Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"[...] Rounding off the group of street style performers known as The Fuse, Miz Metro steps up to sing. She carries on the fashion trend of the night wearing a satin ruffled track jacket over a long, sheer and sparsely sequined dress, finishing off the look with fish nets and sneakers. But it isn’t her sense of style that pulls in the audience. Her powerful, controlled voice blends with and rises above the music to bring her message of social change. The members finally join together for a final closing number and the performance is over way too soon. Fortunately, they frequent such venues as The Bowery Poetry Cafe and Galapagos Art Space. And if you’re lucky you may catch an impromptu performance in Washington Square Park or even on a subway platform. [...]"
http://www.clubplanet.com/Articles/1680/CP-Review-Pure-Project-Art-Show - ClubPlanet.com
Prompted by a text message from my friend Substantial saying he’d be in the NYC at the Knitting Factory to perform, this past Thursday I headed into the city see how things were going with my buddy from Maryland whom I hadn’t seen perform (or at all, for that matter) since his move back to his hometown in early January. The show, which was titled Sideshow – A Night of Singer / Songwriter Hip-Hop, also featured Miz Metro, Tonedeff and Louis Logic and JJ Brown with J-Zone spinning throughout the entire night. There were two things very different about this night, however, first I brought two friends from out of town for their first NYC experiences, and second, the evening was about the music of Hip-Hop as artists performed with bands and even played the piano.
Miz Metro opened Sideshow and after about two minutes I knew she was something special. Using authentic gypsy rhythms that she produced Hip-Hop beats over, Miz Metro sang her way right onto my radar. She also hooked my friends up with her official MetroCard earrings, which are pretty dope. Once her time on stage was up Substantial was on next. This was the first time I had seen Stan with a live band and his performance was excellent. Live bands, as long as they’re talented and are working with a talented artist, are usually a great idea. I say usually because there are some limitations that come with a live band as some of an artist’s harder songs are a little more difficult to replicate (as dope at the Unplugged version of LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” was it still paled in comparison to the original), but Substantial kept things light and jazzy, which suited the evening well.
One of Substantial’s partners in rhyme, Tonedeff hit the stage after him, mixing rapping with singing and even some piano playing. Tonedeff’s performance was an exercise in proving that a lot of music fans are far more intelligent than they are ever given credit for by record labels. He went from the hilarious “Pervert” to the touching “Porcelain” to a few songs he penned for the piano and everyone in the crowd dug each song. So not only are musicians alive and well, but if given the opportunity to strut their stuff they’re appreciated, too.
The headliner for the evening was Louis Logic and JJ Brown. Louis Logic came out in a Kenny Rogers 1987 tour t-shirt that was, in a word, awesome, just like his performance. J-Zone had joked earlier in the show that while Louis was on tour kids would come up to him in airports thinking he was Lenny Kravitz. Admittedly, Louis’ hair has become quite impressive. After performing some traditional Hip-Hop for a good twenty minutes, including the songs “Morning After Pill” and “Classy McNasty,” Louis sat down at his piano, an instrument he’s spent the past year and a half learning, and performed some of his songs in a completely new way. Highlights of his piano performance included a very touching song about bigotry and the idiocy of the so-called reasoning behind it and the busting out Biz Markie’s “Just A Friend." The crowd wouldn’t stop doing the chorus for "Just A Friend" and it got to the point where he even said “hey, I can’t stop ya."
This was the first Sideshow event, but they were already completely on point not only with their performances, but with their marketing skills, handing out a ten track CD (pictured above) that featured songs from the four artists who performed. I know the friends I brought, who hadn’t heard of any of the artists before, became fans and with the CD were able to go home with some of the music that was performed, a perfect way to keep the memory of the evening alive and well.
Speaking of my friends, I gave them quite the night of NYC experiences including their first Metro North ride, first (and subsequently second) subway ride, first underground Hip-Hop show and their first taxi ride. The taxi ride was especially fun as they thought the driver was a little more crazy than he actually was. There is really very little that can measure up to giving someone their first NYC experience. It’s the greatest city in the world and everyone needs to be there at some point in time.
All in all it was a fantastic night as I was able to see Stan again, show some friends around the city, and network with all the artists who performed. Thanks to Sideshow in the near future you can expect to see me working with Miz Metro, Tonedeff and Louis Logic in addition to continuing to work with Substantial. The Rolodex just keeps on expanding.
http://adambernard.blogspot.com/2007/06/night-of-singer-songwriter-hip-hop.html - Adam's World
URB loves being a part of the Mixtape Riot monthly in NYC. The performances are great, the place is always packed and the 'oh-my-god-i-was wasted-last-night' pictures are classic. Sadly, I was not there (I was at the Roxy in LA checking out The Airpushers showcase instead) but promoter/PR superwoman of the year, Fiona Bloom, gives us a nice summary with a few funny ass photos:
"It was our pre-valentine’s special as ladies were free b4 midnight. BudLight flowing all night. Emergen’C on tap. Free giveaways all night including limited editions NIKE kicks.
