Twenty Eleven

How did this work? Apparently right along the same time “When She Home” wrapped, the guys of Twenty Eleven found it more than opportune to shoot a visual for their next single “Bed, Bath & Beyond”. A little funk rock ala Maroon 5 packed with some spot on verses from King Bouffant Brad Gilmore and Tre attempting to make sure that the thread count they end up laying on at the end of the night is occupied – by maybe more than just one lucky woman.
- Day & A Dream

A lot has changed since the 2010 release of the Twenty Eleven LP for the foursome out of Houston whether it be personal tragedy (one of the group member’s mothers died inexplicably this past Spring), the growth of the group in terms of personal music achievement or more. With summer fast approaching, the group link up with Stockz for their first release, a breezy and more harmonious cut in “When She Home”, an ode to a woman who has spent the past year or so in college and is coming back to the man she had, although with a few noticable changes. Gilmore’s flow has vastly improved group wise and compliments Tre Will’s laid back knack for compiling old college flames and more. AVE11 adds snaps and a Jodeci-type feel for the group to work with and Stockz is more than welcome following suit.
- Day & A Dream

It helps to have people who know people. If it weren’t for Day&ADream contributor Brad Gilmore mentioning Twenty-Eleven’s “Lost My Smile” in his “The Best… For Now” countdown, I would have never heard of the group. Twenty-Eleven is a local Houston group composed of Gilmore himself and Tre Will rapping; Dallas Jones on vocals; Tyler Tran on disc-jockey duties; and Avery Davis on production. Twenty-Eleven has made a little bit of noise through their collaborations in monthly Houston S.P.E.A.K. outings and their initial myspace page. And as a follow-up to their easy listening piece Renewable Energy, they’ve dropped a self-titled effort, Twenty Eleven, for the fall.


Listeners will quickly find that the most distinctive thing about the Twenty-Eleven EP is its sound. From start to finish, Twenty-Eleven is unlike anything you might’ve heard recently in terms of beats and melodies – it’s hard to think of anything I could really compare any of the songs to, excepting perhaps “Go Ask Alice” (which I’ll come back to); and for the group, that’s a good thing. One particularly good example of this is “What About Now,” which opens with a trippy beat, but then evolves into a smoother riding beat that still contains tinges of the trippiness. The subtle reverb and mellow drum tap on “Ford Taurus” is another instance. It’s hard to describe, but once you listen to it, you’ll find this is a perfect description. This distinctive sound provides Twenty-Eleven with another way to stand out from the rest of the music market, especially on the Houston scene, and I found it very refreshing.


Twenty-Eleven is also a good example of chemistry. Often, when it comes to group efforts, there’s always the concern that one person will outshine or get more of a chance to show their talent than the other members. That’s not the case on this album at all. Each song is a lesson in balance, Gilmore and Tre Will exchange verses, Dallas Jones kills his hook efforts, and Davis’s production is consistently superb.


“Betty White” is one of the best starts to an album this year. It features sweet instrumentation with a ticking high-hat hit that seems to serve as a pulse for the song. “Betty White” further demonstrates that aforementioned chemistry/cohesiveness, showcasing both Gilmore and Tre Will’s respective rapping styles and Dallas Jones’ soulful voice – especially on the hook, “Don’t try to stop me ‘cause I’m on fire… You know I’m ballin’ to the max-im-mum, ballin’ to the extreme” – for the first (but far from the last) time on the album. “11:11” uses a slow guitar that steadily evolves into a nice rock ballad of sorts and Jones’ hook is a melodic masterpiece. It’s one of those joints you could see yourself riding out in the countryside to. “Feelin’ Good” has a smooth lullaby feel to it; and “Go Ask Alice” reminds me of Wale’s “Diary,” telling an engaging story with subtle yet poignant lyrics like “All she saw was Plain Jane/ so she had to change her frame” and closing with a spoken word portion. And lead single “Lost My Smile” needs no introduction; but if you haven’t heard it, it’s an amazing track with a pulsating guitar beat that makes good use of the album’s sole feature, Julia Barbier.

Probably my biggest and only issue with Twenty Eleven’s EP is that many of the tracks sound too similar. This is admittedly very nitpicky, given that 90% of the Twenty Eleven EP sounds like nothing else out right now, underground, mainstream, or otherwise; yet by the time you reach Track 10, “The Prelude,” you’ll start noticing how it sounds basically like a slower version of “11:11” minus the ballad feel. So it’d be nice if they mixed things up just a bit more on their next effort.


