Jackson’s own Biomecca: beats and rhymes for intelligent minds

Friday, July 04, 2008

By Robyn Vincent

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Swimming against the tide of bluegrass and jam bands saturating Jackson’s music scene, Biomecca breathes intelligent life into the hip-hop dream.
This July Fourth, the local emcees will headline the Declaration 2008 Party with DJs Tony Touch and J Boogie. The show kicks off after the fireworks around 10 p.m. until 4 a.m., Friday at the Snow King Center. For ticket info, go to www.frontstreetproductions.com.

While all the artists are sure to enliven audiences, Biomecca deserves a second ook because of its local genesis.

The band is made up of members Hef (Jeff Bedford), Twan (Anthony James Harmon), Craft (Nick Cottingham), Cwaz (Craig Williams), and 101 (Jacob Ferguson).
Unearthing the wordsmiths’ hip-hop roots reveals solid bonds of friendship and a mutual love for beats. Hef, Craft and Cwaz went to high school in Jackson together, and as the trio matured, so did their passion for hip-hop.

“When you’re a fan of hip-hop, it’s something you try to emulate,” explained Hef. “We started freestyling at parties and attempting to make beats. All of the sudden we were like, ‘let’s record something - we’ve got a computer and a mic.’”

Biomecca’s sound intertwines mature, well-thought lyrics, thickly entangled rhythmical patterns and a diverse palette of beats. Their music places the group in a genre of hip-hop that doesn’t force them to conform, but is also difficult to expose to new audiences.

“We’re not going to do this unless we have complete creative freedom,” Hef said. “Underground hip hop is never going to disappear. There’s always going to be levels like rungs on a ladder. Some of it’s going to become popular, and will open people’s eyes to what hip-hop can actually be. It can have substance and not just be club music.”

Despite different band members attending colleges in various areas of the country, the group has always stayed connected. A few years ago Cwaz, Twan and Hef found themselves living in Seattle together. With the small town mentality of Jackson miles away, the members dove into a thriving metropolis complete with a constant dose of rain and gloom. The culture shock helped the lyricists acquire new perspectives on making music.

“Growing up in Jackson, you’re not growing up in the real world. It’s like a bubble. Seattle gave us a truthful view on the music industry and the work you need to do to succeed,” Hef explained.

Playing the Teton Gravity Research premiere for “Anomaly” in 2006 was huge milestone for the band. It was the largest crowd Biomecca had ever stood before. The show promptly popped off any training wheels still attached to the young emcees.
“The show gave us a glimpse into what is possible,” Hef said.

Twan nodded in agreement, adding, “Usually when we play here just friends and local supporters would sell out shows with about 250 people. But this event had a crowd of 2,500 people; it was huge for us and for a local venue.”

Opening for heavyweight hip-hop artists like Coolio, One Be Lo, Del the Funky Homosapien, Swollen Members and Blackalicious, these lyrically astute, hip-hop propagators are awakening minds through the art of sound.

Photo by olaus linn
From left to right: Nick Cottingham, Jeff Bedford, Craig Williams, Anthony Harmon, and Jacob Ferguson are Biomecca.


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Jackson’s own Biomecca: beats and rhymes for intelligent minds | Planet JH News Article: General News

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