PREVIEW
UPSHOT CD RELEASE PARTY
with MC Blackrose, DJ Sahara and Cosmic Juice
Friday, March 30
The Night Gallery
The party that Upshot have planned for the release of their new CD, Axiomatic, rivals any of the teenage parties that any of us ever planned upon the sight of our parents' taillights fading into a long weekend. It's the comeback party for a funked-up debutante who has been primping and getting ready to step back into the spotlight for quite some time.
"We've been laying low for quite a while because we haven't had the CD ready," says 29 year-old drummer Corey "Jimmy Moto" Matsumoto of their notable absence.
"And now it's just time to spring it upon Calgary," says Corey. "It's good to be low profile after a change, just to get things sorted out and take the time to get the new recording perfected."
The change that Corey is talking about is the dramatic shift that Upshot underwent upon the departure of their former lead singer, a rapper with an intense political furor. While they used to lean to the rap side, they now embrace the funk and groove and have found that the sound fits the band much more comfortably.
"That's what Axiomatic is all about – bringing Calgary our new sound. Showing ’em that we are still definitely on top of things, and we have changed for the better as far as our sound being a very positive vibe. The first single, "Radiate," expresses that. There's a lot of negativity out there still. We don't want to dwell on that.... We're just happy to express the positive vibes."
On Axiomatic, Upshot reveal what they've been keeping under wraps for the past two years with three songs and one full-out jam. And while it sounds like a sparkin' up soundtrack for the hacky-sackin', patchouli-drenched, dreadlocked bunch, Upshot prove themselves to be engaging, party-time musicians who are going to find wide appeal through the EP. Claiming to be too heavy to be funky and too funky to be heavy, their love of Jimi Hendrix, Bootsy Collins and Funkadelic shines through.
Joining Upshot during their CD release party will be MC Black Rose with DJs Sahara and Fat Pat, who will be spinning funk, jungle and hip-hop beats. Also on the roster is the groove-oriented hip-hop and funk band, Cosmic Juice, featuring Michael Goyette (ex-guitarist of Artificial Joy Club).
To add to the festivities, someone will be on stilts to walk through the crowd and give away CDs, T-shirts and stickers all night.
With plans to take their party to Western Canada and the nearby western states throughout the spring, Upshot are also looking for extra horn players to join the fun. See www.upshot.ca for contact info. |
