PDP Update: On The Rob Lowe.

You've probably been wondering just where in heckfire PDP has been. Well, PDP has been busy. Busy as bees. Bees who drink their tiny faces off and are pathologically depressed despite being able to fly, throw ass darts (pause), and make honey out of shit that would cripple other motherfuckers. Bees who spend an inordinate amount of time wondering how much money Rob Lowe has spent on abortions in his lifetime.

Because we assume it is a substantial amount of money. Dude was unfathomably handsome and outrageously famous at like thirteen years old, right? So he must have been laying pipe long before Class or Youngblood or when he became the ultimate 80s badass in St. Elmo's Fire. Shit, there's even tapes of him tagging fifteen-year-olds or something. Not that we approve of that, per se, we're just citing the evidence. Even with that 'Buy 9 Get 1 Free' card that Planned Parenthood hands out, we're betting that there has been a serious investment made in the termination of pregnancies.

Why have we been thinking about this, you axe? Well, we think that if Rob, who has made much much more money than that over the course of his career(s), would just match that amount and hand it over to the staff of Poorly Drawn Parenthood, we could invest that sum and furnish you all with a hearty slate of new releases and paraphernalia.

Thus far, the messages we have left with his assistant have not been responded to.

So we move on. We hustlaz, after all. We hustlez.

Anyway, we've been doing other stuff too. We usually are loathe to announce anything until it is finished, pressed, packaged, and ready to be put into your hands, but its been 2 months since we drew back the curtain and let you peek in, so what the hell. Here it is, the new issue of Poorly Drawn Quarterly:



NEW SHOW ANNOUNCEMENTS!

Two new Providence shows that are bigger than your average.

First, we're opening for El-P (ex-Company Flow, producer of Aesop Rock, Cannibal Ox, and a million others, and head honcho of Definitive Jux Records). Also on the bill is our cohort from Strange Famous Records, B. Dolan, and Yak Ballz, who had a really awesome leather jacket on at the Cage show in Providence a couple of months ago.

Friday October 9 2009

El-P (Def Jux)
Yak Ballz (Def Jux)
B. Dolan (SFR)
Poorly Drawn People (Parentheses)

Jerky's Music Hall
71 Richmond Street
Providence RI
www.myspace.com/jerkysbar
18+

you can buy tickets for the Providence gig here.

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Also, the fine folks at the Great International Beer Festival have invited us to be the evening entertainment at this November's festival. That's right, the Kegstand Poet, the guy who wrote "Happy Drunk", the deejay whose prowess with a freezer rivals his skills on the tables, and Dox, who spends more time in bars than reciting bars, will be unleashed upon a sea of unlimited beer. And you can watch.

Saturday November 14 2009

Evening session is from 6:30 - 10:00 PM

PDP will be performing 2 one-hour sets backed by their full live band led by drummer Austin Andrews.

Tickets are $36.00. According to the festival's website, "your admission ticket will allow you UNLIMITED SAMPLING of more than 250 brews. Live MUSIC, FOOD and MUCH MORE!" Thats 2 hours of PDP plus 250 beers.

We understand if you don't come, though: it's Saturday night, and you could get 3 drinks at Tazza while experiencing Barry's Barry's Barry's Video Dance Party for the same price.

You can purchase tickets in advance here.

Here's the description of the event straight from the organizers:

We are again inviting you to participate in our forthcoming 16th Great International Beer Festival held again at the Rhode Island Convention Center in downtown Providence.

Our recent Spring Beer Festival, with over 4,200 attendees, was an overall success. Several new breweries were on hand and our music entertainment was 1st rate.

The November 14th Festival welcomes back the Great International Beer Competition, our 13th, under the direction of Judge Gregg Glaser. Last November there were over 200 beer competition entries, with well publicized results. Gregg also conducted our “Tutored Tasting” at the Show. To prevent overcrowding and long wait lines we increased our square footage to 70,000 from 40,000 a few years earlier, thereby easier to handle the estimated 7,000 attendees.

You can check out more info at their website here.

