Shad: Warped Tour Photos

I don't know when these photos were taken, but they were uploaded on the 25th of July by Warped Tour . More photos from the festival on flickr.

Shad: Now A Daze/Compromise @ Warped Tour Orlando

Deraylor Music Festival Schedule Released

Thursday August 13

***K-OS (DJ SET)
DOA
SWEATSHOP UNION
ADAM SHAIKH
BISON BC
VINYL RITCHIE
CURRENT SWELL
JETS OVERHEAD
LUKE MCKEEHAN
VICIOUS CYCLES
MAURICE
DJ EVO
DJ HUBBS

Friday August 14

MOTHER MOTHER
***HEY OCEAN
***SHAD
FELIX CARTAL
DJ BRYX
SAID THE WHALE
B TRAITS
WOOD AND SOO
THE RACOONS
GOODBYE BEATDOWN
VENICE QUEEN
THE BLUE VIOLETS
SAM DEMOE

Saturday August 15

USS
REDEYE EMPIRE
LONGWALKSHORTDOCK
VELVET

An Interview with Shad by Aaron Binder

By Aaron Binder
Photos by Mike Bax

During the more wily days of my youth, (yes, I have the unfortunate tattoo to prove it) I was against everything but punk-raaaawk. As time went on though, I found I was tempted by the delights of a much wider variety of musical tastes; their aromatic scents gracing my musical nostrils, enticing me, slipping sweet words into my ears, demanding that I try something other than the same bland white bread.

Inevitably, my high level of curiosity won out and I started listening to classic 80’s rap - Public Enemy, The Next School, Run-DMC, and way more. It started out as an experiment in exaggerated irony and ended with me really loving the rap genre by the time I was exiting my teenage years.

Jump forward a few years and I can probably tell you more about Easy-E than you ever wanted to know. On a recent music binge I was trying to search out some new tunes to groove to and found this young Toronto rapper by the name of Shad that had just recently released an album. Not only was the flow incredibly smooth, but the beats were introspective and the timing was an incredible thing to behold.

Fast forward a few months later and I found myself at Warped Tour and sitting across from this young guy. He seemed almost nervous, it was his first press day on the tour, and I was his first interview. Shad is obviously an intellectual, and his outward demeanour is relaxed even when he’s likely tense. His eyes are always focused on something, a distant goal, his next project, more than anything, success.

Here’s the conversation we had.

Aaron: You’ve been doing a ton of touring lately, lots of festival shows, how have they been?

Shad: It’s cool, it’s been cool. Festival shows, you never really know what to expect when you’re outside. I think people feel a little less inhibited when they’re outside, but it’s definitely been cool.

Aaron: Any good experiences with any bands? Is there anyone you’ve seen on Warped that you’ve really liked?

Shad: Ya know what; there’s been a whole bunch. A lot of the bands I catch are on my stage, a lot of them are really cool and really different. It’s been pretty dope.

Aaron: Just to go back a couple of years, you won a contest on a radio station. Where do you think you’d be without that?

Shad: Man, nowhere. I don’t know, it was a huge opportunity and I think I would have tried to seek out a way to record myself but it would have been a lot harder so I’m definitely grateful for that opportunity. But, sometimes it’s nice to have deadlines and stuff and things you need to have done, and people that are just forcing you to get it done.

For the rest of the interview CLICK HERE.

k-os: Virgin Festival BC @ Deer Lake Park - Photos

© Sarah - Le HibOO

k-os: Festival d'Été de Québec (Highlights Video)

Props to Marie

k-os - Crabbuckit (Chad Doucette Acoustic Cover)

I came across this cover of Crabbuckit and I decided to share with you all. Enjoy!

Shad's Quest for Glory in Toronto - Video

Quest for Glory

The crew has also printed limited edition "The Old Prince Still Lives At Home" tees for the Warped Tour. If there are extras at the end of the tour, they will be put up on the online store.

via shadk.com

Vote On The K-OS Merch Design Contest

The following are the top rated designs right now. CLICK HERE to start voting!

