Poizunus

Touted as a chance for artists, press and industry to meet and mingle, the pre-Indie Week party at the Reverb was a low-key but enjoyable affair. The night kicked off with Poizunus demonstrating his oral percussive skills. Poizunus started up slowly, slyly pretending he was “just doing a sound check,” then moving into showcasing his prowess at imitating a beatbox, trumpet, turntable in various stages of being scratched – fast, slow, in reverse – and many other musical accoutrements. All done with just the air in his lungs and the shape of his lips. Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” never sounded so entertaining.

San Antonio’s Big Soy kicked things up another notch with their lyrical and plaintive melodies set to driving, thrumming beats. Think Modest Mouse and Postal Service, with a healthy dose of Coldplay in their approach to percussion. Their lyrics were thoughtful and compelling: a song about struggling to get some clarity in love included the phrasing, “I keep losing fire, you keep blowing smoke… Look me in the eye.”

Vesta Varro, hailing all the way from Limerick, Ireland, provided some solid, catchy tunes, with a manic lead singer whose voice sounded occasionally like The Cure’s Robert Smith, but who more closely resembled an energetic young Phil Collins in physical appearance. Their Coldplay- and (early) U2-inspired guitar riffs and percussion carried along songs, “Coming Back,” “Reaching Out” and “I Agree,” each of which kept the mood upbeat and the crowd energized.

Montreal’s Silent Soul were clearly tight, accomplished musicians who knew how to play their instruments well, but the element of surprise was missing from their performance. Their sound was polished, but perhaps a little too much so, with little left to the imagination. They risked sounding too much like a standard college garage rock band, and their lyrics lacked punch: “We can’t go back, crying in the van, thinking of you.”

Crowd-pleasers and former Indie Week winners, Lye (Toronto) ended the evening, playing hardcore rock to the room, now almost empty save for their fans that moved close to the stage and showed the band some love. If the variety and expertise of these bands is any indicator, Indie Week is off to a good start, with enough range in styles to satisfy most. - Toonage.ca

Toronto, ON. (Top40 Charts/ Poizunus Official Website) - Considered Canada's most prominent beatboxer Poizunus can now add Scribble Jam 2007 Beatbox Champion to his list of accomplishments. After travelling to Cincinnati, Ohio for 3 straight years Poizunus made it clear that this was his year to win or else retire from the battling scene for good.

His progression over those years has seen a steady incline. From not qualifying in 2005, to placing top 4 in 2006, to winning the title in 2007. There's no doubt that this beatbox wizard won't tackle any challenge that comes his way. I love pressure. Ever since I was young; playing sports or whatever; pressure situations always brought the best out of me, says the Toronto native. Every battle I've been in is a learning experience. Whether I win or lose I always walk away with a sense of growth.

Poizunus who struggled with a speech impediment when he was younger, understands that nothing comes easy. The 24 year old has been beatboxing for almost 6 years now. In that time span he's Performed in New York, Miami, the United Kingdom, placed top 3 in the World Beatboxing Championships in Germany, been all over MuchMusic & MTV(Canada/US), and opened for many big named hip hop acts. All this without the help of an agent or manager.

Lack of direction has never stopped Poizunus from finding unconventional ways of accomplishing his goals. His future plans include a second tour of the UK, and a fall 2007 release of his debut EP. - Top40-Charts.com

These two men blew me away with their beatboxing talent. They have both been beatboxing for about 5 years and are at the top of their game. Their sounds are a mixture of jazz and hip hop and the crowd were in awe of them, hanging on every beat, wishing they to could create such sounds by using just their lips. Each and Poizunus are currently on their ‘Bridging the Gap’ tour. - BBC.co.uk

I think that we can all agree that Mario is a classic gaming character. The good people at Nintendo have constantly tried to make Mario more appealing to kids of that particular generation. They've given him new adventures, new pals and of course a new look everytime. But I guess,the one thing that Nintendo left in their roster of developments is a new sound. Today's generation is more into pop culture than anything else and a big chunk of that culture is music.

Now Poizunus and Silent Boom Productions is giving us a flashback. Now we get to hear Mario themes given a different spin my beatboxer extraordinaire Poizunus. - Qj.net