Tha RZA, Tha GZA, Ol' Dirty.........

I've been slacking on my concert going lately, I'll admit. Major concerts, mind you - I just checked my man Shehzaad and the rest of the dudes in Arietta plus that dude Mike Appleton last Saturday at Sneaky Dee's and the El Mocambo. But the last time I saw a real, touring, out-of-town band was back in early December when I caught the Dillinger Escape Plan at the Opera House.

Then again, to be honest, not many artists that pique my interest have come around the way since then... well, with the exception of Lupe Fiasco, Danko Jones, and Chimaira, off the top of my head... all right so maybe I could have peeped a couple more gigs. But I didn't, and that's the story. So here I am, show thirsty and slightly bummed that the only concert prospects in the near future are K-Ci & Jo-Jo and Peter Bjorn and John. Nothing against any of those guys, but I'm in the mood for a truly hype show. If I'm getting back in the swing of things, I don't want to sway my body and put up my lighter. I'd much prefer to mosh and snap my neck back and forth so vigourously that it's attached to the rest of my body only by my rasped out vocal chords, barely audible from reciting... erm... screaming out the lyrics word for word. Or at least, even if I don't know the lyrics entirely, just from screaming out of pure drunken amazement at how the music has taken form on its way from the instruments to the vocals to the monitors to the resonance of the empty beer bottles to the battered walls of a venue far beyond its time, to my ears.

Enter the GZA. The Genius. The prime lyricist of the Wu-Tang Clan, the self-proclaimed greatest group of all time, remembered in large part for their lyrical ingenuity (and bridging the gap between kung-fu and rap). Known for making crowds protect their necks, educating the masses about c.r.e.a.m. and the mysteries of chessboxing, the GZA in particular with his liquid swords. So when I got a link last week from the aforementioned Shehzaad - while wallowing in my musically deprived state of depression - telling me that not only was GZA/Genius coming to town, but he was coming to perform his classic Liquid Swords album in its entirety(!!!), of course I was hyped right away. So yesterday after school, I ran down to the Sunrise at Yonge & Sheppard - literally, I almost slipped on the slush tracks people brought from outside - and picked up my ticket for the February 8th show. So for all of you who know, and everyone should, who the GZA is, get that ticket! It's gonna be a party. And for those who don't (tsk tsk)... I leave you this:



Peace!