The GNU Deal

The way the two act, it’s easy to believe that they’re actually brothers. The young rappers share the same toothy grins, the same contagious laughs, and a nearly identical collection of frequently uttered slang.

#Eric Graham, aka AMFM (Always Making Filthy Music), and Ashton Hemmons, aka Koala T, might as well be. The duo has been inseparable since the day in seventh grade when Hemmons wore sugar-daddy pajamas to zero hour at Cascade Middle School ­— a day they both remember vividly. The then-class clowns quickly bonded, and from then on out, hip-hop just happened. After going to Hemmons’ house to fool with instrumental tracks pulled off of Kazaa and the Microsoft audio recorder, the young musicians-to-be had their first brush with their art form. The next year, Graham pirated a program and began making his own beats; the developmental progress sped quickly from there.

#“Our music has been built up around our friendship,” said Hemmons, a student at South Seattle Community College and employee at the prestigious Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle. “The music was inevitable just because I’m a creative person, and Eric is a musical genius, and that just enveloped us as we grew up together. I can honestly say I never thought it would come to this.”

#As the two grew up, the neighborhood they shared, while living just a block apart, came to influence them more and more. They lived in White Center, a south-end town that Graham and Hemmons describe as both “otherworldly” and simply “home.”

#“There’s a weird attachment to your city; the streets are bumpy, there’s shacks everywhere that look like crap, the buildings have tags on them that don’t get washed off,” said Graham, now a student in the UW Evening Degree Program. “You can go and kick it there in the middle of the night and not get robbed but meet some very interesting people — or you can get robbed. I’m not going to sit here and claim that I’m hood because I’m not, because White Center’s not hood. It’s just an area with a distinct edge to it and [a ton] of character, and I love it.”

#That attitude appears continuously throughout the duo’s music, a decidedly upbeat take on typical Seattle-style hip-hop. When discussing the album, both emcees echo the word “fun” dozens of times. The rhymes and flow seem expertly developed for a couple of young rappers that have taken a do-it-yourself approach to music their whole lives, and Graham’s years of beat-making practice make their mark, too; some of the best moments on the E.P. happen when the production shines.

#“No matter where we go, we take a slice of White Center with us,” Hemmons said. “What it comes down to for me is that I got a wide range of perspectives from the mishmash of everybody that doesn’t fit in everywhere else.”

#December heralds the release of the duo’s debut, titled Wait Like Five Minutes and Meet Me on Will’s Street E.P., an apt homage to the local landmarks and inside jokes White Center has created over the years. The eight track project — recorded, in the style of The New Deal, exclusively in Graham’s basement — only features one guest vocalist, Graham’s sister Madison, and one assistant producer, Dustin Lagos. Avoiding filler songs and played-out skits, the duo culled their best material for a thoroughly solid compilation, and the depth of the album is proof of their talent.

#“What it all comes down to is just me and Ashton, me and Koala T. It’s the Eric-and-Ashton show,” Graham said. “We love the fact that there are other people making music out there, but we don’t really care because, at the end of the day, The New Deal is us, and it’s fun, and it means [the world to me].”

#Reach reporter Nick Feldman at weekender@dailyuw.com. - The UW Daily

The way the two act, it’s easy to believe that they’re actually brothers. The young rappers share the same toothy grins, the same contagious laughs, and a nearly identical collection of frequently uttered slang.

#Eric Graham, aka AMFM (Always Making Filthy Music), and Ashton Hemmons, aka Koala T, might as well be. The duo has been inseparable since the day in seventh grade when Hemmons wore sugar-daddy pajamas to zero hour at Cascade Middle School ­— a day they both remember vividly. The then-class clowns quickly bonded, and from then on out, hip-hop just happened. After going to Hemmons’ house to fool with instrumental tracks pulled off of Kazaa and the Microsoft audio recorder, the young musicians-to-be had their first brush with their art form. The next year, Graham pirated a program and began making his own beats; the developmental progress sped quickly from there.

#“Our music has been built up around our friendship,” said Hemmons, a student at South Seattle Community College and employee at the prestigious Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle. “The music was inevitable just because I’m a creative person, and Eric is a musical genius, and that just enveloped us as we grew up together. I can honestly say I never thought it would come to this.”

#As the two grew up, the neighborhood they shared, while living just a block apart, came to influence them more and more. They lived in White Center, a south-end town that Graham and Hemmons describe as both “otherworldly” and simply “home.”

#“There’s a weird attachment to your city; the streets are bumpy, there’s shacks everywhere that look like crap, the buildings have tags on them that don’t get washed off,” said Graham, now a student in the UW Evening Degree Program. “You can go and kick it there in the middle of the night and not get robbed but meet some very interesting people — or you can get robbed. I’m not going to sit here and claim that I’m hood because I’m not, because White Center’s not hood. It’s just an area with a distinct edge to it and [a ton] of character, and I love it.”

#That attitude appears continuously throughout the duo’s music, a decidedly upbeat take on typical Seattle-style hip-hop. When discussing the album, both emcees echo the word “fun” dozens of times. The rhymes and flow seem expertly developed for a couple of young rappers that have taken a do-it-yourself approach to music their whole lives, and Graham’s years of beat-making practice make their mark, too; some of the best moments on the E.P. happen when the production shines.

