Reach

Artist Information

Biography

Reach is as compelling and as atypical an emcee as you'll find in the Rap genre. He utilizes what he calls blue-collar Rap, a more reality-based personable brand of Hip-Hop, to combat an industry saturated with propaganda. This emcee, by most accounts, is considered to be a throwback to the artform's golden age. With content as distinctive and as poignant as his he's aiming to raise the bar and escort the Rap genre back to greatness.

Reach, born Stacy D. Smith, hails from Kansas City, Mo. Five short years after being introduced to Hip-Hop culture in 1986 Reach began writing and reciting rhymes at the tender age of thirteen. His early stylings were heavily influenced by lyrical gunslingers Keith Murray and Kurupt. After nearly a decade of honing and perfecting his craft he helped to form a local independent Rap label, Kingdome Records. Three years and a full-length compilation album later he opted to pursue greener pastures as a solo artist. In 2003, Reach began a blistering campaign to garner exposure with a brief stint on a national tour (2003 Vans Warped Tour) and a self-released EP in the summer of 2003.

Reach released his debut album, Joys, Disappointments & The In-Between, in the Fall of 2004. In 2005 Reach was named the winner of the Scion Next Up contest (a national Rap talent search) sponsored by Toyota Scion. Reach’s sophomore album, Corner Speech, was released in November 2007. The intercontinental album project (of a dozen tracks) was produced solely by Copenhagen producer Twelve Beats. In 2008, he was named the winner of a Pitch Music Award in the Hip Hop category. He also played two dates on the Vans Warped Tour. His latest effort, The Pen Pusha Mixtape, was released by West Coast imprint Wilshire District Music on January 11, 2011. Reach has opened for national acts The Roots, Talib Kweli, Big Daddy Kane, Kev Brown, Oddisee, Trek Life, Othello, P.O.S, Devin The Dude, Abyss (HBO Def Jam Poet), Sound Tribe Sector 9, Kindred The Family Soul, Pharcyde, Jeru The Damaja, Blackalicious, Soulive, and Heiruspecs. Reach is currently promoting his new project and setting up regional and national touring dates.

For booking please contact:
Stacy D. Smith, 816/308-5936 or fudgefactorysounds@gmail.com

Instrumentation

Reach - Emcee/Producer

***Buy the NEW album, Corner Speech***:
www.cdbaby.com/cd/reachmusic2

***Buy the DEBUT album, Joys...***:
www.cdbaby.com/cd/reachmusic

Discography

Album: Pen Pusha Mixtape
Label: Wilshire District Music

Songs:
1. Be About It (ft Leah Beabout)
2. Radio Love
3. Visions (ft Milkdrop)
4. Hip Hop Is Alive
5. SpeakEasy
6. Move
7. Think Of You (ft Schelli Tolliver)
8. Perfect Morning (ft Vance Ashworth)
9. Sugar (ft Reggie B)
10. Radio Love (Remix)(ft MED)
11. Rock
12. Burnin’
13. I’m Tryna
14. Hold On (ft Vance Ashworth)
15. People Everyday
16. That’s Reach (ft DJ Trystyl)
17. All My Love
18. Where I’m From (ft Melodiq)

Album: Corner Speech
Label: N/A

Songs:
1. Reach Out (Intro)
2. Live And
3. Walk The Line
4. Dance In The Rain
5. Pretty Picture
6. KCI
7. Outreach
8. Go Home
9. Feelin' It
10. Cold Outside
11. Who Izzy
12. A Dream

Album: Joys, Disappointments, and the In-between.
Label: N/A

Songs:
1. The Arrival (Intro)
2. Good Morning Day
3. Comin' For You f/DJ Ataxic
4. Wannabeanmc? f/C.E.S. Cru, DJ Ataxic
5. Out of Sorts f/Udochi Wilson
6. No Tomorrow f/Taha
7. Imagine
8. Take'n It Back
9. Life's B-U-tiful
10. Through Words...Peace (Outro)

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Last.fm
• MySpace

Audio

• KCI
  Listen  
• Dance In The Rain
  Listen  
• Can Can
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• How To Fish
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• Super Stereo Blaster
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• Hip Hop Is Alive
  Listen  

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Corner Speech Review. [+ Show ]
  

  A growing number of artists are mining the still-rich seam of golden-age hip-hop, almost 20 years af...A growing number of artists are mining the still-rich seam of golden-age hip-hop, almost 20 years after its heyday. Yet even though this sort of revivalism is poised to become the next big thing all over again (think the Cool Kids), there are few doing it better than Kansas City's Stacy D. Smith, aka Reach.
  
  His sophomore album benefits from a surprising transcontinental alliance; the backing here is provided by Copenhagen producer Twelve Beats, who expertly burnishes his rhythms with R&B and jazz accents in classic old-school style. It's the perfect complement to Reach's plain-spoken anthems for Everyman, which dare to suggest an old-fashioned world outside the boundaries of normal hip-hop discourse.
  
  On "Go Home," Reach memorably warns a young wannabe out of the clubs: Get home/Get safe ... I know you're not hard/'Cause you're human and you're vulnerable/You're not God. Besides its obvious value to fans of De La and Pete Rock, Corner Speech has plenty to say to the world at large — if anyone's still listening.
  
  

• Riding the Beat on His Latest Release [+ Show ]
  

  Present: What do you consider the Golden Age of hip-hop? What artists represent that era? Reach: ...Present: What do you consider the Golden Age of hip-hop? What artists represent that era?
  
  Reach: The Golden Age for me would be between 1986-1996. That 10-year period represented such growth and diversity. The spectrum was wider then. Rap was edgy during those years.
  
  Present: What do you bring to the form today as a blue-collar rapper?
  
  Reach: I think I bring honesty to the table. Something that everyday people can easily identify with. Tragedy, triumph, love, life...
  
  I speak to the human experience...I'm a "meat and potatoes" kind of artist.
  
  Present: "Walk the Line" is a song that addresses a dedicated "daily grind" work ethic balanced by an "I'm on the way" ambition. Is this reflective of your life as a person and an artist rising from the Kansas City hip hop scene to new vistas?
  
