Hangar 18 – Sweep the Leg (Definitive Jux Records)
Release Date: 10/23/07
Hangar 18 are Tim “Alaska” Baker and Ian “Windnbreeze” McMullin, two MCs who have been honing their skills on the mic for over a decade, along with ‘DJ paWL’. Coming up in the New York City scene, Alaska and Wind were mainstays of the “All That’ monthly open mic event that was hosted by legendary NYC radio personality Bobbito Garcia at the Nuyorican Poets Café. The group quickly became part of the Atoms Family, which consisted of Cannibal Ox, Cryptic One and Jest One Art and had a slew of releases through the late-nineties and into the 2000s. In 2004 the trio dropped their critically acclaimed debut album The Multi-Platinum Debut Album on Definitive Jux Records. The album received critical acclaim from both Spin and Playboy and led to the recording of the theme song for the VH1 show ‘Hip Hop Babylon’.
Now the group is readying for the release of their sophomore album, Sweep the Leg, which hits stores on October 23rd. The Hangar, as their fans affectionately call them, spent the lion’s share of the past three years on the road performing as many as 200 shows a year and sharing the stage with such artists as RJD2, One Be Lo, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Big Daddy Kane, Cobra Starship, Madina Lake, Zion I, Grouch, and Murs. Earlier this year they completed a U.S. and UK tour with Gym Class Heroes and most recently were main support on El-P’s U.S. tour.
Sweep the Leg finds the group paying homage to a certain phrase from Karate Kid. In fact, the group went through rigorous training of their own to prepare for the album. And all that hard work has paid off. MC Alaska was chosen to speak next to hip hop legend KRS One for the College Music Journal’s State of Hip Hop Address on Friday, October 19th at New York’s Kimmel Center: Eisner and Lubin Auditorium (3:45-5:15 PM). Later that night they’ll be sharing the stage with the rest of the Def Jux fam (and maybe some surprise guests?!) in at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg. And on Monday, October 22nd the group will kick off an album release party at New York’s Angels and Kings bar at 500 E. 11th street. The party kicks off at 8:30 PM when fans will be able to listen to the entire album the night before it hits stores. Hangar 18 will take the stage at 9:30 for a vicious bout of karaoke.
And fans not in the group’s home base of New York City can catch Hangar 18 as they hit the road for a nationwide tour. See below for full dates.
Listen to Hangar 18 “Baking Soda” from Sweep the Leg (Definitive Jux)
Listen to Hangar 18 “Feet to Feet” from Sweep the Leg (Definitive Jux)
Hangar 18 – Sweep the Leg Track List
1. Highly Anticipated
2. Watchyoself
3. The West Wing
4. …That I Know I Want
5. Jump Muthafuh
6. Sad
7. Feet To Feet
8. Really Wide
9. Bakin Soda
10. Dance With Me
11. Room To Breathe
12. Think Big
13. Last Stop
Hangar 18 Tour Dates
11/1/07 Burlington, VT Metronome
11/2/07 Portland, ME Asylum
11/3/07 Northampton, MA Iron Horse
11/4/07 Baltimore, MD Sonar
11/5/07 Cincinnati, TBA
11/6/07 Bloomington, IN Uncle Fester’s
11/7/07 Columbus, OH Cafe bourbon street
11/8/07 Chicago, IL Abbey Pub
11/9/07 Madison, WI Annex
11/10/07 Sioux Falls, SD World Imports Bar
11/12/07 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep
11/13/07 Denver, CO Marquis Theatre
11/14/07 Salt Lake City, UT Uprock Records
11/15/07 Missoula, MT Badlander
11/16/07 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
11/17/07 Spokane, WA The BLVD
11/18/07 Portland, OR Berbati’s Pan
11/19/07 Eugene, OR Indigo District
11/20/07 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
11/21/07 Los Angeles, CA Low End Theory (@ The Airliner)
11/23/07 Scottsdale, AZ Chasers Nightclub
11/24/07 Albuquerque, NM Moonlight Lounge
11/26/07 Austin, TX Mohawk – Austin
11/27/07 Denton, TX Rubber Gloves
11/30/07 Orlando, FL Back Booth
12/1/07 Florida, Venue info TBA
12/2/07 Charleston, SC The Pourhouse
12/3/07 Roanoke, VA Awful Arthur’s Towers
12/4/07 Washington, DC DC Nine
12/5/07 Philadelphia, PA Fire
12/7/07 New York, NY Knitting Factory (Tap Bar)
No Comments