Tone Tank & Scott Thorough Release Video for "Chip On Your Shoulder" // Show at Southpaw on Sept. 16th

Nuclear Family members Tone Tank (Iller Than Theirs) and Scott Thorough are releasing a seven-song collaboration CD at a record release party at Southpaw on Sept. 16th and all attendees will a hand-painted copy of the new disc.

Tone and Scott just released the first video from the new disc. “Chip On Your Shoulder” is off the new record, Scott & Tone which will be out September 10th on Modern Shark, featuring guest appearances from Serengeti, Kool A.D. of Das Racist, and Mercury The Maroon.



The record release jam is planned for Thursday, September 16th at Southpaw in Brooklyn. Along with Tone Tank & Scott Thorough, the night will feature performances from Junk Science, Serengeti, Safe, and Dillon, and DJ sets from Chances with Wolves.

Links:
Modern Shark
Tone Tank

Tone Tank & Scott Thorough (Nuclear Family): Album Release Party at Southpaw on Sept. 16th

DOWNLOAD: Scott & Tone - "Crack Selector" (featuring Kool A.D.)

Nuclear Family members Tone Tank (Iller Than Theirs) and Scott Thorough are releasing a seven-song collaboration CD at a record release party at Southpaw on Sept. 16th and all attendees will a hand-painted copy of the new disc.

Two of the tracks have been made available as free downloads in advance of the album release. Here is the background on "Crack Selector": Tone Tank and Kool A.D. met while Tone was building props for a video shoot. Tone helped to purchase red ladies boot-sneakers that Kool A.D. ended up loving and wearing around a lot. Also, Kool A.D. was on Ecstasy that day and was all touchy-feely and Tone was like “Yo, why’s this fucking guy touching me!?” Somewhere between then and making this song, Tone realized that dude is a really funny guy and that they should do a song together.

Scott Thorough had made the beat a while back, and after him and Tone heard “Fake Patois” by Das Racist, they decided that it would be the perfect beat for a sequel to that song.

Sharing the bill at the Southpaw show are Junk Science, Serengeti and Safe.

Links:
Modern Shark
Tone Tank

Tone Tank for Borough President/Show at Southpaw on July 3rd

DOWNLOAD: Tone Tank's Campaign Song (produced by Jah-C)

With NYC unemployment skyrocketing, Brooklyn-based rapper Tone Tank has thrown his hat in the ring and is running for Brooklyn Borough President.

Imagine if this story got taken seriously - watching Tone and Marty Markowitz swapping quotes in the press would be priceless. Tone though said "I don't actually want to be Borough President. That's like an actual job and I don't want an actual job. I just want to put my face everywhere and I don't feel like I need to wait for some magazine to do it for me, 'Cause that might not ever happen. I'll just do it for myself. Gotta have a reason, right? Well, 'cause I'm running for Borough President, that's why. I mean, even if I don't win ... I'm still the Borough President... What's somebody gonna tell me, I'm not? I know I'm not... but I am."

Tone's playing a show at Southpaw on July 3rd with Junk Science and Cage. The show is "Day 2" of an album release party for Cage and tickets are $15.00.

Links:
RadioBelly (free downloads from Tone, Kray, Iller Than Theirs and more)

Junk Science (Nuclear Family) and Mr. Lif Play The Studio @ Webster Hall on April 11th

DOWNLOAD - Junk Science: "Running Shoes" (MP3)

Def Jux artists Junk Science and Mr. Lif are playing a show on Saturday at The Studio @ Webster Hall. Both artists are respectively finishing work on their third albums, which are due out later this year, so I would expect that there will be a good mix of old and new material played at the show. Doors are at 8PM and tickets are $15 dollars.

Junk Science, which features emcee Baje One and DJ Snafu, released their second disc, Gran'Dads Nerve Tonic, in 2007. One of the highlights from the disc was the ultra-catchy single "Hey". Junk Science's new disc, A Miraculous Kind of Machine, is due out later this year on Embedded Music.



Boston's Mr. Lif is a long time member of the rap group The Perceptionists, along side Akrobatik and DJ Fakts On. He is currently preparing for the release of his third solo LP, I Heard It Today, which coming out on Def Jux Records on April 21st.



Links:
Junk Science's MySpace profile
Mr. Lif's MySpace profile

Junk Science Plays Southpaw on Thursday (NukFam, Hip-Hop)

Junk Science is playing Southpaw on Thursday night as part of a night of hip-hop. Also on the bill this night is Akrobatik (from Boston), Willie Evans Jr (from Jacksonville) and Dope Sandwich (from Savannah).

Junk Science released a great debut disc, Gran'dad's Nerve Tonic, last year. Since then, Baje One released a solo EP as a free download and Junk Science just appeared on one of the tracks, "Snaf Rinse 3ft." on the new EP from Iller Than Theirs.

This should be a great show and tickets are only $12. Doors are at 9PM and the show starts at 10PM.

Links:
Junk Science's MySpace Page
Definitive Jux Records

Coney Island Freaktoberfest Features Iller Than Theirs, Brian Grosz and Lots of Beer

This looks like a good one...

The first annual Coney Island Freaktoberfest Boutique Beer & Music Festival will be held on October 3rd. Participating breweries are: Shmaltz, Sixpoint, Southampton, Southern Tier, Ithaca, Chelsea, Captain Lawrence, Blue Point, Dogfish Head, Stone, Smuttynose and Lagunitas. There is also going to be a burlesque show and performances by the Coney Island Sideshow. Where else can you get a buzz on while watching fire eating and snake charming?

