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Keelay & Zaire

Is it Keelay or Zaire that doesn’t wear underwear? Find out in this week’s Hot Seat.

1. Tell us about your craziest touring experience.

Keelay: Craziest tour experience hmmm.. probably in New York, we were out there in mid Winter. We were on our way back from a release party and we had to take a cab back to the hotel. We like to have [fun] in the cabs and there is A LOT of joking going on to say the least. The cabby was not enjoying our jokes apparently so he pulled across about 4 lanes in Midtown Manhattan and kicked us out of the Cab. We decided to get a gyro from the gyro cart and get back to the hotel and a fight breaks out in Line RIGHT where we are. It felt like bad energy was following us all night!

Zaire: For me I think it was the whole SXSW Music Conference, specifically at the Blind Pig! We had some sound problems that had the crowd pretty anxious for about 20 mins. They started to get a little rowdy and our band keyboard player Ben started playing some baseball theme music and got the crowd even rowdier (if thats even a word lol). Once the sound got right we went straight into it, and some of the audience members just started handin me beers and of course I obliged, which lead me to hand a few audience members my tambourines & shakers to get down on. Fun, crazy night, but they tried to keep my tambos & shakers lol.

2. What type of college class would you’d most want to take and why?

Keelay: Marketing! Thats where all the hot girls were, at least when I was in college. Plus its useful knowledge but I was usually in class for the girls anyways. My marketing career never quite took off anyhow so if I could go back now I’d take music classes only with a marketing minor to keep it balanced. Maybe a sex ed class too just cuz those are hilarious… I guess thats more than one class huh, I feel like Asher Roth right now with all this college talk.

Zaire: I wanted to take more piano lessons/music theory classes, but I got scared by my last piano teacher as she was QUITE CONVINCED that she was impregnated by an alien. My lessons started morphing into these lectures on why and how aliens are walkin amongst us, which is cool and all, but I was just tryin to learn ‘row row row ya boat’ for a beat I was tryin to make. Good info from a nutty piano teacher, but counterproductive in beat making. And NO, I’m NOT the father (c) Maury

3. What city in America is the most fun to visit and why?

Keelay: I’m going to go with New York! LA is always fun too, but I swear with all the time I’ve spent in traffic there I’ve could be in NY doin something crazy like watching Zaire dissarm beers with his teeth with the streetfolk.

Zaire: I’m gonna have to say NY as well but openin beers with my teeth wasn’t the main attraction in the Rotten Apple was Keelay’s freestyle session in the back of a bodega while we were having some drinks! LOL He accumulated a small fan club and we also have footage of this exclusive freestyle. Will be available to the public here soon, but along with that, NY just have too many things poppin at once, and its like sensory overload in a good way! Peace to NYC!

4. What’s some of the best advice you were ever given?

Keelay: Never trust a man with two first names. This is so true, case in point TIM LEWIS. Another great piece of advise “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” I guess thats why I formed a duo with Mr. Tim Lewis.. Sorry Zai.. I just let the goverment name out.

Zaire: Never trust a dude that forms an alliance with a beatmaker with the handle of the former Democratic Republic of the Congo, that has a day job working for the Department of Defense. I’d say if you were to trust a dude who rolls with somebody of those credentials, we’d all end up doing FED time.

5. What’s in heavy rotation in your MP3/CD player right now?

Keelay: Nino Moschella - Boomshadow, The Natural Four - The Natural Four and Ryan Leslie - Ryan Leslie

Zaire: DEVO- “Whip IT” on REPEAT. I think we might have to remake this.

6. The last good book you read or TV show you’re addicted to.

Keelay: The Zahir by Paulo Coelho, Paulo Coelho is a GENIUS!

Zaire: I watch season 1-5 of The Wire front to back throughout the year. In between seasons though, I watch The Departed, Casino, Myx’s Built From Scratch ft. Keelay for comedy relief. See, I have a complex about decent programming lol.

7. What’s the first concert you ever saw - how was it?

Keelay : Wow.. UB40 with my pops! I still remember those dudes had like 4 encores. They knew how to put on a show, I grew up in Utah so going to a concert and seeing all those rhythmically challenged people dance for hours equals a memorable experience.