Northern State
Feb 9, 2008
Words by Sean Moeller
Illustration by Brendan Kiefer
Really, truly and honestly, the only thing that could amuse us any more than hearing Hesta Prynn in the same role that "the illustrious" Julia Roberts played in "Steel Magnolias" would be hearing The Beastie Boys doing bits from "Grumpier Old Men" or "Charles In Charge." Don't laugh. It could happen. So, it's not necessarily fair to once again glue together the Long Island rap outfit Northern State with who could only fairly be called their various muses and messiahs in the Boys. It happens all the time, but it has more to do with their shared giddiness, their wacky senses of humor and their fragmented imaginations. Where they're going, where they go and where they've been isn't always that clear - those tangents are their props and their lifeblood. Prynn likes her coffee with plenty of gin and this is a sign that Northern State is still in the business of destroying microphones. There is more fighting for their rights to party. They're still dying their heads of hair - Prynn, Spero and Sprout - in exotic colors and living those rebellious lives of teenagers and reckless college students. Ask anybody and they probably would believe it if they heard that Mike D is at an age where he's needing more and more room for cream in his coffee, not gin. They've mellowed. They wear ties. The Northern Staters, on their latest album Can I Keep This Pen?, are refusing to get too old too quickly. They're telling the police to fuck off and they're probably going to get in your face, but they've got cute smiles and they're spunky, imitating Olympia Dukakis and a movie about Southern birds.
"Northern State Official Site":http://www.northernstate.net
