Staff Writer

Staff Writer

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Saturday, 11 August 2018 21:36

Case Barge - Content

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Thursday, 09 August 2018 18:43

6th State: Maine - Artist: B. Aull

Day 11 - 13 of Diversal's State2State Artist Discovery Road trip

Portland, Maine - Artist: B. Aull 

We had the pleasure of kicking it with up and coming hip hop artist from Maine, B.Aull at his home studio in Portland. It’s basically where all the magic happens, where he not only records, vibes and creates, but also hosts what he calls #BMixes.  This is where fans comment on his posts which beat they want him to flow on.  He then chooses the best one and does his thang.  See a recent #BMix he did to Taste (Feat. Offset) by Tyga below: 

 

 

He then opened up his vault of fire and gave us a glimpse to some upcoming projects he’s been pearling, some produced by music producers here in America and few others he’s been working on with a few music producers from Istanbul, Turkey who go by the name The Flytones and are also according to Bandbasher, one of the top 10 music producers on Instagram people should follow —and ohh do they got soul!  Stay tuned for their upcoming collaborations with B. Aull.  The following video is the first track which introduced us to B. Aull.  

 

 

When he’s not in the studio rhyming, writing, vibing, or selling his merch, he's working at one of Portland's biggest and hottest radio stations Hot 104.7, which enables him to keep his ears and fingers on the pulse of the music scene in the north east and hip hop overall.  So what is the status of the hip hop music scene in Maine, let alone Portland, ME?   According to B. Aull the scene is growing, big time. He mentioned that there is an increase amount of opportunities for local talent to get their chance to shine.  For instance there's the ‘Monday of the Minds’ at Flask Lounge in Portland where frequent showcases are held.  Not to mention, more national acts are coming to Portland, which many B. Aull has opened for.  Some of his opening credits include opening up for Snoop Dogg, Sean Paul, Lloyd Banks, Ty Dollar $ign, Post Malone, and more. B. Aull also recently performed at Hot Summer 2018 where he opened up for Fabolous, Big Boi, Joyner Lucas and more. 

 

 

When asked who he wanted to collaborate with, among artists like Kaytranada, Anderson.Paak, and others there was one artist in particular that stood out, not only because B. Aull was a fan, but this particular artist is responsible for inspiring B. Aull to get into music in the first place.  This artist is J.Cole.  Too young to attend J.Cole’s 2010 concert at Port City Music Hall, before he was B.Aull, underage Brandon had to sneak in the venue with his mother (Shh).  According to B.Aull that concert was the moment that would change his life, because after the concert he knew what he wanted to become. He wanted to be up on stage doing what J.Cole did and having that positive impact on a crowd of people like J.Cole has. He knew then he wanted to be a hip hop artist and the rest has been falling into place.  Since then B.Aull has performed a few times on that same exact stage where he saw J.Cole perform at for the first time.  “Well isn’t ironic…don’t ya think?”

 

After the interview we chatted more on his projects and upcoming collaborations, and did some more vibing to beats.  B. Aull has got a lot of positive energy which is undeniably contagious, and according to him it’s that attitude he has, his charism what sets him apart from others.  I can attest to this, as he did not break his grin the entire time I was with him.  B. Aull’s got a lot of experience and continues to progress and evolve year after year, month after month.  Spotify even recently added his single ‘Come Down’ to their “Fresh Finds: Fire Emoji” playlist in late July. 

 

 

“I want to be the face of hip hop in the state of Maine…I want to be the person that puts Maine on the map for hiphop” 

 

With a consistent and growing number of streams on Spotify each month, anywhere from 5/6k to 13k consistently month over month, it’s apparent that his fan base is existent and growing. Moreover, when leaving his home studio walking down the stairs one can’t miss the huge painting/mural, fan art done of B. Aull by artist Nick Genesio.  See below, this guy is extremely talented, check out his page. 

 

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The next day we got a taste of his stage performance and energy at the Hip Hops 9 event, another artist showcase that frequently hosts events in the Portland, ME area.  This event was hosted at the Oxbow Blending & Bottling bar/music venue.  If you’re ever heading to Maine make sure to check if they are hosting another event. Dope spot, dope artist, dope vibe.

