Here we are, 4 days into 2017, and I’m pretty sure we have a strong contender for video of the year. SIP SIP got together with my homeboy Click-Clack for a highly entertaining song titled Rippin in the Kitchen, and this video is like a truncated version of an 80s movie in all of the best ways possible. To describe this video is to do it a disservice. This is must watch material. Hoping we see more and more quality work from all parties involved in this.
-chief
Houston-based ‘thrashgrass’ outfit Days N Daze are coming up on nearly 10 years of creative output, and the have the catalog of songs and music videos to prove it. Their latest offering to their canon is the extremely entertaining and well executed music video for Damaged Goods. The split screen aesthetic is certainly not uncharted territory, but these guys use is it extremely well for this song, and the result is a pleasant video that will leave you humming the song to yourself long after you’ve watched it.
-chief
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice (me) presents Welcome To Your Doom, episode 003. This time, the focus is on short films, and is meant to show you that there is a wealth of entertainment on YouTube you may or may not be aware of that is highly innovative, exploratory and original. This round of short films features the work of Jeffrey Garcia, Natalia Rocafuerte, Nicolas Luna and Nik Crawford. It’s rated PG-13 or so, and depending on where you work, it may be NSFW. Regardless, when you’ve got half an hour to set aside, enjoy! New episode coming, hopefully sooner than later…
-chief
2017 is already showing promise on the local music front. I have a nice backlog of material to share in the upcoming opening days of this new year. I figured there was no better way to kick off a new year than with a banger from the factory at Ruler Why Recordings. This is a track from Lords Of Ale entitled Outlaw Canyon, and if it’s any indication of what’s to come from Laguer Lounge then it’s clear we have some solid material to expect. As always, support, share and keep your eyes and ears open for more from this camp.
-chief
The awesome guys and gals at OVRLD.com have always been wonderful and supportive people, and they have gone out of their way on numerous occasions to shine alight on the work of Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice. Earlier this month, however, Morgan gave me a compliment he may or may not have even realized he was giving me by inviting me to take part in OVRLD‘s spin on the end of year list, Our Austin Music Friends Picks For Best of 2016. While explicitly stating these were the music friends, one thing that the guys at the OVRLD blog have always hammered in to me is that they love my blog over here, and Morgan never lets me forget that I have built up quite a bit of blogging clout I may not even realize I have.
Cut to yesterday, when the article drops. There I am, top placement on the list, setting the tone for the entire article. Then I began to notice other folks reaffirming choices I made on my list, almost automatically. Then the props for the Butcher Bear and BoomBaptist collaboration video I did started rolling in. THEN the thank you’s begin to roll in via social media for the local choices I made. Yesterday was truly a gratifying day, and I owe it all to Morgan and the folks at OVRLD for finally allowing me to see what’s been in front of me the entire time.
-chief
In a world that seems to have a pattern of becoming smitten with excess (in all forms, be it material or symbolic), it’s nice to see that there are artists who approach their expression with a bare bones aesthetic. Artists like Tasi seem to approach the rhymes with a wisdom beyond their years, and the delivery of each line has an implied goal of permanent impression upon the memory. Cleanse is a meditation on focus and mastery, and with a little help from Brown v. Board (one of the doper rap names I’ve seen in a minute), this video gives you proper guidance for ascension. Definitely worth your time, your likes and your shares.
-chief
Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight, Underground Me Now
Tagged brown v. board, chief, cleanse, tasi, the doomsday device
Perseph One is having a killer December. Sip is the second video off of the recent Freecember release from Fake Four records, Machine Mammal EP. The clip finds her meditating in a trainyard, letting the Stephen Farris instrumental serve as the perfect roadmap for her lyrical explorations. I am excited to see what the future holds for Perseph One and Fake Four.
-chief
It should’ve been automatic to assume that eraserfase has dope taste in music, seeing as the dude has infinite talent in creating music. His Bottomless Crates Podcast finds journey number two taking us through a plethora of funky and jazzy sounds from all over the globe. This is the kind of music that shaves hours off of your day. Great work from a great dude.
-chief
Posted in General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight
Tagged bottomless crates podcast #2, chief, eraserfase, mixcloud, the doomsday device
Not only has Fake Four laced us with some solid releases thus far this Freecember, they also put in the groundwork in the 4th quarter of 2016 to get us excited for the upcoming year. One of the first releases from the label in 2017 will be Zavala‘s new album Fantasmas, and if Roosevelt & Letting Go is an indication of the work to come, then get ready for more high quality instrumental artisanship from one of Chicago‘s finest. For now, enjoy a beautiful video for a beautiful song.
-chief
Posted in Audio-Visuals, General Information, ShuffleCast, Spotlight
Tagged chicago, chief, fake four, fantasmas, roosevelt & letting go, the doomsday device, zavala
What a wonderful December it’s been for my independent creative peers. This Christmas Eve finds the homies at Fake Four releasing Nada Tengo by Chisme (also the homies) for Freecember Week 3. Seeing REL and Progeny release their collective boom-bap magic on the same label that has signed Alligator Food and Perseph One brings me joy of the highest degree for the Texas independent hip-hop scene. Maybe one day, if I get my musical act together in an evolved status, I may see about joining the movement. It should go without saying, but make sure to cop this project, and take a moment to make sure your friends do the same.
-chief
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 