The Indefinite Article
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The Indefinite Article

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"The Indefinite Article, "The Grand Applause""

“What the hell is this?”
That was my first reaction to The Grand Applause, the debut release by the five-man Boston-area crew The Indefinite Article. Their style has been described as The Roots meets 311, hence my response. But I realized I was the one being close-minded. So I entered a detoxification program; tried my best to forget those Jim Jones verses I committed to memory; traded my cognac Stacy Adams for a pair of Vans; and put down the Cristal for a six-pack of Natty Light.

Truth be told: this bright and shiny world, as rendered through The Grand Applause, sounded nothing like I’ve ever heard.

Father Abraham, a Harvard educated emcee, spits rapid-fire narratives and non-sequiturs over a swirling, delirious bed of guitars, bass, drums, and keys. Most alternative cats make that Native Tongue-like throwback hip-hop, they blowtorch soundscapes with rock bombast and frat-party energy.

This seven-song player offers some exhilarating moments. “You Might Wanna” is a raucous, all-out jam where Father Abraham channels Pharoah Monche (circa 1991). He devours the microphone with high velocity, stream-of-consciousness verbiage. The downtempo “Break the Monotone” finds FA doing his best impersonation of a CBS news correspondent, weaving touching narratives of those bent and broken by everyday life.

Just when you think they’re stuck on somber, Indef Art amps it up another notch and rocks out. FA morphs into Chuck D. You can just imagine the boys in the mosh pit going absolutely buck.
FA playfully refers to their sound as a white boy rap. But Limp Biskit these cats ain’t. Substance abounds here. Check the rollicking “Out of Control” for evidence. Drummer Brandon Haas pushes this cut over the precipice with his manic play. And just when it can’t get more unpredictable, Rick Umlah gets classical on that ass. He riffs on Tchaikovsky’s “Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy” - street cred be damned!

The churning bassline gives the socially-minded “Lives of Bliss” a seething, mercurial quality. “Man Down” sticks to the formula and finds the crew up to their party-staring antics again.

Pack light b-boys. You’ll be taking a trip way outside of your box with this one.

– A. Tacuma Roeback
Okayplayer.com - Okayplayer.com


"The Indefinite Article, "The Grand Applause""

For all of us who are curious about what jazz and hip-hop sounds like mixed together, The Indefinite Article are offering up your answer. This Boston, MA five-piece mix hip-hop, spastic rapping, piano-driven jazz and live instrumentation to formulate a sound as intriguing as the band’s name.
The front man of this group, Father Abraham, a Harvard-graduate, raps lighting-fast while the rest of the group provides the strong sonic background to his lyrical flow. The sound is truly unique, and the band’s sound is uncommonly tight. I encourage you to pick up a copy of this disc and listen to the bass and drum sounds lock it in and throw it down. (Key track: Gut Feeling). The Grand Applause defies explanation and classification. - Pulse Weekly (www.pulseweekly.com)


"The Indefinite Article"

"...The boys played six songs in total of their own brand of kick-drum-thumping hip-hop, and if it had been up to the audience, who knows how ling it would have lasted. The crowd was demanding an encore for almost ten minutes..." - The Berklee Groove (Berklee College of Music - Boston, MA)


"The Indefinite Article, "The Grand Applause""

"...an odd combo of early 311 and Ben Folds' heaviest key slams..." - Urban Critique Magazine


"Band Embraces Crossover Genre"

"...there were hints of the Beastie Boys in the rhyme constructions and vocal melodies...while the choruses invoked the passion of Rage Against the Machine." - The Harvard Crimson


"Other people's poetry"

by Emily Pepper

I always figured that being in a band gets you laid. I wouldn't know, being a terrible singer who plays no instruments and dances like Urkel on dust. But I'm pretty sure that musicianship has a lot to do with ass acquisition, especially given the fact that David Lee Roth has gotten laid. I mean, were he a carpet salesman, what would be his chances? Anyway, after watching the Pam and Tommy video repeatedly, I've decided that maybe it's just that rock stars are hung. Or maybe they're not, but at least they can pull off pretending to be, and by the time the unlucky groupie finds out otherwise, the drugs have kicked in and it's too late to turn back.

The Thursday before last, I was at the Middle East in Cambridge, checking out The Indefinite Article, a local band getting hotter by the second. The band is hyperintellectual hip-hop, backed by a bunch of rock & roll doctorates. I was consulting Abe Kinkopf, the vocalist, on the lays that come from being onstage. So, for my benefit, he delivered this little rhyme relating to the benefits offered by a rock star cock (or, at least, his rock star cock). I don't usually publish poetry, but this little piece seems worth breaking the rules.

