MUSIC .

Battle-Tested

Burndown All-Stars are due for a breakthrough.


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Published: Jan 16, 2007

"There is definitely a message in the music, but it's not on a political vibe. For real, though: I'm not trying to change the world," says Carlito Attack of the Philadelphia-based Burndown All-Stars.

"We're just trying to tell you what it's like living in it," adds Rok Bottom, another of the band's seven MCs.

Some would be quick to classify the Burndown All-Stars as "conscious hip-hop," because they don't incorporate the battle element or violence in their sound. It's not that they hate on that type of hip-hop, it's just not what they're trying to represent.

We sit in the basement of a warehouse down the block from a series of abandoned row homes and haunted buildings in Germantown. Guitarist and lead singer Dave Quicks has turned this into the band's home base. The studio is adorned with comfy furniture, proper equipment and a graffiti-tagged wall bearing the word "Burndown."

With a dozen members, the Burndown experience is like a pot of thick musical gumbo. The ingredients include the Dialects (Syne and Arcane), Carlito, Kuf Knotz, Rok, JawnZap7, Lord Bizerk — and that's just the MC lineup. The musicians are Quicks, bassist Rico Joseph, drummer Tom Walling, guitarist Tom Copson and DJ Cramske.

NEXT EPISODE: Germantown's Burndown All-Stars will appear on a reality show on the FUSE network in April.

Photo By: Michael T. Regan

"Everyone brings their own sense of style to the group. They bring how they dress, walk, talk — and that influences the music," says Rok. That includes a bit of scientifical, pinch of reggae, dash of sentimental, and a grain of underground backpacker-type rhymes. While the MCs are the majority of the group, the instrumental element isn't to be discounted. "The band is top-notched trained musicians and they have a lot in their repertoire to contribute," says Quicks.

Burndown's formula seems to be working quite nicely. Billboard magazine named them the Best Indie Band in the Northeast in October's Independent Music World Series. And, as the winners of the Bodog Battle of the Bands, the Burndown All-Stars will perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first episode of a TV program slated to air on the FUSE network in April. The band is now in production on their third album.

None of the members plans on doing battle of the bands for the rest of their lives, but for now the competitions are getting them the attention they need. It's a chance for the Burndown All-Stars to deliver, as Carlito eloquently puts it, "some shit you never seen in your life."

"We started with over 40 musicians on the first two albums," Rok laughs, recalling the hectic making of Outside Connect Jawn in 2003 and Burndown Presents Volume 2 in 2005. "It was crazy." Eventually, Burndown's founding four — Kuf, Rok, Carlito and Quicks — realized that more was not necessarily better for moving forward. They cut the group down, basing the selection process on talent and dedication. They wanted to be sure they had the crème de la crème to take them to another level.

But, even trimmed down to 12 members, is the group still too large for a major label or tour sponsor to take a chance on? Sure, strength in numbers worked for Wu-Tang — but they didn't also have a live band backing them up. And we all know how tough it was for our homeboys The Roots to reach that tipping point. The All-Stars are quick to speak when these questions arise.

"We've already had to turn down offers," says Rok. "We are a big family — it is what it is."

Sounds so sweet and simple, but musical families often fall apart, especially when money comes into play. "Honestly, it doesn't really matter. We don't need a million dollars, just enough to pay the bills. We all have skills to produce music that will do that. It isn't the fame, really," says Carlito.

The usually quiet Kuf chimes in, "Well, the good thing with a band is that if we get hooked up with a good tour, we can easily make a living off of that."

Besides being a part of the Burndown crew, most of the members were involved in their own projects before the group came along and are still currently making their own noise. This helps keep everyone on their toes. It also leads to scheduling conflicts when show nights collide. "We've been rocking shows for three years with whatever and whoever we have. It's learning to work with what we got," says Quicks.

And while personalities sometimes clash, the rough spots are often smoothed over when the All-Stars are together on stage, drawing energy from the audience and each other. Carlito laughs, "It's a natural high. This city will hate on you before you get on stage and be like — 'Oh, you on some bullshit.' But once we get on, they change and say, 'Awww, y'all be kickin' it.'"

(d_dyer@citypaper.net)

Burndown All-Stars play Thu., Jan. 18, 7 p.m., $11-$14, with Subliminal Orphans, Reef the Lost Cauze and DJ Phsh, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, www.worldcafelive.com.