Electric Mayhem
Posted on October 9, 2008 at 3:38 pm

[ article from http://newstreamz.com/2008/10/09/electric-mayhem ]

Funk, punk, indie, electro, pop, house, hip-hop, mainstream are only some of the types of music being played at Lucy's on Wednesday nights. While typically referred to as "Hip-Hop Night" by the local scensters and hipsters in San Marcos, Lucy's General Manager Brian Scofield says he dislikes the term because it doesn't really describe the encompassing theme or agenda. "I don't really like the term 'hip-hop night' because I think it is too narrow a description of what Electric Mayhem play."When one thinks Electric Mayhem, instantly an image of the Muppets house band comes to mind, unless you're a college student at Texas State University. Electric Mayhem, made up of resident deejays Chief and Dj Crown real names Greg Williams and John Crownover have played a significant role in San Marcos nightlife for the past six and a half years. The duo who adapted their name from Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem grew out of former musical venture Liquid Stereo Project, a seven piece hip-hop group. On the eve of one of Liquid Stereo Project's performances at Lucy's, one of the members had a family emergency which resulted in the show's cancellation. In an attempt to fill in last minute, Williams and Crownover volunteered to deejay and Electric Mayhem was born. Despite a slow start, the duo began to gain steady popularity through word of mouth by the end of the summer in 2002. By 2005, Lucy's was hitting max capacity every Wednesday which continues to date. Texas State Junior Veronica Sanchez says she's been going to see Electric Mayhem every Wednesday since last year. "I started coming because I used to see the advertising for 'Electric Mayhem at Lucy's' around town and friends just kept telling me how much fun it was," says Sanchez.

Both Williams and Crownover, who hold other jobs during the day, sample all types of music which include rock, old funk, soul, and reggae. "We play a variety of music. About 75% are personal tastes and maybe 25% is what we think people want to hear. We try to be an alternative, we play what we feel comfortable playing," says Crownover. Williams says the duo find their music through the use of XM-radio, Myspace, music blogs, and magazines. "We get our music from sources that most people get their music, we use music that an open-minded crowd appreciates," says Williams. Philosophy major Hannah Jordan enjoys the varied genres Electric Mayhem play throughout the evening. "They keep it real diverse. I never know if I'm going to hear James Brown or M.I.A.," says Jordan.

The duo is incredibly appreciative to all of the members of the crowd who come out and enjoy themselves. "This is our 'bread and butter, we just have a blast when we're up there," says Williams. Crownover reiterates his and Williams' gratitude to the people who attend and says that he wouldn't trade the experience for anything.


by: Ashley Cass
Correspondent

Thanks for coming out, y'alls:

Electric Mayhem puts the spin on Lucy's

By Leah Kirkwood
The University Star



Electric Mayhem draws a large crowd to Lucy's San Marcos every Wednesday night with an original mix of hip-hop and a variety of other genres. But the group still remembers its humble beginnings four and a half years ago.

Electric Mayhem features disc jockeys Greg Williams, known as Chief, and John Crownover, known as DJ Crown, with official soundman Chris Lynch.

"(Lynch) has been there from the beginning", Crownover said.

All three are former members of the Liquid Stereo Project, a group that disbanded in 2003. Electric Mayhem was born when the band's bass player and percussionist couldn't perform at a scheduled Lucy's gig.

"A couple (of) members of the group had a family emergency and couldn't make it," Williams said.

At the last minute, Williams and Crownover decided to DJ instead of canceling the show.

"The two-DJ setup was something we came up with to salvage the night and it ended up going pretty well," Crownover said.

The owner of Lucy's approached the DJs and offered them a weekly spot on Wednesday nights.

"There had been a thing in Austin that ran forever called Hip-Hop Hump Day," Williams said. "People were already going out on Wednesdays, and that was winding down as we were starting up, so we figured we'd take a shot at it."

The first few Wednesday nights served as trial runs for the duo. After receiving a positive response from Lucy's owners and the audience, they decided on a name. Williams suggested Electric Mayhem after watching The Muppet Movie.

"It was catchy, and I thought it was fairly accurate in terms of the stuff we were playing," Crownover said.

During the early days, the Electric Mayhem audience rarely exceeded 30 people.

"In the beginning it really was just friends and bar regulars, nothing like it is now at all," Williams said.

The turnout slowly started to grow and a year and a half later Electric Mayhem regularly attracted a large crowd.

"The second summer we were doing it, a whole bunch of students were in town still and it was busy, and then the next week it was busy and it started consistently going from there," Williams said.

The music gets started around 9:30 p.m. and ends shortly after the bar closes at midnight. Although many San Marcos residents refer to the event as "hip-hop night", Crownover said the term doesn't fully describe the music Electric Mayhem plays.

"There's quite a bit of stuff other than hip-hop that gets played," Crownover said. "Both of us play a lot of funk, rock or a little reggae."

Crownover said the mix of genres has resulted in a diverse audience of Electric Mayhem fans.

"You may hear some David Banner get mixed into David Bowie a couple songs later. The type of stuff we play ends up being accessible to a lot of people," Crownover said. "Even somebody who's not the biggest hip-hop or music fan can still have a really good time just being there because everybody else is vibing on it so hard."

Williams agreed, saying the rock or pop songs keep fans of other types of music coming back for more.

