Making their way across the U.S. from the East Coast to the South, and then ending in the West, Gangstagrass will finally present their fifth studio album, No Time for Enemies, on their first official U.S. tour since 2020. This high-energy band is hyped-up to show live listeners what bluegrass hip hop music is made of. Coming to Memphis at Railgarten on March 17th, Gangstagrass will move Memphians to the beat of the banjo.
It all started with one man — Rench, vocalist and guitarist of Gangstagrass — and his vision to bring together a group of talented and well-rounded musicians. The band is now made up of five dedicated and synergetic band members based in Brooklyn, New York, and Philadelphia, who continue to prove that thinking “outside the box” can lead to some of the most impressive ideas. The multifaceted band fuses elements of hip hop’s strong beats and lyricism with the rhythmical and lively instrumentals of bluegrass music.
Each Gangstagrass member brings a unique set of skills and talents to the team: Rench (vocalist and guitarist), Dan Whitener (banjo) also known as “Danjo,” Brian Farrow (fiddle and vocals), R-Son the Voice of Reason (vocals), and Dolio the Sleuth (vocals).
“When people see or hear us, we want them to already know that they’re going to get quality,” says R-Son, the Voice of Reason, vocalist of Gangstagrass. It’s easy to judge a book by its cover, or in this case, see the name of a band and assume what they’re all about. They’re not just “Gangsta” and they’re not just “grass,” they are “Gangstagrass,” a quintet of passionate musicians who courageously redefine the concept of musical genre.
“Why do we have genres?” asks Farrow. “People often like to define music by genre and categorization,” he continues. “We just come together, collaborate, and create music while trying out new things in the process,” adds Danjo. Though each member comes from a different background, for example, Philadelphian R-son who started rhyming in
the first grade, and Danjo, who grew up in D.C. and always had a love for bluegrass or newgrass music (thanks to his Midwestern parents), Gangstagrass turns their idiosyncrasies into synchronicities.
The band gained popularity after being awarded an Emmy nomination for FX’s Justified theme song. The television series aired in 2010-2015 and follows a story of a U.S. Marshal who took the law into his own hands. Their reputation grew even more after their appearance on the latest season of NBC’s America’s Got Talent.
Gangstagrass puts their alliance to further use by telling stories that inspire change. “In our music, we like to tell stories that connect to feelings,” says vocalist Dolio. “We want those feelings to spur some kind of action or opinion about different subjects.” It’s all about making the public aware of issues going around in the world on a larger scale, having them “drop their armor” and being open to discussion. Over synchronized strings and heavy-hitting beats, Gangstagrass speaks on major societal and environmental issues such as water conservation, mass incarceration, suicide, loss and mourning, and poverty — just to name a few.
We like to tell stories that connect to feelings. We want those feelings to spur some kind of action or opinion about different subjects.
Dolio the Sleuth
Despite the solidarity of inspiring change, Gangstagrass has a special way of intertwining hope, encouragement, and liveliness into their music and performance. Gangstagrass simply wants Memphians to come to Railgarten to have a good time. “We don’t want people to overthink it,” Danjo says. “We want people to come to the show and have one of the most shocking yet wonderful experiences of their lives,” adds Dolio.
In addition to their U.S. tour, Gangstagrass put out a series of mixtapes titled My Brother Where You At which includes the band’s own version of classic hip hop songs and another one titled Will the Cypher be Broken. By subscribing to being a “Barnstormer” with Gangstagrass, you can get exclusive content, such as new mixtapes, sent directly to you.
Gangstagrass will perform at Railgarten, Thursday, March 17th, at 8 p.m.