Happy Birthday Shad!

Happy Birthday Shadrach Kabango! The Old Prince turns 27 years young today. He is currently in Uniondale, New York and I am sure that he is getting extra love from the crowd today.

Congratulations on another year and hopefully there will be many more successful years to come.

Shad: Passion for Music [WFSL Interview]

Canadian artist, Shad, was recently on his "Warped" tour, where he went to numerous cities across North America to promote the US release of his second album "The Old Prince". He is currently WhatFeelingsSoundLike (WFSL-beatwizemusic.blogspot.com) Artist of the Week. In light of this I, Beatwize, had the honor to have a chat with him.

Beatwize: Hey, Shad! Good to have you here. To start off, tell us a little about yourself.
Shad: Whattup! I'm a hip hop artist from London, Ontario. I've been fortunate enough to make 2 albums so far: When This is Over which came out in 2005 and The Old Prince in 2007.

Beatwize: You just finished the Warped Tour; how did that go?

Shad: It was a great experience and a great opportunity for us. Big shout to everyone who helped us out along the way!

Beatwize: For sure, I was so disappointed when I had to miss your Toronto show. What's your favorite city to perform in?
Shad: There's some towns in Canada - Guelph, Victoria, Peterborough; always a blast. So far San Fran and Hartford were a lot of fun too.

Beatwize: It must have been a struggle to strive in hip-hop music in a city like London, Ontario. How did you overcome these struggles?
Shad: I wouldn't really call it a struggle. Ever since I started out, the people in my hometown have been behind me which has been great. At the end of the day, getting to do something you enjoy and something that matters to you is such a blessing that you dont think too much about whatever challenges might be around.

Beatwize: Real talk. Your album "The Old Prince" has been acclaimed by pretty much everyone and it's one of my personal favorites as well. What were your inspirations during the making of this album?
Shad: Thanks man - I appreciate that. My main inspiration for that album was/is the daily struggle to be a certain kind of person. A more honest, more compassionate person. That's what the Old Prince is a metaphor for - spending your life in search of that 'quality of character' for lack of a better term.

Beatwize: You definitely did a good job of showing that on the album. It released in USA just a little while back (June 30th). That's a big gap between the Canadian release (October 2007). Does this mean we won't be seeing new Shad tracks for a while?
Shad: I plan on recording again when I get back from tour. Definitely itching to put some new ideas down!

Beatwize: That's great news! In 'I Don't Really Like To' you say "I'm down with that pirate stee..pirate me". Do you think piracy has a positive impact on lesser-known artists? Do you think it's particularly important for Canadian musicians?
Shad: I never thought about that connection. Maybe because we don't sell a lot of albums up here in Canada anyways, we dont care as much! I think overall I'm just looking to get my music out there to as many as might enjoy it.

Beatwize: Are there any Canadian artists you feel have paved the way for you?
Shad: I think theres been canadian hip hop artists going back to Maestro Fresh Wes that opened up Canadian audiences to hip hop music. More recently guys like k-os and Kardinal have been exposing the world to Canadian hip hop. Artists in the indie rock scene too that have changed the global perception of Canadian music recently - arcade fire, broken social scene, etc...

Beatwize: Any Canadian artists you've been wanting to work with?
Shad: Lots. I dont do too many collaborations - mostly just 'cause they're annoying to coordinate - but theres lots of Canadian artists that I love listening to: k-os, Feist, Chad Vangaalen, Shaun Boothe, City and Colour, just to name a few.

Beatwize: I personally would love to hear a Shad/k-os collaboration, and I'm sure most of yours and his fans would too! How about outside of Canada? What artists do you look up to and what artists would like to/would have liked to have worked with?
Shad: I respect Lupe Fiasco's music a lot. Mr J Mederios put out a great album a little while ago too many to name!