 

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Day 9 - 11 : Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Artist: Sam Robbins 

Although attending in his third year at Berklee College of music in Boston Massachusetts as well as having a studio in Boston, singer and songwriter Sam Robbins is based out of New Hampshire as we met for our interview at his families house in the third oldest city in America, Portsmouth, NH. Although only 21 and super down2earth, Sam’s maturity in music and willingness to continue growing and learning as an artist was a confirmation that this man is going places with his voice. Below are a few clips of him singing after the interview.

Sam Robbins singing Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver

 

Sam Robbins got a voice! @samrobbinsmusic

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Sam doing the #KekeChallenge #kikichallenge

 



More on his maturity as an artist, when he performs he controls the stage not only with his indie soul voice, but the way he performs. In the performances we saw, he didn’t go by a set song list, rather along with his originals, he created an engaging atmosphere by taking song requests from people in the crowd and performing them well. He seemed to know everysong! Did I mention he’s only 21? Below is a snippet of blending song requests Free Falling, and Fast Car by Tracy Chapman.

One can say there are two types of anything. With artists, there are those who continuously practice their craft no matter how successful they become, then there are those who don’t. Sam Robbins is the former. After hearing his voice from the video above, You wouldn’t think someone with his talent still needs voice coaching. Wrong, at least that’s what Sam would tell you. When asked what his plans were for the rest of the evening that day, he shocked us by saying he was attending his usual meet up with his voice coach, who ironically was Charlie Puth’s former teacher. Sam stressed the importance of having a voice coach...

 

“Sometimes you forget certain things”

 

Sam invited me to a show he had that night at a bar/live music venue called Gas Light Co. in downtown Portsmouth, even though we were already planned to go to his show the following day at Latchkey, another cool bar/music venue in Portsmouth. With a hundred shows already under his belt, needless to say, the man is always working, practicing, writing and performing.

#DiversalState2State #ArtistDiscovery #Roadtrip

Day 6 - 8 : Boston, MA

Artist: L.S.C 

Inspired by the sounds of Radiohead, Muse, Sigur Ros, Björk and more, we met up with Mike, music producer and Dan, lead singer and lead guitarist from L.S.C (abbreviated from Light Sweet Crude), a multi-genre live performing band from Boston, Massachusetts.  With beginning roots making music for film, ever since playing live throughout the city these past few years, their sound has evolved.  The alt-rock pop sound was a foundation of their sound until they begun blending more soul in their music, incorporating the vibes felt by the music that inspires them. If you’ve heard of them before, you will be surprised to what’s in store next as the demo track below is an example of what’s to come. 

 

Follow L.S.C:

https://www.instagram.com/lscband/

https://twitter.com/lscband

#Diversal #State2State #Artist #Discovery #RoadTrip

 

Thoughts on Boston, MA

Boston was like a mini NYC, but greener and the area felt cleaner.  The commute however was another story. The GPS even was slow to update to its confusing spiderwebs around the city.  Nonetheless, Boston and its historic surrounding areas with its several of fields, trees, rivers, was a chill and pretty place. There were people running, walking, walking their dogs everywhere.  The rivers were even lively with dozens of dozens of sailboats cruising the water in all directions. There were a lot of people out but it didn’t feel crowded like NYC crowded. Perhaps it was due to its historic universities located all within a 5 min radius from another; Cambridge, MIT, Harvard and Boston College.  

 

After meeting with L.S.C, we had to try Boston’s famous lobsters, and Yankee Lobster downtown Boston did not disappoint.  Not only was the food good, but they’re right next too Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, a music venue. As we got there it just so happened that the amazing Sylvan Esso was performing, and when sitting outside the restaurant, it’s as if you’re right their in the concert venue.  So make sure you check out Yankee Lobster while their is a performance at the same time you’re there if ever in Boston.  

