Project Lionheart

What’s up for tonight? Project Lionheart looks like it’s going to be a local dose of hip-hop through the lips of a visionary. Caleb is one who looks at music as an access to life. “Art as activism, music for change” is stated as being the underlying message behind their music. With all the different music infusions of electronics and raw instruments, it looks like it is going to be pretty fresh.

Project Lionheart is all about the community. There is plenty of hip-hop out there that isn’t about anything. I’m not knocking it, but it is nice to change it up every once in a while and celebrate the music that is celebrates life, people, and the community from which it was born.

Musically, they sound really interesting. I like the mix of singing and words. The song The Way We Live has an intriguing beat that sounds really fun to dance too. I think this will be a good show because it sounds really good recorded, and usually music of this ilk sounds 10 times better live when the beats can blast through your body and make you dance in ways you didn’t know you were capable of.

This show looks like sexy fun. They are playing a few spots coming up, but whatever you have planned for tonight cancel it, and go see Project Lionheart at Nectar Lounge! Nectar has the best sound system for a venue their size in the city. If you are going to experience Project Lionheart, you might as well go first class.

- Seattle Show Gal

The press release regarding Project Lionheart‘s The Art of Resistance (Special Edition) describes the Seattle natives’ first Booth feature, Heart of a Lion as “...a mission statement about being badass,” and, to be honest, I could pretty much stop right there. A DJBooth track review tends to run longer than one sentence, though, so I’ll continue. Presented here in remixed form, the track finds frontman Caleb Cunningham and West Coast underground mainstay/Slaughterhouse member Crooked I joining forces to assert their bad-assery and vent their fury at industry shysters. Cunningham handles production duties as well, crafting an ominous, piano/synth-driven instrumental with the help of guitarist TJ Berry and bassist Jerrod Keith. Topped off with a fittingly ferocious, rough-hewn sung hook, this track is sure to win praise from fans of innovative rock-rap concoctions. Featuring remixed and remastered versions of each track off the group’s debut full-length, as well as four brand new tracks, TAoR: SE is set to hit stores next Tuesday, Oct 6.



Read more: http://www.djbooth.net/index/tracks/review/project-lionheart-heart-lion-rmx/#ixzz1Dy9l3CRc - DJbooth.net

Time for a Sermon
The never-preachy Project Lionheart hooks up with a rap icon.
By Jonathan Cunningham Wednesday, Sep 30 2009
If you haven't heard of Project Lionheart, they exist just to the left of the city's current rap resurgence, focusing more on offering live hip-hop as a full band. That doesn't mean they're kicking out jams like the Roots, nor are they a polyphonic powerhouse like local band Big World Breaks. Instead, they rest somewhere between those camps, delivering conscious, anti-pop rhymes that challenge the monotony of radio rap. Performing at venues like the Tractor Tavern or the High Dive, they rock out as a five-piece, with guitar, drums, bass, Senegalese percussion, and former Mob Law drummer Caleb Cunningham (no relation) as the group's lone MC. The Senegalese aspect is an important one, as Cunningham has made numerous trips to the West African country to learn Senegalese drumming, which he incorporates into Project Lionheart's sets. Lately they've been gearing up for the re-release of their debut album, The Art of Resistance, which came out independently last year but is now being reissued, with new songs, by the band's new label, Sound Records.


Courtesy of Project Lionheart
Details
Project Lionheart album release party With Abalo Soul, Bekker, and DJ 100 Proof. Nectar, 412 N. 36th St., 632-2020, nectarlounge.com. $5. 9 p.m. Tues., Oct. 6.

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Caleb CunninghamBronze NazarethThe Roots (Band)Keith MurrayHip-Hop and Rap"What happened is, Sound is a small indie label out of Everett that's signed all these national acts like Keith Murray, Canibus, [and] Bronze Nazareth—but they didn't have anyone local," Cunningham says. "Now that we're on the label, they wanted to get us in the studio and add some [guests] to the album."

The feature MCs who were added—Canibus on "Ancient Art" and Bronze Nazareth on "The Rain"—give the disc a more polished feel. Cunningham proves himself a capable lyricist, and while he's never preachy, he's clearly taking a higher path and tsk-tsking lowest-common-denominator rappers who applaud only themselves.

But one guest spot that isn't on the album is perhaps the most promising. Recently, Project Lionheart has spent time in the studio with Erick Sermon of EPMD, one of the more recognizable figures of the late-'80s/early-'90s rap world, who has agreed to do an EP with the band in 2010.

"He's a really cool guy," Cunningham says. "We've done about four songs together, and we're just going to keep working. We're all excited to see what comes of it."

jcunningham@seattleweekly.com

- Seattle Weekly

But it soon became apparent that the crowd was more pumped to see and support Project Lionheart, a local hip-hop group that opened for Curumin. No doubt this group has amazing skills and an infectious enthusiasm. Heck, I would certainly see them again in a heartbeat. They have a little bit of everything, mixing elements of reggae, rock and funk into their hip-hop set. The flannel wearing Caleb Cunningham was a dynamic MC that fueled his rhymes with messages of love and hope. Cunningham also brought up other MCs to perform with him including the beat-boxing Blake Lewis, a local favorite as well as an American Idol runner-up. - Stephanie Guerrero

Reviewed by Dan Vidal


There aren’t enough true bands in hip hop – and by bands I mean the kind that actually play live instruments. MC/producer Caleb Cunningham is the mastermind behind this northwest based project that began as an experiment in “studio hip hop music.” After years of tweaking and searching for the proper pieces, Project Lionheart finally released their debut album last September. Their music backs Caleb’s socially conscious lyrics with everything from electro-rock to Sublime-esque island-punk.

- URB Magazine