Jonny On The Rocks we know from his days as bassist for Shinobi Ninja, where, in a band where everybody shines hard, he shined as hard as anybody. Jonny still produces Shinobi but he met rapper Strictly Business in the studio and forged a band called Rocky Business.
During a take no prisoners set at the Studio at Webster Hall on Thursday, Rocky Business, augmented by a bassist and drummer, made their case loud and clear. An overwhelming roar of a sound with SB MCing, and rapping, and spitting, and Jonny getting his inner metal kid on, taking over songs. Together they are one of the most thrilling rap-rocker experiences you'll see.
SB dances and crouches, trades lines with audience members, harangues us, and makes you understand what he understands, he is the baddest MC in the town, and the band rocks so hard, Rocky is covered in sweat before the end of the first song. But you can't take your eyes off Strictly Business. Whether decrying America or claiming he is so wasted, boasting or toasting, he is great fun to watch. The crowd is obviously enthralled, and the girls edge closer to the stage. SB looks as though he has just arrived from Nigeria -li seer sucker yellow pants, but his edginess is experimental and of the moment : "White people are drug dealers" is the title of a 37 minute work out of enormous power on their debut album, A Rebel's Roar.
The set is tinged, the band is tinged, with an anger, a deep knife cut of sound, unlike just about anybody I can think of. Certainly, unlike Shinobi, who are a fun fun band. Rocky Business have a Rasta type testifying vibe. On their "Rocky's Theme" this dichotomy becomes so clear with an extended coda: "Things will never be the same". I don't know what they are talking about but I have a feeling they are talking about something worth llearning about.
And the song is much different then on the record. At first I found A Rebel's Roar a disappoint, the sound was an intricate mix, a shiny, jig saw of different instruments, and it didn't gel like modern hip hop does: it didn't have that patented multi layer sound. But it also didn't have the force of their live performance -bass and drums aren't hard enough. But I might be wrong. Maybe, more than many bands I claim can't capture their live act, Rocky Business doesn't want to. It is a different idiom being used to a different end. Go ten minutes into "drugs" and tell me what that chorus is about? It is an alchemistic joy followed by a great flowing rap.
"Let the party begin but nobody cares how the party feels," Rocky claims. Perhaps, but anyway, this will start the party.