Beatwize: Lupe is definitely one of the best out. My favorite tracks from you are probably 'Exile' and 'Voice Like an Angel'. What song of yours do you personally think is your best?
Shad: Thanks! Angel is definitely one that took some time for me to pin down. Off the last album, thats probably the deepest one for me. Tough question...I'd probably go with Angel though 'cause I worked pretty hard on that one.

Beatwize: Anything else you would like to say?
Shad: Thanks for the time and the support! Peace!

Props to Beatwize. Make sure to check out his dope blog!

Shad Freestyling in Toronto - Video

At the Toronto stop of the Warped Tour, Shad goes from "I Don't Like To" to his freestyle at 2:18 in the clip.

Thanks to katiebaby00x for the video.

k-os at SaskTel Jazz Festival - Videos

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

Props to asman648

Shad, k-os, and Hey Ocean! Performing During Kokanee Crankworx

Deraylor Music Festival will rock Whistler ‘s hottest venues during Kokanee Crankworx

August 13 -15 2009, Whistler, BC, www.deraylor.com

Featuring over 45 bands and DJ’s from around the globe, The Deraylor Music Festival will live and breathe the lifestyle that surrounds the world’s most renowned mountain biking festival, Kokanee Crankworx. For the first time, Whistler’s hottest music venues and nightspots are working closely with Deraylor’s producers to host a unique music line-up from the 13th to the 15th of August.

“The goal is to turn the old music festival format on its head by creating a multi-venue, wristband festival that will establish Whistler as a great destination for local and international music events,” says Tyl van Toorn, co-founder and Executive Producer of the Deraylor Music Festival.

The Deraylor line-up includes artists such as K-OS, DOA, USS, Mother Mother, Shad, Long Walk Short Dock, Felix Cartel, Bison, Shad, Jets Overhead, Wood & Soo, DJ Bryx, Said the Whale, Current Swell and Hey Ocean. Full line-up and schedule can be found at www.deraylor.com

Deraylor is featuring its lineup in Whistlers best venues including the Longhorn, the GLC, Tommy Africa’s, Maxx Fish, Mojo’s, Garfinkel’s and Merlin’s. “This year’s event is about offering a great line-up and creating a great experience for attendees,” says Deraylor Co-producer Nick Blakso. “We want to ensure that fans will have access to more artists and venues than any other past experience.”

And the price is right. A $35 wristband will grant exclusive access to all concerts taking place in participating venues. “I have never been more excited”, says van Toorn. "We have been involved in producing music in Whistler for over a decade and I have never seen more people come together to build a great event. There is something really exciting and unique about having just about every live venue and bar in town working together to create such a unique experience. "

Deraylor will be THE party in Whistler village from Aug 13 -15 and create a unique music experience for everyone coming up to party during Kokanee Crankworx. "The Deraylor Music Festival is a fresh new platform for music in Whistler." says Kokanee Crankworx GM, Jeremy Roche. "We are very excited to be working with some dynamic, experienced progrmming partners on a concept that we are sure will be an amazing addition to the Kokanee Crankworx Festival."

Admission to all shows by Festival Wristband Only and are subject to age (19+) and capacity restrictions.
Tickets are available online at www.ticketweb.com and at the following locations
Vancouver- Zulu Records, Beat Street Records and Scratch Records
Whistler- Showcase Snowboards

Visit www.deraylor.com or email info@deraylor.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information

Full schedule will be released on July 17th.

k-os - Man I Used To Be (Extended Dance Sequence)

Embedding code was disabled for the video. CLICK HERE to watch it.

Choreographed by Victor Quijada

Edited by Micah Meisner

Performed by Jayko Eloï & Victor Quijada

Commentary by K-OS
--
Although RUBBERBANDance Group members had appeared in previous K-OS music videos and onstage at his concerts, this was the first formal choreographic collaboration that transpired between Quijada and the Juno Award winning rap artist. The central mens duet was originally conceived for the RBDG full length piece SLICING STATIC and restaged for the award winning music video directed by Micah Meisner.

Man I Used To Be was the very first song and music video I heard and saw from k-os. This was a life changing point in my life. With his philosophical lyrics, the way I thought changed completely.