Busdriver Recent News

Busdriver Releases Exclusive Song on iTunes

Wed, 28 May 2008 00:05:00 -0700

Progressive rap maestro Busdriver has just released a hyperkinetic new song called "Ellen Disingenusus" featuring some truly mind-bending rapid fire rhymes. The track is not on the album and available only on iTunes.

BUSDRIVER ON TOUR SUPPORTING DIZZEE RASCAL, EL-P

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:03:00 -0700

LA's Wunderkind, Known for His "Liberated, Tripped Out Beat Poetic Sensibility" (IGN.com), Takes To the Road

Taking a break from recording his follow-up to 2007's critically acclaimed Epitaph debut RoadKillOvercoat, Busdriver sets out on tour on March 20th, starting in Santa Cruz. Other stops will include the Paid Dues Independent Hip Hop Festival with Sage Francis, Living Legends and Dilated Peoples and the Rothbury Festival with Modest Mouse, Of Montreal and Snoop Dogg. Dates in May are in support of fellow culture-commentators Dizzee Rascal and EL-P.

The 28-year old MC (born Regan Farquhar) has shared the stage with everyone from hip hop visionary RJD2 to acclaimed indie outfit Deerhoof to theatrical folk-tronic duo Cocorosie. It is his ability to bridge the divide between the hip hop and indie scenes that have made him so well-regarded in both.

"A display of pure skill, Busdriver's live show is truly impressive; he seems to freestyle a lot of his stuff completely off the top of his head without ever slowing down or losing the beat." -Village Voice

"Within the barrage of syllables were inventive rhymes and complex commentary on politics and culture, not shying away from vocabulary like 'oligarchy.' But as Busdriver switched between speed-rapping and an occasional mocking pop croon, he put the songs across with as much comedy as self-righteousness." -The New York Times

"Simultaneously a spectacle of calisthenics and a lesson in lyrics, Busdriver's voice pitters and patters with the fury of a concert flutist over complicated and often jarring production." -The Los Angeles Times

"Busdriver put on a spastic, explosive show to a devoted audience full of local fans and international hip-hop heads entranced by hyper-quick, off-the cuff brilliance. -Pitchfork review of Coachella 2007 performance

BUSDRIVER ON TOUR
Mar 20 - The Catalyst - Santa Cruz CA
Mar 21 - Crystal Bay Casino - Incline Village NV
Mar 22 - Paid Dues Festival - Pomona CA
Mar 24 - The Red Fox Tavern - Eureka CA
Mar 25 - The Domino Room - Bend OR
Mar 27 - Neumos - - - Seattle WA
Mar 28 - Roseland Theater - Portland OR
Mar 29 - McDonald Theater - Eugene OR
Mar 30 - Harlow's - Sacramento CA
May 8 - 9:30 Club - Washington DC
May 9 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia PA
May 10 - Webster Hall - New York NY
May 11 - Middle East Downstairs Cambridge MA
May 14 - Crofoot Ballroom - Pontiac MI
May 15 - The Abbey Pub - Chicago IL
May 16 - Triple Rock Club - Minneapolis MM
May 21 - 1015 - San Francisco CA
May 22 - El Rey - Los Angeles CA
Jul 5 - Rothbury Festival - Rothbury MI

VIDEO PREMIERE: Busdriver's "Casting Agents And Cowgirls"

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:12:00 -0800

Underground hip-hop act Busdriver has just launched his new video for "Casting Agents and Cowgirls" on Myspace.com.

You can find the song on his latest album, RoadKillOvercoat, out now.

Busdriver - Casting Agents And Cowgirls

Busdriver opening for CSS

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:06:00 -0700

See Busdriver on tour with CSS on the following dates:

Thu 06/07/07 Neumos Seattle WA

Fri 06/08/07 Doug Fir Lounge Portland OR

Sat 06/09/07 Mezzanine San Francisco CA

Sun 06/10/07 Henry Fonda Theater Los Angeles CA

Also, CLICK HERE to watch Busdriver's new video "Sun Showers."

Busdriver Video up on XLR8R.com

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:04:00 -0700

Head over to xlr8r.com:

"Episode 5 - Audiofile: Busdriver
We catch up with indie hip-hop's most hyperarticulate MC during his recent tour with Deerhoof. Busdriver, aka Regan Farquhar, may be known for searing wit and educated prose, but these days he’s all about having fun and playing "for the children." In this Audiofile, recorded live at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall, the L.A.-based know-it-all dryly pinballs between serious and silly, a sober backstage demeanor, and high-energy onstage spazzing."

