Country singer Rench has been playing his unique mix of honky-tonk and trip hop for years now. From his spot in Brooklyn, you’re equally likely to find him strum a pedal steel as you are to see him looping drum samples and record scratches. But with his band Gangstagrass (who played our UN/OFF party in Austin during SXSW with Reptar and Body Language), he’s something else entirely.
Rench has teamed up with Bronx rapper T.O.N.E-z to come up with a unique blend of bluegrass and hip-hop styles you probably haven’t heard before (unless you’re a fan of the show ‘Justified’ – then you’ve no doubt heard their emmy-nominated theme ‘Long Hard Times to Come’. This is a group that doesn’t bother with distinctions between hip-hop and folk genres; both styles come together with the same attitude that Hank Williams and Chuck D share in common: placing a hard-hitting beat under an outlaw sentiment. While purists may take issue with their disregard of genre distinctions, the open-minded will revel in songs like the hard-hitting ‘Gunslinging Rambler,’ whose new video shows the band rocking out at Southpaw, Brooklyn. All of this should get you plenty excited for their upcoming record due out later this year, ‘Rappalachia,’ (out on June 5th) which promises to be an ode to the kind of mountain music Rench cut his teeth on set over the kind of beats that keep the party moving.
When it comes to mixing these traditions together, there are a lot of bad bartenders out there, but Gangstagrass picks the right ingredients that bring out the best in both of these worlds, showcasing the energy shared in common, and possibly carving out a new genre while they’re at it. – Mike Levine
