Wax
George Watsky
Sun, December 4, 2011
8:00 pm
Troubadour$0.00
Tickets
This event is all ages
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Wax - (Set time: 10:00 PM)
In the world of Hip‐Hop, the word “wax” has multiple meanings – all of which pertain to the true roots of the culture. “Wax” as a verb means to speak enthusiastically, as many lyricists do in their rhymes. “Wax” as a noun is a euphemism for vinyl, the original means that Hip‐Hop music was delivered upon. Now, Hip‐Hop can add a new meaning to the word “Wax”: an emcee who maintains the essence of Hip‐Hop, while pushing it forward.
Wax began his love affair with music at a very early age, thanks to three little letters: MTV. “My dad was kind of a couch potato, so we were the first people in the neighborhood to get cable,” the Dunkirk, Maryland native recalls. “I had MTV from a really early age.” Raised on a healthy diet of Guns N Roses, Def Leppard, and NWA, it wasn’t long before Wax wanted to make music of his own.
At ten years old, he received a guitar for his birthday and learned to play, pairing his strumming with rhymes. That eventually led to Wax starting a band called MacGregor (“Like the cheap sporting equipment”), touring the country and making records in the hopes of getting signed. “We didn’t really know what we were doing though,” he says.
Once MacGregor broke up, Wax held a bunch of odd jobs: mortgage sales, pizza delivery, courier, hotel services, and the list goes on. While simultaneously perfecting his craft, Wax saw music as a part‐time venture, not knowing what the future held…in California.
Once Wax made the pilgrimage to California, things started happening, both bad and good. For one, he moved to San Diego for his then girlfriend. As soon as they reached the West Coast the relationship fell apart, leaving Wax depressed and unmotivated. Wax spent the next year in an alcohol‐induced stupor, working construction by day and blowing his paycheck on liquor by night. “I was living in a garage and it just didn’t feel right,” Wax recalls. “I knew that I could do better than this.” While Wax maintained his writing and recording of music throughout, he began to take it more seriously, and LA was the place to start. He and his twin brother, Herbal T, began making videos of rhymes, skits, and everything in between. They posted the vids on YouTube, which in turn led to millions of views. In addition, VIBE.com held a video contest, where Wax’s video was a finalist, giving him heightened exposure. Through word of mouth, Wax’s buzz began organically, and the music industry began to take notice. The rest, as they say, is history.
Honing his craft for years, Wax’s sound is an amalgam of various influences. Simply put, he describes his sound as a mix of “Johnny Cash and Jay‐Z”. Ambitious artists to align himself with, but listening to his music, the word “authentic” comes to mind. “I think the reason why my sound comes off as so authentic and organic is because I’ve been doing it for so long,” he explains. “ I’ve been in a band, I’ve been on tour performing for live crowds, and I have a twin brother who I grew up making music with…we influenced each other.” Of course, people who listen with their eyes will place Wax with career white rappers. “People say Sublime, people say Eminem, people say Beastie Boys. Any white rapper they say I sound like,” Wax comments, but he doesn’t take that negatively. “I don’t care about the stigma about white rappers because I don’t give a fuck what people say about me,” he continues. “That stuff just doesn’t bother me. Everybody has to reference something they already know.”
Wax is currently in the process of working on his debut album, but to tide fans over has the Scrublife mixtape; “scrublife” being a term he holds near and dear to his heart. “Scrublife is the representation of a lifestyle, and if y’all were here right now, I wouldn’t even have to say shit,” Wax jokes. “In my kitchen right now, there’s eggs all over my floor, it’s horrific in here. That’s kind of like the representation of what Scrublife is. Living dirty, living broke, and not caring. It’s the opposite of excess.”
“Scrublife” has since evolved into Wax’s record label name, a joint venture with Def Jam. The Scrublife mixtape will include new songs as well as old songs, and will serve as a precursor to Wax’s formal debut. As Wax continues his journey to fame, with a fan base constantly swelling (he’s already had fans show up on his doorstep), he maintains his Scrublife mantra while reinventing the wheel of Hip‐Hop. “Picture a rapper with a gold chain and a car…I’m the exact opposite of that,” he says. “Beer bottles all over the place, and a smile on your face.”
Wax began his love affair with music at a very early age, thanks to three little letters: MTV. “My dad was kind of a couch potato, so we were the first people in the neighborhood to get cable,” the Dunkirk, Maryland native recalls. “I had MTV from a really early age.” Raised on a healthy diet of Guns N Roses, Def Leppard, and NWA, it wasn’t long before Wax wanted to make music of his own.
