When I go to a show I make a point to catch the opening bands. I’ve always been baffled by the people who casually roll in the door ten minutes before the main act starts playing, especially at a general admission event where location is key. It’s like skipping breakfast! Openers are always excited to be on stage and that means you can count on a good show. I decided I should pay some respect by making a list of the five most life-changing opening acts I’ve personally seen live.
I bet you’re thinking, “Woah, Radiohead opened for Alanis Morissette?!?!” I myself had to double-check the tour history to make sure I wasn’t remembering something that didn’t happen. It’s the truth though. This was my first major concert event. I was in the fifth grade. Truth be told I HATED Radiohead, whom I’d never heard of before the show, and thought they were just a big mess of noise. I mean come on, I was in fifth grade and going to see Alanis Morissette. What did I know?
Time to study, huh? It is very likely that after you find a nice comfy chair, open up your books and your laptop, you will realize the kid 2 desks down is humming Greensleeves… really, really loud. Of course, that’s no good (no offense to Henry VIII)! We’re here to save the day with a great study playlist!
Eon MC Etc. is more than just a modern hip-hop artist with a conscience. He’s a poet whose lyrics are thought provoking, honest representations of what he believes; he wastes no time on filler and nonsense. This rapper is a breath of fresh air amidst a genre that often gets overshadowed by the lifestyle we’re led to believe it accompanies: bling, fast cars, and MTV Cribs. Eon makes it clear that what matters to him is truth and integrity, rejecting the notion that his skin color or music make him an ambassador of popular hip-hop culture.
Eon MC Etc.
“Give me my identity back… I don’t know s**t about Cadillacs, rims, or platinum teeth. Get outta my face with that.”
~Angry Black Man lyrics
OurStage recently interviewed Eon MC Etc. and, as expected, he gave us some great answers. For starters we wanted to know where he got his unique name. The story goes all the way back to his first rap group that he started with his cousin at age 5:
The folk legend, Pete Seeger is having a birthday party at Madison Square Garden. The fact that the environmentalist crusader and pioneer of protest music is turning a spry 90 is a big reason to celebrate on its own, but when the guest list includes, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Eddie Vedder, John Mellencamp, Ben Harper, Billy Bragg, Emmylou Harris to name just a few of the 50 plus artists scheduled to pay their respects on stage, it’s time to kick up your heels and grab a ticket.
The proceeds for what is being billed as a “Sing-along Celebration” will go towards Seeger’s Hudson River sloop, Clearwater, which aims to help “create the next generation of environmental leaders” through research, education and advocacy efforts to preserve and protect the Hudson River.
The event takes place May 3rd at Madison Square Garden in New York City: more info can be found at www.Seeger90.com.
Most bands wouldn’t be able to thrive in the rural countryside, but the 1090 Club didn’t take this as a setback. On the contrary, they capitalized on being a “big fish in a small pond” and found ways to promote themselves to fame despite their location. Groups in situations like this typically use online promotional tools and resources to put themselves on the map. Billings, MT (the band’s home town) is an “island” unto itself in the middle of the country. Bands from small town areas, like the 1090 Club, offer their own unique style and sound.
