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.

July 29th: WRITE BROTHERS PARTY at Nectars

Learic and Dante DaVinci have created something monumentally heavy with their "Write Brothers" project. We've already documented some of the nationwide buzz they've been getting just off the first two singles. Tuesday night at Nectars will be your chance to hear the entire project get debuted at one of Vermont's finest establishments, the legendary Nectars on Main Street Burlington.

DJ Fattie B will be in the house showcasing his increasingly awesome remix/mashup work, and Wombaticus Rex will be kicking off the Rap with special guest Godforbid. We'll be doing the new EP "Fear of Death and the Need for Reproduction" straight through.

It should probably be mentioned that this show is completely free.

C'mon down.

"Come Back" - The Write Brothers

You're riding with the Write Brothers, first in flight. A second single from the increasingly impressive cross-coast collaboration featuring Learic and Dante DaVinci. Tablas, firebomb synth chops, and a damn catchy hook drive the point home: this will almost definitely be the best rap project coming out of Vermont this year.

"When the pens in my hand, your attention span tends to expand." Fuck yeah.

Write Brothers is Kinda Blowing Up Right Now

First of all, you've heard this, right? If not, fix that...



This single has been legitimately blowing up. The Write Brothers are making waves way beyond the 802, and this is good because they should be. Since being debuted on Earmilk.com, they've been getting writeups with hip hop diehards KickKickSnare, being featured on the Seven Days website, and even landing a spot on DJ Booth.

Still, my favorite coverage so far was this: a long-form interview with Dante Davinci, an excellent read that offers a lot of gems for independent artists. Good strategy is good business.

"Extraordinary I" - The Write Brothers

More fresh produce from Learic, fresh off the release of The Precepts debut album "This is How it Must Be" and his mixtape project with Kin, Unusual Subjects -- clearly the man is aiming to make a statement out of 2014. (And he's far from finished.)

The Write Brothers is his collaboration with Dante Davinci, a talented & dedicated producer who has been working behind the scenes here in the 802 longer than most of us have been drinking legally. This is a powerful team, as evidenced by the lead single, "Extraordinary I." You can catch Learic live on July 5th at Nectars with MC B-Free and the Ice Coast Band.