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NEW ARTICLES!!!!!! From the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Phillyist.com

World Cafe hosts party for 3 Ropeadope artists

Digital music labels have taken their battle to the streets, and virtually won. Ropeadope Digital surfs the new wave.

By David R. Adler For The Inquirer

The BurnDown All-Stars is a polished rock/rap collective out of East Falls.

Just when technology made it possible for people to record and manufacture their own CDs, the world basically stopped buying CDs. Enter the digital music revolution, still in its infancy, which could serve artists' needs even more effectively. The major record labels haven't taken it well - their epic battle against downloaders, file-sharers and hazily defined online pirates has been in the headlines for some time.

But small, culturally clued-in businesses like Ropeadope Records are turning the new realities to their advantage. In February, Ropeadope reinvented itself as Ropeadope Digital, an online venture (www.ropeadope.com/digital) that will offer new downloads monthly and press CDs only occasionally.

On Tuesday night, World Cafe Live hosted a launch party featuring three of Ropeadope Digital's inaugural artists - all from Philly, all with a hip-hop focus.

Aunt Jessica, a downtempo electronica outfit with origins at Temple, opened with a set of brooding, melodious songs. Electric City, a duo, boosted the energy level, although rapper Mighty FlipSide Esq. struggled to involve a distracted crowd (his partner, DJ Skipmode, spun turntables with one arm in a sling). BurnDown All-Stars, a polished rock/rap collective out of East Falls, closed the night and wouldn't take no for an answer: "Get yo a- out the chair!" yelled one of the group's 10 or so rotating MCs. It worked.

Soon after Andy Blackman Hurwitz founded Ropeadope in 1999, the label became known for its blending of genres, from jazz to hip-hop to jam bands. The early focus was jazz-informed instrumental music - acts like DJ Logic, Charlie Hunter, the Tin Hat Trio and Sex Mob. While retaining its jazz roots, Ropeadope is now a more all-inclusive bohemian outpost.

"It just turned out that everyone we signed from Philly for the digital label is hip-hop," said Hurwitz, explaining the World Cafe Live lineup. "We're like chameleons, but instead of making this a mix-up/mash-up we thought it would be cool to go with a unified theme."

It makes sense: With underground mixtapes, reliance on sampling and the like, hip-hop has always been about alternative means of distribution. You could say the rest of the music world is simply catching up.

In addition to the three acts on the bill, Ropeadope Digital has released music by turntablist DJ Klock, guitarist Skip Heller, a one-man band from Iceland called Sketches for Albinos, a project by Chicago jazz bassist Josh Abrams called Reminder, and more. The label's goal is ambitious: On the first Tuesday of every month, Ropeadope will make two new albums available for download at its online store, and thanks to a solid distribution deal, many other digital retailers as well. (Albums are $7.99, songs 89 cents each.)

"I used to get so many demos," said Hurwitz, who recently moved back to his native Philadelphia from New York, "but now people just send their links, and if I like something we can put it out in two months. Most of the time I'll never meet these people. The music never leaves the computer. We're in the black from the first download because we don't pay advances, we share all profits 50-50 and the artist keeps the master, so there's no real money exchanged at the beginning.

"There's no real product exchanged either - it's just links, and in a short period of time the music is out and everybody's happy."

It's getting harder to understand why recording artists settle for less.

APRIL 18, 2007

"It's An Art From The Heart/Not Created For The Charts"

Last night, Ropeadope Digital celebrated its launch at the World Cafe Live. The evening was made up of performances by BurnDown All Stars, Electric City, and Aunt Jessica. And a duo of painters who kinda hung out in the corner of the stage for most of the evening with some canvas. I didn't quite get it, but, nonetheless, there were painters in the corner. Yeah. Aunt Jessica, an electronica-influenced hip hop group, started off the evening. To be quite honest, before I got there, this was the group I was least excited to see. I thought this was because electronica isn't normally the type of sound that makes me go "OOO- that song's going on REPEAT!." Turns out it was really because I hadn't heard enough of their music. The group has Ben Carter on bass guitar, PJ "Starkey" playing piano and running their beats, Chris "Halfcast" Cole on lead vocals, and would normally have Kate Flannery on vocals as well, but she wasn't there tonight. Their friend Christina was, however, and she did an excellent job filling in.

