Wednesday, September 25, 2002
 
Wow. What to say about the Blackalicious/Dilated/P.E. show at The World last night? It was simultaneously one of the most amazing and most disappointing nights in the history of Regenerated Headpiece, and that's no exaggeration.

When Chuck wrote to Phon-x and asked if we'd perform a short five minute set to open the show, we were ecstatic. We were looking at it as the five minutes we'd been working for four years to achieve, and we made damn well sure that we'd be prepared for the opportunity by rehearsing more or less non-stop these last few weeks, as we really wanted to make the most out of our five minutes.

Sometime in the late afternoon yesterday, just a few hours before showtime, Phon-x received a call telling him that Exfyl wouldn't be able to set up his tables/mixer, due to what the promoter referred to as space/time limitations. And since Babu and DJ Lord weren't about to let some unknown (for now) DJ use their equipment, we had to go on w/ out Exfyl, unfortunately.

All of our beats are recorded on CD, and then Exfyl does his DJ thing over them (cuts, scratches, bringing the beat in and out, hamming it up, etc.) but for this show it was just Phon-x and myself. This was unfortunate not only because Exfyl didn't get to perform (which sucked royally), but also because Exfyl has become such a huge part of who RHP is. He helps define our personality as a group, and in the live form, his turntable wizardry adds so much to the "RHP Experience." When I say to people that he's the most talented member in the group, I'm not exaggerating, so it came as a huge blow not to be able to have him up there with us for our big moment.

If we had known a day in advance about the "space/time limitations" we could have at least had Exfyl record his cuts/scratches/edits to CD, but we weren't even afforded that courtesy, so we went out and rocked "Cyclops Monocle" with just us and DJ Sty's masterfully produced beat, and though we had more energy on stage than perhaps ever before, it just felt like something was missing, and well, we both knew what it/who was.

Still, let it be said that we're INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL to Chuck D and the whole P.E. camp for putting us on. We know the whole "no tables" thing had nothing at all to do with those cats, and we truly appreciate the opportunity to perform at a venue like The World, and on a bill with world class talent. So please don't take these comments as ungrateful griping. Our gripe is with The World and the show promoter, and NOT with Public Enemy.

For a while, Phon-X and I mulled over the idea of not performing at all, in protest of the whole Exfyl exclusion thing, but then we came to a consensus (endorsed by Exfyl) that we really weren't in a position to be turning down an opportunity like that. Hell, this was Blackalicious, Dilated Peoples and Public Fucking Enemy! How could we NOT perform? Kurtis Blow was in the house. J Live. Kool DJ Red Alert. Journalists from All Hip Hop and Insomniac, not to mention all the local newspapers. It was that kind of night, so we went out and gave it everything we had. It felt good, but afterwards, I felt guilty. Honestly.

I'd like to commend General Population, Blackalicious, Dilated Peoples, PE, and everybody associated with last night's performance on a great show, though. All the groups represented to the fullest, especially Public Enemy (who was performing without Flava Flav, who's locked up in the Bronx for driving w/ a suspended license). I hadn't seen P.E. perform since Smokin' Grooves a few summers back, and I had almost forgotten about the amazing power and intensity of the P.E. live set. Almost. Last night it was once again abundantly clear why they call Chuck "The Hard Rhymer." The man is a force, and an inspiration to us all. For real. The rendition they did of "Fight the Power" last night, backed by a live band, was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen performed on a stage, or anywhere for that matter. Truly unforgettable.

So that's the story of the big P.E. opener. Bittersweetness is the theme. To anyone who might have been there to see it, I thank you for your support, and hope that you will come to see us again on Oct. 17th, when we extend the Fake Moustache Tour once more with a full-set at The Elbow Room. More info on the dates page.

Peace.



Tuesday, September 17, 2002
 
Check out this new review of Rat Race Vacation at Ink19.com

Also, check updated dates page. New dates added.



Monday, September 09, 2002
 
Greetings! Welcome one and all to the brand new Regenerated Headpiece website.

I think you will all agree that this redesign is a major improvement over our old site. Big thanks and major league props to The Rev. Dr. Mobiustrip of The 44.net for the ill hook-up. His design skills (and the speed at which he exhibits them) are nothing short of astonishing.

Do yourselves a favor and bookmark this page now. In the coming weeks and months, you'll want to regularly check back in here to learn about everything that's going on in the world of RHP. We'll be adding all sorts of photos, band commentary, reviews, special offers and contests, and enough general miscellany and random foolishness to keep you amused for days on end.

Our most recent news is the inclusion of our song "War Cry" on the Bomb Hip Hop Records compilation album The Real Deal. The album was conceived for the purpose of educating hip hop heads about the shadiness of the music industry, and features certified bangers by such notable kings of the underground as Azeem, Foreign Legion, Abstract Rude, Swollen Members, and Peanut Butter Wolf. This is a seriously ill album, so don't sleep.

We've played a ton of shows in the last few months. Many thanks to those who have caught our recent shows at The Elbow Room and Downtime. Y'all won't want to miss our next show, though. On Tuesday, September 24, RHP will take the stage for a short set at The World in Times Square, opening up for Dilated Peoples, Blackalicious, and PUBLIC ENEMY!

Chuck D of Public Enemy has also licensed four of the songs from our debut album, Rat Race Vacation, for distribution on his online label, SlamJamz. All four songs are currently available at the SlamJamz site.

Phon-X, Exfyl and I are hard at work on our new album (tentatively titled Dogfight), but for those of you who still haven't copped Rat Race Vacation, it's still available. RRV has received favorable write-ups in several magazines and websites, and a few of the jams have found their way to underground radio.

Finally, don't forget to stop by the Regenerated Headpiece message board at Globalcypher.com to let us know how ya'll are doing, and to offer suggestions for improvements to this site.

Again, welcome. On behalf of Regenerated Headpiece, I hope that this website will become as much your home as it will be ours.