SNAPZ KUSH and Skitso Frenic raise the roof at the Gravity Lounge in downtown Oshawa.
Thanksgiving is a time of year to eat turkey, pour gravy and loosen your belt. But this year downtown Oshawa’s Gravity Lounge took some of the pressure off the table, and left those in attendance satiated.
The modest-sized bar hosted Luca Mele and special guests, on his New Fam Tour, on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. Radio personality and hip-hop even MC, Stacee Brizzle, hosted the show.
Mele is La Loot Music Group’s newest artist with the recent release of his debut album titled, Revenant 4: Blood Moons.
Before the show got started, Challenge Accepted, a local rapcore-influenced band, spoke with The Chronicle about playing the event.
“We’re not the headline, we’re a local band opening up for Lucas” Remy Tartaglia said, vocalist of Challenge Accepted.
“Before being in the band I was doing mostly rap – I went by Rem EMC,” Tartaglia said. The band formed in March, 2015.
During that time, Matt Doggett, the band’s current bass player, played lead guitar. Shortly after, members of the band left for personal and creative issues. The auditions held in need of new members is when drummer Bud Smith, and the band’s current lead guitarist, Nick Saunders, came into the picture.
“I went [to Durham College] for marketing,” Saunders said. He was able use those skills he took away from school and apply them to the music business.
This new group has played together for nearly six months prior to the show at Gravity.
Rem EMC hit the stage for a solo performance to warm things up followed by a performance for James Lean. Previously known as Young Casper, Lean said he made the name change to assertively create a brand of his own, with his father already being known as Casper and it being his actual last name.
After a brief intermission, NathanIel Darkalla Ndem, Trouble maker, Dominant Species and Reelwolf kept the show rolling. Things reached new heights for the evening with a kick down the door performance by SNAPZ KUSH.
Delivering his lyrics with such intense energy, his set had the audience rising to their feet. After performing two numbers featuring other MCs, for his third, and what was his final number, he climbed the sound system to the roof, demanding the room’s attention. Suddenly, the microphone cut it.
Tempers flared between KUSH’s entourage and the sound technician that cut his set short. After some colourful language was exchanged, it was time for the headline performance.
There was no wonder why Luca Mele was scheduled for the main anchor slot; he was instantly the crowd favourite.
Mele was proud to be performing for his father, who was amongst the audience. Mele said father has been proud with how constructive music has been in his life.
The whole audience, the majority of which was made up of the artists performing and whatever people they brought with them, seemed to all be there for that moment.
Feeding off what energy was left from KUSH’s set, Mele jumped off the stage to join the audience in the crowd, to pick up and launch a chair across a table. The show was brought to a halt again momentarily, but Mele then continued the rest of his set.
The night wrapped up with performances by Challenge Accepted and Duch Dillinger.
