RA Scion and Sabzi(Blue Scholars) announce EP and visit KEXP’s John Richards in-studio! Black Patch War EP out May 6th digitally, May 20th physically
MP3: Black Patch War
http://terrorbird.alphapupserver.com/music/01%20Black%20Patch%20War.mp3
Nearly two-and-a-half years after the release of their eponymous debut album, Common Market (RA Scion and Sabzi [Blue Scholars]) are pleased to announce the Black Patch War EP which will be available May 6th digitally and May 20th Physically on MASSLINE MEDIA. The 7-track EP, which derives its name from an early 20th century farmers’ rebellion in Western Kentucky, serves as the musical prelude to the highly anticipated full length album Tobacco Road, due in September.
Common Market formed unofficially and unintentionally during a collaborative project in 2004 when Sabzi (Saba Mohajerjasbi) contributed beats to RA Scion’s Live & Learn. The two casually discussed the idea of releasing an EP based on their mutual respect for mid-nineties era east coast Hiphop, as well as a shared spiritual foundation in the Baha’i Faith; that project, recorded entirely in a week-long session inside a sweltering Beacon Hill attic, would become what now stands as the moniker for both the band and the album: Common Market.
Despite the fact that Common Market was loosely crafted, the recurring topical principles of social justice, personal accountability and the eternal quest to fulfill a greater purpose resonated deeply with a vast audience. Black Patch War builds beautifully on the platform of its predecessor, but with a much more concentrated focus. The album opens with the title track on which RA Scion, from a first-person perspective, paints a vividly violent picture of the intense struggle between small-scale farmer and Big Tobacco; the emcee’s delivery every bit as relentless as the fabled Night Riders of Kentucky. By the end of the second track, RA has deftly flashed-forward a hundred years, and speaking now as himself he illustrates how he has become a byproduct of the very self-righteousness that started the Black Patch War
The underlying feeling of desperation is authentic as RA Scion draws upon the personal experience of growing up in Kentucky, an area still struggling to find the balance between righteousness and retribution. The emotion is palpable over Sabzi’s visceral composition as the emcee proclaims; “Poor and covetous, I pour a cup and it’s, not enough to fill up – we’re overrunnin’ this.” Black Patch War is not without hope, however, as the narrator applies the wisdom gained from hardship in “Trouble Is” and offers advice to future generations in “Bonanza.”
In the history of America, there has never been a more religious or a more bloodthirsty region than the South; Black Patch War dissects the contradiction to explain the condition of interdependence. The emcee fights to separate himself from the indoctrination of the Old Church culminates in “Watership Down,” a paean for anyone who has ever questioned the validity of their own faith.
With pointed and pertinent social commentary atop a soul-stirring soundscape of hard-hitting beats, Black Patch War is genuine Common Market. While the EP serves well as a segue into the band’s future, it undoubtedly solidifies their position as legitimate contenders for the national spotlight in a burgeoning regional scene.
www.myspace.com/commonmarket
www.masslinemedia.com
Tracklisting
1. Black Patch War
2. Oldham Era
3. Watership Down
4. Red Leaves
5. His Eminence
6. Trouble Is
7. Bonanza
Common Market EP Release Party
May, 9th 2008 @ The Vera Project
COMMON MARKET
D. Black
Khingz (of Ab Creole)
DJ Daps1
ALL AGES :: $8.00 :: 7:00PM
Live performance on KEXP w/ John Richards 5/9!