A new monthly Hip-Hop Community Event - Sound Affects - held it's premiere event on May 7th as part of Waking Windows Music Festival in Winooski. Their 2-Hour Hip-Hop Showcase went extremely well & got people excited for their monthly events, to be held at Arts Riot, starting on June 30th.

If you weren't in attendance, you missed out on a truly amazing experience. The energy in the intimate venue (Oak45) was infections & all of the artists displayed a high-level of professionalism & talent.

The Showcase started out with the host, Mertz, passionately performing a song that speaks to why the time for us to all come together is now. The Live Mixtape portion followed & grasped the audience's attention while 8-artists performed songs in rapid succession, blended together by DJ Kanga. Peace to PreciseMC, Self Portrait, Boomslang, LoKi, Manus feat. Dakota, Budnick, Enemy Self, & Bar None The Best for being a part of it!

Next, 4-artists with new projects in the works showcased their new material in longer Featured Sets. Eyedos provided an enthusiastic set - Forest Gray brought his production on stage - Humble displayed his innate energy - & Mister Burns lived up to his reputation as one of the hardest working artists in our state!

The Showcase came to a close with an energetic Freestyle Cypher, where the group Cworner Stwore provided live music (MPC, Stand-up Bass, Clarinet) while a myriad of lyricists freestyled their hearts out! Every Sound Affects event will end with a Freestyle Cypher while we stand united, fighting against the misconception that Hip-Hop artists are not 'real' musicians.

Check out their Video & Photo Recaps from the event, courtesy of their sponsor DVP Cinematography Services! Peace also to their sponsors Unknown Arts & The Sticky Brand!

If you love Hip-Hop, connect with them on social media (@SoundAffectsVT) in order to stay updated on their monthly events!

See you all at Arts Riot on June 30th!

Aug 30th: A-Dog Day Celebration

This weekend is going to be huge. Skate Jams on Church Street, two stages of music at Arts Riot, and very nearly too many acts to actually list.

A-Dog Day is a serious milestone for Vermont Hip Hop -- not this dinky little blog, but the actual scene itself: you and me and everyone we know. (Most of whom are on the bill at Arts Riot.)

This is a celebration of an inspiring human being who left this Earth more than a little bit too soon, and also an opportunity to take stock of the culture he helped grow here. If you're not familiar with A-Dog and his legacy, start here: an excellent Seven Days memorial gathered from his friends, co-conspirators and protégés.

Also: big ups to the homie Miro Weinberger for making this possible.

June 13th: People Under the Stairs @ ArtsRiot.

People Under the Stairs have been turning out timeless hip hop since approximately forever ago, and they're still going strong. Specifically, they'll be going strong at ArtsRiot, one of BTV's best venues, with Jenke's new rap posse, AgentSlacker, and some tour support named Thanksgiving Brown. Doors open at 8, getting inside will run you $15.

More information -- and sweet, sweet ticket sales -- at ARTRIOT DOT COM.

March 15th: Mertz Album Release Riot

The hottest ticket in town this Saturday. From the man himself:

A lot of people have a “CD Release Party”. This will not be one of those. This will be an “Album Release Riot”. The reasons for this are simple: a lot of “artists” put out CDs that are just a collection of songs they have been working on. Mertz’s newest release, The Good in The Bad, is a cohesive album with a collective meaning throughout the entire project. Also, with a line up of some of the best Hip-Hop acts that Vermont has to offer, this show will no doubt exceed the level of any party you’ve been to & achieve full blown riot status. You won’t want to miss this. Come ready to riot! -- Mertz

Mertz - The Good in The Bad

After building the buzz with two singles and a video, Mertz has finally dropped his new album, The Good in The Bad. Featuring production by Nastee, Skysplitter Ink, SXMPLELIFE and Mertz himself, this is a 10 track tour de force with no features.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD.

If you're in the Burlington area, come through Arts Riot on March 15th for the release party...more details on that shortly.

Waka Flocka @ Arts Riot Commemorative Video

I was hoping for a Worldstar-ready highlight reel of all the fights and fuckery that went down that night, but this woozy and beautifully shot short clip does great justice to the absurdity of the whole experience. Enjoy.

No, Really: Waka Flocka Flame at Arts Riot

Already sold out. Seen a few tickets on Craigslist, though: keep hope alive.

2013 had some beautifully weird rap shows -- especially Dice Raw rocking Das Bierhaus -- but clearly 2014 is going to change our conception of precisely what the fuck "Vermont Hip Hop" even means. Case in point would be the advent of Waka Flocka Flame selling out Arts Riot at $30+ per ticket. This is good news for anyone making rap music here in the 802. The past year has seen more hip hop shows in Vermont for a very simple reason: a majority of those shows are making money.

Big ups to Arts Riot for booking this in the first place. Big ups to Waka Flocka Flame for openly admitting he is named after The Muppet Show. Big ups to Argonaut & Wasp for their early entry into Burlington's annual "Most WTF Opening Act Possible" competition -- they're already a strong contender...at least until Lynguistic Civilians opens for Waylon Speed.

November 21st: Bless the Child Album Release Party @ Arts Riot

Bless the Child are dropping their loooooooooooooooong-awaited debut album and throwing a proper party to celebrate the occasion. For a mere $5, you can enjoy the Arts Riot visual, food, and beer selection while witnessing a local lineup to remember: Question, Somewhere in the Solution, Face One, Learic and Wombaticus Rex will be opening up, and Set Up City will finish out the night with their usual rap band free for all extravaganza.

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