"The surprises appeal to what you would consider the nontraditional hip-hop crowd," Williams said.

However, Electric Mayhem's focus is undeniably on hip-hop. Crownover and Williams mix older artists like Run-DMC and Beastie Boys with contemporary tracks by Ugly Duckling and Mos Def.

"We try to give a fair spectrum of the whole sound of hip-hop and not be so one-sided," Williams said. "If we do play the hot, new stuff we try to put our own spin on it."

Crownover said the music Electric Mayhem plays is unlike most other DJs' sets.

"We mix (popular songs) in with something that people maybe haven't maybe heard before or haven't heard in a long time," Crownover said. "I think it is a lot different than other club nights at other venues."

The years of spinning together have allowed Crownover and Williams to add texture to the music they play.

"Starting out, the stuff we were doing was really simple," Crownover said. "Now we've gotten to the point where we can read off each other and start getting into a lot more complicated transitions."

The Electric Mayhem audience has also changed and most of the original regulars are no longer at the shows.

"There was a time there'd be hundreds of people and half the people we recognized," Williams said. "Now it's a whole new San Marcos, but it's cool to know that as new people come in, the people that have been around let them know where the place to be is."

Crownover and Williams expressed gratitude for the people who make Electric Mayhem a success year after year.

"Both of us feel real lucky for the crowd that we have because they have an open mind," Crownover said.

Electric Mayhem has no intentions of ending the Wednesday night gig any time soon.

"As long as they'll have us, we'll keep it going," Williams said. "Thank you for allowing us to have the freedom to play what we want."

Crownover said spinning at Lucy's is still a highlight in his busy schedule.

"As a DJ, I don't think you can imagine too much of a better audience and situation than this," Crownover said. "It's definitely something we look forward to every week."

ELECTRIC MAYHEM : Vinyl Revamped by April Campbell Think all hip-hop nights are created equal? The same old 50 Cent songs mixed in with 38 more tired-ass, over-played, radio friendly singles. Sound familiar? Not at Lucy's on Wednesday nights during Electric Mayhem. Nearly three hours of vinyl tracks spun on turntables by DJs Chief and DJ Crown fill the evening. So, who are these dueling DJs that have taken the Square by force commanding the attention of hundreds every week? Simple. Greg Williams, better known as Chief on stage, and John Crownover a.k.a. DJ Crown. While these two rock the stage their "soundman extraordinaire/cocktail waitress" Chris Lynch handles all the technicalities. Electric Mayhem is an event that has steadily grown in popularity since its "accidental" behinning 3 years ago. Chief, DJ Crown and Lynch all belonged to former instrumental/hip-hop band the .::liquidstereoproject. One night, more than three years ago, the band was scheduled to play a Friday night gig at Lucy's. On the day of the show, two out of the seven-member group were called away on a family emergency. The remaining members decided to salvage the impending show by having DJ Crown and Chief take the stage with both their turntable set-ups. All went well that night and soon it was decided that Electric Mayhem would become a weekly event. Mayhem could be considered more of a music appreciation night than a party. "It's sort of an homage to what started hip-hop really. The turntablism aspect of it," Chief said. The DJs are also members of the collaborative hip-hop group The Word Association. DJ Crown runs the tables and Chief raps for the group. In fact, Electric Mayhem is one long running side project that allows for fun and added experience. But don't think there are intentions of calling it quits any time soon. "Until people stop coming or until The Word Association makes it impossible to continue, we'll probably be around," Chief said. The guys credit the event's succcess to San Marcos' acceptance and appreciation of hip-hop and word of mouth. Very little has been done in the way of flyers or chalking sidewalks to promote for the shows. Apparently no extra legwork on the DJ's behalf needs to be done. Lucy's fills to near capacity quite often. "I think it gets to be anout one person in/one person out at the end of the night," Chief said. The guys urge the audience to come out earlier than the typical 11 p.m. "Our crowd is notoriously late," DJ Crown joked. The DJs begin spinning around 9:30 p.m. and don't stop until about 12:15 a.m. Requests are generally honored and appreciated earlier in the show. Also, try to remember that a DJ's focus is much like a musician's; save the conversation with the guys for later. It is interesting to know that Electric Mayhem is 100 percent improvised and song selections are guided heavily by the crowd. "I think the best part of Electric Mayhem is not the songs that they are playing. It's the energy. When they choose a song next they really like to see those people stick their hands up in the air and go, "Awww, I didn't know you were gonna play that!" Lynch said. Since Electric Mayhem is a side project of The Word Association, I decided to quiz the guys on their primary group as well. The Word Association is made up of ten members, eight of whom perform on more or less a regular basis. "I guess we're out to prove that all Southern rap isn't the same," Chief said, "Even in the realm of The Word Association there are several different styles. We're just trying to prove that there is diversity." So, how would Chief define hip-hop, in general? "True hip-hop is a lifestyle. It's something that's embedded in you. You can't really put a hand on what it is but it's the way you speak, the way you move, the way you act, your attitude towards things. It's a culture. Hip-hop is a culture and a lifestyle more so than just music," he explained. And then he added, "The most important thing about hip-hop is being true to yourself. If what you are is pop then you can't help it but if you do it correctly then people can't help but feel it." I'm convinced that every week at Electric Mayhem, where the old school meets the new, another lesson is learned.