Featured Artist | Trevor Lawrence Jr.

His mother performed with the Supremes. His father is a well known Saxophonist and writer. Both were original members of Stevie Wonder’s Wonderland band. Yes, that Stevie Wonder band. His grandfather, Ira Tucker Sr. is credited as a forefather of Gospel music as a member of the Dixie Hummingbirds. His Aunt Sundray Tucker sang with Stevie Wonder and Patti LaBelle.

In his first year of High School Trevor was called for a recording session to play drums on the original theme song on the Pilot episode of a show called Martin and right then he decided that his life would be in recording. Fast forward to 2017 and you’ll find some 73 recording credits in his discography including Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Snoop, Quincy, Alicia Keys, LeAnn Rimes,  Kendrick Lamar, Stevie Wonder, Eminem, and Dr. Dre. Trevor Lawrence Jr. is on call for some of the biggest names, and still hits the road as a player with Herbie Hancock, LeAnn Rimes, and more. Trevor is the hard hitting drummer with Terrace Martin’s new group, The Pollyseeds, whose recent debut single topped 900K plays on soundcloud in its first few days.

These are prolific times for music creation and production, both in and out of the mainstream music world. Trevor Lawrence Jr, like so many of the artists that find their way to Ropeadope, has gone deep into his experience and his family of talented friends to create Relationships, his first solo record. Clearly bringing together the variety of people he has worked with, Relationships is a wide ranging record, seamlessly connected by a seasoned producer. Featured players include Terrace Martin, Kenneth Crouch, Nicholas Payton, Maurice Brown, LeAnn Rimes, Kamasi Washington, and Nico Segal (Donnie Trumpet). This is the world according to Trevor Lawrence Jr, and it shines with diversity and depth.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we bring you Relationships from Trevor Lawrence Jr. -  Drum Roll Please…

Terrace Martin Presents The Pollyseeds

At the corner of Crenshaw and Slauson there is a massive hole in the ground. The expression on the street is ‘You can look down until you can’t look no more’. The power of the earth is revealed, as is the history of this anchor neighborhood in the cultural history of LA.  Unlike the famous Lafayette Square, also designed by George Crenshaw, this part of LA does not claim the title of the wealthiest area in the city. Crenshaw Blvd is best known as the commercial spine of Black and Latino Los Angeles, as well as a transitional home for displaced middle class Japanese Americans after WW2. While it begins and ends in wealth, the other parts of Crenshaw Blvd are where the action was, with spots like the classic Maverick’s Flat – the Apollo Of The West -  where featured acts like Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Ike and Tina Turner, and Parliament played. This is the place where low riders would cruise, immortalized in songs and videos by west coast rappers. You can draw a parallel with Harlem River Drive here, but Crenshaw is solid Los Angeles.

One can argue that THIS is the lifeblood of America – that it carries the pulse of a multi-cultural nation in a more authentic way than the official promenades of Washington DC. But there can be no argument that THIS is where the soul resides. The creativity, the street culture, the real stories of struggle and defiant joy – all are found here in a land of eternal sun and concrete.

And now, in 2017, there is a giant hole in Crenshaw Boulevard. Powerful energy makes itself present, as everyone knows the neighborhood will never look the same. A profound sense of history demands to be respected, and now presented to the world for preservation in our collective understanding. Now is the time to dig through the memories, the music, and carry them forward like diamonds from the mine.

Chachi | Rose Gold | Terrace Martin | Wyann Vaughn (Photo Samantha J)

The Pollyseeds are a collaborative group of A-List producers, musicians, and creators who have found great success in the world, yet understand the source from which their creativity and success flows. After many years of celebrity driven music, The Pollyseeds come together inside the SONGS. The songs that speak of history, of life, of love, of soul. The songs that carry our common interest; songs of Saturday nights looking for love, songs that carry the heat of the street right into Sunday evening. The Pollyseeds pay heed to TSOP, The Funk Brothers, and The Wrecking Crew, as well as early Steely Dan. The Pollyseeds are making the records that those artists never did, because they live in a time where it is possible.

Sounds Of Crenshaw Volume 1 is produced by Terrace Martin. As a producer and musician, Terrace Martin understands the pieces of history that MATTER. And he knows the true value of Crenshaw and Slauson in his own evolution and its importance to the world. On Volume 1, he brings together some of The Pollyseeds and distills the seemingly disparate pieces of that history into an instantly recognizable sound. ‘That West Coast Vibe’ is eminent. A great luthier once said ‘It’s simple, I just take a piece of wood and cut away everything that isn’t a guitar’. The Pollyseeds have done just that. Sounds Of Crenshaw Volume 1 is that record that trims the celebrity and the excess, and makes a very clear and simple statement with the sound.

Let us hope that whatever gets built on Crenshaw carries the history forward with as much integrity and beauty as The Pollyseeds.

Photo Samantha J

'The Pollyseeds is a creative platform curated by my long time friend Terrace Martin. it allows each of us to come together musically with the sole goal of reflecting our experience in life through the gift of music and allowing us a voice to express the real truth of the world through our eyes in an unfiltered process that ultimately culminates in each Record. As a Pollyseed we must be selfless and a slave to the voice of the art, which many times may not even be our own.' (Pollyseed Brandon Eugene Owens)

'To honestly express yourself at a high level while paying homage, yet being current and innovating the times..is the Pollyseeds. So honored to be a part of the journey!' (Pollyseed Robert Glasper)

The band is about progression. Never becoming comfortable. Always growing. And always pushing the envelope. Intentions is my favorite: Intentions is legend. Intention is every sense of time to me. It's so much flavor. And that's my whole m.o. Just amazing.' (Pollyseed Rose Gold)

The Pollyseeds is the brainchild of Terrace Martin.  It comprises a unique assortment of T's talented homiez, including songwriters/vocalists (Chachi aka Problem, Rose Gold, Wyann Vaughn, Preston Harris, et al.) and musicians (Trevor Lawrence, Brandon Owens, Marlon Williams).  We each have very different styles and, as a unit, we paint audible pictures in technicolor.  The Pollyseeds is sexy and sultry, dynamic and gangsta, funky and musical.  Due to our widespread sound, I feel, as a group, we're unmatched. (Pollyseed Wyann Vaughn)

Death Rides A Horse

Arthur Vint is back, with spurs on once again, and this time he's taking on the baddest of them all. His next release - Death Rides A Horse -  explores the music of composer Ennio Morricone. Morricone's music is embedded in the American consciousness from the soundtracks to spaghetti westerns like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The folklore spreads through generations as we continue to immortalize characters from Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. But the music, it speaks of a mysterious place and time in the western desert - a time when America had courage and hope. Death Rides A Horse is the antithesis of the latest hit single - it is a thoughtful meditation that must be played through. The band is stellar - Arthur Vint (drums), Ian Stapp (bass), Jon Cowherd (piano, organ) Tony Scherr (electric guitar), Roy Williams (acoustic guitar), Andrew Halchak (bass clarinet, clarinet, flute), Rich Perry (tenor sax), Blanca Cecilia González (violin), Yvonnick Prene (harmonica)

Drop in here for the goods. 

Apple Music X Ropeadope

Our hardworking and self professed fake CEO is now a curator in the Apple Music ecosystem, bending his non-musician brain to assemble creative and non-traditional playlists for your ears. Featuring some gems from the Ropeadope roster with tracks from the vast Apple Music service, the playlists will visit feel, style, social commentary and attempt to tie together seemingly disparate pieces of the music universe. In the future you can expect some more in depth and focused musical discussions, but for now it's all just a loose vibe. Drop in right here for a taste, and send Louis your comments via Apple connect.