At ten years old, he received a guitar for his birthday and learned to play, pairing his strumming with rhymes. That eventually led to Wax starting a band called MacGregor (“Like the cheap sporting equipment”), touring the country and making records in the hopes of getting signed. “We didn’t really know what we were doing though,” he says.
Once MacGregor broke up, Wax held a bunch of odd jobs: mortgage sales, pizza delivery, courier, hotel services, and the list goes on. While simultaneously perfecting his craft, Wax saw music as a part‐time venture, not knowing what the future held…in California.
Once Wax made the pilgrimage to California, things started happening, both bad and good. For one, he moved to San Diego for his then girlfriend. As soon as they reached the West Coast the relationship fell apart, leaving Wax depressed and unmotivated. Wax spent the next year in an alcohol‐induced stupor, working construction by day and blowing his paycheck on liquor by night. “I was living in a garage and it just didn’t feel right,” Wax recalls. “I knew that I could do better than this.” While Wax maintained his writing and recording of music throughout, he began to take it more seriously, and LA was the place to start. He and his twin brother, Herbal T, began making videos of rhymes, skits, and everything in between. They posted the vids on YouTube, which in turn led to millions of views. In addition, VIBE.com held a video contest, where Wax’s video was a finalist, giving him heightened exposure. Through word of mouth, Wax’s buzz began organically, and the music industry began to take notice. The rest, as they say, is history.
Honing his craft for years, Wax’s sound is an amalgam of various influences. Simply put, he describes his sound as a mix of “Johnny Cash and Jay‐Z”. Ambitious artists to align himself with, but listening to his music, the word “authentic” comes to mind. “I think the reason why my sound comes off as so authentic and organic is because I’ve been doing it for so long,” he explains. “ I’ve been in a band, I’ve been on tour performing for live crowds, and I have a twin brother who I grew up making music with…we influenced each other.” Of course, people who listen with their eyes will place Wax with career white rappers. “People say Sublime, people say Eminem, people say Beastie Boys. Any white rapper they say I sound like,” Wax comments, but he doesn’t take that negatively. “I don’t care about the stigma about white rappers because I don’t give a fuck what people say about me,” he continues. “That stuff just doesn’t bother me. Everybody has to reference something they already know.”
Wax is currently in the process of working on his debut album, but to tide fans over has the Scrublife mixtape; “scrublife” being a term he holds near and dear to his heart. “Scrublife is the representation of a lifestyle, and if y’all were here right now, I wouldn’t even have to say shit,” Wax jokes. “In my kitchen right now, there’s eggs all over my floor, it’s horrific in here. That’s kind of like the representation of what Scrublife is. Living dirty, living broke, and not caring. It’s the opposite of excess.”
“Scrublife” has since evolved into Wax’s record label name, a joint venture with Def Jam. The Scrublife mixtape will include new songs as well as old songs, and will serve as a precursor to Wax’s formal debut. As Wax continues his journey to fame, with a fan base constantly swelling (he’s already had fans show up on his doorstep), he maintains his Scrublife mantra while reinventing the wheel of Hip‐Hop. “Picture a rapper with a gold chain and a car…I’m the exact opposite of that,” he says. “Beer bottles all over the place, and a smile on your face.”
George Watsky - (Set time: 9:00 PM)
George Watsky is a writer and performer who believes in the equal power of the tear and the belly laugh. Born and raised in San Francisco and now based in Los Angeles, he aims to cross-pollinate the stage, screen and stereo with work that speaks to both the humor and frustrations of modern life.
George was featured on Season 6 of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO. He was the 2006 Youth Speaks Grand Slam Poetry Champion, 2006 Brave New Voices International Poetry Slam Champion, and performed in a record six consecutive Youth Speaks Grand Slam Finals. The last three of those audiences, all topping out at over 3,000, were the largest ever for poetry slams anywhere in the world. In 2009 Watsky was one of three poets who performed live on FOX at the NAACP Image Awards in honor of Russell Simmons’ lifetime achievement award, and in 2011 he performed live as a guest on the Ellen Degeneres Show on two separate occasions.
George has made strides to bring his poetic sensibilities to the theater world. His one-man show So Many Levels has been presented in Boston, San Francisco, Vermont, and at the Hip Hop Theater Festival Critical Breaks series in New York City. He has also been featured at the San Francisco and Washington, DC arms of the Hip Hop Theater Festival. He played the title character and co-wrote a 2004 adaptation of Dante’s Divine Comedy for the Living Word Festival and his stage play Harold’s Fall or King Will is the recipient of the 2009 Rod Parker Playwriting Fellowship.
