Another Great Performance: Smash this

So I received a message there was going to be a CD release party at Elysium. What the fuck, I must attend. Not really knowing or caring who was on the bill, I had to go and give my respect to Austin music.

Elysium (http://www.elysiumonline.net/) is located on Red River between 7th and 8th St in the downtown entertainment district of Austin, Tx. Painted all black on the outside with an outdoor patio/smoking area, the club seems very ominous. As you step into the narrow opening and pass to the right, the club opens up it to a fairly large room. Divided in half with the left half representing the dance floor, DJ booth, and stage and the right half representing the lounge with a large, long bar running against the right wall. The bathrooms are located to the far back right with a pool table. Yes, the bartender has been there for 15 plus years, knows his shit, doesn't take any shit, and is super fucking cool.

For this evening there was a nice gathering of juggalos, as well as other fans of the Austin rap scene. Initially, like on any given night, it started out kind of quiet and the opening act delayed their start by almost 30 minutes. At that point, Pyskodynamix took the stage and kicked the evening off with there style of rap. The 3 guys on stage were in the right frame of mind. Putting on a show with the performance for the early crowd. It didn't take long before Psykodynamix had all of the early risers in front of the stage and enjoying their set.

Next up was Dubb Sicks (https://www.facebook.com/DubbSicksMusic/), and this performance was sick! The man rolled up into the club minutes before the first performance, set up his merch table just in time to take the stage. Dubb Sicks was captivating. This muthafucka took complete control of the crowd. He was drawing everyone in and using the crowd to drop his flow. I was inspired by how bad ass he was and how much fun he had just simply fucking around with the crowd. Off the stage he jumped, into the crowd he crept, soliciting info from one of the females, and back onto the stage for the next song. Fan of rap or not, if it is about the show and the performance Dubb Sicks is the Odessa, Kung-Fu, Lone Ranger champion!

On deck next was SHSM (https://www.facebook.com/shsm2/). They rolled up to the mics with their brand of hatchet music. With that Juggalo love, it was pretty easy to enjoy this duo. I can say this as I go way back to some of the origins of what a juggalo is. SHSM handled the theme and style like champions. It was a fun set and they were super intense. For the show bill with the other bands, there was not a better band to have in this spot.

I never, expected, swear I didn't see him on this list, and was stunned when he took the stage. Austin Hip Icon Smackola (http://dirtywormz.net/) took control of the crowd, took control of our minds and proceeded to raise us up. Smackola was fresh on the stage with material from his new album "The Thomas Brookz Project" and handled the crowd and his performance like the lifetime showman he is. Although I can't swear there were many in the house in tune with his level of rhymes and story telling, he still elevated us to the top of the Glass Sky. You can't leave a Smackola performance without questioning the world, the media, and your beliefs. It is beyond entertainment, it is deprogramming with heavy beat and rhymes to match!

Ahhhh and then SSB - Super Smash Bros 512 (https://www.facebook.com/supersmashbros512/) commanded the stage. This was their show and they came out with every intention and the mad skills to show us why they owned the night. I had the opportunity to catch SSB WAYYY back in the beginning, several years ago. This was not that band. This was years of experience, confidence, and hustling their trade and craft. This was a tight performance that flowed. They worked off each other like a well oiled machine. It was flawless and at the same time loose and fluid. The album "More Stories To Tell" (https://play.google.com/store/music/album/SSB_More_Stories_to_Tell?id=Biw37762kzjrpqxhqfwl7v54sai&hl=en) is out and available for purchase. Find Aray and Hack on the web, but don't just pick up a copy of their new disc ... check these two men out at a show, listen to the underground, and don't be surprised when Austin, Texas produces the next big thing in Rap and it is out own SSB!

The full photo album is located here https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1411083015609884.1073741835.239625756088955&type=1&l=d8bce89e57