On Wednesday night the Bay Area group Zion I and Deuce Eclipse hit the Fine Line on tour with Reggae groups Soja and Rebelution.  The show kicked off with Zion I (Zumbi & Amp Live) and Deuce Eclipse taking the stage.  The crowd started out pretty tame, but the emcees were able to get the people hyped up and the movement going.  Zion I was here on tour to support their latest album The Takeover, which much of their performance was from.  The Takeover has some of the great sound you’d expect from Zion I, but Amp Live has also put some different electronic club-style sounds into this album.  That electronic sound really translates well to a live show and brings a whole different level of energy.

If you’ve heard Zion I before you know Zumbi has great rhyme delivery and I was impressed that nothing fell off in the live show.  All the verses sounded sharp and we even got some freestyling including a shout out to Minnesota’s newest, old star Brett Favre.  I’d say my favorite song of the show was Antenna and its my favorite track off the album as well.  Another highlight was seeing Amp Live walking around with an MPC strapped around his neck.  That seemed like a logical thing to do, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it at a show before.

After Zion I, Reggae groups Soja and then Rebelution performed.  Although I’m not a big Reggae fan, both groups were really solid.  I was especially impressed with Soja, on their first trip to Minneapolis, because of the diversity of their sound and their horn section.  Rebelution were clearly the favorites of the audience at the Fine Line and their talent really shown on some of the songs that they jammed on with excellent guitar work.  Zumbi hopped on stage with them for a quick song (see video below) and then to close out the show all the groups came on stage for a jam session to Outkast’s Spottieottiedopaliscious and some freestyling.  This is definitely a show not to skip out early on;  they closed it out with a bang.  You could tell everyone on stage was having a great time and could feel the vibe throughout the venue.

Check out this free 5 track sampler for download on Zion I’s site: www.zionicrew.com/download

Rhymesayers is throwing a benefit for Haiti this coming Tuesday at First Avenue.  All the proceeds of the show are being donated to the earthquake victims of Haiti.  Between the outstanding roster and the good cause everyone should get out to this show.  The lineup includes Brother Ali, Freeway & Jake One, Sage Francis & B. Dolan, Jake One, I Self Devine, Sims, Muja Messiah, Toki Wright, BK One, DJ King Otto and Kevin Beacham and will be hosted by Slug.

Check out the an interview with slug about the show.

Rhymesayers Presents: A Benefit For Haiti
Tuesday, February 9th 2010
First Ave (701 North First Ave, Minneapolis, MN)
$20
Tickets at Ticketmaster, Fifth Element, First Avenue, and other local outlets.

Oakland hip-hop duo Zion I are coming into Minneapolis tomorrow night on their 3 month U.S. tour with Reggae favorites Rebelution and Soja. Zion I are on tour supporting their new album, The Takeover and will be at the Fine Line Wednesday (Feb 3rd).

The first time I heard Zion I was their album Deep Water Slang that I picked up by suggestion from Fifth Element (if you haven’t heard that definitely seek it out). Their latest album has guest spots from by Houston legend Devin the Dude, UK emcee Ty and Minneapolis’ own Brother Ali.

Lyrically, Zion I’s emcee Zumbi runs the gamut on a range of issues both serious and frivolous, discussing problems and pleasures both spiritual and worldly.  You may be familiar with the other half of the group even if you haven’t heard Zion I;  Producer Amp Live is well known from his remixes including MGMT, Linkin Park, and “Rainydayz Remixes” based on Radiohead’s in Rainbows. “I started using way more effects on this album,” says Amp. “So I was able to bring in more elements that I’ve been using for some of the dance and indie rock stuff.”

Reggae Rock favorites Rebelution from Santa Barbara, California are headlining the tour. Rebelution has developed into the front runner for grassroots, independent, and touring driven music groups representing the Cali-Reggae scene. Originally formed in 2004, members Eric Rachmany (vocals / guitar,) Rory Carey (keyboards,) Wesley Finley (drums,) and Marley D. Williams (bass) met in college, while residing in Isla Vista, a popular beachside community in Santa Barbara.

Rebelution w/ Soja, Zion I |  18+ Show
Doors at 7:30pm / Music at 8:30pm
$15 advance  / $17 day of show – Buy Tickets

Check out this free 5 track sampler for download on Zion I’s site: www.zionicrew.com/download