Janelle Monae & Kyprios by James Metzger

Hip-Hop/R&B/Soul/Jazz Fusion Explosion at this year’s Festival brought to you by Janelle Monáe & Kyprios & The Chaperones (by: James Metzger @Metzgah on twitter)

Many people can say the first thing they heard from Janelle Monae was the jumpin’, bumbin’ beats of Tightrope resonating out of their TV sets with the latest advertisement from Chevy. I’m not necessarily one who enjoys watching TV ads and say what you will about artists licensing music for commercials, but as Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys said, “Would you rather be surrounded by Nickleback and Fergie...I mean if you’re gonna have to be exposed to music randomly, might as well be our music.”

Personally, I have my brother to thank for introducing me to Monáe and her futuristic dystopia/musical adventure that is The ArchAndroid. For a freshman album, it truly is a work of art, and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing it performed live with my brother at Terminal 5 in NYC. Monáe opened for one of our other favourite groups, Of Montreal, who also appear on ArchAndroid (“Make the Bus”). It still remains as one of the best live performances I’ve ever attended.

So when I first heard about Coastal Jazz having the chance to secure Monáe to play at this year’s TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival, I ran into Ken’s [Pickering] office, demanding that every corner be cut and every string be pulled to ensure that hell or high water, she would be coming to Vancouver. After several weeks of anticipation, the decision was made and I haven’t stopped dreaming about what her second appearance in Hollywood North would be like.  

Still riding high off of the success of ArchAndroid, Monáe recently sold out both shows as a part of a two-night stint at the Sydney Opera House, she is bound to be up to her usual tuxedo-clad antics. At the same time though, with the potential release of two new albums this year, it wouldn’t surprise me to see her break out a couple of fresh new tracks during the show. Either way I’ll be arriving early to the Centre on June 29th, to ensure that I get as close to the soul-stirring, high-flying, over the top good times that are sure to come.

As excited as I am to see Monáe however, I’ve still been waiting in anticipation for what should be another equally entertaining night of Hip-Hop/R&B/Soul/Jazz fusion. Vancouver’s own human rhyme machine, Kyprios, with his groovin’ back up team The Chaperones, will be hosting their first feature performance at the jazz festival. One of the best experiences I’ll be taking with me after working for the festival these past several months, will be when I actually got to go into the studio and meet Kyprios in person.

For someone who’s worked with heavy hitters like The Roots, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean & Jurassic 5, he’s one of the most genuine, down-to-earth guys I’ve ever met. He didn’t just say hi/goodbye, he took us on a tour of the entire studio, signed posters for each of us, and let us film him in the process of recording his new album. Just being around him made you feel at home. Someone this secure and generous can be hard to find in the music biz. With a deeper sense of appreciation and respect, I can’t wait to see Kyprios & The Chaperones perform live at the Venue on June 25th, a show that you surely will not want to miss.

By: James Metzger (all star intern at this year's Jazz Festival - resident of Boston)