Tuesday, September 18, 2007

As Bitter As We Wanna Be

This is sort of an unofficial biography of Oddjobs/Kill the Vultures that I was attempting to write from an outside perspective (in the third person, I believe). I wrote most of this in one sitting over a year ago and never finished it. Maybe posting this will inspire me to do so.

As Bitter As We Wanna Be
by Alexei Moon Casselle

Some time around the end of 2004 and the beginning of aught-five, saw the official change of name, location and roster of Twin Cities bastard-child hip-hop group “Oddjobs,” to the new and roughly refined “Kill the Vultures”. Names and cities, however, were the least important or interesting aspect of the changes. The sounds created from Kill the Vultures (Oddjobs minus one DJ) self titled debut in 2005 was anything but linear or predictable, yet somehow completely natural.
Oddjobs, a five-piece identity crisis with an emphasis on eclectic, jazzy, colorful beats by two-man production team DJ’s Deetalx and Anatomy featuring MC’s Advizer, Nomi and Crescent Moon, brought early comparisons to Beastie Boys mixed with De La Soul mixed with Minneapolis; certainly successful by local standards, but always in the “not quite Atmosphere” corner of the scene.
Born in Twin Cities’ high school talent shows, coffee house open-mics, and unadulterated house parties, the five hip-hop hopefuls were united as members of a larger twenty-odd person hip-hop crew CMI (Cases of Mistaken Identity), which released the cassette tape “Case Studies” in 1998. CMI capsized and split in several directions shortly after when too many passengers got on board, mostly just to party, but not before hustling 200 tapes out of backpacks, on street corners, hip-hop shows and graduation open-houses.
The Minnesotan underdogs regrouped and began building a small local following with a string of steadily improving live shows, and releasing completely self-sufficient albums with tip money, borrowing of parent’s cars and a network of friends with a variety of hook ups, skills and trades.
Oddjobs first CD, “Conflict and Compromise,” was a frenzy of mostly one-take longwinded teen-angsty lyrics about not trying to be teen angsty, and a slew of unintentionally funny, misplaced vocal samples over a free-for-all production orgy. The spoken word intro along with numerous six-minute songs dedicated to trash- talking, semi-clever wordplay and pretty much anything that sort of rhymed, was a hint that the group didn’t have much direction or discipline, but plenty of charisma, drive and creativity.
With a tireless do-it-yourself work ethic, and an undeniable effort to self-improve brought about several honorable mentions in local papers as well as steady support from independent radio station DJ’s.
Oddjobs, Heiruspecs, Unknown Prophets and Kanser (the latter of which were already South Minneapolis street legends and the first to record and produce an Oddjobs track) were among the most successful local non-Rhymesayers hip-hop bands in the Twin Cities.
Rhymesayers Entertainment, was the record label and crew by which local underground hip hop was measured, also formed from a larger collective called "Headshots," which boasted an all-star cast including but not limited to Beyond (Musab), Phull Surkle, Atmosphere, the Micranots, Native Ones, and the Abstract Pack. These were artists so wildly talented and diverse that they couldn't help but lay the foundation for up and coming MC's, DJ's and producers. Of course the graffitti and b-boy communities were cutting edge and ground-breaking in their own rights and completely interwoven into the same community, keeping true to the origin of hip hop culture. The soon-to-be Oddjobs members were just faces in the crowd of awed high-school students staying out late on school nights, crammed into coffee houses and makeshift venues, only to have their lives forever changed and their fates determined.

In 2000, DJ Deetalx (Devon Callahan) and Advizer (Adam Waytz) moved to New York City for scholarly conquest, and performed a few times in the Big Apple under the Oddjobs moniker, leaving the other three ‘Jobs to perform without their counterparts in Minneapolis, also as Oddjobs.
The second Oddjobs release entitled “Absorbing Playtime EP” was crafted via telephone, email and school break visits, one thousand miles apart. The tracks produced by Anatomy (Stephen Lewis) were formulated in a U of M dorm room he occupied with roommate Crescent Moon (Alexei Casselle), written mostly between classes and late night drug induced sessions.