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NEW COLLABORATIONS

Had it with having to trek to shows to get your PDP fix? Need some new music from the fellas for the iPod? We've been working on that too:

One of our favorite underground hip hop groups on the scene right now is Educated Consumers (Seez Mics & T.E.C.K.) out of Maryland. Reason & Storm Davis just finished recording verses (more than one apiece! Ooooh) for the track "My Us" off the Educated Consumers' new album Hey Big Mama. Keep an eye on www.educatedconsumers.com for that release, and cop it when you can. You will not regret it.

PDP-affiliate and rising-like-the-sun producer Falside is finishing up a remix album called Five Finger Discount, and has included his takes on an unreleased Reason track called "Dead T-Shirts", as well as a fresh perspective on "Keep It Ova There", the Reason & Storm Davis track originally produced by Entity and available on PDP's 2007 mixtape Nothing Stays Gold. The compilation will also include Falside remixes from artists including Wale, Kev Brown, DITC, The High and Mighty, Sean Price, Dirty Hank, the Beatnuts, and more. Sponsored by Undergroundhiphop.com, Swank Attire, and Potholesinmyblog.com, a release date for this project will be announced soon.

Storm Davis and Reason will both be making vocal appearances on Providence rabble-rouser Dirty Hank's new EP, entitled Dirty Hank's Guide To Giving Up, which also features production by Dox and Falside. Release date TBA.



Reason is yay close to finishing work on his new solo album, Landlords & Lullabies, featuring production from Falside, Esh the Monolith (Labeless Illtelligence), Drumat!c (Formulatin' Fathers), longtime PDP merch-table-mercenary Justin Catoni, and Phillip Drummond, plus raps by Storm Davis and Dirty Hank. L&L will most likely be PDP's next release, and should hit your 8-track players before the end of the calendar year.

Sometime after the release of Landlords & Lullabies and the completion of Dirty Hank's Guide to Giving Up, the intoxicated neighbors will join forces to give you The Monty Brogan EP, a bunch of raps to make your girlfriend very, very angry, presented over a full slate of Falside production.



Storm is not quite as close to finishing Robot Rock & Necktie Blues, his sophomore album featuring wall-to-wall production from Dox. The Chinese Democracy-reminiscent juggernaut has become the victim of an Axl-esque bout of vapor lock and as a result is frozen in developmental hell. Which one would think would be warm. But whatever. Work on the record began in February 2005 and now contains absolutely none of the songs written in the first 2 years of the process, but is evidentally so hot that it melts SD's thoughtsicles whenever he considers the possibility of its existence. Yet not hot enough to melt the frozen hell of developemental... you know what? This dude is obviously full of crap. We give up. Allegedly, the album will arrive in stores.

In the meantime, SD has launched work on a full-length project with producer Entity, who is best remembered for doing everything he possibly could to stop Kegstand Poetry from being completed. The album is nearly halfway finished, which means someone involved in the project is due for a meltdown at any moment, and it has already run through an impressive selection of working titles, including Infallible Chocolate Jesus; A Fine Looking Spaniard; Triangle of Sexual Junkfood; and No Rest For The Wicked Awesome. A hearty amount of guest appearances pepper the record, including verses from Reason, Cas Uno & Esh of Labeless Illtelligence, Chachi, Emilio Lopez (Demigodz), Vorheez of the Problemaddicts, Dirty Hank, theGenetics, and more. Yes, more. Its a party ova hurr.



Dox has assembled a full slate of nightlife for you to enjoy, should you be in the Providence area. Here's the word straight from Ronnie James D.O.X. himself:

"Hey folks,

Few quick programming notes:
Poorly Drawn People producer/DJ/beatmaker Dox will be Local 121’s Tuesday night sound selector starting tonight, Sept. 29, through Oct. 20. Expect classic hip hop, funk, soul and some indie dance tossed in for good measure.

If that’s not enough to get you through the doors, drinks will be served by Miss Lara, reigning winner of the Providence Phoenix award for Best Bartender.

The Local 121 Tap Room has no dress code and no cover. Twenty-one plus with proper ID. Tip well.

