It’s been five years since LL Cool J has released an album – an eternity in the hip-hop world, where keeping a steady stream of music coming has been an important way to maintain career momentum. Between their own albums, singles and guest appearances on albums by other hip-hop artists, maintaining a chart presence is a priority in the crowded hip-hop field.

But not only has LL Cool J had an extended absence from music – although his co-starring role on the hit television series “NCIS: Los Angeles” has kept him very much in the public eye – he has returned with what he considers an unconventional album, Authentic.

“The first rule I broke is, most of the time when veteran rap artists make a new album, the first thing they do is go and grab whatever new current rap artist is out and put them on the album in order to kind of secure their fan base kind of moving forward,” LL Cool J (real name James Todd Smith) said in a recent phone interview. “You know, like, I bucked the trend.”

The make-up of the guest artists on Authentic – only one song, “Bath Salt” lacks a guest artist – also makes it a different kind of hip-hop album,” LL Cool J said.

“While most rap artists will delve into R&B a bit, a lot of them are afraid to go really beyond that and go get the Seals of the world and the Eddie Van Halens of the world and the Brad Paisleys of the world, those other artists,” he said. “Then another thing I did that was bucking the trends is I went and got acts that are actually even generations before me, like Earth Wind & Fire and Charlie Wilson, which most of the time hip-hop artists … there is a lot of ageism in hip-hop. So most people, in hip-hop, people are always trying to figure out how they can still be a teenager.”

LL Cool J let out a chuckle at that remark.

“I think that I bucked a lot of trends and did something I think that was really innovative,” he said.

The choices of guest stars, LL Cool J said, wasn’t for the sake of novelty or star power. It was all about enhancing the songs, and the music on Authentic, for the most part, supports that idea. The album remains very much rooted in the mix of pure hip-hop and R&B-laced romantic balladry that has been LL Cool J’s signature sound. But for the most part, the guests bring exactly what one would expect. Wilson (lead singer from the Gap Band) smoothly croons the soulful melody that plays off of LL Cool J’s percolating rap segment, while Van Halen adds a touch of rock edge with a stinging guitar solo. Soul/R&B star Seal’s famously grainy voice is the centerpiece of the melodic ballad “Give Me Love” (with an unusually vulnerable lyric for hip-hop from LL Cool J). “Something About You” takes on a distinctly Earth Wind & Fire sound with that group’s bold horns and its R&B refrain. “Whaddup,” which features Chuck D of Public Enemy and guitarist Tom Morello, very much has a rock/rap edge that will be familiar to fans of Morello’s band, Rage Against The Machine.

LL Cool J, who has now released 13 studio albums in a career that began with his 1985 debut, Radio, is taking his music on the road this summer, headlining a tour that features three other legendary acts from the first wave of hip-hop – Ice Cube, Public Enemy and De La Soul.

“I just wanted to do a tour that spoke to people who grew up with my music and you know, grew up with my fans,” LL Cool J said. “To me, these three acts represent people that I think are great partners for me on a tour. We have a similar fan base. We came up together. We’re all different. I mean, Cube, obviously, has all kinds of music, a little more gangster. Public Enemy has its music, Chuck D and those guys [are] a little more social/political. And De La Soul is really like more forward and cutting edge in terms of their creativity. So all of us on the tour, I felt like it had diversity, but we had a commonality from a generational standpoint.”

Once the tour is over, LL Cool J will have a thriving acting career waiting for him. He’ll return to filming the next season of “NCIS: Los Angeles,” the CBS series in which he stars alongside Chris O’Donnell as senior field agent Sam Hanna.

Doing the role of Hanna, a hard-nosed investigator with a sensitive side and a good sense of humor, has been a good challenge for him as an actor, LL Cool J said.

“It’s stretched me in amazing ways,” he said. “My chops are much sharper now, and I think people will be able to tell how I’ve grown as an actor moreso when I get to do a film when I have much more time to rehearse and kind of dig into a role. Then you’ll be able to see that I’ve grown. But it definitely has been amazing.”

 

LL Cool J will perform on the “Kings of the Mic Tour” on Thursday, June 27 at Riverbend Music Center, 6295 Kellogg Ave. in Cincinnati. Also on the bill are Public Enemy, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, De La Soul and DJ Chuck Chillout. Gates open at 5 p.m. For more information, visit riverbend.org. 

