Whether or not you have the good fortune of a boss who’s into Christmas bonuses this year, we’re jammin’ things in your holiday hole all month long to keep that yuletide spirit alive. Crave has a whole run of musical holiday goodness in store this month, with a series of special previously-unreleased Christmas Bonus performances from our CraveOnstage archives.
Rhymesayers’ prodigal Pacific Northwestern spitter Grieves was our featured Artist of The Month back in June, with a run of exclusive session performances at Swing House in Los Angeles. Our jaws jackhammered the ground as Mr. Benjamin Laub delivered an onstage evolution of “Scar Gardens,” and we laughed our asses off at a very special “Whoa Is Me” performance. We’ve seen him tear up “Shreds” and a searing take on “Kidding Me,” a biting track from Winter & The Wolves, and also sat down with the man to talk honesty in music, the Rhymesayers ecosystem and more.
Now, we’re bringing you a ridiculously killer treat we saved for the holidays: a very special performance of Grieves’ signature track “Bloody Poetry” from the same session – complete with a Star Wars intro that cracks the badassometer.
Previous Band of The Month Performances:
Alain Johannes / Grieves / Steel Panther / Vintage Trouble / Semi Precious Weapons
Hot Karate / RX Bandits / Nico Vega / The Mowgli’s / Dessa / Everlast / Motopony
The Wild Feathers / The Silent Comedy / LP
Grieves’ fourth album Winter & The Wolves blossoms widely beyond his poetically lush 2011 Rhymesayers debut Together/Apart, sidestepping the tired trope of arrogance & conquest to convey relatable struggles through poetically lush & vivid lyrical narratives. Melancholic rhymes over deliciously minimalist slow-drip production combine for an atmospheric weight that conveys the lyrics’ hardships and heartbreaks, but isn’t mired in negativity and gloom.
Keep up with Grieves at his official site, as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Check back next week for another Christmas Bonus performance from CraveOnstage!
Photo: Johnny Firecloud
