Gangstagrass at Hill Country Barbecue Market

Rench

The Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Rench produced country and hip hop recordings by other artists before conceiving Gangstagrass, a concept that combined bluegrass and rap, in 2006. Rench made a recording, posted it online as a free download, and the public response was positive. The rappers and bluegrass personnel have changed over time, with only Rench remaining as the ongoing coordinator, producer and main contributor. Presently, Gangstagrass consists of two emcees, R-Son the Voice of Reason and Dolio the Sleuth, along with Dan Whitener on banjo, Landry McMeans on resonator guitar, Dave Gross on mandolin, DJ Leecy T on the turntable, and Rench on guitar. Gangstagrass' fourth and most recent album, American Music, was released in 2015; a live album is planned for release later this year.

Gangstagrass's performance at Hill Country Barbecue Market tonight demonstrated that "hick-hop" has a new Brooklyn-based face, fresh with authentic bluegrass instrumentalists, frequent three-part harmonies, hard beats and dominant raps. Together, the emcees and pickers perform original compositions as well as traditional folk anthems that pay tribute to Americana veterans. Often the two rappers trade verses and the others sing the choruses. The band's hybrid of genres may not be for purists, but presumably there must be a wider audience that would appreciate the Rappalachian fusion.

Visit Gangstagrass at www.gangstagrass.com.

Setlist:

1. I Go Hard
2. Man of Constant Sorrow (Dick Burnett cover)
3. Barnburning
4. Red Sky Morning
5. Keep Talking
6. Nowhere To Run
7. Long Hard Times to Come
8. Ran Dry
9. You Can Never Go Home Again
10. Home
11. All for One
12. Will the Circle Be Unbroken? ([traditional] cover)
13. Bound to Ride
14. I'm Gonna Put You Down
15. Ain't No Stopping