“It took us some time to figure out what we sound like.”
Joe Lessard is ruminating on a common challenge for musicians. At some point in their maturation, most bands find themselves trying to reconcile their influences — the artists who inspired them to be what they are — and their own unique identities to determine what they truly want to be. It can be a painful process for even the most ordinary rock four-piece.
But for Boulder’s , the challenge is even greater. Combining hard-hitting rap with classical strings without stumbling into gimmicks or clichés is no mean feat, but it’s one that the innovative trio manages handily on its latest record, “No Object.” With classically trained musicianship, pounding beats and firm lyrical flow, Whiskey Blanket turns in one of Colorado’s most unique hip-hop records of 2010.
The third album in Whiskey Blanket’s discography, “No Object” showcases an ensemble at the top of its game. Though the three members — pianist/emcee/turntablist/producer Steakhouse (a.k.a. Steven Pampel), beatboxer/cellist/emcee Funny Biz (a.k.a. Jordan Polovina) and violinist/emcee Sloppy Joe (that’s Lessard’s nom-de-mike) — have played together since 2003, the production of “No Object” gave them a chance to really examine the kind of band they want to be.
“We want to emphasize the point that we have instruments, but we don’t want to lean on that,” explains Lessard. “We started out as emcees, so we want to be strong in that too. The strings should just become part of the texture of what we do.”
The live sound of “No Object” — realized in Pampel’s Louisville home studio — certainly accomplishes that. Its rich melodies, inventive instrumentation and soulful vocals have the rich organic sound of mahogany floorboards stained with cigar smoke. And if that doesn’t sound like a hip-hop record, there are also body-moving beats, thumping bass lines, clever lyrics and some of most nimble beatboxing you’ll ever hear.
Whiskey Blanket’s most remarkable accomplishment on “No Object,” however, is staying out of its own way, and creating a consistently strong, accessible and engaging hip-hop record. From beginning to end, the melodies are strong, the flow is expert and the beats are infectious.
Other than a couple of lovely instrumental tracks, there are very few points in the record where you’ll even notice that there are strings attached. The violin and cello are woven into the fabric just as they should be. The addition of uplifting Latin trumpets on some tracks or singing from ‘s Bonnie Paine (who also contributed washboard and bowed saw) on others don’t seem like window-dressing or typical hip-hop cameo-stacking, but only serves to beef up an already-impressive and cohesive sound.
For Lessard — who also plays with progressive bluegrass outfit — creating a rich, organic and acoustic sound in a hip-hop context was one of the goals in recording “No Object.”
“I’ve formed a lot of relationships with really awesome musicians in the acoustic sphere,” he says, “and it was my mission to involve the people who would fit.”
The unique sound of Whiskey Blanket began with Pampel’s early turntable experiments. “When he was 15 and started working on stuff that would later become Whiskey Blanket,” recounts Lessard, “a lot of the records he had sitting around were classical records and things he was studying.” Since Lessard and Polovina had grown up studying classical music, it only made sense to marry that background with their love for underground hip-hop.
Perhaps even more than the combination of classical instrumentation and hip-hop, however, the feature that most distinguishes Whiskey Blanket might be the introduction of folk and Americana sounds into the genre. After all, is there anything more Colorado-sounding than hip-hop meeting bluegrass and getting down?
“Denver has the traditional five elements of hip-hop covered incredibly well,” exclaims Lessard. “To a certain extent, Whiskey Blanket appeals to that demographic – Steven’s beats are real punchy and the drums are heavy — but I think we find ourselves getting fans from the acoustic music world because we’re pulling musicians and sounds from that world.”
Whiskey Blanket will pull several musicians tomorrow night for the “No Object” release party at the Fox Theatre in Boulder. With members of adding saxophone, drums, bass, guitar and keyboards to the trio’s usual instrumentation, the sound will be even beefier and more organic, fully fleshing out the hybrid, hard-to-categorize sound that Whiskey Blanket has become.
“The less we can be perceived as a hip-hop group,” laughs Lessard, “the better for us.”
Whiskey Blanket and will both release CDs tomorrow night at the in Boulder, with and warming things up. Tickets are $10 today and $12 tomorrow, and there’s an additional $2 charge for those too young to buy booze. Doors are at 8:30 and the show starts at 9.
Eryc Eyl is a veteran music journalist, critic and Colorado native who has been neck-deep in local music for many years. Check out every Monday for local music you can HEAR, and the every Friday. Against his mother’s advice, Eryc has also been known to . You can also follow Sorry, Mom.