  Reach: They say that art imitates life. I think my personal life informs my music. And I think many of my characteristics as an artist seep into how I live my life everyday.
  
  Present: How did you connect with Twelve Beats, a producer and beatmaker out of Copenhagen, Denmark?
  
  Reach: I was a regular at a www.beatsociety.com which was a website for Rap producers. Twelve was one of the beatmakers on the site I stumbled upon. I contacted him initially to get a few tracks for a future project. We had a couple conversations, but were never able to agree upon a reasonable price for beats. Talks broke off for a while... Months later, after he'd had the chance to digest my music, he suggested we work with one another and see where we could take it. Twelve songs later we were at the end of an album.
  
  Present: Twelve brings a refreshing sound to the album, Corner Speech. It's chill with a lounge vibe, but enough beat and digital spice to support your vocal delivery. What sound were the two of you going for on this record?
  
  Reach: We wanted an album that was reflective of our collective musical tastes. Jazz, R&B, soul, rap. We hoped we could mix all of that up and come away with something soulful, funky, and melodic. It's a really cohesive record as a result.
  
  Present: How would you describe your vocal style?
  
  I'm an "in pocket" emcee. I try to lend something to the track rather than stand over it. A lot of artists call it "riding the beat". I want to find my place in the melody and live there. I see my voice as just another instrument that has to mesh with the other sounds in the track.
  
  Present: You've opened for national acts including The Roots, Big Daddy Kane, Trek Life, Abyss (HBO Def Jam Poet), Sound Tribe Sector 9, Pharcyde, Blackalicious, and Soulive. What have you learned from other artists in the industry that you want to emulate or avoid in your career?
  
  Reach: The artists I've worked with all say the same things. And it's mostly related to staying on top of your business. Seizing control of business matters and being involved in business that affects you. They taught me never to accept short change. Oddisee, an emcee/producer, gave me lots of advice. He gave me new angles on how significant touring can be to an artist's career. Overall, they gave me a foundation and solid principles to build with.
  
  Present: Tell us about "Dance in the Rain."
  
  Reach: I wish I could say something poetic about the song. Basically, it's just a song that speaks to the experiences of black women in my life. From the hardship associated with single motherhood, to difficulty fitting inside of Euro-centric standards of beauty, to the bumps and bruises of dating and romance. I guess the song was born out of the many nights I spent listening to women who were struggling with those issues. The concept of the song is applicable for women of all ethnicities, but I had the black woman in mind when I wrote it. I was raised by women so they're dear to my heart and I wanted to do something that dealt with what they often go through.
  
  Present: Let's dig into your background more. Tell us about Stacy Smith as a person. How would you describe yourself as a person? Are there any life experiences that definitively helped to shape who you are?
  
  Reach: I'm a regular guy I suppose. A bit on the nerdy side, but cool. Ha ha. Spiritual, fair, compassionate, kind, loving, free-spirited. I think my exposure to music in the early stages of my life made me who I am today. I'm driven by it. Inspired by it. Made of it. If I ever went deaf, death would be right around the corner for me.
  
  Present: As the father of a son, how does that role in life shape the messages you want to deliver as an artist?
  
  Reach: I think I write everything with my son in mind. I screen a lot of what he listens to. As a responsible parent, I think that's my job. So when I'm writing, I try to deliver messages that'll aid him along the way. I also make sure to keep it clean. Sometimes the words we choose weed out certain people. I'm not in a position to criticize the language other artists use. That's not my place. I just don't want someone to be in the dark about my music because of the language I chose.
  
  Present: The video (view it below) for "Comin' For You" is slick. Stylistically, it reminds me visually of Missy Eliott videos, innovative and untypical of the hip hop genre. Who directed it? How did the concept develop?
  
  Reach: The director for the video, Asif Mian, hails from Brooklyn, New York. It was really his vision. He pitched a couple of different ideas, but the end result was the one he thought would garner the most attention. Missy was one of the artists he named in the treatment stages of the video. He wanted to do something retro. He wanted it to have an 80's feel. So that's what we went for in everything from the wardrobing aspects to the set. The song had a throwback feel to it so he tried to match the visuals to the audio.
  
  Present: Want to give a shout-out to contributors on Corner Speech and what they brought to the table?
  
  Reach: I really just want to thank everyone who I interact with on a daily basis. They inspired Corner Speech more than they realize. Let me also take time out to thank my producer and partner on the project, Twelve Beats. Without him this would be a completely different album.
  
  Present: What else do you want people to know about you and your music?
  
  Reach: More or less, I just want people to listen. Just listen and make your decisions later. My music is for the people. As a practice, I pray before each live performance that my music makes positive change in someone's life. That's paramount. But then again, so is entertainment. Can't just be a message. It's gotta be good music. I could've been a preacher if all I wanted to do was deliver a message. The dress code isn't as flexible though. So, I dropped the "P" from my name and the rest, they say, is history.
  

• On The Up [+ Show ]
  

  Home from a tour that took the local MC to new heights, Reach puts on a party this weekend. By Na...Home from a tour that took the local MC to new heights, Reach puts on a party this weekend.
  
  By Nadia Pflaum
  Published: March 8, 2007
  
  
  A couple of weeks ago, Stacy Smith stared death in the face. It made him very pensive.
  
  Smith, better known by his MC moniker, Reach, is afraid of flying. But he was about to board a flight to Atlanta to meet up and perform with Big Daddy Kane, hop on a tour bus and hit up spots in New Orleans, Houston and Austin before flying home to KC. It was all part of his prize as Scion's "Next-Up" competition winner, for his song, "Comin' for You." Names like the Big Bopper had him worried. Stars like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Otis Redding and Aliyah.
  
  "It's just the odds of surviving a plane crash," he told the Pitch a few days before boarding call. "I saw a commercial for Lost on TV, and I was like, this is not what I want to see two days before I get on this plane."
  
  The idea of an impending fiery demise must have had a profound effect on Reach's thoughts, because he started dispensing wisdom like a streetwise Buddha. For instance, he offered the Pitch some insight into the downtown redevelopment and its effect on local hip-hop.
  
