Richmond - Despite being one of my favorite bars in Richmond, Strange Matter is a photographer’s nightmare.  I won’t get into the details, but black ceilings and low lighting do not make for an easy shoot.  Luckily, Roanoke-based Illbotz had me giggling through their set instead of cursing the non-reflective walls.

Stevie D (“white guy with halfway decent mic skillz”) has long since been creating rap-parodies and self-recorded cassettes of his work.  In his college dorm he met Big Perm (“black guy with better than most mic skillz), and asked him to record a verse for one of his songs.  This was new for Big Perm, but his verse turned out to be “fantastical” and the two became a pair.  While touring on the East Coast they inspired DJ Samson (“half Arab/half white guy with excellent mixing skillz”) to mix for them.  The blend proved too good to give up, so they became a trio.

Part hip-hop, part old-school rap, and mostly stand-up comedy, Illbotz definitely know how to mix up a great time.  After taking the stage, Stevie D gave us the rundown of how Illbotz operate, doing a few intros, a few songs, and a few interludes.  He declared, “We’re going to try to do it with rhythm but we’re white, so…”

Opening with their Simon and Garfunkel intro, Stevie D and Big Perm sang lovingly to each other, while DJ Samson mixed up the old herbal classic.  Then they proceeded to each take a turn with a bit of belly dancing.  Big Perm and DJ Samson were impressive, but skinny little Stevie D is lacking in the belly department.  He found himself losing power and had to turn to his etch-a-sketch medallion in order to re-energize.  Emblazoned with “Sammy Hagar”, he hung it jauntily around his neck and asked the members and fans of White Cross, “That’s a punk-rock reference right?”

The comedy continued with the song “Me and You and a PBR”, in which Big Perm managed to sing with conviction, despite being brought a Colt 45 because the bar was out of PBR.  Down off the stage with the crowd, Big Perm showed us his vocal prowess, hitting those loving high-notes in devotion to Richmond’s most celebrated beer.

After “The Opposite of Abstinence” they received a request for “Can’t Use the ‘N’ Word” in which Big Perm helped Stevie D sing the parts that the white boy can’t sing.  Later, they brought in some Beatles sounds with “Chick-Fil-A”.  Set to the tune of “Yesterday” they sang, “Why it had to close I don’t know, cuz it’s Sunday.  I smoked 15 bongs, now I long for Chick-Fil-A!”  Deciding to end it on a religious note for our Lord, Jesus Christ, they went out singing, “Jesus gave me water, but what I wanted was a PBR.”  There were no PBRs to be had, but the laughter tided us over for the night.

MySpace.com/Illbotz

ReverbNation.com/Illbotz