Have you heard The Strange Passenger? Best get on this fresh piece of hip hop by Horton the Irrelevant and August the Creep.

The following is an exclusive interview with Horton and August, the new titans of the Midwest hip-hop underground. If you're in Madison, WI, find them for a live show, and while you read, listen to their album.

Individually, where are you guys from and how did you become interested in making music? More specifically, how did you get interested in doing hip hop?

August: Not to come across as something I'm not... but my love for hip hop was most definitely shaped by the early 90's New York City scene. Not that I was really a part of it or anything, but the shit that was coming out at that time just seemed to grab me by the throat. I remember walking to school in the city, listening to Midnight Marauders until I had memorized every last word (I used to take Q-Tip's verses and throw my name into every other line... it was weird). When I moved out of New York, I felt like the music I had grown up with was something that I could really take with me, and that hasn't changed since. Eventually, the love for this shit became so ridiculous that the only option I had was to start doing it myself.

Horton: The Midwest (Madison, WI), the region home to some of the best and most original hip-hop that never gets the proper acknowledgment. I was born into a love of music, all music. Music was a big thing in my family. Naturally, as I grew with it I wanted to make it myself. At first I just played around with it for fun, self taught shit, just playing with beat production and freestylin'. Then I started getting confident with it and started realizing that I could really do this shit for real.

The Author (

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What were you doing musically before Horton the Irrelevant and August the Creep?

August: The first real "organized" thing I ever did was in 7th grade, with three middle school kids in Connecticut. As you can guess, that shit was amazing. I think we stole the beats from Mobb Deep and Brand Nubian, and the lyrics from Buckshot or something. Anyways, me and one other kid from that group split off, and actually did something for a while. We had a group called "Sons of Belial" that got about as big as any Greenwich, CT High School rap group could get... meaning our friends dug our shit. We did like 3 albums before changing the name to He's Hers, and for the most part I have a lot of pride in what we were able to do. Two years ago, in New Orleans, that whole collaboration ended... which is when I decided to 1. concentrate only on producing, and 2. find a rapper who more than 10 people wanted to hear on a given night. Things are working out on both ends.

Horton: Making solo shit, producing and rapping. Some of the most fun shit was before that, years back when we were kids. It was playing whatever song, turning the bass way up and turning the treble way down so that you couldn't really hear the lyrics, then freestylin' over that shit. That's where I built my confidence, that's where I found my style. That was music to me. Oh, and 7th grade chorus, killing 'em before my voice dropped about 8 octaves.

Megaman (

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Can you guide us through your creative process? How did this record come to be?

August: I would say, for the most part, that the beats come first. When I finish a beat, I'll usually pass it to Horton and then he'll disappear for two days. When I see him again, I know that it's time to hit the studio. The only little story I'll tell here is of the first track we ever did together. I hadn't seen Horton in like three years (since Arizona)... and hadn't really spoken to him either. I had heard from a mutual friend that he had gotten into writing and producing. At first, I really had no idea what to expect... but by the time I had gotten through the 4 tracks on his myspace page, I knew that I had to get involved. Eventually, I found him on instant messenger, and while we were catching up on the past three years, I just happened to be finishing up a beat in my basement. On a whim, I sent him the beat... and literally the next day he sent me back Sleeping With Strangers (

). Needless to say, that was all I needed to hear. Six months later I was in Madison, and we were doing this with our lives.

Read the rest of "Horton and August: the Winterview" after the break...

Even without a label-home to speak of yet, it's obvious that Zaki Ibrahim will be making some noise this year. Already touring and sharing the stage with acts like Bedouin Soundclash and Bahamadia, this 22 year old songstress exhibits a vocal and lyrical maturity that feels at home in the company of Jill Scott or Erykah Badu. Enter Canadian-based production team Headnodz, consisting of Kaje Levi and Nick Holder to compliment the honey-voiced Zaki and the results are some timeless nu-soul sounds for the open-minded groove-seeker.

Grow (Original) (

), the A-side to the recently released 12" on Treehouse Records hits with a hard edged boom-bap beat and deep down bassline best suited for speakers of the 10" and larger variety. Zaki appropriately blesses the track with a smooth and rhythmically precise vocal that makes you wonder if she couldn't spit as well as she can sing. Daylight (Radio Mix) () on the other hand veers more towards jazzier side of Trip-hop with dubby horns and a shuffling beat. The lyrics of the song: "I'm lookin at the sky at night wondering if I'll ever see daylight/ truth is I'm stuck in my head with the love of my life," speak of a love so deep and consuming that it eclipses all else. Take a listen and you may find yourself wondering if you'll ever see daylight.

