Live Reviews

Glue at SPACE Gallery

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By SONYA TOMLINSON | September 20, 2006

The crowd at SPACE Gallery

I arrived at SPACE Gallery just in time to have missed Prolyphic’s set. But his new tour CD, released by Sage Francis’s Strange Famous Records was available at the merch table as a consolation. Following him were Orlando natives, and friends of the headliners, emcee X:144 and his DJ, SPS. Completely fresh to Portland, this duo put on a well-balanced set that had the audience raising their arms in unison. Energy is the word for the rest of the evening. You could break a sweat just looking at the amount of movement exerted by the remainder of the acts. Glue premiered material off their new Fat Beats album, Catch as Catch Can. Maker was sequencing live on an MPC1000, DJ DQ on the cuts, and a beefed-up Adeem rapped at least five words a second while crowd surfing. The headliners, Sol.illaquists of Sound, proved strong. The lights dimmed and a low bass line kicked in to create an epic quality to their entrance. Davinci was his skilled and theatrical self, playing live on three MPCs. Vocalists Swamburger, Alexandrah, and Tonya Combs hold it down. Swamburger, the lead emcee and his wife, Alexandrah, songstress extraordinaire, were equipped with in-ear monitors that allowed them to never miss a beat. The two toss energy and talent back and forth so well that their socially conscious lyrics, powerful deliveries, and unpredictable melodies become secondary to their presence. Portland landed at the tail end of the first week of their tour and proved to be the most fruitful. With 163 in attendance it was the largest crowd and most merch sales of their tour to date. Better than the crowd of 18 they played to in Vermont the next night. Way to represent, Portland.Glue will be playing at University of Maine at Farmington on November 1. Sol.illaquists of Sound manage to make it into town annually. If you like the sounds of live beats banged out in front of your eyes check out local trio Meat & Potatoes, comprised of DJ Boondocks, Pore, and The Lin. Check them out October 1, at the Big Easy.

Related: Roots on the go, Beyond Dilla and Dipset, IndieArts mania!, More

Topics: Live Reviews , Sage Francis, Sonya Tomlinson, University of Maine at Farmington

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