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Shevy Chase

Shevy Chase - "Gunslinger(AC/DC)" Shevy Chase - "Self Assured (Nirvana)"

Welcome back Family! That’s right, it’s time once again for another installment of the Underground Spotlight. I’m Johnny O and I’m here to once again bring you an interview with another of the underground’s finest. This time around we sit down with Elephant Room’s front man Shevy Chase. While he has been with the group for years, his most recent effort just happens to be a solo effort entitled “Rocksteady.” I actually had a chance to listen to the album before its’ release and was more then a little impressed.

The album itself mixes classic rock tracks into a beat and the outcome is surprisingly well done. Okay, I could ramble for awhile longer, but you’re most likely here for the interview, so let’s get right into it.

Elephant-Room

Johnny O: Although fans may know you as the front man of the group Elephant Room, can you tell us a little more about yourself?

Shevy Chase: It’s really hard to talk about myself as an emcee without mentioning Elephant Room because it has been my entire existence for the past couple of years.  I started rapping around 2004-2005, mainly just free styling for fun.  After a year or two in that lane, I began to take it more seriously and picked up a pen and a pad.  Fast forward a bit, Elephant Room began with DJ Boogieman and Papaw.  We had put together enough tracks to start doing some small shows throughout the area.  A year or so later, that spiraled into a band from which we started to make some real noise.  I’ve been working with Island Earth Music since 2011 and had a big part in its creation.  I’m a huge fan of all music; so being able to make it for such a large audience is a dream come true.  I grew up primarily on rock n roll and country music until the age of 12 when I was introduced to hip-hop, after that I was hooked. I still enjoy all genres of music but hip hop/rap is definitely my favorite.

JO: Before we get into the new solo project, can you let the fans know some more about your group Elephant Room?

SC: Elephant Room is an alternative hip-hop group that I’ve been working with for 5 years.  Our name derives from the metaphor “elephant in the room” which is largely due to the “in-your-face,” brash lyrical content. We try to tap into political, pop culture, and social issues in a unique and unprecedented fashion.  Our sound contains various elements of hip-hop, rock, pop, and the right blend of metal and we pride ourselves on an amazing live show.

JO: How would you describe the Shevy Chase style?

SC: In a nutshell, my style is a hybrid of all of my favorite artists.  I’ve been exposed to a wide array of music, so I’ve had the luxury of taking from here and there.  As an emcee, I attempt to be a lyricist without taking myself too seriously.  I enjoy making people laugh with an outlandish punch line here and there as well as trying to maintain an impressive flow.

JO: Being the front man for Elephant Room, what made you decide to put together this solo album?

SC: To clear the air, this album was in no way an attempt to go solo.  B.J. Young, whom produced almost every track on Rocksteady, along with myself, came up with the concept after a couple of samples we had put together.  Our plan was to take some of the “classic” rock songs that we loved and spin them on their head. We thought that my tone and style mashed up very well with the sampled rock music and really enjoyed the creation of the project.  Also, as always, we thought it would be an endeavor that Elephant Room/Shevy Chase fans would really enjoy.

Elephant Room 2014

JO: I know the album drops in early May, but where can fans pick it up? (Physical or Digital)

SC: Physical copies of the album are available now at islandearthmusic.com.  We have those for the fans that prefer a physical CD packaged with artwork, over just the digital music (I know I always enjoyed that more).  The album will be available online for free download, starting May 6th at islandearthmusic.com, elephantroommusic.com and at elephantroommusic.bandcamp.com.

JO: I’ve been fortunate enough to hear an advanced copy of the album and you’ve done an amazing job mixing these sampled rock songs into the beats. How did you come up with the concept for this and how did you go about picking the songs themselves?

