By: Ilya Ratner
 |
| Bus Driver - Photo by Ilya Ratner |
I congratulate all of you indie kids, you’ve gained a new friend. His name is RJD2. He used to be hip-hop—a breakbeat master; but no more, and it breaks my heart. D2’s latest release, The Third Hand, is an indie pop album. I haven’t bought it, and I won’t. It just ain’t my thing. His appearance at SXSW and The Current was the first hint that something different was on deck—the man dressed as a pirate was suddenly wearing Chuck Taylors and a thrift store t-shirt. What in the hell was going on?
Before the night had begun, papers were already saying that RJD2 was playing with his band. From other sources I heard otherwise. Conflicting reports left me unsure and wary of what would happen. But I should have known.
The First Avenue stage was awash in musical instruments. Happy Chester, a thin soft-spoken crooner sat at an electric keyboard serenading the young girls in the front row. Guitars, basses, a drum set, numerous keyboards and turntables surrounded him. He played six songs, one of which dissolved into Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.”
This wasn’t hip-hop.
A DJ appeared and stepped behind one of the turntable/keyboard set-ups. Bass shot at me out of one of the enormous speakers. A spastic man with a halfro bounced out onto the stage. This was Bus Driver. He dashed right into his set. If there was a wall in his way he would’ve knocked himself out. His charisma overflowed and splashed all over the audience. He danced, pranced and careened all around the stage, gesticulating and gyrating like a sprightly disco dancer.
He put on a good show, but I didn’t understand most of his lyrics. They shot out like M-16 rounds. His voice was a drum machine, and words only emerged when he’d slow down for an affected chorus. He had a mic wrapped around his neck and he kept pasting it to his mouth. The sound came out distorted and robotic, like Chewbacca with a tracheotomy—sometimes it was effeminate, sometimes sarcastic and sometimes just plain scary. It was a fun ride for a few songs, but after five it started turning into “The Wheels on the Bus.”
 |
| RJD2 - Photo by Ilya Ratner |
It was a strange set. It felt like punk. But it was closer to hip-hop. A glimmer of hope, perhaps?
And then RJD2 came out with a full band. They played songs he’d normally mix (like “Since We Last Spoke”) and new songs from the latest album. For me his allure was lost. It’s amazing to watch one man loop, scratch, and drop records to create a piece of music. For me it’s akin to watching any phenomenal musician play an instrument. But take a guitar solo, divide it into four parts and have four musicians play it—still as astounding? The show in a nutshell was: five mildly flavored musicians draining the juices out of great songs while young college hipsters danced and a brooding backdrop of hip-hop fans scattered to the periphery.
There’s isn’t anything I can say about his choice except, “good luck.” I don’t know why I’d hoped he’d do a DJ set; his label switch and new album said it all. Why would you tour as a DJ when you’ve suddenly reincarnated into a singer/songwriter? He did venture to the turntables for one or two songs, one of which is a favorite: “Let the Good Times Roll Part 2,” but it was obvious that his penchant was guitar, bass or keyboard.
This must be something he feels he needs to do and I can dig that, but I can’t dig the new music. To me it sounds like a hundred other indie bands: friendly, homogenized noodling. Sure, he’s now a member of the increasingly popular indie-clique, but I think he may lose fans of his previous albums. I’ll remain on his side in the hopes that he returns to what he’s best at, and that’s producing phenomenal music as one man.
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: Bus Driver, Happy Chester, RJD2
Share this story:
Article comments powered by Disqus