"Against the Current" or "Outta Water", 2na thrives.

April 19, 2013 by Blake Morneau in Interviews

Getting to talk to Chali 2na was and remains one of the high-points in my interviewing "career." This is one of the brothers who got me into Hip-Hop music through his work with Jurassic 5. I've seen him live many times and he never fails to come through. Still one of the bright lights in Hip-Hop, In the midst of his Against the Current project and the beginning of a J5 reunion run at Coachella last weekend, this seems like a good a time as any to get this conversation out into the world. Much love and respect to one of the masters, Chali 2na!

Who's your daddy? Hiram Biram's your daddy! (I talk to Scott H. Biram and he's as cool as I expected.)

April 10, 2013 by Blake Morneau in Interviews

I'd like to think I'm a good music fan. When I see a band I don't know opening a show I'm attending I try to familiarize myself with said band. Sometimes it's just another band, but in the case of G.Love & Special Sauce's show in Vancouver in March of 2012 the opener was Scott H. Biram. It was love at first hear. His music is genre-blending madness, crushing boundary lines all over the place. it was with furious energy that I started to devour his catalogue and in late 2012 I tracked him down somewhere outside of Phoenix for a chat about being a one-man band, religious imagery and his general bad-assery for one of my weekly columns. Finally the whole thing sees the light of day. I hope you enjoy it and find it as interesting as I did. Welcome to the First Church of the Ultimate Fantacism!

Reggae music kept Clinton Fearon on the path to happiness.

March 30, 2013 by Blake Morneau in Interviews

The great Roger Steffens told me that reggae music is "the sound of the beating human heart at rest," and few musicians embody the warmth and peace of the music like Clinton Fearon. Through his work with the Gladiators, the Defenders and his solo work, Fearon has been keeping roots reggae alive and well for over four decades. I got the chance to talk with him before 2012 Victoria Ska Fest about his own introduction to reggae, the changing landscape of the genre and working for shifty contractors. Enjoy!

Tech N9ne is much more sane than his rapping indicates.

March 26, 2013 by Blake Morneau in Interviews

When I heard independent music titan Tech N9ne was coming to Victoria, I jumped at the chance to talk with the Klusterfuck himself. We had a great chat about youthful energy, religion, fan expectations and the importance of smiles.

"A lot of people shun my music because of the imagery and because it isn't the norm. When something's not the norm people don't understand it and they try to destroy it because they can't control it. One thing you can't control is me."

Even if you've never heard the man, step into the mind of a fascinating artist and the most technically skilled rapper working today.

Reggie Watts will defragment your brain.

March 21, 2013 by Blake Morneau in Interviews

I had the privilege of talking to the artist-extraordinaire and all-around great dude Reggie Watts before his mind-altering set at the 2012 installment of Rifflandia. We didn't have a lot of time on the phone together but we still managed to cover audience expectations, Comedy Bang! Bang! and the mighty Doob. I hope you enjoy reading this interview as much as I enjoyed doing it. Long live art! Long live Reggie!