Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to [email protected].
Walking hurts now because we messed up our knee a ways back. Looking hurts now because everything is blurry and the glasses that we bought (the second cheapest pair at eye-care specialists Walmart) are for shit. Picking things up hurts now because two years of toting around toddlers has twisted our back into several knots of awfulness.
Our point: Getting old stinks.
Which is why when the fresh-faced, light-as-clouds pop-hop band Twenty Eleven auditioned for a timeslot in the perpetual Artist of the Week concert, they were shoe-ins. With them being so young and all, we hit them up and made references to gang-bang movies, B.o.B. and the SUC, which constitutes 66 percent of all we cared to talk about as a teenager). Aces.
Rocks Off: You guys are fairly young, so let's start with the obvious question: Why? Why would anyone try to get into the rap game right now? You're aware of how impossibly oversaturated it is, right?
2011: Well, music is something we've always done. We all have different musical backgrounds, which come together to create a unique sound. We feel that we aren't just rap. So we don't see ourselves as small fish in a big pond; we're more like big fish in our own pond.
RO: Seriously, how many times did you all listen to B.o.B.'s album before you all wrote "Time Goes On"?
2011: Well, seeing how we slept at Target overnight to wait for it to come out, we listen to it pretty often. Just kidding. We are big fans of B.o.B, but we didn't realize we had a similar sound until fans told us. We don't try to sound like anyone but ourselves. "Time Goes On" just happened to be similar to his album.
RO: Give us a little inside information on Renewable Energy. Is it going to be similar to "Time Goes On," because that might be pretty fly.
2011: Our album will be a mix of multiple genres. There will be songs similar to "Time Goes On," and there will be some that catch you completely off guard. We have a lot of influences and many different sounds that we will incorporate on this album.
We will have some of Houston's finest MCs on this record, including Fat Tony, Kyle Hubbard, Simple Success and more. So look out for it, coming really soon.
RO: Obviously, Houston rap has played a signifcant role in y'all's development. Who's your favorite member of the SUC?
2011: As a group, we would have to say Z-Ro and Big Moe. It's funny because even though we have a sound totally different from those two artists, they gave us a stepping stone for where we are today. With a mix of Z-Ro's flow and Big Moe's swagger, they create a sound that only Texas can produce. We give them great respect and appreciate them for putting Houston on the map.
RO: Are you all aware that there was already a group with eleven as its suffix? Maybe you all should switch that up a bit before you become too, too famous to do so? Maybe go with Twenty Twelve? Nah, never mind. That movie was lame. Maybe Twenty Twenty? Crap. That's a TV show. What about Public Enemy? That sounds cool. Has that been taken?
2011 [laughs]: Yes, we are aware of that, but by the time we get too, too famous, they will forget about all the other ones who have the same suffix.
See Twenty Eleven Saturday at Fly Fest at Walter's on Washington, and see them online at facebook.com/twentyelevenmusic.