[Editor's Note: This post is brought to you by the fantastic music site Instrumental Analysis. Check it out!]

Another week has come and gone, so it is time for some fresh picks. You can find my previous selections here.

My Picks of the Week

Jets Overhead - Seems So Far (

) I recommend the entire disc. This is a great example of when indie rock works. All of my favorite parts of indie are meshed together in one perfect package.

ARCTIC - Some One Turning (

) I definitely dig this. There is certainly a Radiohead vibe at work here.

Faster Faster Harder Harder - Calm Down () I actually know these guys. They are one of Baltimore's best kept secrets. They have punk sensibilities and mesh them with influences like The Cure, to create original indie rock. If you ever get the chance to catch them, they are great live. When they break into their instrumental sections, it is absolutely fantastic.

The Station Myth - Buried in the Sound (

) They create music that has a nice atmospheric feel to it.

The Best of the Rest

Kosha Dillz - hairy chest 2 hollywood (

) I don't pretend to be an expert on rap, but he certainly has game.

Brad Sucks - Borderline (

) He started posting this album last week, but he added the rest. It has a laid back slacker groove and reminds me a lot of the mid to late 90's.

Love Is Chemicals - Everyone Is In On It (

) Indie rock with a pop feel and a slow groove.

April Hobart - Dad's Backstep (

) If you like bluegrass or folk music, you will enjoy this entire album.

The Lucky - The canyon is on fire (

) Mellow folk music delivered with the kind of gravely female voice that screams of experience.

Emilie Rose Bishop - little curse (

) An upbeat song with a nice, slow groove. She has a great voice as well.

Amie Street welcomes Jets Overhead!

From Victoria, Canada, Jets Overhead brings you Bridges, a superior album full of "tunes of infectious diversion and notable inspiration...swirly vocals, bursting guitar refrains and beautiful mid-song changes." [NOW Magazine (Toronto)]

Jets Overhead is a trance rock five-piece that has shared the stage with bands like The Dandy Warhols, Broken Social Scene, The Stills, Sam Roberts, Stars, Our Lady Peace, Tegan and Sara, Powderfinger and 54*40.

They released the Bridges LP on Microgrooves/Warner in Canada, where it subsequently reached a top 10 position on the national college radio charts and regular play on XM and Sirius Satellite Radio.

"On first listen, I thought that Jets Overhead sounded like the mid-point between The Stills and The Dandy Warhols. Sure enough, they've shared stages with both bands. Their new LP, Bridges, showcases the bands broad musical range. A few of the songs use a male/female vocal tag-team to add a unique element to the addictive pop rock songs." [FreeIndie.com]

Listen to Killing Time and Seems So Far and check out the music videos for these tracks below!

[Editor's Note: This post is brought to you by the fantastic music site Instrumental Analysis. Check it out!]

As part of my contribution to Amie Street, the admins asked me if I would share my rock picks of the week. At some point, I'll have to talk about my favorites from last year. Until then, here are the best tracks from the week of January 1st.

My Favorites

Luxxury - Drunk (Expensive Mix) This just screams party.

Pipe Choir - Lights Up To me, this is what Pink Floyd would sound like if they were a modern day indie rock band.

Sacred Cowboys - Nothing Grows in Texas This has 80's alternative written all over.

Brad Sucks - Look and Feel Years Younger I just picked a track, but I'm really digging this CD.

The Best of the Rest: These tracks aren't really my thing, but they represent their genres well and deserve a listen.

The Crestview Project - Don't belong An upbeat indie track.

Dustin Shey - All The Same For fans of lighter rock bands like Lighthouse.

Deathboy - Black Morning (single mix) If you were into 90's bands like Gravity Kills and Stabbing Westward, you will enjoy this.

Mad Machinery - The Quickening Fans of bands like Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Tool will appreciate these guys.

The Flanks - Bring it With You When You Come This is a must for those who love bluegrass.

[Editor's Note: This post is brought to you by the fantastic music site Instrumental Analysis. Check it out!]