 

 

 

Day 4 - 6

Artist: Feral G and Atto Pilot from Music Production team called TimeMachine

 

After looking online for open mics, live music, and other artist performance opportunities in Rhode Island, there was one voice we frequently posting events - Feral G, a DJ/Music Producer from Providence, Rhode Island.  Him and his producing partner Atto Pilot, along with a few other members who collectively go by TimeMachine steer-head an independent music production company with long-term goals to expand both in offering additional creative services, as well as operating out of multiple locations.  First, their finessing their production game, and finessing well. 

 

At the moment their growing their clientele providing quality mixing and engineering, fire production and more, at great rates too.  Their studio located in the heart of what was once considered the hangout spot for artists in the 80’s and 90’s in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, has seen a drastic change since them lively times, as depicted in the cool graffiti that surrounds the inside of the multi-floor garage next door. 

 

The culture has sort of dispersed elsewhere over the years, so I was surprised to learn from them about all the up and coming talent being brewed out of Rhode Island, and Time Machine has been a strong force behind this.   Feral G and Atto Pilot, including their intern Broke Island Baby are putting in work, and not only providing what their clients need, but also helping revitalize and expand the hip hop music scene in Rhode Island if not to what it use to be, then much larger than what it was decades ago. 

 

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Left: Feral G, Right: Atto Pilot

After taking advantage of the natural sunlight, we finished our interview and they continued to give me a tour of the historic building their studio was in.  When we got back to the studio, the intern was with hip hop artist Zay, who was checking out the studio for potential work.  He showed us some songs, and the man’s not bad.  Ironically, he told us he was the son of a Dj who dj’d for local legend, Chachi, and was apart of the legendary creative scene decades ago in Providence, Rhode Island.  

 

“There’s some dope folk in PVD that are low-key"

 

While we all talked music in the studio, Feral G got on the midi board and created a quick melody, Atto Pilot then came in and layered some drums and also faded adlibs, and within 10-15 minutes all of us in the studio were glued to that head-bopping position you can’t get out of when you hear a track that makes you make that stanky face.  7 second tease below: 

 

 

We finished the evening by chatting more about the culture of RI (Rhode Island) and their goals and plans with their group, TimeMachine, while we got some grub at this spot that just opened up last month called Chinatown on Thayer.  Their fried shrimp was friggen' delicious. Get that when you go.  

 

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We got back to the studio and went through more local music, and then they impressed me their catalog of projects they’ve worked on and currently working on.  By the end of the night, we cooked up another beat that had us breaking neck.  They've got z fire. If you’re looking for beats, you need to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Day 5 was devoted to logistics of the trip and getting organized, while Feral G and Atto Pilot had sessions booked with artists.  Day 6, our last day in Rhode Island, Feral G Dj’d at a artist/designer showcase at a cool bar/lounge call Troopanother example of a dope spot in Rhode Island embracing creativity and artistry.  They frequently host these artist showcases, so if you’re ever going through Rhode Island, make sure you stop by.  

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Meanwhile, Atto Pilot and intern Broke Island Baby were setting up and getting their event ready they host every Thursday called The Beat Down--a get together for local artists to get together, share and go through music, feedback on one another and connect and network.

 

 

 

Final thoughts on RI:

Similar to Connecticut with its history of firsts, as I stopped off to check out the place that invented the hamburger in New Haven, Connecticut, it was only fitting to also check out, Modern Diner, America’s first diner located in Pawtucket, RI.

 

 

America’s first diner @moderndiner Pawtucket, Rhode Island

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Quiet, old, with a lot of creative potential.  While their were neighborhoods of suburbia, we saw more older beat down towns that seemed worn out, but then again we didn’t go through the entire state.  Nonetheless, after meeting with Feral G and Auto Pilot and learning a bit more about the areas culture, it’s definitely apparent that there is a large growing creative culture bubbling, and they're doing their part to make it happen for RI.

 

The artistic love was definitely felt.  I was even asked by local store owner if the art work I had in my car was for sale.  It was, however it’s price was out of range, so he offered to pay  $50 if I could get him a print copy of it with my signature on it.  So I went to the nearby Walmart, made a copy, and not only sold my first piece of art involuntarily, but also made a new friend.