BY B AO L E - H U U GAY-Z | PHOTO BY GABRIEL MARINO
LOCAL RELEASES
Tampa next-gen rap duo They Hate Change are breaking out big and, in a nice bit of sister city alliance, Orlando’s DJ GAY-Z figures prominently in their first major campaign. After they all shared a bill at Stonewall Bar in January 2020, a friendship was born. That bond is now officially creative in a highprofile way. As the lead single for their upcoming album, the just-released “From the Floor” is THC’s commanding debut on tastemaking indie label Jagjaguwar, and GAY-Z is featured on it. Around here, he’s best known for spinning, producing and owning one of the best monikers around. But on “From the Floor,” GAY-Z steps out from behind the tables and up to the mic to drop some Florida-style regulating, channeling the native spirit of mic checkers like Fort Lauderdale’s the Jam Pony Express DJs. In fact, that distinctly regional postmarking permeates the entire song, which is essentially a Miami bass jam refracted through a modern drum & bass lens. Even the video is a rainbow reboot of the classic party-rap video. Of the ascendant They Hate Change, GAY-Z says, “They’ve been a major inspiration and push for me, creatively.” And about their national emergence, he adds, “I’m proud as a friend and as a big ass fan. They’ve been killing it for years, though, so seeing them get uplifted and featured on these large platforms is really dope.” “From the Floor” now streams everywhere. They Hate Change’s forthcoming album Finally, New releases May 13.
Tampa next-gen rap duo They Hate Change have just released “From the Floor,” the first single from their upcoming album on tastemaking indie Jagjaguwar — and it features Orlando DJ and MC GAY-Z been happening in the underground. This limited tour is a great example and sampler of the queer country movement that’s been building long-overdue momentum. Leading this historical charge is pioneering gay country band Lavender Country, whose 1973 debut is widely considered country music’s first proudly out album. The touring bill is further stocked with Paisley Fields, Austin Lucas, Mali Obomsawin, Lizzie No and Jett Holden. Local representation will include Jordan Schneider and the surprising reunion of Double First Cousins, one of the most notable Orlando roots bands of the early 2000s. It’ll be an impressive parade that shows there’s so much more to queer country than just Lil Nas X. (9 p.m. Friday, March 25, Will’s Pub, $15)
penning songs recorded by artists like Trace Adkins, Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson, and Cody Jinks. Since emerging on his own, though, he’s been serving a classic country sound that walks the line between tradition and edge. (6 p.m. Saturday, March 26, The Social, $20) Punk for a Purpose: Organizing for a worthy cause is always noble, but doing it with good bands is righteous. That’s exactly what Orlando promoter Montgomery Drive is doing here for the Florida chapter of NOW (the National Organization for Women). The benefit event is a full-on rager with a strong five-band lineup featuring heaviness of all sorts from Jump Ramp, Weak, Zapachi, Dearest and Memento. There’ll also be a big raffle loaded with goodies from local independent vendors. Considering the backward social slide that’s beginning to happen right now from the Mount Olympus of our SCOTUS, we’re already coming from behind. So support causes like these wherever possible. (8 p.m. Saturday, March 27, Will’s Pub, $10)
Portrayal of Guilt, World Peace, Royal Graves, Gillian Carter: This studded lineup is a cross-section of heavy music that’s high quality and thrillingly diverse. With a sound that’s at once hard, grinding and screaming, Austin’s Portrayal of Guilt are as varied as they are extreme. The powerviolence punch of Oakland’s World Peace is so furiously concentrated that it seldom exceeds the 30-second mark on any given song. And with post-hardcore stars Gillian Carter Ward Davis: While it’s true that the modern Nashville establishment is a factory of and metalgaze contenders Royal Graves, local CONCERT PICKS THIS WEEK The Round Up Tour: Of all genres, coun- lowest-common-denominator commercial support will be legit. (8 p.m. Tuesday, March try music is way up there when it comes to country, not all of its products are soulless 29, Will’s Pub, $15) needing an update. But as it always does, it’s pap. Ward Davis rose first as a songwriter, baolehuu@orlandoweekly.com orlandoweekly.com ● MARCH 23-29, 2022 ● ORLANDO WEEKLY
31
