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Band of the Week: Argyle Pimps
By: Mike Osegueda
The Internet loves the Argyle Pimps. First, it was former MTV VJ Adam Curry featuring them on his podcast. Now, their new animated video "Geezers," a playful take on working in an old-folks home, is blowing up all over the 'Net.
Over the next 10 days, the Pimps, a rap duo who proudly lives in the past, are gonna be all over the Valley playing shows, too. This weekend they're doing showcases in Hanford and Visalia and coming back home to Fresno for two nice opening slots next week, then playing at an outdoor music festival downtown next weekend.
We tracked down Boney Beezly, one half of the Pimps, to talk about what's going down in the world of Argyle.
Question: You guys have been getting some nice attention on the Internet with your new video, "Geezers." It's on eBaum's World's front page. Tell us about what went into the video and how the reaction has been?
Answer: The video was the brainchild of Ken-Stollery Jones, the animator/monstrosity from Australia. He slapped it together adding Jamie's ideas to the songs visual lyrics and cameos from our favorite Nick at Nite television stars along with some heavy duty Tom Savini style zombie gore. Since the Ebaumsworld.com exposure we've more than quintupled our internet fan traffic. The best part is people hearing the song from all over the country, until that break we'd really only been heard in Cali. We've gotten alot of people who work in rest homes contacting us and typing LOL a lot.
Keep reading for more about the Argyle Pimps, including links and show dates ...
Has the AARP protested any of your shows or anything?
No. We are actually huge fans of the elderly. If you abuse a geezer, I will challenge you to hand-to-hand combat.
Speaking of shows, you guys have seven dates on your calendar between now and April 15. What's up with the rush of shows?
That is due to the crafty hand of our local booking agent Raina from Soulsandsounds.com . Plug, plug.
You guys are playing with all different types of bands, from an electronic/hip-hop group, Mad Happy to politically charged emcee Immortal Technique. Beyond that, you guys play with all kinds of different groups in town. Does playing with a wide variety of artists work well for you?
Yes, Mike, it works. I've got a lot of faith in our live show, I feel it's something that appeals to different tastes. We feel like the only way to find out who will like our music is by getting out there and performing for every possible demographic. If they hate us, we understand, but we don't turn down shows with different styles of music. In fact, I really want to do a show with the MoFo Party Band . Those guys are the bee's knees.
Do you feel like you get more love from hip-hop crowds or non-hip-hop crowds?
That's a weird one, because within hip-hop, you have a billion little subgenre's and we've had some great receptions from many different scenes around California, including hip-hop heads, but regardless what style of music, we tend to appeal to folks who like something ridiculous, odd and different.
So, Boney, the last time we talked, we were joking about all the different ways I describe you guys. I've said campy, retro, quirky and some others. But I wanna know how you guys describe what you do.
We rap, sing, and dance around like stupid retarded apes. We are bonkers.
You guys seem to have a bit of an obsession with everything old: The Rat Pack, Argyle patterns, clothes, even Yoshi Now. How much of that is real and how much is a gimmick? I mean, do you guys sit around and watch "Murder She Wrote," smoking pipes and listening to Bing Crosby records?
We are obsessed with the vaudeville way of doing things. Back then entertainers had style, they understood the nature of a crowd, how to really engage an audience and help everyone have a great time. I think that art was lost with the decline of the night club scene. We're trying to channel that spirit into what we do. I think our biggest influence has been Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, they had something that worked, something that hasn't been explored since they broke up. I've got a Bing Crosby box set on vinyl, Jamie got it for me, and we sit around playing Xbox and watching DVDs of the Dean Martin Show.
Before you guys were the Argyle Pimps, you were the Neighborhood Watch. How does your sound differ? Was it a pretty smooth transition from the Watch to the Pimps?
The N.W. was an underground supergroup featuring some of the most talented emcees and producers I've ever met, but sadly, organizational issues and difficulties with scheduling led to the album never getting off the ground. The N.W. was a straight forward boom bap rap group. The Argyle sound is based in Big Band Jazz and Lounge. Basically the A.P.'s is a very specific sound and style, its a project that flows out of who Jamie and I are specifically. So it seemed natural to make it a separate project.
You told me - The Fresno Bee
Discography
Invisible Jet-Ski's LP (2006), Streaming online play from various podcasts including Adam Curry's show. Radio airplay on college radio & local top 40 stations B95, Y101 and local rock station KRZR.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
With a comical approach, and unconventional subject matter The Argyle Pimps brush against genius with their retro-lounge sound and a variety show style that is difficult to typify. More than just another indie-rap act, this oddball hip hop duet from Fresno, Ca. leave an impression on the crowd like old time entertainers, blending humor and flawless rhyme schemes into a thoroughly entertaining experience. Live in concert the stage personas of Boney Beezly and Cockamamie Jamie the white dean martin display a finesse that invokes the days of Perry Como and Dino, combined with a comedians sense of improvisation and timing, all bound together with the raw talent and energy of two young emcees with more sarcastic rap skill than they know what to do with.
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