A prevailing theme of The Twenty-Eleven EP seems to be getting their voices out there, from the line “I’m just hopin that the people stay listenin’” on “11:11” to the echo effect on outro track “Be Heard” that makes the words “Can anybody hear me?” sound like a legitimate plea for the people’s ears. But don’t mistake this for a request – it’s a demand to hear them out, because there’s something for everyone on The Twenty-Eleven EP, whether you’re looking for something to rock with, ride to, or something new to add to your iTunes. I hope at the least, this is a sign of more fresh sounds to come.
- Day & A Dream

Let’s make one thing clear. You will never catch me at a hip hop or rap show ever unless it is Twenty Eleven (or Kyle Hubbard). Their cd, “Renewable Energy” has been out for some time but hearing it will never get old. I swear when I’m fifty I will still be shaking my ass to it. It won’t look as good as me shaking my ass now but the point is I will still be doing it.

“Renewable Energy” is the perfect cd for an audience who isn’t a fan of just one certain genre in music. You have Brad Gilmore and Tre Will rapping the smoothest lines. Dallas Jones singing his heart out. Avery Davis on drums and guitar and on top of all that you also have DJ Motai. There’s at least one member doing something you love to hear. So really, there’s no excuse not to love this group.

When you review this cd yourself start off with the song “3rd coast”. It’s pretty much an anthem for us girls in the south and you can’t help but dance to it. Then you need to switch to “And they all clap”. WARNING! Do not restrain yourself from clapping. It will not work! To slow it down a little, listen to “Time Goes On”. This song is my personal favorite. It showcases Dallas Jones’s vocal skills. His voice puts singers like Usher to shame. I hate to only put those three songs in the spotlight because every single song on this cd is fascinating. With every flow you hear, you know these guys are destined for greatness. All the members have a special purpose and what they created is huge.

Not only are these guys talented as hell, they easily put on the best show in Houston. The whole venue is their stage and who ever attends the show becomes a part of it. A better way to describe their performances is that the world is their stage and we are lucky to be living in their world.

Even if rap or hip hop or whatever you want to call it, isn’t your thing, give Twenty Eleven a chance like I did. They will convert you just like they did me. Then you should thank Houston’s own Space City Records for signing these guys. I was lucky enough to witness these guys signing their contract and I knew I had just witnessed what the future of the Houston music scene had in store for me. I have to say I’m impressed. These boys have swag as one of their members, Brad Gilmore, would say. I personally didn’t even know what swag was until Twenty Eleven but now I know they definitely have it.

Now go pick up “Renewable Energy” on SpaceCityRecords.Bandcamp.com and go look them up on Facebook, you tube, and wherever else you can find it. You will listen and love it just as much as I do. - Tip-Out Magazine

Twenty Eleven may be the next big mainstream musical group to come out of Houston, and on a typically hot and sizzling summer day, they are sitting together in a local burger establishment casually waiting for their food. Luckily, the burger spot acknowledges the severity of the Houston heat and the air conditioner is on full blast.

Tre-Will, whose real is name William Tre Yancy III, could have easily maintained his cool without the help of the blasting air inside the restaurant. The 18-year-old rapper definitely has an aura and a swag all his own. He is built like a rookie NBA player, lean and tall with extensive arms and legs. One cannot help but notice the glistening set of white teeth that breaks out through his smile. It is something that can definitely grab the attention of many female fans.

Gilmore, who is the other lead rapper of the band, is the now all-too-common “white boy” who fell in love with a genre of music dominated by black artists. Unlike Tre, who grew up in a household surrounded by hip-hop, R&B and soul, Gilmore had to discover the culture mostly on his own. After his curiosity of music got the best of him, he was inspired to become more than just a fan of hip-hop and finally started rapping himself.

“My mom bought an Eminem CD and a Nelly CD and I listened to those CDs when I was young,” says Gilmore. “It’ll be N’Sync, then it’ll be Ludacris, then it’ll be Britney Spears, then it’ll be Limp Bizkit; and so I got these crazy genres and a lot of rapping was in those songs, so I just figured out how to do it.”

Gilmore and Tre have known each other since they were in the sixth grade, but it wasn’t until they entered their freshmen year at Lamar High School in 2007 when they finally started to connect as real friends.