 

Reach DCP freelance writer Alan Sculley at AlanSculley@DaytonCityPaper.com.

With more than three decades in the music business, American blues and soul singer/songwriter Janiva Magness is a stellar and studied entertainer who has emerged as one of the premier rhythm and blues artists in the world today. With nine albums, B.B. King Entertainer of the Year honors, Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year awards and countless similar nominations under her belt, there is no doubt that Magness carries a bright and blazing torch for rhythm and blues, or that her heartfelt work invigorates the genre with intense and honest ways.

Magness’ story also shines light on the transformative and rehabilitative nature of blues music. Suffering unspeakable tragedy in her mid-teens, Magness lost both parents to suicide. Shuffling in and out of foster homes, she became pregnant at 17 and chose adoption for her own baby daughter. Despite these seemingly insurmountable odds, Magness transformed the inspiration she found in music into resolve. Whether it was desperation or divine intervention that put these hardships – and later opportunities – in her path, Magness ultimately emerged a powerhouse songstress whose personal passions play out on stage, as well as in outreach activities. She is a national spokesperson for Foster Care organizations.

Dayton City Paper had the pleasure of speaking with Magness as she prepared for her upcomign appearance at Canal Street Tavern. This is what she shared about her life experiences and love for the game.

Was seeing Otis Rush for the first time your primary introduction to blues music? If so, how has that shaped the performer you’ve become today?

My introduction to blues happened much younger through my father’s record collection. He didn’t have a huge blues collection, but he had a decent collection of old country music and some blues. The clearest memory I have of that is with Hank Williams and Patsy Cline, and all of Hank and Patsy’s material was deeply steeped in blues, as you know if you’ve studied those artists at all. I experienced Otis Rush for the first time when I was 14. I was so moved, I was literally taken hostage by his performance that night. How glorious for a young girl to have that experience. When I say it connected with me, I can’t fully express the significance of what that means. -Janiva Magness

Can you recognize that kind of spark or connection in people that are watching you perform?

What I sometimes see, which I’m wildly grateful for, is the light go on in somebody’s eye. I seek that connection with the audience. And there is nothing like seeing the light come on in people when I am singing and they are recognizing the depth of the joy or sorrow or rage that I’m expressing. -JM

In the title of your latest album, Stronger For It, there seems to be an indicator there that music has been an opportunity for you to experience a catharsis or to use it as a platform for coping or change. Would you say that is accurate?

I would say that it is 300 percent. That is spot on. There are moments of clarity; moments where it feels like a door opens that I didn’t even know was there, or the clouds go away and something is sometimes excruciatingly clear. I consider those moments a gift. –JM

You have also had the opportunity to reinterpret other artist’s songs and output. Do you choose those songs or do they choose you? How do you make them yours?

Most of my career I’ve been an interpreter of other people’s songs. I look for material that resonates for me. I’m interested in trying to articulate the songs that resonate with me. I finally figured out what my job really is, and it is about connection. It is about human connection. The vehicle for that is the music or song. I know when I hear Freddy King sing, “What are you going to do when the welfare turns its back on you?” that he isn’t bullshitting. I know what he feels like. I know that level of dejection. Hearing Freddy King say that, I thought, “Man, he knows how I feel. I’m not the only one.” In that moment, or the next day, or the next week, it is a little bit better for me. That’s what the job is and it is a privilege to do that. -JM

One of the other things it seems that impassions you in your life is being an ambassador and advocate for foster care organizations. Do you get feedback from people who say that you’ve provided them with hope or inspiration by sharing your experiences? 

I cannot tell you how profound that has been for me. It has been wild in the best way to get to a place in my life where I was willing to talk about some of my early experiences because maybe it might help someone else who was in the journey. I’ve been graced with many experiences of watching that light go on in someone else and to watch the ice melt in a kid who has been damaged, or who is extremely well defended emotionally, is beautiful. –JM

Dialogue is a change agent…

Exactly. –JM

Janiva Magness will perform on Friday, June 14 at Canal Street Tavern, 308 E. First St. Doors at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 the day of the show. For more information, visit, janivamagness.com.

