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Friday Five: BdotCroc, Dichotomy, Rejects, Prairie Fire Lady Choir, and a Zach Sobiech tribute

by Jay Gabler

May 30, 2014

There's an especially wide range of Minnesota music in this week's Friday Five, from a couple of bumping hip-hop tracks that will require earmuffs for the little ones to a gorgeous Magnetic Fields cover and a touching tribute to the late Zach Sobiech.

BdotCroc featuring Rocky Diamonds: "Grind Don't Stop"

If Northside up-and-comer BdotCroc isn't on your radar, it's time to remedy that. The young rapper's charisma and ambition are on full display in this new video for "Grind Don't Stop," a sweet jam—featuring a guest verse from nationally-breaking Minnesota MC Rocky Diamonds—that also functions as a sort of manifesto. (Heads up: this song features explicit language.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asvVWgDm8RE

Dichotomy: "Subterranean"

Throw a little Ableton, a little violin, a little staring into space, and some spine-rattling bass into a blender and you get Dichotomy, a three-piece that sounds like the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority could have taken a much shorter time to reduce the Metrodome to rubble if they'd let these guys play a gig there. Put this vid on full-screen and turn your laptop volume to 11, and you'll have a tiny little taste of the sonic devastation that will be wreaked upon a

n

un

suspecting audience tomorrow night at Cause.

Rejects featuring Renegage: "Parker"

We've already heard from North Minneapolis in this Friday Five; Rejects will see that and raise you a North Minnesota. These guys bring it hard on the mean streets of Brainerd in their new video for "Parker," a song heard on their mixtape AHHKIT. They'll bring that energy to Duluth on June 7 when they open for Young Buck and Obie Trice(Heads up: this song features explicit language.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJJOJ2xdPdc

Prairie Fire Lady Choir: "All My Little Words"

The Prairie Fire Lady Choir operate in the long and proud American tradition of community choirs, but they're also reinventing that tradition with original arrangements of contemporary songs such as—in this case—my favorite song from my favorite album, "All My Little Words" from the Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs. The Prairie Fire Lady Choir's rendition, arranged by Classical MPR's Val Kahler, appeared on Absolutely Cuckoo: Minnesota Covers the 69 Love Songs (download the whole collection for free here) and now has an elegant video.

Postmodern Jukebox, Playing For Change Band All-Stars, and Howard Gospel Choir: "Clouds"

On May 28, YouTube broadcast a live "celebration of art and technology" from the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The event included this upbeat performance of Zach Sobiech's song "Clouds" by vocalist Kiah Victoria and a full gospel choir from Howard University—further evidence that the young man from Minnesota continues to inspire listeners far and wide.

Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.