“We didn’t really talk to each other, I just met him then,” Gilmore says.

On the other hand, Gilmore’s friendship with Avery Davis, the band’s drummer, lead guitar player and producer dates back to their elementary school days. They originally met each other in the first grade and have managed to stay connected throughout the years.

“It [Twenty Eleven] started out like way back when, but it didn’t officially start until kind of like freshmen year in high school,” says Gilmore. “I met Tre in class and I was like, ‘Hey dude, me and Avery have this like band we’re trying to do. You want to come in and do some songs with us?’ And he came in and we did a song and he took that as an invitation into the band so he kind of just joined.”

“So academics kind of got us to where we are today,” adds Tre. “Go to school, make a band.”

Tyler Tran and Dallas Jones – the two other members of the band– complete Twenty Eleven. Both members were welcomed into the group sometime during the 2009 – 2010 school year when Davis, Gilmore, Tran and Tre were all juniors in high school. Tran, who also goes by the stage name DJ Motai, was added after the three original boys realized that they were going to need an official DJ if they were going to have successful live shows.



Jones, unlike the rest of his band mates, was only a sophomore then when Gilmore and Tre heard him sing a rendition of popular gospel hymn “His Eyes Is on the Sparrow” in their choir class. That was when Jones’ spot into the band was solidified. “Once he finished, like 12 girls were crying. No, it was probably more than that so from there we were like, ‘We got to have this kid in our group,’” recalls Tre.

Jones’ voice is full of heart and soul and the band ultimately revolves around it; he commands the attention of the room.

Twenty Eleven fittingly represents the diversity of the city where all five of the boys met and live in.

“Our first few shows were predominately black. That was pretty much everyone who was in there,” says Gilmore. “So definitely whenever we roll up and there’s like two black guys, two white guys, and an Asian guy; they don’t really know – they are stereotypical, they’re already like, ‘Okay, these guys are going to be whack.’ And we’re like all in high school – at the time we were all in high school – so we were always counted out. I can’t tell you how many times I went to a venue and I was asked if I was the guitar player. Like every time – every time.”

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about a band is the origin of their name and it is no different in Twenty Eleven’s case. They fit the standard of most band names – intriguing, odd and weird. At the same time, the name has a nice appeal to it and is very pop culture oriented.

“We had a different name before – it was bad – ‘cause we found out that it was gang-related, but didn’t know that,” says Gilmore. “We decided that we needed a new name and we all had our own ideas. It was me, Tre and Avery and then my mom suggested, ‘Why don’t you call it Twenty Eleven? Because that’s the year coming up, 2011 is when you graduate and there’s a bunch of reasons she listed so I wrote it on the list and it wasn’t our favorite name, but it was the only one that we all agreed on and it stuck.”

Twenty Eleven is more hip-hop than the Gym Class Heroes, but less street than N.W.A. They have more members than Outkast, but are not as overwhelming as the Wu-Tang Clan. They represent Texas just as much as UGK does, but are also influenced by their east coast hip-hop counterparts. If they are not careful, they might just become another hip-hop-turned-pop band like the Black Eyed Peas.

The boys are against labels, like every other rebellious young American.

“From the get-go, I didn’t want be looked at as a hip-hop band because when people hear hip-hop, obviously they’re thinking gangster rap, baggy jeans, grills, ice chains and stuff,” says Gilmore. “I didn’t want to be boxed into that, obviously, because that’s not who I am. That’s not where I come from; I come from an all-white family who listens to country music.”


Twenty Eleven’s goal is to ultimately have a broad appeal to everyone and produces music that’s relatable.

“Someone once told us that when you put yourself in a box it limits you to where you can go,” says Tre. “We want to be able to do a song with the most gangster hip-hop artist, the most country artist and the most pop artist. We want a song on all their albums. I think when you don’t put yourself in a box it allows you to do that.”

In December of last year, the boys released their first LP titled Renewable Energy. The project offered listeners 12 songs, including “Time Goes On,” which can easily serve as the signature sound of Twenty Eleven. The record is reflective, soulful and, above all, enjoyable.

The five boys exhausted their music catalogue performing everywhere from concerts at their own high school, venues throughout downtown Houston and even in Austin earlier this summer. They were finally getting the right kind of exposure, hype and response that they needed. After only five months since the release of Renewable Energy, the boys used their wave of momentum to get back into Davis’ living room to record new material.

