Northern California's Joshua Fest Partners with Syntax Records for 6th Straight Year

Joshua Fest, the popular three-day, camp-style rock festival, has partnered with Syntax Records for a sixth straight year. The label has been affiliated with the event since its inception.

In addition to running the official Joshua Fest merchandise booth, offering a physical version of their QualityJunk.com music store, and helping to market and promote the event, Syntax will be contributing musical talent.

Alongside a lineup of groups like Mxpx, Family Force Five, Emery, and Project 86, expect to see Kaboose, Odd Thomas, Propaganda, and Jeremiah Bonds represent the world of hip hop.

This year’s event will take place September 4 – 6 at Quincy, California’s Plumas-Sierra County Fairgrounds. To purchase tickets, please visit http://www.itickets.com/.

Vidz: Lecrae & Kaboose from SXSW

DaSouth.com found these two YouTube interviews of Lecrae & Kaboose from last month's SXSW "The Life in Hip Hop" stage.

Check 'em out below. To see/read my photo recap of the day, click hurrr.

Photo Recap: SXSW - The Life in Hip Hop

B.L.U.E kicked off the day with a great set

DaSouth.com has my full recap and photo album, but here's your teaser, link, and some of the choicest flix.

Christian hip hop explored new territory on March 21, 2009 with the first ever gospel rap showcase at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas.

South by Southwest (SXSW) is the premier Austin-based company dedicated to building and delivering conference and festival events for entertainment and related media industry professionals. Each March it draws nearly 12,000 registrants from all over the globe.

This year Much Luvv Records’ Bobby “Tre9” Herring and Jason “Sketch the Journalist” Bellini were personally offered the opportunity to create the urban gospel stage by Matt Sonzala, a respected independent rap promoter who is the official hip hop booker for SXSW.

Sonzala offered the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center for the venue and specifically requested that rappers Dooney da Priest (Dallas, TX) and Lecrae (Memphis, TN) be a part of the program. The rest of the show’s details were left up to Tre9 and Sketch.

Read the rest.

You can also find a lot of my instant reactions via Twitter.

Side note:
My wife took most of the best shots with my friend's killer cam.


Texas' Capitol City was the locale.


Tre9 (white shirt) & Jimmie McDowell (black shirt w/ paper) handle the pre-event meeting with all the artists


Dooney & his crew told the audience to "Pull Yo' Pants Up!"


Austin's The W.A.R.R.I.O.R.S brought their people and the heat


The Carver Theater was small (and steep) but we packed it out


Kaboose got the crowd movin'. My favorite quote of the day came during his performance when I heard a cat in the crowd tell his boy: “Those Texas boys just rap! That’s a true MC right there!”


Braille & S1 came with the full "Cloud Nineteen" set AND gave everyone in the place a FREE copy of the new album.


Syntax Records (and fellow Texan) DJ Promote kept things live in between sets. This dude is so much fun and so full of heart.


This was a cool moment when event host DJ D-Lite took time out to call Special K to the stage and honor him for his pioneering efforts in getting gospel rap played on the radio in Austin.


Former 5th Ward Boy 007 looking fierce as he shared his testimony of Christian life-change through some new lyrics.


Gifted & Von Won having fun with a tag-team set.


Von Won is all about the kids.


My wife and I thought this stage tech looked a lot like Dwight Schrute from "The Office."


CY brought the whole "Circus" theme to his set.


One of CY's crumpin' clowns.


A moment when I wasn't Tweeting or takin' pics - otherwise known as "A Journalist on His Job."


Up close & personal with S.O.M.'s Chizzle. I think I see his fillings.


Tre9 & the Much Luvv Fam asking for a hollaback


Tre busted out several songs with rock group Laden. A live band adds SO MUCH to a show.


Here's a moment when the crowd had to be re-adjusted. The place was packed and people actually had to be turned away at the door. Thankfully, they relented just before the Much Luvv & Lecrae performances and allowed more people into the building and right in front of the stage.


Lecrae definitely brought the heat through song and Word. People were mos def feelin' the "Jesus Muzik."


Lecrae was specifically requested by SXSW for this event and we were so glad he was able to make it.


The crowd got in some worship during Much Luvv & Laden's performance of "Closer" and at other points throughout the day.


Lecrae even stepped over to kick off the After Party since he heard many people couldn't get into the Carver Theater to see all the sets.


One half of S.O.M. chilling at the After Party


DJs Promote & D-Lite setting up at the After Party


CY's restrained After Party Circus show


I got to meet the big homie XL who wants you to pick up his new "This Is Then Now" project.


My first time meeting Kaboose as well. The dude made it down from Minnesota and was super-cool. So glad to have him with us for the first SXSW jump-off too.

Free DL: Kaboose "Bits & Pieces" mixtape

Syntax is celebrating Kaboose's recent success (reviews and articles in The Source & appearances on Nike.com) by offering this lil treat.

Enjoy your FREE download here.

Vidz: Kaboose feat. Royce Da 5'9" - "Goin' Outta Control"

Syntax done it again. Peep the nice animated clip for the collab with Royce Da 5'9". The Hank Hill cameo kills me.

Kaboose "Excuse Me" Web Finale

I'm sad to see these go.

Vidz: Kaboose promo 3/4 - "The Best Part"

Sketch review: Kaboose / Excuse Me

Rapzilla.com just published my review of Kaboose's "Excuse Me" album that releases today.

Here's the teaser and link. Let me know if you "love it" like 'Boose does his own album in another hilarious promo vid from the Syntax Creative crew seen below.

Kaboose seems like a guy that loves hip hop. Not in a “This-bumps-nice-in-my-ride” or “Rap-will-get-me-rich” way. No, for this Minnesota-bred mic-man it’s more of a “What-would-I-have-ever-done-WITHOUT-this?!?” mindset.

Not that it would elevate to idol worship that supplants the Creator, but I can’t help but imagine how fondly ‘Boose seems to have taken to the art form. Like a member of the deaf community discovering American Sign Language in his late teens, the mohawked mic-ripper comes off evangelistically passionate about his new mouthpiece. And on an album like Excuse Me, he flexes his maximum hip hop potential to convey thoughts on just about every facet of his life.

Click here to continue.

Vidz: Kaboose "Phenomenal"

Apparently Kaboose thinks his new album, "Excuse Me," is phenomenal.

Check Rapzilla.com next week to read my review of the project and see if I feel the same.

Watch DJ Promote work on the Interwebs

Promote's hallway open mic party at the AEOM Awards - Photo by Sketch the Journalist

Well, he's not actually working ON this thing called the Internet (although it could use some improvements), but you can watch him recording and scratching stuff for the new Kaboose record.

Peep it live via the Syntax Records community site (http://www.cafesyntax.com/) and Justin.tv each day this week roughly after lunchtime Texas time.

Here's the linkage.

While you're there, do yourself a favor and download his killer "Stick This In Your Ear" mixtape for FREE from Datpiff.com.

BTW, my All Eyes On Me Awards recap (with lots of photos) is coming soon. I'm still resizing, renaming, and uploading photos in addition to catching up on a lot of lost sleep.