Sharp Notes June 10 2004

By Nikhil Swaminathan Thursday June 10, 2004 12:04 AM EDT

Tapping locals for tours: Athens-based rapper Ishues has accepted an opening spot for a West Coast jaunt on tour with seminal political rapper KRS-One.

According to Ishues/Attica Sound publicist Cathy Chen, KRS-One came across Ishues at “Hiphop Appreciation Week,” which took place in Atlanta, New York, Portland and Washington, D.C., May 16-22. From that meeting, the two did shows in Richmond, Va.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Cleveland last week, and the vibe was so strong that the invitation was extended.

For now, Ishues is rolling with a legend, along with his super-intense part-time flexor/ full-time hype-man Fort Knox, and Rod Roscoe of Attica act Herb and Skills. Also in tow is Montu Miller of Athens-based Dreaded Mindz, who is video-documenting the excursion.

In similar news, junior-Dave Matthews/ geeky teen pin-up Jason Mraz has handpicked percussionist Jen Lowe of local modern rockers ACRES to provide beats for his current end-of-spring tour. The sultry skin beater was recently plastered on the front of Rockrgrl magazine along with Samantha Maloney, drummer for Courtney Love, who was on hand for the Music Midtown breakdown last month.

Lowe is, not surprisingly, extremely excited about the opportunity to get out of the clubs and play to the kids.

“Jason is exactly the kind of artist a percussionist can love playing with,” says Lowe in a press release. “With his Latin and jazz influences, I’ll be able to incorporate congas, bongos, cajon and djimbe. And what’s even cooler, is that I’ll be playing with a DJ as well. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do more of.”

According to Mraz’s website, the tour won’t be coming through Atlanta, but you can catch Jen with ACRES at the 10 High Fri., June 25.

Local show of the week: Local alt-country duo No River City brings its wistful melodies and majestic Southern-tinged harmonies to the comfy confines of the Red Light Cafe Sat., June 12. Drew de Man’s wholly appropriate accented vocals complement the cello swoons of his partner in crime, Terri Onstad. This stuff is pretty, so bring a special friend. Trust me.??