The Tap Room at Local 121
121 Washington St.
Downtown Providence

Also at 121 (CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, WE DON'T OWN THIS BAR):
--BFF-of-PDP djSaveone will be holding down fort this Thursday. Save will be playing classic hip hop, breaks and funk 45s.
--Dox returns to 121 this Friday to fill in for Full Frequency, who is currently rehabbing from his accident last month. (Make sure to check out the Full Frequency benefit show at Jerky’s this Saturday, Oct. 3. Featured bands include: The Butcherings, Lolita Black, St Jude, Prayers For Atheists, Girl Haggard and What Cheer!. $7 donation at the door will help cover Dan’s living and medical expenses. 71 Richmond St., Providence. 3:30 p.m.)
--And on Sat., Oct. 10, Dox and Save team for Tap The Bottle, Providence's favorite monthly old school hip hop night. Tap The Bottle takes places the second Saturday of each month. This month, we use Tap The Bottle to celebrate the born day of PDP's resident WWII historian, Amedeo Sallese (better known to some of you as Lil' Justin).

That’s all for now, I believe.
Hope to see you soon, somewhere."



Sterby has been the man about town as of late, taking advantage of the PDP downtime by deejaying all over Providence and beyond, including popping up at Beat Box Studios to record a live mixtape with Chachi, Vertygo, and DJ Therion at the helm during the ProTown Records 12" Release Party in Pawtucket.

He can next be seen at Elevation, 401HipHop.com's new open mic night, this Friday, October 2. The event features a live set from Providence legend Swann Notty, as well as an emcee battle and producer showcase. Details can be found here.

After that, you're going to need to catch up with him on his Facebook, and remember to keep tuning in to his Warped Wax Wednesdays show on 90.3 WRIU.

Sterby has also been on his mixtape grind, recently pressing up uber-limited edition runs of Meltin' Platters of Wax 7 and 61 Minutes of Classics Vol 1. Only 50 copies exist, and he refuses to let us distribute them digitally, so you'd better get at him before they're gone.



...has joined a hockey league!

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BUY BUY BUY

And remember, RI residents: Motion Not Emotion is still available on CD at Queen of Hearts (Providence), Milk & Cookies Gallery (Pawtucket), Armageddon Shop (Providence), Newbury Comics (Providence / Warwick / Attleboro), Kangaroo's (North Providence), and if you're lucky enough to catch a copy that someone hated, in the used section of Time Capsule (Cranston).

The rest of the world can always grab it digitally at iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, and all the major e-tailers, or physically at CDBaby. Or email us, we'll make it happen.

BUELLER BUELLER

Anyone left awake after that? God bless you. We'll talk atchoo soon. And thanks for sticking around.

Love always,
PDP

THREEPEAT.

Will you look at that? We did it again. Really, you did it again.

Thanks and love to all of you who took the time to vote in the 2009 Providence Phoenix Music Poll. Because of your support, Poorly Drawn People (Storm Davis / Reason / Dox / Entity / DJ Sterbyrock) have been named Best Hip-Hop Act!

Here's the verbiage from this week's issue:

Poorly Drawn People vocalist Storm Davis recommended I holler at Pat Riley about the “3-Peat” patent as Poorly Drawn People get thrice as nice, taking the Best Rap Act crown for the third consecutive year. It’s pretty damn hard to argue, especially since dropping their latest full-length release, Motion Not Emotion, the springtime follow-up to the hefty mixtape Shoot for the Stars, Hit the Ceiling, which included personal favorite “No Interruptions” (old-timers will appreciate the Grand Daddy I.U. sample). Dope Motion cuts “Celebrity Rehab,” “Might Blow Up, Might Go Pop,” and “Stress Filled Days” are proof-positive that PDP remains calibrated on the target. With Storm and Reason on the mic, DOX on the boards, and cuts from legendary ’RIU radio host DJ Sterbyrock, Poorly Drawn People is an undeniable force on a Rhode Island rap scene currently peppered with top-shelf talent.

Runners-up
2_Chachi
3_ Theo
4_Jon Hope

Click here to check out the article on the Providence Phoenix site.

While technically our 2007 win was for the Best Album category (for Kegstand Poetry), we're proud to have kept your attention long enough to rack up 3 victories in a row. This award is really yours, for keeping us in your lives and iPods and car stereos for nearly half a decade now (we're less than 10 months from our 5-year anniversary), and we're proud and humbled to be able to maintain relevance like that, especially in the disposable mixtape-a-week culture of today's music world. So, really and truly, thanks to each one of you.

