Peace Officer
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Peace Officer

Fort Collins, Colorado, United States | INDIE

Fort Collins, Colorado, United States | INDIE
Band Hip Hop Reggae

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Cultivation: Peace Officer"

By Jenna Stecker

Sugar. The Brain. Senoj Nerol. Wiled Wombat. RaSense. Shaneye. AK. This may sound like a roll call for a Star Wars fan club, however these are names of the members of Front Range Hip Hop act Peace Officer. Correction… they are more than just a hip hop act. Bringing to mind reggae legend Jimmy Cliff’s song by the same name, Peace Officer incorporates reggae and so much more into their musical fold. “Our music is hip hop, but like all hip hop we add many different genres,” says AK. “We call what we do dub hop. It’s hip hop tempo, rhyming and consciousness, with the ridiculously fat grooves that dub can bring.”

Peace Officer also brings in an electronica influence with sample playback during their sets. This sampling, in combination with a live drum, bass and guitar set creates their multilayered and unique sound. Emcees that play to the crowd and know how to get spectators revved up makes Peace Officer’s live show one not to miss.

Most of the members have known each other for years with the creation of the group seeming to center mainly around several bandmates working at a Fort Collins bagel shop. Since forming with the current lineup in 2007, all members have been working to hone their sound and rock the crowd. In January 2009, Peace Officer released their first full length LP, “Insurgency”, an album that has been backed by a live show that has garnered a cult following in Colorado. The folow-up album “Contraband”, dropped to a packed house on Halloween 2009, just nine months later. This album features all members of the seven-piece outfit expanding their skills and solidifying their style to create a musical experience that is beyond labels.

Peace Officer’s new challenge is getting their sound out of Colorado and to the masses. “We want to get on the road and tour.” AK tells Mousike. “We’re working up to that… Within the year we hope to go out for extended periods of time.” To support Peace Officer’s desire to travel, find out where they will be next and to get a free download of Contraband, go to peaceofficermusic.com.
- Mousike Magazine


"Peace Officer: The Band With Nine Lives"

Hailing from Fort Collins, this live hip hop outfit have been making moves in our local music scene for years. They are always evolving and constantly on top. Peace Officer began as a reggae act with 2 drummers back in the day. They were known for their punk infused ska/dub sound and their high energy performances. Packing most every show, the band was thought to be at the top of their game. It came as a huge surprise to everyone when they announced that they were taking an indefinite hiatus. When a couple years passed and there wasn’t a sound from their camp, it seemed as though the break may be more permanent. Not so…

The band was really just laying low. They were busy reforming their lineup and remaking their sound… And plotting to take over the Fort Collins music scene. They accomplished all of those things. When they began playing out again, we saw a new band. With multiple emcees fronting the group, Peace Officer had become more politically charged and offered an even higher energy live show. They still played off those punk and reggae undertones, but focused more on a hip hop set with social consciousness. If you haven’t seen them in action, check out their performance from last year’s FoCoMX…

They are another local band that have been in our scene for years and will be making their debut at this year’s Bohemian Nights at New West Fest. They’ll be making some noise on the Mountain Ave Stage on Saturday August 21st at 4:20 PM. - Bohemian Nights


"Peace Officer - Insurgency"

By Nathan Harper

A deft mix of anti-consumerist rhetoric and reggae inspired beats – termed “dub-hop” – Peace Officer’s debut album seeks to act as a voice for those who read the news everyday and ask how things got so bad. Recent enough to still be topical – how many albums out right now have lyrics blasting the bailout? – Insurgency connects on a gut level, and most of the time on an ideological one as well.

The seven man group spits raw rhymes of disappointment about the current state of world, as one might expect from a critical-theorist crew, but also adds some levity with the occasional Patrón reference. It’s a fine line to walk, calling out for action against the powers that be while at the same time informing listeners how high you like to get, but they skirt self-righteousness with care, so even if you if never hear of them playing a WTO protest show, they don’t come off as people you’d dread talking politics with at a house party.

With any group this large, the quality of the lyrics depends on who’s on the mic, and most of Peace Officer’s lyricists succeed at poignancy and entertainment most of the time. Double points go to the track “What is Your Quest?” for sampling the “riding” music from Monty Python’s Holy Grail - a few more moments like that and a few fewer faux-Jamaican accents would have helped the record out, but for a debut rap effort coming straight outta Fort Collins, Insurgency stands up well.

www.myspace.com/peaceofficer - Scene Magazine, Jan 2009


"Peace Officer - Forging Forward with Dub Hop Sound"

By Tim Maddocks

Peace Officer, with their head-nodding beats and their socially aware lyrics, will be dropping a new album at the end of this month and the band insists that they’re only just beginning.

“We’re hungry, man. And the time is right,” said Shaneye, one of the band’s five vocalists.

The current incarnation of Peace Officer has been preaching their message of community and social justice by way of a reggae sound layered along driving hip-hop beats for the last two years. The group credits its tight, energetic live shows with their studio process. And with a second album on the way and countless live performances across the Front Range; their sound is cementing into “dub hop,” a unique blend of electronic and organic instrumentation.

“We’ve reached new heights with no end in sight,” Shaneye said.

Peace Officer is a seven-piece outfit with five vocalists and a tight-as-hell rhythm section. While the moniker has been following producer and emcee AK and bassist The Brain around for five years, the current lineup was established in the fall of 2007.