  "I think the downtown revitalization will polarize the scene," he said. "I don't think that project includes hip-hop. I don't think there will be venues open to us performing down there. I see us kind of moving back south, further to Westport. Once they get this entertainment district going, I think the way for other hot spots for nightlife to stay afloat is to be open to something other venues aren't offering. And that thing is live music. They're going to have to open their doors back up to these musicians."
  
  He also waxed philosophical about the divide in the local scene between so-called backpackers and gat-packers. The local forum HipHopKC.com recently blew up with posts debating whether the two sides of hip-hop could coexist. Reach insists on looking at the bigger picture.
  
  "Not so long ago, there used to not be those dividing lines," Reach said. "The best example was Club Mardi Gras [a spot near 18th Street and Vine] in early 2000. On any given night, you'd see Tech N9ne and Mac Lethal and Approach and Grant Rice all at the same venue. Everyone felt at home. I think the only dividing line was in terms of your quality as an artist. If you were good at it, you were there. Somehow, we've lost our way with that."
  
  And he was able to rationalize the somewhat-perilous situation facing fans of the Peanut downtown, Kansas City's Sunday night home for hip-hop. Recently, managers there have threatened to put an end to Hip-Hop and Hot Wings if its fans don't stop defacing the bathrooms with marker graffiti. Reach shrugged it off. "I'm certainly not looking for the demise of Hip-Hop and Hot Wings, but it's not about a brand or a place or a night. It's about the people. Hip-hop has never needed anything to enable it, anyway. When it started out, it was out in the park. If it has to go back to that, it can and it will."
  
  A few days after doling out these words of wisdom to the Pitch, Reach found that his flying fears were groundless, and his plane got him safely to Atlanta. (He was comforted by the presence of DJ KIZ-One, who turned out to be more afraid of flying than he.) Reach's adventures with Big Daddy Kane can be found on his tour blog, at www.myspace.com/reach.
  
  His hard work won't stop when he makes his return. In April, he will release an album, tentatively titled Brilliant Corners (after a Thelonius Monk record), which he made with the help of a producer named 12 Beats from Copenhagen, Denmark. He also has a mix of 20-odd songs that he's shopping to some labels, but that project is hush-hush for now.
  
  Next up, Reach steps off the plane from Austin to headline Hollapalooza, a three-day festival of local hip-hop. It starts at the Record Bar Friday, where he performs with the Soul Servers and Jacksonville, Florida's Simple Complexity. The next night, he'll premiere his "Comin' for You" music video at the Creative Mind Arts Center at 3109 Troost. Finally, he'll be at the Peanut for Hip-Hop and Hot Wings, with Kev Brown and Oddisee from Washington, D.C., and regular Peanut DJs Ataxic, Beatbroker and Miles Bonny on the decks.
  
  You wonder how the guy even has time to think.
  
  
  

• Taking Hold [+ Show ]
  

  Local MC Reach's new video introduces positive Kansas City hip-hop to the future. By Jason Harper...Local MC Reach's new video introduces positive Kansas City hip-hop to the future.
  
  By Jason Harper
  Article Published Oct 12, 2006
  
  
  In a postapocalyptic future world, a villainous cadre of B-boys has set up a factory in order to make bootleg CDs. The fashion of the age is retro-'80s, so the nefarious breakdancers all wear matching red warm-up suits. Their dance moves are their defenses, but they're no match for the rhyme-slaying creation of a cybernetic scientist named Ataxic. In the space of a few minutes, the renegade genius (who moonlights as a Kansas City hip-hop DJ) builds a robot-armed, laser-eyed MC to defeat the dancin' foes. The cyborg's name: Reach.
  
  Walking through the burned-out landscape while chanting verse, Reach interacts with a few of the world's denizens — a woman in a tricked-out catsuit and a kid driving a motorized shopping cart — then infiltrates the B-boys' factory. He vanquishes a few outside the elevator, rides it to the top, and foils the crew's plans by popping a golden cassette into one of his augmented arms and pressing play.
  
  This is the plot for Reach's debut music video, which sets a visual concept to his prize-winning song "Comin' for You." In the summer of 2005, Reach entered the track in Scion's annual Next-Up contest, a song battle judged this year by national figures DJ Premier, Green Lantern and Sean Cane. Next-Up is part of the Toyota subsidiary's ongoing project to attract younger drivers through hot new music, especially hip-hop. The contest was free to enter and offered a $50,000 prize package, including a professionally produced video and live performances at Scion events around the country.
  
  Reach was proclaimed the winner last November ("Mr. Brightside," December 1, 2005). At the end of March 2006, he and Ataxic flew to Los Angeles for the video shoot. This Saturday at the Record Bar, the video debuts in all its Mad Max-meets-Missy Elliot glory.
  
  In reality, Reach, whose real name is Stacy Smith, is a reluctant road warrior. His original idea was to shoot the video in KC; his concept for the clip was to depict a down-to-Earth sequence of events that included him writing the song, working on it with producer Miles Bonny and recording it in the studio at the end of the day. The cyborg plot is funkier and more original, but it lacks the connection to home that's so important to Reach.
  
  Initially, Scion did plan to shoot the video here with a director from Missouri, but the money people decided it was too expensive to send an entire video crew to the Midwest. The company chose a new director, Asif Mian (who has directed illusory videos for the Roots and Aesop Rock), and devised the sci-fi concept (as well as the plan to use a Scion xB at the beginning of the video).
  
  Reach was disappointed when he got the news. He fought to keep the video local, but as the beneficiary, he wasn't entitled to the final word.
  
  "At first, I was really having second thoughts about it," he recalls, "but I talked to my friends, and they said it was something I earned and something I should do regardless."
  
  Now that the video is complete, Reach realizes that the finished product is pretty special. Had it been filmed here at home, he says, "it would've been a lot more me, but at the same time, it probably would've been a lot more forgettable."
  
  He's probably right.
  
  Except when Reach is on the mic, he's not the sort of over-the-top Busta Rhymes personality that you'd expect to get cybernetic on anyone's ass. Onstage, he's all smooth motion and energy, towel over his shoulder, summoning arms to wave and shouts to rise from the crowd. In person, he's calm and stoic — you can't tell whether he's shy or relaxed or bored or just keeping it in.
  
  But he's no bore.
  
