We Chat With Les Izmore Prior to Saturday's Huge Hip-Hop Extravaganza at the Jackpot

You may know Les Izmore from his exploits in KC's massive funk outfit Hearts of Darkness: to witness them live is like a nuclear explosion of pure, sweaty funk. But you should also know him for his solo projects, such as the recent album The Granny Smith Theorem and the upcoming album Heartfelt Anarchy (with D Will). Les will be in Larryville tomorrow night at the Jackpot for a major hip-hop showcase with Stik Figa, D Will, and Atilla, uniting the KC/Larry/Top City scenes and also doubling as a celebration of Marty Hillard's birthday (free entrance if you dress like a Trekkie...seriously). Happy birthday, Marty!

We chatted with Les this week about HOD, solo projects, the "middle of the map" sound, planking, hoes, and planking on hoes. Enjoy!

Richard: We've had the privilege of seeing Hearts of Darkness on a few occasions in Larryville. There are a crazy amount of people on that stage! At first we thought it was a cult, like a Polyphonic Spree kind of thing, minus the robes. But then we relaxed and got funky. How would you describe the HOD experience to someone who's never witnessed it?

Les: We are a cult. We only want your 3rd born though. When you come to a show your children are ours.

Richard: These days you're also going out on your own, and the descriptions on your FB page are both awesome and baffling ("His tribal connection is beardcrazy"). Tell our readers what your sound is like and what we can expect on Saturday at the Jackpot?

Les: Thanks. At this point musically, my style switches a lot. Let's just say it will be RAW one moment & psychedelic the next. And then we'll turn around & combine those elements with some Soulful shit. But it's still Hip Hop. We're gonna filter some of the craziness off for this show though. maybe. So on Saturday D/WILL & I are going to bring that Middle of The Map Sound. Type of Shit you wanna ride around on the highway to.

Chip: Your album is called "The Granny Smith Theorem." What role do Granny Smith apples play in this album?

Les: I actually found all the lyrics inside about 77 apples. Each apple had a word or two spelled out via apple seeds. Just paying homage.

Chip: My favorite song on the album has got to be "planking on these hoes," and I NEVER tire of the video . Are you a planker yourself? If so, do you often plank on hoes? And what advice would you give to young, aspiring plankers?

Les: I planked out Crazy for 1 week straight then I made that song. No Ho's or Hoes but I planked on numerous Voluptuous Virgins Vigorously though. Afer Jay-Z planked on a Million I knew I would never plank again. My advice to all the young plankers out there would be to dream big. aka try (Tom) Bradying or something.

Richard: Saturday's show in Larryville is bringing together some KC and Top City talent. Do you feel like there's a difference between the KC/Lawrence/Topeka sounds?

Les: The show is a good thing for the Middle. I think there are leaders, creators, adapters, upgraders & followers all over. So some things are similar & some are different depending on the artist. I would definitely say our sounds are different but our vibes are the same because we are from The Middle & have similar values and state of minds.

Richard: Do you have a favorite lyric from "Granny Smith Theorem?"

Les:

"If me & (Lou) Coppo in there, it feel like pepper spray, your eyes on fire & your belly ache/
yo Lies Levitate. Apparitions Masquerading under Lights unless I set em straight."
--from SWAGGER KILLER II

Be on the look out for HEARTFELT ANARCHY!


Check out the utterly bad-ass video for "The Line" here

And visit the Bandcamp page for The Granny Smith Theorem here