| Up-and-coming St. Louis hip-hop band, Earthworms, will perform their distinctive brand of hip hop for U.S. troops stationed in Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, April 7-19.
The group, which was formed in 2004, was recently named "Best Emerging Music Act" by St. Louis Magazine. Earthworms also earned the coveted "Editor's Pick" at CD Baby for their second album, "Bottle Full of Bourbon," released last year. They have garnered national attention, having performed at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip.
"Getting to perform for our troops overseas is an amazing opportunity for us," said Mathias, lead vocalist for the group. "We realize that when you are far from home, it's the little things from back here that really make your day. A lot of the troops we will visit are getting ready to be deployed to places like Iraq and Afghanistan. We want to give them a night to let loose and 'shake it' and just have fun. We are proud to be able to provide this to them."
In addition to Mathias (Matt Fournier), the band includes Kama (Justin Maginn), on vocals; Black Patrick (Kerry Brennan), on vocals; and DJ Mahf (Dan Mahfood), on turntables. The St. Louis band, Fresh Heir, will tour with the Earthworms and will open the show for them. This five-piece group consists of Desi Reichold on trumpet; Nick Savage on drums; Junior Siskey on saxophone; Ben Roig on guitar; and Ryan Marquez on keyboards and key-bass.
When asked about the group's name, Mathias chuckled. "In hip-hop music, groups are usually categorized as 'commercial' or 'underground.' As we are definitely influenced by the more 'old-school' '90s hip-hop sound, we fall into the latter category -- and that's how we came up with the name Earthworms."
"The Earthworms have a fresh and original hip-hop sound that reflects influences from across the entire spectrum of music," said Navy Lieutenant Jarod Trujillo, Armed Forces Entertainment circuit manager for Europe. "What's more, they put on an amazing live show that is like one big party,"
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Armed Forces Entertainment is the lead Department of Defense agency for providing entertainment to U.S. military personnel serving overseas, with priority given to those in contingency operations and at remote and isolated locations. The Department of the Air Force is the executive agent of Armed Forces Entertainment. Founded in 1951, Armed Forces Entertainment brings a touch of home to more than 500,000 troops annually, embracing the best of Americana that stretches across all genres of entertainment. Visit www.armedforcesentertainment.com for more information.
To learn more about the Earthworms, visit www.myspace.com/earthworms.
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