Born in Memphis, raised in DC, Clarence Greenwood, also known as Citizen Cope, took the stage last night at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. He stepped out alone, starting it off nice and easy, with two intimate acoustic tracks - face to face with the audience. With tan khakis, a brown leather jacket and his dreadlocks pulled back in a bun, Cope built momentum with each song. That oh-so-right mixture of hip-hop, folk, soul and blues gave the crowd something to groove to. Then joined by his band (two keyboardists, bassist and drummer), Citizen Cope teased the crowd with the first few chords of his tunes, sending them into a fit. They recited all the lyrics, hugged their friends and danced the night way. Citizen Cope has three back-to-back, sold out shows in Boston, and the first night was just a taste of what is to come.
Rachel, 23 from Newton, was stage right, with a group of her friends. “I’ve been a fan of Citizen Cope for about 3 years now. Ever since I heard his album, The Clarence Greenwood Recordings, I’ve been obsessed. I think his sound is really unique. There’s kind of a reggae feel, but it’s definitely something I’ve grown to like a lot over the years.” Rachel also caught Citizen Cope at Bonnaroo in 2008.
Katty was turned on to Cope’s music through Rachel, “I became obsessed after Rachel played me his music. After that, a day hasn’t gone by without me listening to least one song. I can’t wait to hear any of the new music that they come out with. Their old music is just as good as their new music.” When asked about seeing Cope live, Katty replied, “I feel like when he’s performing, he shows great emotion in it. Every song is just as great as the last.” Lastly, their buddy Alex added, “He’s sexy, he has great lyrics and I just like his sound.”
Matt from Philly is a Cope fan, "I like Citizen Cope because they brought something new to the singer/songwriter scene that I think has been respected throughtout the country. I think that’s why people really like him. He did his own thing and it took off. That’s always respected in the music industry. His friend Lucas, from Seattle, said, "He transcends emotion when he sings and through his song writing."
Jesse, from Somerville, was shaking his 'groove thang' in the lower balcony, "I really like Cope because his music is such a good mix of different styles of music. Whether it's big beats over folk or elements of reggae and rock combined; his melody is always seemingly simple, and extremely catchy." Jesse continued, "His lyrics are emotion filled and that's pretty much agreed upon by most Cope fans. I like his lyrics. He gives us a sense of what his life is like and it's refreshing because he doesn't talk about the same mundane topics that you will hear in modern pop music. Citizen Cope is rough and smooth at the same time. I can tell he means everything he sings. I like it!"
The new Citizen Cope album is called The Rainwater LP, put out by his own Rainwater Recordings.
"Relations. Creation. Incarceration. Determination. Equation. Humiliation. Reincarnation. Situation. Elation. Identification. Retaliation. Education. Inspiration. No substitution. Solution. Conclusion..." - Citizen Cope ("Let the Drummer Kick")
Be sure to check out photos from last night's concert in the slideshow below.
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