Overheard in D.C.: March Madness Edition
Click Click: First Fringe of Spring
MLS, Players Union Agree To New CBA
Maryland Considers Card Games For Prince George's County
Mass Gay Wedding Not So Massive
Considering that he thrives in paranoia-soaked lyrics, Aesop Rock's live performance felt surprisingly comfortable. He evaded the biting urgency of a Sage Francis or a GZA as he delivered his verbose rhymes with a laid back lope across the stage and frequently distributed high fives. He didn't remind us who he was every ten minutes, nor did he rely on excessive call and response with the audience. Aesop Rock had not come to start a revolution or to throw a party that burned the place down. He didn't need to. Armed with a fresh batch of new tracks, Aesop Rock's taut flow coupled with DJ Big Wiz's dance-inducing beats served as a reminder as to just why he is one of the biggest names in underground hip-hop.
The fact that his new LP, None Shall Pass, has barely been out for two weeks hardly mattered. When he started his set with the album's first two songs, "Keep Off the Lawn" and the title track, a loud and sizable chunk of the audience already knew the chorus and by the end of each song, those who originally hadn't heard the songs also knew what to say. These set the tone for the introduction of his new tracks.
Photo by Laura Foltz
Aesop Rock's producer, Blockhead, and turntablist DJ Signify threw together stimulating mashups that constantly had the members of the audience mentally cataloging their old CD collection and wondering, "What song is that exactly?" The familiar but out of reach hooks backing songs like "Mr. Belvidere" and "Smooth Criminal" wasn't necessarily conducive to throwing one's hands in the air like they just didn't care, but it provided for an enjoyable head-scratching nostalgia trip.
If Blockhead got the audience thinking, then Aesop Rock's labelmates Yak Ballz and Cage got them moving. Yak Ballz, in particular, who started the set with some solo tracks before Cage's entrance, appeared to have had a few Red Bullz -- something was giving him wings as he bounded tirelessly across the stage. Cage was more intense, thrusting his personal demons upon the 9:30 Club patrons. Not that these concert goers, specifically the ones in front, seemed to mind as they returned his spitfire with their arms crossed in the air, their hands each baring the letter "C." His angry energy compensated for a few stagnant beats and almost-there rhymes which might not have been terribly noticeable if Aesop Rock hadn't taken the stage shortly afterward.
For all of the density of his lyrics, a light thread of quirkiness ran through the Aesop Rock set. Although most of his songs dealt with heavier material, he threw in songs like his plea to astronomers to "Bring Back Pluto," and threw colorfully absurd drawings on the screen behind him, such as those of animals dressed as other animals. Even his banter got comical as he informed the audience that for the second time in a row, his parents had come to see his D.C. show and he had to watch just how much he was swearing.
This didn't stop his banter from getting serious when the need arose. After a particularly vicious bout of crowd surfing during "39 Thieves," Aesop Rock and MC Rob Sonic actually had to calm down the crowd. The surfing slowed but did not discontinue even as the two MCs took a break to let DJ Big Wiz create some beats by sampling, among other things, the Aqua Teen Hunger Force theme song.
This may have been a night to introduce new music, but despite a stylistic expansion from the tracks he played off of Bazooka Tooth and 2005's Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives there really weren't too many surprises. Even the encore, Labor Days' "Daylight" seemed to be a given. Aesop Rock's tracks are as lyrically challenging and head-nod inducing as they've always been and without slipping into laziness, he relaxed onstage, letting his hard work speak for itself.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Post a comment (Comment Policy)