07/23/06 A Sad Day On July 23, 2006 Dave Bye, the sound engineer at The Brickhouse in Dover, NH passed away due to health complications. Dave was a great friend of The Press. and one of the nicest guys in the business. He was also one hell of a sound engineer. Rest peacefully Dave - we love you man. A benefit will be held for Dave at The Brickhouse starting at 3pm this coming Saturday. 07/21/06 The Press. @ Milly's Tavern Thursday 7.20.06 The Press. heads up to Manchvegas for the first time and the show is going to be ridiculous. Upwords Movement kicks it off followed by one of Boston's most formidable, MC Exposition, and of course your boys in the P-R-E double S. Doors open @ 8:00pm. This show is 18+!!! Buy tix at the door. 07/15/06 The Press. @ Muddy River Saturday 7.15.06 The Press. heads back into the Mouth of many Ports for another NH show. Worthy of note is that the venue has a dedicated dance floor and we want to see folks shredding that thing this coming Saturday. See you down at The Muddy buddy. 07/05/06 Harpers Ferry - TONIGHT!!! The celebration of freedom continues on the 5th of July with The Press. at Harpers Ferry in Allston. The Press. is honored to play in Boston during the extended 4th of July weekend. The birthplace of the American Revolution. The home of Paul Revere. The boys in Washington would do well to visit Beantown and understand what it means to be a true patriot. See you Wednesday! 06/25/06 Oakley Surf Movie Premiere @ Redhook - Saturday 6.24.06 The Press. is back in NH after a two month layoff and we're ready to blow the doors off Redhook's Endless Summer Party. This is a free event featuring The Press. and the premiere of Oakley's newest surf movie Seperate Volume. Doors are at 7pm and the shindig kicks off at 8pm - get there early to reserve a spot as this will be packed. P-R-E double S to YES!!! 06/20/06 Piecasso Show - Stowe, VT Thanks to all our new friends and fans at Piecasso in Stowe, VT for coming out and checking the Soundscape. The room, the pizza, the beer and the company were all much appreciated and we look forward to heading back up that way mid-summer. Special thanks to Jenny, Ed, Sarah, Jason and our boys in Upwords Movement.. See you all soon. 06/12/06 Press. Week in Boston A Success Thanks to all those who came out to Copperfield's, Aqua and the cruise. Aqua was packed and we couldn't have asked for a better night for our first nautical voyage. Hope you all dug the M/V Press. and we're looking in to doing it again soon. Next up are two shows in VT and back to the NH Seacoast for a date at Redhook on 6.24.06. See you there. 05/27/06 Holderness Show The Holderness show on 5/26 was off the hook. The Press. would like to thank the students of Holderness for being such great hosts and for throwing so much energy our way. You all make the show. 05/16/06 The Press Strives for Success The Portsmouth Herald By: Jeanne' McCartin The hip-hop group The Press has been together since its college days. But that wasn't so long ago. Still it was long enough for the seven members, who range in age from 22 to 27, to solidify their commitment to their art. Today, just a little more than a year as a band, The Press has big plans: plans to make it to the top. We want to be able to do this the rest of our lives. & All the guys do, says Roland 'Diggs' Nicol. I want to be a musician. I want to successfully take the group to the top, because we have the determination, talent and ambition and because I don't want it to stop. They hope to make their way with their own sound, described in their press as a live jazz influenced neo-soul, hip-hop group, with a trio of emcees. The music ranges from smooth rhythm and blues to spitfire lyrical anthems consciously crafted. Those making the music are Nicole, on bass; Jay Trikakis, on drums, Jim Dozet on guitar and Dan Shure, on keys. Brian 'Cap' Capobianchi, Patrick 'The Face of Fate' Joyce, and Alex 'The Journalist' Beguin are emcees. Both Joyce and Capobianchi are strong on vocals as well, with Joyce occasionally contributing. Last summer the band found itself basking in great feedback. The fan's good vibes helped The Press recognize it had something special as a group, and fostered a desire to improve, and to get serious, says Beguin, 23. "We said, this is something that could happen. It was a unanimous feeling. Everyone saw the potential. & (That) summer gave us a vision. This winter gave us a reality of what it's going to mean. " With everyone out of school, they could go at it differently, work it harder, he says. Step one, organize, and put together a package. "We needed to formulate a whole show, get merchandise and get show business down. " For a neo-soul hip-hop band, The Press sure did rock the house at the 12th annual Spotlight on the Arts Awards show at The Music Hall in April. The band started by upping rehearsal hours, and paying more attention to the show's details. They formulated a set song list, and worked at developing a stage presence. Beguin says when he's out listening to music today, he's using more than his ears. He analyzes everything, how the band positions itself, and what parts are choreographed. "I'm looking for the whole, seamless show. I'm starting to appreciate the (showmanship), absolutely." Capobianchi, 26, has just gotten back in from plastering the town of Durham with posters announcing the upcoming Press gig at the