Gangstagrass - Pinball Session
Red Sky Morning Recorded 2013 Folk Alliance - Toronto.
Gangstagrass are musical pioneers: fusing traditional stylings of bluegrass with the rebellious expression of hip-hop. While these two genres may seem an unlikely mix, the resulting sound is irrefutably addictive. Heavy backbeats intertwined with ornate banjo rolls provide a powerful chug, setting the stage for skillful rap and twangy melodic hooks.

The founder of the group, Rench, grew up with the sounds of country radio stations filling his home. At the same time, grade school recesses were spent embracing hip-hop culture. His friends were break dancers and rappers, endlessly enthusiastic about sharing their favourite rap albums. Instead of resisting either influence, he embraced them both. As a musician he approached these sounds in a way no one had done before. Taking his folk expertise, he reached out to established rappers to sample on his tracks. From this, he created the original recordings: “Rench Presents: Ganstagrass.” It didn’t take long for hundreds of thousands of downloads to occur shortly after its free internet release. Their new genre of music was introduced even further when their song “Long Hard Times to Come” was placed as the theme song of the television series JUSTIFIED, a track which was EMMY nominated for “Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music”.

Gangstagrass believes that music has no limitations. With their confidence to be innovative, they break away from what’s already been done. By bridging rural and urban music, they expand perspectives, defying the pre-conceived notions of either culture. As Rench puts it, “I want to provide the soundtrack for a wave of cultural miscegenation that will let us all party together at last!”

Lyrical content is evocative of both cultures. Hip-hop represents a tough, self-made survival, while bluegrass tells a lonely story. The result is country appeal delivered with swagger. Their fresh sound is attention grabbing, garnering a truckload of buzz. With professional command of the instrumentation, and a slick, rhythmic, verbal flow, they provide a quality that matches the clout. – Julia Stead

full audio session available here:   / gangstagrass  
Sound engineering, mixing, mastering and video edited by Dan Beeson
Shot by Colin Harrington