So I reached out to Marv Ellis on Facebook a couple of weeks ago and let him know I was interested in featuring him in the magazine.
Marv is one of the better known acts throughout the Northwest, and tends to appeal to general music fans more than most emcees in the area. He is probably known best for performing sold at shows at the Wow Hall in Eugene with Lafa Taylor and county fairs throughout the region.
We’ve only met a couple of times, but I’ve always enjoyed his music.
He replied a few days later (May 28th) and asked if it was a good time to chat. I let him know that it was, but actually it was not. I actually had plans and had to leave soon.
So I decided that when he called I’d ask him if another time would work better, the problem is that I was genuinely curious about what he had going on.
So… Here is the manuscript of our conversation.
Hello?
What’s up man, this is Marv.
Oh what’s up! How have you been?
Been good man, had a crazy last day or so.
Good crazy?
Yeah, I’ve been trying to get some cool branding for my music for awhile and then I met this guy who does that for a living and said he was down.
That’s what’s up. I’m actually just about to head out to dinner right now. Would it be chill if I gave you a call tomorrow?
Yeah.
Is this your number? Your cell?
Yeah.
What do you have going this week?
Um, I have a few things going this week. I’m shooting my video on…what day is it…Thursday I think.
Are you doing that in Portland?
I’m doing it in Portland at this place that has a green screen.
Would it be cool if we sent a photographer out there to take pictures of everything?
Yeah. We have a photographer but I mean yeah I could check it out with the producer.
If you already have a photographer there it would work if we might be able to just use some of their pictures… Since their already going to be there.
Yeah…there you go.
What else… and Scarub’s coming in Saturday to practice with us.
You guys have a group together?
He’s doing the show with us Saturday at the Goodfoot.
Nice! Diezel P…or Iame has his release party that night also. Portland’s going to be crackin.
Yeah, it’ll be fun. It’s different. We got Scarub from the Living Legends and a live band, not so much just straight hip hop.
That’s why people love Marv Ellis! He gives them what they want.
Yeah, it fits the vibe you know.
(Front door open in the background)
Have you still been doing the monthly out in Bend?
I was doing the thing out in Bend for awhile, but then I got the Band and I’ve been just focusing on making the band ultra sick.
Gotcha. Dope. What do you have going tomorrow?
Tomorrow I have my weekly up in Mt. Hood at the Beat Church.
(My car door opens)
Would it be cool if I gave you a call around 2 or 3 tomorrow?
I’m supposed to be meeting with these ballerinas who are going to be helping out with this dream sequence in my video.
(Car starts…on second attempt)
Nice! Who is filming the video?
This girl from Romania and this director who recently did this documentary that went to the Sundance Film Festival.
How’d you guys link up?
Just through all of the shows I’ve been doing, and the music…
(static..)
We made this Kickstarter video.
(static..)
She said she could make a $15,000 video for five…
(static..silence)
Are you still there?
Yeah.
Sorry, it was cutting out there a bit. What was that again? You said something about doing the video for $5000 instead of $15,000.
Yeah, we have a lot of people donating their time but we still needed money to make it happen. So we asked for $5000 on our Kickstarter project.
(more static and silence)
Its cutting out really bad, let me call you right back.
Alright dude.
(Disconnects, I call back)
Yo.
Sorry about that.
All Good.
So what’s the main concept you are going for with the video?
The song is…if you had someone that was going to show you what you were going to be like 50 years from now. If they were going to lay it out in front of you, like a timeline with all of the obstacles, the bull shit you’re going to have to go through, the deaths. If you saw it all laid out in front of you would you be like ‘fuck it lets do this’, or would you try to run away from it.
People everyday face obstacles that they have to break through. There’s not this one goal that you have to accomplish. You have to roll with the punches, you are always facing obstacles, and you just have to keep pushing up the trail.
That is what the song is about.
The video itself is going to be ridiculous. Some of the technology they are using is some pretty cool artsy shit. So I’m just going with it. It’s not gonna be me driving in a car like “What up! Yeah!”
It’s got this children’s book, story book type of theme going with it.
Do you guys have a timeline set?
Our goal is to have it done by August 6th. We’re thinking about having a video release party, maybe at the Doug Fir. I’m kind of leaning back on a lot of things.
I’m not sure if I’m going to release an album. I think I’m going to do something else. I have an idea of how to kind of evolve reality and message into something more comprehensible.
Can you fill us in a little bit on details?
Well if I tell everybody what it is, they’ll all start doing it.
Ha Ha!
It’s a great idea.
That’s definitely what’s up man, and I’ll try to give you a call tomorrow…
We Out Here