Seattle’s Grieves has been making a name for himself since his debut album in 2007. With his follow-up 88 Keys and Counting, a collaborative effort with Budo, under his belt Grieves is now planning for a new year with a new record in the fall and a European tour with Brother Ali. Grieves discussed his style, influences and his upcoming show with members of the Doomtree collective.
P.O.S., Dessa and Grieves // 8 p.m. Feb. 5, Marquis Theater // $15
MP: How would you describe your sound?
G: I use a lot of melody-driven lines and try to feed off the emotion the music created. It’s definitely not your traditional hip-hop, but you can hear my roots shining through in all genres. If it sounds good to us chances are we are gonna incorporate it into our mix.
MP: Who are some of your influences?
G: Anything Motown, D’ Angelo, Rhymesayers, Otis Redding, Carole King, NOFX, Wu- Tang, J. Dilla, Ice Cube, W.C., Dr. Dre. I feel I get new influences everyday, but those are for sure some foundation pieces of my love for what I do.
MP: What are your thoughts about the current state of hip-hop?
Grieves
G: I like it. I have fun with hip-hop. It’s always changing and evolving and, for me, that’s awesome ‘cause I love playing around with different sounds. Keeps me interested.
MP: Where do you draw inspiration for your songs?
G: Anywhere. Life, love, fun, pain, booze, grapefruit juice, Jenga games, water births… Anything.
MP: On your first album you made most of the beats yourself. Do you still do
that or do you rely more on your DJ, Budo?
G: I am still very involved with the production process of my records. Budo is just one of the only people I get on a musical level. When he plays I get inspired and that helps us make awesome music together. That’s why I always loved rocking my own beats, because I understood them. I made a lot of the music on 88 Keys and Counting too. It just doesn’t sound like it ‘cause Budo and I work so well together you think it’s just all one person, but read the liner notes.
MP: What’s your live show like?
G: You ever seen a bear and a bald eagle fight each other to the death on a cloud of fire? It’s pretty much like that, but with a trumpet solo and two small Jewish dudes (Budo and me).
MP: What is your favorite part about performing live?
G: Peoples’ faces. Getting to see the things that you create emotionally effect another person is one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever got to experience.
MP: Is there a new album in the works yet?
G: Yes. I am actually writing to you now from the studio we work at in Colorado. Look out for it in the fall on Rhymesayers ENT.
MP: Any other big plans for the year?
G: I got this tour with P.O.S. coming up right now. That should be a blast because I’m a huge fan of that dude’s music. After that on Feb. 28th we go to Europe with Brother Ali. That’s gonna be huge for us. We’ve never played over seas before. After that, we will be flying from France to Austin, TX for SXSW. Then after that, we are gonna chill ‘til the fall when we release our new record. BOOSH!
