Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Take On The "Otherside"

A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to twitterview Macklemore a few days before his Bumbershoot performance. While the quality of a linear conversation on Twitter was certainly hit or miss during my weekly Q&As, Macklemore's twitterview transcended the superficial nature of the social networking platform. In our conversation, he offered sage reflections on his battle and rehabilitation from drug addiction and the subsequent spiritual regrowth of his music, as well as gave us a teaser for his new project, VS. As he said in the twitterview:

@swreverb "VS." is me and Ryan Lewis. That's our group. This is the first time I think i've gone "public" with that information... i'm really excited about what we'll be releasing in the near future. first we have an ep coming out where we're sampling songs, that many people will recognize. kinda a mash up ep. but ryan flipped all the samples, and did production on them. we got some great features from the town on there. it's just about done. and i'm hella excited to put it out. there's a lot of real instrumentation on it. it sounds like something i would like to hear. a little out of the box.

The two debuted new VS.--versus, verses, gettt itttt--material this past weekend at the monthly Audioasis Live local showcase at the Sunset Tavern (curated by Rocket Queen Hannah Levin), and a couple of days ago, they released a teaser single, "Otherside." Producer Ryan Lewis takes that sullen guitar riff of the Red Hot Chili Peppers song and skillfully adds subtle layers of live brass and strings, providing Macklemore a canvas upon which to emotionally testify on the creative stagnation and life-threatening danger of fad drug use (like codeine/cough syrup) as emulated by, among other high-profile rappers, Lil Wayne. Macklemore's delivery is compelling, far more confessional and revealing than morally righteous, and Lewis' production shifts throughout to deepen the meditative melancholy of the original song. You can, and should, download the song for free here.

After the jump, check out the flyer for the double-header show (one all ages, one 21+) that Lewis & Macklemore are producing at the end of the month, featuring a slew of exciting acts such as Helladope, Kung Foo Grip, Olympia-based The Nextdoor Neighbors, and "possibly The Blue Scholars."