Grit City Fest

Doors at 4PM! Hell’s Kitchen. Grit City Fest!

Our Music Director and Co-Founder Q Dot will be hitting the airwaves tonight at 6 PM to promote Grit City Fest 2011. Make sure you tune into nwczradio.com  and get the goods.

 

 

Mos Generator!

Maybach Music artist Stalley!

our Tacoma Weekly Poll winner Deborah Page!

City Hall

BigWheel Stuntshow

Top selling indie band SweetKiss Momma

 

More to come!!

We heard you loud and clear Tacoma. You like to party and have enough money left over to buy out the bar lol. So just for you…tickets are now $8

Click here to buy yours now. Space is limited and pre sales have been moving already.

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/186459

Dont forget tickets are on sale at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/186459

We’re also pleased to announce that Vinum Lounge, located on 10th and Pacific across from Hell’s Kitchen, will be hosting R&B/Spoken Word and Art. We’ll be announcing lineups for that as soon as we get em solidified but look forward to two intimate days and nights that will feature some of the sultriest, most soulful sounds and words and expressive, creative artists in the region! This will definitely be the place to be for those looking for a chill vibe during the hard hitting action at GCF.

http://www.facebook.com/Vinum.Coffee.and.Wine.Lounge

More lineup announcements for YOU!

Gerald Walker

There’s no better feeling as a music fan then to be on the discovery side of something big. I’ve prided myself throughout my life for turning my friends on to a little known at the time Brooklyn MC who went by the name Jay-Z. I turned them on to a crazy styled dreadlock wearing MC who until his verse on Tribe Called Quest’s Scenario was just some guy named Busta Rhymes. That was the 90s, here we are in 2011 and Gerald Walker is another one of these cases in my mind. Here’s a kid from Wisconsin – a place in terms of hip hop is a lot like Seattle, who’s doing what he can to put himself and his city on the map and he’s doing it damn good. Dropping mixtapes with Cardo from Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang? Check. New mixtape released under T.I.’s Grand Hustle imprint? Check. Opening for some of hip hop’s hottest new names while being featured in some of hip hop’s biggest print mags and blogs? Check check check some more.

 

 

 

 

Mos Generator 

Not much even needs to be said about Port Orchard band Mos Generator. All you need to know if you don’t already know is they rock hard and they’ll be there at Hell’s Kitchen with Seaweed at the other top bands from the area and if you miss that show you’ll be sorely disappointed. For life. True story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ben Union

Tacoman’s know about Ben Union. So do a good deal of Seattleites. But have you noticed just how cool these guys are? I mean really…nevermind the fact that they make some incredible tunes that are catchy and melodic and memorable and are arguably one of the most polished bands in the region. Nevermind they have a front man who’s got the pipes, the songwriting ability and the look of a star, these are just some cool ass lookin dudes! Catch em at GCF and buy em a beer after you buy their CD.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BigWheel StuntShow

This another one of my favorite bands and favorite people to be around. The good folks of BigWheel Stuntshow, reminiscent of a gone by era make the kind of music you can’t help but clap your hands and sing along too. You’ll have flashes of AC/DC with the stripped down Guitar, bass and drums setup but they play loud and epic. So epic, guitarist and vocalist Evan Nagle gave me my first “Holy $***” experience at a Rock show last year at GCF 2010 when he ended the set with a face melting solo on the guitar that somehow ended with him solo’ing on the drums as well. LOL. Yea. These boys get down to make you get up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luck One

I call him the Northwest’s newer version of Nas. . . That is the illmatic version. That’s not a bunch of hype either.  The man is a revolutionary in life and in his music one read of his bio at  http://www.luckoneconscious.com/#!learn . Originally from Portland Oregon, I was a fan of Luck One back when he played Jazzbones in 2009 we feel lucky to have him back again this year!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Royce The Choice – www.skymensays.com  (hip hop)

You read it in almost every bio – somewhere within the first few lines it’ll read something to the affect of so and so “…is a breath of fresh air.” And so if you’re like any self respecting music fan you take a good whiff of this supposedly new and fresh air – only to feel like you’ve been breathing the same recycled air you have the luxury of filling your lungs with on a nonstop 16 hour flight from Seattle to London. Royce the Choice is an MC who has earned the badge of “Breath of fresh air.” His laid back, non-chalant, yet super confident flow is super inviting not to mention the dude can spit with the best of em all the while being in a league that ditches the rest of em. I’m looking forward to the tons of people who’ll get a chance to see Royce do his thing Sunday August 28th at GCF.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James Coates – www.coatesmusic.net (rock)

