Pictured Tony-Left, Lanie-Right
By: S.CHOUDHARY
Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to see a lot of artists perform as well as conduct interviews for our site to tell their side of the story. There was however one particular artist (or I should really say two) that I haven’t gotten the opportunity to sit down with for a formal interview, but let me tell you, this is a group worth mentioning. The first time I saw Lanie and Tony of MC Sparkplug perform was at Springfest in Muncie, Indiana. The chemistry the two shared on stage was amazing and incredibly contagious. They were playful, fun, and energetic. I haven’t seen any other acts quite like these two. After Springfest they made their way to Lafayette, Indiana to perform. I got to speak with the couple, and they were just as nice as the positive vibes they give off stage. The two again performed in Lafayette opening for Boombox.
I wanted to write this article, not only because of how much MC Sparkplug’s act really stuck out in my mind, but also to school you a little on the history of the MC. Don’t tune me out just yet, it’s actually quite interesting.
The term MC originates from the Catholic Church meaning Master of Ceremonies who was an official in the Papal court in charge of conducting sacred rituals. This term dates back all the way to the 15th century. Over time, the term has been used in relation to comedy clubs and even the Boy Scouts of America. The most influential usage and what you probably know the term used as is how the term was coined by hip hop.
Towards the later 70s an MC was a rapper who used pre-written or freestyle lyrics in order to praise the DJ, comment on his own stature, express his ideas on social and political issues, or just get the crowd bumping. As hip hop became more nationally known, the MC was interchanged with other terms such as Music Commentator, Microphone Controller, and Mic Checka. See it wasn’t that bad, and hopefully you learned something!
So if you get the chance, be sure to check out MC Sparkplug. They will be performing in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois, including a performance at Peace Through Music festival which I highly recommend attending! Check out MC Sparkplug at these dates and locations:
June 12, 2010 Hobart Art Theatre w/ The Diggity & Fresh HopsHobart, Indiana
June 19, 2010Chicago Peace Fest Chicago, Illinois June 25, 2010 Terrapin Hill Family Reunion, Harrodsburg, Kentucky , US
July 15, 2010 ”The Peace Through Music Festival” for The Shawnee Native American Tribe Bellefontaine, Ohio , US July 30, 2010Duck Fest @ The Land of Funk Martinton, Illinois , US
Sept. 9, 2010 Terrapin Hill Harvest Festival Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Sept. 10, 2010 River City Music Festival Madison, Indiana
Sept. 11, 2010 River City Music Festival Madison, Indiana
Below is their bio, but you can check out more of MC Sparkplug on Myspace
MC Sparkplug is Tony Z and Punky Moon Lover together. We are a couple that performs around the midwest. We’re a blend of hip hop, comedy, and pieces of every other musical genre that we throw in. Our songs are about our realtionship, issues that we encounter, and fictional stories that we create. We’ve been called hippy hop, conscious hip hop, and unclassifiable by people who have never heard anything quite like it. We’ve played with bands of every type of music from bluegrass, country to rock and rap. Our duty as performers is to become the ultimate opening act that gets the crowd ready for a memorable night. The beats are made by Tony Z and the lyrics are written by both of us together. We have shared the stage and supported such acts as: Eoto, BoomBox, Big Gigantic, Cornmeal, Future Rock, Papadosio, Covert Operations, The Ragbirds, Roots of Creation, Vegitation, Spiritual Rez, 2 Live Crew, Groovatron, Unknown Hinson and many more. We enjoy playing at festivals and living outdoors in the summer, then rocking your local bar the rest of the year. For Booking, email us here on myspace or at mcsparkplug@gmail.com Thanks for your time and have a sunny rainbow day.
