The Digable Planets

Oct. 12, 2008

Ryan McManus has built a reputation of bringing major acts to the Loading Dock, guys like Tim Reynolds of Dave Matthews Band, The Fame and bands like Sponge, who were big during the Grunge Rock era to name a few. Now, big-time music acts are nothing new to Northern Michigan; but when you bring acts of this caliber – who typically perform at major venues that seat thousands – to a club that holds less than 200, that is noteworthy.
This Saturday, Oct. 18, McManus brings in Grammy Award-winning hip-hop trio Digable Planets for one show. The Planets are currently on a tour of North America, playing major clubs in metro areas such as Toronto, Montreal, Dallas, New York City and Chicago. So how did the group end up with a gig in Traverse City?
“We are always seeking out opportunities to bring great musicians to the area,” said McManus. “When I saw that the Digable Planets were touring, I put in an offer and they accepted it.”

BEYOND THEIR HIT
From a mainstream perspective, Digable Planets would fit into the “one-hit wonder” category. That one hit, “Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat),” would bring them the Grammy Award in 1993 for Best Rap Performance By A Duo or Group. But if you step outside the mainstream, the group’s contribution to
music, in particular – hip-hop, goes beyond that one hit.
“I was one of the nominees, myself, that year and many were saying the favorite for the Grammy,” said Snoop Dogg via an e-mail response from his spokesperson. “But when Digable Planets won I think a lot of us in the rap community stood up and took notice. They definitely were innovative in their approach and I think in many ways they helped to legitimize our art form to a wider audience. They certainly were an inspiration to many performers, especially when you look at their lyrical approach, they brought sophistication to their lyrics and a lot of us thought that was cool.”
But if you ask the members of Digable Planets, they were not trying to be innovators. they were simply just products of their environment.
“We get asked all the time about infusing hip-hop with jazz and why we did that,” said Doodlebug. “Basically, you had two choices when you were getting started: you either went into a music store and stole records to sample from or you went to your parent’s collection and stole what they had. We chose the latter as our parents were into jazz, so we all grew up listening to a lot of jazz.”

ROOTS
The band formed in the early ‘90s at a Massachusetts college when Butterfly (Ishmael Butler) from Seattle joined up with Doodlebug (Craig Irving) of Philidelphia and Ladybug (Mary Ann Vieira) from Maryland to create a band that had a different mindset. The trio moved to New York and landed a major label deal.
“We all took on insect names because when push comes to shove insects all stick together, something the human race has failed to be able to accomplish,” said Doodlebug. “We came up with the name from the belief that every individual is a planet but the worlds that their tracks mapped out were not insular ones.”
That individuality would lead the group to break up in 1995, in the middle of what seemed to be an internationally-successful music career. Not only was the band enjoying a fan base and tours all over the world, but they had a platinum-selling album to their credit.
Critics point to their second album Blowout Comb, as the group’s demise. The lyrics were harsher, and even instrumentally, Digable Planets drifted away from their softer, jazzier roots with harder-edge instrumentation. While the album was labeled an “artistic masterpiece” by critics, it “turned off” many in their fan base.

FAMILY FACTOR
“There were several factors that led us to breaking up,” said Doodlebug. “Ladybug’s parents both became ill and passed away so she stepped away from the group and music all together. So we broke up. Critics can say what they want, but that is what happened. Then we all started pursuing our own projects and then we started having kids so that kept us from getting back together.”
After being apart for 10 years, the band decided to reunite.
“I have said this in past interviews that bands – and definitely our band – is like a marriage or intimate relationship. When a relationship breaks up for whatever the reason and then you start looking back on that relationship and all of the good things you want to go back to that point,” said Doodlebug. “It is always a challenge but we have made it work.”
Their fans have helped make the transition of getting back together a smooth one. Digable Planets embarked on a worldwide tour in 2005, selling out venues and were well received by fans.
“We are all in a good place right now. We have our solo projects and we enjoy getting back together and touring,” said Doodlebug. “We have been experimenting with some new material for a CD so we will see what the future has in store.”
The immediate future has Digable Planets coming to Traverse City Saturday October 18 at the Loading Dock. Opening the show will be Northern Michigan based hip hop artists Resa.P. For a sampling of Digable Planets, go to myspace.com/digableplanets. Tickets are selling quickly and are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. To purchase, call the Loading Dock at 231.941.4422.