The pavement seemed hard
When I move through the boulevard
The silhouette danced in the spotlight
The cops fight and they jockey for position
So I'm switching to the other side of the street
My feet move to the rhythm of the wildlife
The street dwellers
And the fire fights
Arsonist with a grand scheme
When I see the bullets moonwalk
From one tenement to the other
I take cover
And shout for the hyenas
My team looks like gorillas and fly cheetahs
That make maneuvers in five seaters and hatchbacks
Land rovers with utility backpacks
Strap to the front axle
You thought being covert was no work
Well let me run at you
The sun catch you
And burn through the roof top
Down to the cinder block
The minister of the sinister movement
Been smooth since the prenatal
You see fables and you tell lies
I speak absolute truth with no use for disguise
I look to the skies
And crooks never die
Like the Goonies in Oregon
I start smothering the trachea the breathing apparatus
When I start cash grabbing it's the last dragon
The mask on a bison
I stay digging through the sewer grates
The Clash of the Titans
Whether it's the concrete
Desert in high heat
Snow covered wastelands
Desolate peaks
It don't matter
The mind moves our feet wherever we can reach
From stars to small atoms
Whatever, just let me at em
It's starting to form a pattern
MindsOne is formidable
Gods mythological
Laying waste to pitiful foes
Shows what little you know
Opposition? Nah
Stopping us now is impossible
But enough with the warnings and statements
We can strike at any time
And when we do, it's at breakneck
Speed, we the predator's apex
We draw first blood
Now you gonna need an infusion of platelets
Go ahead and take a rest on the pavement
Or maybe you should plug back in to the Matrix
C'mon, instead of running from these hunters voracious
Ever see the devil smile?
Shit, that's just one of my faces
But it's time now for taking the mask off
Live in Cape Canaveral
I frequently blast off
High-powered rocketry
Unknown properties
Countdown
Everybody better just back off
I'd rather use a handshake than a hacksaw
But you gotta learn at some point, dog
Just ask Pavlov
We wild beasts
Attacking in the streets, ha!
Somebody must've let the Kraken off the leash, rah!
What's the mark that you leave
The impression of your work?
The shadow that you cast
The essence of your worth
So what's your footprint footprint footprint
And do you care about the legacy left?
If you stop and think about your legacy
Are you considering your impacts?
Or happy just to let it be?
Like would you vote for war
And then ignore the soldiers?
Or sign the Bill of Rights
And then burn it until it smolders?
I hope not cuz that's a lot to hold upon your shoulders
I prefer a clear conscience
Rid of the nonsense
Using my common sense
I hate to say I told ya
But America, the cup has definitely runneth over
And yes, I'm referring to the success
Turned into an excess
Putting Mother Earth through every stress test
Every single message we send her is like a death threat
Tell me how your mother responds if you acting like that
I know that mine would be preparing to fight back
Let's embrace natural bonds and bring the light back
We can't wait until it's too late for real
Cuz it's never too soon to clean the wound and let it heal
What's the mark that you leave
The impression of your work?
The shadow that you cast
The essence of your worth
So what's your footprint footprint footprint
And do you care about the legacy left?
The sun dawned on the east wing
I took notice of the rays through the shades on my oculars
My temperature adapted to the climactic height
So never underestimate how that could impact the plight
Of another entity
Centuries go by
Time is a construct
The butterfly effect is not a myth
An act of kindness could be the subtle force for the switch
From anger to empathy
Depression to hope
A fist fight to an embrace
So look in the face
Of the man standing next to you
The eagle in the air
The fish on the river bend
A child on the stairs
Of a section 8 row house
Will you extend your hand
To replenish the sand
That got blown away with the winds of time
It's kinda volatile
Start borrowing some other shoes and try and walk a mile
What's the mark that you leave
The impression of your work?
The shadow that you cast
The essence of your worth
So what's your footprint footprint footprint
And do you care about the legacy left?
It ain't that serious
Let Go!
It ain't all good
It's as good as it gets though!
So try and have a little fun with it!
Write a couple rhymes then we run with it
I make you stop quick
My hands are nice I pulled a fly
Right up outta the blue sky with chopsticks
I then hop skip across Jupiter
Pinning down souvenirs like a juvenile boutonnière
You can choose to hear the truth
I speak in ancient dialect like an Aztec or Olmec tribe leader
I dive deeper than the Marianas Trench
I manipulate a satellite with hammers and a wrench
Give me a mic
Guaranteed to blow
Dynamite!
