Nickell’s Bag

For everyone who thinks they can put Missoula culture into one convenient pigeonhole, I offer this anecdote: Three concerts at the Wilma Theater in the same week, all three sold out; one featuring a renowned peacenik, one featuring a gun-obsessed act that advocates (among other things) violent revolution, and one that just wants us all to have a good party.

God, I love Missoula.

Okay, granted, these are acts that sell out mid-sized venues across the country – even if your mom (or possibly even your older brother) has never heard of any of them. Even so, the fact that all three managed to sell out the 1,100-seat Wilma Theater in a single week is a testament to both the hunger and the diverse tastes in our community.

Take Michael Franti, for example. Heard of him? Remember Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy? He was the rapper for that hard-edged political duo in the early 1990s. Nowadays, he sings with considerably more humanity and melody in his voice, though with no less of a political bent.

The dreadlocked vegan is a favorite of local greenies and peace activists, particularly since he toured Iraq, Palestine and Israel in 2004, daring to perform his anti-war music in places that even most hard-core conflict-lovers would probably avoid and creating a documentary along the way that explored the fears and hopes of everyday people in the face of the war that surrounded them.

Here’s the trailer for the film; it gives a good sense of both his music and his message:

Tickets to Franti’s show, which takes place tonight, Thursday, March 27, sold out in short order.Same went for tickets to see Slightly Stoopid in their second Wilma Theater show in less than seven months. But that’s about the closest analogy one can make between Franti and ‘Stoopid. Performing a carefree blend of punk, metal, reggae, and hip-hop music, Slightly Stoopid proudly proclaims its stoned-out all-good vibe in practically every song – and every interview.

“We are trying to spread good vibes and good fun,” explained drummer Ryan “Rymo” Moran in a recent interview with music blog the Syndicate. “We play party music.”

A fave of stoners across the land (the band has appeared at concerts organized by High Times magazine, and sings songs with such titles as “Fat Spliffs” and “This Joint”), Slightly Stoopid wears its escapism on its sleeve. Not that that’s a bad thing; Sometimes we all just need a good party. Slightly Stoopid takes the Wilma stage on Tuesday, April 1.

As to that third show, I must confess I’m not quite sure what local crowd is attracted to the music of Tech N9NE, Paul Wall, and Ill Bill – the three rappers who will take the stage on Monday night. I suspect it’s simply the vast (and vastly underserved) crowd of local rap and hip-hop fans, who clamor for any act that isn’t a washed-up remnant of the 80s.

Tech N9NE, the headliner, is far from the best-known rapper on the American circuit today. Maybe that’s the appeal – or maybe it’s his insane spiked red hair-do, which makes him look more like a Gotham City villain than an actual human. Musically, as with all the acts on Monday’s bill, he is no great innovator, running his mouth at machine-gun speed over relatively simple electronic backbeats. His message is all over the map (and somewhat hard to parse out of the colloquial semi-nonsense), but he generally seems to be into the boastful, women-as-objects, haters-be-banished vibe that characterizes a lot of rap today.

Ill Bill, on the other hand, isn’t ambiguous about his feelings, as evident in the lyrics to “A Bullet Never Lies”:

“A bullet never lies, it always tells the truth
My words are gunshots that influence the youth
Assassinate presidents like John Wilkes Booth
Put the message in the barrel of your gun then boom.”

I’d love to read his FBI file.

As to Paul Wall, this is a guy who has produced an album titled “Chick Magnet” and such instant feminist classics as “I’m a Playa” (sample lyric: “I’m on the hunt for some one night love, best believe that it’s goin’ down / Money and ho’s, cars and clothes, diamond rings and ice grills”).

Presumably the show sold out because so many local homies decided to take their moms out for a nice night of music. Riiiight.

Anyway. Apparently my distaste for such vapid, sexist, narcissistic, unoriginal music isn’t enough to dissuade at least 1,100 folks from around this area from coveting a ticket to the show.

Pigeonhole? Missoula seems more like a melting pot to me.

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