When Aunt Jessica first took the stage, Starkey started up some beats, Halfcast started rapping and I went "Wait a second! They are a hip hop group! HURRAY!," and maintained at least that level of happiness for the rest of their set. All of their performances were solid, and it was clear this group is well-accustomed to performing together, because they fed well off each other (even with someone standing in). There was one song they performed that I wasn't the biggest fan of (they referred to it as their "creepy song," which seemed about right), but even that I was alright with. Starkey's beats and piano stayed strong throughout their performance, and Carter's bass was solid. The quality of Christina's singing went well beyond what I'd expect from a substitute singer, and she definitely shocked the hell out of me when, halfway through one of their final songs, she busted out rapping. It took me a minute to shake the feeling of "My fellow Nordic-looking sistren rapping?!" before the "Hold up, she's alright at this!" thought came to me. Finally, Halfcast's flow and emotion were on point throughout the set. Whether the rhymes he was spitting came super quick, slow enough that they seemed almost conversational, or he was singing, every word that came out of his mouth was clear and honest. Aunt Jessica was the first band up for the evening, and the first to make me go "Ropeadope's got taste!" They're Philly-based, and definitely worth checking out next (and any) time they perform.

After Aunt Jessica, Electric City took the stage. This two-man group (Mighty FlipSide Esquire is on vocals and DJ Skipmode scratches) keeps their set up simple, as they get back to the roots of hip hop, while maintaining a fresh sound.

The first thing I noticed when they came on was that Skipmode's arm was in a sling. I skeptically pointed this out to my friend and wondered what it'd mean for the performance (because were I a DJ and my arm got hurt like that, I'd be calling out handicapped). Then they started up and twenty minutes later, I realized that if I hadn't been able to see the sling, I never would have known it was there. Whether they were performing a slower song or something more intricate and up-tempo, Skipmode's beats stayed true throughout. As FlipSide's delivery is powerfully skilled, had the beats dropped off, it would have been clear. But they didn't, so what I got to watch was an old school-influenced performance geared towards a contemporary audience of hip hop heads (ie, we wanted to hear the influences they mention in the song "Computer Rock" come through strong while seeing something new—and we did). Again, Ropeadope's got taste and this is a group to keep an eye out for. Since they perform at the Pontiac Grille every First Friday, this shouldn't be too hard to do.

Finally, BurnDown All Stars came on. I've got their CDs and have been waiting to see them in concert for a while, so I was expecting good things, and got even more than I bargained for. These guys has been touring recently, and playing together for a good long while, and it shows.

BurnDown is one really talented crew that rolls deep. There are a whole bunch of them (my counts are different between their website and MySpace, and I couldn't keep track when they were on stage, but there's well more than ten guys in the band), and since they've got members playing instruments as well as one scratching (Cramske), by the end of their set up, the stage looked like it was primed for a rock band.

And, in a way, it was. Their sound is not something I'd normally classify as rock, but their musicians are more than amply talented to the point that they could play just about anything they wanted to, and any audience would have no choice but to listen and enjoy. While BurnDown's emcees alternated their time on stage, the musicians (Rico Joseph, Tom Copson, Tom Wailing, and Dave Quicks, who is also their lead singer) stayed on throughout, demonstrating true performance stamina. The group's herd of emcees—Kuf Knotz, Rokbottom, Jawnzap7, Arcane, Carlito Attack, Syne and Lord Bizerk—is not to be slept on. Each of them had their own, equally skillful and unique style, and whether they were rapping together or individually, everything they did just worked. Really, really well. And (pardon me as I repeat myself), BurnDown All Stars, too, are a group that's from the area and plays around it regularly.

Moral of the story: Ropedope knows what it's doing, and you should keep an ear out for their next batch of new artists, to be released the first Tuesday of May. In the meantime, go check out the albums on Ropeadope's site by Aunt Jessica, Electric City and BurnDown All Stars. And then go see all of them in concert.

Battle-Tested

Burndown All-Stars are due for a breakthrough.

by Deesha Dyer

"There is definitely a message in the music, but it's not on a political vibe. For real, though: I'm not trying to change the world," says Carlito Attack of the Philadelphia-based Burndown All-Stars."We're just trying to tell you what it's like living in it," adds Rok Bottom, another of the band's seven MCs. Some would be quick to classify the Burndown All-Stars as "conscious hip-hop," because they don't incorporate the battle element or violence in their sound. It's not that they hate on that type of hip-hop, it's just not what they're trying to represent.

