"be my baby be my girl"
Alt artist KennyHoopla's trajectory has been striking. In early 2019 (Feb) the world was graced with "lost cause//", an utterly fresh sound. Fast forward to his debut EP "how will i rest in peace if i'm buried by a highway?" (May 15th, 2020) and the captivation was all encompasing. His hybrid aesthetic sense much like the proto punk of circa 1978 bolstered by KH's influences (The Drums, Funeral Suits, Common and Teen Suicide) feel (to me) like the same kind of divergent musical D.N.A. of 80's outfits like Gang Of Four and even, hints of the two tone, ska, punk alchemy of Madness (whether KH is aware of those core tones or not) as well as faint nucleic affections to Bloc Party and Joy Division. With the commercially pop forward cookie cutter thread running through so much popular music, it is no wonder that KennyHoopla's genre agnostic sound satiated many of our art deficient souls.
Fast forward to now and Wisconsin based Hoopla (aka Kenneth La’ron) has release a reimaging of "lost cause//" collabing with Grandson, the moniker of Canadian/American alternative artist Jordan Benjamin, who also has a blendo approach to his art twisting in indie rock, hip, hop and electronica into his stew. A pairing like this for KennyHoopla, though, got an initial sideways stare. I worry when an artist as young as La'ron gets pulled out of his own thing if his "thing" will get siphoned off too quickly. I mean, usually collabs of all sorts tend to happen 5 years down the road. That being said, it is a new time and I do encourage all artists to be prolific and to shape shift because things move at an overwhelming pace today fueled by our social media and technology obsessions (and addictions).
Thankfully, the pairing absolutely works here. One reason is that the original "lost cause//" had a definite pop anchor moreso that the songs that followed and secondly because Grandson's approach while forward thinking also employs a nuanced approach and such reverence for KennyHoopla's aesthetic.
Of his collaboration with KennyHoopla, Grandson said: "I’m very, very excited about the present and future of alternative music, and the responsibility we take on in showing kids the way, through the honesty and vulnerability we let out in the music. Kenny’s next up. I’m happy he gave me the assist on this one."
-Robb Donker Curtius
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ABOUT GRANDSON
Grandson is the pseudonym of Canadian/American alternative artist Jordan Benjamin. He takes elements of his rock and roll, hip hop, and electronic music roots and combines them to tell stories of reclaiming power over one’s life, confronting social issues facing his generation and opening up about struggles with addiction and mental health. Since releasing his modern tragedy EP series, grandson has toured extensively across North America, Russia, and Europe, accumulated hundreds of millions of streams online, and received co-signs from the biggest names in rock and roll and progressive politics, from Tom Morello to Bernie Sanders. He uses music to embolden listeners, known as the grandkids, to feel a sense of agency over the direction of their lives and provides a much-needed soundtrack to keep fighting whatever battle they may be fighting.
Follow Grandson: Instagram | Spotify | YouTube
ORIGINAL "LOST CAUSE"
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
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Alternative artist KennyHoopla took his wavy, genre-agnostic indie sound from motel room recordings to packed out shows in 2019 with breakout single “lost cause//“and a go-for-it, all-or-nothing mentality. The Cleveland-born, Wisconsin-based performer, Kenneth La’ron aka KennyHoopla (inspired by a scene in Spongebob, no less), started making music just three years ago in a rare collision of artistic synergy. “I used to breakdance, I used to paint, I used to do photography. I thought if I could conquer every art medium, I’d get closer to it,” says Kenny. “Something in me kept telling me it was time to make music.” Born in Cleveland, he grew up absorbing a diverse variety of music, art and breakdancing; The Drums, Funeral Suits, Common and Teen Suicide are credited as some of his greatest influences. His music is intimate, thoughtful and self-labeled as “new wave nostalgia.” KennyHoopla has performed alongside Injury Reserve, Jack Harlow, Omar Apollo, Trapo, Yung Gravy, Alex Wiley, Beabadobee, Yoshi Flower and Gabriel Black.
Grandson is the pseudonym of Canadian/American alternative artist Jordan Benjamin. He takes elements of his rock and roll, hip hop, and electronic music roots and combines them to tell stories of reclaiming power over one’s life, confronting social issues facing his generation and opening up about struggles with addiction and mental health. Since releasing his modern tragedy EP series, grandson has toured extensively across North America, Russia, and Europe, accumulated hundreds of millions of streams online, and received co-signs from the biggest names in rock and roll and progressive politics, from Tom Morello to Bernie Sanders. He uses music to embolden listeners, known as the grandkids, to feel a sense of agency over the direction of their lives and provides a much-needed soundtrack to keep fighting whatever battle they may be fighting.
Follow Grandson: Instagram | Spotify | YouTube
ORIGINAL "LOST CAUSE"
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
spotify
soundcloud
youtube
Alternative artist KennyHoopla took his wavy, genre-agnostic indie sound from motel room recordings to packed out shows in 2019 with breakout single “lost cause//“and a go-for-it, all-or-nothing mentality. The Cleveland-born, Wisconsin-based performer, Kenneth La’ron aka KennyHoopla (inspired by a scene in Spongebob, no less), started making music just three years ago in a rare collision of artistic synergy. “I used to breakdance, I used to paint, I used to do photography. I thought if I could conquer every art medium, I’d get closer to it,” says Kenny. “Something in me kept telling me it was time to make music.” Born in Cleveland, he grew up absorbing a diverse variety of music, art and breakdancing; The Drums, Funeral Suits, Common and Teen Suicide are credited as some of his greatest influences. His music is intimate, thoughtful and self-labeled as “new wave nostalgia.” KennyHoopla has performed alongside Injury Reserve, Jack Harlow, Omar Apollo, Trapo, Yung Gravy, Alex Wiley, Beabadobee, Yoshi Flower and Gabriel Black.
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