|
ARTIST: Blue Scholars
|
SONG: Loyalty
|
After releasing a new album and digital EP in 2007, Blue Scholars — emcee Geologic and DJ and producer Sabzi — is excited to come back, Geologic said. And don’t be surprised if the two bring a few guests to the stage with them, as the duo have been collaborating with local hip-hop artists more and more. But Geologic refused to name the performers, adding some mystery to the upcoming shows at Western.
Since last year’s performance at Western, Blue Scholars has been experimenting with new techniques, and its live shows have evolved. Sabzi now creates the beats digitally instead of using vinyl and CDs during the live performances, allowing for more improvisation and altering of the live set to adapt to the vibe of the crowd, Geologic said.
Blue Scholars’ latest release, “Joe Metro EP,” was out in November 2007. The digital EP, available only by download through iTunes and the band’s MySpace page, is an extension of the June 2007 album “Bayani,” Geologic said, containing songs the two worked on after the release that show the direction the Blue Scholars’ music is headed.
“We’ve got a little more polished, more versatile sound,” Geologic said. “Sabzi is coming with an even wider range of emotion and tempo with his beats, and that will reflect with my lines. We’re just getting started mastering our craft.”
The full-length release “Bayani” was recorded in just a week, bringing a consistent sound to the album.
“There is a vibe from track 1 to 15, which I think we couldn’t have captured if we had worked on the album over a long period of time or at different places,” Geologic said. “It really captured a moment with me and Sabzi’s creative process. It’s very thematic, very rooted in storytelling — my story as well as the community story. It’s a very conceptual album.”
Blue Scholars organized a five-night hip-hop festival, The Program, in Seattle last December. The pair headlined all five shows at Neumos and brought in various local hip-hop artists to perform with them. The project was wildly successful, with all five shows selling out. Geologic said he hopes The Program will become an annual festival, getting bigger and better every year.
Geologic said he had just heard of the Nightlight Lounge’s impending closure and was saddened by the news, since the Nightlight is one of the major venues in Bellingham. But he said it sounded to him just like Seattle circa 2001 and 2002, when he saw the set of music venues there fluxuating, and he said he hopes Bellingham can bounce back.
Blue Scholars is headed out on tour around the country, beginning at Western and hitting many other colleges along the way, and opening for Hieroglyphics for a handful of shows. In addition to touring, the Blue Scholars are working on a new digital EP, “Butter and Guns,” anchored by their track “Loyalty” and scheduled to be released in the spring. The new EP is conceptually similar to “Joe Metro,” showing tracks the two are working on between full-length albums.
Check out the duo at www.bluescholars.com and www.myspace.com/bluescholars. Tickets for the Saturday show, 8 p.m. at the Viking Union Multipurpose Room, are $14 for students and $18 general, available at the campus box office in the WWU Performing Arts Center, by phone at 650-6146 and online at www.tickets.wwu.edu.
