Spose - Live @ Bottom of the Hill
Growing up in Portland, Maine there was not a lot of local
music that made it onto the national scene. Maine being a sparsely populated
place, it is very rare that one of our citizens makes big enough artistic waves
to gain any attention beyond the New England region. There are occasional
exceptions to this; the two that come to mind are the band the Rustic Overtones
and the actress Anna Kendrick. The Rustic Overtones got some national radio
play in the late 1990’s, went on a couple of big tours, and made some great
music, my favorite song being Feast Or Famine from
their 1997 album ‘Rooms by the Hour’. Ms. Kendrick, who is about my age, made
her rise in local and regional theater, performed on Broadway, and eventually transitioned
to screen acting. Most tweens recognize her as Jessica from the Twilight
movies, although my favorite performance of hers is the role of Beca in Pitch
Perfect. That’s right, I’ve seen Pitch Perfect.
I went to college in Maine (UMF ’06 represent!) and it was
there I befriended a number of kids my age from the town of Wells. Aside from
being a uniquely tight knit and interesting bunch, Wells kids have a distinct
affinity for hip hop and various elements of its culture. It was in Wells where
I first learned what a whip is, how to smoke a backwood, and who T.I. is. When
I first got into freestyle rapping, a good deal of it was in the hazy bedrooms
of my Wells homies. And one of those homies was named Ryan, who was starting to
create music under the moniker Spose.
It didn’t take long for the small-yet-robust Maine hip hop
scene to notice Spose. He was loud, confident, and really motivated. He got his name tattooed on his arm and wherever
rap nights, battles, or freestyle sessions cropped up Spose was not far away.
Spose is one of those kids who always has something clever to say and is
probably the smartest person in the room. He has a way of seriously rapping
without taking himself seriously. As an artist he is dedicated, always making
new music, and consistently finds new ways to stay fresh in a genre sometimes limited
by its narrow bandwidth.
In 2010, Spose struck gold with his song ‘I’m Awesome’. It
got him a record deal, a music video, and a boost in resources to take his art to the next level. Since
then he has toured several times, launched his own music label and line of merchandise, and
generally managed to be a professional full time musician in an era where many
musicians still have to work a day job.
Recently Spose went back on tour, this time with MC Chris and MC Lars (who is a California native) and
they swung through San Francisco for a night to do a show at Bottom of the Hill. Known for its strong docket of indie/underground artists, the
venue is aptly named based on the hilly geography of SF, and the fact that it
is indeed located at the bottom of one of said hills. Also, it is apparently a
large residential house converted and modified over the years to be a music
venue/bar. This gives it the reckless charm of a house party and the intimacy of
a small underground club.
a cellphy with the crew
A few Maine homies came up from Santa Cruz and down from
NorCal to join forces for the show. When we got there the line was huge and
Spose was already performing; we could hear him outside as we waited in line,
and I demonstrated how cool I was/killed time by rapping along to ‘I’m Awesome’
outside on the sidewalk. Once inside we plowed our way to the front, cheap beer
in hand, and jammed out with as much exuberance as could be afforded to a homie
who had toured all the way from Maine to California to share his music with the
country.
Spose engages the audience
Spose did not disappoint, blending his familiar half-joking
honesty with precise rhyme-schemes and word play. He is incredibly well
rehearsed and does not at any point fuck up. He sometimes commits the common
faux-paux of explaining what his songs are about before performing them, but he
does so in an endearing way that adds to the storytelling element of hip hop. All
around us were hordes of young strangers who were completely into it, many were
screaming the lyrics right back at the artist, nodding their heads, waving their
hands, and generally having a great time seeing an artist they love.
Looking back at those bedroom freestlyes so long ago, I
thought about all that had transpired for Spose to finally end up on that stage
in San Francisco. The memories put a smile on my face that didn’t go away all
night (admittedly part of that might have been the tidal wave of Budweiser I
consumed). It felt like a little slice of Maine that night, with all the homies
in California coming together to see Spose and hang out with friends.
______________________________________
If you liked this blog entry, check out Lil Dicky - Live @ the Independent
______________________________________
If you liked this blog entry, check out Lil Dicky - Live @ the Independent