Published: December 15, 2007 10:04 AM EST
Updated: December 30, 2008 AM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., BGS, MBA (Juniorscave.com)
Hip Hop / Jazz / Indie
Are you feeling very ill? Are you feeling that you have something that can not be cured? Maybe you are feeling that Hip-Hop is dead. Well, we have the ANTEDOTE. Check out the group ANTEDOTE with their fusion of Jazz, Indie, and Hip-Hop blended to melodious rhymes, conscious lyrics, and smooth vocals that fits perfectly to their style. Once you taste a sample to their style you will be hooked as we at Junior’s Cave Online Magazine. Check out this exclusive interview to learn more about ANTEDOTE.
Mesi Goodness (Words)
Travis von Cartier (Bass, Keys, Vox)
Kellin (Guitars, Keys)
Dan Val Dan (Drums, Vox)
E.B. Magic (Percussion, Rarities)
Queen Be (Words,Harmony)
Many Pieces (Words)
Aniana (Words,Harmony)
Isaac: Let's get started with this interview. What is the name of your band? When and where was the band founded?
Antedote: Antedote was founded in 2002 in Phoenix, AZ. Originally called
Antedote: the neato project.
Isaac: What is the band's musical background?
Antedote: The instrumentalists in this band are all classically trained musically. I (travis), have majored in jazz performance on both bass and piano along with Dan Val Dan who majored on drums. I think that we all got a bit burnt out on the rock thing as the over saturation from distorted guitars got old to the ears after awhile. As a result I moved on to learning how to produce hip hop.
Isaac: When did you start to learn? (How old were you?)
Antedote: I began lessons when I was eight years old as did my brother and the rest of the instrumentalists.
Isaac: Where does the band reside at currently?
Antedote: The band lives in the metropolitan Phoenix area.
Isaac: How long has the group been actively playing together?
Antedote: For about 4-5 years.
Isaac: What is it about this kind of music that makes it different from other
types?
Antedote: Since we play a hip-hopesque blend of music it is a bit unique playing that type of music with a complete live band, instead of a DJ which is so commonly used in hip-hop, enabling us to mix various genres and even dive into the world of cheesy cover songs plus we use little to no effects as well as everything is played live. No Loops, no
samples, just us performing the old school way: by playing real instruments.
Isaac: Are there different styles of playing your type of music?
Antedote: WE tend to mix jazz with a bit of soul, adding in hip-hop and seasoning it with a bit of drum n bass. Cooking for 30 minutes at 350 degrees the result is a delicate blend of organic sonic nourishment.
Isaac: When and where are the band's hot spots to perform at usually?
Antedote: We play at various club venues in Tempe, AZ, as well as concert venues such as the Marquee and the Clubhouse.
Isaac: Do you ever earn money by playing music?
Antedote: Travis and Dan Val Dan are both professional musicians who do only
that for a living; so YES!
Isaac: Does the band play alone or with others?
Antedote: Due to the nature of hip-hop today there are not many bands that exist so as a result, we play with various DJ's and local emcees, including Grime and Brad B, as well as national acts including Common, Diggable Planets, Kool Keith, Dead Prez, WuTang, to name a few.
Isaac: Are there others in this locale who play the same kind of music? What
are their names and types of musical instruments they play?
Antedote: There is only one other hip-hop band that is dong something similar to us in AZ and they are called the Drunken Immortals. Our styles are complementary but very different. Their instrumentation is similar difference being they have a DJ and we have a singer.
Isaac: Have you passed your tradition on to others, who and when? Why is this
important to you?
Antedote: Imitation is the highest form of flattery they say.....
Isaac: Between all of your tracks you have created which one do you feel a closeness to and why?
Antedote: I personally enjoying playing a song we wrote called 'Strife 2' because its effects on my little brain or hypnotic placing me into a musical meditative trance. As the result of having problems finding decent musicians, I was forced to take on keyboard, bass, and singing duties simultaneously. This song puts all three together working in
harmony allowing me to ONLY think of the song....which is in a way a very good meditation!
Isaac: What makes a performance/song good? How do you judge a
performance/song?
Antedote: It is best to constantly intrigue and challenge the listeners' ears. This is done by mixing in stuff that people wouldn't expect to hear with stuff they would. As far as live performances, we know that we have done well if the crowd is moving up and down screaming for encores, or on the other side if they are not moving at all instead mesmerized by the music where all they can do is watch.
Isaac: Where can fans locate you online if they want more information about the band?
Antedote: Check us out at our MySpace Account: http://www.myspace.com/antedote
