It's not exactly normal for a nearly unknown MC to get production from the likes of DJ Babu (Beatjunkies/Dilated Peoples), Evidence (Dilated Peoples), DJ Rhettmatic (Visionaries), and a whole cast of Hip Hop's elite beat makers, but Trek Life and his skills on the Mic are anything but ordinary. Check the verbal acrobatics over the minimal Babu produced boom-bap of Hard Work if you need an example. Spending his teenage years in the L.A. county suburbs of West Covina, Trek Life became known locally for his freestyle and battle skills. It wasn't long before the rest of the U.S. got their first taste of Trek as a contestant (and finalist) on Showtime Network's reality/battle series "Interscope presents The Next Episode" Tracks like Hold Me Down (feat. Champ & KES) show some of the raw lyrical talent that helped Trek make his way onto a nationally televised freestyle competition at the age of... well he might be mad at us if we told you how old he was. All joking aside Price I've Paid is an example of what Hip-hop can sound like when it's not all about the paper-chase, a subject that the melodic, guitar-laden Still Here (feat. Silo) touches on.

Posted in Uncategorized | by musipal | No Comments »
Tagged as Hip Hop, Music, Rap

If you haven't heard the Breakestra's funk-infused groove, you will. With fans ranging from A Tribe Called Quest to Carson Daly, the Breakestra is poised to become a modern-day classic collective. Honestly, take one listen to a song like Getcho Soul Togetha - you'll think these guys traveled forward in time cruisin' in a 1972 Cadillac with fuzzy dice in the mirror and James Brown riding shotgun. The hip hop orchestra coming from LA is one of the premier funk bands of our era, mixing their own material and covering classics so well even legends can't tell the difference - no joke, the Roots' ?uestlove once sampled a Breakestra track thinking it was a 30-year-old original! On jams like Root Down , Inner City Blues , and Little Old Money Maker , the combination of today's hip hop rhythm with yesterday's soul power is sure to put the jangle back in your jingle.

Posted in Uncategorized | by christopher | 1 Comment »
Tagged as Funk, Music

Listen, listen, listen to the The Seldon Plan because they sound so fine. Fresh to Amie Street, this Baltimore-based Indie/Pop/Emo quartet is pitch-perfect and critically acclaimed. They've been featured on NPR's All Songs Considered, and have amassed enthusiastic reviews from, among others, On Tap Magazine, The Big Takeover, and The Washington Post.

The Seldon Plan will earn your trust with melodious and polished tracks from their album Making Cirlces, an inviting production you can enjoy in full. Start with Love Again , Holding Patterns Are Slow , and Westchester , but don't stop there, check them all. Consistently catchy and never unimaginative, The Seldon Plan is a certain pleasure. Welcome them to Amie Street.

Posted in Uncategorized | by treetops | 3 Comments »
Tagged as Emo, Music, Pop, Rock

Electronics, jazz, funk, and long twisting songs that take you for a ride rather than a quick trip around the same block you've seen 5,000 times-- Seed . Please welcome one of our favorite acts still bubbling around in the underground: Keston & Westdal.

This duo, consisting of keyboardist Jon Keston and bassist Nils Westdal have such an original and accomplished sound we were completely blown away by the fact they didn't have a label backing them up when we first ran into them. They've since partnered with Unearthed Music and have plans to do a physical release early next year, but we're proud to help with the pre-buzz! K&W's music elicits visual comparison with instrumental Hip-hop that swaggers, precise brokenbeat rhythms that duck and weave through alternately edgy/smooth keyboard textures, and a solid yet never static foundation of expert bass-work throughout. The result is something capable of moving both the mind and the behind. The sound palette on Truth Is Stranger, their sophomore effort, runs the gamut from the ultrasmooth funk of Otokoyama to the edgy latin infused electro-future-jazz of Se Fue . In summation, K&W bring edgy electronic production to the table backed up by jazz-theory and the chops to play it. Also, unlike many of their electronic colleagues they can rip it up live.

Posted in Uncategorized | by musipal | 16 Comments »
Tagged as Electronica, Instrumental, Music

You are now listening to State Radio, a powerful experience in Rock/Reggae craftsmanship and social critique. This Massachusetts-based trio is the invention of Chad Stokes (guitar, vocals), formerly of the indie music phenomenon Dispatch, and features Chuck Fay on bass and Mike Najarian on drums. State Radio's ability to execute songs that combine an instantly recognizable musical attractiveness with messages of social activism will make you proud. Please welcome them to Amie Street by checking out tracks from their album Us Against the Crown. The singles are Camilo and Mr. Larkin , but don't sleep on the current site favorite Riddle In Londontown . Enjoy State Radio and stay tuned for more posts about this blazing and important band.

