Samurai Shotgun has a musical style that's political but not preachy; like what you'd hear from a group of hardcore comic book nerds who listen to hip-hop and enjoy playing electric guitars, loudly. Everything about the band commands attention. But pinning a genre label on Samurai Shotgun proves difficult, which sometimes makes it hard to book local shows. See, their music is hip-hop rooted, but incorporates generous helpings of rock and funk. And then there's Mateo Prince Henley, a frontman who's raw, funny, and visceral.
"We don't usually fit on any show in Tampa but the Afropunk community is perfect," Henley told CL in a recent interview. "It's kind of our calling."
Come October, Tampa's own musical renegades are slated to play Atlanta's Afropunk Festival alongside the likes of D'Angelo, Tyler the Creator, Suicidal Tendencies and Public Enemy.
The fivesome of Mateo, Qeys (turntables and keys), Tyler (guitar), Jovan (drums), and Bryant (bass) won a contest to play AfroPunk earlier this summer. Votes were cast out of three live music hubs; NYC, Philly, and Atlanta. The top five bands competed in Atlanta, with Samurai Shotgun packing an entire Atlanta hotel floor with a 20-plus person entourage. They played first, and kicked off the show to a small crowd of early birds. "The pressure was strong," Henley remembered. "We did a 15-20 minute set and crushed it, even caused a few mosh pits."
By the end of their set, the venue was packed. Samurai Shotgun competed against bands from Atlanta and Nashville, and won the battle along with a slew of equipment, tickets to the New York Afropunk Fest, and a place in the lineup at ATL's AfroPunk Festival. "This means everything to us. We don't usually fit on any show in Tampa, but the Afropunk is kind of our calling. Plus we are playing alongside some of our favorite artists."
Among those in addition to D'Angelo, Tyler the Creator, Public Enemy and Suicidal Tendencies are Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Trash Talk, Letlive and Santigold. Also featured on the bill is former local Benjamin Booker, backed up by drummer Max Norton and guitarist Alex Spoto, and Death Grips. Yes, Death Grips, which also happen to be playing St. Petersburg's State Theatre on Thurs., October 8; tickets are $22.
Henley is also starring in Good Enough Film's latest motion picture production, Funkadelic. The short film premieres at Tampa Bay's 48-Hour Film Festival Contest this weekend (Sun., Aug. 9, 5 p.m., HCC-Ybor Campus, 2112 N. 15th St., Ybor City)
Samurai Shotgun is also set to drop a new album this fall; a release party, music videos and more also loom in 2015. "For our band, it means we will be well on our way."