Calvin Holmes - Boyfriend/Wastemytime

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I'm a big fan of originality. Music that sounds innovative is so rare in these times of incestuous sample flipping and unoriginal chord progressions. All art is lifted from some other place of influence but putting a personal flip on top is crucial to stand out. Scrolling through Soundcloud I was pleasantly surprised to find Calvin Holmes song "BOYFRIEND/WASTEMYTIME". The song starts off with a consistent hi hat sound and electric guitar that resides right below the percussion, glueing the song together. Switching up into the "WASTEMYTIME" section of the song around the 2:30 mark it becomes a hazy ode to a girl who Calvin knows will ultimately waste his time. But because he is lonely (and he knows she is too), it will be a mutually agreed upon outcome.

The incorporation of an Alternative Rock sound to a Hip-Hop aesthetic makes this songs palette incredibly diverse, the switch up keeps the listener on their toes. I'll be interested to hear more from Oak Park's Calvin Holmes since this is the first i've heard of his music.


An Update on rubyhornet.com from RTC

I've been wrestling with how to best share this news, or even if I was going to share this news. I thought about big announcements, small announcements, no announcements. I was waiting for the right moment, and kind of realized that there isn't a right moment. We're in the midst of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a time for reflection and new starts. I figure no better time than now...

I have purchased rubyhornet.com. A music site that I helped to build from 2008-2013, when I left to start Closed Sessions.

I decided to do this mainly because I wanted to ensure that rubyhornet.com was preserved and saved as an important piece of Chicago Hip Hop. The platform it gave to emerging artists was incredible, and what it did for my life is not even describable.

As more links stopped working, more content disappeared, and especially when rubyhornet.com redirected to Chicago Music, I had a tremendous fear that my work, and the work of everyone else associated would be erased. Permanently.

Pretty much the majority of my 20's, spent grinding, eating Ramen, interviewing my heroes, learning how to produce shows, and being part of this vibrant Chicago Hip Hop renaissance would just... poof... disappear. Like it never even happened.

While many people thought that I owned rubyhornet, I never did and really had no control over what happened to the site. So if nothing else, I wanted to ensure that rubyhornet would live on and be a testament to Chicago Hip Hop history.

Beyond that, I have no fucking idea... If you got some, please share.

I know that I  want to give this platform to new artists and new writers. I have no illusions of turning RH into some media juggernaut or battling complex, fighting for exclusives or any of that shit. I'm not that young cat I once was, I don't have that same ego, and fuck, the internet's changed. It's not going to happen. And it's really not about me. I run Closed Sessions, I teach at Columbia, and I don't want to be called a liar when I tell my children that I used to do cool shit back in the day.

My hope is that this energizes new kids who want to write. Before the guys behind rubyhornet found me, I was doing all kinds of shit, trying to figure out exactly how I was going to make a way in the field that I loved. Maybe now I can do that for someone else.

I want to give new artists another spot they can share their music and their message, connect with other likeminded people and grow their art.

I was tired of artists that grew up with RH coming up to me and telling me how much they missed the site. I felt like I had let them down when I left. And never felt right.

I was tired of not celebrating the work we did.

I felt like I was missing a large piece of myself, and now that piece is back.

I hope that we can shine a light on our beautiful music scene and community. I hope we help young artists, writers, and other creatives find their path.

And I hope this reminds people of things they forgot.

Beyond that.... It's all a bonus.

So with this note.

If you're an artist - send me your music.

If you're a writer  and want to contribute - hit me.

If you're a publicist, put me on your email list.

You can hit me at rubyhornet@gmail.com or Alex@closedsessions.com

Sincerely,

Alexander "DJ RTC" Fruchter


Action Bronson

Chicago Represented Well in Action Bronson's Best-Seller, F*ck That's Delicious

Rapper, TV personality, Chef, Ultimate Dab-Smoker, and now, best-selling author. Action Bronson just stays out here shining. Bronson's new book, F*ck That's Delicious: An Annotated Guide To Eating Well is flying off the shelves these days. And with every copy, somebody new gets to hipped to the Chicago gem that is Margie's Candies which is featured prominently on page 60. True story, Mike and I took Bronson and his crew to Margie's way back in like 2012 and since that virgin voyage, the spot has been a staple of anytime we kick it with Bam Bam in the windy.