SC: As I stated in an earlier question, I grew up primarily on rock n roll music, so it wasn’t much of a reach for me to tap into the genre.  When we are in the studio, we work on tons of songs.  Many will never see the light of day.  One night in particular, just for fun, we decided to sample “Big Guns” by AC/DC.  It was one of my favorite songs when I was a kid so I thought it would be cool to remix it into a rap song.  After getting a good reaction from my peers, we decided to do another, and then another.  Before we knew it, we had 3 songs on our hands.  At this point it started to feel like a project so we moved forward with it.  I really can’t give enough props to B.J. Young; he sat with me on every song and built it from the ground up.

JO: I have to ask what the music scene is like in Louisville, Kentucky?

SC: I would say you could ask 10 different artists and get 10 different answers.  Personally, the music scene in Louisville has been good to Elephant Room.  We have great turnouts at all of our shows and people really seem to appreciate the energy that we bring to the stage.  We are very grateful.

JO: How have fans taken to the Elephant Room sound?

SC: Thus far, we have been in a unique position to play shows with a smorgasbord of musical acts.  You may catch us with a heavy metal band one weekend and a gangster rap group the next.  More often than not, I think this works to our benefit because we will break the monotony of a uniform concert.  Also, even the biggest of haters cannot deny the energy that we bring to a live show.  We’ve worked hard on our music and it’s apparent when we perform it.

CD100_out

JO: Now with the release of your own solo project, what’s next for Shevy Chase?

SC: Whether it be for an Island Earth compilation project, a feature for another artist or my main focus, Elephant Room, I am always creating new music.  We recently added a new emcee by the name of Manfred to Elephant Room, so we are very optimistic about the future of the band.  Over the next couple of months, the fans should be on the lookout for some of our best material to date and the potential of a tour.

JO: You’ve had the chance to share the stage with a wide variety of big names like Yelawolf, Tech N9ne, The Wu-Tang Clan, Hed (P.E.) and many more, but if you could collaborate with any artist who would you love to work with?

SC: I would have to say Pharrell Williams because he’s able to bring out the best in artists.  He’s done some brilliant features over the course of his career as an artist/producer and I think I could learn a lot from him.

JO: Who are you currently listening to?

SC: I’ve been toggling between the Deftones and School Boy Q’s new album a lot.

JO: Who would you say have been your inspirations?

SC: Eminem was the first person I heard that made me want to be a rapper, so he was definitely a big inspiration.  Besides him, I’d say all of the artists that I’ve been into since I was a kid in some way have molded and inspired me.  I constantly observe their approaches to song writing, delivery, etc. and try to learn from them.

JO: Where can fans find out more about Shevy Chase or Elephant Room?

SC: You can find out more about us at www.islandearthmusic.com , www.elephantroommusic.com, and all other social media outlets.  We’re not hard to find.

JO: I always like to end by giving thanking those you make our dreams possible, so how about a few shout outs before we go?

SC: As always, I have to thank all of my family and friends for their continued support as well as the whole Island Earth Music family for their countless hours of work to help ER and myself sound good.   

Island-Earth-Music-Logo

Well, that does it for this edition of the Underground Spotlight. Of course I want to send a big THANKS to Shevy Chase, Shaun Wilson, Elephant Room and the whole Island Earth Music family. I’m sure you’ve seen the ad running on the main page here, so if you like what you hear be sure to show the Homie some love. In fact, the album is free so why not at least give it a try. I’ve also heard that a video maybe lurking around the corner and I can almost guarantee that you’ll see it here on Faygoluvers.

Of course, I also want to say THANK YOU to all of the fans out here in Faygoluvers Land for taking the time to read through this interview. As always, remember if you’re an artist and would like to be featured right here on the Faygoluvers’ Underground Spotlight just hit me up at [email protected]. Make sure to include a short bio, why you want to/should be featured, a pic or two and a couple tracks. Of course don’t forget to include UGS or something similar in the subject line. So, until next time…

Peace,

Johnny O.

 

WEBSITES: 

Earth Island Music Website

Elephant Room Website

 

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    Faygoluvers Comments

  1. sketchez

    Comment posted on Wednesday, May 14th, 2014 04:12 am GMT -5 at 4:12 am

    Shevy chase….. is that name a joke?? lol

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