Okay City Feat. Shad

Vancouver hip hop group and BTA friends Okay City will be releasing their new Album Tocsin-B next week. In the meantime they have released a new Track featuring fellow Canadian rapper Shad, entitled 'Cities of the North'. The song can be listened to at their MySpace. Enjoy!

And also a reminder that the guys will be touring with Australian Hip-Hop legends Hilltop Hoods through February.

Feb. 7th Whistler BC - Garfinkel's
Feb. .10th Vancouver BC - The Venue
Feb. 12th Edmonton AB - The Pawn Shop
Feb. 13th Calgary AB - The Gateway at SAIT
Feb. 15th Banff AB - Wild Bill's

Okay City, Hilltop Hoods. West Coast Tour

Okay City, which consists of Bill Maka and Ray Black, is the freshest thing hitting the Vancouver hip-hop scene. Quickly becoming known for their high-energy live performances and hard hitting sound. Any group that starts off with an introduction sampled from Back to the Future is just swell in my books. The guys originally started out in Ontario, connecting through the well known music industry arts program at Fanshawe College. Eventually making the move out west to broaden their horizons and touring with the likes of Sweatshop Union and opening for Swollen Members. Expect to see these guys starting a dance party on stage or spitting while walking on top of the bar. Their performance and ryhmes have already caught the attention of the crazy popular Australian hip-hop group, Hilltop Hoods, and Okay City will be accompanying them as their opening act for the majority of their west coast tour. This along with upcoming collaborations with Shad, means you will be hearing a lot more about Okay City in 2010. Check out the myspace for tour dates. Don't miss it.

The Whistler show with Hilltop Hoods is already sold out I'm pretty sure. The village being like 90% Australian and all... you may not realize how bananas this show will be. If you can find some tickets do it.

Okay City's track 'Potency', which the boys were so kind to contribute to BTA, is a laid back groove with a catchy string melody accompanied with a nice little Biggie Sample. Get it below.

Okay City - Potency

Friday Five

Its hard to recall the last time San Fransisco based Deerhoof had a bad record. They're newest one is slightly weirder than their previous releases but still possesses the likability that many indie-pseudo art rock rock bands try so hard to achieve. A couple other bay area bands have also pop-ed up on my radar: Experimental Dental School and KIT. Both are fairly solid rock acts the former being a straight up guitar/drum duo and the latter being noise rock. Both have that nwe band freshness that I find so appealing. There are also two older tracks down below. I tend to play catch up at the end of the musically; buying/downloading most of what I missed but what was recommended to me. You've probably heard a ton about Shad and No Age but if you haven't you're in for a treat.

Deerhoof - Chandelier Searchlight
Experimental Dental School - Back Porch Floating
KIT - Forest
Shad - I Don't Like To
No Age - Errands

Polaris Music Prize Preview

Tonight is the annual gala to announce the winner of the Polaris Music Prize, the award given to the best Canadian album of the previous year, "judged solely on artistic merit". The winner tonight will leave with their record amongst the likes of previous winners Patrick Watson (Close to Paradise) and Final Fantasy (He Poos Clouds), the knowledge that a bunch of music journalists really dug their shit, and one of those gigantic cheques for $20,000.

This is when I go on record to proclaim my prediction for who that may be. And by tomorrow, if London, ON's MC extraordinaire Shad takes home the hardware, I'll look like I actually know what I'm talking about.

Shad's nominated record, 2007's The Old Prince is about as strong of a hip hop record as Canada has ever seen, and perhaps stronger than any we may see for years to come. Musically, his band (and yes, he plays live with one), fuse elements of jazz, soul, hip hop, and rock while Shad's rhymes are clever, intelligent, honest and just overall enjoyable even to those who balk at 98% of the urban music genre. His lyrics are distinctly Canadian, yet his widespread potential appeal leave us thinking that, unlike basically any Canadian MC's to date, his success may not be limited to within our own borders. Given that, the Polaris panel could (and should) recognize The Old Prince as an opportunity to acknowledge and encourage quality urban music in Canada.

By comparison, co-nominees such as the Weakerthans, Stars, and arguably Kathleen Edwards are riding their nomination on the back of records that are not only not the best album of the previous year, but aren't even close to the best albums in their own discography. Had the Polaris existed when Left and Leaving dropped, John K. Samson and co. would have had a strong case for the cheddar, but such just isn't the case as Reunion Tour is widely considered their most uninspired effort to date.

For the record, if it's not Shad, then my runner-up votes go to co-Londoner Basia Bulat's folk gem Oh My Darling, and Parc Avenue by Montrealers Plants & Animals.

New Music Monday: Hey Ocean

Maybe not entirely new this week, but a new album counts, right? Vancouver foursome Hey Ocean! have been creating a small buzz across the country ever since their first release in 2006. The amazing voice of singer Ashleigh Ball was what first got my attention. Her rich harmonies and melodies seamlessly blend with some pretty catchy riffs and percussion which clearly take a little something from folk, jazz, and pop styles from around the globe. Fans of other west coast talent such as Mother Mother or Immaculate Machine would probably take a liking to these guys quickly. The most exciting thing is that they will be cruising into a town near you soon! Most likely in a snazzy Toyota Yaris along with BTA favorite Shad riding shotgun. The tour began this week with stops across Canada, and is surely worth checking out with this combo. But if you can't make it out, you can still grab their new album It's Easier To Be Somebody Else on September 9th.

Hey Ocean - Too Soon
Shad - The Old Prince Still Lives At Home

- Matty B.

And now, time for a little west coast kitchen party and...



Probably the best music video ever made...

Brother Please. No more Pamela Lees, let’s set it straight. I’m the biggest thing out of Canada till Quebec separates.

Shadrach Kabango was born in Kenya, but his earliest memories land him in London, Ontario Canada. For many, the host city of North America’s second largest ribfest may seem like an odd place to develop skills on the mic…but it worked out for Shadrach.

I’m betting that his mother (a poet) had a lot to do with it.

Since leaving his hometown in London to pursue his music career and a university education, Shad (as he’s known in the music world) has built a solid name for himself. He has opened for Common, performed at Canadian Music Week, and he is signed to Black Box Recordings (owned by Universal). Most recently, Shad's newest album The Old Prince has been nominated for a 2008 Juno award; getting a nod for Rap Recording of the Year. This selection is well deserved, as the album is packed with clever lyrics, a diverse set of themes, and an old-school feel that cannot be ignored.

Top tracks on the album include “Brother (Watching),” “The Old Prince Still Lives at Home,” and “Compromise."

“Brother (Watching)" is a song about the stereotypes and struggles which young black Canadians are forced to deal with as they grow up today; a topic which Shad consciously stayed away from when he began his career. Next, “The Old Prince Still Lives at Home” is a light-hearted track that could easily fit on a Skee-lo album. Finally “Compromise” reeks of Shad's regular feel - an old school beat, lyrics that make you grin, and a socially-aware theme that sparks some introspection.

I first saw Shad perform when I ran shows at the University of Ottawa in 2006 and 2007. Back then, Shad and his band arrived on campus in what looked to be a 1990 Aerostar. The engine was smoking, rust covered the wheel wells, and the van broke down just as they arrived. While his vehicle was ready for the scrap yard, Shad’s performance was more alive than I could have imagined that night, and I have been a fan ever since.

Here’s hoping that The Old Prince nabs that Juno. Maybe then he could score an endorsement deal with Parkway Ford and upgrade to a 2002 Windstar.

Shad - Brother (Watching)
Shad - The Old Prince Still Lives At Home
Shad - Compromise

-mca