I’ll be honest. Before the Tacoma Weekly Poll I hadn’t a clue who James Coates was. That’s no disrespect to James as much as it is me telling on myself about how busy i’ve been with GCF 2011 and the dedication we’ve had to making the event bigger and better than GCF 2010. But I tell ya what, the poll forced me to go check and see what was going on with James Coates and what was all the rage. Who was this guy who was lighting up the poll but yet I hadn’t heard of? Here’s what I concluded: 1. There’s a intimateness about his music and his voice that immediately grabs hold. 2. Speaking of his voice there’s something strikingly familiar about it. Not in a way of imitating someone else but in the way you know a relative’s voice even if you hadn’t heard it in years. 3. This type of honest, rootsy, cruise-down-a-one-lane-road-at-sunset music is going to be an amazing addition to the GCF lineup. 4. I have a really good feeling you’re gonna love James Coates no matter what your musical cup of tea is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deborah Page – www.deborahpagemusic.com (rock)

The winner of the Tacoma Weekly Poll on “Who you want to see at GCF 2011″  who we’ve saved for last in this lineup announcement (because you save the most ass-kickingest bands for last, comprende?) is none other than Tacoma’s own Deborah Page. A mainstay in the local scene since kicking down the door in 2007, DP is another one of the bands that are what GCF is all about: Good music that if you haven’t experienced we highly recommend and if you have experienced it you definitely will want to again. . .and again. . .and again. I mean, you don’t get to the front pages of some of the areas most well known publications with mediocrity, no way, especially in the state the print media business is in i’m sure they aint wasting ink on a band who can’t deliver. Deborah Page delivers folks. Danceable tunes, great lyrics and smoooooooth vocals and not to mention good looks. Catch the band Saturday the 27th!

Tomorrow (Wednesday the 20th) we’ll have a ton of announcements to make! The Grit City Fest team has been working amazingly hard to make this year the best yet which is why you haven’t heard from us in a week!

Tickets for the 2nd annual Grit City Fest will go on sale Saturday July 9th through Brown Paper Tickets. For the week of July 9th-16th ticket prices are as follows:

1-day pass: $12

2-day pass: $15 (A $9 savings – BEST BUY)

July 17th ticket prices will change to:

1-day pass: $15

2-day pass: $20 (A $10 saving – Still a good buy)

With prices at the door, day of show at $20

Find Grit City Fest on http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/186459

Here’s part two of our three part lineup announcement for GCF 2011 (who know’s we may end up with 5 or 6 lineup announcements when it’s all said and done haha)

Rock/Electro: 

ART VS. SCIENCE

This group of Aussies have been kickin’ some serious tail when it comes to taking the states by storm. Playing some of the biggest festivals and touring like crazy, this is straight up and down head banging, jump and down, dance ’til your silly electro pop rock music. If it ain’t your cup of tea I think it’s time to switch cups because whether you’re prepared for it or not these boys come to party and party hard.

 

 

 

 

 

Hip Hop:

GRIEVES

There’s nothing quite like a local boy done good story like Grieves. Well, kind of local at least. Grieves once upon time called the Seattle hip hop scene his home before making the jump to the indie hip hop big leagues by signing with Minneapolis based Rhymesayers Entertainment. He’s been able to accomplish something few regional MCs have been able to accomplish: See, Conquer and move the f*** on to bigger and better things: After a stint on the Van’s Warped Tour and promoting his new release Grieves makes his way to the T-Town throwdown.

 

 

 

ROCK:

PERRY ACKER

There’s something we enjoy about the Tacoma Music scene and what is a big part of what GCF is about and that’s highlighting the talent right here in this town in a way it hasn’t been highlighted before. We came across these guys by word of mouth before they started beatin’ the hell out of the Tacoma Weekly Poll asking you, the fans, who you’d like to see at this years GCF. Smooth tunes, smooth grooves, silky vocals and harmonies sounds like a bio that could be taken from the groups website but it’s not – these boys are what they are and thats damn talented and we’re glad to have em grace the GCF 2011 stage!

