FEATURE STORY:

A HIP-HOP TRIP INTO THE VALLEY: THE STORY YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS ON 40WATTHYPE - BY N.L. BELARDES February 27, 2005 - Neo hip-hop in the valley? Big R&B funk sound, full band, DVD/CD release party for 40WattHype Live & Direct; Sight & Sound, Bakersfield connections, and lights, lights, lights at the Sundance Festival in Park City, Utah with Ludacris? Did Robert Redford personally invite these guys? Just what’s going on with 40WattHype that I have been hearing all about? Names have been dropping like firecrackers and blowing my mind—Aaron is not just a drummer in the Dalloways—that’s his mild-mannered persona, he’s a rockin’ thumpin’ stylin’ emcee diggin’ into high amps with 40WattHype. But that’s not all, there are two emcee’s in the band. Aaron’s counterpart, Brian is no slouch; his voice is a powerful sound, smoothly talking to you as if you are carried right there along with him to the magical place of conversation in hip-hop jams. And when I saw them and the rest of the band? …songs were being thrown at me Friday night like roman candle bombs and I was lovin’ every musical explosion.

I got an invite a few weeks back to hear 40WattHype play at the Starline: that crazy joint in Fresno’s hip white-lit sparkling Tower Center District. I knew this was not a gig I was going to miss. Besides, this was the premiere of 40WattHype Live & Direct; Sight & Sound, a double disk set that includes a live cd recording of 16 songs and a kick ass high-energy DVD of the band’s performances, compiled from footage shot at The Cat Club, Starline, Zen Sushi Club, and Tower Theatre. Yes, these guys are a big deal. Their musical mix is as incredible as the rhythms, smooth vocals, catchy lyrics, latino guitar riffs and more. The tempo changes are rich and bass-filled and full of hip-hop melodies and thumping transitions that you can’t sit still to. Their momentum is positive and has a unification theme great for a young crowd to groove to—pure funky urban rebellion in thought: succeed together in our common rhythm to best the man, oppression, politics, and so on.

Who else is playing this type of music in the valley? Neo hip-hop is the style and all I can say is this is a true crossroads for music in the San Joaquin: white meets black meets Chicano meets ‘unity’ in a multi-cultural band with rural-urban street talk, full-on grass roots Latin music percussion, drums, horns, masterful singing and songwriting, and a production that would make Ricky Ricardo turn in his grave and wish his big Cuban Buena Vista social hour was hip to this scene.

I arrived near the Starline, hung outside for a little while until Aaron showed up and took me for an exclusive pre-show get together at his Fresno pad. Just what was I to learn? Well first of all I learned that luck plays a part in any band’s evolution. 40Watt has been around for years, but its latest evolution in form has only been on the scene for about 2 years. Their cd, Grand Unification Theory is a masterfully produced cd filled with 40Watt’s uniquely rich R&B and funk tones pushed hip-hop. It’s not dark at all but has a driving groove that keeps the cd in your player until long over. You can’t take it out, so you spin it again and again. Some of the songs are so funky cool retro in flavor that you feel like you’re watching a mysterious flick about urban life. Can I be the star?

The guys of 40WattHype are as hospitable as anyone you could meet. Aaron busted out some grub, introduced us to friends, his family, and cat, Mocos. We tucked ourselves into his living room with a few Coronas and talked it up. 40Watt guitarist, Enrique was there as was their percussionist and horn player. We all talked about music. There was even a special appearance from Aaron’s brother Matt who is bass player for the Dalloways.

So where did 40WattHype come from? “A bunch of us went to school together at Edison,” Aaron smiled. “I’ve had this idea to put together a band like this for years. It all started coming together at a party during high school when we threw together some percussion and horns and jammed. The people watching knew we had something special. We did too. It evolved further from there.”

The band’s evolution has been like a long roller coaster climb uphill. Aaron’s determination to make the band surge forward in popularity is obvious in the band’s longevity and increasingly talent-filled additions. “We’ve only just gone down the first hill, and we don’t know where we will end up.” Of course he doesn’t—who ever does? But that’s the adventure. Surely, with the increasingly incredible talent in the band now, the idea of going to the top is no delusion of grandeur at all.

And what about Sundance? When Aaron got a call about 40WattHype playing at Robert Redford’s prestigious Sundance Film Festival and opening for Ludacris, it was because of an article in Blender magazine. They had been picked as one of the eight hottest unsigned bands in the country. This is a perfect example of the right person reading the right material at just the perfect moment, The result creates positive energy for any band. Next thing they knew they were flying to Park City and got put up in a condo. I asked if Aaron saw playing at Sundance as a turning point in 40WattHype’s career. “No, I don’t think so. I think our playing there is an example of the momentum I was mentioning earlier, that once you get over that first lift hill, great things are going to happen. You’re in for a ride.”

The Starline is a great venue: the cool starry walls and lights; the tables set out behind a roomy dance floor. The cool posters lining the foyer before you see the room open before you. There’s a stage that is just the right size where bands can both separate from an audience, and feel intimate. I recommend this place for great shows just up the road. 40WattHype was so intense and energy-filled at the Starline that the entire crowd seethed along with the music. They’ve got the energy of a big stage band, and a following too. If you think they’re not a big deal, you haven’t seen their show schedule. These guys are playing the college circuit, and that’s because they are a highly touted underground band.

When I saw Aaron at Gigantic just after a Dalloways gig, we had a brief conversation about 40WattHype’s show at the Starline. He’s very humble; he hides his enthusiasm. But his musical genius is only hidden so far as his quiet demeanor. His production work for 40WattHype and the Dalloways is unmatched and exciting to listen to and pull apart—it’s a rich tapestry of sounds. And as an emcee? All I can say is the energy of an entire band is released. We should all hope to be a part of something as meaningful as a band that can explode with such energy in a difficult medium: grass roots neo hip-hop. Get on your feet. 40WattHype should be in your house.