We sit in the basement of a warehouse down the block from a series of abandoned row homes and haunted buildings in Germantown. Guitarist and lead singer Dave Quicks has turned this into the band's home base. The studio is adorned with comfy furniture, proper equipment and a graffiti-tagged wall bearing the word "Burndown." With a dozen members, the Burndown experience is like a pot of thick musical gumbo. The ingredients include the Dialects (Syne and Arcane), Carlito, Kuf Knotz, Rok, JawnZap7, Lord Bizerk — and that's just the MC lineup. The musicians are Quicks, bassist Rico Joseph, drummer Tom Walling, guitarist Tom Copson and DJ Cramske.

"Everyone brings their own sense of style to the group. They bring how they dress, walk, talk — and that influences the music," says Rok. That includes a bit of scientifical, pinch of reggae, dash of sentimental, and a grain of underground backpacker-type rhymes. While the MCs are the majority of the group, the instrumental element isn't to be discounted. "The band is top-notched trained musicians and they have a lot in their repertoire to contribute," says Quicks. Burndown's formula seems to be working quite nicely. Billboard magazine named them the Best Indie Band in the Northeast in October's Independent Music World Series. And, as the winners of the Bodog Battle of the Bands, the Burndown All-Stars will perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first episode of a TV program slated to air on the FUSE network in April. The band is now in production on their third album.

None of the members plans on doing battle of the bands for the rest of their lives, but for now the competitions are getting them the attention they need. It's a chance for the Burndown All-Stars to deliver, as Carlito eloquently puts it, "some shit you never seen in your life." "We started with over 40 musicians on the first two albums," Rok laughs, recalling the hectic making of Outside Connect Jawn in 2003 and Burndown Presents Volume 2 in 2005. "It was crazy." Eventually, Burndown's founding four — Kuf, Rok, Carlito and Quicks — realized that more was not necessarily better for moving forward. They cut the group down, basing the selection process on talent and dedication. They wanted to be sure they had the cr..me de la cr..me to take them to another level.

But, even trimmed down to 12 members, is the group still too large for a major label or tour sponsor to take a chance on? Sure, strength in numbers worked for Wu-Tang — but they didn't also have a live band backing them up. And we all know how tough it was for our homeboys The Roots to reach that tipping point. The All-Stars are quick to speak when these questions arise. "We've already had to turn down offers," says Rok. "We are a big family — it is what it is."

Sounds so sweet and simple, but musical families often fall apart, especially when money comes into play. "Honestly, it doesn't really matter. We don't need a million dollars, just enough to pay the bills. We all have skills to produce music that will do that. It isn't the fame, really," says Carlito. The usually quiet Kuf chimes in, "Well, the good thing with a band is that if we get hooked up with a good tour, we can easily make a living off of that."

Besides being a part of the Burndown crew, most of the members were involved in their own projects before the group came along and are still currently making their own noise. This helps keep everyone on their toes. It also leads to scheduling conflicts when show nights collide. "We've been rocking shows for three years with whatever and whoever we have. It's learning to work with what we got," says Quicks.

And while personalities sometimes clash, the rough spots are often smoothed over when the All-Stars are together on stage, drawing energy from the audience and each other. Carlito laughs, "It's a natural high. This city will hate on you before you get on stage and be like — 'Oh, you on some bullshit.' But once we get on, they change and say, 'Awww, y'all be kickin' it.'"

BURNDOWN ALL-STARS NAMED BEST INDIE BAND BY BILLBOARD MAGAZINE

Philadelphia, PA October 27, 2006 – The Burndown All-Stars, a Philadelphia based band, have won the 2006 Independent Music World Series (IMWS) Northeast showcase presented by Diskmakers in conjunction with Billboard magazine. The competition was held at The World Cafe Live on Thursday, October 26, 2006 in Philadelphia. Along with the prestige of being named the Grand Prize winners the Burndown All-Stars also took home over $50,000 in cash and prizes, including recording gear, instruments, CD manufacturing services, and more.

Thousands entered but The Burndown All-Stars were among six finalists chosen by editors of Billboard magazine to compete. Abbie Gardner, Hazmat Modine, The Primms, The Outside, and Vaeda all had talented performances. But with a dynamic stage show unmatched in energy and intensity the Burndown All-Stars captured the top spot. The victory earns them the honor of being named the best independent act in the Northeast, and in the process gained them invaluable music industry contacts.