Taking it to the page and stereo, George’s debut poetry collection and CD, Undisputed Backtalk Champion, was published by First Word Press in 2006. Edited by novelist Adam Mansbach, the book is currently in its fourth printing. As an emcee, Watsky has performed on both coasts with his band Invisible Inc. The trio’s self titled album, a blend of jazz and hip hop, features R&B sensation Passion. George’s self-released debut, Watsky, reached as high as #7 on the iTunes Hip Hop albums chart.
An honorary graduate of the Centre for Sustainability Leadership in Melbourne, George has emerged as part of a vanguard of artists involved in the sustainability movement. The inaugural Speak Green winner for poetry on climate change, Watsky was twice invited by Robert Redford to perform in Sundance, Utah. He served as host of Green Mic in San Jose, California and of the culminating concert of Powershift 2007 in Washington DC, and performed at Rock the Debate in Oxford, Mississippi, prior to 2008′s first Presidental debate. His work has brought him to the opening plenary of Green Cities 2008 in Sydney, Australia, and Greenbuild Chicago, where he took the stage immediately before President Bill Clinton.
Touring while finishing his college education on a condensed schedule, George has performed at conferences and universities in more than half the states in the US, and two in Australia, appearing at some of the nation’s most notable venues, including the Apollo Theater, the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, the San Francisco Opera House and the Shrine Auditorium. He has shared billing with, among others, Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt and Mohammed Ali.
George graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in “Writing and Acting for the Screen and Stage,” studying with Keith Johnstone, Ken Cheeseman, Robbie McCauley, Sarah Hickler, Amelia Broome and Andrew Clarke.
George was featured on Season 6 of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO. He was the 2006 Youth Speaks Grand Slam Poetry Champion, 2006 Brave New Voices International Poetry Slam Champion, and performed in a record six consecutive Youth Speaks Grand Slam Finals. The last three of those audiences, all topping out at over 3,000, were the largest ever for poetry slams anywhere in the world. In 2009 Watsky was one of three poets who performed live on FOX at the NAACP Image Awards in honor of Russell Simmons’ lifetime achievement award, and in 2011 he performed live as a guest on the Ellen Degeneres Show on two separate occasions.
George has made strides to bring his poetic sensibilities to the theater world. His one-man show So Many Levels has been presented in Boston, San Francisco, Vermont, and at the Hip Hop Theater Festival Critical Breaks series in New York City. He has also been featured at the San Francisco and Washington, DC arms of the Hip Hop Theater Festival. He played the title character and co-wrote a 2004 adaptation of Dante’s Divine Comedy for the Living Word Festival and his stage play Harold’s Fall or King Will is the recipient of the 2009 Rod Parker Playwriting Fellowship.
Taking it to the page and stereo, George’s debut poetry collection and CD, Undisputed Backtalk Champion, was published by First Word Press in 2006. Edited by novelist Adam Mansbach, the book is currently in its fourth printing. As an emcee, Watsky has performed on both coasts with his band Invisible Inc. The trio’s self titled album, a blend of jazz and hip hop, features R&B sensation Passion. George’s self-released debut, Watsky, reached as high as #7 on the iTunes Hip Hop albums chart.
An honorary graduate of the Centre for Sustainability Leadership in Melbourne, George has emerged as part of a vanguard of artists involved in the sustainability movement. The inaugural Speak Green winner for poetry on climate change, Watsky was twice invited by Robert Redford to perform in Sundance, Utah. He served as host of Green Mic in San Jose, California and of the culminating concert of Powershift 2007 in Washington DC, and performed at Rock the Debate in Oxford, Mississippi, prior to 2008′s first Presidental debate. His work has brought him to the opening plenary of Green Cities 2008 in Sydney, Australia, and Greenbuild Chicago, where he took the stage immediately before President Bill Clinton.
Touring while finishing his college education on a condensed schedule, George has performed at conferences and universities in more than half the states in the US, and two in Australia, appearing at some of the nation’s most notable venues, including the Apollo Theater, the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, the San Francisco Opera House and the Shrine Auditorium. He has shared billing with, among others, Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt and Mohammed Ali.
George graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in “Writing and Acting for the Screen and Stage,” studying with Keith Johnstone, Ken Cheeseman, Robbie McCauley, Sarah Hickler, Amelia Broome and Andrew Clarke.
All lineups and times subject to change