  "Comin' for You" is a badass track — and the fact that a song riddled with esoteric KC hip-hop shout-outs could win a national contest says a lot about Reach's skills at songcraft and performance.
  
  It's a song about being a standout artist, about being a good person (If you been drinkin', I'm takin' you from your keys) and about being part of a strong network. In it, he mentions his friend Phil Shafer (better known as Sike Style, who's organizing the release party) at least twice, along with the Guild, CES Cru and others in his scene.
  
  That wouldn't mean anything to some random person who's thinking about buying a Toyota. But forceful, elegantly clipped lines such as I'm representin' for peace, representin' for truth should make sense to anyone, with or without a car.
  
  
  
  

• Mr. Brightside [+ Show ]
  

  Reach is the kind of rapper your grandmother would approve of — and, in this case, hip-hop fans acro...Reach is the kind of rapper your grandmother would approve of — and, in this case, hip-hop fans across the nation agree.
  
  By Nadia Pflaum
  
  Published:
  Thursday, December 1, 2005
  
  
  After his trusty DJ, Ataxic, introduces him, Stacy Smith busts through a gang of break dancers to find his way to the microphone center stage at the Peanut on a Hip-Hop and Hot Wings Sunday night. Smith, who MCs as Reach, raps through braces, not bling. He serenades a beefy bulldog roaming the bar, not the ladies. His main homie dances in a corner drinking a cosmo, not Courvoisier. But like Kansas City's oddball yet resilient hip-hop community, Reach's personality overpowers such stereotypes.
  
  Reach is a big boy. He could easily have chowed down the whole cake that someone brought for him to commemorate his winning the nationwide Scion Next Up Unsigned MC Search. And he deserves that cake, because the way Reach sees it, he clamored to the top and snatched up that prize for all of Kansas City hip-hop. Reach beat 2,000 other rappers who sent in their tracks from all over the country to win recognition from the Toyota-offshoot car company. Reach's track, "Comin' for You," beat the last ten finalists who came from places such as Atlanta and Brooklyn. Now, all of KC's hip-hop scene seems to be at the downtown bar to congratulate him.
  
  "You writing an article or something?" asks Konnect, the guy who's slurping on the girl drink while his friend performs. His real name is Anthony Adkins, and he claims to have given Reach his handle. Reach is a Kansas City native and graduate of Ruskin High School. They met in 2001, when Adkins was a producer for a local enterprise called KingDome Records and Reach was laying down a track for the group at a recording studio.
  
  "When I met him three years ago," Adkins says, "his name was Preach. I told him, 'Brother, you need to drop that P, because you just reached me.' I was a grimy dude, and I named him. Me. He's had tons of names, but that one stuck. He's the pinnacle of the word reach, it can't be denied. He's bailed me out of jail."
  
  Reach's first album, Joys, Disappointments and the In-Between, is so full of sunshine and buttercups that it makes you forget how the mainstream hip-hop that rules the radio is drowning in sweaty booty and smoking guns. The second song on Joys goes: Good morning, day, how are you?/I'm feeling powerful. Wonderful. Hoping your newness will keep me functional/I know the night will soon be taking you away/So give me peace so I can make it through the day.
  
  "He's like Jesus, and I'm a disciple," Adkins continues, draining the pink juice from his martini glass. "Now I can reach the drug dealers and gangbangers in the streets and say, 'Get this CD!'"
  
  Reach has to be up early tomorrow for his day job at Maytag. This Scion contest prize, which includes $5,000, a trip to four cities to perform and a music video for his winning track, isn't exactly his ticket out of refrigerator repair, but it's a start. His song was selected by heavyweights DJ Premier, Green Lantern and Sean Cane to be among the final ten. The songs were posted online, and voting was held to name Scion's top unsigned MC in the country. Reach won, but that doesn't necessarily mean that a label will offer him a contract. If that happened, though, the local scene would get a healthy boost.
  
  Joys, Reach says, is Kansas City inside and out, from the cover design by artist Sike Style to the production from beatmakers Vertigone (aka Clarence Draper) of the Guild and Miles Bonny of SoundsGood. "This sound kind of embodies the Kansas City sound, at least from my perspective," Reach says. "I think it's jazz-influenced. Not as much as that particular track ["Comin' for You"], though it does have jazz samples in it, but just kind of edgy, really. It has a lot of movement in it. It's really musical. Like I said, the jazz being the center of it kind of gives it those overtones."
  
  Reach makes a priority of thanking the people who have helped him along the way, and the winning song is basically that: a huge shout-out listing names of locals he admires while announcing his own arrival as an artist. He can't wait to travel with Scion and tell people about his hometown rap scene. "I'm going to tell them it's really diverse," Reach says. "You get a lot of different sides of the rap genre here, everything from the more substantive, positive, conscious rap to the harder-edged, more reality-based rap, to stuff that's even experimental like the Deep Thinkers, where you're branching off into other genres and infusing those into hip-hop as well."
  
  Reach is Eeyore-humble when asked to guess why he won. "Oh, I honestly don't know," he says. "I've heard a lot of people say that they think my sound was just different, and some of the other artists, while talented, maybe they've heard that particular brand of hip-hop before. Some of the artists had a more commercial sound that we've been acclimated to already."
  
  Speaking of commercial, for a few years now, the Scion company has feverishly tried tapping into the hip-hop youth market to access young urban adults who have change to spare on cranberry vodka, new vinyl and, they hope, the company's easily customized cars.
  
  Scion's ad reps have hitched a ride with hipsters, convincing style makers nationwide to put up Scion posters and pass out mountains of Scion shwag at events where licensed kids congregate. Scion compiles mix-tape-style hip-hop CDs and passes them out free; the samplers, surprisingly, include some really hot shit, even though the company has been known to bleep political lyrics (even censoring the word Bush) as well as profanity in order to keep every possible consumer subgroup in Scion's corner.
  
  Reach's victory may be a lucky break for Scion, then. The guy's lyrics are introspective and almost entirely positive.
  
  "It's really just my philosophy," Reach says of the niceness that sets him apart. "I really don't know the other side of the coin. I don't know harder-edged stuff. I never really got into being in the street and all that kind of stuff. Just being more positive and having something more conscious to say about things was more my background, more the way I live my life. It just came out in the music."
  