--small xlr8r.com version
http://www.xlr8r.com/xlr8rtv/

--larger revision version
http://revision3.com/xlr8rtv/bus

Busdriver's ITUNES Exclusive Single

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:04:00 -0700

BUSDRIVER READIES iTunes EXCLUSIVE SINGLE
ANTI- DEBUT ROADKILLOVERCOAT KILLS WITH CRITICS
ROAD TESTED M.C. GOES BACK ON TOUR WITH RJD2,
THEN JOINS UP WITH COCOROSIE AND
PLOTS TO CONQUER COACHELLA

Busdriver, the forward-thinking L.A. based style-master and chop-maestro currently on tour across the fruited plain, will drop an exclusive single via iTunes on April 17th. Released in advance of his hotly tipped Coachella performance, the forthcoming iTunes-only package boasts four previously-unreleased mixes of extracts from the hip-hop fixture's acclaimed Anti- debut, RoadKillOvercoat.

The iTunes single counts three unique mixes of "Sun Shower" - including a Club Remix, a Cadence Weapon Remix and a single edit for which a video is now being readied - plus a new Thavius Beck remix of "Less Yes's, More No's" The January 30th 2007 release of parent album Roadkillovercoat has been touted by the likes of Pitchfork, Alternative Press, Filter, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and CMJ.

Reviewing BD's last New York City gig, The New York Times' Jon Pareles wrote, "Busdriver presented his own kind of overload: rhymes in tricky accelerating and decelerating meters that often shifted into triple and quadruple speed; Within the barrage of syllables were inventive rhymes and complex commentary on politics and culture, not shying away from vocabulary like 'oligarchy.' But as Busdriver switched between speed-rapping and an occasional mocking pop croon, he put the songs across with as much comedy as self-righteousness."

In a recent full page feature, The Los Angeles Times heralded the 28-year old MC born Regan Farquhar for his efforts on Roadkillovercoat, which go well beyond the traditional boundaries of hip/hop. "Simultaneously a spectacle of calisthenics and a lesson in lyrics, Busdriver's voice pitters and patters with the fury of a concert flutist over complicated and often jarring production," Brandon Perkins wrote of Busdriver's fifth solo disc and first for Anti-.

Calling it "ridiculous, articulate, erudite and blistering," Filter named Roadkillovercoat "his most palatable work." Elsewhere, Alternative Press professed, "It's a constant evolution that gives Busdriver his edge over his peers," and Scratch insisted Busdriver is "a proud new-era MC; he's got plenty of skill and charisma."

Fresh off his stint as support act for acclaimed indie outfit Deerhoof, Busdriver resumes roadwork later this week, sharing the stage with hip/hop visionary RJD2 until April 23rd. He hits Coachella on April 27th and then joins up for dates with Cocorosie through May 16.

BUSDRIVER on tour:
4/11 Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia, PA*
4/12 Crazy Donkey, Farmingdale, NY*
4/13 Webster Hall, NYC*
4/14 Middle East Club, Cambridge, MA*
4/15 Pearl Street, Northampton, MA*
4/18 Magic Stick, Detroit, MI*
4/19 Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, OH*
4/20 Metro, Chicago, IL*
4/21 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN*
4/22 The Picador, Iowa City, IA*
4/23 Birdys, Indianapolis, IN*
4/27 Empire Polo Field, Indio, CA â?? COACHELLA
4/29 El Rey, Los Angeles, CA**
4/30 The Rio, Santa Cruz, CA**
5/01 Bimbo's, San Francisco, CA**
5/03 Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR**
5/04 Neumos, Seattle, WA**
5/05 Richard's On Richards, Vancouver, Canada**
5/07 Theatre Of The Living Art, Philadelphia, PA**
5/08 Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington, DC**
5/09 Cat's Cradle, Chapel Hill, NC**
5/10 Masquerade, Atlanta, GA**
5/11 Headliners, Louisville, KY**
5/12 Metro, Chicago, IL**
5/14 Leeâ??s Palace, Toronto, Canada**
5/15 Le Tulipe, Montreal, Canada**
5/16 Middle East, Cambridge, MA**

* - with RJD2
** - with Cocorosie

Busdriver interview in the Tampa Bay Times

Wed, 21 Feb 2007 00:02:00 -0800

The Perfect House Guest

It looks like Busdriver has his own blanket, he just needs a place to crash for the night. Do you have a vacancy?

Busdriver needs a place to crash.

The 29-year-old progressive rapper, known to his accountant as Regan Farquhar, opens for Deerhoof at Crowbar this weekend. He's been featured in countless publications and has an apartment in L.A., but when Bus takes his hip-hop act on the road, he doesn't always know where he'll lay his head at the end of the night.