The Independent Music World Series is the only independent music event that exposes musicians from every genre to music industry participants using impartial judging criteria and a live showcase finale. With outstanding sponsorship and industry support this competition has continued free from the popularity contest scenerio too frequently encountered in the live contest atmosphere. IMWS' goal is to discover and reward the best independent artists in the country. The showcase is judged by music industry executives, media, and other recording industry professionals, and features live performances from the six leading independent artists in the Northeast region, including New York. The IMWS began in 1995 with a showcase featuring six artists at The Lion's Den in New York City. Since then IMWS has hosted over 200 independent acts in 10 cities around the U.S. and awarded over $1,500,000 in prizes.

Bringing it to the (turn)table

A hip-hop infused group with local members is stepping it up at two competitions.

By Fred Durso Jr.

October 26, 2006

The BurnDown All-Stars might be infectious. With chill lyrics and feverish performances, it’s no wonder audiences sweat during their shows. It might also be the reason the group has swollen to an astounding 13 — and counting — members. With this many people each bringing their unique styles, the hip-hop collective has not gone unnoticed. Billboard magazine editors picked the best musicians from 1,100 entries for the Independent Music World Series, a competition giving unsigned artists the chance to perform in front of industry officials and score some prizes. Each artist had to submit three original tracks.

BurnDown was among the six finalists chosen to compete in the Northeast showcase today, Oct. 26, at World Caf.. Live, 3025 Walnut St. Doors open at 8 p.m,, with the music starting at 8:30.

The group also took first place Monday during the second round of a battle of the bands, unaffiliated with the Northeast showcase, at the Trocadero. After another performance at the venue Dec. 3, followed by a national competition in Los Angeles, the group could snag a $1 million recording contract with Bodog Music.

“We fit into the way music has changed … in the last few years the way other bands can’t,” Randall “JawnZap7” Quinn, an emcee with the group, said. “If you look at the average iPod, it’s got tons of different types of music. I think if you took your iPod, shook it up and threw it on the table, that’s us.”

Hip-hop is the name of their game, but each member has a different definition. Some infuse rock, others reggae, with eight emcees spouting lyrics, while the remainder use guitars, bass, drums, turntables and samples to complement the words.

This blend is what started the group a few years ago.

BurnDown is “a collective of different bands and emcees from Philadelphia,” emcee Brian “Syne” Brink, also of the hip-hop/reggae group Dialects, said. Band mates “would all essentially take the best of the best from those groups and combine them in a recording atmosphere.”

Almost as powerful as the group’s lyrical abilities is the high-energy stage presence that, at times, is so fluid, it’s like watching a well-choreographed street theater. As soon as one rapper finishes his set, another jumps on stage.

With two CDs out and another on the way, BurnDown is a labor of love, despite the minor problems associated with coexisting in a 13-member group.

“Essentially, how BurnDown works is you show up long enough, you put in your dues long enough and you’re a part of the team,” Brink, of 23rd and Tasker streets, said.

The Independent Music World Series was created by Disk Makers, an independent CD and DVD manufacturer. Beginning in 1995, the event also occurs in the Midwest, West and Southeast regions, with individual winners at each.

Since Disk Makers’ “bread and butter is doing independent CD manufacturing for indie artists,” the competition is a “feel-good” opportunity to let their music be heard, Andre Calilhanna, series director, said.

During the Philly show, nearly a dozen judges — many of whom have ties to the music industry — rate bands on five criteria: overall vibe, songwriting, vocal/lead instrument performance, musical performance and originality.

While past winners have gotten record deals, all contestants are placed on a compilation CD distributed to industry professionals, radio stations and record stores.

“We’re getting a pretty diverse group of bands on stage,” Calilhanna added. “These artists get to perform in front of other artists they would normally never get to play with.”

Competing against four performers from New York and one from New Jersey, BurnDown is happy to battle it out on their home turf. The grand prize includes a digital audio workstation with stereo monitors, musical instruments, a year membership to the online record store CD Baby and a cash prize of $5,000. “They gave us a 20-minute slot, so that’s a little over a minute per member of the band,” disk jockey Dave Cramske, of Fourth and Moore streets, said.

Though BurnDown’s members consider themselves family, seeing eye-to-eye isn’t always easy. Many perform in other groups — making stage-sharing amongst BurnDown members a common dilemma.

“With 13 people, everyone just needs to have patience, because things can’t happen the second you want it to,” Dru “Arcane” Bayly, also of the group Dialects, said.

However, the music makes up for the occasional squabble. During weekly rehearsals, members discover which fusions and lineups flow best.

“Sometimes it’s not happy, it doesn’t work and you’re arguing and fighting, but, in the end, everybody is ultimately out for the same goals,” Brink said.