Fresh quills and inkwells
Every time I write
Listen to the radio blast
Get a lobotomy
I study all the greats from the past
That's archaeology
My mind is a mine of rhymes
I dig em up
Til I hit the mother lode
Then I bring it up
Admiring the shine in the light
Gotta live it up
Smiling, it's time to spread love
Middle fingers up
And with a dime drop
I make time stop
I make ya hair stand on end
The air land won't bend
Unless I manifest an earthquake and a cyclone
I write poems after I bike home
I'm the infinity gauntlet
Of infinite air max
The writer of folklore curator of rare tracks
Developing technology masterful minded
Sun rays beam galaxies blinded
It ain't that serious
Let Go!
It ain't all good
It's as good as it gets though!
So try and have a little fun with it!
Write a couple rhymes then we run with it
I burned a house down
With one rhyme
And it was awesome
Other emcees on the scene
Gasping and coughing
Like they asking for the last nail in the coffin
Firefighters then arrived
Said that it was arson
My skill for killing the rhyme
Is criminal suspect
What? Like drug dealers and roughnecks?
I started plotting how to ride into the sunset
Had to put the plan on pause
I ain't done yet!
But if I'm your tutor
I suggest you not try to maneuver
I'm like Lex Luthor with a head of hair
Making moves like Fred Astaire
On a moon crater
I beat down Dr Doom and Darth Vader
I silver surf on the Star Trek enterprise
Geordi La Forge with a set of eyes
I can minimize a mountain range down to an ant hill
Make a mosh pit stop quick at a stand still
I spent years and days to find ways
To break down the doors
And bust out the maze, like
Rats are racing
Cats are chasing
Trying to catch another meal
So congratulations!
Now you stand on your own two
Look what you've grown to
Lessons other people have shown you
Add it to the repertoire
Only way to get this far
Everybody's Superman
Trying to be a superstar
It ain't that serious
Let Go!
It ain't all good
It's as good as it gets though!
So try and have a little fun with it!
Write a couple rhymes then we run with it
What's the mark that you leave
The impression of your work?
The shadow that you cast
The essence of your worth
So what's your footprint footprint footprint
And do you care about the legacy left?
If you stop and think about your legacy
Are you considering your impacts?
Or happy just to let it be?
Like would you vote for war
And then ignore the soldiers?
Or sign the Bill of Rights
And then burn it until it smolders?
I hope not cuz that's a lot to hold upon your shoulders
I prefer a clear conscience
Rid of the nonsense
Using my common sense
I hate to say I told ya
But America, the cup has definitely runneth over
And yes, I'm referring to the success
Turned into an excess
Putting Mother Earth through every stress test
Every single message we send her is like a death threat
Tell me how your mother responds if you acting like that
I know that mine would be preparing to fight back
Let's embrace natural bonds and bring the light back
We can't wait until it's too late for real
Cuz it's never too soon to clean the wound and let it heal
What's the mark that you leave
The impression of your work?
The shadow that you cast
The essence of your worth
So what's your footprint footprint footprint
And do you care about the legacy left?
The sun dawned on the east wing
I took notice of the rays through the shades on my oculars
My temperature adapted to the climactic height
So never underestimate how that could impact the plight
Of another entity
Centuries go by
Time is a construct
The butterfly effect is not a myth
An act of kindness could be the subtle force for the switch
From anger to empathy
Depression to hope
A fist fight to an embrace
So look in the face
Of the man standing next to you
The eagle in the air
The fish on the river bend
A child on the stairs
Of a section 8 row house
Will you extend your hand
To replenish the sand
That got blown away with the winds of time
It's kinda volatile
Start borrowing some other shoes and try and walk a mile
What's the mark that you leave
The impression of your work?
The shadow that you cast
The essence of your worth
So what's your footprint footprint footprint
And do you care about the legacy left?
