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N.C. act finds rootin old school hip-hop

PROVIDED

Rudolph Lyrics (far right), Lady Bri, saxophonist Ben Sparrow and trumpeter Jonathan Caison help lead the way for hip-hop, soul combo Blount Harvey, playing Saturday at Johnson's Pub.

It's nifty latticework: Early '90s hip-hop, soul and jazz, fleshed out with strings, horns, piano, drums and the kitchen sink (re: turntables).

Blount Harvey makes for an unlikely combination of The Roots and Lauryn Hill, a hip-hop edition of the Super Friends — toting aliases and instruments — gathered together from the cosmic reaches of the universe.

The crusade continues Saturday night as the group visits downtown at Johnson's Pub, celebrating the release of its debut CD, "Live at the Station." Show time is 10 p.m.

In Blount Harvey's case, Greenville, N.C., acts as the Hall of Justice, headquarters to the band. And Superman? That's mysterious frontman Rudolph Lyrics, the rapid-fire staccato rhymer, his true identity undisclosed.

"We don't know Rudy's age, his occupation or his real name," says keyboardist MadShah.

Come again?

"Well, we picked up a few things," MadShah continues. "He is a veteran. He was stationed in Germany, served in Bosnia."

They also know him to be opinionated and strong in his convictions. On the CD's first song, "Crunktrain," he rails against the current state of hip-hop, BET, crunk music and buffoonery.

The lines he delivers curse-free, devoid of misogyny and without references to money and jewelry. It's a positive vibe, classic hip-hop.

"It's about MC'ing, DJ'ing, B-boying or breaking," MadShah says. Equally assertive: Blount Harvey's other vocalist, the sassy dynamo, Lady Bri. She vamps on the Jill Scott cover, "It's Love," a knockout tune, capably layering melodies on the other tracks.

"Bri gets a lot of love," MadShah says. "She's a fun girl. People love her voice."

Heck, it's fun just to run down the band members and their purported origins, as Rudolph Lyrics does on the CD's final tune, "Tighten Up," which features a fun sample from Archie Bell & the Drells.

There's guitarist Nigel Cheeks from London, drummer illWill out of California, trumpeter Jonathan Caison from Venezuela and Big Ben Sparrow, tenor saxophonist from Big Sur, Calif.

Trombonist Pablo Nieves hails from Puerto Rico. DJ JohnBeez is from Vermont. MadShah comes from Morocco, Lady Bri from Hell's Kitchen. Predictably, no word on Rudolph Lyrics.

It amounts to big sound, each member finding time on the CD to show off, scratching, soloing and singing. Blount Harvey came together in Halloween 2006 as an instrumental project — DJ, keyboard, guitar and horns — before picking up Rudy and Lady Bri.

"It was more dance-oriented (at first). It was an experimental kind of thing," MadShah says. "From there, it just snowballed. We kept finding talented people that wanted to be part of the band."

Expect some original numbers from the CD, recorded at the Outer Banks Brew Station on the North Carolina coast. Songs include the jumpy "Targeted Since the Day We Were Born," the positive, funky "The Flow" and "Hot ****," boosted by a sample from Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)."

Reach Rob Young at ryoung@postandcourier.com.