The Beatles broke up after 10 years together, but so what? This means nothing to Coliseum, a punk band from the punkiest of places, Louisville, Ky. Having just released their fourth album Sister Faith back in April, the band is celebrating 10 years of playing music together while rolling through a summer tour, which includes a stop at Cincinnati’s Taft Theatre on Wednesday, June 12. Even with all of the commotion, DCP managed to catch up with guitarist/vocalist Ryan Patterson to answer some questions about the band and their new album out now on Temporary Residence Ltd.

This year marks 10 years since Coliseum was first born – how does it feel?

It feels great. It’s been nice to do this for so long and accomplish so much – much more than I ever imagined. We’ve played over 800 shows all over the world, released four albums and numerous EPs and split releases, met tons of wonderful people and had countless adventures. It’s been a beautiful experience. – Ryan Patterson

How did the band come together?

After spending years playing guitar and bass in countless bands that fizzled out after a year or so, I wanted to start a band where I sang and played guitar so I could manage the band’s longevity. I asked some friends to start the band with me and we dove right in, recording our first album before we’d played our first show. There was no long-term goal other than to create music that moves us and to exist long enough for the band to be meaningful. All these years later, we’ve taken some twists and turns, but the goals still remain the same. – RP

Did you see yourselves truckin’ after all this time when you first started the group?

I’m not sure. I generally don’t look too far ahead in terms of the band. We might have the next six months or a year planned out, but it’s impossible to look much farther than that. I didn’t set out for Coliseum to fade away after a year or two – I wanted it to be my band for as long as I wanted to be in a band. I think even if we stopped doing it for a few years it would never really end, it would just be in some sort of weird hibernation for a while. – RP

The band released its fourth LP Sister Faith in April. Tell me a little about the record. What kind of things were you trying to accomplish this time around? 

It’s the album I’ve always wanted to make, and it’s certainly the apex of the band’s work thus far. We recorded with our friend and frequent collaborator J. Robbins at his Magpie Cage studio in Baltimore. It was the best experience of my musical life. I started writing demos over the winter of 2011/12, and the band started working on songs from March through September, with recording taking place in October 2012. We were just trying to write songs we wanted to hear and challenge ourselves with new ideas and new experiments along the way. Lyrically, the album faces a lot of the darkest places of human experience but tackles them with positivity, love, and beauty. – RP

Besides LPs, you’ve also released a ton of EPs and splits during the band’s existence. Is the band a fan of smaller releases more than full-length albums?

I was always a fan of those 7” punk and hardcore EPs. In some cases, that’s the best format for certain bands. A couple of our defining releases have been eight-song 12” EPs, and we’ve had a lot of fun doing split releases with bands that are good friends as well. We’re a really prolific band, we write a lot of material and each release is essentially an art project for us. There’s nothing like getting a vinyl record in your hands and putting it on the turntable then scouring over the artwork and liner notes for the first time. – RP

You guys have a ton of dates booked for 2013 – I take it you like touring?

We like playing shows for people and seeing all our friends and touring is the vehicle that accomplishes that. Touring can be great fun, but it can also be tedious and/or difficult at times. We all enjoy and appreciate most aspects of it, but if we could play shows in different towns each night and be back home with our loved ones for the remainder of the day I’m sure we’d prefer that. But until we can beam ourselves home after each show, the van will just have to do. – RP

After the tour wraps up in June, what’s next for the band?

We’ll be playing more throughout the rest of this year and next year as well. We’re just excited about Sister Faith and looking forward to playing for the folks who have supported us for the past decade, as well as new fans that discover us and like the music we create. – RP

Coliseum will be performing Wednesday, June 12 at the Taft Theatre, 317 East Fifth St., Cincinnati, Ohio. Also on the bill is Baroness. Advance tickets are $15 and $18 at the door. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. with doors opening at 7:30. For more information, visit coliseumsoundsystem.com. 

 

Reach DCP freelance writer Zach Rogers at ZachRogers@daytoncitypaper.com.