Much respect due to Chachi, Theo, Jon Hope, Labeless Illtelligence, and Romen Rok, our hip hop brethren and friendly rivals in this year's poll. Every single one of them is worthy of your attention, and we hope you take time to check them out. Google dem shitz.

Right now we're trying to make some new sounds to try and earn some more of your love, but we'll be back in your ears and inboxes soon enough.

One more time: thanks.

SD | PDP

IndieArts Festival 2009.

Last year, SD&PDP rocked the inaugural IndieArts Fest at 1pm on the hottest day of the year. PDP Chief-of-Security Petey Wheatstraw had to drag an over-exuberant (and most likely homeless) dancin' fan from the stage, the fellas had a grand ol' time self-censoring in real time once they surveyed the crowd and saw that it was a family-friendly event, and SD refused the sale of PDP t-shirts to a family who wanted them solely so they could soak them, wear them as turbans, and toss them away. That ain't how we roll, I don't care how hot it is. Keep your $10.

We did, however, give away 'nuff merch, including a t-shirt to a down-on-his-luck fan who claimed, "I'm homeless now, but when I had a home, you know, before I lost it, I used to listen to PDP in it all the time."

A week later we saw used-to-have-a-house guy get into a fight outside one of our favorite local watering holes while wearing his Kegstand Poet t-shirt. It was torn to shreds.

Oh well, we tried.

So come make some more nearly-interesting anecdotes with us this Saturday at 5pm. It's outdoors and free, so skip Rock The Bells in Mansfield and go see the House Of Pain reunion at the tour stop in NY on Sunday. Cuz if you high tail it out of Providence, this is what you'll be missing:

The IndieArts Fest is a free arts & music festival located in Greater Kennedy Plaza, beginning at 12:30 PM and running throughout the day until 11:00 PM. IndieArts Fest features over 25 performers on 3 stages including live bands, DJ's, spoken word, and dance. The Red Bull Music Academy hosts one of the stages which features an eclectic mix of DJ’s. In addition to the stage, RBMA will also be running a workshop covering all aspects of music including production, DJ-ing, and the business
of music.

The IndieArts Fest is also home of The Arts Exchange, a bazaar featuring artists, crafters, music, posters, collectables, art objects, food, and beverage. We are proud to host our Indie Brew Beer Garden featuring independent and regional breweries.

Start growing your facial hair so you can compete for prizes in this year's General Burnside's Best Facial Hair Contest. Did you say cat fight?.. Well The Providence Roller Derby will be bringing a specially arranged bout to this year's festival. Before the Derby, test out your ability to skate in the Fountain of Youth Skate Park. After dusk, ACME Video, a local staple of Independent film, will be hosting a film showcase in Grant's Block.

Learn more about the excellent all-day-and night festival here: indieartsfest.com

Here's the write-up on PDP on the IndieArts website:

Poorly Drawn People at IndieArts Fest, July 18


Poorly Drawn People is a social club for gentlemen of leisure. Members include Storm Davis, Reason, Dox, Entity, and DJ Sterbyrock.

PDP are renowned for their capacity to enjoy outings, robust libations, the companionship of sharp-witted and randy ladyfriends, and a well-prepared eggplant dish.

PDP will, on occasion, craft a collection of rap songs possessing such musical significance that peers, professionals, and rivals are driven to eventually acknowledge its existence. Begrudgingly.

PDP have made award-winning albums, many, many mistakes, and a great impression on your mother that one time. Tell her we said hello.

PDP is furious, melodic 21st-century boom bap, and/or, party rap records for when the party is over.

IndieArts Fest attendees can catch Poorly Drawn People on the Fringe Stage at Burnside Park from 5:00 to 6:00 PM. In the meantime, they can find more about the band at their website and Myspace.

Click here to see it with pretty pictures.

