ROUNDUP: Brief Intermissions

Dropped out for a minute there, sorry folks. Things have been hectic, in a good way. We'll get back to our normal schedule by Turkey Day. In the meantime, though, I owe you some quick updates, no?

First of all, the Food for Thought Tour is in full swing. Props for making The Addison Independent. Props for raising money to feed hungry families, one of those rare causes that absolutely nobody can really argue with because it is so Obviously Good For All Mankind. Coming up this week: Flask Lounge (ME) and then...

Anthill's 3rd Thursday at The Monkey House will be a doozy, with Jarv & Mister burns swinging through to headline alongside Boomslang, who just dropped their new album Attack the Vampire. Things kick off with Prism GBA and Modest, who celebrates the release of his new EP, Harder Times Bring Harder Rhymes. 9 pm. 18+ $8 / 21+ $3.

In other big news, Jibba "The Gent" is going to be throwing a birthday party show at The Rusty Nail in Stowe on December 9th. Headlining the evening will be Slaine and Termanology, fresh off their new collab album Anti-Hero. (Which bangs, by the way.) Also on the bill: Bar None The Best and Hitmen For Hire -- a new project featuring Raw Deff, Judge Da Beast and Yung Breeze. Expect all fire bars from some of the 802's best spitters.

That show is being promoted by 6ix5ive6ix Records and Hustle, Loyalty & Respect Ent, with additional sponsorship from J Gibbs Engineering and Springfield-based restaurant Sherri's Place. It takes a village to make a scene to work. Big thanks to everyone supporting hip hop in the 802.

On Friday, legendary hardcore venue Jim's Basement will be hosting some hip hop: Self Portrait and Face One will be delivering an evening of choice beats and rhymes. If you don't know about Jim's Basement, bud, ask around. Usual rules apply: $5 donation for the band. No Jerks Allowed. It's a policy that works.

ROUNDUP: Hip Hop Shows in September

September 6th: Yo! BTV Raps Vol. 9 @ Sidebar. This should be approximately hype as fuck, packing some high energy rap acts into an intimate lil' craft bar. Jarv and Boomslang are both party demolition units. In addition, Face One continues his comeback streak, Khaosity will be staking his claim to BTV, and PR Department will deliver a set. That's a new collaboration between Rico James of Self Portrait and local boom bap head PreciseMC. Also, happy birthday to hip hop superfan and live show cameraman Brett North! 10 pm. 21+. Free.

September 7th: Hip Hop Heals @ Backstage Pub and Restaurant This is a benefit show for the Garrows, a local family who had a house fire this summer. Admission is free and there will be a variety of fundraiser activities throughout the evening. Props to Colby Stiltz for putting this on.

September 12th: Big Boi @ Higher Ground. Hot damn. Not a lot needs to be said here. 8 pm. All Ages. $35 adv / $38 door.

September 14th: Vermont's Finest @ Social Club and Lounge. Another showcase affair at Social Club, a great BTV venue that makes a point of putting on real events. This should be no exception, an evening of local rap sponsored by God Squad and Heartless Ent. Lineup includes Eyedos, BL SPITZ and Dok Trauma. 8 pm. 18+ $5 / College ID $2

September 15-17 Above The Radar. This is a Very Big Deal: a three-day graffiti festival right on the Burlington waterfront, bringing in some legendary crews to collaborate on massive walls. This is a family friendly, pure hip hop event and represents a massive amount of work by Vermont's own Anthill Collective. Free. Go check it out.

September 15th: Mics and Strikes @ Champlain Lanes. The lineup hasn't been announced yet but if you want raps, drinks and bowling all in one place, this is your fix. Always a good time.

September 16th: Capital Punishment @ Sweet Melissas. Current lineup is Khaosity, Drive, Modest and Lifelesson -- expect more names to be added in the weeks to come. 9 pm. All Ages. $5.

September 16th: Upper Valley Summer Music Festival @ The Engine Room. Packed bill in White River Junction. 9 pm. $10 adv / $15 door.

September 21st: Home Grown Hip Hop @ Club Metronome. Colby Stiltz, Suss Brim, Chyse Atkins, Jibba Tha Gent, Modest, Party Boy Woodz, Joe Grizzly and City Lights. 9 pm. 18+ $5 / 21+ Free

September 30th: The Fall Come Up @ Gustos. A guaranteed good time. This is a homecoming party in Barre for Bar None The Best, and they'll be celebrating with a serious lineup: Judge Da Beast, Jibba The Gent, and NYT (aka Jamell Rogers). To top it all off, this is your chance to see the Street Religion crew live onstage without having to drive at least an hour south. 10:30 pm 21+

September 30th: Boomslang & Jarv @ Charlie O's. Another guaranteed good time, and in the same county, no less. It's a Vermont tradition. Best dive bar in the state if not the country, great party rap, colorful regulars grumbling about great party rap -- just because I've said all this before doesn't mean you shouldn't be there. 21+. Free.

TONIGHT: Hip Hop Showcase at Charlie-O's

A damn hot ticket tonight in downtown Montpelier. Charlie-O's has had some strong hip hop bills in the past year, but this an exceptional evening. VMB Productions is bringing in some out-of-state talent: Cody Pope and Two Story are both from New Hampshire, and Ill By Instinct has been killing it in Maine for many years now. Many readers may know him as the founding & frequent host of Rap Night™ in both Portland, ME and Manchester, NH. DJ Myth will also be in the house.

