Lazyrus happens when you pair spoken word influences with shrilling guitar melodies and alternative rock roots into a weirdly experimental and exhilarating chorus of sound. Buffalo slam poet Thomas "Lazyrus" Panzarella and Erie, PA producer Nick Price are the mad men behind this cohesive and kinetic rap rock machine. Each brings to the table elements of expertise that fit comfortably into this marriage of punk and hip hop. Panzarella has frequented local mics and poetry slams, including the city's more recent monthly-run competition, the Pure Ink Poetry Slam, for almost a decade. He has won twelve head-to-head slam competitions and was a member of the city's National Slam Team in 2008. The singer songwriter has worked with several Buffalo-based acts and names including Bogustice Tundra Kidz, Wise Mecca, and Taariq Abdul Salaam. His partner, sound engineer Nick Price, a digital media arts graduate of Canisius College, has assisted in the mixing for high profile artists such as Ciara and Nas and in 2005, began his own multimedia company, Northstar Media.
After joining forces in 2010, Lazyrus released their first project, 13, which caught on to international airwaves and earned them overseas acclaim. 2012 saw the independent release of N.O.M, an album which included the video for their debut single, "IRock." The video was filmed by ThreeGloves Productions in Erie, PA in a vacant space above The Crooked Eye Bar. Technical rigging and lighting transformed the buried treasure of a basement cave into a warehouse of artistic impulses pawing at the soul. What keeps this duo current is their ever-evolving mode of being and unbiased attitude toward experimenting with different sounds and emotions. Panzarella's lyrics project images of wild metal head mayhem in one song, and in a different song, they emit aromas of an acoustic jazz set in a coffee shop. The team is currently working on their next album, which I'm sure will be nothing short of spectacular.
~ Photo by Northstar Media
Pretty sweet Samick bass.
Yes. This music is awesome!
It's about time someone noticed!!!!