I've been looking for you, I got something to say
I've been looking for you, gonna find you one day
Chew You up, I'm gonna Chew You Up
I've been trying, I've been trying to find you
I've been trying, I've been trying to say hello
Chew You up, I'm gonna Chew You Up
I've been looking, I've been looking to find you
I've been trying, I've been trying to say hello
Chew You up, I'm gonna Chew You Up
Saw a guy walking down the sidewalk with you
I viewed the waterfront looking for something to do
On a rainy day I made a mixed up tape for you
It took so long better off singing a song for you
We sit around always waiting for things to come
Count the wasted hours while things come undone
Stop my hesitating, keep you always waiting,
Let's do this thing right now
I want to be the one walking the street with you
If I could think of something to make it all come true
I wouldn't start all over even if I could
This is a new beginning the perfect time we should
Sweet Vicious come prowlin' round the shadows
When the moon is bright
Prowlin' round the shadows, in the white moonlight
Sweet Vicious gonna do you, what's been done to me
Gonna tell it like it is gonna tell how it's gonna be
Be the sweetest thing and be your best friend the same
Never hear the whisper, never feel the pain
Sweet Vicious come prowlin' round the shadows
When the moon is bright
Prowlin' round the shadows, in the white moonlight Oh yeah
You'll be living in the moonlight
Sweet Vicious gonna do you, what's been done to me
Gonna tell it like it is gonna tell how it's gonna be
Sweet Vicious come prowlin' round the shadows
When the moon is bright
Prowlin' round the shadow, in the white moonlight Oh yeah
You'll be living in the moonlight
about
VINYL SOLD OUT
--
This Water is Life is a self-sustained and ongoing series of split EPs with two express purposes: to highlight new hip-hop / indie rock music from Southeastern North Carolina, as well as to provide a platform for Cape Fear River Watch and Coastal Plain Conservation Group to deliver up-to-date authoritative reports on the health of the Cape Fear River Basin for both human beings and wildlife.
Ever since our forebears crawled up out of the water and drew their first breath, our – which is to say human and animal (and for that matter, plant) – experience has never strayed too far from its life-sustaining force. This water IS life. It will continue to be. But what kind of life? Threats to that water are, in turn, threats to the very life it supports.
Inspired by photography focused on water in urban landscapes against a backdrop of the evolving GenX (PFAS) water pollution problem in the Wilmington, NC/Cape Fear region, This Water is Life is a local multimedia, multi-platform project. It takes what Fort Lowell Records does best – put out and promote killer indie music of varied stripes – and fuses it with photography and other visual arts alongside river and wildlife advocacy. The goal is a virtuous circle contained within an intended series of records. Packaged together, musical and visual artists from the Port City combined with a separate, serialized and locally-specific environmental message gives rise to the future promotion of other local music acts and further advocacy.
Volume I features MindsOne & DJ Iron and James Sardone (of Brickbat, Burnley Brothers, The Jimmy Nations Combo, Loose Jets).
MindsOne & DJ Iron:
Innovative lyrics, heart pounding instrumentals, precise cuts, and intense live shows are what MindsOne has been offering their listeners since 2002. In its current iteration for this project, the group consists of KON Sci and Tronic on vocals with Belgian producer DJ Iron reprising his beatmaking role. Their music embodies the spirit of independent hip hop culture and pays homage to those boom bap masters and others who came before. They have consistently delivered powerful and inspirational music over the years, and have continued to perfect their sound with each project from their debut EP, The Space Time Continuum in 2006 to 2016’s collaboration with DJ Iron on the Phaseology album.
James Sardone:
For more than a generation, James Sardone has put his own unique spin on indie rock. Hailing from the Appalachians, the musical magpie has dabbled in an expanding number of genres on a journey that stretched up the eastern seaboard from Wilmington, NC to New York and back again. What started in the late 80s as the irreverent noise of seminal post-punk trio Brickbat has given way now to electronica-infused, 80s pop-inflected solo work. In between, Sardone honed his craft, evolving in an array of projects from the country-tinged hard rock Burnley Brothers to the rockabilly sensibilities of The Jimmy Nations Combo to Loose Jets’ glammier hard rock. Like music itself, Sardone never rests, never stays in one musical space too long before branching out to his next cacoethes.
Just as clean water helps sustain life on Earth and here in the ILM, your purchase of this record fosters the work of not only hip hop, indie rock and visual artists in Wilmington but advances the advocacy of groups seeking to protect and preserve water and wildlife in the region. This water is life.
credits
released April 22, 2022
Fort Lowell Records
FLR042
--
Liner Notes by:
- Cape Fear River Watch [Human Beings]
- Coastal Plain Conservation Group [Wildlife]
Cover photograph by Josh Putnam
Band Photographs by Ross Langdon Page
B-Side Artwork by Ivanna Knox / Pufferfish Print Shop
Theo Tobias' vocals shine on this dynamic and delicate 4-track dose of melancholic indie rock from Manchester, England. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 11, 2016