In the tight knit community of Minneapolis Hip Hop, More Than Lights has collected a small army of very capable and talented performers to announce the release of their second full-length album.
“Fun’s on Our Team” is the title of their new EP. The Fine Line hosted the event. The Hip Hop/ Funk group kicked it off with a high-energy show filled with long time collaborators.
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Through out the night the bands would filter in and out of the green room talking about their labyrinthian connections to one another and reminiscing over festivals and benefit concerts that brought them to this moment.
The party atmosphere kept the show positive and it felt more like an intimate party of friends and relatives. The sold out crowd was treated to five acts over the course of the night. Alicia Steele, a long time collaborator with Kanser, started the show with a smooth set. She was followed by Duenday, Wide Eyes, Parallax and Up and Out.
MTL is made up of seven members: Zacharias “Big Zach” Combs, Harry “Unicus” Philibert, Joshua “Jellyfish” Holmgren, Natalie Fine, Corey Hess, Matiu Unga and Reuben Rodriguez.
More Than Lights Started at the Perpich Center with Guitarist Matiu Unga and Corey Hess. Fine and Jellyfish started with them about four years ago.
During that time they were frequently performing with the rap duo Kanser. Kanser is Big Zach and Unicus and they have been performing together since 1994. Three years ago Kanser and More Than Lights merged into their current form. Kanser still performs separately, but the chemistry of More Than Lights is undeniable.
Together they are a cohesive well-rehearsed group that is on the cusp of stardom.
It showed in their Saturday night performance; every song was performed with a clarity and precision I rarely see in a live performance.
Another element to the show that made this a powerhouse performance was the sold out crowd that packed the Fine Line. MTL’s fan base in the Twin Cities is loyal and huge.
Rueben Rodriquez, MTL’s bassist, joined the band exactly eleven months ago and remarked that MTL is, “The best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Rodriguez comes from a Gospel background and was set on becoming a session musician until he auditioned for MTL. He described his experience as a whirlwind since joining up.
The night belonged to MTL, they hit the stage with power and intensity. The show started with an impressive acrobatics display and went into their set.
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