Living Legends' members, The Grouch and Eligh, have teamed up once again for their latest collaborative effort, Say G&E!, slated to hit stores later this month.
But, in the meantime, the duo are back on the road getting fans familiar with their new music, via a tour across the western part of the U.S., beginning on April 21, the day their forthcoming album hits stores.
Kicking off on April 21 in Santa Barbara, the tour will run through more than 20 cities, such as San Francisco, Boise, San Diego, and Los Angeles, before wrapping it up on May 18 at Pomona's Glass House.
Say G&E! is Grouch and Eligh's third collaboration, and this time around, they've brought help with guests such as Slug of Atmosphere, Pigeon John, Gift of Gab, Mistah F.A.B., Sage Francis, Mystic, and LA's latest sensation, Blu, along with production from Flying Lotus, super-producer Rick Rock, and Zion I's Amp Live. Eligh, though, handles the bulk of the project's production.
"There's a lot of manning up that's been done by Eligh and myself recently," said The Grouch. "We've got some heavy stuff on the album.
"Attention span's are short these days," he continued, referring to the album's title, adding, "It's not complex, we just thought we'd name the album something people would get stuck in their heads."
For anyone who's heard The Grouch's recent work, it's clear that the southland rapper -- who now resides part-time in Hawaii -- has moved beyond the average emcee. On "All In", where The Grouch and Eligh, along with Gift of Gab and Pigeon John, rap about standing by the proverbial river and jumping in with both feet and giving everything to the hustle in life and music, without flinching, not to mention a notably infectious hook. On the title anthem track "Say G&E!," the pair recall their early days as struggling artists over a mesmerizing, synthesized beat.
They aren't afraid to tackle serious topics either. On tracks like "Denial" and "River Runs Dry," the pair contemplate transcendent signature issues with a maturity and depth that is often untapped in the world of hip-hop.
(Check out the official video for the album's single, "All In", via MySpace.com )
In addition to the much anticipated return of G&E, Eligh delivers another near and dear collaborative project -- one with his mother. Eligh and Jo Wilkinson's On Sacred Ground: Mother & Son is a "hybrid of music genres that infuses so many styles that you're not sure whether to throw your hands up and say 'ho!' or hold hands and sing along," according to peer Sage Francis. "That's a good confusion."
Say G&E! hits stores April 21.
On their upcoming tour, the duo will be joined by Afro Classics (Scarub & Very), Exile & DJ Day, edIT, and Root Beer (Pigeon John & Flynn Adam). BallerStatus.com has also signed on as an official partner as well.
Confirmed dates and venues are as follows:
4/21 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Velvet Jones (Exile & DJ Day)
4/22 - San Luis Obispo, CA @ Downtown Brew (Exile & DJ Day)
4/24 - Santa Clara, CA @ Avalon Nightclub (Exile & DJ Day)
4/25 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim's (Exile & DJ Day)
4/26 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst (Exile & DJ Day)
4/29 - Arcata, CA @ Mazzotti's
5/01 - Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
5/02 - Portland, OR @ Berbati's Pan
5/03 - Seattle, WA - Neumo's
5/04 - Missoula, MT @ The Other Side
5/05 - Boise, ID @ Neurolux
5/06 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
5/08 - Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
5/09 - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
5/10 - Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
5/12 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater (Edit)
5/13 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress (Edit)
5/14 - Flagstaff, AX @ Green Room (Edit)
5/15 - Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse (Edit)
5/16 - San Diego, CA @ Canes (Edit)
5/17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Key Club (Root Beer)
5/18 - Pomona, CA @ Glass House (Root Beer)
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