Alright y’all~ it’s Chicago’s genre-bending Manwolves! Elements of rock, hip-hop, and jazz. And they’re joined by CRASHprez, a very sick rapper “rooted in traditional protest music, remix culture, and digital DIY.” Locals Mellow Swells open it up with some funky stuff.
Manwolves is: Jamie McNear (vocals), Eli Cohen (guitar), Henry Wolf (bass), Julian Freeman (drums), and Ari Garfin (keys). 5 guys, whose friendships span beyond a decade, found the perfect formula to take their individual music palettes and create the perfect blend of alternative, rock, hip-hop and jazz sound Manwolves is known for today. Since their formation, the group has amassed over 65 million streams across platforms, has been featured on multiple editorial playlists such as Spotify’s “Low-Key” and Apple Music “Travis Mills Show”, charted #3 on Spotify’s Viral Chart, and has sold out multiple headlining shows in venues such as Thalia Hall, Lincoln Hall, Chop Shop, & Subterranean. They’ve had the opportunities to play alongside other major up and coming acts such as Ric Wilson and open for acts such as Omar Apollo and Boy Pablo. In recent years the band experimented with new sounds and musical approaches pushing them into a sonic shift with a more live feel. Stepping into this new era, Manwolves are back with full force. In anticipation of their upcoming album, Manwolves are releasing a two-part EP, Slipping on Ice Moving Boxes, available now on your favorite streaming platform and Tomorrow Again, out February 17.
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CRASHprez was born from lonely musings in a suburban basement in Prince George’s County, MD. The “CRASH” originates from a poetry event in Baltimore in the summer of 2010: he almost passed out from dehydration and the homies clowned him for it, giving him the nickname. The “prez” comes from his time at Kettering Elementary: the school nurse told him he could be president one day.
CRASHprez is a hip-hop project rooted in the traditions of protest music, remix culture and digital DIY. Through an intersectional lens, he interrogates the triumphs and turmoil of modern society from the vantage of a millennial Black man in the United States. He’s shared stages with Chance the Rapper, Danny Brown, Vince Staples, Ab-Soul, and Lil B the Based God among many others.
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Mellow Swells is a band from the triangle area that soar blasts funk, rock, and intense improvisation to its listeners. Their influences range from traditional music all the way to modern funk/pop. Expect to get beef blasted by some low end bass, sweaty by some deep grooves, and slapped by soulful vocals and soaring riffs.
