BadBad + The Hundreds.

In the 1840s, Europe was set ablaze – not just by simultaneous liberal revolutions across the continent by a populace living through the ultra conservative, post-Napoleonic era, but by a social phenomenon known as Lisztomania. Lisztomania is described as the hysterical, almost comical reactions by fans of famed concert pianist Franz Liszt at his sold out performances throughout Europe at the time. Music had never garnered such fevered emotional reception by the youth before. It proved to be a standing point in history, foretelling the constant connection of sound with the adolescent.

This past month, I landed at JFK for the first time and headed down to Manhattan, New York City. In a little longstanding ballroom on the Lower East Side, I played eyewitness to the lisztomania that swept through the gathered audience at The Bowery. Over 600 people stomped, staged dived, pulled their hair, and moshed to a band with no vocalist. The headliners were BADBADNOTGOOD – a Canadian jazz trio. Exhibiting their versatility and hip-hop knowledge, BADBADNOTGOOD built a cult following for themselves by covering acts such as A Tribe Called Quest, Waka Flocka Flame, and Gucci Mane. They’ve since collaborated with and successfully channeled the rambunctiousness of LA outfit Odd Future, incorporating the instrumental structures they learned while attending Humber College in Toronto, and have achieved massive popularity on Soundcloud and social media.

We got to sit down with the three young men of BADBADNOTGOOD fresh off of tour, supporting their 3rd album, promptly titled III, while concurrently wrapping up their collaborative group effort with the Shaolin legend, Ghostface Killah. Backstage, we talked to Alex Sowinski (drums), Chester Hansen (bass), and Matt Tavares (keys) about the importance of their musical background, improvisation, this increasingly visible intersection of jazz and hip-hop, DJ Mustard, and the Sour Soul recordings.

SENAY KENFE: So we’re sitting here backstage of a grand night at the Bowery with BADBADNOTGOOD. How’s it going, guys?
Simultaneous: It’s going great.

It was a packed crowd, how was the tour for you guys?
Alex: It’s been good, it’s gone by in a whirlwind the past few days. We played two shows in Boston, then NYU here, and then Washington and then tonight.

What made you guys go the route of playing these covers? Particularly hip-hop covers and uploading them?
Alex: Just goofing around, meeting each other in school, and yeah, just hanging out and talking about music. You’re practicing your instrument all the time and learning all these jazz songs… So we were like, “Let’s just try playing some other shit,” and we were just goofing around and started playing these random beats and things.

I think it’s pretty epic to see a jazz trio having hundreds of people mosh in a ballroom.
Simultaneous: Yeah, it’s crazy. People were going ham tonight.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE

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