 In April, Kansas-based band Fourth Of July released Empty Moon,their third album and debut for new K.C.-based label High Dive Records. The band is led by the conversational wordplay of vocalist/guitarist Brendan Hangauer, along with his brother Patrick Hangauer (bass) and another set of brothers, Brian Costello (drums, vocals) and Brendan Costello (guitar). The album was recorded and mastered to analog tape with Chris Crisci, of indie favorite The Appleseed Cast.The title track opens the album with a propulsive rhythm, jangly guitars and a subtle, catchy keyboard melody and trumpet solo. The standout first single “Drinking Binge” features a winding guitar line and catchy shout-along vocals that describe feeling old and no longer being able to keep up with the younger partygoers. “Colorado” features country-leaning melodies and instrumentation complete with breezy pedal steel. Another standout track, “The Cost,” is seven minutes long with a rolling guitar riff that slowly builds into a cathartic coda that drips with regret. Adrianne Verhoeven – formerly of The Anniversary – lends her sweet, soulful voice to the aching, “Before Our Hearts Explode.” The bouncy beat and infectious sing-along of “Eskimo Brothers” makes for yet another standout moment. “Fall In August” features rollicking guitars and a shuffling rhythm, while “Berlin,” a tale of long distance relationships gone wrong, closes out the eight-song album leaving you satisfied but wanting more.

Brendan’s descriptive and raw lyrical tone makes listening to Empty Moon like secretly reading your best friend’s journal and it makes for their strongest, most cohesive album yet.

This Is Thunder grew out of a transatlantic bond and concrete desire to create together in spite of geographical boundaries. It takes a certain unity of vision to make a project work with so much space in between and little to no time spent in one another’s presence. Jen Schande and Nopse (aka Marc Navoizat) were fortunate enough to hash out demos in Nopse’s apartment in France and build the foundation that ultimately culminated in their eager, oft-ominous debut EP.

Jen Schande cut her teeth with San Francisco band Boyskout as well as ‘90s indie act Shove, whose second album was recorded by James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) and who toured with beloved Dayton act Swearing at Motorists. France-based Nopse created a noisy, experimental electronic project in 2000 and went on to release a solo EP on his SP1 label in 2004, followed by a remix EP with Los Angeles trio Meho Plaza in 2010 on Better Looking Records.

Dayton City Paper caught up with the duo to discuss This Is Thunder’s EP – which was self-released on May 28 – and the collaboration that combines the sum of their parts. This is what they said about their roots, the joys of making music together and Schande’s time in Dayton …

Did you actually live in Dayton for a while?

I graduated college in January 1998 and spent February traveling around the country visiting friends and just exploring places I had never been to before. I stopped by Dayton to see some friends and I honestly really missed it. The amazing benefit of the Shove-Dayton love affair was getting to meet, know and make friends with people from the handful of times we played there, so hanging out in Dayton was almost like a homecoming of sorts.

During the time I lived there, I was still writing songs with my Shove bandmate Jay Howell with a band called Bead Arithmetic (which would feature Dayton locals PJ Paslosky of The Motel Beds and Jennifer Bockrath). Jay was still living in California at the time but he came out to visit for a couple of weeks and Kim Deal recorded our demos, which was really fun and really nice of her. Unfortunately, nothing was to become of the demos. -Jen Schande

How did This Is Thunder meet and what was it about your relationship that inspired this project together?

A few years ago, I fell in love with Schande’s song “Penultimate Panache” (it was on Myspace). I really wanted to make a remix of that song. Jen said yes, so I did a remix and it was really new to me to work with that kind of sound. Living with an ocean in the middle of us created an orientation to the project where big spaces, “geographic reflections,” were inspiring factors to the sound the songs and their composition. -Nopse

How difficult was this project to undertake since it was a trans-Atlantic collaboration?

Starting the project was easy, conceptually, as we were both really excited to create together and see what/how the music would sound like. But the distance definitely was a handicap. In particular, I think the main difficulty we faced then, and still do, is how to be prolific with this specific project when we are not in each other’s day to day life, let alone each other’s country. How do we stay in the same creative space with each other and maintain the connection? -JS

Under what circumstances was the effort written and recorded?

When Marc and I were actually able to be in the same room together, we played each other songs we thought would work together. Once we both figured out exactly how both of our parts would go, Marc would record us laying down our basic parts – guitars, vocals, etc. After the initial layers were recorded, Marc would spend a lot of time adding in extra parts and production, then send them to me for input. So basically, bottom line, we would both present blueprints of songs and help the other build it into something solid. -JS

It was always hard on my side, I was always trying to know if Jen would see what I was trying to do on a song. But, she was always able to see it so … recording was good. It was a special experience to record in a real studio the songs that you decided were in their final form the day before. -N

What is next for This Is Thunder? Was this a one-off or are more releases on the horizon?

