BUSDRIVER - RoadKillOvercoat

Busdriver is nuts. But in a good way, and I can explain.


After living in Los Angeles for four years, I learned about a special type of person that is most easily described as a “LA Person.” This has less to do with TV stereotypes (surfer, weed, blonde, gangster, hippie, skater etc), and more to do with a simple, yet important characteristic that I noticed. The “LA Person” to which I refer is someone that when taken out of their native habitat and placed in a foreign environment, will either flourish or perish instantly.


Case in point: I was driving through Venice one night with my friend, and his windshield started to get all foggy with condensation. I said “Hey _____, why don’t you use that (pointing at defrost) button,” and he said “No way man. This is an old car. I don’t want to start using those buttons now...” He proceeded to open his window more, letting in the nice sea breeze. Clearly, my beloved friend is an LA person that might perish outside of his home habitat/environment.


Busdriver (Regan Farquhar) has proved to be the other type of LA Person because since his music has brought him out of his home, he has not stopped flourishing. He is a native and veteran of the underground hip hop scene, performing at the open mic at the Good Life Food Store in South LA, as well as on his friends’ singles starting at age 13. Now, after a few underground albums that have steadily built his reputation for bringing an avant-garde and surreal approach to hip hop, Busdriver brings us his latest album, RoadKillOvercoat<|>. Released on Epitaph, a label that has been scooping up ‘underground’ hip hop artists for the past few years (Atmosphere, Eyedea, Abilities), RoadKillOvercoat shows you that hip hop can be labeled as ‘indie’ without mellow organs, standup bass and live kits or mellow beats. In fact, it can be flamboyant, bizarre, awesome and straight-up weird.


Such is the case RoadKillOvercoat’s twelve tracks; each completely unlike each other, except for Busdriver’s quick, emphatic and abberant delivery. The easiest track for someone to like would be “The Troglodyte Wins,” a slow moving dub is peppered with some dance-hall influences. The genius of other tracks, like space-ship synth of “Less Yes’s, More No’s” may be harder to understand. Pure freak hop that takes no prisoners.


This album, and Busdriver himself both prove that sometimes listening to thats weird little voices in your head is probably a good idea. We all have them, but maybe they are easier to hear in LA.

Richard Swift - Concert Preview

It's one thing to be known as a singer, but is it different to be known not only as a singer but also a ‘songwriter’? Sure, obviously most singers are songwriters, but I argue that to be known distinctly as a songwriter is different. Richard Swift's comparisons to Burt Bacharach serve as an example. Singer, songwriter and entertainer…good old Burt. What a guy. Richard Swift too; he has an undeniable creativity that is pervasive in his music, a quality that resonates alongside an intelligence that isn't annoying as much as it is appealing. His lyrics are funny, his songs are unique (often piano-based, although he is famous for his multi-instrumentalism) and his overall shtick could be consider artsy…but that would be oversimplifying. Swift could play a piano lounge on the Gold Coast just as easily as he could get the hippies and festival people on their feet during an afternoon campground show. You'll like him without even realizing it. (Appearing with White Rabbits at Schubas on April 24) --text: Billy Kenefick

Seen in Chicago Innerview
http://www.chicagoinnerview.com/archives/apr07_previewD.htm