Reality TV producers will say just about anything; the profession ranks somewhere between pig farmer and Donald Trump ghost-writer for the sheer amount of manure shoveled. During dinner before heading down to the Minneapolis Kids Have More Fun Boxing Day bash at the Nomad, I was informed that if you can get someone to parrot you back and say things the way you want, they are “produceable” for a sound byte. The bland cynicism of this cookie-cutter culture leads to a lack of freedom, a lack of fun, and a surrender of the power to excite ourselves to infomercials and corporate sponsorship.
Crunkmonster - Photo by Stacy Schwartz
Needless to say, I was glad to walk into a crowded scene at the Nomad where Minneapolis kids of all types had gathered for music and companionship the day after Christmas. Tape Jays were on the decks, mixing tapes through a fader hidden by two “Powerbooks”- white foamboard with the Apple logo cut out and backlit. The immediate irony and sweetness of the gesture was backed up by the eighties breaks that had the mixed crowd milling and moving. Already, memories of Maury Povich [see aforementioned reality TV reference]were fading.
Next on stage were Coughee Brothaz North, some permutation of the Coughee Brothaz outfit from Houston, who have toured with Devin the Dude. CrunkMonster, who would bring his dance mash-ups to a solo set after CBN wrapped up, stood in as turntablist under the name DJ Turtleneck, ably providing the mixing. The set threatened to veer into parroted gangsta-ism as the opening songs brought a Nelly/Eminem inflection with Murderapolis braggadocio and nerdy self-parodying, delivered with emphatic but rote presence by MC Treesota. Freshness was brought when Meta took over and the writing took a critical turn, through critiques of the state of hip-hop and introspective storytelling. Meta’s confident flow and irascible charm echoed Common, a rapper he listed in a rundown of worthwhile MCs. The song “Keep Movin,” chronicled an abusive home life and fear in the neighborhoods, and was further buoyed by a driven chorus - a welcome reminder that not all good home-grown hip hop need come from Rhymesayers or Doomtree to be honest and engaging.
The B-boy dance circle that started with the Coughee Brothaz North set pulsed as Crunkmonster kept the turntables running for his set—flipping the fader to the Ghostbusters theme. As HowWasTheShow staffer Jen Paulson noted here, CrunkMonster’s mash-ups are in the vein of GirlTalk, but I found them to be without such a frenetic switching of samples. Instead, the breaks layer over each other with a more laconic arm-waving, showing that Minneapolis kids can have more fun and kick back at the same time. Making new juxtapositions of previous material is the bread and butter of a DJ, and CrunkMonster makes you want to throw a dance party with people you can talk to afterwards.
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Mike Massey of City on the Make - Schwartz
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To close out the night, they took the stage at the Nomad (a stage that is like a comfy couch for them by now) and brought the sound to the by now booze-soaked crowd. While not as tight as some previous COTM shows, the dancing kids ate it up, demanding not one but two encores after chanting and clapping. They closed the night with a new song, “99 Nails” that featured some of the best of COTM; the interplay between guitarist Mischa Kegan and bassist Stephen Rowe, backed by the undeniably constant power of Colin Stumbras’ drums. Frontman Mike Massey thanked the crowd for bringing themselves out, ballers and hipsterati all, producers of their own culture and free dancers, having as much new fun as they could.
City on the Make plays again January 12th at the 7th Street Entry, their last show before they go on hiatus for Mike Massy to have knee surgery- good luck Mike, we’ll look for you to be back soon.
Location Info:
Nomad World Pub
Artist Info: City On The Make, Coughee Brothaz North, Crunkmonster
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