Local jazz, hip hop outfit Astro Travellers launched their debut EP, 'Seven Metaphors', with a hometown show at Woolly Mammoth last Friday (3 July).
The crew has evolved since forming in 2013 as a band of con kids plus an MC. They’ve been active in the live, local scene and gathered a steady following of hungry creatives and music lovers. They since have recruited a second MC and a female vocalist and continued to perfect and push their sound.
Click here for photos from the show.
Da Cruz The Bandit grabbed his microphone to call everyone drifting back from the smoking area and lingering around the bar to come forward. The rest of the band took their positions to join DJ Katch (who contributed greatly to the debut EP) on stage.
Astro Travellers - Image © Jann Angara
Their performance for the night was relaxed and felt like a celebration of their achievement as a band and as family. It was a genuine celebration with their friends and supporters in their hometown – a send-off party before they continue their tour and spread their sound nationally and beyond.
The band played, improvised and performed the seven songs from the 'Seven Metaphors' EP (plus more) while in between passing drinks and e-cigs to and from friends in the audience.
Astro Travellers - Image © Amanda Starkey
Both MCs regularly spoke to the crowd getting everyone to raise their glasses for themselves, to raise their glasses to Astro Travellers, to raise their glasses to the bar tenders and occasionally asking “who keeps drinking my drink?”. The crowd partied along nodding heads and swaying as they enjoyed the music and proudly cheered.
They invited an unexpected friend to join them on stage who, after a some convincing from both the band and the crowd, joined Tiana Khasi on vocals while the MCs jammed. They also welcomed back some members of Dead Caucus who returned on stage with their shirts back on (their supporting set earlier in the night had the 11 deep crew shirtless and jumping on and off the stage to some heavy beats).
Dead Caucus - Image © Jann Angara
The Astro Travellers' sound is old-school hip hop with live instrumentation and improvisation with a multiform of grooves and some sweet harmonies. They are similar to bands like Balance and The Travelling Sounds, Bad Bad Not Good, Crown City Rockers and The Roots and they undoubtedly have the right influences and talent to reach the same heights as these bands.
Click here for photos from the show
