Slim pickings

Not unlike how cannabis snobs like their crops grown organically and locally, some of us around here pick our weed advocate MCs the same way. And since we like it smoky, we bump a lot of DJ Slim.

For those who aren’t familiar, Slim, a perennial performer at the MassCann Freedom Rally, has for years been one of the leading local delegates to tree-minded hip-hoppers of national renown and can often be found backstage puffing with everyone from Cypress Hill to Method Man when they are in town. As for his own music—any time the Dorchester artist comes out is a cause for celebration, but especially this week thanks to his new single, “Bong Party.” Repeat: “Cotton Candy or Gorilla Glue #4 / Are just a few smells you smell when you step through the door. … Weed-filled Mason jars as far as the eye can see / When it comes to bong parties no one does it better than me.”

Having indulged with the man, we concur.

New Wax

We won’t lie—at first glance, the video for Lowell experimental rock troupe Wax On’s new single, “Morning Coffee,” appeared to be a train wreck of the backyard wrestling variety. At second, third, and fourth glance and beyond, though, by the time the guitar strumming begat any number of segues to sounds unknown, it became clear that there is something at least clever but perhaps even brilliant afoot, including the absurdist visuals. With shows across the Commonwealth coming up and the band’s second album, Sprezzatura, dropping later this year, we asked Wax On guitar player Luke Pelletier what it is that we were watching.

“Our overall vision for the ‘Morning Coffee’ video was to combine spheres of creativity and good fun. Nothing real dramatic; we were shooting to make something humorous and light as well as visually stimulating. Drawing up all the tongue-in-cheek skits and difficult shots, like the single-take rotating instrument change, was truly just a meeting of all of our minds, much like our music. A good amount of it was improvised too, with the help and direction of our friend Vernon West.”

It’s a homegrown outing for sure, but not one that the band took lightly.

“It was an awesome few days,” Pelletier adds, “and the video makes me smile every time I think about it. Yes, that is also real coffee and yes, coffee gets absorbed through your skin. Not my idea, but I agreed to it because I thought it would be hilarious.”

So, where does a band like this fit in? 

“I can tell you from experience that [Wax On] does not fit open mics, or children’s birthday parties, though we will always be down to shred ’em,” Pelletier says. “Venues best suited for our music are places with ample room for us to move around, but also with a close proximity to the audience. We work hard to make our live performances an experience for anyone that decides to leave the comfort of their homes for a night out. That sounds totally pompous, but that’s the truth. And that seems to fly very smoothly when we have a good balance of space and intimacy to make for a great show, as well as a dope monitor mix and healthy sound dampening. We do very well with acclimating to any environment we find ourselves in.”

More specifically…

“We’ve got our first show of the year Jan 24 at Remedy Music in Worcester, joining our friends in Jiddo for their release show. We’re currently planning a few out-of-state weekenders for the springtime when we’re aiming to release our second album. We’re also hosting oldsoul’s record release show in Lowell on March 14, so that should make for a wild Pi Day. Our booking process for spring and summer starts right around this time of the year, so we’re shooting to play a few festivals, maybe another tour.”

We’ll keep you posted on upcoming Boston dates.