Air Dubai

Air Dubai
Air Dubai performing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in 2011.
Background information
Origin	Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop Rock
Years active	2008-present
Labels	Unsigned
Website	http://www.airdubaimusic.com
Members
Julian Thomas Jon Shockness Lawrence Grivich Michael Ray Taylor Tait Nick Spreigl Wesley Watkins

Air Dubai is a seven-piece hip hop band from Denver, Colorado. The band is composed of vocalists Julian Thomas and Jon Shockness, with Lawrence Grivich (guitar), Michael Ray (keyboards/synth), Taylor Tait (bass), Wesley Watkins (trumpet) and Nick Spreigl (drums). The band is known for their highly energetic live performances and their sound has been characterized as a mixture of R&B, jazz, and alternative rock. The band was voted Westword Magazine's best Hip Hop band in their 2010 & 2011 award showcases.^[1]

History

Beginnings and The Early October (2008-2009)

Air Dubai began as a collaboration between Julian Thomas and Jon Shockness. The duo debuted their independently released mixtape The Early October on October 29, 2008.^[2] The mixtape features jazz tinged influences and production with topics ranging from love songs to conflicts between America and the Middle East.

Westword Magazine wrote of their first album that, "The tracks here flow not just with deft lyrics, but also with intelligent observations and a rich frisson of artistic traditions. Fans of PM Dawn's particular fusion of R&B, jazz and hip-hop will appreciate how well Air Dubai integrates all of its sounds with perfect harmony."^[3]

In June 2009 the duo decided to forego electronic beats and began performing with all live instrumentation.^[4]

On March 13, 2010, Air Dubai announced on their official Facebook page that The Early October has officially gone out of print.^[5]

Wonder Age (2010)

On April 19, 2010, Air Dubai announced on their official website that a new EP was in the works, with an expected release date of June 15, 2010. On June 1 Air Dubai announced they would be extending the EP into a full album and pushing the release date back. The album, which will be the first release as a full band was to be titled Wonder Age.^[6] Andy Guerrero from the band Flobots produced the album.^[7] On August 7, 2010 Air Dubai announced via their official YouTube channel that Wonder Age would be released worldwide on October 5, 2010.^[8]

On March 28, 2011, Air Dubai released a remix album featuring remixed songs from Wonder Age for free on their official website.

Day Escape (2011-Present)

In summer of 2011, Air Dubai visited northern California to work on their next musical venture. Legendary producer Sylvia Massy, who has done albums for such bands such as Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Prince was the lead producer for the album. On October 14, 2010, they announced via their facebook page that they would be releasing their newest album October 25 titled "Day Escape". The release of Day Escape saw further success for the band, with multiple songs being featured on MTV's Jersey Shore and I Used To Be Fat ^[9]. With the release of Day Escape, Air Dubai also began touring extensively as well as making several festival appearances.

Discography

Studio albums

• Wonder Age (2010)
• Day Escape (2011)

Singles

• Restless Youth (2010)
• Soul & Body (2011)
• Lights Down (2011)

Other Releases

• The Early October (2008)
• Remixtape (2011)

Live performances

Air Dubai performing at Bohemian Nights Festival in 2011

Air Dubai has played with numerous big name acts such as OneRepublic, The Pharcyde, Flobots, Guru (from Gangstarr), Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Rahzel, People Under the Stairs, Lyrics Born, Sweatshop Union, and Game (rapper) . Air Dubai has made several festival appearances, including performances at Warped Tour 2009, the 2010 Westword Music Showcase, the 2010 Denver Post Underground Music Showcase, 2010 Powellapalooza Festival at Lake Powell, and the 2011 Snowball Music Festival in Avon, CO.

Notes

External links

• Official website
• Facebook Page