Four of the five boys finally graduated from high school this past summer.

Their new self-titled album captures the same emotional, organic and raw sound that Twenty Eleven has come to be known for. Jones’ presence on the new album is perhaps the centerpiece of it all. Tracks such as “Feelin’ Good,” “Lost My Smile” and “Be Heard” allow him to bask in the spotlight and take center stage.

“I think now listening to the new Twenty Eleven LP, it’s kind of like – Renewable Energy was kind of a sample, a late appetizer almost and it lead up to this new album,” says Gilmore.

After three months of recording, Twenty Eleven was digitally released in August right before Davis, Gilmore, Tran and Tre started college at the University of Houston.
- Lip Service

"It was only 10 p.m. and the place was already filled with people, a large amount of high-schoolers presumably there to see Twenty Eleven."

"By the time Twenty Eleven took the stage, it became clear that the influx of people who had arrived in the past half hour were there to see them. Twenty Eleven is a group of swagged-out kids who combine rock and hip-hop - not in the post-grunge, angry white dude way, but a very unified, perceptive fashion.

We readily contributed to the "Swag!" and "Woop!" chants and stood in the back, watching the crowd get disorderly while some of the band members' parents danced behind them. The rapping was on point, but the singing was what really impressed us.

Towards the end of their set, they brought the crowd onstage to dance with them. It was fun to watch, but it sort of made us wish that we had a group like Twenty Eleven when we were in high school in the 'burbs." - Houston Press

Rocks Off rarely handles the rap portion of Houston's musical wares. There's not a lot of eyeliner in it, and we prefer silver to gold jewelry.

However, since Space City Records won Best Local Label last year, we've maintained a pretty steady connection with the label's head and all-around awesome hip-hopper Kris Krunk. When he tells us that their newest act, Twenty Eleven, is shaping up to be a major force, we listen.

Accompanying our communication from Krunk was Krunk's new single, "H-Town FTW," which features frequent Rap Round Table contributor Brad Gilmore and Tre-Wil of Twenty Eleven, as well as Alibi Rankz. Even to our unsophisticated palate, the track is something, with a shout-out to Houston as an unbelievably catchy hook and some seriously solid rapping throughout.

But supporting Krunk's artistic efforts is just the tip of the iceberg for what Space City Records has in store for the members of Twenty Eleven.

They will be doing their first professional photo shoot in the next few weeks to get press kits and make their online presence stronger. Summer should also bring a follow-up to their stellar debut release, Renewable Energy, with a single due out in spring. Most likely the group will tour in a small way once the album drops.

Krunk also plans to shoot the group's first music video next month, and has become building up take-home gear that has been selling out at the shows.

This Saturday Twenty Eleven will be working hard, not only appearing at the Main Street Block Party downtown, but also at One Mic Houston's two-year anniversary show at Groundhall. Working hard on the stage in nothing new to the members of Twenty Eleven, who first began performing together in 2006.

Gilmore is the regular host of the monthly S.P.E.A.K. events, a gig that contributed greatly to the group's signing with Space City. The other members - producer Avery Davis, stellar singer Dallas Jones, and DJ Motai - are all also knee-deep in a number of projects with the label.

Davis has a DJ duo called A&A, who are also playing the Main Street Block Party. A&A will also open for Donnis, Fat Tony, Nice Guys, and DJ Ipod Ammo. At the House of Blues on January 27th, and is Avery is hard at work with the new album with Tre-Wil and Motai.

Meanwhile, the high school age Jones bides him time as head of his school choir in addition to contributing to projects around time.

"Dallas is the new Usher," says Krunk. "Watch out for this kid.


- Houston Press

Twenty Eleven is my crew others just around me. And welcome to Twenty Elevens Freshmen album, Renewable Energy produced entirely by drummer, Avery Davis in the confines of his living room. Based out of Houston, TX consisting of two rappers, one choir singer and half of the dub group A&A. They have already released two of there singles (Time Goes On and And They All Clap ) Both tracks showed their versatility and Renewable Energy will not disappoint the already fans.

They teamed up with local Houston rapper, Fat Tony for the song In Reality which talks about how they are not your average teen. There the ones that are making the music and getting the homecoming dance popping. Everyone wants to live the “Rock n Roll” lifestyle but in reality its harder then the average person thinks. I mean come on Physics and PreCal thats tough!!! Fat Tony just gets on the mic and gives you the break down of how an every night is in the life of the rapper.

