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BLOOD SUGAR
Sweet Adrenaline Rush of Music by Kwasi Asare and Isac Takeuchi
When you’re growing up, parents and teachers tell you it’s good to be different. That “variety is the spice of life” and if you’re different, you’re “special.” The problem is, few of us believe theses lines, and even fewer integrate such as philosophies into our lives. Xavier, however, lead singer of the Los Angels-based band Blood Sugar, does so on both counts.
To give you an idea of the unique sound behind Blood Sugar’s music, here are a few comparisons: Blood Sugar sounds like what might happen if H.R. of Bad Brains knocked up Robert Plant. Or if Jimi Hendrix and Prince got into a fistfight, Blood Sugar would provide the soundtrack. Among the band’s influences, Xavier lists Sly and Family Stone, The Sex Pistols, Stevie Wonder and other iconic artists. These diverse influences and a modern sonic landscape help set Blood Sugar apart from its rock peers.
Although Blood Sugar is energetic, the music is never angsty or uncontrolled. This has much to do with Xavier’s smooth delivery and the clarity of the bend’s chord changes and melodies. Those who aren’t prepared for a Bad Brains-type of hardcore can still fully enjoy Blood Sugar for their intense performances.
“I just want to be as real as possible onstage. To really express the lyrics, music, intensity and energy of what Blood Sugar is,” says Xavier, referring to the band’s lives shows.
Xavier seems to be a natural performer, commanding the stage and drawing in the audience while punctuating the lyrics and music. Blood Sugar’s lyrics are strong, sociopolitical statements meant to bring awareness and provoke thought. From their album, Smack Crack Sugar Shit Pop, the song “Ray Parker” is an indictment of “yes sir, yes sir” African Americans with lyrics like, “I’ll smile for you sir / I’ll dance for you sir / all I want is just a little peace of your world.”
On the flipside, “Pay It Back” is filled with autobiographical lyrics about Xavier’s life as a child growing up poor and being picked on for his differences. The song starts off with the spoken words, “I was born a long time ago to a family of 14 brothers and sisters,” before building into a simmering pre-chorus, “I can see it / I can taste it / when it’s only for a minute,” and finally exploring into the raging chorus, “It’s time for payback!” Blood Sugar has created a sound that is both different and powerful, with triumphant music that celebrates diversity and individuality.
- Campus circle
Punk’s New Face
by Kersi Asare, drexel 06’
Blood Sugar crack smack sugar sh*t pop
I was skeptical at first about Blood Sugar’s album judging from the promo material – this dude looks a little weird. But after cracking it open I saw this band from a completely different perspective. The lead singer is a black guy named Xavier, who is usually accompanied by a Japanese guy named Masa Kohama on guitar, while the rest of the band alternates track by track. Xavier describes their sound as Afro Punk – “rock & roll from a Negro perspective.”
This album is heavily laced with guitar riffs and vocals sung straight from the heart. Every track has an unusually high energy level that’s missing from a lot of albums I’ve been hearing lately. Most of the album feels like a mixture of Lenny Kravits and early No Doubt.
“Million dollar ho” is a hot opening track which sets the mood for the entire album. This is a CD you can throw in at a party, play straight through, and have everyone nodding their heads or jumping off the walls. A few tracks on crack smack sugar sh*t pop sample pieces of popular, recognizable songs, such as “Wild Thing”, and “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
On “If Jesus makes miracles,” the album finally slows down a little bit and Xavier opens up to his audience. The guitar bridge by Masa on this track is a must-hear. “Pay back” is another high-energy track, mixed in with small breaks and dialogues from Xavier talking about his cluttered and emotional past. In every dialogue, he mentions someone that was trying to hold him back, but it seems he has broken through in the end.
Check out this album if you want to hear something different that’s actually good. Judging from this debut, Blood Sugar looks like a group with a successful future.
- La weelky
"...if Afro-Punk had a church Xavier would be the preacher." - Afro-Punk.com
"Blood Sugar fuses punk,funk,ska and melodic wizardry'." - funprox.com
"Blood Sugar trancends boundaries in the worlds of funk,rock and soul." - URB Magazine
"...talent and art with a social conscience." - notinourname.net
"...front man Xavier carries that weight of childhood resentment and the ill-will of all the haters like a man." - ifilm.com
Discography
Crack Smack Sugar Shit Pop LP
Crack smack sugar shit pop DVD
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Blood Sugar is a rock band with roots in the funk-infused Oakland Bay Area. The bands founder, Xavier, describes Blood Sugars sound as Soul Punk Revival, or, Rock & Roll from a Negro perspective.
Xaviers entry and approach to music was deeply affected by his upbringing. He was the 8th child in a family of 14 siblings. His father, an east African immigrant, married a young American girl 33 years younger than him. He never felt like a normal kid.
Xaviers diverse background helped him hone an eclectic style as an artist. His wide musical range garnered him a lucrative record deal. But, after growing frustrated with the labels attempt to pigeonhole him, Xavier walked away from everything. He quit recording and went into a self-imposed banishment for two years. His exile ended when a near fatal car accident left him in a three-week coma. When Xavier regained conscious, his resolve to be true to his own vision was cemented. That began the Blood Sugar crusade to put the ghetto in the metal.
For inspiration Xavier moved into a warehouse in South Central Los Angeles. He dubbed it Blackball Universe and went to work. The result is Crack Smack Sugar Shit Pop. The aptly titled collection of interviews, music videos and studio footage showcases musicians whove played with such luminaries as Destinys Child, the late 5th Beatle, Billy Preston, Stevie Wonder and Janet Jackson.
The soundtrack from Crack, Smack traverses the murky terrain of drug addiction, sex, and politics, with single-minded devotion and intensity. Its a blend of punk, soul and ska that switches easily from head-nodding grooves to wailing guitar riffs and explosive anthems.
On the heels of a standing-room only tour, organized entirely through MySpace.com, Blood Sugar is back in the studio, perfecting their high-energy assault, and regularly headlining at Bingo, an exclusive underground, live music after hours club.
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