The Chicharones

The Chicharones
Origin	Portland, Oregon
Genres	Hip hop
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Camobear Records
Associated acts	Oldominion
Website	[1]
Members
Josh Martinez Sleep

The Chicharones are an American hip hop duo, composed of Sleep of Oldominion and Josh Martinez.^[1][2][3] They are known for their socially conscious lyrics, energetic live performances and strong underground following.^[4]

History

The duo formed in 2001 after a chance meeting between Seattle based Sleep and Vancouver based Josh Martinez at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas. Sleep was at the time a member of the hip hop supergroup Oldominion, of which he is still an active collaborator. Josh Martinez entered the duo from a career as a solo artist.^[4] Their name is a reference to chicharrónes, a fried pork rind snack popular in Latin America and Spain.

Their seminal opus, the Boss Hogs EP, was released in 2003. The extended play release garnered critical praise, with URB magazine describing it as 'a completely original masterpiece.'^[5]

They did not immediately release a full album, however, instead dedicating their energy to touring and developing a fan base. At their peak, Martinez and Sleep delivered over two-hundred international performances a year, with shows involving Elvis inspired high kicks, fake mustaches and costume changes, including a tribute to Mario and Luigi of the Nintendo franchise.^[6] Technically, they incorporated bass machines, two part harmony and live drum sets.^[4] The Chicharones' dedication to touring eventually led to an international underground following.^[7] Spin magazine described the duo as "the best bar band in America," delivering an "innovative and entirely unique hybrid of clever pop melodies and intelligent, layered songwriting that [borrowed] from everywhere and [sounded] like nothing else."^[5]

The Chicharones released their second EP, Pork Rind Music, in 2005, and followed with their debut full-length album, When Pigs Fly, later that year.^[3] When Pigs Fly resulted in a music video for the track "Breaking Point," which followed the struggles of a young Mexican traveller driven to drinking and theft in a rural desert town.^[8] In 2006, Sleep and Martinez disbanded to focus on solo projects.^[4]

Recent work

After a three year hiatus, the pair rejoined in 2009. Their first release was Swine Country, a work Martinez described as "inspired by James Dean, heist movies, broken hearts and sweet, sweet revenge." The Chicharones again garnered critical recognition, including an Independent Music Award in 2009 for best rap album and a Northwest Music Award for Best Live Band.^[4]

The pair continued to be prolific in the studio, releasing Swine Flew Over the Coocoo's Nest^[9] and Toke City Special in 2010. Toke City Special was released as a digital free album, available at their website.^[4]

South by Southwest and Commercial Work

The Chicharones have played at South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas yearly, since their formation there in 2001.

The Chicharones have played at the South by Southwest music festival each consecutive year since their formation there in 2001.^[10] In 2010, they hosted the 4th annual South by Southwest Chicharones Boat Party with Solillaquists of Sound, Killah Priest, Blueprint and Illogic. Outside of their live performances, they have licensed multiple songs for action sports videos, including Fuel TV, Warren Miller’s Ski Series, Solomon Riders Guide and the Red Bull Action Sports Series. They have also licensed songs for television shows, including The Hills, Entourage, Flavor of Love 2, VH1’s Beach Party 2009, and movies such as Die Hard 4^[4] and Interview.^[11]

Discography

• 2003: Boss Hogs EP
• 2005: Pork Rind Music EP
• 2005: When Pigs Fly
• 2009: Swine Country ^[3]
• 2010: The Swine Flew Over the Coocoo's Nest ^[9]
• 2010: Toke City Special ^[4]

References

1. ^ "Oldominion Home Page". Oldominion Homepage. June 10, 2010. http://www.oldominion.net/artist.php?id_artist=123. Retrieved June 10, 2010. 
2. ^ "Last.fm Artist Biography - The Chicharones". Last.fm. 2009. http://www.last.fm/music/The+Chicharones. Retrieved June 14, 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Country Music Television - The Chicharones". Country Music Television. 2009. http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/chicharones/albums.jhtml. Retrieved June 13, 2010. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} "Chicharones Home Page". Camobear Records. June 10, 2010. http://www.chicharones.com. Retrieved June 10, 2010. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "South by Southwest Homepage". South by Southwest. 2005. http://my.sxsw.com/events/eid/6368. Retrieved June 14, 2010. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ "Chicharones - Pork Rindo Disco at South by Southwest". Camobear Records. 2005. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvxUB0zAaD4. Retrieved June 10, 2010. 
7. ^ "The Rhyme State Database - The Chicharones". Camobear Records. 2008. http://www.RhymeState.com/TheSite.htm. Retrieved June 14, 2010. 
8. ^ "Breaking Point Music Video". Camobear Records. 2005. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quLF_bQdaz8. Retrieved June 14, 2010. 
9. ^ ^{a b} "Josh Martinez Homepage". Josh Martinez. 2010. http://www.joshmartinez.ca/. Retrieved June 13, 2010. 
10. ^ "The Chicharones Interview - Spinner Online Music". AOL Music. 2010. http://www.spinner.com/2010/02/09/sxsw-2010-the-chicharones/. Retrieved July 11, 2010. 
11. ^ "Interview - Movie Soundtrack". Internet Movie Database. 2007. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480269/soundtrack. Retrieved June 14, 2010.