Then in January 2009, the group released their first album, Insurgency. The album paved the way for the band to receive local accolades: the Fort Collins Musicians Association voted them best reggae band in Fort Collins last spring. Now only several months later, Peace Officer is releasing their second album, Contraband, in October. The Contraband Release Party is at Hodi’s Half Note on Halloween, October 31st.

Wiled Wombat, another of the band’s emcee’s, added, “The last album we were like, ‘we’re making an album’ on this one we were like, ‘we’re making a dope album.’”

“We’re keeping the evolution of our band going through the records. Insurgency led to Contraband and we want to just keep it going,” said vocalist Rasense.

Perhaps Peace Officer is best described as a band that has a keen sense of balance. The live shows have been described as “a punch of energy” while their recordings offer extra sonic depth complimentary to the stage sound. Their overall vibe is also a balanced mix; one part reggae, one part hip-hop. Meanwhile the vocalists find that fine balance between raising social consciousness and encouraging listeners not to forget to have a good time.

“Really it’s a reflection of how we live our lives. We all party. We have fun. We have a good time,” describes AK. “But we like to talk about issues and we like to be involved. It’s all honest.”

Wiled Wombat added, “We’re leading with our political foot. And then we’re coming behind and kicking you with our party foot.” - Colorado Music Buzz


"Hip Hop: Peace Officer – Contraband [LP]"

by Jeanie Straub

Just when you thought there was nothing new under the Hip-Hop sun comes Peace Officer, a socially conscious Dub / Ghettotech / Hip-Hop outfit of about seven folks – including four emcees and two singers (on various instruments) and one guy devoted solely to drums and percussion – out of Fort Collins. Everything they’ve got going on this disc is HOT. I love Peace Officer. They, themselves, say they “strive to entertain and educate with tales of life, struggle, passion, and politics” and the proof is in the mix. The lyrics are not about bitches and where the stash boxes in Northern Colorado are, and the beats are fresher than New Yorkers on Twitter, too. You can tell they You can tell they were influenced by all things from Bob Marley and Peter Tosh to Class Consciousness and Punk Rock. They, as members, have since come and gone and returned and gelled and morphed into what sounds like Punk meets a less narcissistic Eminem while he’s listening to Reggae being played on a not-so-corporate Top 40 radio station that plays only Hip-Hop.

Peace Officer had released its first LP, Insurgency, just last January, and Contraband was released on Halloween 2009, but they’ve had time to gel, so they sound all high-end and stuff. Really. I was surprised that they were local at all.

Sounds like: Punk meets a less narcissistic Eminem while he’s listening to Reggae being played on a not-so-corporate Top 40 radio station that plays only Hip-Hop.
- Colorado Music Buzz


"The Marquee's picks for FoCoMx must hears"

Peace Officer is a smorgasbord of various genres all freshly rolled into one large rhythmic supergroup. A cup of dub here, some hip-hop there, and sprinkle in some melodic lyrics from a sharp-tongued, witty lyricist and you’ve got what Peace Officer affectionately calls ‘Dub-Hop.’ Using haunting, memorable samples covering everything from funk, jazz, scratch and the always insightful historical sound byte, Peace Officer is a extravaganza of sound for the socially conscious hip-hop fan. Priding themselves on their energetic live concerts, the band works to entertain and educate with their stories of life, love, passion, and struggle. - Marquee Magazine


"The Marquee's picks for FoCoMx must hears"

By Jordan Bleckner

Peace Officer is a smorgasbord of various genres all freshly rolled into one large rhythmic supergroup. A cup of dub here, some hip-hop there, and sprinkle in some melodic lyrics from a sharp-tongued, witty lyricist and you’ve got what Peace Officer affectionately calls ‘Dub-Hop.’ Using haunting, memorable samples covering everything from funk, jazz, scratch and the always insightful historical sound byte, Peace Officer is a extravaganza of sound for the socially conscious hip-hop fan. Priding themselves on their energetic live concerts, the band works to entertain and educate with their stories of life, love, passion, and struggle.

- Marquee Magazine


Discography

Insurgency LP (Jan 2009)
Contraband LP (Oct 2009)

Photos

Bio

Peace Officer is a live-band hiphop/reggae/dub crew hailing from Fort Collins, Colorado. Since forming in 2007, they have honed a sound they refer to as "Dub-Hop": hiphop lyrics and social consciousness with live, dub-inspired beats. The four MCs strive to entertain and educate with tales of life, struggle, passion, and politics, all in a hype set that always leaves audiences wanting more.

Peace Officer's energetic live show and innovative recordings have earned them several awards over the last two years: FoCoMx Peer Award for best in genre in 2009 and 2010; Best Band in Colorado in Colorado Music Buzz's Bandwagon competition; and, most recently, a nomination for best hiphop band in Denver by Westword.

Peace Officer spent the fall of 2009 tracking for the “Contraband” LP, which was produced by AK and engineered by Kris Smith (Dropkick Murphys). The new record encompasses a host of new instrumentation as it heads into uncharted waters. “Contraband” pulls industrial and punk influences into the haunting dub hop beats that Peace Officer’s fans have grown to expect, promising yet another sonic revolution in the fusion of hip-hop and dub.

Starting in Summer of 2010, Peace Officer began working with the Fort Collins non-profit Spokesbuzz, an organization dedicated to advancing the music scene of Fort Collins. Through Spokesbuzz, Peace Officer has advanced their promotional and networking capabilities within the music industry, and will be playing at South by Southwest in Austin next year.

Peace Officer is currently seeking representation and label support. For booking, please contact Kris Smith at 781-572-4646. For all other inquiries contact AK at pocproductions@gmail.com