Whiskey Blanket
Boulder, Colorado, United States | SELF
Music
Press
"He's just his Daddy's Stencil so he'll probably hold a rifle before he holds a pencil", is part of the final lyric of opening track, "Night Waltz" by Whiskey Blanket. Their 16-track CD, "Credible Forces", is as musical a hip/hop album as we've heard as cello, strings, jazz guitar, and other organic instruments are combined with infectious beats to stir the listener into a musical bliss - while their words penetrate with stiletto mental accuracy. Their average tune here has four times as many words as an average song - and their rap communicates only socially-concscious opinion that ranges from the war, substance abuse, freedom, and the musical redemption of listening to jazz. Truly art is about pushing new combinations of the past with original directions - and Whiskey Blanket has certainly accomplished this - with professional mixing/mastering/production. The sonic beauty here is what separates the record apart from many we've heard - take track 3. "Wake and Stretch" has an instrumental introduction that is ambient and clean - hollow bodied electric introduces a chorused string section with reverb - when the rhythm enters, a violin patch plays a 3-note ascending melody and the whole thing grooves.
The band here knows the musical importance of what they're painting, so the rap doesn't come for over a minute. The message here is simple - live for now. 'wake and stretch and take a breath, when you reach the front door try to pace your steps, it's a new day time to erase regret, start living for the now cause there ain't much left, get out of bed, check your head, or you might be dead before the end'. The mastermind behind the record is producer/performer, Steakhouse. And track 4's message gives his mission in content, 'i'm trying to bring a message to all of my songs and if you don't hear that you're hearing it wrong, my spirit is strong'. Track 5, "Dark Secrets", has a psychotic and compelling industrial groove that is one of the more exciting on the record.
The rap/jazz/fusion mix, which is like a jazz frappe, continues on the title track, "Credible Forces", as the musical talent hits the forefront. Soprano sax and muted trumpets paint beautiful lines around the groove and words. Deep bass accentuates the movement towards the end of the tune. The settings remind us a bit of Nothing Like the Sun in how the sound bounces and blends. Track 13, "Immaculate Dungeon of Mainfested Solitude", is a nice rest-stop on the album as it's the performance of two, Sloppy Joe and Funny Biz the violinist and the beat-boxer. The final track, "Improper Paradise", relies on a smooth groove in this confessional that saves any 'parental advisory' words for the end. The tune is a good-bye from Steakhouse as he explains that his job in his paradise is to observe and communicate through his music. Lucky for us as he delivers an immaculate musical record chronicling his and our soiled world.
- Earbuzz
Whiskey Blanket, a talented, rambunctious rap trio for Boulder, continues where they left off on their debut album with their latest, Credible Forces. The guys still have a message in their music, with songs like the almost operatic "Night Waltz." However, this time, it's more about strait up hip hop and skills. On the title track, which features Sloppy Joe, the fiddle player deftly handles the microphone paying homage to his varied array of Jazz musician influences over an uber cool melody replete with horns and tight bass. "Wake And Stretch" begins with country finesse as bouncy fiddle pluckin' segues into laid back guitar action. And, they bring in old school elements on songs like "Dark Secrets" and Immaculate Dungeon Of Manifested Solitude," working in some nice turntablism on the former and pitting the fiddle against the beatbox in a deftly skilled display from Funny Biz and Sloppy Joe on the latter. What's great about these guys is that they're fun to listen to, plus you get your daily vitamins and minerals. As they say on "Necessity" featuring mc Essential Self: "We don't want to be another phony and weak crew, wack mc's who are short lived like a preview. We'd rather be true and develop our sound, take some time gettin' techniques and elements down." It's all about the music.
- Colorado Music Buzz
Discography
We have released 3 full length albums:
"It's Warmer Down Here" 2004.
"Credible Forces" 2007
"No Object" 2010
Photos
Bio
Whiskey Blanket, a multitalented trio of vocalists known to assume their respective duties on cello, violin, turntables, MPC and keyboard, is a Colorado-based alt-rap group made up of Steven “Steakhouse” Pampel (turntables, vocals, production), “Sloppy” Joe Lessard (violin, vocals), and Jordan “Funny Biz” Polovina (cello, vocals, beatbox). Incorporating jazz, classical, latin, folk, bluegrass and other worldly influences, their original brand of music stays rooted in the traditions of hip-hop while embracing the more melodic nature of other genres.
The group released their debut album, "It's Warmer Down Here" in the summer of 2004. Selling thousands of copies worldwide, it immediately established a loyal following anxious to hear more. Their rapidly spreading sophomore LP, "Credible Forces", was released in the summer of 2007 which was followed by the ground breaking release of "No Object" in 2010.
Whiskey Blanket has headlined multiple sold out shows at the legendary Fox Theater in Boulder Colorado, in addition to performing all around the U.S. with such artists as Coolio, Flava Flav, Living Legends, Pigeon John, Masta Ace, Old Dirty Bastard, DJ Mike Relm, The Pharcyde, and many, many others. Despite a rigorous touring schedule, the band members devote countless hours in the studio to perfecting their production and song writing abilities.
Young, passionate, and completely dedicated to the evolution of their skills, Whiskey Blanket is undoubtedly pioneering the unique hip-hop sound that the world is waiting to hear. With their seamless integration of lyricism, instrumentation, and turntablism, Whiskey Blanket is destined to make an impact on the world of music for years to come.
Learn more at www.whiskeyblanket.com
Links