 

 

 

HIP HOP:

SPAC3MAN

Look at the picture of Spac3man…it’s as if he’s reading a text message that says: “Hi Spac3, i’m coming to GCF this year and i’m one of…oh I don’t know the 100,000+ people in Tacoma that probably haven’t heard your music or seen you perform live before.” Now use your imagine as to what Seattle MC Spac3man’s response to that supposed text message might be. . .(mmhhmm, that’s what we thought too.)

He’s a beast on the stage and he knows it. As for now that’s all you really need to know. To find out the rest of what this Spac3man is all about just get to Grit City Fest and get there early. I’d even get close up – but not too close because the energy this guy performs with is enough to light the room and power the sound system.

 

 

 

 

HIP HOP:

THEE BREAKLITES

So we all know that being in or a part of Tacoma, there’s a certain attitude of blunt, care-free honesty. Here’s my moment of honesty with you…I’m Q Dot, the Music Director of this whole GCF hullabaloo and prior to the Tacoma Weekly Poll I didn’t have the slightest clue who these guys were. Their selection into the festival didn’t come from them knowing someone who knows someone, it didn’t come off the heels of me going to elementary school with one of the members or something like that…it came from them beating the hell out of that Tacoma Weekly Poll and the countless people who kept throwing “Breaklites” up in my face on Facebook. Before I even got around to hearing some tunes (which I highly recommend btw) I was sold on the sheer fact that these guys hustle and being a musician myself I can appreciate real hustlers. I expect to see Breaklites fans show up in the masses and steal the show this year. I dream of a sea of people at Hell’s Kitchen, 500 strong singing every word of their music and just like The Fun Police last year with their memorable moment of having a chef cooking and feeding the audience freshly cooked Grits during their performance – we’ll be talking about Breaklites.

Hey Grit City Fest fans! Our inital lineup announcement is here! Take a look at who we’ve got on board for the 2011 event August 27th and 28th at Hell’s Kitchen in Tacoma. More to come soon.

 

Hip Hop:

STALLEY

 We’re proud to announce New York via Massilon, Ohio rhyme spitter Stalley at Grit City Fest 2011. Spin Magazine calls his summer tour one of the top to watch http://www.spin.com/gallery/spins-30-best-summer-tours?page=24#main and his video for the smash “Slapp” is nearing 250,000 views – watch it here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Je_KUzZYo

Other links:

www.facebook.com/stalleymusic

http://mishkanyc.bandcamp.com/album/presents-stalley-lincoln-way-nights-intelligent-trunk-music

 

 

 

CITY HALL

Tacoma hip hop group City hall (EvergreenOne x Todd Sykes x DJ Hanibal) grace the stage at GCF 2011. If you haven’t seen them perform live or heard their music – you’ll want to do yourself a favor and NOT miss them this year. Everyone can claim a high energy stage show, dope rhymes and beats but this group really brings it, 100% unadulterated Tacoma style full of authentic Grit.

 

Links:

http://evergreenonetoddsykes.bandcamp.com/album/milk-on-wax-2

 

 

 

 

 

Rock:

Seaweed

People often associate the Seattle music scene that exploded in the 90′s with bands from Seattle proper. Truth is, bands like Nirvana (who were the epitome of the Seattle music scene success) were from locales a good one to two hours away from the Emerald City. One of those bands who we’re a part of the explosion was Tacoma based Seaweed. This year they grace the stage of Grit City Fest, in their hometown. Their presence is sure to please music lovers, Rock and otherwise as they’re one of a few great bands that continue rocking hard and touring steadily even after the grunge heyday.

 

Links:

www.myspace.com/seaweed

 

Sweetkiss Momma

We’re proud to bring back for a second year, SweetKiss Momma to Grit City Fest. The band is a Tacoma go-to-band for a reason. You don’t get to the top of the sales heap on indie retailer CDbaby.com and play some of the hottest shows around the country for just being some slackers with instruments. No, these boys who come equipped with good ole honest rock with a southern tinged flair are every bit as legit as those guys you see on TV everyday. SweetKiss Momma is what Grit City Fest music is all about: Bands you NEED to see, hear and meet. Not because we think they’re cool but because they’re the next ones to go big and you don’t want to be left saying “oh I shoulda woulda coulda saw them back when…” Get a dose of tunes like Slow Fade this year at GCF 2001.

Links: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SweetKiss-Momma/134754342837

 

Check back for more announcements!