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Rochester music interviews
We hit up the artists on their way to the ROC
We hit up the artists on their way to the ROC
The members of local hip-hop act BEDROC are feeling the pressure. After years of tinkering with electronic beats and catchy rhymes, Spencerport natives Marcel McCollough, Mike Brownyard and Steve Basil, all 19, say they've finally reached the point at which a career in music isn't just a dream, it's an attainable goal.
"I feel the pressure, but in a good way," says Brownyard, as he prepares for BEDROC's first headlining show at The Club at Water Street on Friday, Nov. 27.
Aspiring rappers Brownyard (aka emcee Mike Brown) and McCollough (aka ML) started the group during their freshman year at Spencerport High School, bringing in classmate and beatmaker Basil when they were all seniors. BEDROC's sound has never fallen neatly into a music category. It combines clever hooks and McCollough's smooth R&B vocals with electronic beats, making for a unique mix that's part 3OH!3, part Gym Class Heroes and with a touch of soul.
The members spent most of 2008 and early 2009 performing in front of small, local hip-hop crowds. However, this past August they caught a break when BEDROC was added as an opening act for The Hoodies' highly anticipated CD-release show at Water Street Music Hall. Not only was the trio able to draw around 200 of its own fans, but the gig opened BEDROC up to Rochester's active pop-rock scene.
"That was our first time proving that we could actually deliver with tickets and fans," says McCollough. "It inspired us to grind at it and work at it more and more."
Taking rough demos they'd recorded in Basil's attic, the members spent the next few months refining their songs at GFI Studios in Webster. Among the results are the catchy single "Rock That Body" and the bass-heavy "Terrible." Both tracks are available on iTunes and showcase BEDROC's knack for crafting diverse pop music that's tailor-made for today's Top 40 radio.
"We want to get the point where if a label asks for one song and, if they don't like it, we can show them we're capable of going in different directions,'" says Brownyard. "I don't think there's too many hip-hop acts that can say that."
Unfortunately, BEDROC's creative productivity has a taken a hit as of late. While McCollough and Basil attend school locally at Monroe Community College, Brownyard goes to John Carroll University in Cleveland. Because of the distance, the members are only able to hit the studio during school breaks. Still, McCollough says BEDROC hopes to release an EP by mid 2010, while playing as many shows as possible leading up to then.
"We're not deep rooted in Rochester as a household name yet," he says. "Playing at spots like Water Street is a big thing for me. We feel the love we get from fans and we love giving that back."
