ONE NIGHT ONLY
Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
photo by Todd Westphal
I didn’t know Eyedea. I never got into his music. I’m sure he would say the same about me. However, since the announcement of his death last week it’s been on my mind. I didn’t want to distastefully attach myself to his passing and act like we knew each other because we both come from the same genre of music, although in 2010 we’ve moved far beyond the point where we started from for the better.
My time with Eyedea was short and impactful, much like his time here on earth. And unlike a lot of people throwing names around I actually kicked it with him for a night on tour 2 years ago in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, North Carolina. I was on tour with Cage and he was on tour with Atmosphere and somehow the Hip Hop Gods decided there would be two Indie rap shows within a mile from eachother in a place that is lucky to get 1 decent Hip Hop show every 6 months. Cage and I played the smaller venue, I forgot what it’s called but I remember it was sweltering and they were down the road at Cat’s Cradle which I had played a few years before with EL. Before their show both Slug and Eyedea came to our show to hang and say whatup. Was good seeing them of course and I was sitting at the bar having a drink after I just kicked a bunch of fans asses at the X-Men arcade game they had. Eyedea came up and sat around the corner of the bar so almost across from me. He got a drink and we started talking. It was the first and last time we met but we both knew it was overdue as it is many times when you meet a peer that you’ve known about for quite a while. Cut from the same cloth, we had a mutual respect although we were from different worlds. We were talking about what we were up to. I had just started thinking about Gas Galaxy and at the time I believe he was mixing some of his most recent music with Abilities. We were both visibly run down from the road but we got into it about mixing and he was generally talking about taking the best stems from his already mixed sessions and adding to the songs and making them better even though they had been mixed. It was his process. He didn’t think having things mixed made them final and he told me I should try it. Prior to our convo I never really did that or thought about it, however, with Gas Galaxy it’s been the same process. I can’t say that our convo is the reason for it and I doubt it is but interestingly enough it came to fruition that way.
Later on that drunken evening we went to our hotel which was in the middle of the woods. I remember Sean jumping out of a the van while Timmy was still driving and running around with his shirt off like a crazy person on the road before we even got to the hotel. When we did, the usual partying commenced with the door wide open for some reason. At some point Eyedea walks in mine and Cage’s room by himself and sits at the table with me where I was sippin’ on something and asked we’d mind if he hung out. Coincidentally he was staying there too. Chauncey, Cage and I welcomed him in, I poured him a glass and we got pretty shitfaced together. It was a memorable night to say the least. I love that night. I would re-live that night*
Rest In Peace Michael “Eyedea” Larsen
(November 9, 1981 – October 16, 2010)
Respect.
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