Tin Palace. It's part of his commitment to the band. When they started divvying up jobs he took on publicity, he says. Posting is home-turf work. But they're all looking with an eye beyond the Seacoast. We want to get the word out as far as we can and make good things happen, bring people together to have a good time dancing and enjoying themselves. There's already a gig set for Philadelphia. And they're eyeballing New York. It is a bit difficult to pull together tours, says Capobianchi. A number of the members are working day jobs. So, right now the plan is putting 120 percent into it, he says. It will happen. There could be a van in the band's future, with tours booked out for a few weeks. And they're looking at what it would take to jump on a tour with a major artist. "It's our options for now or at least what we'd like our options to be," says Capobianchi. But all agree, whether locally or down the Eastern Seaboard, the band needs to perform before an ever-larger audience which brings them to product. Currently the band has a single EP out and is planning its first full-length recording. "We have a good multitude of songs now that we didn't have when we put that together," says Capobianchi. "We have 15, or 20 songs not yet recorded. We've focused on tightening up and structuring them better. The plan is to start recording soon, and have a recording out in the fall. The Press is truckin' right along for a group that only came together a year ago February. It had its start through sort of a chain-letter connection, one friend to another. "It's an interesting story," says Roland Nicol, 23. It began when Nicol was asked by the powers that be at the Stone Church if he could come up with a hip-hop band to back up an emcee coming in from New York City, a big guy underground, " he starts. He got a hold of Trikakis, who he'd played jazz with in the past. "We did the show and we realized it went really well. It went great show-wise, but it was also really fun." Even before the Church gig, Nicol had talked to his buddy Brian, whom he had played a few frat parties with some years earlier, about putting together a hip-hop group. So after the show Nicol immediately contacted his friend. Things got started pretty quickly after that. "I found a good drummer, who inspired me to play well. Then I went over to the Barley Pub, looking for Dan Shure, he played there every Wednesday night, and I knew he played that music." From the start the group included all but Dozet. He came on board in a matter of weeks. "I was good friends with him and really wanted him on the gig," says Nicol. "He's a great guitar player, really nice melodies." All the members are part of putting the music together "Basically someone comes to practice with an idea, tries it out, and we all come up with our parts, talk to see if it works. It's a band thing," says Nicol. The message in their music is an important element for all the members, he adds. "Some hip-hop has people talking about material stuff, partying, bling, but a lot of it is orientated to a message, politics, spiritual, what's wrong with the world, the country, stuff that matters. & We're trying to reach the people, let them know how we think on things & see if they want to be a part of it. & You want to reach people, open eyes. The genre has long been stereotyped as a black art form, says Nicol. "The Press doesn't see it that way. It's a colorless or all-color art form," he says. "It has so much passion behind it, the same we saw in rock n' roll in the 60s. Anyway, we're just doing music. It's hip-hop because it has backbeat and people are rapping a little bit. & But it's soul." All three members interviewed said, one of the band's strong suits is its ability to get along. The common goal is a major motivator. Another reason is they all have experience working within a university-system musical organization or other bands. They all understand teamwork, says Capobianchi. "We all have a kind of understanding that it's not just fun. It is a blast and we love to do it. But we understand in order to keep having that fun we have to put real work into it. " When that became a band realization, they knew they could find a way to make this work. "We used to play at parties and gatherings. There's always an element of play," says Beguin. "I don't think at any point it was just play, because everyone in The Press is a serious musician, but I think we were experimenting & early on. (Today) it's still play, we still experiment. We love playing music. & It's just now we realize we can do this. 05/14/06 Wanna See The Press in Philly? The Press. hits the road for the first time at the end of May and we want you to come. If you want to see The Press. bring The Soundscape to Philly email us and with enough people we can set up a good hotel deal: thepress@thepresshiphop.com. Press on. 05/10/06 What the Fans Say "I was front row when you opened for The Roots and the entire show was killer. First time I've been to a show where the opener was just as great as the main performance." -Wolfgang UNH Student "I was at the show at UNH last Thursday, def the greatest perfomance I've been a part of. Amazing energy." -Jake Brennan UNH Student "You guys were crazzzzy last night! I'm already addicted...and not gunna lie, I liked your performance more than The Roots...just being honest!" -Julia UNH Student "Great show last night