Along with Fat Tony they have Space City Representative Kyle Hubbard for “In My Zone” The boys breakdown a late night party that gets a little to crazy, thanks to PaPa Hubs to be there to provide some guidance for the guys.

Destiny is the one for all the heartbreaks out there. If you dont get goose pimples when singer, Dallas Jones gets on the mic then you must have never expiernced a heartbreak. The good thing about one lose is that there about twenty more wins in the future. - The Hip Hop Effect

The easy thing to do would be to classify Twenty Eleven as a band with one of the ironic band names in music. True enough, the five member band (two rappers, two producers & one singer) do enough than what their respective classifications suggest. Its a family who brings out the best of one another, whether it be in a luxurious studio or inside of someone’s garage looking for the perfect sound. Now, 2010 has been nothing short of amazing for blending of genres. It seems the boundaries originally set some thirty years ago continue to be knocked down and transformed into something completely different. Houston’s Twenty Eleven lives by that sort of genre blending adding elements of hip-hop, rock & soul into their debut project Renewable Energy.

The obvious comparisons with album title and actual product are easy to be made from the five member band. There are anthems for women, “3rd Coast”, appearances from Fat Tony & Kyle Hubbard with the group’s main two vocalist Brad James & Tre-Will each attempting to out do one another for perspective bragging rights on the tracks including the stripped down standout “Take Me Away”.

While it may be yet another album in a long line of those production from the city that sound different from anything else, it’s something that’s a little more personal than most. - Day & A Dream

Walking hurts now because we messed up our knee a ways back. Looking hurts now because everything is blurry and the glasses that we bought (the second cheapest pair at eye-care specialists Walmart) are for shit. Picking things up hurts now because two years of toting around toddlers has twisted our back into several knots of awfulness.

Our point: Getting old stinks.

Which is why when the fresh-faced, light-as-clouds pop-hop band Twenty Eleven auditioned for a timeslot in the perpetual Artist of the Week concert, they were shoe-ins. With them being so young and all, we hit them up and made references to gang-bang movies, B.o.B. and the SUC, which constitutes 66 percent of all we cared to talk about as a teenager). Aces.

Rocks Off: You guys are fairly young, so let's start with the obvious question: Why? Why would anyone try to get into the rap game right now? You're aware of how impossibly oversaturated it is, right?

2011: Well, music is something we've always done. We all have different musical backgrounds, which come together to create a unique sound. We feel that we aren't just rap. So we don't see ourselves as small fish in a big pond; we're more like big fish in our own pond.
RO: Seriously, how many times did you all listen to B.o.B.'s album before you all wrote "Time Goes On"?

2011: Well, seeing how we slept at Target overnight to wait for it to come out, we listen to it pretty often. Just kidding. We are big fans of B.o.B, but we didn't realize we had a similar sound until fans told us. We don't try to sound like anyone but ourselves. "Time Goes On" just happened to be similar to his album.

RO: Give us a little inside information on Renewable Energy. Is it going to be similar to "Time Goes On," because that might be pretty fly.

2011: Our album will be a mix of multiple genres. There will be songs similar to "Time Goes On," and there will be some that catch you completely off guard. We have a lot of influences and many different sounds that we will incorporate on this album.

We will have some of Houston's finest MCs on this record, including Fat Tony, Kyle Hubbard, Simple Success and more. So look out for it, coming really soon.

RO: Obviously, Houston rap has played a signifcant role in y'all's development. Who's your favorite member of the SUC?

2011: As a group, we would have to say Z-Ro and Big Moe. It's funny because even though we have a sound totally different from those two artists, they gave us a stepping stone for where we are today. With a mix of Z-Ro's flow and Big Moe's swagger, they create a sound that only Texas can produce. We give them great respect and appreciate them for putting Houston on the map.

RO: Are you all aware that there was already a group with eleven as its suffix? Maybe you all should switch that up a bit before you become too, too famous to do so? Maybe go with Twenty Twelve? Nah, never mind. That movie was lame. Maybe Twenty Twenty? Crap. That's a TV show. What about Public Enemy? That sounds cool. Has that been taken?

2011 [laughs]: Yes, we are aware of that, but by the time we get too, too famous, they will forget about all the other ones who have the same suffix. - Houston Press