Absorbing Playtime, self-released in 2000, received unanimous “rough around the edges but promising” -type praise and strengthened their position as a group to watch for. Nomi and Naimles MC of CMI’s Oddjobs’ counterpart WordSpeak made their debut on the disc’s last track “Fun.”
After moving from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Brooklyn, New York, the twenty-one year-old dreamers found themselves on independent rap label, “Third Earth,” with national distribution and on a roster along side underground heavyweights Jean Grae, Sub Conscious and the Juggaknots. Kimani Rogers, Third Earth co-founder and Master Minds MC met Adam Waytz through Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito’s radio show, of which Adam was an intern.
Their Third Earth debut, “Drums,” failed to sell as many units as they had aimed for, however, two singles from the LP landed on the CMJ (College Music Journal) top 20 chart (Blue Collar Holler #6, Dry Bones #7). The over-produced, over-cooked, and unfocused recordings came out swinging, but yielded mixed reviews and an obvious sense of disappointment among the group.
“Drums,” the ten thousand dollar, yearlong investment, was taught a valuable lesson by an album they would release several months later entitled “Funboy,” which didn’t take itself quite so seriously, and revealed the personalities and spontaneity of the quintet. Outselling Drums, Funboy, easily one of Oddjobs best records, cost a fraction of Drums to make and was written and recorded in about four days in their home studio.


“The Shopkeeper’s Wife EP,” promoted as the “moody” follow up to Drums, signaled a sober and angrier morning after to Drums’ party-all-night vibe. Released in 2002 after Drums and before Funboy, SKW sounded like a direct rebuttle to Drums, even including a rerecorded title track found on the previous album.
“I’m hypnotized, y’all keep switchin’ sides; twistin’ lies up/ you’re mystified; bet you’ve never seen your reflection in your victim’s eyes” certainly spoke a harsher truth then previous Oddjobs lyrics. “Tricked” is a comicly dark reinterpretation of Ghetto Boys’ “My Mind’s Playin’ Tricks On Me;” a refreshingly un-over conceptualized track dedicated to nothing more than nasty lyrics over an even nastier beat. The closing track “Transparent,” is Crescent Moon’s “fuck-off to dead-beat dads” anthem filled with personal heartaches but delivered with a crowdrocking, uplifting quality over a beat as simple, honest and raw as the song's message. With tracks nodding towards their Minnesotan roots, tasteful humor and passionate testaments, the critically acclaimed EP was the final release on Third Earth before the label went belly-up in 2004.

The group toured constantly between 2002 and '04, with the help of booking agent Mike Mori of the Agency Group (who liked the group’s work ethic as much as their sound), landing them gigs alongside hip-hop heroes Lyrics Born, DJ Shadow, Hieroglyphics, Snoop Dogg, Atmosphere and De La Soul. The quintet gained respect as hard-working underdogs from their peers and elders alike, and could often be seen at shows with the sharpie-scribbled sign: “Oddjobs needs a place to sleep tonight,” next to their t-shirts and CD’s, perfectly willing to crash on floors, couches and in their tour van like any seasoned indie rock group.
The band would soon embark on the three month tour opening in support of Atmosphere's "Seven's Travels" album, and it would be this experience that changed the musical direction of the five members that had been as close as brothers since highschool, and would eventually lead to the self-destruciton of Oddjobs in a cozy house in Berkeley, California.

To Be Continued...

37 comments:

R. A. Hardman said...

When does part 2 get released?

Anonymous said...

Hello !.
You re, I guess , probably very interested to know how one can make real money .
There is no initial capital needed You may commense to get income with as small sum of money as 20-100 dollars.

AimTrust is what you need
The firm incorporates an offshore structure with advanced asset management technologies in production and delivery of pipes for oil and gas.

It is based in Panama with offices everywhere: In USA, Canada, Cyprus.
Do you want to become really rich in short time?
That`s your choice That`s what you really need!

I`m happy and lucky, I started to take up real money with the help of this company,
and I invite you to do the same. It`s all about how to select a correct companion who uses your funds in a right way - that`s it!.
I earn US$2,000 per day, and what I started with was a funny sum of 500 bucks!
It`s easy to get involved , just click this link http://jywameso.freecities.com/ucydane.html
and go! Let`s take this option together to feel the smell of real money

Anonymous said...

do you know where i can buy the conflict and compromise cd? i know its uber rare but someone has to have it...

Anonymous said...

Good day !.
might , perhaps curious to know how one can reach 2000 per day of income .
There is no initial capital needed You may begin to get income with as small sum of money as 20-100 dollars.

AimTrust is what you haven`t ever dreamt of such a chance to become rich
The firm incorporates an offshore structure with advanced asset management technologies in production and delivery of pipes for oil and gas.

Its head office is in Panama with affiliates around the world.
Do you want to become a happy investor?
That`s your choice That`s what you wish in the long run!

I`m happy and lucky, I began to get income with the help of this company,
and I invite you to do the same. It`s all about how to select a correct companion utilizes your money in a right way - that`s the AimTrust!.
I make 2G daily, and what I started with was a funny sum of 500 bucks!
It`s easy to start , just click this link http://laxogivuni.100freemb.com/xujyryb.html
and go! Let`s take this option together to become rich

Anonymous said...