Quinn said a killer stage show is a good way to “wipe the slate clean.” Since he has been in the company of this talent, the emcee has seen his lyrics soar.

“Because there are so many people involved, because there are so many ideas going on, it constantly pushes you to step your game up,” Quinn, of 29th and Moore streets, said. “I’m a way better rapper now than I was a year ago.”

A high-intensity favorite among the local members is “Silence of Violence,” written by the Dialects in response to crime plaguing the city.

“A lot of emcees in BurnDown have lyrics that are consciously trying to touch people rather than having the party vibe,” Cramske said.

All the guys have a vast knowledge of the Philly music scene, but credit the group’s original members — Dave “Quicks” McHale, Rocco “Rok Bottom” Rosini, Carlos “Carlito Attack” Brown and Ty “Kuf Knotz” Green — for placing their mark on local music.

Chosen to participate in the Northeast showcase solely on its sound, the group is ready to show judges its best side — and win the top spot.

“We feel our live show is our best attribute — and they chose us from our recordings,” Brink said.

For more information on the BurnDown All-Stars, visit www.burndownmusic.com. For more information on the World Caf.. Live performance, visit www.worldcafelive.com or call 215-222-1400

Bodog Battle of the Bands: BurnDown All-Stars Heat It Up Philly hip-hop collective keeps things fresh with more than a dozen members

Aug. 4, 2006

By Gil Kaufman

Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

You know the deal: Bodog Music is on a countrywide search to find America’s best unsigned indie band. The chosen one will receive a $1-million contract with Bodog, including international distribution, touring, promotion and marketing services. Without further ado, the fifth in a series of profiles of bands in the Bodog's $1-million Battle of the Bands.

Burndown All-Stars

City: Philadelphia.

Sound: Old school hip-hop with a live band edge.

Members:

Dave Quicks (guitar/vocals/production), Tom Walling (drums), Rico Joseph (bass/vocals), Tom Copson (lead guitar), DJ Cramske (turntables/loops) and the MCs: Kuf, Rok Bottom, Carlito Attack, Syne, Arcane, MC Nutt, Lord Biz and JawnZap 7.

Point of origin:

"We got together about three years ago and it was all about taking advantage of the moment," said band leader Dave Quicks about how the All-Stars formed into one of Philly's premier hip-hop collectives. "There were a lot of bands and artists around Philly that we knew, but who weren't necessarily getting paid for what they were doing." Not long after splitting with his former group, the Princes of Babylon, Quicks and some other local musicians got their hands on a portable digital studio. After learning how to use it, they invited some friends over to their rented warehouse space and just started to tape their jam sessions. "It was more of a vibe thing any anything else," he said of the initial sessions. "We just got together as many good artists as we know in the Philly area and recorded it all." The results ended up on 2003's "BurnDown All-Stars Volume 1", which showcased 44 different artists, from musicians to rappers, singers, DJs and whoever else Quicks could rope into the studio.

Takin' it to the stage:

The first gig the All-Stars played looked like one of those chaotic George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars shows, with more than 25 musicians on stage, which was a blessing and a curse. "You can imagine the logistics of it all," Quicks said. "Drummers and bassists switching out and changing up equipment. People jumping up and down off stage. It was cool to have that environment and all those people contributing, but in terms of putting on a show, it was not logistically the way to go. It just looked disorganized." Following those shows, Quicks set out to solidify a core group of All-Stars to represent the group on the stage, which now numbers between 12 and 13 live musicians and MCs.

What's up with the name?:

Quicks came up with the name, which, despite its seemingly illicit connotation, was actually inspired by some pretty geeky music gear terminology. "When we first started recording things," he explained, "we had a Roland all-in-one digital studio and everything it does it puts out on a CD, either a data back-up of the session or a burn of the music. So I would write 'back up' or 'burndown' on all the discs and when it came time to go public with a name we went through a bunch and I had written BurnDown so many times that when I suggested it everyone was down with it." Okay, so there's absolutely no other explanation for it, right? "Well, to be honest, the name wouldn't have stuck if it didn't have multi-layered definitions," Quicks said slyly, refusing to elaborate.

The sound:

As a producer, Quicks said he has tried to be hands off, just utilizing the talent he has harnessed under the BurnDown banner, which ranges from rock and reggae, to R&B and hip-hop. "I was trying to make an overall aesthetic that was organic as opposed to overly processed," Quicks explained. "I didn't want to make the regular hip-hop you hear on the radio with all the overproduced beats that are all synthesized." Because the group uses live musicians, Quicks said songs like "Philly Music" and "Travelin'" are invested with a "spirit and humanity" that give them a funky, organic vibe.

