review by Chet Gassett | photos by Shannon Claire
On April 24, one of the first truly hot days in Lincoln this year, I headed west on O Street, destination Knickerbockers. My mind was simultaneously torn between emotions of excitement and anxiety about the night yet to come, as my photography companion and I trotted along, chatting in the warm breeze.
You see, not only was I headed to my first show at Knickerbockers, but I was also prepping myself for my first live hip-hop experience. I'd only mildly been aware of either group for the past month or so, but after a few views on YouTube, I was completely stoked to see Lincoln's own AZP take the stage with New Orleans-born The Knux.
I've been going to shows for a decade now. In that time, I have discovered that there are a lot of passionate musicians out there, but there has always been the ever-elusive group where every member on stage just makes sense.
Those are the shows I live for. AZP is easily one of the best performances I've seen in years. From the moment Zach Watkins walked on stage to join his band mates until the finale rack of their set, there was hardly a lingering moment on stage.
The dynamic sound of AZP is created on the wave of talent from six clearly passionate musicians. At the front of the stage you can find Ishma Valenti, microphone in hand, bouncing in rhythm to the music with Zach Watkins, who supplies harmonic vocals, rhymes and keys.
On this particular stage, the duo of vocalist was closely surrounded by Chavez Morris on keys, James Shehan with electric guitar in hand, Jed Dunning providing a solid bass line and Trey Shotkoske laying down the ever-important back beat on a full drumset.
As I watched the band perform, there are a few qualities of AZP that are always great to see in any band. Despite only having completed the line-up over the past few months, they are extremely well-polished visibly and audibly.
Most everything from their set list flowed from the stage, leaving the audience members to be enveloped with smooth, uplifting rhymes backed by heavy-hitting alternative rock melodies. Nearly every song illicited cat calls and joyful noises from the crowd, who appeared to hold a lot of love for AZP.
After the show I had a chance to chat with Valenti and Watkins, who are both pleased with how the band has come together. Zach said this was only the third show Chavez played with them. Watkins relayed his elation by saying, "After Chavez joined us I knew we were done. Got it all packed, that is the band right there!"
Between sets DJ Benny Castro stepped on stage to spin for the crowd while The Knux prepared for the evening. Castro ran through a mix of popular hip-hop from the last decade and West Coast dubstep. Eventually Castro's solo time on stage came to an end, and he dropped the first track for The Knux.
Born and raised in New Orleans, The Knux is an alternative hip-hop duo made up of brothers Kentrell "Krispy" Lindsey and Alvin "Joey" Lindsey currently based out of Los Angeles. The two deliver rhymes around a sound that derives just as much influence from the likes of Hendrix and The Clash as New Wave.
Despite some sound tech issues interrupting the performance a few times, Krispy and Joey continued the night with favorites from their debut album Remind Me in 3 Days… and newer tracks from their sophomore album Eraser.
After the first few songs, it was clear to see they belong on stage together. Seamlessly blending vocal tracks with each other, backed by Castro running beats, and Joey taking up guitar on most of the songs, The Knux showed their Lincoln fans why they are so easy to fall in love with.
Chet Gassett is a Hear Nebraska contributor. Here is a sampling of more music he enjoys: The Mars Volta, Thelonious Monk, George Gershwin, Hank Williams Sr., Willie Nelson, Asleep at The Wheel and Jay-Z. Reach him at chetg@hearnebraska.org.