Throw in local support from Fresh Patterns, Mister Burns, Trono of Self Portrait...and a set from Face One, who has been on sabbatical for quite some time. He played his first set in years just this Thursday at the Monkey House.

And, of course, all of this goes down at Vermont's greatest dive bar. There ain't a better lineup anywhere in the state* this evening. 9 pm. 21+ only. Free as in free.

* ...unless you're in the NEK. Then head over to Parker Pie to see the young legends Maiden Voyage tear it up.

Food Justice For All - A Hip Hop benefit concert for Salvation Farms

            Collective Rhymes presents an evening of Vermont independent hip hop to raise money for Salvation Farms (http://www.salvationfarms.org), a gleaning organization that gets fresh produce, that would of otherwise been wasted, to those in need.  
            It will take place at Parker Pie Co. in West Glover, VT on Saturday, January 10th from 8-11PM. Performances by Face-One, Mavstar, Maiden Voyage, Owen Kinlund, Caveman, Dusty Swamp, and special guests. Your host of the evening will be Mycelium. There will be a freestyle cypher and dancing to end the night. Cover charge is a suggested donation of $5-$500 and there will be a raffle with lots of cool local items! For More Info mcmycelium74@gmail.com

"At All" - Face-One (is back)

This isn't part of the "Get Familiar" series since by now, we should be familiar with Face-One, one of Burlington's best and most distinctive exports. Since the Earegulars project, he's been in shamanic hermit mode, occasionally showing up to heckle me at shows but otherwise scarcely seen. That is about to change drastically. You have been warned.



VTHH: Is "At All" part of a larger project on the way or are you still on hiatus?

Face-One: Off hiatus.

At All, Searching, and Not in Season all have a particular place. At All is from a highly experimental and really dark album entitled “A Way to Nothing” I am working on with the likes of TAP; a dub step, electronic, former metal drummer, and metal band frontman from Texas. It's got enough darkly vibes and tonality to make Aleister Crowley roll in his grave. It could also double as the theme music for Sex Magick rituals.

Searching is from Apart From the Others, a project that I have had a hiatus on amid the chaos that is my life. That album just needs to be finished being recorded but due to the electric seas of complexity I tend to cyclically surf it's been on halt. That project is with the redheaded, alien, super producer known as skysplitterink aka Zack Crawford aka face let me get a smoke cause I smoke but never buy a pack. That project is utterly ridiculous and features the likes of brutally honest, prolyphic from strange famous, Zack DuPont (one of Vermonter most brilliant guitar players), nuda veritas (formerly vt but now in boston) , Corbett (black light music) who has credits for Saigon just blaze styles p and the list goes on and on, an lastly Zack Crawford and myself. Rapping... actually rapping... Sounds crazy right?

Not in season was a response to a particular transition point I recently dealt with. The heavy seas of life inspired that one. It features humble and yeah that is what it was and what it shall be. Without this medium that being music and words I don't know how the hell I’d make it through most days.

VTHH: What got you into rap to begin with? How does one arrive at such a distinctive style of production, composition and delivery?

Face-One: Man, what gets anyone into anything outside of fascination, and curiosity? I’ve always been drawn to music & poetry so it just kind of worked out. The style of production definitely shaped itself when I was posted in a bed with my mouth wired shut. Finding different ways to talk I guess. The words ever evolving and growing just like me.

VTHH: What are your favorite venues in BTV these days?

Face-One: Venues… I don't go to many shows really. That scene gets old real quick for me, its a lot of conversations I don't go out to have, and lots of random shit. If I'm going out I’d much rather go to a bar like the needs, the OP, or someplace just as loud or quiet, where I can be but don't really have to be there you know. Detachment is key some days. So is socializing. I find a balance.

VTHH: What albums do you currently keep in rotation? (Do people still listen to albums?)

Face-One: Thom Yorke-Tomorrows Modern Boxes
Damon Albarn-Everyday Robots
Andrew Bird-The Mysterious Production of Eggs
Flying Lotus-Until the Quiet Comes, and that new one You’re Dead
Caetano Veloso-Transa
Thundercat
Run The Jewels 1 & 2
Stan Getz
Astrud Gilberto
Salt-N-Peppa
Breakup Music (not to plug you but theres some gems on there)
Earegulars - The Seed
& lastly some Action Bronson

"NOT IN SEASON" - Face One ft. Humble

An unexpected gift from Burlington-based rapper/producer Face One, who dropped a fresh track this morning with Bless the Child emcee, Humble.



Face One has been maintaining radio silence for a long time -- no word on whether today's sneak attack means there's an album on the way.

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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Get Familiar: SkySplitterInk Playlist

A set from Zach Crawford of SkySplitter Ink showcasing the work that he's been involved with. #ProTip - Zach is your best bet in the state for quality rap recording. Book him.

Milo x Wombaticus Rex @ Jenke Arts, August 24th

Milo * Safari Al * Wombaticus Rex * Face One

This is a rare treat: Milo is awesome. Saturday night, baby. Doors open @ 8:30. Suggested donation of $5-10.

mavstar - "Even Out EP"

Another jazzy, breezy banger batch from Burlington's mavstar, featuring production from Face One and Skysplitter Ink.