User:Venomousvoices805

Venomous Voices
Venomous Voices Hail from the Central Coast of California, their energetic lyricism and tremendous beats generate an energy and soul stirring vibe that commercial Hip Hop isn’t afforded and can’t touch. What started as a DJ and an MC, has evolved into a six-member instrumental group: guitar, bass, piano, drums, and percussion, all representing the instrumental foundation from where hip hop sampling derived.Venomous Voices are Jawz (Justin Bonilla) on microphone, Jacob Bonilla on drums, Gilbert Bonilla on guitar, Joey Steil on piano/keyboard, Jonathan Valentin on bass, and Joel De Leon on keyboard/guitar. Though Hip Hop is the catalyst, each member brings a background of different musical style and expression into the group that makes their music familiar yet indefinite. Funk, Soul, Blues, Rock & Roll, and R & B, and so much more, the influence is apparent in every track. It was the influence of all these different genres and how well they all inter-weaved to create something so potent that led to the formation of the Venomous Voices in the first place. Though the group officially began touring in 2004, brothers Jawz and Jacob ignited the spark in the early 2000’s.Drawing inspiration from legendary groups such as A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, Freestyle Fellowship, the brothers decided to work together to create a sound all their own.

In the beginning Jacob would create beats and play drums that Jawz along with past member Landel Brown would rap over. At home, the brothers would jam out with father Gilbert on guitar and cousin Joey Steil on piano.It must have been in the genes because when this family got together the music and the lyrics would flow naturally and the sessions would last for hours. Later on the family decided that it made sense to bring live music to a live audience.An amalgamation of friends, family, and additional homegrown talents of the Central Coast are the members that make up the Venomous Voices.

Since 2004 they have played at venues and clubs up and down the California coast. With continuing shows at SLO Brewery in San Luis Obispo, they have also played at the Ventura Theatre, the Whiskey in Hollywood, and performed on the Warped Tour in San Diego, Sacramento and Ventura. They have opened for Hip Hop legends such as Rakim, People Under The Stairs, [Nappy Roots]],Andre Nickatina,Arrested Development, Souls of Mischief and Digable Planets. If Hip Hop is truly dead then the Venomous Voices have created a fresh sound with roots sprung from its ashes. Devoid of auto-tunes, studio gangsters and commercialized gimmicks and hooks, they symbolize the volatility of Hip Hop and the expression of oneself through music.Hip Hop is loosely defined as the musical and poetic representation of the daily life of people of the streets: Their opinion, observation, inspection, and reflection transformed into flowing lyrics both guided and complemented by the pulse of musical instruments. Simply put, it is a culmination of all musical styles steered by rhythm and beat, designed to evoke feelings and ideas; the sound of the thinking man.

Yet the ascension of Hip Hop as one of the greatest musical genres has been derailed by lethargy and commercialization: stripped down, ring tone beats, inundated by thoughtless, unintelligible lyrics, influenced by the superficial pursuit of cash and clout. The embracing and advertisement of the hustler image, the repetitive hooks and choruses devoted to that lifestyle, and the jockeying for radio play, has contributed to the devolution of the last great innovation in music. And yet there are still believers of the true definition (or philosophy) of hip hop who dig inspiration from its roots and contribute to the advancement and evolution of the sound; those that dutifully find new ways to compose the stories of the streets and it’s people. There is no better representation of this progression than the sound of the Venomous Voices.