The Roots of the group:

Not surprisingly, a big influence on the All-Stars is long-running Philly hip-hop legends The Roots, another sprawling collective known for their live band configuration. And, like the Roots, the live band you see at All-Stars shows is not the whole story. There are plenty more people who work behind the scenes to create the group's sound besides the baker's dozen performers on stage. "That idea really appealed to us," Quicks said. "We had these jam sessions all over town that brought the whole thing into focus. My old band would play at these jam sessions hosted at a local a bar by G. Love's label, Philadelphonic, and once all of us started playing together and got comfortable it became obvious that we should start recording some of it."

The live show:

"Have you seen Dave Chappelle's 'Block Party' movie?" Quicks asks. "That's what our live show feels like. We've got drums, bass, two guitars, a DJ and four to eight MCs, so we keep it flowing with that review feel. We might switch up MCs for each song and we keep metamorphosing and introducing new things to keep it fresh in front of you."

Bonding with the Bonnaroo crowd:

Because of their size, the All-Stars haven't been able to tour very much, but they just played a couple of sets at the All Good Festival in West Virginia and they seriously won over the crunchy granola audience.

"That's our audience, the jam audience," Quicks said. "Not because we're a jam band, but because they're ready for someone to make hip-hop more palatable to them. You could hear them rolling up in their cars playing De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest because they love hip-hop, but they don't have a band to get behind. The hippie folks' ears are wide open. They're there for the vibes and they're real music lovers. We have great hometown crowds, but the Philly folks are more sophisticated, they make you work for it!" At All Good, Quicks said the All-Stars played an afternoon set to about 100 people, but by the time their midnight set rolled around (while the Black Crowes were on the main stage), those 100 people must have told all their friends, because 600 or 700 kids showed up to jam out. Though they draw well in Philly - because each band member invites five or six friends - the All-Stars haven't really toured outside of their hometown too much because of their size. Because even the biggest passenger van only seats eight, the group can't really tour extensively because between high gas prices and rental fees for two or three vans there's no way for them to make any money on the road. Quicks hopes winning the Bodog Battle of the Bands competition could solve all those problems, though.

Best gig ever...and worst:

The process of getting the live show down has been a long one, but the band learned a good lesson when they played a gig at the House of Blues recently opening for reggae legends Steel Pulse. "Before the show we really realized how much we had to tighten up our show and present ourselves properly, so we got together and played our 45-minute set for months," he said. "When we played that gig we were so ready. A lot of times you can rehearse your off and it doesn't work, maybe you're gripping it too tight. But this time the set was right on, the performances were inspired and everything came together in that one night." They've had plenty of bad shows, too, though, where promoters didn't pay them, set up lame sound systems or didn't promote the show properly. Thankfully, because of their intimidating size, people tend not to heckle the All-Stars, or cheat them that often. The week before the Steel Pulse gig, the band had played another opening set at the HOB for which they felt pretty well prepared. But, from the first song, something was wrong and a thunderous squall of feedback came over them with "fury and consistency." The horrible sound wouldn't let up for three songs, even as the group smiled and hoped it would just go away. "You play three songs like that, though, and it ruins the gig," Quicks said.

Hold or fold:

"We definitely have some serious gamblers in the crew," Quicks admitted. "There are some serious poker players in here who treat it like their part time job. Carlito's always trying to get us to play cards on the road so he can steal all our money. Every time we go to A.C. [Atlantic City], no one is spared. As soon as the gig is over, we're all on the floor playing blackjack and roulette." While Quicks isn't one to back down from the tables, he said you have to bet big to win big and, for now at least, he's not that high of a roller. But if it isn't cards, it's sports. "When you get 13 guys together, the one thing everyone's always talking about [and betting on] is sports," he said.

Why we're going to win this contest:

Just originality, according to Quicks, who said he's checking out some of the competition on the Battle of the Bands site and was unimpressed with how similar the hard rock bands sounded. "It's sort of unoriginal and uninspired," he said. "When you're repeating someone else, what's the point? That's what we've been banking on all along, creating something compelling and original. I believe that we will get through Philly and then it comes down to us putting on a powerful live show and we have that."

Always changing and growing, The BurnDown All-Stars are on fire and hotter than an East Coast heat wave.

Gil Kaufman is a senior writer at MTV. His features on Bodog Battle of the Bands contestants will appear regularly in Bodog Nation.