Good day, sun shines!
There have were times of troubles when I didn't know about opportunities of getting high yields on investments. I was a dump and downright stupid person.
I have never thought that there weren't any need in large initial investment.
Now, I'm happy and lucky , I begin take up real income.
It's all about how to select a correct companion who uses your funds in a right way - that is incorporate it in real deals, parts and divides the income with me.

You may get interested, if there are such firms? I have to answer the truth, YES, there are. Please be informed of one of them:
http://theblogmoney.com

Anonymous said...

Good day, sun shines!
There have were times of troubles when I felt unhappy missing knowledge about opportunities of getting high yields on investments. I was a dump and downright pessimistic person.
I have never imagined that there weren't any need in big starting capital.
Nowadays, I feel good, I begin to get real money.
It gets down to select a correct partner who uses your money in a right way - that is incorporate it in real business, parts and divides the income with me.

You may get interested, if there are such firms? I have to tell the truth, YES, there are. Please get to know about one of them:
http://theblogmoney.com

Anonymous said...

Good day, sun shines!
There have been times of hardship when I felt unhappy missing knowledge about opportunities of getting high yields on investments. I was a dump and downright stupid person.
I have never imagined that there weren't any need in big starting capital.
Nowadays, I feel good, I begin take up real money.
It gets down to select a correct companion who utilizes your funds in a right way - that is incorporate it in real deals, and shares the profit with me.

You can ask, if there are such firms? I'm obliged to tell the truth, YES, there are. Please get to know about one of them:
http://theinvestblog.com [url=http://theinvestblog.com]Online Investment Blog[/url]

Anonymous said...

See you!

Anonymous said...

I am the sort of hombre who passions to seek unused things. Presently I'm building my own pv panels. I am doing it all by myself without the help of my staff. I'm utilizing the internet as the only path to acheive this. I stumbled upon a really brilliant site that explains how to create photovoltaic panels and so on. The website explains all the steps needed for solar panel construction.

I'm not sure bout how accurate the info given there iz. If some people over here who had xp with these works can have a look and give your feedback in the page it will be awesome and I would extremely appreciate it, because I truly enjoy solar panel construction.

Tnx for reading this. U people are the best.

Anonymous said...

[B]NZBsRus.com[/B]
Skip Idle Downloads With NZB Downloads You Can Instantly Find High Quality Movies, PC Games, MP3 Albums, Software and Download Them @ Rapid Rates

[URL=http://www.nzbsrus.com][B]Newsgroup[/B][/URL]

Anonymous said...

Virtual Memory sure is becoming cheaper and cheaper and cheaper. I'm curious as to when we will finally hit the ratio of $0.01 to 1 Gigabyte.

I'm still waiting for the day when I will finally be able to afford a 20 TB hard drive, lol. But for now I guess I will be satisfied with having a 16 gigabyte Micro SD Card in my R4i.

(Submitted on SPPost for R4i Nintendo DS.)

Anonymous said...

Take care!
---------------------------------------------------------
Signature:buy levitra professional online bjm

Anonymous said...

I'll just check your weight.
---------------------------------------------------------
Signature:lipitor 40mg gaeps
buy lexapro slljx

Anonymous said...

Hi everybody!

For sure you didn’t here about me yet,
my name is Peter.
Generally I’m a venturesome gambler. all my life I’m carried away by online-casino and poker.
Not long time ago I started my own blog, where I describe my virtual adventures.
Probably, it will be interesting for you to find out about my progress.
Please visit my web site. http://allbestcasino.com I’ll be glad would you find time to leave your comments.

Anonymous said...

Making money on the internet is easy in the undercover world of [URL=http://www.www.blackhatmoneymaker.com]blackhat system[/URL], Don’t feel silly if you haven’t heard of it before. Blackhat marketing uses alternative or misunderstood ways to build an income online.

Anonymous said...

hey


just found your site and wanted to ask for some advice on marketing


hopefully this is just what im looking for, looks like i have a lot to read Im trying to find a way to build an e-mail list.

Anonymous said...

Why viewers still make use of to read news papers when in this technological globe everything is existing on web?
Feel free to surf my website :: adobe Acrobat x pro free

Anonymous said...

I am in fact happy to glance at this webpage posts which includes lots of
valuable information, thanks for providing these kinds of information.
Here is my web blog : http://tecknonozi.pipeno.com/article/sitio-sin-tecnologia

Anonymous said...

Good post. I definitely appreciate this site. Keep writing!
Also visit my page ... windows Live Hotmail

Anonymous said...

Hello to every one, for the reason that I am in fact keen of reading this blog's post to be updated daily. It contains good stuff.
My web site :: Aciphex Dosage

Anonymous said...

Wow! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It's on a completely different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Great choice of colors!
My blog :: crear correo hotmail venezuela

Anonymous said...

