HomeSkillet Records, An Independent Record Label from Alaska » Common Market

Common Market

Skillet — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 01:52:13 +0000

So this year we lost Sabzi to Blue Scholars stardom, and it hurt, but what made up for it was the tight nucleus that is Ra Scion’s family. Mariangela and Maddy were able to accompany Ra on his second annual Alaskan adventure and it was so great not only to get to know them, but get to know Ra better as well. Again, the same feeling as Jake LaBotz, these guys coming up here for the second year makes them feel like family and as they grow, we grow.Ra did a sound check around 3pm and was ready to roll. With the energy and endurance he brings to the table, the last night of HomeSkillet Fest could have started then and there. However, unnecessary. He disappeared and I didn’t see him until a bit before Ab Creole’s set.Mariangela gave me the lowdown on how to make my booth that much better, “You guys got a tarp.” And that was all she needed to say. She was perfectly fine selling all the Ab Creole and Common Market merch and watching the show from afar. A word comes to mind with all these cats from Massline; genuine.Maddy, Mariangela, Ra, and my very own sister at the merchandise booth.And then the show began. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, and then I noticed it was true: Ra Scion was rocking an extra pair of xtra-tuffs on stage before, during, and after his set. For some reason I always had this pre-conceived notion that artists were finicky about mud, water, dirty clothes, and cold weather. Ra just rolled with it. The fans, the majority of which were also sporting xtra-tuffs, loved him that much more for it.Last year when Common Market rolled through town, they gained the adoration of many local fans. The crowd was biggest during the Common Market set and WB40 was able to fill in on the turn tables for Sabzi. The crowd went nuts and at one point I saw somebody jump up on stage and assist Ra with a little back up dancing. Only in Sitka, only in Sitka.We had expected Josh Boots from Anchorage to arrive before Common Market’s set and play then, but some sort of mix up changed all that. He ended up arriving after his set, which meant Ra continued to go for an extra twenty minutes after his set was supposed to end, and then came the freestyle from everyone: Ra, Ab Creole, Phonetic, Konsept, and Micelph. For a minute there, Ra just hopped on the drums (who knew he could play drums?).All in all, Ra Scion was up there with WD40 for about a ninety minute set before Josh Boots finally arrived. This was way more than he agreed to before the festival but we didn’t even have to ask. That’s the kind of guy he is. They even let us buy some Common Market merchandise and distribute it to all of the crowd, who were going crazy by the end.It was a fun show, and as usual, Common Market made it happen.Check out the Common Market MySpace page, Common Market site, and the Massline Media label.

HomeSkillet Fest 2007

Skillet — Thu, 31 May 2007 10:04:48 +0000

HomeskilletFest 2007 is near! We have been working overtime with sponsorship, planning etc. and things are starting to fall into place. Heres what you need to know, and what to look for.

The fest will be 4 days long, starting with a FREE show Wednesday July 11th.
this show will start @ 6pm at Highliner Coffee and will feature Sonny Smith (from San Francisco).
SilverJackson, Andy Miller, GEO, Jed Delong, Vern Culp and others will perform too!

Thursday July 12th @ sheet’ka kwaan naa kahidi (ONLY 200 Tickets Available)
Starting @ 6pm w/ open mic, Luke Temple from NYC will headline!!!, also watch for jed delong, hank moore, chad lehl, vern culp and kaninau from Hawaii

Friday July 13th @ Sea Mountain Golf Course
Show starts at 6pm
Jake Labotz will headline!!!
Arrive early to see kaninau (Hawaii), g.e.o.(Portland), the sugar shakers, the muskeg blues band, little stones father, glorious youth parade, silver jackson, and sonny smith(SF)!

Saturday July 14th @ Sea Mountain Golf Course
Show starts at 4pm
Common Market from Seattle will Headline!
Abyssinian Creole will also fly up from Seattle to perform.
This evening will also include performances by bellymeat, katieland (Anchorage), teri tibbett(Juneau), phonetic, micelph, problem child, konsept (Juneau), D-Script, and josh boots (Anchorage)!!

ok, how much?

* $50 – 3-day Pass (all shows)
* $35 – 2-day Outdoor Pass (Friday and Saturday)
* $20 – 1-day Pass
* outdoor shows are free for kids 10 and under

Purchase Tickets Online HERE

Or watch for details to find out where tickets can be purchased in Sitka.
*schedule subject to change

Homeskillet Fest 2006

Skillet — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 08:33:47 +0000

There are many moments at HomeSkillet Fest – but not a lot like this one. This is what happens when people are free. Common Market, Micelph and Phonetic Freestyle! Watch for more videos from last years festivities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaXnH5VK1dc

Common Market

Skillet — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 05:39:32 +0000

Common Market arrived in Sitka around 8am Saturday morning. They immediately did an interview with Raven Radio (the contents of which I will try to get to post here). They shined some light upon what hip-hop music was, is, and what will come to pass. In doing so, they gave a glimpse, or perhaps a new perspective, which many Sitkans may not have previously had.

We picked up Sabzi and RA Scion (Common Market) an hour before day two of the festival began. All they had was DJ equipment and a big red heavy bag of merchandise. I sensed a confident calmness about them, which permeates everything they do. Both are very soulful dudes, and in meeting them, I became confident they were going to pull off an amazing show.

Sabzi hopped on the turntables around 10:20pm and RA Scion began shortly thereafter. They played a set off of their self-titled debut album, “Common Market.” I can’t express how good it was bringing Common Market music to Sitka for everyone involved, from the crowd to those of us who put on the show.

This is hip-hop music at it’s finest; soulful, intellectual, and thoughtful, all tied into a tightly produced package by Sabzi. As RA Scion worked the crowd, one could see melding of the two different worlds we are from. He brought us together with his poetic lyrics, fluid delivery, and gave us all an idea of what presence really is.

Upon finishing their set, RA Scion invited both Phonetic and Micelph to join him on stage for a freestyle session. At that moment, it felt very surreal.

Seeing local sons like Phonetic and Micelph on stage with Common Market, not only sets the course for what they may both do in the future, it shows those unfamiliar to hip-hop a very bright moment. Although we often hear the negative sides of hip-hop culture due to mainstream media’s focus on violence, we don’t get to hear the positive.

What the crowd saw Saturday night was positive, it was sharing the love of hip-hop between people from very different backgrounds. Those of us hip-hop fans standing out there that night, were truly given something special.

Common Market music spent Sunday with folks of the Baha’i faith who reside in Sitka, as well as doing another radio show. These guys are all about community and that fits very nicely with the values of the local islanders.

A group of us caught a bite to eat at the airport restaurant with Common Market before they went back to their hometown of Seattle. Sabzi ordered locally caught Halibut, and RA Scion ordered a bottle of ketchup. I think they enjoyed themselves.

HomeSkillet Records is very thankful to have guys like RA Scion and Sabzi help build the first HomeSkillet Fest into a successful, positive event.