The Providence Phoenix gives a plug to the festival and gives us a lil love at the same time:

SATURDAY's big news would be the 2nd annual INDIEARTS FEST invading Kennedy Plaza: three stages, two dozen artists, and 11 hours of free music starting around noon at Burnside Park, including top-shelf acts TRIANGLE FOREST, POORLY DRAWN PEOPLE, SENSITIVE HEARTS (formerly the Awesome Bros.), and CHINESE STARS, to name a few. RSVP at IndieArtsFest.com and receive a free MP3 bundle of IndieArts artists. And did we mention admission is FREE all day?

Evidence can be found here.

Invincible.

There's plenty of tribute out there for you to peruse, so I'll keep this as short as possible.

My first record was Michael Jackson's Thriller, a reward that was the result of a deal I'd struck with my devout-Catholic parents in grade ahemkoffkoff back in 1983. A quarter of straight A's for one slab of black-person disco. Because of their close-to-fanatical interpretation of the Church's teachings and, therefore, the absolute ban placed on any and all forms of rock n' roll (as all popular music was deemed), I get a late pass on this generation-defining album.

Up until then, I had gotten my Michael fix from sneaks of MTV whenever we could afford to have cable turned on, mostly in the form of the "Beat It" video, which is probably why the track remains one of my top 3 from his catalog to this day. I shoplifted a copy of "The Michael Jackson Story" by Nelson George from a Scholastic book fair at school, and read it cover to cover, over and over. I even dug it out of the archives to do a book report for an English class in 1986, years after the shine of Michael's ubiquity had faded.

Bad helped get me through a particularly bad semester when I was exiled to a local all-boys school, and by Dangerous, Michael had just become a standard, an old favorite that was a pop staple in a music collection that had grown to become almost exclusively stocked with hip hop and heavy metal. I did geek out a bit whenever he rocked with Slash from Guns N' Roses, and bumped the Fugees remix of "2Bad" (off of HIStory) with the John Forte rap verse. I discovered Off The Wall properly for the first time as I began DJing, but MJ had become someone to take for granted, no longer a must-check as the music world became bigger and bigger through college and the beginning of my own small career in da biz. I copped Invincible out of loyalty, for the same reason I still buy records by any number of acts from youth: They were there for me when I needed them, and if my ten bucks can do the same for them in a time when most of them have been abandoned by all my friends who "grew up," then I'm glad to do it.

I've already gone on too long.

I tuned out during most of the scandal, but sadly, it seems the great majority of it was for good reason. Specifics of guilt aside, he was a troubled man who came from troubled beginnings and lived a life whose pressures would have felled many of us much quicker. Some have no place for empathy or sympathy for such a figure; I'm not one of those people. He gave me too much, so even if I can't necessarily give him the benefit of the doubt, I can give him what he gave me: support. Michael Jackson was my gateway to music, and music became what has propped me up in some of the most difficult times of my life. Without question, I owe him one.

I only hope that wherever he is, he can find the one thing he could never seem to while he was here: peace. May he finally rest in it.

Click here to download the "2Bad (Refugee Camp Remix)" featuring John Forte

Vote Early, Vote Often

It's that time of year again... and there seems to be a little more time to vote, so here goes:

Our crew of rascally rap personalities have once again been nominated by the local arts paper-of-record as the most phenomenal rap act in the galaxy.

And we hope you agree with them.

If not, bribery can be arranged. But either way, we need your vote.

It's easy and quick. Here's the drill:

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Click here: http://thephoenix.com/BMP/Providence/vote/HipHopAct/

Click next to "Poorly Drawn People"

Click "Submit Vote" below the list of nominees

Click "Cast Your Ballot" (next to "You Have Successfully Voted") - unless you prefer to continue voting in other categories*

This will take you to a page where you can review your selections.

Fill in your name and email address (they don't spam you, we promise), and click "Cast Your Ballot"

DONE!

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(unless you have multiple email addresses you can use for voter fraud, that is).

If you plan to vote, please do so as soon as possible. Polls close soon.

And feel free to forward to everyone you know that we don't. They'll grow to love us in the future, we promise. But we'll take their votes now.

