At the forefronts of a struggling Santa Cruz hip hop scene, you will find Lost and Found Generation. The different styles each member has seem to blend together so smoothly. While the group is still together, each member is mainly doing their own thing. Recently sharing the stage with Talib Kweli, and an upcoming show with Zion I & The Grouch, Mr. Sayre had some spare time from bar tending and working on his new CD due out soon, to answer a few questions.
MVRemix: How did LFG come about? Who are the original members? Who are the current members?
Sayre: LFG was started by Samix and myself. We were recording what was going to be my solo record at his house. At the same time Coley was working with Sam and a demo and Ashkon had a few Samix tracks of his own. We ended up all being in the studio together so often that the project naturally became a group album. Silly lived with Coley and had always been the consensus best turntablist around SC. He was a natural choice.
MVRemix: What's Grad School Music? It seems like a big part of LFG, some sort of branch off of it. Who's part of Grad School Music?
Sayre: GSM is the company that I own with a partner. We handle the business. GSM owns the Rec-Center Studio with Rob Rush from Rec-Leauge Records. All of Rec-League records there so GSM has come to represent everyone in LFG as well as Proe, Richie Cunning, Rob Rush and Cumulus from Rec-League. We all collaborate and we all pretty much speak on a daily basis.
MVRemix: What do you think about the hip hop scene here in Santa Cruz? It seems like there isn't much of a music scene, let alone a hip hop scene. How do you think this has effected your music? Do you think it's been able to make it more powerful, or hold it back from its full potential?
Sayre: No one believes that rap music this good could come from a place like this. I am a huge fan of Proe and Richie Cunning. I am proud of LFG's work as well as our respective solo projects. When I show someone who is not from around here, one of our mixtapes they are almost always shocked. From a career standpoint it more of a disadvantage. We are certainly the big fish in this pond but nobody knows where to find this pond. If LFG had our resume in a major market we would certainly not have day jobs. However, this place is fucking paradise. Golden Handcuffs.
MVRemix: What really turned you onto music in general and hip hop to be specific? It seems like you have a huge influence from poetry. What were some of your influences musically and non musically?
Sayre: As an adult I have gotten deeply into late sixties southern soul. However if we are talking influence, Hip-hop is the only music I listened to until about 16 years old. The DOC's "No One Can Do It Better" is the first album I ever bought. KRS-One was my favorite rapper in high school. Wu-Tang is an enormous influence on me. Aside from music I am influenced by my life, can be summed up by the title of our new GSM mixtape, "Wine, Women and Song."
MVRemix: It seems like everyone in the group is just doing their own solo thing. I know Coley Cole fairly recently put out a solo CD and Ashkon also. Can we expect a solo CD from you? And can we expect another LFG CD?
Sayre: Well, Samix did a very successful album with Josh Martinez. Coley's solo album came out a while back. It is very good. It is very Coley. Dark and overwhelming. Coley has produced for lots of other acts. He is basically a member of Grayskul at this point. Ashkon's record is done. It is an absolute monster. We are shopping it to major labels. He just finished a remix with Mistah and Boots Riley from The Coup. My album is in the very final stages. It is the first album recorded entirely in our new studio. It have been working on it for over 2 years. I am think first or second quarter '07 for a commercial release. I would love to do another LFG album. Right now we are all over the place. Ash is living in LA, Coley is in Visalia, Samix is Southern California and I am in SC. On our own we all make very different music. I like what that brings to LFG, but we all have our own squads and niches outside of the group. Who knows.
MVRemix: Do you have any personal favorite up and coming local music groups and musicians in Santa Cruz?
Sayre: Richie Cunning is the best rapper I know. And I know me.
MVRemix: Anyone you'd like to thank that's helped you and LFG along the way? And where can people go to check out some music?
Sayre: Everyone who has ever told me they loved our shit. Just yesterday I had some guy that I was selling a beer to freak out when he realized I "that Sayre." That kind of shit makes it worth the work. Rob Rush and Joe "Quiet Money K" Kostelnik also do a great deal of the thankless work that we need to be done.
