The Blackout Project
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The Blackout Project

New York City, New York, United States | SELF

New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Band Hip Hop Rock

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"The Blackout Project"

Every once in a while, its cool to come across a group that actually MAKES and plays their own music. The Blackout Project is a group of five kids from Virginia that sound like a cross between The Roots, The Offspring, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.


Kevin Turner, aka K-Nice, is the frontman, an artist with a plethora of sounds and flows, and an ability to sound like a rapper/rock star/singer. Dude is seriously skilled. Robert Word, the lead guitarist, also adds some vocals.
Honestly, I can’t imagine anyone hearing TBP and not fucking with em. The lyrics are moreso rock than traditional hip-hop, as they’re mostly stories. “Sew the Seams” is the standout. The verses are passionate and the hook is catchy, as is the beat.


“What We’ve Become” is another really, really good song that I let some of my friends who can’t stand hip-hop listen to, and they appreciated the shit out of it. K-Nice has this ability to catch you with his words and delivery right from the beginning, and Word’s fretting perfectly complements his lead singer.


The Blackout Project has a self-titled LP out, available for purchase on their MySpace for $6, with FREE SHIPPING. They also have a few downloads available for $1.25 a pop.
I know nobody buys music anymore…but where the fuck are you gonna find this music if you don’t buy it? Good luck searchin on LimeWire for a few hours. And trust me, if you like music, you won’t just hear this and not want it on your IPod. I’m really not trying to lecture anybody on morality, but support these dudes and buy their shit. You’ll like em, as will your friends.


Dudes are doin a little three-show tour in April. The first show in this their hometown of Charlottesville, before going to New York City to play at Arlene’s Grocery and The Alphabet Lounge. Be sure to check ‘em out. - ArtistsAre.Us


"Local Hip Hop Scene Celebrates new release"

Richmond’s historic Canal Club will be heating things up on a cold winter night when local hip-hop bands Aquabatics and Divine Profi tz take the stage with Charlottesville’s The Blackout Project on December 21st. Aquabatics is hosting the show to celebrate the release.

Hailing from the Church Hill, Aquabatics blend rap with roots-rock to create a sort of hip-hop jam band for their numerous live performances. Like The Roots, they perform with a live band: Aquabatics MCs Tyler Rogers and Eric Stankavich rap over the mellow grooves of Neema Akbarzadeh (drums), Patrick Frey (guitar), Greg Frey (bass), and DJ Obe1 (turntables). However, unlike those Philadelphia all-stars, Aquabatics owe more to the Grateful Dead than Motown. They claim jazz, soul, funk and rock in their inspirations, blending them together to create their own surprising and unique brand of hip-hop. The live band allows them a degree of fl exibility not found in groups limited to a DJs sampling, in addition to giving them the chance to improvise. Joining them for the celebration is The Blackout Project, who take the same rap-with-a-liveband framework and take it down a much funkier road. MC Kevin “K-Nice� Turner is joined by Robert Word on vocals and guitar, Chris Plietz on keys, Andy Hunt on drums, and what funk band would be complete without that all-important bass line, provided here by Ryan Gilchrist. Though the group has been around for less than a year, they have already garnered a strong local fanbase by playing numerous live shows and wowing audiences with their live improvising and unique blend of styles. Despite their impressive backlog of shows, this will be their fi rst time on The Canal Club stage.

Divine Profi tz sticks with a more traditional hip-hop format: four MCs (Chadrach, BeenOfficial, CP, Cosmos, and Ran) rap over beats laid down by DJ Yes. The group is something of an institution, performing with various diff erent line-ups since 1996 and currently claiming 10 albums under their collective belt.
- The Brick Weekly


"Noble Savages: A Revue"

Some excerpts of a local Charlottesville blog on The Blackout Project's performance at Noble Savages:

"Blackout Project: Definitely the biggest surprise of the night. Really polished sound, great violin accompaniment. I think they pulled off a really tough combination: rock and hip-hop.

Sound Like: Red Hot Chili Peppers + Bon Jovi + Eminem + alcohol, Mat Kearney"

"Blackout Project: Bluegrass meets hip hop, with a great fiddle player and an incredible drummer." - http://cvillain.com/?p=569


Discography

K-Nice:
"Mick Boogie: The Commissioner (Hosted by Jadakiss)"
"Mick Boogie: Pretox (A Tribute to Dr. Dre)"
"Sorry, Love you Forever" is in rotation on 91.9 in Charlottesville/ 103.1 in Richmond.
"Sew the Seams" is on request at 106.1 in Charlottesville.
The Blackout Project EP (2008)
A Second Look EP (2010)
Multiple Ourstage awards including being featured as a CMJ Ourstage Pick

Photos

Bio

Emerging from a variety of musical worlds (hip-hop, blues, rock, jazz, and gospel), The Blackout Project formed in 2007 through a web of connections at the University of Virginia. Within the first two months, the band won UVA’s Battle of the Bands, an accomplishment only achieved at the time by Parachute (Mercury Records) and Sons of Bill (Red Light Management). The win caught the attention of producer Chris Keup (Jason Mraz, OAR, Parachute), who invited The Blackout Project to record their first record at his studio. The Blackout Project EP, endorsed by Maxine Jones of the Grammy-nominated R&B group En Vogue as a “must for purchasing,” propelled the band onto bigger and brighter stages. Throughout 2007 and 2008, The Blackout Project performed from Knoxville to NYC to promote their music and broaden their loyal fan base.

In 2009, The Blackout Project took its stylistic approach to new heights by arranging three tracks for a joint performance with the 19-piece UVA jazz ensemble. The band received a standing ovation and was described as “amazing” by jazz trumpet great and ensemble leader, John D’earth. With the horn arrangements in mind, The Blackout Project went back into the studio and recorded their second EP, A Second Look. Mixed by Chris Kress (Dave Matthews Band’s Live Trax and Stand Up), the EP was finalized in late 2009 and released in January 2010.

Having relocated (sort of) from Charleston to NYC, the band continues to grow as performers and as songwriters. While they take their music very seriously, they never hold back from having a seriously awesome time on stage. Rockers at heart, The Blackout Project delivers a high-energy set from start to finish. Every time. Their music is so infectious that fans from Knoxville all the way to Boston traveled to the see their gigs in Charlottesville (and now New York), their fans come out in droves when they take the show on the road, and fans from around the world continue to download, stream, and steal their music.

For more information plus music and live clips, check out their YouTube channel and their two EPs, available on iTunes.