saltlakemusic
Rotten Musicians · Feb 9, 01:48 PM
Where were you on the night of February 4th 2006? You stole my CD binder w/50 or so CDs from that house party in the avenues, and I want them back. Inside that case was my newest CD, Make a Face by local artists Rotten Musicians. There’s only 12 people it could’ve been, 3 of which are females, so with the assistance of Shawn who knows everyone at that party, it’s Columbo time. Bring back what is mine, or pay the consequences (by consequences of course I mean kicking your bastardly ass).
Speaking of bastards, Mark Dago knows full-well how to play the rap game: have fun, work hard, protect your investment and never fake. He also knows how to keep it moving, simultaneously protecting his wad. We all had huge hopes for The Numbs, Dago’s first project, which thrived between ‘95 and 2003, despite promising show turnouts, a so-so record deal with Guapo Records, and the overall sickness which IS The Numbs, faded away. Nothing came of it besides a small tatoo shop in Provo, some EPs and an LP. See, The Numbs was a hip-hop group, something of a spectacle in Utah, consisting of three MCs and two DJ’s: Shanty and Rick One (although brilliant producers like Fisch and BriskOne may have contributed a great deal to the sick album sounds). As if being a stranger in a strange land wasn’t enough, The Numbs added being tight and awesome to their list of problems to overcome. Thats a bad combination, nobody likes to take a rap group seriously in these here parts (spits out a juicy wad of Klondike).
So for years we waited, and waited. Until one day the lingering talent of Shanty and Madman alloyed with the likes of Scarecrow (aka Fisch)and Mike Danner to form an actual band: Rotten Musicians...or something. There are good and bad things to be said about this group, but you’ll only hear good things from me. SLUG’s Rebecca Vernon says “Rotten Musicians = The Numbs + more melodicism” SLCWeekly’s Randy Harward says “In Numbs, Madman took part in one of the most consistently hailedâ€â€?and enduringâ€â€?hip-hop acts in the state.” See a trend happening? This momentum created by the Numbs may just come back to haunt Dago someday, then again it may be the best thing that could happen to the Rotten Musicians. Its hard to be a has-been, even harder to be a might’ve-been-but-never-was-even-after-a-couple-tries, I dunno.
But lets stick to what we do know: Make a Face’s sound is fucking tight, despite Vernon’s claim that “Like most local hip-hop creations, Rotten Musicians could benefit from better production”. Sure we can here the hum of the amplifier, its a fucking EP for christs sake; not to mention the copy given to SLUG was not intended as a final draft. Nono Becky, this CD is pro quality, rest assured. So what are we comparing it to? Oh, not the Numbs, ugh. This is something completely new and widely digestable, not to be compared to the clever but diminished hip hop “massive clique” from years past. The technology has changed, along with the style and sound, Shanty does an excellent job of keeping the feel updated to the 80’s which is what we like in 2006. As the technology gets better, production and promotion gets cheaper and higher caliber. Dago says “if you’re smart you’ll cover it up” and its actually a pretty smart thing to say if you grew up in West Valley. But like the promotional success of The Numbs, mostly attributed to clever “internet word of mouth,” Rotten Musicians still really only exists thus far in cyberspace (technically only in myspace).
Since their conception in April of 2005, having only done a couple shows, its hard to know if Rotten Musicians is a Numbs olio act or the real deal Holyfield. So maybe these comparisons are really just a writer’s safety cushion, but I highly doubt that RM is just another fad. The band’s b-superstar lineup and connections aside; the music, which Dago appropriately labels “Sissy Rap” is beyond comparison. The shows are likely to increase, since dork is currently fashionable, but that all depends on you people.
Normally we don’t proactively promote individual shows here on the slcmusic site, because what the hell kind of news is that? “A good band playing at a club? Oh my goodness goddamn!” Yeah, but this is different. This is a chance to see Dago and his new crew, Rotten Musicians live and in concert, making real, beehive Utah history…or something.
Rotten Musicians April, 15 2006 at Kilby Court 741 South Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Cost: TBA
While you’re there, dont forget to pick up a copy of Rotten Musicians’ EP:
only 8 bucks.
* * *