Rhymesayer's Rapper Grieves at Cyclomesa in Mesa, AZ

They say the best things in life are free. I wholeheartedly disagree with that statement, with the exception of Grieves' free performance at Cyclomesa last Friday.

Grieves is a Seattle based hip hop artist currently signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment. Growing up Grieve's prominent musical influences included rap and blues artists such as Wu Tang Clan, Gangstarr, D'Angelo, and Al green. It shows in his records which include various mixes of smooth singing and vicious rapped verses. Grieves has been grinding at his musical career nonstop since his first independent release in 2007. Last March he released his newest record, Winter and the Wolves.Now on his North American Winter and the Wolves tour to support the release Grieves is bringing his unique style around the states again more refined than ever.

Taken by Tom Woodward

The show itself was a fairly intimate experience as far as live concerts go. A small stage set in the street along with Grives' laid back attitude made for a pretty casual experience. Asking after finishing his first song "Do you guys always hang out in the street here in Mesa?" Grieves came not just to entertain, but to hang out with us in the crowd. Still a polished performer Grieves makes ample use of the stage connecting with the fans front to back, left and right. Moving with energetic finesse he makes sure not to take himself too seriously, giving a comical jig and asking "You guys like my bad ass dance moves?"

Taken by Tom Woodward

You have to love a front man who can make you laugh. Throwing a mention of his unique musical background into the mix, Grieves tells us "Your parents boned to John Legend all the time! I bet some of y'all are here because of John Legend!" he also references an old D'Angelo music video featuring the artist all but naked saying "Your parents thought loved that s***" he continues the comedy asking one fan with a girl on his shoulders "Can you feel the butt on your neck?" Grieves even jokes about his own show as he thinks aloud after finishing a song "Let's see we did the "put your hands up!", we did the "band turn the crowd up!", we did the slow song, we did the "I'm gonna drink a beer" and then I did..."" it's always refreshing when an artist can throw some humor into their set.

Taken by Tom Woodward

But Grieves had more to say than jokes alone. He speaks on negative feedback he's received online stating "If people liek that were looking to make a difference in this world they wouldn't be at home on their computer talking s***" Later in the set Grieves gave us a personal thank you for our support, saying "There wouldn't be us without you" Staying true to this point Grieves made time to meet fans after the show at his merch booth

Taken by Tom Woodward

One of the best parts about Grieves' show that separates him from the other hip hop performers is the live band. Mirroring his musical background, Grieves is accompanied by a mix of his recorded beats and two live musicians on this tour. Their contribution adds to the experience one usually gets out of a run of the mill hip hop concert with backing vocals and interchanging instrumental accompaniment. Given that Grieves' music includes a unique mix of synthesized and recorded instrumentals its nice to see him bring it with him on the road too.

As for song selection the set list was a crowd-pleaser for old and new fans alike. He managed to touch on most of my less popular favorites as well as the fan favorites. If you get a chance to see the show yourself, you'll get a good spread of tracks from all of his past releases, but with no shortage of songs from Winter and the Wolves. Grieves certainly knows how to pick and choose his set list with the audience in mind bringing the varying slow and high energy songs to the stage.

Tickets for the tour are a steal at less than $20. At the show you'll find cheap copies of all his releases to date including some vinyl records. With the quality performance, cheap merchandise, and a potential opportunity to meet the man himself, it's definitely a show you won't want to miss.