Welcome to this week’s Launch Box featuring Fantastic Negrito
Fantastic Negrito is the incarnation of a musician reborn through struggle. In fact, the name Fantastic Negrito represents his third rebirth, literally coming back from death this time.
The narrative on this man is as important as the sound, because the narrative IS the sound. Songs born from a long hard life channeled through black roots music. Slide guitar, drums, piano. Urgent, desperate, edgy.
For anyone who ever felt like it was over yet hoped it wasn’t, this is your music; blues harnessed, forged in realness. For anyone who ever considered getting their old high-school band back together, this is your inspiration. These are singular songs by a true musician who writes and produces. They are his fuel as he embarks on the third comeback of his life.
Fantastic Negrito is a man’s truth, each song the true story of a musician from Oakland who experienced the highs of a million dollar record deal, the lows of a near fatal car accident that put him in a coma, and is now in the phase of rebirth despite his playing hand being mangled.
Negrito’s music emphasizes rawness and space. Slide guitar, drums, piano. Rather than update the Delta Blues, Fantastic Negrito leaves the original sounds of Lead Belly and Skip James intact, building bridges to a modern sound with loops and samples of his own live instruments. But the primary element that drives Fantastic Negrito’s music is uncut realness and zero concern for “pop” anything.
Check out his new Deluxe Edition EP out now
For Fantastic Negrito, every chord comes from a place of immediacy. Immediacy opens the door for instinct. When you listen to Negrito, you’re invited to hear the story of life after destruction. Your dream can die. You probably will give up. But from there, you can start everything over.
These days, bolstered by a new outlook on life and music, you’ll see that newly rediscovered purpose in his eyes and hear it in his voice, check out his performance with his fantastic band that won the Tiny Desk Concert Contest this year:
Set List
“Lost In A Crowd”
“Night Has Turned To Day”
“An Honest Man”
Info from: Fantastic Negrito / NPR / Youtube