Here is the lineup for the music:

10:00PM CHIN CHIN
9:00PM Dogs of Winter/Brian Grosz
8:30PM Iller Than Theirs
8:00PM Tone Tank
7:00PM Smokewagon

I know that Labor Day is supposed to be the last day of summer but there is something that really rings right to close out the summer and go into the end the year with Tone and Kray (Iller Than Theirs) and Brian (and Dogs of Winter). Add a couple beers and a Coney Island sunset and it sounds like a perfect night.

General Admission tickets are $50 and VIP tickets are $75. VIP Admission gives you access to the Coney Island USA Museum where you will be tasting exclusive, rare, and vintage beers, as well as talking to some of the brewers who made these tasty recipes come to life.

Kray (from Iller Than Theirs) Releases Ltd. Edition 7"/Tracks Available as Free MP3s

Kray, from the group Iller Than Theirs, just released two new tracks as a limited edition 7". Kray has also posted digital (MP3) versions of tracks as a free download. (Click on the 7" cover to download the two tracks)

This is great stuff that follows in the spirit of Iller Than Theirs' "After All". Kray's delivery is fairly mellow (sort of like Redman, who gets name checked on 'The Blackout') and he delivers thoughtful lyrics on top of some solid beats (powered by Doc. Strange).

Even though the tracks are free, BUY THE 7". It is only $5.00 (and available through Kray's MySpace page - link below). Kray and Tone have the talent to break-out...don't make them give away the music for free. Like everyone else, I'm sure Kray has bills to pay. It is certainly not cheap to live, record and tour in NYC...please support the local music scene.

Links:
Kray's MySpace Page
Iller Than Theirs' MySpace Page

Iller Than Theirs Post Two Previously Unreleased Tracks To Their Blog

Brooklyn's Iller Than Theirs posted two previously unreleased tracks from their debut CD to the band's blog. It is pretty cool that the band put both tracks up as free downloads.

Both Soki Doki (which features J. Howells Werthman) and Diamond Grenades (which features Probe) are complete songs and fully produced.

Here is what the band posted about these songs:
"So when you put together an album of songs you can't include everything you've done. So first you try to include all the "best" stuff. But sometimes you have to leave out really good songs because they don't fit neatly into the larger work. For instance the song "Diamond Grenades" always seemed like a grand finale to close the album. But then we made "Wash, Rinse, Repeat". We couldn't have two Epic endings: so we cut Diamond Grenades. But it's still an awesome song so too is "Soki Doki"

Iller Than Theirs Play Mercury Lounge on April 17th/CD Review

One of the CDs that should have been on everyone's "Best of 2007" list is the debut disc from Brooklyn rappers Iller Than Theirs. The band is composed of rappers Tone Tank and Krayo (along with beats from Scott Thorough and DJ Snafu) who are all part of the Nuclear Family collective. The band is playing at Mercury Lounge of April 17th as part of an Embedded Records showcase.

Iller Than Theirs combines a wicked sense of self-depreciating humor with social commentary on everyday life. All of the is backed by some wicked beats. I'm a tough critic of rap bands as I expect both great vocals and great beats and this CD has held up to repeated play.

Before jumping into a review of the CD, I've shown this live video (of Iller Than Theirs @ Southpaw) to a number of friends and they have all come away with the comment "wow, they are really good".



Iller That Theirs' self-titled CD is about two guys from Brooklyn (the homeland) trying to 'make rap and make rent' in a city that is rapidly gentrifying. This theme runs beneath most of the songs. "Razor Bumps" is about people who pretend to be cool ("too fly to fart"), "To Be Ill" is about people who want something for nothing ("Everyone want a dog but no one want to walk the thing") and "The Same" is about Ratner's gentrification of Brooklyn and the Atlantic Center area.

"The Same" also features guest vocals from Masta Ace (from the Juice Crew). Kray gave an interview to Underground Report where he talks about some of his influences as "indie Hip Hop stuff that started coming out in the mid-'90s: [Company Flow], Fondle 'Em, Stones Throw, Quannum, early Rawkus stuff...The do it yourself spirit of those records were in stark contrast to the huge over-sized hyped up corporate mega-stars of today. You can make art without money behind it - and it can be even better than the big-budget bullshit." Iller Than Theirs is really a throw-back to the raw, honest DIY rap that came out of NYC in the 80's and early-90's.

On this disc, Tone and Kray tell it like it is - no hype and no phony bravado. This disc is essential listening...I know rap isn't in vogue in the mainstream but Iller Than Theirs has the both talent and the heart to break out of the underground.

Check 'em out at the Mercury - It should be a great show.

Iller Than Theirs - Exclusive Interview & Video Release Party

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kray and Tone from Iller Than Theirs. The band has their debut CD coming out later this month and is having a record release party at the Mercury Lounge on September 29th. I got an advance copy of the CD (CD review to be posted shortly) and it has some infectious beats and killer vocals.

I really enjoyed talking to Tone and Kray as their purpose/mission is really simple and straightforward. They are two old-school Brooklyn guys trying to keep it real in a borough that has probably seen more changes in the last few years than it has in last decade.

Iller Than Theirs is having a video release party at Southpaw on Wednesday for the video of the leadoff track from the new CD "Razor Bumps". Kray La Soul & Kool Kear will also be spinning 45s all night. The first showing of the video will be promptly at 9:30 and doors are 8PM.

I think Wreck Room nights at Southpaw are free but call the club in advance to confirm.

Here is a direct link to an MP3 of the interview I did with Tone and Kray and here is a link to the RSS feed.

Links:
Iller Than Theirs' MySpace page
Iller Than Theirs' Blog