We very much appreciate your help with this. We would really like to be able to use the phrase "threepeat" with a straight face.

thanks&love
Storm Davis
PDP

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*If you're looking for suggestions for other acts to vote for, may we suggest these friends-of-PDP:

Best Blues/R&B Act: WHALEBONE JACKSON
Best DJ/Electronica: DJ STERBYROCK
Best Act: SIX STAR GENERAL
Best Breakthrough Act: SEXCOFFEE
Best Male Vocalist: JOHNNY CARLEVALE
Best Female Vocalist: LEAH CARLSON
Best Singer-Songwriter Act: MARY BEE
Best Album: SIX STAR GENERAL "Spaceship to Planet Cookie"
Best Song: THEO "Say It Right"

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Basement Flava.

Unless you were one of the throngs who paid extra wide cash to peep us at Lupo's on Cinco De Mayo, it's been two months since you were able to see us do our little song-and-dance in Providence. We apologize for neglecting you so long, we figured we could use a dose of anticipation-building 'round these parts.

But wait no longer.

SATURDAY JUNE 20
LOCAL 121 - SPEAKEASY (downstairs)
121 Washington St
Providence RI
$5 / 21+ / Doors 10pm

POORLY DRAWN PEOPLE
[Storm Davis / Reason / Dox]
DEZMATIC & SEEZMICS
DOOMFIST
hosted by CAS UNO & ESH of Labeless Illtelligence

Plus old school classics to nod ya head to (and such) provided by a rotating crew of deejays, all in the cozy confines of 121's underground Speakeasy area.

SeezMics is the homie from Educated Consumers (you may have seen him rock solo at Dox's Excursions night at Tazza a few months back, or caught them with us and Eyedea & Abilities last year at the late, great Living room). Dezmatic is Seez's homie from Albany NY, and Doomfist are Dez's peoples. You know Cas & Esh from all over the place, most recently from joining the party that is Motion Not Emotion. It's all rather Kevin Bacon-esque. And entertaining as fuck. Come have some fun with us.

tap tap tap.

Tap The Bottle is PDP's monthly celebration of long-ago classics, large bottled beers, and just how obnoxiously excellent we all think we are, held every 30 days at the recently-crowned 'Best Bar in Providence', Local 121. And it's time for the June edition.

Saturday June 13 2009
Dox of PDP & DJ Save 1 present
TAP THE BOTTLE
Local 121
121 Washington St
Providence RI
21+ / 11pm-2am / FREE

I don't even remember what happened at the May installment. But April? Well...


So in the wake of beating everyone in town about the head regarding the release of, and release show for, the new Poorly Drawn People CD Motion Not Emotion, we forgot to promote the April edition of Dox & DJ Save One's Tap The Bottle.

Anyway, we dropped the ball and forgot to tell people. Here's what happened:



CUZ THAS HOW WE LIVIN.

We've been living other ways, too. Pause. Up to bunches of other whatnot, hence the sparse nature of our online updates as of late. Such as? Such as:

We hit the road with Maryland's SeezMics of Educated Consumers and Dezmatic from Albany, enjoyed marquee status at the Lucky Dog in Worcester courtesy of our old friends RADIx, rocked for over 1000 of our closest friends in Providence with Mickey Avalon & Schwayze, making a new close friend in the process in Beardo (he's so easy to fall in love with it's just plain silly), got some nice press for Motion Not Emotion. At Tazza Caffe, Dox hosted the release party for the first ever disc out of Falside's Digsafe Records, the Dirty Hank Class Act mixtape; we threw a birthday bash for Gemini slangsters Reason & Storm Davis at the PDP Mansion North that was so successful that everyone has had to patch together a collective mosaic of memory to describe what actually happened that evening.

PDP once again has been nominated as Best Hip Hop Act in Providence by the Providence Pheonix in their yearly Best Music Poll (vote here), along with our brethren Labeless Illtelligence, Jon Hope, Chachi, and Romen Rok, while PDP DJ Sterbyrock looks to bring home the Best DJ prize. Oh yeah, and Reason has been working like a madman on his new album, Deconstructing Passive, while Storm & Dox meander towards the general vicinity of the finish line on the better-be-a-masterpiece Robot Rock & Necktie Blues, known in certain parts of the blogosphere as PDP's own lil Chinese Democracy.

But we'll try to catch you up with some details on all of this soon, and not be such strangers. But really, it doesn't get much stranger, does it? So no promises.