Most people think of hip-hop in a limited number of ways. Maybe the typical image includes a solo singer or rapper, spitting and scatting lyrics through brass teeth over a prerecorded drum beat. But Kadesh and the Perfect Strangers is not your typical hip-hop group.
The Perfect Strangers’ tunes echo from warm instruments, not speakers, and the only brass Kadesh carries is his trombone.
On Friday, Sept. 30, Bo’s Bar will host K+PS at 10 p.m. until close. This marks the band’s first show since the summer. To get in, you’ll need $5 and an ID that shows you’re at least 19.
“It’s somewhat of a comeback show for us,” said Adrian Marmolejo, a senior in New College and bassist for K+PS. “A chance for the band to have some good, funky fun.”
K+PS have been playing music in Tuscaloosa since the spring of 2009. At that time, Ryan Davis, also known as the rapper Kadesh, was trying to get his hip-hop career off the ground. But he wasn’t interested in the status quo.
“I didn’t want to just write songs to instrumental tracks like other amateur rappers,” said Davis, an MBA graduate student, as well as front man and trombonist for K+PS. “I wanted to do shows around Tuscaloosa with a live band.”
With a vision, Kadesh set out to befriend his Perfect Strangers. He found them in a classmate, Jake Smith, and two members of the Alabama Jazz Ensemble, Adrian Marmolejo and Michael Battito. After jamming with them individually, Davis knew he had found his band – one capable of making his dream of hip-hop with an instrumental focus a reality.
“We consistently mix hip-hop with rock, funk and jazz,” Davis said. “You could produce that yourself; any music producer can make an intricate beat. But it’s always better to do it with a band of talented musicians.”
The members initially were uncertain whether or not their college town’s crowd would accept the music. After all, mixing trombone improvisation with hip-hop and jazz doesn’t exactly have precedent. That doubt eventually washed away.
“Maybe we were unsure before we found our niche,” said Jake Smith, a senior in New College and original guitarist for K+PS (the band’s current guitarist is sophomore Jack Thomason). “But people loved it. It was something different – one of the only ways to see some hip hop influence in town.”
That niche has steadily grown in the past year. Battito, the band’s drummer, credits Davis’s advertising skills with ensuring their popularity.
“Ryan knows a lot of people through New College and Creative Campus,” Battito said. “He’s great with connections and marketing.”
While Davis’ tactics bring the crowd, their eclectic sound keeps them coming back for more.
“It’s a big melting pot of music,” Marmolejo said.
“It’s really open, and it’s really jazzy,” Battito said.
Whatever genre they represent, every member of the original band – interviewed individually – said their crowds “get crunk.”
For updates about K+PS and their upcoming shows, follow @KadeshFlow on Twitter.