  Next month, a director will film Reach's first music video — his first taste of fame.
  
  It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
  
  

• Representin' KC [+ Show ]
  

  SUNDAY Q&A Representin’ KC By JENEÉ OSTERHELDT The Kansas City Star When Stacy Smith...SUNDAY Q&A
  
  
  Representin’ KC
  
  By JENEÉ OSTERHELDT
  
  The Kansas City Star
  
  
  When Stacy Smith submitted a song to Scion’s Next Up Unsigned Emcee Search a few months ago, he didn’t really think he’d win.
  
  His album, “Joys, Disappointments, and the In-Between,” is overflowing with soulful feel-good hip-hop. He’s a regular on the local hip-hop circuit and a recognized name on MySpace ( www.myspace.com/reach ) — but he wasn’t sure he’d win the contest, sponsored by the automaker.
  
  Then Smith, better known as Reach to hip-hop heads, got the call that out of some 2,000 entries, he had been chosen by the judges, hip-hop DJs and producers DJ Premier, Green Lantern and Sean Cane, as one of 10 finalists.
  
  The decision was then left to online voters, and Scion recently announced that Kansas City’s own Reach, 27, is the champ of the mic. He wins a marketing package that includes a music video, $5,000 in cash and the opportunity to perform at Scion-sponsored events across the country.
  
  Q. What were you doing when you found out you won?
  
  A. I was surfing the Web at the time and got a phone call. I didn’t believe them. I was checking the caller ID to make sure it was real.
  
  Q. Hip-Hop is really divided between the coasts and down south. Do you feel like this is a win for Kansas City, for the Midwest?
  
  A. It feels good on a much larger level than just myself. I feel like maybe the odds are going to turn this way. I always talk to Necia Gamby (hip-hop activist and mother of Kansas City rapper Joe Good), and she always says we are the one place no one has really heard from yet. Knowing that this could be a part of our revolution as the Midwest is real cool.
  
  Q. What are you most excited about?
  
  A. The video. It’s going to be real cool.
  
  Q. Do you know how you want it to be?
  
  A. I’m going to do “Coming for You,” the song that won the contest. I want to keep it real Kansas City, with a lot of the hip-hop community and supporters. It’s certainly going to be professional, but I want it to be a family thing.
  
  Q. What’s the most challenging part of being a local, independent artist?
  
  A. The legwork is yours. Every opportunity you come across is an opportunity you have to create for yourself. The responsibility is yours, from funding to studio time to booking shows.
  
  Q. Will this change things for you?
  
  A. I don’t know, honestly. I think there will be some bigger opportunities for regional touring and a chance to work with more people.
  
  Q. Do you feel like the Internet has been a large part of your success?
  
  A. It really gives you a quick way to network and build with people in much shorter turn times. Without it I would have never entered the contest or had a chance to win it.
  
  Q. What’s your earliest memory of hip-hop?
  
  A. I was about 8 years old. Getting up in the morning before school and sitting in the kitchen listening to Run-DMC’s “Raising Hell” on our floor model stereo.
  
  Q. When did you first start writing?
  
  A. When I was about 13.
  
  Q. What’s the verse you are most proud of?
  
  A. “I’m expanding with each design/understanding and peace of mind/poetic like my grandfather slanted with seat reclined” (from “Through Words … Peace” on Reach’s album).
  

• Reach For The Cars [+ Show ]
  

  Reach for the Cars Local lyricist wins Scion NextUp competition By Richard Gintowt (Contact) ...Reach for the Cars
  
  Local lyricist wins Scion NextUp competition
  
  By Richard Gintowt (Contact)
  
  Monday, November 14, 2005
  
  Reach's local reach had been rapidly growing thanks to a busy calendar of Lawrence and KC shows. Now a national audience may be within the KC-based rapper's grasp, thanks to the Scion NextUp emcee competition. Winning the national competition earns him a phat paycheck and a music video. In some ways, it's an unlikely pairing: a humble, introspective lyricist being co-opted for the purpose of selling aftermarket-friendly tuners. But if there's one thing Reach has proven, no audience is outside his grasp.
  
  lawrence.com: What's filling your days with happiness?
  
  reach: Winning the Toyota Scion competition ... That's pretty big. That's where it is the last couple of days. Still trying to process that information. That and new music and just a ton of shows.
  
  lawrence.com: What does that mean, winning this competition?
  
  reach: It's a talent search they do every year looking for unsigned rap acts. This year 2000 people submitted their songs. I didn't even expect to be in the Top 10 and then I won. From here, we're going to shoot a video and there's a cash prize involved. And also I'll perform at some of their live Scion events across the country.
  
  lawrence.com: If I were to enter one of these things I would think, 'Why would I win? There's so many people.' I guess that's kind of a negative attitude. I'm sure you didn't bring that attitude to the table.
  
  reach: To be real honest about it, I had forgotten that I even submitted something. When he called me and told me I was a finalist I wasn't going to answer the phone ... It came back real quick.
  
  lawrence.com: Thought maybe he was trying to hustle you?
  
  reach: Yeah, I'm still trying to make sure somebody's not running this elaborate scam on me.
  
  lawrence.com: There's a large sum of money here, isn't there?
  
  reach: Yeah, it's like five grand.
  
  lawrence.com: Is there a catch? Are you doing something specific with this money as they've dictated?
  
  reach: No, they really don't have any specifications for how I spend it. Definitely the vast majority of it will be reinvested into the music.
  
  lawrence.com: Do you drive a Scion?
  
  reach: Don't have a Scion. But I love the XB ...Maybe they'll let me ride around in it.
  
  lawrence.com: So they're going to help you make a video?
  
  reach: They're actually going to shoot a video. They're going to come here to Kansas City and we're drawing up treatments for it and everything.
  
  lawrence.com: Is their any plan for what will happen with this video once it's done?
  
  reach: It's still early in that process of brainstorming. I have a feeling it's going to be a community type of thing; a real thick scene type thing. So you're going to see a lot of the cats you know running around ... anything that represents who I am and where I'm from.
  
  lawrence.com: Did you ever picture yourself making a music video?
  
  reach: Two or three years ago I would say no. At this point, I think I'm ready for it. I still don't know how it's all going to play out.
  
  lawrence.com: Think you'll be able to stare into the camera?
  
  reach: You gotta do that. If you're a rapper you gotta stare into the camera and point.
  
  lawrence.com: You also gotta put a fish-eye lens on the camera and wave your arms around.
  
  reach: Yeah. Hopefully I can rent some jewelry and some houses that I really don't own or live in.
  
  lawrence.com: Put some gold caps on those braces.
  
  reach: Yep. Do it all.
  