Beyond Margie's, Bronson also gives props to the Chicago Dog, twice. First he laments about the closing of Hot Doug's, retelling the story of how he and Mayhem Lauren ate 15 different dogs overlooking Lake Michigan. But, it is about 100 pages later when Bronson bestows the ultimate title and confirms what every Chicagoan knows: the Chicago dog is simply the best way to eat encased beef. He writes,

"But I'm telling you the Chicago dog is my favorite dog of all the hot dogs. I love sport peppers. I love that they put a pickle on it. I love the chopped onions, the relish, the poppy seed, a half a tomato. They griddle the shit out of them. I don't know the origin. I don't know why, I don't know what the fuck, but I know that shit is tremendous. It blows New York hot dogs out of the water for me." 

And there ain't no ketchup on that $hit!

One last interesting note: if you pause the episode of "F*ck That's Delicious" where he visits the Weiner Circle at just the right moment, you will see me ever so slightly in the background. I'm very blurry, but as Bronson would say, It's ME!.

Cop F*ck That's Delicious now. 


Knox Fortune Goes For Dolo On New LP, Paradise

Last week I wrote briefly about Knox Fortune's single "24 Hours", a jam that I really enjoyed and harkened back to late 90's indie alternative type shit (the good kind). Today, Knox has released his full LP, Paradise, and you can stream it below via Apple Music. I haven't had a chance to really dig in yet, but I plan on setting aside some time to properly give this one some attention.

And if you want to know about Knox, I highly recommend this piece written by Britt Julious for Noisey.  Knox won a Grammy for his work with Chance The Rapper, and has help guide projects from Joey Purp and KAMI. It's kind of a like a secret weapon isn't such a secret anymore.

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No Frills - Stream ANXT's Watching Paint Dry LP

"Remind them/ you either marry wealth or Mary Poppins."

ANXT is an emcee from the Chicago suburbs. Little is known about him and most of what you find online uses imagery over photos of the aspiring wordsmith. There's nothing spectacular persay about his latest offering, Watching Paint Dry, in fact, that's kind of the idea. He told me via email, "Watching Paint Dry is me saying 'this might be boring to you if you're used to hyper hip-hop/trap songs.' It's slow paced and heavy on narrative. I like risks."

The project is released as one long mp3 on Soundcloud, further sticking to that theme. It's not for everyone, but I dig shit like this and I'm becoming a fan of ANXT. Since this released, he also dropped another new song entitled "Coming To America", which is some poignant social commentary, similar to what is found in WPD.

If you're a fan of low-fi raps, and Earl Sweatshirt, KA type of stuff, give ANXT a listen.


Anna Agosta Unleashes Her "Greenhouse" EP

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Anna Agosta is one of the Chicago music scenes next big R&B/Soul acts. She wields a powerful but sultry voice along with deceptively clever songwriting to create a deeply personal project in "Greenhouse". The quality production and raw talent cannot be ignored.

The harmonies on the lead song "Surrender" rope the listener in and the beat drop instantly gives one the feeling of a new journeys beginning. The next track "Lucky" features warm guitar and live drums while showcasing a raw sound in the percussion. Anna balances all of her problems within the scope of understanding that she's "lucky to be breathing and thinking about these things". A noble message to say the least. Her lead single "Never Fall" gets a facelift production wise, while maintaining the songs calm, mature essence. "Unforeseen Fate" is a stripped down barebones ballad that touches the soul. Anna slows it down, incorporating a beautiful guitar interlude and breakdown in the production halfway through. The arrangement moves with conviction, much like someone moving on to another chapter in their life. She closes out the album with "Reaching", leading off with a tasteful touch of electric guitar. Reminiscing on the moments in her life that have led her to this place.

"reaching, reaching onward
reaching through,
windows of reflections I will use,
oh you tell me, thank you for allowing me to move".