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Concert Mon Apr 21 2008
When Life Gives You Lemons, Stop Making Damned Lemonade.
Sometimes the pull of stereotype is too strong. Somehow, you look at Sean "Slug" Daley and there's no way he can really be a wordsmith that's any good. You look at Anthony "Ant" Davis and think that there was no way this guy makes beats of any merit. They're white (looking) and appear in photos, well, not very hip-hoppy.
But to hell with appearances. Ant and Slug make up Atmosphere, and the new album out Tuesday is "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold". They'll be at the Metro for the next couple of days on the album-support tour, and Ant himself will be working the merch table.
Because it's not gangsta, and it's not all that "urban", the mantle of "king of emo rap" has been bestowed on Slug's head, and it's just funny how the stereotypes come into play when the norm of what's "hip-pop" and "real" comes into play. Ant's sonics don't fit the sample-heavy orchestrations that certain artists thrive on. Slug's subject material is pretty far from the mainstream norm, as failed relationships and storytelling involving some decidedly non-glamorous subjects (blue collar workers, children living with unhappy parents, etc.) that probably lends him to be tagged with a label that would assure him indie popular appeal. Appeal hasn't translated into multi-plat album sales, but appeal nonetheless. Hey, the internet love counts for something.
Atmosphere enjoys a loyal fanbase in the Midwest, being from Minneapolis and all, and the Chicago shows should be absolutely packed. Tuesday is all ages, with doors at 6 and show at 6:30. Wednesday is 18 and over, doors at 8, show at 9. Tickets are $20, $22 at the door.
Download "Shoulda Known", the first single
- Shoulda Known video, hosted at myspace