We are currently writing new songs and fine-tuning our live show. Ideally, we’ll have a new release next year or even more ideally sooner, but that might be a bit ambitious. Regardless, this isn’t a one-off and you will be hearing from us again! -JS

For more information on This Is Thunder, visit facebook.com/ThisIsThunder.

Reach DCP freelance writer Tim Anderl at TimAnderl@daytoncitypaper.com.

It is nearly impossible to fathom that the sound generated by two-piece Canadian rock phenomenon Japandroids isn’t the result of a much larger powerhouse sextet or septet. With sights set on making as much noise as humanly possible, guitarist Brian King and drummer Dave Prowse run and dominate the gauntlet of rock ‘n’ roll tricks and sub-genres.

After self-releasing two EPs, Japandroids released Post-Nothing via Polyvinyl in 2009. They toured extensively throughout 2009 and 2010, playing more than 200 shows in more than 20 countries and quickly gained notoriety for their extremely energetic live performances. Their latest album, Celebration Rock, lived up to its title, garnering high praise from the tastemakers at Pitchfork, Spin and Rolling Stone.

Dayton City Paper caught up with Prowse as the duo prepared for a summer run of dates to discuss the record, the power of back ground vocals and whether or not they’d ever come to blows with Danzing. This is what he said …

We are coming up on festival season and I imagine you guys are playing a bunch of those. Are those ideal venues for your band or do you prefer the intimacy of a club?

I think we have a pretty good tour coming up that is a “best of both worlds” kind of deal. In theory you can play to a lot more people at festivals, although I hope we’ll be playing to a lot of people at our regular club shows. It is also nice to be able to play somewhere that is a little more intimate where there isn’t a giant barrier between you and the audience and you can play for a hell of a lot longer, which is always fun. -Dave Prowse

I always enjoy what kind of backstage beefs come out of these things. Have you ever been a part of one of those?  

A what? -DP

A beef. Like, have you guys ever punched Danzig in the face or anything like that?

(Laughter) Fortunately, no. I have not punched Danzig in the face, nor have I been punched in the face by Danzig (laughter). We are pretty peaceful dudes. We come from your gentle northern neighbors. -DP

What drummer did you grow up idolizing and wanting to be?

Some of the biggest influences for me were drummers that played locally in Vancouver and Victoria. They were people that I could actually watch regularly and try to emulate.    -DP

Celebration Rock came out about a year ago. Are you still on the tour cycle for that or are you working on the next record?

We are still pretty knee deep in it. We are finally getting to the point now where we are talking about the last shows for the album cycle. The next thing on the horizon is starting to be stationary for a little while and thinking about another record. -DP

The background vocals seem to be a crucial part of your performance.  How important is that element in creating an interactive atmosphere in the live setting?

I think it is pretty instrumental. We definitely clued in that we’d tapped into something, when people would sing along to very specific parts of that song. Once we had that feeling, we recognized it was an amazing thing to interact with an audience like that and to see that they felt like they were as much a part of the show as we were. It was an amazing feeling to have and we got greedy for that. So, on this last record, we wanted to have more of that feeling throughout the record and we wanted to have a really strong record from start to finish where we felt like people would be excited for whatever song it was, would be wanting to sing along and would be willing to engage with us in that way. That was a very conscious decision on the new record because those parts are so fun to play live. -DP

So here’s the question on everyone’s minds: When will you do a triple bill tour of Japan with Japanther and Japancakes?

(Laughter) Very good question (laughter). Coming up with a band name is one of the worst parts about being in a band. It is difficult to come up with something you feel like you could live with for any length of time. When we came up with the name Japandroids, we had no idea that we’d have to live with that name for seven plus years. That is just one of those funny things where you pick something and then you are stuck with it for better or worse. -DP

Japandroids perform on Wednesday, June 12 at Newport Music Hall, 1722 N. High St. in Columbus. Tickets are $5. Doors open at 7 p.m. For more information, visit japandroids.com.

Reach DCP freelance writer Tim Anderl at TimAnderl@DaytonCityPaper.com.