guys, you get tighter every time I see you!!!" Greg Wize Crackaz 05/04/06 Turn Up the Volume for This Site By John Shore Yo, this is Wordmaster J, puttin' letters on paper, Hope you'll read, all you need, as you skim over my caper. Checkin' Web sites and blogs, and other dot coms. Tellin' you which sites to nix, and which are da' bombs! I've never been a big fan of hip hop and I don't think I've ever rapped before, at least not on purpose. But while visiting the Web site of The Press, a local hip hop group, I found myself grooving in my chair and clicking the mouse to the rhythm. The home page has a very cool urban look to it with subtle animated graphics that aren't distracting. Make sure your speakers are turned on when you visit this site. You'll be treated to the funky grooves of this talented band while you very hip-ly hop around their cyber shack. I find it a little odd that the main navigation bar is on the right-hand side of the pages. This could mean that if viewed on smaller screens, this part of the page won't be visible without scrolling. There are some terrific photos that also carry the mood of the site. Everything truly works together. This site does break one of my cardinal rules of web design: Thou shall not publish a page that has no content. If you click on the "Community" link in the navigation bar, there is nothing to be seen except the word "soon." I find this very frustrating. Why publish the page if you don't have content for it? I like this site because it has a look and feel that complements the music. The visual and audio work well together in creating a hip hop feel. After you check out the site, be sure to check these guys out live at Murphy's Tin Palace, 2 Ballard St., (just off Main Street), Durham, this Saturday, May 6. Web sites are rated on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest. The highest overall score is 20. www.thepresshiphop.com (www.bethepress.com) DESIGN: 5 NAVIGATION: 4.5 CONTENT: 3.5 COOL FACTOR: 4 TOTAL: 17 04/21/06 Roots Show - The Morning After The show last night at UNH was off the hook. The Press. blew the roof off The Fieldhouse and heated up the crowd to temperatures so hot we dont even know where to begin. Thanks to everyone who came out and stay tuned because it don't stop. 04/20/06 The Press Opens for THE ROOTS! On Thursday 4.20.06 The Press. opened for the one and only Roots Crew. The show was off the hook and countless new fans experienced the Soundscape Finesse for the first time. Check out pics in the Visuals section and thanks to all who came. 04/20/06 The Press. Opens for The Roots! Durham, NH - The Fieldhouse: The Press. is opening for The Roots at UNH this coming Thursday 4/20/06!!! Yes, you're reading that correctly, we said The Roots. The top of the hip-hop game, the kings of live hip-hop, a group from which The Press has drawn so much of its inspiration as we've formed and honed our sound. Come to this show, it is not to be missed. 04/18/06 Boston Harbor Cruise Announced The Press. will be playing a Boston Harbor Cruise on Sunday 6.11.2006. It is our first nautical experience - we'll see if Atlantis can hang with the Soundscape Finesse. Tix are $30 and you can reserve a spot by emailing your name and contact info to thepress@thepresshiphop.com. 04/15/06 New Site Debuts 4.15.06 The new home of The Press debuts and we really dig the place. We're glad you're here. Take a look around and let us know what you think. Stay tuned as we will constantly be adding new stuff to the site. Next up is The Press's virtual meal program so that you never have to pull yourself offline and stop being The Press. 04/06/06 The Press. @ Spotlight Art Awards The Press. tore it up last night on stage at the Spotlight Awards performing both Soundscape Finesse and Typerighter to four hundred new fans. While the average age was pushing 45 and pre-gaming likely consisted of geritol smoothies and aspirin, the crowd ate it up when Cap told 'em all to turn around and introduce themselves. Who knows, The Press may be responsible for a few late-boomer singles hookups. Check out the video here. 03/25/06 Portsmouth, NH - On April 5, 2006 The Press. will be performing during The Spotlight Awards at The Portsmouth Music Hall. This annual event showcases the best talent from around the Seacoast and hands out awards to those standout acts of the year that have contributed to the area's continually evolving music scene. 03/18/06 ThePressHipHop.com Debuts The new home of The Press debuts and we really dig the place. We're glad you're here. Check out the music and visual downloads and sign up for the street team if you're so inclined. Let us know what you think and chat amongst yourselves in the community section. Stay tuned for video clips and The Press's virtual meal program so that you never have to pull yourself off this site and stop being The Press. 01/29/06 WHO DID...? WE DID!! WINNERS OF BOSTON'S BATTLE OF THE BANDS As voted by you, the audience, the fans, THE support system, we found our way into the final round for Boston's Battle of the Bands held at the Rack. As usual, we hit the stage with a solid performance and great crowd reaction. With that, we showed up the rest of the competition and impressed the judges so much they had to choose us. Thanks again for everyone who came out to all the competitions. Nothin but the best, its the P R E double S < Main News |