GRN&GLD Chip Monk Kill Me LP showcase
Que Sera and GrnGld
Ever so often someone will ask where I am going to catch a show this week and a majority of the time I would shoot back Que Sera. Located at 1923 E 7th St, Long Beach this space has become a place I like to call home. Though I don’t live in Long Beach the community of artists and fans alike are really quite welcoming. The other allure to the bar is that is houses the GRN&GLD collective (ABBYSS. PAUL PLASTIC. LOBO INCOGNITO. FLOODS fka DRIPPING GEMS. DIRTY MERLIN. MU. fka REPEATED MEASURES. KALVA. CICERO. CHIP MONK. EVAN GEESMAN. CRUX. G. WRECKS) This night, however, casts its charm with members Dirty Merlin, Abbyss, and Chip Monk who was releasing his newest LP ‘Kill Me’. The showcase also added in local and visiting talent with the likes of Calyxa, Limbo, Elrond, and Avola.
Dirty Merlin
To begin, those who showed up at the very start were treated to the resident beat producer Dirty Merlin taking on DJ duties and spinning a mix that went from Gil Scott Heron’s Angel Dust to Jimmy Edgar’s Burn So Deep. The wide range of tracks was able to direct bodies to the dance floor or where they should be and that’s is part of Dirty Merlins magic. Having a sip of his tall boy the tracklist ran its course and the first of many special treats, Abyss, was taking the stage.
ABBYSS
Slowly the stage began to take shape as it was being covered in gear and first up was Abbyss. I was surprised to see bandmate Esther (Koibito) join in with some effects pedals and vocal alterations come into the mix when I had understood this was Abbey’s solo work in beat production but it was a pleasant treat overall. Abby, no stranger to drum pads and sequencers, was able to string together a consistent tribal-like rhythm out of her work. Yes at times there would be space to breathe, but once her partner took off from the stage she came barreling back down to earth and released her endless bombardment of beats creating a primal instinct in us all.
calyxa
Next to appear was Calyxa, another long beach local who drew inspiration from the Grn&Gld crew. Slow melodic beats with a taste of sultry lyricism can be found in her sound as seen in tracks like ‘How You Feel’. You can even find some bass-heavy tunes as well in the case of ‘Flirtation’ her latest single that she shot a video for just under a week ago. Calyxa also shared some of her growth processes by covering Roses by ABRA and letting us know she does these covers to improve her production skills. She was sure to thank the crowd and host of talent in the building that night as she ended her set with Huron that is about the mask we wear when we decide to “… be on our best behavior”.
limbo
One of the new faces we were able to see at Que was Limbo, not that you could see her face as she was dawning a white cat mask behind her holographic laptop. Limbo opened up her set with a flip of Shaggy’s ‘It Wasn’t Me which immediately put a smile on my face and got my attention. Known to be a vocalist as well as a producer of beats it seemed she felt just fine going production heavy and letting the beats speak for themselves. With the backing visualizations and the charm of that cat mask, I was sure to listen in and take in the melodious chasm she has found herself creating in.
elrond
Now the duo of Ian Gorman and Vern Avola Elrond was something I was not prepared for in the best of ways. The note I wrote to myself to describe the act was something along the lines of a destructive industrial synthesizer/supercomputer caught in the lifestream of barbaric acid driven berzerker. Those of us who stood under the amps were taking in as one listener said later on “a religious experience” as the experimental EDM poured over us like holy water on a Sunday morning. Have a listen to ‘Kill Or Be Chill’ and try to see if you do not feel reborn after its epic climax.
Avola
Just to break up the sequence but keep the pair together, a sole member from the Elrond duo, Vern Avola took on her project respectively called Avola to the stage as well. Her work is a lot more chunky an ideal if you looking to float about in a lazy river while taking in her self-described ritualistic drone tones. It was easy to see why Ian would join in the fun and take the journey of creating sounds with this solid talent. I recommend giving Zone a solid play through to get an understanding of her blissful darkness.
Chip monk
Finally, it is here, the ‘Kill Me LP’ from Grn&Glds own Chip Monk. Chip, as he likes to be called, told me before his performance how the album is about death and rebirth. The death comes from how he is killing the musical gear that has got him to where he is now in his beat making skill set. The rebirth is what is to come from leaving it all behind. The album is to be played from beginning to end and with a signature ski mask placed over his head and telling the crowd “this will be the last show this ever plays” motioning to his sampler, Kill Me begins. We are met with ‘Return’ and it is just that, a return to the form that is Chips signature sound, chiptune flips, temple-like chimes, and a voice sample out of Adventure Times Linch opening the track with “You are alone child. There is only darkness for you and only death for your people”. The performance energy is tremendous and you could tell that many of his friends and followers were in the crowd sharing in the overall energy, you could not help but get caught up in it all. At one point toward the middle of ‘Switchblades’ Chip began to apologize to his gear saying its dying and how he wouldn’t be anything without it and he pushed it to its limits as it rattles the speakers overhead. Sometime into ‘Hellboi’ Chip begins to chant “We will all see victory” and he continues to bring out what is already being spoken of as a legendary set inside Que Sera. As the performance begins to draw to a close Chip states that he must make a blood sacrifice in order to continue forward and is handed a pink keyboard from the side of the stage and he then proceeds to lay it in front of the crowd on its side, prays to it, and then follows it up with a stomping that shatters the equipment in two. The room went electric and Chip thanked every person in the room that night, with shouts of encore and chip being made everywhere we could not have asked for a better performance than what took place in front of our very eyes. The Kill Me LP was sold in limited physical supply for 10$. The case contains a zine showing the concept of the album of death to the equipment, and a very cool novelty item that is a USB card that holds all the artwork and music from the album which he got the idea from collaborator Pomdip. The release is found everywhere you can stream music and I highly suggest you catch a live set from this man who just wants you all to know “Dat boi will live again”!
