Turn it Down: Bizzy Bone and Off With Their Heads

Off With Their Heads

Thursday, Aug. 8 @ Mac’s Bar, 2700 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. All ages, $18, $16 adv., 7 p.m.

Since 2002, Off With Their Heads has been a fixture in the Minneapolis underground scene thanks to the diligence of vocalist-guitarist Ryan Young and his rotating cast of players. AllMusic, an online music database, praised the group for its “gruff vocals” and ability to blend “melodic harmonies over speedy punk beats.” Over the years, the fiery punk outfit has released a heavy stack of EPs, live albums, singles and flexi-discs. This year, it dropped “Stay With Me,” a single featuring a cover of the classic 1978 tune, originally cut by The Dictators. Next month, Off With Their Heads releases its fifth full-length record, “Be Good.” The LP, set for release by the band’s long-time label Epitaph Records, showcases a new lyrical direction from the band’s chief songwriter.

“All the other records were about moping around and feeling sorry for yourself,” Young said in a press release. “This one is less about feeling sorry for yourself and more about accepting how goddamn miserable you are.”

Backing Young on the new record, available on CD, vinyl and download Aug. 16, is bassist Robbie Smartwood, guitarist John Polydoros and new drummer Kyle Manning.

The quartet cut the new disc at The Hideaway in Minneapolis, with additional recording at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota — the mid-century mansion where Nirvana recorded “In Utero.”

As for the “Be Good” LP title?

“The title is an answer to that question of what you’re supposed to do now that the world is so awful and the climate of this stupid country is so shitty,” he said. “Be good, be loud. That’s sometimes all you can do, I guess, as cheesy as that sounds.

Bizzy Bone

Friday, Aug. 9 @ The Loft, 414 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. 18+, $20-$50, 9 p.m.

Known best for his rapid-fire lyrical delivery, Bryon Anthony McCane II, aka Bizzy Bone, shot to stardom in the ‘90s after he joined Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and scored a series of Billboard hits, including “1st of Tha Month” and “Tha Crossroads.” Along with plenty of airplay from rap stations and MTV, the lightning-fast, Cleveland-raised emcees won a Grammy Award in 1997 for their now classic “E. 1999 Eternal” album. The group’s next LP, 1997’s “The Art of War,” went quadruple Platinum and was the Bone Thugs’ first double album. While it features the blasé single “Look Into My Eyes,” it’s also home to “Thug Luv,” a blistering track featuring iconic verses from 2Pac Shakur over a steady loop of shotgun blasts. Aside from 2Pac, back in the ‘90s, Bone also cut tracks with other gone-too-soon icons, like Notorious B.I.G., Big Pun as well as his mentor Eazy-E.

Born Sept. 12, 1976, McCane is the youngest member of Bone Thugs and has also released over 20 solo records which all feature his signature speedy raps and smooth singing. Catch Bizzy Bone performing tracks from that lengthy discography when he headlines Aug. 9 at The Loft. General admission advance tickets are $20, but $50 gets attendees a VIP meet-and-greet.