Words: Miljan Milekić
As a fan of Get Dead, and pretty much everything Sam King does creatively, I naturally gravitated to Codefendants ever since I first heard their music sometime last year. Even better, it was a 2-in-1 deal for me, since I was also new to Ceschi and his solo work. Well, a few weeks ago, I found out it is actually a 3-in-1, including Saskaton’s very own Factor Chandelier.
Record producer and owner of the Fake Four Inc. record label, Factor Chandelier is a pillar of Saskatoon’s music scene, with an impact that widely exceeds the borders of Saskatchewan and Canada, and an extensive catalogue I slowly started exploring. It was the (un)official host of the night who kicked things off and got everyone going. Not too long after standing behind the decks, Factor was joined by two local hip hop heroes, LOGS and Kay The Aquanaut, who performed a couple of songs each, mainly collaborations with Factor himself, including ‘Bomberman’ and ‘Snaps.’
It was Ceschi who hit the stage next, getting the atmosphere in Black Cat Tavern to a boiling point. It didn’t take more than a couple of bars before everyone in the crowd was jumping and singing with him, following every word he was delivering from the stage. On more than one occasion, Ceschi – another frequent collaborator of Factor Chandelier, mentioned that Saskatoon is his home in Canada, and it was easy to see why. The connection he has with the crowd in the city is next-level, and more than once he ditched the stage and simply joined them in the pit.
With Factor working overtime, it was time for Sam King to join him and Ceschi on the stage, and kick off the Codefendants set. With the eclectic combination of punk, hip hop, and everything in between, Codependents have a fluid sound that can easily adapt and fit into any setting, while changing shape and form. Despite trying, their promise of a “mellow set” didn’t really last long with two energy bombs like Ceschi and King on stage, and the crowd response was in the same vein. Songs such as ‘Suicide By Pigs,’ ‘Def Cons,’ ‘Suckers,’ and ‘Abscessed’ were all followed by strong reactions, with the latest track ‘Counting Back From 13’ slowly following their footsteps.
It was, however, two other songs that stole the focus, both providing very special moments. ‘Fast Ones,’ a collaboration with The D.O.C. created mayhem in the crowd, getting everyone going before it even started. The song itself was introduced by a story of a band’s “most Holywood night ever” when they recorded it in DJ Quik’s studio while smoking weed with Steve Urkel from ‘Family Matters.’ The other big moment of the show was one of the first, if not THE first-ever performance of ‘Without A Trace.’ The new track, a collaboration between Factor Chandelier and the group will appear on his brand new album ‘Cold, Cold World’ which drops this September.
And it was that song that possibly summed this show the best. In its essence, this was a hip hop show, headlined by a punk group. A combination that became somewhat risky, although it never should have been. And with artists such as Ceschi, being equally involved in both worlds and projects such as Codefendants, it works perfectly. The combination of people in the crowd was just another proof of that, with punks, hip hop heads, and skaters all coming together and making this night special. For everyone.
