Mixed Blood Majority at the Triple Rock, 1/26/13

Erik Hess

Toki Wright appeared next to start of the night's parade of guest stars, having apparently just jogged over from the Cabooze after opening for Method Man. The surprise cameo got a big cheer from the crowd and a great intro from Lazerbeak that included at least three different explosion sound effects. Toki is getting big enough these days to sell out the Triple Rock by himself, so the collaboration felt like a rare treat, especially when the his familiar face excited the crowd to an even greater response.

Following up this guest appearance, Joe Horton took the spotlight for a second to deliver a new No Bird Sing song called "Boomday" with Lazerbeak's assistance. Catching air off the monitors while spitting his words emphatically, Horton's new delivery sounded to my ears a bit like a younger, punkier Brandon Allday of Big Quarters, and he capped the song off with yet another stage dive.

Erik Hess

After two songs featuring the goofy charm of Kristoff Krane, Mixed Blood made a spirited run through their radio-banger "Fine Print" before welcoming the night's final guest-of-honor back to the stage for "Free Up." Cecil Otter and Lazerbeak are always a potent combination, and the Doomtree rapper's laidback cool made a nice counterpoint for Moon and Horton's pinballing delivery. While he's far from a household name, Cecil's local celebrity starpower provided the tipping point, and the crowd's response finally began to match the energy onstage.

Crescent Moon also took a solo turn, showing off some funky new Kill the Vultures Material before the trio ended their set with "Hallucination Music." Set to one of my favorite Lazerbeak-trademark lavabanger beats ever, the two rappers danced around the stage like boxers, so totally focused on the moment that they forgot to unravel their mic cables, leading to an endearing stumble-hug-fall off stage before returning for the encore. After conducting the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday" to Maggie, Mixed Blood closed their set with a climactic take on "The Runaround" that shook the walls and practically caused a mosh pit to break out. Horton dived into the crowd one last time, shoving the mic into the face of onlookers for help on the hook, the song eventually breaking down into more spirited hugs and high-fives.

Erik Hess

Set List:
CEDRIC CEBALLOS INTRO
PRODUCT OF MY COMPANY
STILL STANDING STILL
DEAD WEIGHT
STORY TO TELL (w/ Toki Wright)
BOOMDAY (new No Bird Sing song)
FIX (w/ Kristoff Krane)
RITUAL (w/ Kristoff Krane)
FINE PRINT
FREE UP (w/ Cecil Otter)
NANA (new Kill The Vultures song)
HALLUCINATION MUSIC
--Encore--
THE RUNAROUND

Critic's Bias: Kill the Vultures was one of my first favorite local hip-hop groups, but I missed Mixed Blood's debut show at Icehouse.

Doomtree Members In-Attendance: At least 4, more may have been incognito.

Random Notebook Dump: Guante totally popped one of Maggie's birthday balloons on his way onstage, much to the horror of the crowd in my section.