Fun Fun Fun Fest Preview: Astronautalis

Just like ACL, the early performers at Fun Fun Fun Fest often get overlooked or brushed aside. We highly recommend checking out one of these early bands, because many are just on the brink of popularity. And once that happens, they won't be cool anymore. Astronautalis, aka Andy Bothwell, admits his fear of popularity, but isn't holding back in the meantime. A lone rapper from Jacksonville, Florida, Astronautalis first started turning heads in Seattle. Known for witty free-styling, raunchy voice and mad rhymes, he was sometimes considered hip-hop and even spent a few years on the Warped Tour. Bothwell says that his true passion has always been rapping and it's impossible for him not to rhyme. After competing at Scribble Jam (a hip-hop festival in Ohio), he went on to create his self-released debut, You and Yer Good Ideas in 2003. Fighting Records discovered him in 2005, reissued his debut album along with his sophomore collection, Might Ocean and Nine Dark Theaters.

Astronautalis is currently promoting his third album, Pomegranate, which has a tad gentler feel that his previous work. Many say he's headed more in the direction of shoegazer indie rock rather than rap. That's not to say it isn't full of those sexy and intense baritone vocals. Listening to his records is pleasurable, but seeing Brothwell perform live is a whole new treat. Listeners can feel the madness pumping through his veins just aching to get out. The music escapes in the form of throaty lyrics, fortuitous hand gestures and a red-faced rapper. His catchy rhymes set him apart from comparison and his voice nearly requires the creation of a new genre. Check out his set at Fun Fest, where he'll most likely play "The Wondersmiths and His Sons," a southern bluesy tune which begins with the haunting chant, "the solider who works just like a slave, sweating through the pain of digging a foxhole that the knows is just his grave." Stay for a few more songs and let Astronautalis capture your heart.

Astronautalis: [myspace]