Fresh Breath Committee CD Release Party Review

Fresh Breath Committee CD Release Party
w/Masta Ace
The ReMinders
3 The Hardway
The Pirate Signal
Fox Theater
10/8/09

by 7th Day

So Nas' album Hip-Hop is Dead made a shocking statement to the world that had seen the peak of what Hip-Hop would become. Apparently, local upstarts the Fresh Breath Committee took notice and attempted to capitalize with their first crew venture-CPR.

As one might imagine, the F.B.C. (which consist of On Point aka Flawless & Fo Chief, Catch Lungs, Purpose, Kontrast, Hi-Res, DJ Skip Ripkin and singer Crystal) titles their album CPR as to say they are “breathing life back into Hip-Hop”-this theme is consistent throughout the album as well as in their liner notes and was repeatedly stated at their October release party-which is the real subject of discussion. The night consisted of a Colorado All Star line up including The Pirate Signal, 3 the Hardway and The ReMinders, as well as Hip-Hop legend Masta Ace. Let’s start from the beginning.

Up first was Denver’s most raucous act, The Pirate Signal. For those unfamiliar with T.P.S., front man Yonnas Abraham is always lauded with praise for, well; how crazy he is on stage. His performance would be best described as James Brown meets G.G.Allin (minus the poo, but definitely spitting.) Backed by what to this writer is the best Hype man/DJ in the state-DJ AWHAT!! The group exhibited the professionalism we have come to expect from Colorado’s first Hip-Hop act to have been on the Warped Tour and three time Westword Music Award winners, even when technical difficulties arose. Those who had never seen the act live were clueless as to what happened with the turntables, because of Yonnas’ and DJ AWHAT!!’s ability to keep things moving. Though they didn’t let the small snafu affect their set I always find myself hoping that they would transition with a little more fluidity, opposed to the stop and go rhythm they maintain. Regardless, the duo blew the doors off of the night, and set THE standard for the acts that followed.

Next were boom bap generals 3 the Hardway. The group-which consists of MC A.V.I.U.S., Prod/Hype man Es Nine and internationally praised DJ Cysko Rokwel, took the stage in their traditional fashion-commanding attention. From the first knock of the first beat, one can see why Es Nine was chosen as the 2009 Westword Best Producer and why the group’s album ‘Set In Stone’ was chosen for best album. A.V.I.U.S.’ grizzly voice floats effortlessly over Es Nine’s bangers backed with Rokwel’s dizzying cuts, scratches, and transformers. Though A.V.I.U.S.’ voice and Es Nine’s beats get your attention, any attendee of their shows becomes captivated by the control Rokwel exhibits over the turntables. It’s like watching Bruce Lee’s hands in the ‘Chinese Connection’-a blur that can destroy and build all at once. So much so, that at times it seems as though A.V.I.U.S. and Es Nine themselves become as captivated as the audience. Nevertheless, the set was solid, in fact, solid as a stone and had the people wanting more.

The ReMinders aka Aja Black, Big Samir and DJ Illadope (who was not in attendance) then took stage. The ReMinders have quickly become a recognizable name not only in our great state, but around the world as they recently returned from a European tour. The duo (who happen to be a happily married couple), Aja Black and Samir have actually been doing music for quite some time (i.e. Accumen) and both those aspects shine in their performance. They are most definitely a couple that works well on stage-with Aja’s soaring vocals and Samir’s straight forward flow, but don’t get it twisted, Aja does not only sing, the woman also bust with the ferocity of any of her male counterparts. The pair kept the party going at a continuous pace throughout their set-which to a degree was also a noticeable weakness. Some of their songs blended into each other, as though they were the same song. It took a minute (and a new hook) for one to notice they had moved on. I would expect more movements in their set as the talent is there to keep an audience captivated, regardless of the mood or tempo from song to song.

Finally-the stars of the night took the stage-Fresh Breath Committee. Well, it would have been assumed that they were the stars of the night considering this was their release party, except that they gave up headlining rights to Masta Ace. Not that he didn’t deserve the slot of course, but this was a night to celebrate Colorado Hip-Hop and a new addition to that library.

The group started their hour + set off with a bang, the crowd was at its heaviest and had been eagerly anticipating this moment. The first song of the night served as an excellent introduction for the group, whether you were familiar with them or not. Things took a sour turn when singer Crystal took stage for features on songs and for her solo intermission. On a track accompanied by Purpose that required a costume change, Crystal started out the song far off key, which led to MC/Singer Purpose being off key as well. Catch Lungs, who is an incredible lyricist was hard to hear most the set due to his manic movements and lack of controlling the mic (i.e. keeping it close enough to have a steady level). Flawless led the crowd to believe he was about to blow the set open when he pulled out an alto saxophone, but the small section he played left much to be desired. DJ Skip Ripkin had trouble when his needle broke mid set and he didn’t know how to handle it. This made for an extremely awkward moment of silence, about 5 minutes long before the Fox Sound Staff turned on house music as Skip ran off stage to get his comrades. All in all, stand outs (and surprises) of the set were MC Kontrast, who used his commanding voice and staccato flow to yield a great crowd response, as well as MC Fo Chief, who has one of those voices you can’t help pay attention to. Of course, there was also the closing moment when Masta Ace helped the crew out on their single “Save The Day” which was definitely the pinnacle of the set.

From there, the show continued on with Masta Ace. Where as he is definitely a legend and as much as I am a fan-this night was all about Colorado, which is where we should leave this story. All in all, the night was a success for all involved. Proving we have much more to offer out of the box state than Rodeos, Beer and championship sports. The Mile High City breaths Hip Hop.