Tuesday, March 31, 2009 • World champion beatbox artist appears in Janesville
Publisher’s note: This story originally appeared in the Tuesday, March 31, 2009 edition of the Lassen County Times.
When Butterscotch unleashed her beatbox sounds on an audience of about 100 at the Helen R. Longabaugh Community Center at Janesville School on Saturday, March 21, there wasn’t any question why she earned a spot as a finalist in the America’s Got Talent contest and won the World Hip Hop Beatbox Women’s Championship in 2005 and the West Coast championship in 2007.
Janesville School students are all smiles as they have an opportunity to meet and talk with Butterscotch before her performance.Incredibly Butterscotch, 21, who hails from Davis, California, effortlessly recreated the sound of an entire hip-hop band armed with nothing but her mouth and a microphone. She even captured the sound of a distorted, overdriven bass speaker we so often hear when a fan of that type of music drives past us in a car. She has the amazing ability to make the sounds of a hip hop record’s rhythm section and sing vocals at the same time. No doubt about it, this young lady has star written all over her.
Butterscotch sang to the backing tracks from all five songs on her soon to be released EP.And beatboxing isn’t her only talent. Butterscotch expertly played both piano and guitar during her hour-long concert. She also plays saxophone and flute.
In addition to her beatbox, instrumental and vocal skills, Butterscotch is also an accomplished songwriter. She even sang along to backing tracks from a five-song EP due to be released on the Internet any day now. With a little luck, Butterscotch could score a hit with one or more of her hip hop-influenced songs and become an artist we hear on the radio or see on television. She’s that good.
Butterscotch shows off her guitar and vocal talents during her concert on Saturday, March 21 at the Helen R. Longabaugh Community Center at Janesville School.One of the afternoon’s highlights came when Butterscotch gave the audience a quick beatbox lesson. Splitting the audience into two groups, she had one group make the sound of a bass drum and a snare drum while the other group made the sound of a high-hat symbol. When both groups could handle their parts, Butterscotch filled in with bass and vocals.
The crowd of mostly elementary school students who attended the concert offered loud applause and warmly received the artist. Before and after the event, Butterscotch mingled with the kids and signed autographs. Most of the students shared wide smiles all afternoon.
Members of the Janesville School’s Artistic Performance Entertainment Club opened the Butterscotch concert on Saturday, March 21 with a song. Pictured from left are Myst Stacey-DelaGarza, Ariana Miranda, Amarisa Miranda, Annie Martin, Alegra Mirand and Missy MacDonald. Not pictured are Andre Miranda on percussion and singer Ronnie Merrill.The Janesville School’s new Artistic Performance Entertainment Club presented the concert. The idea behind the club is to expose students to all aspects of the performing arts — from hiring an artist to cleaning up the room after the show. A group of singers from the club opened the show.
A.R. Danes, center, with Starshine — Miranda Powell and Bethani Kessler.A.R. Danes, the club’s spokesman, said he was happy with the event, designed to show the students there was more to a concert than simply having a star walk out on stage to perform. He hopes to bring some better-known artists to the community center in the future. He said the group sold about 250 tickets for the Butterscotch concert.
Danes said the club made a great start with the Butterscotch concert, but it’s up to the Janesville students and the community to support the group if it is to continue.
