Seattle Subsonic

Get To Know: Pearl Dragon

January 23rd, 2009

This is more of a personal interview than a music video (in fact, it’s quite far from a music video), but since I especially dig Champagne Champagne and its primary emcee, I thought you all should watch it.

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The video was produced by Gabriel Miller and Patricia O’Brien of the Seattle Channel (21), and debuted this past Thursday night on Art Zone in Studio with Nancy Guppy. It’s a well-done profile on one of the city’s musical gems, Laprell Nelson, aka Pearl Dragon. Part of the creative force behind Champagne Champagne, along with DJ Mark Gajadhar and Thomas Gray, PD is intent on denying the proverbial pigeonhole from everyday hip-hop fans. He has another project in the works with Phil Nelson of Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground, and you can even find a cover of the Replacements’ touching, acoustic guitar-driven “Skyway” on his myspace.

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What initially drew me to Champagne Champagne, aside from DJ Gajamagic’s inventively tight beats, was PD’s wide spectrum of influence (he counts Mos Def, Jimi Hendrix, Outkast, Kurt Cobain and Ziggy Stardust among his heroes). I imagine the tragic ending to his brother Samuel’s life from a police bullet wound—for which the song “Radio Raheem” is a tribute to—had a substantial effect on his artistic output as well. Born in Eugene and raised in Skyway, his Pacific NW roots give credence to the local swell in Seattle’s music scene, hip-hop or otherwise. If you haven’t seen these party-starters rock the house yet, consider yourself advised to do so.

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In PD’s own words, CC make songs about “love, hate, the police, hating the police, loving molly ringwald”. I guess John Hughes is one of his heroes, too.

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You can next catch Pearl Dragon and Champagne Champagne opening for pop-raucous duo Matt & Kim, January 29th at Chop Suey.