Kansas City Blog

I'll tell you one thing. There were a lot more folks at last night's homecoming of James Christos, PL and Jamel Rockwell than there were when the trio kicked off their Anarchy Tour a month ago, also at the Riot Room, also on a Wednesday night. (Hopefully, you've been following the tour through the Wayward Blog's exclusive Anarchy Tour Diary. If not, go back and read up.)

Last night, the mood was boisterous and celebratory, the two MCs and their DJ throwing it down like it was the culmination of something, not the end. Christos took the stage first in order to get his set out of the way so he could kick back and enjoy the rest of the evening (though, in fact, he would spend the rest of the evening running around talking enthusiastically to his friends and fans). He strutted and stalked around the stage, demanding that hands be raised and calls be responded to with more confidence and energy than I've seen come from the guy. Rockwell's role as vocal sidekick -- teaming up on punchlines as often as cutting beats -- appeared to have come into full bloom, too. And with PL on the side mic adding to every chorus, Christos' stage act isn't just one dude rapping -- it's a force.

Christos

As I presume they'd been doing all throughout the tour, Christos rocked only four or five songs. It was a set loaded with audience participation and between-song banter, including a Michael Jackson tribute that tied into a story from the road. And, man, what that road did for these guys.

Tonight at the Riot Room, cross-country hip-hop barnstormers James Christos, PL and DJ Jamel Rockwell return from their month-long DIY tour across California, the Southwest, Texas, Missouri and Kansas. The 10 p.m. show marks the concluding date of the Anarchy Tour, which, if you read this blog regularly, you should be damn well familiar with by now, thanks to the trio's exclusive-to-Wayward tour diary. Fellow local thePhantom* will join them on the mic. Cover is $7.

Of course, I'm biased because I had the pleasure of hosting the crew's tour diary, but I say let it serve as a model for what ALL unsigned hip-hop crews should do. Namely, quit moping around town, get out on the road and play and blog, blog, blog. I think the best element of the ATD has been the YouTube videos. I don't know how Christos and crew pulled them off so well -- whether they used a regular digital camera with video mode, or what -- but when it comes to documenting a tour like this, quick impromptu videos, like the one below featuring Wale -- whom they encountered randomly in SF -- speak louder than words.

Anyway, I hope to see y'all tonight welcoming home this noble crew of local rap risk-takers.

The Anarchy continues in St. Louis...

James Christos: What up KC?!!! Well we arrived in the STL and had a couple days to do a little meeting and greeting. Soon as we got to town, I was approached to do an album project by Saint Louis' own Nite Owl and DJ SNO (DJ for 104.1 St. Louis and Chingy's tour DJ). So it was straight to work soon as I got into town.

It will be DJ SNO's first original release, and he has drafted me and Nite Owl to write and perform on the songs that he will produce. Something like a DJ Drama or DJ Khalid project with only two emcees.

Christos and DJ Rockwell rockin' the Old Rock House.

Christos, Nite Owl and Highway Heat sound check.

We rocked two shows in the Lou. The Atomic Cowboy on Thursday and the Old Rock House for the grand finale on Saturday.

We put it down both nights, but the Old Rock House was the ish!!! And the ladies -- ooooh the ladies. If Saint Louis is any indicator of the female following I am starting to develop then I'ma start doing ladies-only shows. Yup just me and the ladies. But I digress.

The following Anarchy Tour dispatch was sent to Wayward HQ this past Friday evening.

Well alright! It's PL, checking in with the Anarchy Tour '09. Touched down in St. Louis late Monday evening, just after the Homerun Derby. Congrats to Prince Fielder. BOMBING!

Even though our 1st show wasn't until Thursday, there was no downtime. OK, a little downtime.

Nite Owl and DJ SNO hard at work in the lab.

James Christos at DJ SNO's studio.

On Tuesday, Christos got to work on a project with our host, Nite Owl, and the world renowned DJ SNO. While Rockwell and I started working on a super-secret-G13-classified project (come to the Riot Room July 22, to find out more).

