Sudbury hip-hop veteran Mickey O’Brien has had a diverse and exciting artistic career, collaborating with Juno and Grammy nominees, playing shows across the coast-to-cost, and sharing his personal journey while doing it.
Now the working class poet has added another impressive accomplishment to his resume: an international tour including dates in Japan and Australia, promoting his most recent release, entitled OreBody.
“With everything going on for the tour, I wasn’t able to book a hometown album release show, so I thought what better way to cap off my year, than with a Christmas party for my fans, friends and co-workers in Sudbury!” he said, in a press release.
The Dec. 22 holiday hip-hop party will take place at Sudbury’s current hive of activity for original music - The Lounge, at 390 Elgin St.
Doors are open at 9 p.m. and cover is only $10 for a night jam-packed with home grown hip-hop and electronic talent.
Of course, O’Brien will take the stage, performing songs from OreBody (Hand’Solo Records), which had a digital, vinyl and cassette release in September.
OreBody is a musical journey deep into O’Brien’s psyche, as he explores his own inner workings with each song representing a specific emotion. His process to prepare for the writing of these songs involved sitting with a psychotherapist to discuss what triggers that emotion within himself. And listening to the album, one can actually hear and feel how this blue collar MC perceives the world, like standing in his shoes for a moment in time.
To provide the musical backdrop for this emotional rollercoaster, O’Brien once again taps the talents of long-time collaborator, button-masher, and Juno-nominated producer Fresh Kils who crushes it on the pads and production.
As co-producer, O’Brien adds further depth to the music with live instrumentation, enlisting the assistance of Anthony Rinaldi (sax), DJ Versatile (turntables), and northerners Zachary Clement (keys), Geoff McCausland (violin), and Matt Saroka (guitar).
The result is an album with a power to inspire Canadian youth and the working class alike that mental health matters and healing is within reach.
In order to celebrate the occasion, O’Brien has welcomed his friends, Sudbury electronic project THE 555, to share eclectic beats and instrumentation.
THE 555’s shows are a unique experience as they perform live electronic beats without any computers, instead choosing to play synthesizers, drum machines, and samplers live.
Always experimenting, their sound is constantly evolving; from 2016’s I Don’t Know What I’m Doing’s indie electronic vibes to 2019’s Less Polish More Dirt’s hard hitting lofi electro to 2021’s locally-sampled Beat Local, THE 555 is always full of surprises.
Mickey O’Brien’s Sudbury rap comrades will also take the stage, delivering their live, lyrical, rap energy. These collaborators will also share DJ duties throughout the night, with the playlists sure to include hip-hop holiday favorites.
Johnny Bizness has long-been praised in the Northern scene for his energetic contributions to the genre: raw rap delivery reminiscent of New York icons like Big Pun and Big L, but firmly rooted in the “gritty Nickel City,” supported by classic, sample-based, boom-bap production.
He released his second full-length record Primetime 2: Nickel City Paradise digitally in April, and is currently working on a number of projects including rapping and production.
Sudbury’s Max Moon will also appear, performing brand new material, mixed with material from a range of collaborative projects. Max Moon has released a handful of densely lyrical, moody, solo singles, since emerging as a new project in 2021.
He’s also engaged in a number of distinct collaborations including: Spiritual Dispatchers with Sudbury electronic innovator Emilio Portal; rap-noir group Magick Show with Mickey O’Brien; as well as melodic-lofi project Hearth Fox, with Sudbury musicians Tanner Renihardt and JC. For this special occasion, Max Moon will share previously unheard material from his upcoming solo release.
This mixed roster of hip-hop and electronic artists is guaranteed to heat up the night with an undeniable energy. Tickets are available at the door only, so organizers are urging party-goers to arrive early in order to guarantee entry.