#“No matter where we go, we take a slice of White Center with us,” Hemmons said. “What it comes down to for me is that I got a wide range of perspectives from the mishmash of everybody that doesn’t fit in everywhere else.”

#December heralds the release of the duo’s debut, titled Wait Like Five Minutes and Meet Me on Will’s Street E.P., an apt homage to the local landmarks and inside jokes White Center has created over the years. The eight track project — recorded, in the style of The New Deal, exclusively in Graham’s basement — only features one guest vocalist, Graham’s sister Madison, and one assistant producer, Dustin Lagos. Avoiding filler songs and played-out skits, the duo culled their best material for a thoroughly solid compilation, and the depth of the album is proof of their talent.

#“What it all comes down to is just me and Ashton, me and Koala T. It’s the Eric-and-Ashton show,” Graham said. “We love the fact that there are other people making music out there, but we don’t really care because, at the end of the day, The New Deal is us, and it’s fun, and it means [the world to me].”

#Reach reporter Nick Feldman at weekender@dailyuw.com. - The UW Daily

Inspired by the demolition of the Alaskan Way viaduct, Ashton Hemmons and Eric Graham of the Seattle rap group The GNU Deal initially recorded "The Viaduct" as an entry into a WSDOT competition. The song will now appear on their upcoming album.

Hemmons says the song idea started as a metaphor for the slow crumbling of the independent music industry before hitting the note of nostalgia. The lyrics, set to a sample of jazz saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, echo the sentiment of many this week. - King 5 News

In light of the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement project, which led to the recent week-long closure of one of Seattle’s most high-traffic thoroughfares, local hip-hop outfit The Gnu Deal has released a song that rings true for anyone who’s had to make the arduous waterfront trek. Simply titled, “The Viaduct,” this understated song lays down some serious nostalgia mixed with local nuances that harness the empathy of residents new and old.

As we head into winter and get ready to make long hauls in the impending darkness, there is no better way to prepare for the chill than an smooth-as-ice mix with standouts like this song. As the singer croons about beautiful backroads (curse him for leaking our secret detours!) and foregoing the absolute hell that is I-5 during rush hour, you can’t help but think of all those times you took a shortcut that turned into a “longcut” and then eventually an after-work pleasure cruise.

The song is peppered with TV news clips warning drivers about the viaduct closure and commenting on the new commute that is taking its place. These samples would normally serve as an intrusion to such a pretty piece, but here they accentuate the reality of the subject matter.

While maintaining a topic that most Seattle listeners can personally relate to, the lyricist cracks a little bit and mentions his daughter, then later pontificates on the crumbling of the music industry. Indeed, he is comparing two fragile and volatile structures. Although sturdy in appearance, a slight tremor can change it all. - Seattle Show Gal

News travels fast around the Sasquatch campground--especially when there's a glowing flagpole topping two retrofitted school busses that sandwich a 22-foot-long stage, four 18-inch subwoofers and four 15-inch monitors that blast out 8,000 watts of attraction.

Affectionately referred to as "The Murder Busses" by the 20 passengers they carried (thanks to their black-on-chrome paint) but better known simply as "the party busses," the two are owned by Mark Mallahan and Marc Njos of Bellingham and Dan Carter of Montana--who spent more than $3,000 on this year's trip alone. Why do they do it? "I just enjoy watching my friends have the time of their life," says Njos. "I didn't even drink in high school, but I still threw the parties."

In the mornings, following sets from Seattle artists like hip-hop duo The GNU Deal and electro DJs Cozmic Danger, the place was a graveyard of alcohol--proving that festivalgoers weren't ready to quit raging just because Foo Fighters or Bassnectar's set was over. Hundreds of people were drawn to the music, and dozens continued to dejectedly pass by after it was forced to be turned off.

Njos says they won't be back next year--as much due to theft of more than $600 as the perceived crackdown by security--leaving a big hole to fill for next years revelry.

- Seattle Weekly

The Gnu Deal is the breezy, steezy hip-hop of Eric Graham and Ashton Hemmons, two irrepressible White Center homeboys who rap about Annie’s Mac and Cheese, microbrews, and marijuana. A juvenile formula, but the duo does it over a smooth soundtrack of jazzy beats, funky samples, and frequent well-spun nods to their influences—“We like Dougie Fresh/And P-U-T-S/We like tribal music/and Tribe Called Quest/We like Doom/And we MF-rappin'/We like Seals and Crofts/and Led Zeppelin.” With plans to record with Shabazz Palaces' Tendai Maraire in the works, these two knuckleheads will surely mature beyond their current repertoire, but you should see them while their rhymes are all about parties, good times, and all that seems infinite about being young. With Mixed Mediums Crew, Greg & Jerome, DJ Seabefore, Graves33, Freezable Germ, Tru iD. GWENDOLYN ELLIOTT
Wed., Oct. 26, 8:30 p.m., 2011 - Seattle Weekly