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Keith Pinto, left, and Carlos Aguirre, right, of the music group Felonious play to the crowd in the Student Union ampitheather. Felonious' lunchtime performance last Thursday was booked by Associated Students. Christy Kinskey / Daily Staff [Click to enlarge]

Left to right, Dylan Mills, Dan Wolf, and Keith Pinto of the music group Felonious play to the crowd in the Student Union ampitheather. Felonious' lunchtime performance last Thursday was booked by Associated Students. Christy Kinskey / Daily Staff [Click to enlarge]

That's how Carlos Aguirre (a.k.a. MC Infinite Tunga Brown) introduced Felonious, a San Francisco-based hip-hop group, to the Student Union Amphitheatre audience on Thursday.

Rock the spot, indeed.

For the uninitiated, Felonious would best be described as a blend of the Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine and A Tribe Called Quest.

But to try to define Felonious would be impossible.

The group plays entirely live and they proudly announced that to the crowd.

"This is live hip-hop. Organic, we have no DJ," Aguirre said.

The two main emcees, Aguirre and Dan Wolf (pHd), work together with keyboardist/rapper Keith Pinto (Verbal KP), drummer/rapper Tommy Shepherd (Soulati) and bassist Dylan Mills (Illin' Ills) to make the "organic" music round into the beautiful shape that Felonious presents to those willing to listen.

The group weaved its way through its hour-long set full of smooth, cool, hard and urban sounds much to the delight of an afternoon crowd that slowly swelled around the edges of amphitheater.

Most of the music Felonious played Thursday was from their second album titled, "The List." The band had its CDs available for students who were interested in buying them after the show.

The highlight of the show, however, was the work by bassist Mills and keyboardist Pinto. They provide the balance for Felonious.

The rhythmic bass lines provided by Mills throughout the performance give Aguirre, Wolf, Shepherd and Pinto a continuous canvas to paint their lyrical pictures.

Mills is the only member of the group who does not contribute lyrically to Felonious.

Pinto, while good on keyboard for the entire show, was at his best during the group's anthem, "Felonious."

The sound he provides during the song can best be described as a soundtrack for someone walking up and down a flight of stairs continually.

It's something that needs to be heard to be truly understood.

This is true of the whole Felonious experience.

This is a group that cites John Coltrane, the Barenaked Ladies, William Shakespeare and the Beastie Boys as influences, and it shows in the music.

The voices of the four vocal members of Felonious each had a distinct tone and provided added flavor that other groups of this kind do not provide.

Felonious, however, is careful to make sure that everybody who hears the group knows that it doesn't do the same kind of hip-hop people see on MTV or BET. The message is delivered in its song, "Fuck Your TV Set."

The group continually makes references to the "true" and "live" hip-hop that it provides the world and rally against the mainstream hip-hop culture.

As Aguirre put it at one point in show, "All we want to do is spread the love of true hip-hop."

The array of sounds and rhymes Felonious provide are indeed different from what is in the mainstream MTV/BET hip-hop culture.

That's what made Felonious' recent visit to San Jose State University so enjoyable. Anyone who has a chance to see it in the future should do so.

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