St. Louis artist Black Spade started off the night with their version of laid back crunk/mid west and banging beats. Next up was Miz Metro- she brought her rare voice and gypsy music from E.Europe never heard before in NYC, and then on to Stephanie McKay who tore the house down with her sultry voice, stirring passion and massive charisma to the end of the night with the ever so endearing LadyBug Mecca.
The BEATards then rocked new remixes live and just for the occasion.Captain Planet, Utkarsh the Inc and DJ O kept us entertained with the hotness and the synergy they had with each artist was unstoppable and undeniable.
The whole night flowed just like the concept- a mixtape with no pauses or breaks but one long continual set.
Check out more info at http://www.mixtaperiot.com. Next up March 7th---Fat Baby NYC. "
Thanks Fiona! Here are some fun pictures to send you off with...
http://wwww.urb.com/permalink/341/www.airpushers.net - URB.com
Discography
Recorded cover of "Jingle Bells" on "Breaking for the Holidays" compilation. Other artists on the compilation include Chaka Kahn, Ben Jelen, and Sandra Bernhard.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
It is not every day that an artist is fortunate enough to be surrounded by inspiration. For Laura O’Reilly, growing up and living in the Urban Circus called New York City was just this. For as long as she can remember, Laura was going to movie and television sets as a spectator to her parents’ professions – acting. It was an easy adjustment for Laura to begin to express herself creatively, but it was not until an interview with Def Jam recording artist Lady Sovereign in 2006 that the world was introduced to the persona known as Miz Metro.
Despite her recent reinvention of name, it has taken over twenty years to form what the world now knows as Miz Metro – a distinctive melting pot of creativity, personality, and style. She is the singer and songwriter who has graced over 50 stages from New York to London, contagiously engaging her audiences with indefinable music and converting crowds to devoted fans. “But it isn’t her sense of style that pulls in the audience. Her powerful, controlled voice blends with and rises above the music to bring her message of social change,” explains ClubPlanet.com. It is her “fresh dynamic”, as Chuck Taylor from Billboard Magazine puts it, that shows people a part of themselves that they never knew existed.
After graduating from the famed LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts in 2004, Miz Metro had to decide how she wanted to focus her energy. After winning a national merit award from the Presidential Scholars National Foundation of the Arts, ranking her in the top 5% of young performers in the country, it was evident that Miz Metro’s musical talent had started to get noticed. She wanted to continue to create her own reality so she moved out on her own at 18 years old. Later in 2004, she entered the Urban Word Poetry Slam Competition to test her skills in writing and to perform her song lyrics in front of an audience. Without any poetry-slamming experience, Miz Metro made it as a Semi-Finalist. The following year Miz Metro entered the same competition and was a Grand Slam Finalist, a title that only twenty of six hundred teen poets were able to claim. This was a clear sign to Miz Metro that she was skilled in connecting with an audience through her lyrics.
Later in 2005, Miz Metro booked a principal role in a nationally aired MTV Starburst commercial. Not only did she get to appear in front of a nation of music fans, but she also had the opportunity to nationally showcase her own fashion designs. Never wasting a minute, at age 19 Miz Metro was simultaneously ringleader in organizing and throwing her highly reputable Urban Gypsy Circus loft parties in a 5,000 square foot space in SoHo, New York. Seamlessly melding interactive multi-media, live music, and “trash-art”, Miz Metro and her Urban Gypsy Circus have partnered with Fader Magazine and world-renowned artist Q-Tip to successfully host high profile events.
Miz Metro continues to establish her presence in the New York music scene. She has recently performed along side Ladybug Mecca, of the Grammy winning group Digable Planets, at one of the popular Mixtape Riot events. After attending this show, URB magazine wrote that Miz Metro’s “rare voice” and style were something “never heard before in NYC.” She also performed at the QN5 Record’s “Sideshow: A Night of Singer/Songwriter Hip Hop” and has appeared on a compilation album alongside Chaka Khan, Sandra Bernhard, and Ben Jelen. Miz Metro continues to redefine her sound, finding influence in music ranging from jazz, soul, hip hop and pop to creatively infusing Romanian folk samples in her music. Miz Metro is carving her own path in the music industry and is taking all fans along for the ride.
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