Amidst a cloud of smoke and beer-wielding hip-hoppers, Bugs Raleigh, a hip-hop group from Alexandria, stood on the porch of Nara Sushi waiting to perform for a packed house on Friday night.
Earlier in the day, Andrew “Lou Tully” Parkinson, a member of Bugs Raleigh, could not have hoped for a better turnout – a crowd of more than 120 – as he spoke about the group’s history and future.
Bugs Raleigh member Zach Brown met Parkinson when Brown was 12. Three years later, he introduced Parkinson to his skater friend Marco “Chungo” Murillo.
When Parkinson was 15, he began to write rhymes, and the following year began to make beats and produce. It was not until their junior year at T.C. Williams High School that they started collaborating.
“We started messing around-recording in my bathroom with a stage mic,” Parkinson said. “We kept working on songs and just started doing shows this year.”
Upon returning to VCU for a second time after a break in December 2006, Parkinson started concentrating vigorously on Bugs Raleigh. This time around, Parkinson said he took school more seriously, as well as the group.
Bugs Raleigh started working together again this summer while Brown finished a six-month jail term, he told Murillo and Parkinson of his wishes for the group to perform upon his release.
“One of the things he told us was ‘You have to get your (expletive) together so I can have something to look forward to when I come home,'” Murillo said.
“The last couple years we’re all just like, ‘Why don’t we just start working on this thing?'” Parkinson said. “We’re all chillin’ anyway. We might as well be faithful to the music we know we want to do.”
Murillo agreed it was time for Bugs Raleigh to move forward.
“It felt like we’ve been doing songs forever,” Murillo said. “To not perform in front of a live audience is not productive.”
Parkinson said his music must be original and not follow current trends like hipster hop.
“You have to find a way to kind of stand out,” Parkinson said. “I don’t want to be generic, but want to make popular songs everyone can get down to.”
Some people find their own meaning to Bugs Raleigh’s songs, however, like friend and fan Ben Callendar, who thinks “The Breakfast Song” is about eating breakfast after a night of having sex.
“That’s what they’re insinuating when they’re going to have breakfast,” Callendar said. “We (expletive) last night, now let’s have breakfast.”
While Callendar might interpret the lyrics as innuendo, Brown said people get a kick out of the music itself.
“I have an 11-year-old sister who absolutely loves it,” Brown said. “It’s just something they’ve never heard before.”
Jokes and fun aside, Parkinson is not only interested in writing tongue-in-cheek songs but serious ones too-ranging from political apathy, ex-girlfriends and immigration rights.
Murillo is especially interested in getting a bigger message out to the audience.
“I’ve always wanted people . to just recognize if I have a message in one of my songs,” Murillo said.
Brown believes that at the end of the day, Bugs Raleigh works because they have grown up together and experienced similar things.
“Everyone is on the same plane of thinking and experiencing life,” Brown said.
Austin Kincaid has been skating with the members of Bugs Raleigh since the were 15 years old and came from Northern Virginia to see the group perform.
“We’re glad they’re doing music,” Kincaid said.
“Sloppy Joe” Gallerano, who also performed Friday night, said Bugs Raleigh’s music had multiple aspects.
“They are smart people,” Gallerano said. “You can get down to them, but if you listen to them, they’re intelligent.”
Each week, the Spectrum Section selects a talented student from the School of the Arts (music, dance, theater and visual) and showcases his or her achievements both in and around the VCU community. Do you want your name and work in the CT? E-mail spectrum@commonwealthtimes.com for consideration.
For updates on upcoming Bugs Raleigh shows visit http://www.myspace.com/bugsraleigh.