Public Knowledge Records Winter Ball at No. 9

Steppin out with Chill Ms Jackson
Public Knowledge Records Winter Ball at No. 9

Out hitting the indie music scene this past weekend I had the opportunity to check out some of Upstate New York's hottest  new underground artists. When most people think of Upstate New York they think of sub zero temps and blowing snow but there was a definite heat wave hitting Watertown, NY this past Friday. Grass roots label, Public Knowledge Records held down a showcase at Club No. 9 that exceeded expectations. The venue itself is a sweet surprise. The outside of the venue looks like it could be any local pub, but inside, it's allllll class, employs a bar staff that is warm and attentive and drinks that are reasonably priced. The venue's event coordinator and promoter, Cassie Booth

also happens to have a soft spot for local hip hop artists who often are not given the opportunity to perform live in the city. According to Cassie, the No. 9's owners never intended to hold live performances but allowing local hip hop an in has brought about a notable physical transformation and "defined a club that was previously lacking an identity."

This plays out well for PKR one of two Upstate New York local music movements that frequently showcases local talent at No. 9 and other area venues. The label which is headed by CEO Jonathan Huntsman, was responsible for booking the performers, putting on the sound and coordinating the lineup. The show featured several artists from the PKR roster: Max Hammer; Special; FABE; Ronin and Ill Theory (Jonathon Huntsman) as well as some staples from the Syracuse hip hop scene: BMG's; GNetics' and Roche performed along with Round Table Entertainment's CEO and producer Uneek Beats; Exotics; Chi-Tiz and Oswego's enigmatic duo Def One and MC IQ of Enajyram.


Each act brought a unique sound to the stage and PKR artists continually brought the fire with collaborations that monopolized on the diversity of styles each performer possesses. To get a taste of the PKR catalog and other local hip hop acts check out their next two events and their bandcamp page: Individual artist links can be found in the text above.

Public Knowledge at Paddock Club March 23rd

PKR HipHop Holidaze April 20th

Public Knowledge Records on Bandcamp