The Winners

of the

2007 LIMF

Verbal SideShow

their story

Verbal Sideshow
LIMF Winners
Ready For More
By Lauren Tomney

It doesn’t seem likely that an all white hip hop group from Queens can gain acceptance in the area’s music community – and that is why people were shocked when Verbal Sideshow won this year’s Long Island Music Festival. They laid all doubts to rest when they came out on top as the first hip hop act to ever win this annual event.
The guys of Verbal Sideshow don’t pretend to be anything they’re not.
“There’s only been one Eminem,” Bryan of the act said. “None of us can [be him]. Our lyrical content is relative to broader views. People see that it’s genuine.”
The group was formed a year ago when Ryan and Bryan, former college roommates and good friends, decided to come together to begin the writing process. They had each tried working on separate projects beforehand; Bryan and his twin brother Matthew were in a band called The Few. The guys recall their first show at what they described as “a hole in the wall bar” called Hennessey’s. They expected only a few people to show, but it turned out to be a crowd of over 250 people.
Ryan (Verbal) and Bryan (Sideshow) write original songs that sound like a blend of R&B, hip hop, and rock; Ryan’s intense rhymes combine with Bryan’s heart-wrenched melodies.
Keith Campbell and P. Nameck established the production company LunchBox Beats Inc.; they mix and record the beats for the band. Matthew (Professor P) is the group’s DJ. Bassist Andrew (Add-1) and drummer Philip (Dr. Phil) bring a rock feel to the group.
With such a blend of styles, one can only wonder about the members’ musical influences.
“We have an eclectic taste,” said Ryan. “Bryan and I are big into emo. One of my favorites is Say Anything.”
“Matthew listens to Dream Theater,” said Bryan. “It’s difficult to pinpoint his stuff. Our bassist is a big fan of Tool.”
Since their songs are lyrically inspirational, Verbal Sideshow has many Christian rap fans. Verbal Sideshow said that sometimes people think they
are talking about God in their songs, but in reality they mention many different religions, a testament to the fact that they are all searching for answers to their questions about life.
“We have one song that’s called ‘Higher Than Me,’ “ Bryan said. “ It’s about people growing up in the faith. It’s fully agnostic. I’m not Catholic.”
“I write a lot of music about relationships and searching for meaning [and] where I’ve been and where I’m going,” Bryan said. “I’m a fifth grade elementary school teacher in Queens. I see where [education] is headed today. They’ve been brought up to believe certain things about our world. Hip hop allows me to wheedle my ideas to a young audience. It’s about having your mind move as much as your feet.”
“My parents were divorced,” Ryan said. “I’m Jewish. My family has money. The typical rap stereotype is not that. Kids who come to our show relate to us. We are upper middle class [but] we have issues, too. We sing songs about credit debt. ‘Open Letter’ is a song about substance abuse.”
It’s was a crazy ride prior to putting out their debut EP, These Three Words – and it’s about to get even crazier this month for Verbal Sideshow. Check them out when they perform on September 28 at The Shy Lounge in Levittown, where they will open for KRS-One. They will also be playing at The Vintage Lounge in Levittown on October 27 for a Halloween bash, where guests are encouraged to dress in costume. For more information, log on to MySpace.com/verbalsideshow.