We are but one day away from a big night at the Hidden House with Nocando, Open Mike Eagle and 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers, and I couldn’t be more amped. Speaking strictly as a fan, I can’t think of a lineup that better represents the hip-hop I’ve spent a majority of time listening to for the … Continue reading 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers: The Key Studio Sessions
In the first of what I hope will be many future collaborations with the fellas at Universatile Music, we are bringing to Phoenix a mighty hip-hop triumvirate packed into one night, Feb. 18 at the Hidden House: Nocando, Open Mike Eagle and 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers (featuring Zilla Rocca and Curly Castro). All three dropped releases … Continue reading SMS and Universatile Music present: Nocando, Open Mike Eagle, 5 O’clock Shadowboxers, Feb. 18!
So maybe Flying Lotus didn’t stroll in for Friday’s festivities at the Hidden House, but Zilla Rocca and Curly Castro still put on a ferocious show, winning over fans with a tightly prepared and professional set. You know how, like, 89 percent of rap shows are a clusterfuck of towel-waving hype men and a ragtag … Continue reading 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers: Bottomfeeders (Small Pro Remix) + No Resolution, live in PHX
We got a flyer now, so you know it’s official: I’m teamin’ up with Al Page at the Hidden House, one of my favorite weekend spots in the Valley, for a Friday night of live hip-hop that stretches from Phoenix to Philly. It’s a reunion of sorts: Transplanted Philadelphia emcee Random, who calls Phoenix home … Continue reading This Friday: 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers, Random and more at Hidden House
At the risk of absolutely jinxing it, I’ve been exchanging emails recently with Zilla Rocca, working to extract him from Philly and introduce his talents to the Phoenix scene. If nothing else, I want to meet in person the man who can find it in his heart to name-check Toni Kukoc in a verse. Until … Continue reading 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers: No Resolution 2 (video)
I’m embarrassed to admit it’s been almost two months since Weiss, an A&R man disguised as one of my favorite bloggers, sent out an e-mail to promote The Slow Twilight, the new release from 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers – a collaboration between Zilla Rocca and Fresh Cherries From Yakima’s Douglas Martin. (You may remember Zilla and … Continue reading 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers: Weak Stomach (video)
When I emerged from my hibernation – don’t call it a comeback – one of the first people to welcome me back was Zilla Rocca, Philly’s noir-hop Mad Man. I’ve gotten to know Zilla a bit over the years, so I feel bad that my inactivity on the site meant not continuing to spread the … Continue reading Zilla Rocca: Neo Noir
Our show on Feb. 18 with Nocando, Open Mike Eagle and 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers turned out to be incredible. But the day wasn’t without its anxiety-filled moments, from Curly Castro’s lost luggage at the airport to Nocando, Open Mike Eagle and Jeff Weiss having to speed through the desert night after breaking free from L.A.’s … Continue reading Nocando, Curly Castro, Spit Suicide freestyle at Hidden House
I can’t recall exactly which cassette I owned first – L.L. Cool J’s Bigger and Deffer or Run-DMC’s Tougher Than Leather – but both played huge roles in turning me on to hip-hop as a wee 9-year-old. Like Radio before it, Bigger and Deffer blasted big boasts and gut-thumping beats. Hell, this album was too … Continue reading Curly Castro: Eulogy to L
Better late than never … albums to follow soon. I had a feeling about England in May, and in the seven months since, nothing changed my mind. Before even trying to decipher the lyrics – which appears to many, including myself, to be mostly a futile task – the song’s triumphant swell of music had … Continue reading Favorite song of 2010