• Hear & Now [+ Show ]
  

  Reach Joys, Disappointments and the In-Between. (Independently Released) By Andy Vihstadt (f...Reach
  
  Joys, Disappointments and the In-Between.
  
  (Independently Released)
  By Andy Vihstadt (feedback@pitch.com)
  
  Thursday, November 25, 2004
  
  Kansas City lyricist Reach has found a niche in the thriving local hip-hop community with a free-and-easy approach, adding another ingredient to the melting pot of diverse styles and influences that has made this scene flourish. Having spent the past few years honing his craft in front of audiences (as well as contributing guest vocals to a handful of local releases), Reach steps up to the plate with his first full-length, Joys, Disappointments and the In-Between, an album that, as the title suggests, is ripe with a hodgepodge of observations and insight. But the disc, missing the flair that has earned Reach status onstage, plods along with monotonous vocal patterns that rarely hit. It's no surprise that one of the album's standout tracks, "Wannabeanmc?," enlists the help of C.E.S. Cru MCs Ubiquitous and Godemis to keep the pace fresh and mobile, suggesting that Reach's studio delivery may be more suited to posse cuts than to a main course.
  
  

• Review::Joys, Disappointments... [+ Show ]
  

  Wednesday, November 3, 2004 Kansas City rapper Reach (Stacy Smith) presents a serious and inspira...Wednesday, November 3, 2004
  
  Kansas City rapper Reach (Stacy Smith) presents a serious and inspirational side of himself on his new album "Joys, Disappointments and the In-Between."
  
  With 10 tracks clocking in at 35 minutes, "Joys..." presents conversational insights on topics like love, social justice, adversity and friendship. Reach's relaxed delivery works well on the more story-oriented songs but sometimes falls short of commanding the stage. With production contributions from Miles Bonny, Eggnog, PK and Brainstorm, the album's beats are respectable but rarely outstanding.
  
  Reach's strength is his ability to spin stories, as he did so well on "Never Been Kissed" (his contribution to the local hip-hop compilation "Datload III"). "Imagine" is one shining example of this. Over a loungey Bossanova loop, Reach offers praise to his queen: "The kind of woman that I know my mother would like to meet / Someone that I could see becoming a wife to me / What a wonderful life you lead, impressed with the way you hold it / Got a level head and the rest of you is a bonus."
  
  Reach seems to have his head in the right place and enough lyrical ingenuity to pull off some respectable hip-hop, but he could benefit from tighter production and a little more charisma in his delivery. The three emotions conveyed in his album's title could just as easily apply to the quality of these tracks - a few more "Joys" and he'll be well on his way.

• Sounds of the Town [+ Show ]
  

  Thursday, October 28, 2004 A look and listen at the best of locally produced CDs If the local ...Thursday, October 28, 2004
  
  A look and listen at the best of locally produced CDs
  
  If the local music scene is a beating heart, consider this its EKG. The prognosis: This ticker is thumping like John Bonham's kick drum.
  
  The local music scene is more dynamic than it has been in a decade. Say what you want about technology and its effects on the music world, it has been the mighty enabler for dedicated local musicians, who can now do much more than just dream about finding someone to record and distribute their music. These days they can do it all on their own.
  
  The albums reviewed here were all made by local bands and performers. All are available either in local music stores (chains and independents) or via the Web. This collection is hardly comprehensive; we had to leave some out (a space/time thing). But what's here is all good. In some cases it's better than stuff you'll read about in those glossy, fancy-pants music magazines. So read, listen and do what you can to support your local musicians.
  
  POP AND ROCK
  
  Andy Graham and the Moment Band, “This Tyrant Is Free” (Sonic Unyon)
  
  “Tyrant” opens with “Glorious,” a hyper-sweet spiritual but secular pick-me-up that sounds like a rough cut from an early version of the Polyphonic Spree (with some lovely pedal steel garnish). The rest is different from that but still remarkably unique, from the ornate-but-organic production to Graham's imaginative lyrics. Most of it could be called aberrant but engaging indie folk-rock, like the Shins on 'shrooms. — Timothy Finn/The Star
  
  The Architects,
  
  “Keys to the Building”
  
  The band formerly known as the Gadjits is still grinding out a molten blend of hard rock, rhythm and blues, and garage-soul — a sound from somewhere on a spectrum between the Dirtbombs and the Black Crowes. “Building” is the record they'd planned to make when they were signed to a big label that eventually cut them loose. The new name estranges them from those days but not from their hard and beefy sound. Buy the record, then go see them play. Their live shows are volcanic. — T.F.
  
  The Only Children,
  
  “Change of Living”
  
  (Gurp)
  
  This band got together when bad luck in life, love and business forced the Anniversary into collapse and dispersal. “Living” is most extraordinary for its breadth, diversity and ambition. Over the course of 10 songs, Josh Berwanger and his band take listeners on a ride that rumbles and rolls through a kaleidoscope of styles and genres: singer-songwriter folk, hard rock, indie-roots and various other hybrids and realms. Anyone trolling this record for resemblances to the Anniversary's brilliant “Your Majesty” will be more surprised than disappointed.
  
  Berwanger is running the Children on his own, but he retained a couple of his Anniversary mates (James David and Christian Janikowski) and brought in some new ringers, including T.K. Webb (guitars) and Heidi Lynne-Gluck (vocals, accordion, guitar), a former collaborator with Juliana Hatfield. The results are an impressive representation of impulses, ideas and grand musical hunches from a mind that's obviously too active to work within the confines of a group. — T.F.
  
