When I last spoke with Damani "Glitch" Harrison and Louis "Waterloo" Hampton, the two emcees behind the Beetnix seemed pretty content with their backing band’s hard rock vibe. "You’ll probably see them with us for a while," said Hampton.
Sure enough, the Beetnix lineup at last weekend’s hip-hop show at Is—which started with the traditional blessing by local police wands and ended with a rap history lesson from Skillz—was close to the rock band the two Beets assembled for a gig at Gravity Lounge in November. And in many respects, the band hangs together well—Andy Waldeck is practically a third Beetnix member (although that man could power the Eastern seaboard with his charisma), and local guitarist Joe Lawlor proved himself as capable a member as Tucker Rogers, the axe man he replaced.
But I’m not entirely sold on the ‘Nix as a rock act. More after the photo.
Rap against the machine: The Beetnix soldier on, in rock form.
Here’s the thing: Backing bands profoundly affect the moods and styles of the Beetnix, something that’s apparent when you watch footage of their back-to-back acoustic and electric shows from November. And when they’re plugged in, the group becomes less unpredictable—restrained by a certain body language and style of rhyme.
Now, calling the Beetnix "less unpredictable" isn’t the same as calling them "predictable": The pair writes rhymes that run from decent to fantastic, and I won’t fault them for their ambitious live gigs and video plans. (Hell, I didn’t think the "Citizen Kane" video would happen, and I dig the result.)
But something about this rock band seems to resonate with the group and fails to do so with me. Guitarist Munier Nazeer seemed a bit lost onstage, and his contributions were almost entirely lost in the mix. And part of me craves a less-adorned set that showcases the Beets’ best asset—the lyrical exchange between Glitch and Waterloo, what is said rather than how.
What did you folks think of the gig on Saturday? Should the Beetnix stay plugged in?