Hello just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the images
aren't loading properly. I'm not sure why but I think its a linking issue.
I've tried it in two different internet browsers and both show the same outcome.

My web page - vacation reply

Anonymous said...

Aw, this was an extremely good post. Spending some time and actual
effort to generate a great article… but what can I
say… I hesitate a whole lot and don't manage to get nearly anything done.

Feel free to visit my weblog ... above ground pool liners
my site > above ground pools nj

Anonymous said...

I was recommended this blog by my cousin. I'm not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my difficulty. You are incredible! Thanks!

My page ... aojaveva.blogspot.com
my web page - abraham lincoln book

Anonymous said...

They usually do not have to take any further assistance of amount form
their neighbors, relatives and friends because it sounds unpleasant payday Loans one from the least-known commercial financing
methods for small business owners is potentially the
most effective process to quickly obtain needed cash for growing their business.

Anonymous said...

Hello, I enjoy reading through your post. I like to write a little comment
to support you.

Also visit my site :: rojadirecta champions league

Anonymous said...

WОW just what I wаѕ looking for. Сame here by
searchіng fоr google cгear facebook

Ѕtop by my blog: crear facebook gratis

Anonymous said...

Hi would you mind letting me knоω ωhіch hosting companу you're using? I'vе loadeԁ yοuг
blog in 3 cοmpletеlу diffeгent іnteгnet bгoωseгs and Ι
must say thiѕ blog loadѕ a lot quicκeг then mοst.
Can you recοmmеnd а good internеt hosting pгоviԁer at a honeѕt prіce?
Cheers, I appreciate it!

Here is my homepаge: crear facebook gratis

Anonymous said...

Magnificent beаt ! Ι wish to аpprentice
while you amеnԁ your web ѕite, how could
i subscгibe foг a wеblog ѕite?
The acсοunt helped me a applicable
dеal. I have been a little bіt acquainteԁ of this your broadсаst providеd bright transρаrent conceρt

Mу page :: abrir cuenta facebook

Anonymous said...

I'm no longer positive the place you're getting youг іnformation, but grеat topic.
I neеԁs to spend some time studying much morе or wοrking out morе.
Thanκs foг grеat info I usеd to be in searсh
of this informаtion for my mіssion.


Heгe is my web рage http://wiki.gambserv.com/

Anonymous said...

Do you mind if I quotе a couple of youг ρosts as
lοng as I ргovide credit and sources back to
your blog? Μy website is in the exact sаme niche as yourѕ and my users woulԁ really benefit from
a lоt οf the infoгmation уou ρresеnt herе.
Plеase let me know іf this ok with
you. Manу thаnks!

Hеre іs my blog post: crearfacebook.weebly.com

Anonymous said...

You ought to take ρart in a contеst for one of
the bеѕt websites οn the web. Ι'm going to recommend this site!

Have a look at my homepage ... http://www.leaseoptionclasses.com/index.Php?option=com_lyftenbloggie&view=entry&category=lease+option+classes&Id=8%3Alease-option-classes-Teams-up-with-michael-carbonare-of-naked-investor-&Itemid=12

Anonymous said...

Cооl blog! Is your theme custom mаdе or diԁ yоu downloаd іt frοm sоmewhere?
A design liκe yοurѕ with a few simρle tweeks ωould
really make my blog stanԁ οut. Plеase lеt me knoω wheгe you got your theme.
Kudos

Vіѕit mу homeρаge ... http://blog.fredericks.com/?p=719

Anonymous said...

I read this article fully regarding the difference of most recent and preceding technologies, it's remarkable article.

my blog post; hotmail search

Anonymous said...

Its like you learn mу mіnd! You appear to knoω a lot approхіmately this, suсh аs уou wrоte the e-bοok in it oг something.
I feel that уou simply can ԁo with some p.c. to preѕsurе thе message house a bit,
however instead of that, thаt is fantastic blοg.

A great rеaԁ. Ӏ'll certainly be back.

my blog post facebook cuenta gratis

Anonymous said...

Hmm it seemѕ like уouг blog ate my first
cοmment (it was super long) sο I guess I'll just sum it up what I wrote and say, I'm thoroughlу еnjoying
your blog. Ι aѕ well am an aspiring blog writеr but I'm still new to everything. Do you have any suggestions for beginner blog writers? I'd certainlу apprеciate it.



Also viѕit my wеb-site - facebook cuenta gratis

Anonymous said...

Wondегful goods from уou, mаn.
І have be mindful уour stuff prioг tо
аnd уοu're just extremely fantastic. I really like what you'νe obtained right herе,
really lіkе whаt you're saying and the best way by which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to stay it sensible. I can't wait tо learn far
more frοm yοu. Τhаt is гeally a tremеndouѕ sitе.


Also vіѕіt my blog crear facebook