I'm nine inches of pure man meat / And I tripped on it once at a track meet / Because it wasn't tied to my feet / And while I rhyme to the beat / It swings like a metronome / A projectile big enough to pierce the roof of the Metrodome / It's a little bit wider that a standard garden gnome / Amazing enough that girls call they friends on the telephone / And say: / You wouldn't guess what I sat on last night / It was taller than the Washington Monument and twice as wide / And this guy was white / So I didn't really expect it / I asked him to rock my world / But he absolutely fucking wrecked it / I thought my vision needed to be corrected / But once I collected myself / I saw if he got erect it would be damaging to my health / It's like managing someone's wealth / This thing's my livelihood / I keep it under lock and key like JP Morgan would / You can call it a cock, an organ, wood / Or just a thing of wonder / I call it a weapon of ass destruction so I keep it under wraps / So George Bush won't take it away / Cause the last thing I want is for those two twins to take it and play / I know it would make their day / But it would probably make me gay to have to touch a Republican in that kind of a way / It's been that kind of day / It got caught in my bike spokes / In front of a bunch of white folks / Who retreated into lifeboats / They thought it was the Loch Ness monster / I'm thinking of selling ad space on it-know any sponsors? / Maybe Trojan / Cause this fucking thing would choke a horse / Ask Mr Ed / I made him a missus of course, of course / It's bigger than the state of Wisconsin / To moisturize I use Johnson & Johnson & Johnson & Johnson / Create damage like a monson / I mean a monsoon / Float boats with it / I'm a human pontoon / I'm out of proportion like a cartoon / But don't handle me with kid gloves, that would be crude / Other than that I'm just a regular dude / Trying to keep his wood polished like a businessman's shoes
Now, see, how can you turn down an offer like that? If you're interested in checking out this band, or if you want to sleep with any of its members, check www.indef-art.com for a listing of upcoming shows. With any luck, you'll be able to steal enough licks to convince the next groupie you meet that you're someone to get to know a little better-or, at the very least, the next David Lee Roth. - The Weekly Dig (Boston, MA)


Discography

The Grand Applause, 2006, self released. Streaming mp3s available at www.myspace.com/theindefinitearticle.

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Bio

The Indefinite Article

Abe Father Abraham Kinkopf (MC), Evan Anderson (guitar), Rick Ricky Rhythms Umlah (keys), Brandon Haas (drums) and Matt Lavigne (bass) together make up the rockin' rhythm throwers known as The Indefinite Article. Tossing out massive rhythms, heady guitar grooves, acrobatic hip-hop and total funked-outness, this band has energy that moves at the speed of light. In other words, the effect will hit you instantly. An incredibly pumped up group, The Indefinite Article is one of the best purveyors of the hard-to-do-right genre mix-up of hip-hop and rock. Forget the rest, this is the real deal.

Long Description

Sad to say but there may be no concise way to verbally sum up the power that is The Indefinite Article. Weekly Dig called the band hyper-intellectual hip-hop with rock-and-roll doctorates, and that's very much an accurate description. You've got the lyrical impact delivered with nimble lips and tongue, funk-infused guitar work that pulses out delicious grooving, percussive rhythms to put the sexy into dancing and intelligence behind the sound to step it up way beyond the ordinary.

Unique Take

When asked how music makes the band members feel, one replied This is a tough question. We're all committed to being career musicians, so I guess you could say it makes us feel normal. But the band is anything but normal. This isn't some run of the mill garage band turning out blasé hip-hop that tries to be cool with the grafting on of some random, mundane rock wanking. Oh, no, not at all. This band has got it down tight! The answer to the question shows just how immersed in music these guys are which tells you right off why they're so good.

Live

As super as this band may be in the studio, there's nothing like the real, live thing. We enjoy performing and have a terrific stage presence and vibe that really gets people interested in us. This may sound self-confident ... but so what? IF it's true, it's true, and, brother, it's most definitely true. Confidence is another factor required for anything hip-hop related to work properly, and these guys have confidence. But it never crosses over into self-parody or arrogance. And, besides, with such a vibrant stage personality and incredible songwriting chops, the rest is just ephemera.

Music for Music Lovers

We strive to make music for people who appreciate music. Nothing dumbed down, nothing cheap or gimmicky. We're very serious about the quality of the music that we put out, even if we're ultimately writing a party song. Again, we're obviously not dealing with some dudes who just want to sound cool and show off. Thoughtfulness and a striving for quality amp up the music of The Indefinite Article. Definitely.

Something Not Out There

Despite roots in traditional musical styles, the members of The Indefinite Article are trying to present something new and different. Correction. They ARE presenting something new and different. By seamlessly cobbling together old parts, a shiny new creation has emerged. Although all members have a basic grounding in hip-hop and rock, what motivates us is the type of music that's not out there. We think it's possible to make a pop song that's intelligent and thoughtful. We also think it's possible to take a song that wouldn't normally be considered a pop hit and make it work. Big goal, but goal achieved beyond a shadow of a doubt. A huge factor in the band's success is the disparate musical backgrounds of the various members. But it all comes together.

Top Floor

A lot of bands want to move up, but only a few get to the penthouse. Please hand the key to The Indefinite Article and send the bags up. A group that finishes second out of more than 350 bands in Boston's Emerganza Festival obviously has a lot going for it. With touring forthcoming and recording on the way, your chance to get OD'd on this band is right around the corner. Assisting with pushing the buttons on the elevator of success is A&R Select, the top independent A&R firm in Hollywood, CA.

Review

With its delicately balanced but full-tilt expressway driving (in the musical sense, of course) and deft fusion of musical styles, The Indefinite Article has done the near-impossible it has created new and interesting music. - A&R Select