  The New Tragedies,
  
  “The New Tragedies”
  
  (EP)
  
  The immediate impression — some kind of emo — is dead wrong. Instead the Tragedies sound more like one of Mark Eitzel's autumnal indie-folk/rock projects (Red House Painters or Sun Moon Kill) with a lady singer on board. Aaron Weidner is the guitarist, the lead singer with a handsome sad-sack voice. But what elevates these lavishly arranged songs into a special place are the lovely harmonies from Bev Blann, who also plays bass. An impressive debut. — T.F.
  
  The Golden Republic, “People”
  
  (Astralwerks)
  
  The Golden Republic was the People until it joined the big-label game and had to concede the title to another band called the People. So the group changed its name, recorded this EP for Astralwerks and called it “People” instead. There's nothing confusing about the lively sound; it still fuses a variety of flavors and influences: bits of '70s glam and British pop, from T-Rex and Bowie to Pulp. “People” is just an appetizer until the full-length record comes out in February. If that sustains the flavor of “People,” it ought to be a winner, no matter what they call it. — T.F.
  
  Joel Kraft, “Gold in the
  
  Bargain Bin”
  
  He's a folkie but much more like Leonard Cohen (with some Jonathan Richman tossed in) than James Taylor or Jackson Browne. Kraft is in the process of becoming the leader of a band he's founded, the Blinking Lights. But on “Bargain Bin” he makes a good case for a solo career.
  
  Kraft's compositions stand on their own because they're melodic and filled with inventive wordplay and literary devices. Then again, when guest Lisa Donald adds the occasional harmony (“Flowerpatch”) or cello line (“Alien Phoneline”), his songs sound fuller, sturdier and bolder. So consider his conversion to a full band a nice luxury, not a necessity. — T.F.
  
  Dave Stephens,
  
  “Tropical Cocktail”
  
  Go around the world in 15 tracks from Dave Stephens. Begin in New York with a Goodman-esque strain of Gershwin's “Rhapsody in Blue” that quickly morphs into a prog-rock version. Then you're off to exotic locales like the Rio Carnaval with the samba school rhythm of “Nothing's the Same.” Stephens adds to the eclecticism with a dance mix for “Copa Cabana 2004,” which throws in some urban rhyming, and mellows out with the waltzing lilt of “Hawaiian Honeymoon.” He uses musicians, including some of Kansas City's best, who can turn tempos on a dime. The energizing result can turn your living room into a jazzin' beach. — Robert Folsom/The Star
  
  The Minus Story,
  
  “The Captain Is Dead,
  
  Let the Drum Corpse Dance”
  
  (Jagjaguwar)
  
  Lavish, unhinged indie-rock and -pop in the vein of Built to Spill, Flaming Lips, Neutral Milk Hotel and a few more of the Elephant 6 bunch. Some of this stuff takes awhile to navigate and follow (except for the catchy “Gravity Pulls”). But once you get your bearings and adjust to the lighting, the songs reveal themselves, and the rewards become deep and lasting. — T.F.
  
  Veda, “This Broken City”
  
  Their music could be called “dynamic rock.” The lead singer is Kristen May, a young lady with a strong, lustrous voice that sounds like it could handle any show tune. Instead, she uses it to power these big, dusky rock anthems. The other big player is Jason Douglas, who plays guitar with an impressive mix of brains, adventure and aggression. So “City” is heavy, but not dark; progressive but not pretentious; not the Pretenders or the Paybacks, but not quite Evanescence either. — T.F.
  
  Bixby Lane,
  
  “For a Change”
  
  If Steely Dan or the Crusaders switched to jam rock, they might sound like this: a band with a jazz vocabulary, an uptown posture and a fancy dance-floor groove. — T.F.
  
  The Elevator Division,
  
  “Years”
  
  (Second Nature)
  
  The buzz that surrounds this release is legitimate and deserved. “Years” is a dynamic, ambitious and mature guitar album. In the hands of big-time producer Larry Gann, the Elevator Division sounds like a major-leaguer working and evolving into something big and durable instead of merely trying to be a short-term next big thing.
  
  The music here draws its flavors from some obvious bands and eras: The guitars have an Edge edge, and, throughout the album, resemblances to the Cure (“Disintegration”) and other '80s stalwarts pop up.
  
  Yet if you track the progression from “Movement,” their last full-length, to “Years,” it appears ED has been shedding those influences and heading toward some other place, somewhere close to the darker side of Coldplay or the brighter side of early Radiohead. Keep on going. — T.F.
  
  The Belles, “Idle Acres”
  
  (Second Nature)
  
  More warm and luxurious chamber-pop/indie-folk from Chris Tolle and Jake Cardwell. The material here is simple and accessible, but the Belles sprinkle on enough accents and employ enough gentle twists and turns to make things interesting, clever and very attractive. Best served through a good pair of headphones. — T.F.
  
  HIP-HOP
  
  Approach, “Ultra Proteus”
  
  (Datura/Coup d'Etat)
  
  “Ultra Proteus” has been around in different editions for a while. This re-release (with remixes) could be just what Approach needs to get him the attention he deserves. It has already led to a European tour with Souls of Mischief and features in Complex, URB and other music magazines.
  
  Approach has a funky, feel-good vibe: He would easily fit in with Pharcyde, Leaders of the New School or today's favorites like Black Eyed Peas and Slum Village.
  
  The remixes (“Funk Reaction,” “Ultra Proteus”) are definitely the gems of this album, providing a wonderland to enjoy Approach's clever lyrics in. — Jeneé Osterheldt/The Star
  
  Ces Cru, “Capture
  
  Enemy Soldiers”
  
  (Style Network Cru)
  
  Ces Cru is a hip-hop head's dream, from the gritty beats to the in-your-face lyricism.
  
  Thanks to Mafesto, this crew has that something special that made Wu-Tang Clan irresistible (“Capture Enemy Soldiers,” “Body Parts”).
  
  Ces isn't concerned with manufactured, ready-for-radio, bling-bling tracks. Instead they do it their way. From “Cost Effective Strategy” to “Get a Grip” to “Perfect Essence,” Ces Cru has put out an album you can leave on repeat all day. —J.O.
  
  Profit, “Tearz of Da Son”
  
  (Diamond Cut)
  
  It's hard not to think of Scarface's delivery when you hear Profit, who's voice is as gripping as a Def Jam choke slam.
  