How's it going? My name is Joe and I run the Baltimore/Washington music site Instrumental Analysis. Since I am familiar with many of the indie bands on Amie Street, I've been asked to occasionally contribute pieces on some of them. Chris (who works on IA with me), will be contributing some pieces as well.

For my first piece, Amie Street asked me to introduce all of you to Saturna. They are a band from the Pacific Northwest, who describes their music as "fuzzy, dirty, driving, psychedelic bliss pop." If you are a fan of bands such as Ride, Lush, Catherine Wheel, and My Bloody Valentine, you should really enjoy ...All Night [

]. The band told me that this EP was designed to be the perfect compliment to your night out. It is supposed to take you from the time that your evening begins until you stroll in at sunrise. After listening to it, I truly believe that.

The lush instrumental Springboard has been a favorite on Amie Street. I personally enjoy the soaring beauty of Blanket Of Stars . Honestly, you really can't go wrong with any of these tracks.

I recently conducted an interview with their front man Ryan Carroll for my site, and I am going to share it here as well.

Q - What are your best memories of 2006?

A - I have to say that putting out our EP ...All Night was a real highlight for me. We worked really hard on it and we got some really great reviews from all over the world. Seeing it in a couple of year end best of lists, really made me feel good.

Q - What's on tap for 2007?

I am so excited about this year. We have a full length ready to go in the spring. We worked with some amazing people on it. Tony Lash (Dandy Warhols, Stars of Track and Field) and Brin Addison (Blur, Supergrass, Smashing Pumpkins) are doing some mixing for us and Justin Renney is doing the artwork. It's really turning out well and I can't wait to go on tour and play all of these songs live. We're even hoping to tour the UK next fall. We're one of those bands that are always working, so expect to see a lot of us in 2007.

Q - I heard that you just played a big show. How did that go?

A - Yeah, we played the Reverb Records Holiday Party in Portland, OR. We played with The High Violets, Hypatia Lake and The Upsidedown. The place was packed and the bands rocked. Hypatia Lake is the most amazing psychedelic rock band around and The Upsidedown played an amazing set. The High Violets ended the night with a bunch of people jamming with them up on stage and the party didn't end until dawn. We prepared a couple of covers that we love and I heard rumors that somebody got it on video. I'm in NYC now, but I'll find out when I get back. If they did, it's going on youtube.

Q - What covers did you perform?

A - We performed Catherine Wheel's "I Want To Touch You" and one of my personal favorites, Ride's "Leave Them All Behind".

Q - Is there anything else going on with Saturna?

A - Our holiday break ends on January 5th and we start working to finish the album. In the next couple of weeks, it's a whirlwind of photo shoots, final mixing and finishing the artwork. After that, Eric leaves for a couple of weeks to Morocco and Spain on a humanitarian mission for Mercycorps. The rest of us will take a much needed break, while we wait for the record to be duplicated. By the time that he returns, we should be ready to roll. We'll hit the west coast and then we'll see everyone in Austin during SXSW.

Click here to listen to ...All Night by Saturna.

The Philadelphia Weekly describes Sy's music as "engaging, space-age soul for the hip, unassuming hedonist." Any way you play it Sy Smith is on some otha-ish. Try to categorize it as nu-soul, futurejazz, R&B... It doesn't really matter much, Sy's going to keep doing what she's doing and our ears are all the better for it. She says it herself over the thick electro-funk of super producer Nicolay on Aquarius Rising : "From Hip-hop to be-bop to funk to fusion/from high life to reggae to rock n'roll/I stay cool under pressure when others might pop/I cherish tradition yet unorthodox." The Ali Shaheed (Tribe Called Quest) produced Fa Sho shows off the experimental bent of this tripped out diva as she effortlessly switches off between a straight-ahead hiphop beat and a jazz swing every 16-bars or so.

Sporting a chameleon-like vocal ability as she moves from track to track, Sy finds a unique way to work with each song. Case in point: The killer Drop That which gets interpreted two ass-shakin ways on this album via the MGA rework! Drop That (Bonus) (Modern Groove Assembly Rmx.)

There's certainly more praise to be found including the recent announcement that Sy is BET J's Female Underground Artist of 2006 but even more interesting is that this is already Sy's second full album though only the first to be released by a label. (The 1st was shelved by the label she recorded it for!) Already well on the way to completing a third, consider yourself lucky to watch the rise of a talent more akin to an elemental force than the sweet, personable, and fascinating personality Sy shows to the world.