The Witzard

"My name is Lang Vo. I'm one half of WORDS HURT with Def Jux alum ALASKA and the other half of the group REINFORCED STEEL with my friend and sage, Kwamizzle. I've been producing and making beats for the last 20+ years. Back in the heyday, before I had kids, I used to work the Columbus, Ohio scene and did shows with Camu Tao and opened for his group, S.A. Smash. I've opened for Atmosphere, Mr. Lif [& Akrobatik AKA] The Perceptionists, Blueprint with Soul Position [RJD2], etc. Although, I never hit "The Big Time," I had a great time back then. My last show was a show with Killah Priest in 2009. Once I started having kids, I still made music and did a few shows here and there in Austin, Texas, but staying out late and having drunk people dump beer on my equipment didn't seem as fun anymore. I didn't pick it back up again seriously, until I started working with Alim Wade, a rapper in Atlanta. He started sending my beats out to people like Kool A.D. ...

It's a rather unlikely story, which almost sounds too good to be true, but it all started with a single White Denim-centric piece I published back in October-November 2013; "I saw you recently featured White Denim [on The Witzard], and thought you might find UBK's (Israel) new music video interesting," read an email from a publicist named Emma. Uri Brauner Kinrot-fronted UBK would soon effortlessly morph from a mere solo project into a full-fledged band called Ouzo Bazooka. I've been in sporadic contact with UBK's people, fellow band mates, and most recently, Kinrot himself over the course of the past three years and have been honored to feature a number of their videos here on this very site. I would, if pressed, likely attempt to best describe Ouzo Bazooka's unique Israeli Rock sound as a stylistic love child between The Black Keys, Eric Clapton-helmed Cream, and a Mediterranean-influenced version of The Rolling Stones. Ouzo Bazooka's genre-blendin...

"Shadows On Behalf" The latest addition to Stones Throw 's ever-growing, Hip-Hop genre-straying roster are The Stepkids . Tim Walsh (drums), Jeff Gitelman (guitar), and Dan Edinberg (bass/keys) - 3 singer/songwriters - [along with live additions, Fred Dileone and Jesse Mann] make up the group. Together crafting a brand of Psychedelic [ Zappa-esque ] Jazz/Folk Rock, the 3 core members have previously spent time touring with Alicia Keys , 50 Cent , Lauryn Hill , and Indie Punk band Zox , as well as recording commissioned music for movies/TV commercials. The Stepkids join the likes of Stones Throw 's varied genre signees (Tony Cook, James Pants, Mayer Hawthorne, Dâm-Funk, and Gary Wilson). Rumored 2011-12 additions also include Vex Ruffian, Bryant K., and the artist formerly known as "Danimals" - DJanimals. The Stepkids ' [limited edition] "Shadows On Behalf" / "La La" 12" will be released in April, with their self-titled Stone...