  Lyrically Profit ranges from sounding jaded and angry (“We Don't Give A,” “Lost and Crazy”) to being very endearing and socially conscious (“Mixed Emotions,” “Open Ya Eyes”). It would be interesting to hear him on a Mafesto- or Miles Bonny-produced track.
  
  One thing is clear: Profit's passionate about the music he's making. It bubbles through his voice and touches the listener, and for that he deserves respect. — J.O.
  
  Reach, “Joys, Disappointments
  
  and the In-Between.”
  
  He's not representing the streets, and he's not trying to sing the blues. It's the arrival of Reach, an emcee who loves hip-hop and isn't trying to fit in anyone's box.
  
  With Miles Bonny and Eggnog on the beats, Reach has a playground of instrumentals that some rhymesayers would drool over. From the Quest-inspired “Wannabeanmc?” to the soul-painted “No Tomorrow,” there's not a single disappointment on this album, only several joys and one or two in-betweens. — Jeneé Osterheldt/The Star
  
  SoundsGood, “Money-Pacin”
  
  (Innate Sounds)
  
  “Money-Pacin” isn't exactly an album; it's more of a single with a handful of bonus tracks designed to give listeners a taste of Sounds Good's next album, “Biscuits and Gravy.”
  
  These four tracks won't be on that album. So don't miss out on mouthwatering tracks like “Marvin” (as in Marvin Gaye) and “Ms. Brown,” with instrumentals any music lover would enjoy. When you pair a rapper's rapper like Joe Good on the mike with beatmaker Miles Bonny, it's hard to go wrong. — J.O.
  
  Human Cropcircles,
  
  “Tiananmen Square”
  
  (Style Network Cru)
  
  Human Cropcircles' producer, JKR70, teamed up with Ces Cru lyricist Ubiquitous to put out a politically charged album that could easily be hip-hop's news source.
  
  The inspiration behind the lyrics is 9/11 and the events that have happened since. From “Death March” (in both America and Iraq) to both versions of “Epilogue,” Ubiquitous isn't scared to express his strong opinions in a strong voice. Even better, the beats help tell his story. — J.O
  
  ROOTS MUSIC
  
  The Gaslights,
  
  “Midwest Hotel”
  
  The singer is Abigail Henderson, who did a tour of duty with Trouble Junction; the guitarist is Chris Meck, who did some stellar time with Kristie Stremel and then with Pendergast. The music is double-barrel country/roots rock, whether they're rambling through an original like “Old Blue Love” or giving “Long Black Veil” a cowpunk makeover. The heavy appeal starts with Henderson, who sounds like a hearty mix of Maria McKee, Brenda Lee and Natalie Maines; and Meck, whose guitar stomps, jukes and two-steps along a sturdy foundation laid by a bruising rhythm section that knows when less is enough and when it isn't. — T.F.
  
  The Snakebite Orphans,
  
  “Hard Roots”
  
  In spirit (but not styles), the Orphans recall bands like Jason & the Scorchers, the Wild Seeds, True Believers, even the Georgia Satellites: bands that took country, Southern and roots music into a wilder realm. The difference between the Orphans and those bands is Mark Stevenson, an old-time country boy at heart. On “Roots” he takes his kinship with Johnny Cash, all the big Hanks and a few yodelly, hillbilly/country bluesmen, and hardwires it to his affinity for dark, hard-driving rock (“Chippin' Away,” “Daddy's Got a Gun”). Just as significantly, he turns that template over to Marco Pascolini, who embroiders each song with lines, bolts and filigrees of electric guitar (and assorted effects).
  
  “Roots” gets breezy and warm a few times (“Petals in the Wind”), but if the Coen Brothers ever direct a sequel to “Deliverance” the rest of the music on “Hard Roots” would be ideal for the soundtrack. — T.F.
  
  Old Canes,
  
  “Early Morning Hymns”
  
  (Second Nature)
  
  The Canes are a side-project — what Chris Crisci tinkers with when he's not working for the Appleseed Cast. This is some fine part-time work.
  
  This first effort is really a suite of nine compositions (plus a short intro) built on arrangements that accommodate a cornucopia of instruments: harmonica, organ, banjo, toy piano, bells, drums, saxophone, cello. The vibe here is vintage, live and rustic, more “empty loft” than “back porch” — a product of the arrangements: Crisci's voice immerses itself in the songs and swims alongside the other sounds, becoming another organic instrument instead of a focal point. If you've ever heard the Feelies' lost-and-forgotten “Good Earth” (produced by Peter Buck), you have a good idea what “Hymns” sounds like: jaunty, melodic and of another era. A stellar record. — T.F.
  
  Pendergast, “The Truth
  
  About Saturday Night”
  
  Tony Ladesich is a blue-collar guy with a fiery political heart. This is a collection of dispatches from the middle class and below, from bars, bedrooms and neighborhoods where most jobs are ruts, most relationships are rocky and most households live from paycheck to bounced check. Lou Whitney produced, forging each song in his trademark roots-rock style. Stick around for “Union Man,” a narrative about the Molly McGuires and union activism that sounds, these days, like history from another planet. — T.F.
  
  Arthur Dodge and the
  
  Horsefeathers, “Room No. 4”
  
  (Remedy)
  
  “Customers who bought this record,” says amazon.com, “also bought Jesse Malin, James McMurtry and Allison Moorer.” I get the first two: Dodge is one of the better country/roots-rock raconteurs to come out of this region since the mid-1990s, when he released his self-titled debut. “Room” is his fifth album, and it pretty much sticks to his trusty formula of smart, well-conceived roots-rock narratives. It makes a fan wonder why he isn't as famous as Ryan Adams or Jesse Malin. Or Allison Moorer, too, for that matter. — T.F.
  

Setlist

"Super Stereo Blaster"
"Gotta Be"
"Live And"
"KCI"
"Outreach"
"WhoIzzy"
"Dance In The Rain"
"The Love Pt. 2"
"The Love"
"Can Can"
"How To Fish"
"Comin' For You"
"All I Can Do"
"Perfect Morning"
"Rock"
"Nothin' But A Customer"

Typical sets range from 15-30 minutes.

Basic Requirements

Calendar