MY BANDS FIRST ARTICLE!!!!
My hometown isnt oakland...but thats the press for ya lol
Read on im juiced....
Peace Dub
http://xpress.sfsu.edu/archives/magazine/004645.html
100% Proof
by Abigail Barsana, staff writer
October 20, 2005 09:47 PM
The top shelf of a grocery stores’ liquor aisle is often lined with expensive bottles of cognac, vodka, champagne and fine wine. If the all-female band Top Shelf were an actual type of alcohol, they would be up there next to the $300 bottles of Cristal and the prestigious Dom Perignon.
Meet Marianne Cariaso, Lynesha Kately, Sarah Castro, Marie Johnson, Paris Warr and Marissa Bloom, the 24-year-old ladies of Top Shelf, whose unique blend of hip-hop, rock, soul and R&B is creating a buzz around town that won’t leave you with a hangover.
“People love their authenticity and appreciate that they have no gimmicks,” says 23-year-old Josh Bloom, an emcee who collaborated with Top Shelf on their song, “Cupcakin.”
Lead guitar player and vocalist Kately says, “Women from the Bay just keep it real.”
Top Shelf gives it to you straight with no chaser. They do this by incorporating real life situations and issues important to them in their lyrics.
The band’s inspiration for the song “Rockstar” came after a woman who appeared to be on drugs tried to sell them two-dollar slippers. The song delves into the reality of crack addiction in Oakland, vocalist Warr's hometown.
“A lot of Bay Area rap only talks about regional stuff that not everyone understands, but if we talk about George Bush or about being broke, everyone understands that,” Warr says.
The band agrees they would not have this activist background had they not grown up in the Bay Area.
“It’s beautiful out here,” vocalist and guitar player Bloom says. “It’s the smallest area with the highest influx of creators and talent from all these different cultures.”
Yet, local artists still struggle to gain representation, even on local airwaves, because they are dominated by artists from New York, Los Angeles and even Atlanta. While the Bay Area rap scene is slowly being recognized, it’s mostly men in the spotlight. This is why Top Shelf couldn’t help but get excited, or as Bay Area rap fans like to say, “hyphy,” when they heard Oakland natives Goapele on the "Honey" soundtrack and saw Keyshia Cole host BET’s hit show “106 & Park.”
“These are women from the Bay finding their place in music and it's opening doors for all of us,” lead vocalist Johnson says.
Although many people don’t understand just what it means to be from the Bay Area, Top Shelf is sure that it’s their time to shine. Their song “Erray,” a San Francisco slang term used to get someone’s attention, introduced the band and the Bay Area to the rest of the world. What started out as a gag song turned into a crowd favorite because of its fun lyrics and energetic vibe.
“We talk about real shit, but we also understand that there’s a time to throw on a club joint,” drummer Cariaso says.
Despite the fact that Top Shelf already has a fan base, they’re taking things one step at a time, starting with a demo. Although they wouldn’t mind blowing up in popularity, they are still content with simply making positive music that people can groove to.
“I love music and I would love to do it as a career,” bass player Castro says. “I really see us making it. I have faith.”
» E-mail Abigail Barsana @ [email protected]
» More stories from [X]Press Magazine Issue Two: Culture
My hometown isnt oakland...but thats the press for ya lol
Read on im juiced....
Peace Dub
http://xpress.sfsu.edu/archives/magazine/004645.html
100% Proof
by Abigail Barsana, staff writer
October 20, 2005 09:47 PM
The top shelf of a grocery stores’ liquor aisle is often lined with expensive bottles of cognac, vodka, champagne and fine wine. If the all-female band Top Shelf were an actual type of alcohol, they would be up there next to the $300 bottles of Cristal and the prestigious Dom Perignon.
Meet Marianne Cariaso, Lynesha Kately, Sarah Castro, Marie Johnson, Paris Warr and Marissa Bloom, the 24-year-old ladies of Top Shelf, whose unique blend of hip-hop, rock, soul and R&B is creating a buzz around town that won’t leave you with a hangover.
“People love their authenticity and appreciate that they have no gimmicks,” says 23-year-old Josh Bloom, an emcee who collaborated with Top Shelf on their song, “Cupcakin.”
Lead guitar player and vocalist Kately says, “Women from the Bay just keep it real.”
Top Shelf gives it to you straight with no chaser. They do this by incorporating real life situations and issues important to them in their lyrics.
The band’s inspiration for the song “Rockstar” came after a woman who appeared to be on drugs tried to sell them two-dollar slippers. The song delves into the reality of crack addiction in Oakland, vocalist Warr's hometown.
“A lot of Bay Area rap only talks about regional stuff that not everyone understands, but if we talk about George Bush or about being broke, everyone understands that,” Warr says.
The band agrees they would not have this activist background had they not grown up in the Bay Area.
“It’s beautiful out here,” vocalist and guitar player Bloom says. “It’s the smallest area with the highest influx of creators and talent from all these different cultures.”
Yet, local artists still struggle to gain representation, even on local airwaves, because they are dominated by artists from New York, Los Angeles and even Atlanta. While the Bay Area rap scene is slowly being recognized, it’s mostly men in the spotlight. This is why Top Shelf couldn’t help but get excited, or as Bay Area rap fans like to say, “hyphy,” when they heard Oakland natives Goapele on the "Honey" soundtrack and saw Keyshia Cole host BET’s hit show “106 & Park.”
“These are women from the Bay finding their place in music and it's opening doors for all of us,” lead vocalist Johnson says.
Although many people don’t understand just what it means to be from the Bay Area, Top Shelf is sure that it’s their time to shine. Their song “Erray,” a San Francisco slang term used to get someone’s attention, introduced the band and the Bay Area to the rest of the world. What started out as a gag song turned into a crowd favorite because of its fun lyrics and energetic vibe.
“We talk about real shit, but we also understand that there’s a time to throw on a club joint,” drummer Cariaso says.
Despite the fact that Top Shelf already has a fan base, they’re taking things one step at a time, starting with a demo. Although they wouldn’t mind blowing up in popularity, they are still content with simply making positive music that people can groove to.
“I love music and I would love to do it as a career,” bass player Castro says. “I really see us making it. I have faith.”
» E-mail Abigail Barsana @ [email protected]
» More stories from [X]Press Magazine Issue Two: Culture
