When I asked Chris Carpenter, the meat and potatoes of So Cal hip-hop act Seefor Yourself where he was from, he offers a vague response. “Southern California.” But his southern accent told a different story. When pressed, the former 29-year-old Army brat admits he was born in North Carolina.
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The well-built songster who sometimes sports a mohawk is the band's emcee. Looking a tad like John Corbett from Northern Exposure, Carpenter blends elements of hip-hop and rock and sings songs about popping pills and drinking alcohol “just to get by.” His group recently won a coveted spot on a few local Warped Tour shows following a victory at the 5th annual Battle for the Vans Warped Tour on Monday.
Not judged solely by the quality of the performance, Carpenter says the victory was also the result of crowd interaction. “Our show is very crowd interaction orientated,” he explained following his noon time performance at the Pomona Fairplex. “We had a lot of people bugging out. It was fun. We ended up getting picked up.”
But playing the Ernie Ball side stage promptly after the gates opened didn't exactly make for an immediate crush of fans.”It was an early slot, so there wasn't a whole bunch of kids coming in. By the time we started there were 20 people, but by the end there was probably close to 200 people there. There was still a lot of people coming through the gates.”
He added the day's performance wasn't about teeming throngs of adoring fans rushing the stage. “Just the opportunity to be at the Warped tour. It's something a lot of people don't get to experience.”
And though the celebration of all-things-punk-turned-festival-of-corporate-naming-rights is nearing an end as the days of summer wane, Seefor Yourself plans to keep on rolling with the homies. The band recently completed a video that harkens back to the days of Carpenter's youth, which was spent bouncing between Army bases.
“It's about a soldier imagining his life at home. The Army actually sent out soldiers and humvees for free. They let us set up drums on a humvee. It was sick.” Carpenter adds that the band has completed an album and is currently in the process of finding major label support.
“We have our own label right now, but we're discussing deals with Atlantic. There's also some meetings coming up with Jimmy Iovine…That would be ideal, but I'd be happy to hear what anybody has to offer.”
Can't wait? Satiate your hunger for dope rhymage with this clip of Seefor Yourself's video “Falling Down.” Respect the hawk.
