If you go to the Capitol Hill Block Party this weekend and miss Theoretics, you should be ashamed of yourself. A seven piece group from Seattle that has labeled themselves an “alternative hip hop” band, Theoretics combines MC’s with a live band to create a sound that is silky smooth and unmistakably unique. The issue I have with most hip-hop/rap artists today is that they are seldom memorable live, as their music is usually produced first with a computer and on a mixing board. Leave it to a group from Seattle to shatter this mold, using drums, keyboard, and guitar to provide a base for the two MC’s to rap over. Mix this with some jazz saxophone and a badass upright double bass and you have a funky, fresh new sound that will make anyone move. It’s the type of music that you know has been practiced for countless hours and hammered to perfection, made by serious musicians with a passion for what they do.
Their 2012 EP Plenty of Anything features soulful lyrics filled with messages of cooperation and empathy, carefully arranged over orchestral funk beats. I think most hip-hop artists today could learn a thing or two about rapping, not to mention lyricism, from the performances by vocalists Mark Hoy and Chimaroke Abuachi, as their lines are carefully thought out and well executed. People might not be talking about Theoretics yet, but if they keep putting out creative and relevant material, Theoretics has the potential for mainstream success. That can be either good or bad depending on how you look at it, so if you want to be able to say you say Theoretics before they got big, I highly recommend making time to see them on Sunday.