Posted in Uncategorized | by treetops | 1 Comment »
Tagged as Music, Reggae, Rock

The Chachi Interview: Part 2 of 2

In Part 1 of his interview, Chachi spoke about Rhode Island and its Hip Hop scene. Now he speaks about his inspiration, upcoming projects, and his mission.

Part 2 of The Chachi Interview also coincides with the world premiere of his latest CD Mind the Gap. It's only on Amie Street, so check it, starting with these tracks: heaven sent prod. by j’ depina , i gotcha open prod. by j’ depina , mary wanna break prod. by j’ depina and let em’ in feat. casius .

How'd you get into Hip Hop? Who or what inspired your dedication to music?

When I was younger, my cousin Vic used to break dance with a local B-boy crew. I was trying to mimic the moves; I was getting into the groove. Also movies like Beat Street and Wild Style, just seeing and feeling the culture.

Rap wasn't really accepted in my household so I had to sneek out to hear Run DMC. Hip Hop was rebellious when I was growing up. I'd pop in a Hip Hop tape in my Dad's car and he'd throw it out the window onto the highway. That was inspiration. Why doesn't Dad like it? My rebelliousness grew.

Posted in Uncategorized | by treetops | 3 Comments »
Tagged as Hip Hop, Interview, Music, Rap

"An unbelievable night of music," said Gabe Goodwin, an Amie Street user. "The bands were unreal. Looking forward to the next one."

All fans attending Amie Street's first showcase in New York City this past Friday night shared these sentiments as the music flowed from the Cutting Room stage well past 2am. Over a hundred people listened as Andrew Fox and The Emergency opened the show with Love Letter to Calypso , a beautiful arrangement of earthly folk and playful soul.

Joe Whyte followed, changing the musical direction more towards acoustic folk rock. The crowd felt it, as fans sang along with Amie Street favorites such as Let Me Down and Best Of Me .

Never the Nines closed the showcase with forty minutes of unrelenting rock and left everyone wanting more. NTN's set included Amie Street tracks Liar and Out & Through , as well as newer, more groove-based songs. The Amie Street Showcase was a great success, both in attendance and musical contributions. Thanks to everyone involved. Stay on the block, live cuts from the showcase are coming soon.

Posted in Uncategorized | by DJchallah | No Comments »
Tagged as Acoustic, Alternative, Event, Music, Pop, Rock

Never pay 20 bucks for a haircut again. Instead, try 50 Cent Haircut, Amie Street's premiere punk-country fire breathers. Haircut's superb tracks Elliott Smith Blues and Perforated have been recent site favorites, but last night the band unleashed a maximum honky-tonk, live showcase titled Live at the Pitcher House. Don't miss this fabulously raw and raging set.

50 Cent Haircut's Bryan Stone not only puts the ass in bass, but also enjoys Amie Street under the username UniversalStone, so feel free to request him as your friend or send him a message. Let him know you dig his band.

For your listening pleasure, scope Haywire , Black Car , Hit Like a Girl , and Atomic Anti-Star .

Posted in Uncategorized | by treetops | 1 Comment »
Tagged as Country, Music, Rock

The Chachi Interview, Part 1 of 2

Chachi, the dynamic and entrepreneurial force behind the slept-on Providence, RI Hip Hop scene, rolled through the Amie Street office this week for a Q&A. In case you don't know, Chachi was an Amie Street first mover, dropping his tracks on the block from the get. If you haven't heard 2 FLOOR YACHT feat. SWANN , GROOVE feat. ICEY or THATS MY BOY feat. SWANN NOTTY you must.

What's up Chachi? You're in Providence now, but where are you from originally?

I'm from Pawtucket, next door to Providence. Same thing that's going on there is going on here.

There are a lot of people out there who don't know anything about Rhode Island and Providence. How would you describe the nation's smallest state and its capital city?

I like to call Rhode Island the "vacuum state". It's easy to get wrapped up in a lifestyle here. Rhode Island is so laidback; they're a lot of open minded people around here. If you want to live in the fast lane, you can. If not, you don't have too. A lot of people who move out of Rhode Island end up coming back, and a lot of people who move in, for school or whatever, end up staying. There's so much going on, so many cultures, it's so diverse.

Posted in Uncategorized | by treetops | 6 Comments »
Tagged as Hip Hop, Interview, Music

One Ring Zero brought its big-top contortionist anthems to Amie Street this week. ORZ is the dynamic-duo of Michael Hearst and Joshua Camp, indie-alt. ringleaders from Brooklyn. They brought us only two tracks (please sirs, more), but we can't argue with the dynamic strangeness of Natty Man Blues and Here Come The Mannequins . According to band bios, Michael plays the theremin, Joshua plays the accordion, both play the claviola and employ an instrumental compendium including the toy piano, the melodica, the metallophone, the jones-O-phone, the cajon, and so on. Also, they both sing.

Posted in Uncategorized | by treetops | No Comments »
Tagged as Alternative, Indie Rock, Music