What started out as two guys rhyming and mixing beats as college freshmen has turned into a seven-piece band that plays steady gigs throughout the region and opens for national groups. Hyrdrophonics, a hip-hop band based in St. Cloud, is performing both Friday and Saturday at Juliapalooza IV in Kimball. “It’s hip-hop to the core, but through live instrumentation people who never even thought they liked hip-hop will walk into the show and like it,” Hydrophonics lyricist Jay McKee said. Hydrophonics’ shows feature three MCs backed by a full band. The combination creates a high-energy show with audience participation. Hydrophonics has come a long way since the original two members, McKee and Josh Johnson, got their first exposure on “Monday Nite Live,” a music show on SCSU TV, UTVS. “It was enough to spread the word around and strike interest with other shows,” McKee said. “As we got better and better, more people started to notice.” A few band members have come and gone since they started in 2000. Now there are seven members. While it can be difficult to accommodate schedules for seven different people, they all work toward a common goal. “It’s a real collaborative effort,” Mckee said. “We all come from diverse musical backgrounds so we all bring something different to the table.” The band practices 3-4 times each week and plays in shows 3-4 times each week, as well. Hydrophonics plays frequently in St. Cloud at the Red Carpet and The Rox. They also perform in the Twin Cities, Winona, Mankato and Eau Claire. The band opened for Ludacris, a national act, at St. Cloud State University last month. It was their biggest show, with 5,000 audience members. “It created a lot more awarenes of us,” McKee said, The band hopes to play in a larger area and plans to do shows in Madison and Chicago. They’ve had opportunities to tour, but they are still working around McKee’s college class schedule. “I’m the only one holding us down,” he said. McKee will graduate soon then Hydrophonics will have more flexibilty to travel and tour. Juliapalooza IV tickets are available in St. Cloud at Electric Fetus, Java Joint, Movies Etc., Al’s Music and RiplFX. For more information go to www.juliapalooza.com. For more information on Hydrophonics go to www.hydrophonicsmusic.com.
