TONIGHT: "Friends Like These" Release Party
Tonight at the Stone Church in Brattleboro, some guaranteed entertainment. Friends Like These is a new album from the Light Pockets team of Stresselbee and Doppelganger, who have been plugged into a talented & diverse southern VT rap scene for over a decade now. That’s largely thanks to their work with the Epidemiks crew (which includes Hoarsehed, part of the new Bourbon Legends supergroup), and even before then as People of a Mad Theory. For the release party, they’ll be handing out copies at the door, in addition to giving you a strong lineup of creative rap, all for a ten spot.
The biggest news on the bill is probably Jarv, but don’t sleep on Subtex, a veteran of the Boston-based crew Grey Sky Appeal. He’s touring in support of his recent release Fine Art, a murderously tight EP of dirty bangers and classic scratch hooks. (And features from C Rayz Walz and Ren Thomas.) Rounding out the evening is MC Firebomb, Jay Birdface and Ar$enal, as well as a parade of special and surprise guests — a proper night out, in other words.
Talking about his latest LP, Stresselbee is animated and proud. “Doppelganger and I never really stopped working on our own tracks,” he explains, “and over the past six or seven years, we got together whenever possible to throw down verses on each other’s production. After letting 20-30 tracks go through the rock tumbler that is time, this winter we took the smoothest and prettiest of the gems and finished them off to make the new album.”
There’s a full interview with Stresselbee in the works, but in classic VTHH fashion, I am far behind deadline. In the meantime, go experience some beautiful noise down by the Southeast border.