Busdriver spoke with tbt* about his latest album, his disdain for Hollywood and why he makes a good house guest.

Tell me about the title of your album, RoadKillOvercoat. Where does that come from?

It was just kind of a funny thing, a funny little coupling of words - pairing of words. When we were driving, me and my tour partner ... were talking about the road kill and he said something to the effect of road kill overcoat in the context of whatever we were talking about. I was looking for a title of the album ... I just took that. I had nothing else good, so...

The single Casting Agents and Cowgirls appears to be another case in which you just throw two words together. What's it really about?

It's not really random. They're kind of the accoutrements of the decadent celebrity - f---ing retreats that people tie themselves in after they've had some conventional success. The chorus says, "You did it, you got it, you wowed the world of casting agents and cowgirls."... So it's kinda like you've impressed this seemingly innocuous bunch of f---ing Hollywood functionaries of god-knows-what, and the casting agents and cowgirls - the casting agents are the people who draft the talent, and the cowgirls are the talent.

What goes on in your mind when you're picking out clothes for a show?

I usually try to pick things that I can sweat in, truthfully, and that's pretty much it. I wish that I had outfits and things, but A, there's not much going on. Like when I'm touring, the accommodations are pretty bare. There may be a backstage, there may not be. There's no tour manager. There's no anything. And there may not even be a hotel room that night, so I feel obligated to not have that much that I'm responsible for, and a series of costumes and outfits could be too much.

When there's no hotel room, what do you do?

Make friends.

I've read in other interviews that people say your lyrics are intelligent, almost like they're surprised that a hip-hop act could be smart. Does that bother you, or do you consider it a compliment?

Yeah, it is bothersome because hip-hop lyricism lends itself to be more convoluted than other forms of music, 'cause that's the emphasis. All in all, the lyricism in hip-hop is more convoluted and cerebral and thought-intensive than other genres, at least as far as where I'm concerned. ... But then again, I'm very flattered when they say the lyrics are intelligent.

Is there anything else about your Tampa show that you want people to know?

People can expect me to ask them for room and board. That's what they can expect. They can expect lots of fireworks and lots of pleading and some on-stage crying, to be quite honest.

I don't think you'll have to plead too much. It'd be cool to have you as a house guest.

Are you rolling out the carpet?

Am I rolling out the carpet? Sure. What do you like for breakfast?

Eggs and stuff. I would make you breakfast, of course, as being the guest imposing. We can buy eggs. Wow! This interview has proven way more necessary and influential on my trip than I'd planned on it being. I'm quite pleased, actually.

Dalia Wheatt
Tampa Bay Times

Busdriver's interview up on suicidegirls.com

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:02:00 -0800

By Daniel Robert Epstein
Feb 8, 2007

Busdriver is a unique rapper much in the vein of ultra-talented rappers like RJD2 and Blueprint. His previous albums were low budget affairs that highlighted Busdriver's freestyle talent. But for his new album, Roadkill Overcoat, Busdriver wanted a cleaner more produced sound and that's why he recruited producers DJ Nobody, Boom Bip and Bianca Casady of CocoRosie to help him out.

Buy Roadkill Overcoat

Daniel Robert Epstein: What are you up to today?

Busdriver: I'm recovering from shooting all weekend. I've been shooting little video teasers for an upcoming album so now I'm just laying low.

DRE:What happens in the video?

B:There are a few different sketches and I don't know what I did for most of them. For one scene I had to smash a guitar and then the production crew pieced it together. Then I had to play the guitar and lip sync outside in 40 degree weather in not much clothing for an hour. That did me in.

Read the rest of the interview here: http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Busdriver/

Busdriver gets some love from Marie Claire!

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:01:00 -0800

You might not know who BUSDRIVER is, but you should. His fifth disc just may be the one that pulls the Los Angeles MC up from the underground hip-hop world and into the top spot on your playlist. His fl ashy-quick, smart, staccato rapping style will draw you in, and the pop-song constructs he favors will make you stay. If you've been looking for the thinking girl's rapper, you've found him.
DOWNLOAD NOW: "Casting Agents and Cowgirls"

www.marieclaireculture.blogspot.com

Check out the first MP3 from the new Busdriver CD ? RoadKillOvercoat!

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:12:00 -0800

Following right behind the release of the Kill Your Employer single, comes the new full length album from Busdriver "RoadKillOvercoat!" The album is set to drop on 01/30/07 and we have the first MP3 up for the song "The Troglodyte Wins?".

Check it out below!

Busdriver Epitaph Artist Page