Still in Texas, the Anarchy Tour rages on...

What Up KC?!!!!

James Christos checking in from Mt. Pleasant,TX. First let me start by apologizing to my wife and my family and everyone who expects me to carry myself with a certain level of decency (for a rapper). Second, I want to apologize to all the people that keep up with us on the blog and look forward to the pics and videos. We have lots of video and pictures from the show but unfortunately we really can't post many of them.

"Improv F Off and Skittles aka BigCountry Crippin aka the black Boomhauer"

THE SHOW WAS CRAZY!!! Let me tell you something about people in the country. They may close the town down at 9 p.m. You may have to drive two counties over to purchase alcohol.You may need a translator to understand what they are saying through the thick southern accent. But once you take an open pasture, add a trailer for a stage, two 15'' speakers, a DJ, two MCs and a heavy metal band (oh yeah, and a couple cases of Natty Ice) ... and you have the recipe for the wildest time on the Anarchy Tour yet. East Texas gets down!

A quick update from James Christos and crew's Anarchy Tour

Christos: What up KC!!!? JC checking in. We're outta Houston now. On our way to Mt. Pleasant,Texas. We had a lil incident on our way from Houston to Dallas. I'll just say it was sort of like a rite of passage when you're getting your Rock Star on on the road. Peep the video. Enjoy. Peace

They may struggle when it comes to buying gas, but Christos & crew had no trouble landing airtime on Austin community radio station KAZI 88.7

James Christos and PL talk to KAZI host

Rockwell interviews KAZI's DJ Flex

Wayward hip-hop anarchists James Christos, PL and Jamel Rockwell, continue their tour through Texas.

Christos: What Up KC?! It's JC checking in. First let me say Austin is the ish!!! We had two shows and they were both great (shout to Xololanxinxo). It is truly the live entertainment capital of the country.

There's live music on every corner on every street. It was surreal. You can pretty much just walk into a joint and say "I wanna play" and get a show. And they embrace all genres of music. it was ill. We made great contacts there and will be back in the fall. (Shout to MC Overlord).

Hail, hail! The 10th update from our roving anarchists PL, James Christos and Jamel Rockwell!

PL: We made it to Austin, with little hassle. It was only warm, in comparison to Phoenix. Couldn't check into the hotel until 3, so we had a few hours to kill. We decided to relive our college days and began stealing stuff from the University of Texas. Nothing major: air conditioning, electricity, and internet. The experience made us consider going back to school. I can see me at 55, roaming the yard, and rocking the 'stocks!

Welcome to Austin. Get humpin'.

Checked into the hotel, and caught up on some rest, before the show. Dirty Dog Bar, here we come! Thanks to MC Overlord for putting us on!

Buy our merch, fill our tank.

We thought we were late for soundcheck, but the great Rev. Dave told us we were, "Right on time!" My soundcheck was excellent! (Check the video.)

High in the atmosphere!

The show was righteous! The crowd was all over it; especially "Punk Rock" (available on iTunes). Shameless plug!!! Now, go cop that!!!

Male-pattern tire baldness

The latest dispatch from Christos and co.'s Anarchy Tour comes from the keyboard of DJ Jamel Rockwell.

Rockwell: What's Good, KC? This is Jamel Rockwell handling the tour diary for the 1st and of July. Tuesday nite we did our thing at the Stray Cat in Tempe, AZ, and it felt good to be on the stage again.

The reception was more than positive, and we made a few Industry contacts, one of which might help immediately. We met famed Cali indie MC Xololaxinco (i hope to god i finally spelled that right). Not only did he leave the stage smokin' when he was done, but he's also offered us a set at his gig in Austin, TX, this weekend in addition to the show we have scheduled for tomorrow.

PL with Xololaxinco

In fact, everyone we've told about goin' to Austin says the scene out there is pretty live. Combine that with a July 4th show (we're swapping the show in Houston for this one), and we're bound to see fireworks of some sort, right?

Video: PL at the Stray Cat