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MC Lars

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|Died = |Origin = Berkeley, California, USA |Instruments = |Genre = Hip hop |Occupation = |Years_active = 1999-present |Label = Horris |Associated_acts = Amphoteric |URL = [www.mclars.com] }} Andrew Robert Nielsen (born October 6 1982) is an American rapper, known by his stage name MC Lars. He is the self-proclaimed originator of "post-punk laptop rap". He has recorded for Truck Records in the UK and his Laptop EP is licensed to Sidecho Records in the USA. He was formerly known as MC Lars Horris but changed his pseudonym to MC Lars in 2004 for purposes of simplicity. MC Lars currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Lars is of Swedish and Australian descent. His father is Australian-American and his mother is Swedish-American.

Contents

Biography

Lars was born in in Berkeley, California. In attended Stevenson School and was the co-founder of the Monterey Bay Area punk rock band Amphoteric. He would later leave and the group would switch directions and gain a progressive metal following (especially amongst Internet listeners). Although the line-up has changed entirely, the group still resides in central California and continues to release albums independently.

Lars moved on as an English studies-major student of Stanford University in California who went on international study at Oxford University in England. During his time at Stanford, MC Lars and fellow band member and Stanford student, Mike Love, co-created and appeared in Good Morning Tresidder Union[Good Morning Tresidder Union] which appeared on Stanford Cardinal Broadcasting Network (SCBN). While at Stanford, Lars drew a comic strip called 27th Street for the Stanford Daily. Following his graduation in 2005, it became a webcomic.[27th Street] He had a radio show on Stanford's radio station KZSU, playing nerdcore hip hop old school rap, prior to being discovered by Truck Records.

Style and culture

In the past, MC Lars was backed by a single friend who handled laptop duties. However, today's MC Lars live experience is very different. With a punk rock band (Rob Piccininni, Jr - bass/backup vocals, Jon Shiffman - drums, Steve Connelly - guitar/backup vocals) set to back him up, MC Lars plays a hip-hop set to a true punk rock background (a joining which he refers to as "post-punk laptop rap"). His bandmates play live over the samples and loops contained in his recorded music - all stored on his laptop computer.

As with many other rap and Hip-Hop acts, samples play a key role in MC Lars' music. But, with intent to preserve his rockin' roots, MC Lars chooses to sample alternative bands such as the British band Supergrass and Long Island, New York's Brand New.

MC Lars has also shown an interest in using lyrics and song titles based on English and American literature. "Rapbeth"'s title parodies that of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth whilst "Mr. Raven" is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. Also, the song Ahab, which features on his latest release The Graduate, sees Lars rapping about the novel Moby Dick.

The term iGeneration, used to describe the generation born primarily in the mid-to-late 1980s, was coined by MC Lars in his song of the same name.

MC Lars is a member of what he dubs the "iGeneration," a group born and raised in the time of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, cassette tapes and new wave music, who now live in the age of Desperate Housewives, Sidekicks and screamo bands. These are the kids who have grown up using the Internet as a part of their every day life. They can conveniently carry 5,000 songs in their pocket, but are faced with the glooming possibility that the world's oil supply and Social Security will both run out in their lifetime.

MC Lars' MySpace profile includes exclusive tracks related to the MySpace social scene of the iGeneration: "Internet Relationships", "Hot Topic is NOT Punk Rock", "Download This Song" and "Signing Emo". Hearts That Hate, whose song "Cry Tonight" is sampled in Lars's "Signing Emo", is a fictional group created by the rapper. The Grammy-nominated Texan band Bowling for Soup performed as Hearts That Hate when MC Lars has supported them on tour. A full version of "Cry Tonight" is available as a B-side to the UK "Signing Emo" single.

In 2006, Lars worked with the Canadian independent record label Nettwerk Records to release The Graduate. Following this release, Lars toured extensively throughout the USA and the UK and even done shows in Japan. Not long after the album was released on iTunes, Lars received an e-mail from a 15-year-old fan Elisa Greubel on his web forum saying she identified with "Download This Song" since her family was one of many being sued by the Recording Industry Association of America. This led to Nettwerk executive Terry McBride and a team of major-label artists managed by Nettwerk to support the Greubels with their case.

Discography

Albums and EP's

Singles

References

External links

 

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