Herd Mag Issue 03 Release Party – April 26th @ Mercury Lounge
Here’s my post I wrote for herdmag.ca about the music being featured at the Issue 3 launch party. Enjoy!
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With Herd Magazine’s Issue 3 launch party fast approaching, we thought it would be nice to give an idea of what to expect on the music front. Mercury Lounge is a unique, intimate venue located in the heart of Ottawa’s Byward Market, and serves as a perfect stage for rapper Jesse Dangerously and indie folk-rock band Little Stella to show off their stuff. Here’s what you can expect.
Jesse Dangerously
Canada’s East coast has become known as one of Canada’s most important regions for music and has emerged as hub for musicians to get their start. However, not all of them can say that they’ve been a part of it since the mid-90’s, particularly with respect to a burgeoning hip hop scene that has exploded in Halifax and surrounding areas in the last couple decades. Even after having moved to Ottawa in 2007, alternative hip hop artist Jesse Dangerously has stuck to his guns and developed his own style and brand of music over the years.
A self-proclaimed independent rap legend from Halifax, NS, and a long-time fixture in the East coast hip hop scene, Jesse Dangerously established himself as one of the most captivating acts, not far behind the likes of Buck 65 and Classified. Citing influences from the “Golden Era” of hip hop (1988-1994) such as Public Enemy and young LL Cool J, he has spent the better part of half his life making beats, writing rhymes, and picking through his parents’ record collection for samples.
In a sea of hip hop artists, not only in Eastern Canada, but across North America, Jesse Dangerously has set himself apart by creating his own identity and brand. With an undying DIY ethic, some see him as part of the nerdcore sub-genre of hip hop, but the truth is he is in a league of his own. He eloquently coalesces a care-free, untamed demeanor with real skill and decades worth of experience stringing rhymes together and producing his own beats. With a lyrical style that includes anything from fearless political and feminist overtones to reflections on childhood memories, Jesse’s music never lacks substance nor does it compromise on quality. His not-so-subtle brilliance is heard in his words; they are intricate and his flow is unrelenting, leaving us, the listeners, wondering how the guy even breathes while spitting his lyrics.
His accolades include being voted “Best MC” in The Coast’s ‘Best of Music’ reader polls in 2006 and 2007, winning the 2005 Music Industry Association of Nova Scotia Urban/Hip-Hop artists of the Year award, as well as having Inter Alia (2005) achieve Rap/Hip-Hop Single Recording of the Year nomination for Outfox’d (When Pacifists Attack) from the East Coast Music Awards. He has also had showcases and performances at CMW, NXNE, SXSW, Halifax Explosion, POP Montreal, amongst many others. He has a slew of gigs coming up in Ottawa as he gets more settled in here, including the one we’re most excited for – the Herd Magazine Issue 3 launch party at Mercury Lounge on April 26th.
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Little Stella
Since Little Stella is being featured in Issue 3 of Herd Magazine, we’ll leave most of the juicy details about them for the print edition. What we can say is that this Ottawa-based folk-rock band is turning heads all over town, having released two albums called Songs For Spain (2011) and The Little Stella EP (2012) and already having had the chance to share the stage with bands like Amos the Transparent, The Strain, and Two Hours Traffic. Showing no signs of relenting, these guys have taken the next major step in their music careers with the filming a new video for their track “Bluff” from their most recent self-titled EP, which will be premiered at Herd Magazine’s Issue 3 launch party at Mercury Lounge April 26th. They’re the kind of band you don’t want to miss live, so be sure to join us Friday for what is sure to be another “Stellar” performance. Yeah I went there.
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