SKETCHBOOK Lineup; Artwork by Nick Martin

Fresh off a win for Best New Artist at the Boston Music Awards, Cliff Notez is getting ready for an exciting start to the year. The multi-talented rapper, instrumentalist, producer, filmmaker (and former Allston Pudding writer). He is also the co-founder of Boston media production company Hipstory. Since releasing his album When the Sidewalk Ends in 2017, he’s been playing non-stop shows around Boston, toured the U.K., and recently completed a residency at MassMOCA. We met up and talked in Hipstory’s studio space in Cambridge, a cozy room in a building filled with a few other music and audio-focused tenants. For the past few months, Cliff and other artists on Hipstory’s roster have made this space a second home. “We moved in here back in September. We’re hoping to expand soon. Maybe open up a live rehearsal room. I’ve basically been living in here some weeks.”

Cliff will be curating an upcoming residency called SKETCHBOOK at Atwood’s Tavern in Cambridge over the coming months that focuses on local acts whose music is deeply rooted in and influenced by hip-hop. In the past, Atwood’s has been a haven for folk, roots, and americana performers. The opportunity to push local hip-hop into new venues excites Cliff.  He played there a few months ago, selling out the place. While Boston’s hip-hop community has always been full of dedicated artists and fans, at times there have only been a handful of venues willing to book those shows. 

“This is important for Boston hip-hop. It also puts pressure on venues that don’t normally book these acts to expand their lineups.” Increasing exposure for local hip-hop at large is just one of Hipstory’s many goals for 2019 (a large whiteboard in the studio has a long list of the group’s successes, shortcomings, and upcoming tasks and challenges). Along with Optic Bloom, Cliff is set to play the first show on Friday, January 25th. Performances will continue on the last Friday of each month, showcasing up-and-coming artists including Treva Holmes, Forte, Red Shaydez, and Mint Green.

“There’s going to be a lot of [local hip-hop] releases this year. Everybody’s going to be releasing stuff.” He pauses to think about this, as if to catch himself. “Maybe not me though. I don’t like deadlines.” While he’s been working on new songs – for himself and as a producer for others – whenever he’s not performing, Cliff is waiting for the right combination of material to manifest itself.

“I’ve been getting inspired by this podcast called Dissect I’ve been listening to that analyzes Frank Ocean’s music. It’s a lot like Song Exploder, but it focuses on Blond and Channel Orange. I keep going back to Blond.” Similar to Ocean, Cliff Notez can hold his own on a variety of instruments, which is important to him on a songwriting level. “I play keys, bass, and guitar. Hopefully soon I’ll get good enough to be playing guitar onstage at my own shows.” If you haven’t had the opportunity to see one of those shows yet, the Atwood residency could be your chance. 

Music isn’t the only medium he’s been working on. “I’ll be working on more film this year, especially over the next few months. I love doing that, and it also allows me to think about scoring visual stuff. Working on music for film offers a lot of freedom. You’re trying to come up with a mood, and you don’t have to think about coming up with an entire song or structure.” Sometimes a project doesn’t fully come together for him until the visual art is ready. This was true for the Shel Silverstein-inspired cover art for When the Sidewalk Ends. “While I was at MassMOCA, I got to paint for the first time in a long time. There was so much musical terminology flowing through my head, and I was just trying to get it out through painting.”

Catch Cliff Notez perform with a live band at Atwood’s on January 25th to kickoff the SKETCHBOOK series, and see more info about the residency’s other shows below. 

• Fri, Jan. 25, 2019, 10pm  — Cliff Notez with Optic Bloom. Get tickets here. 

• Fri, Feb. 22, 2019, 10pm — Treva Holmes with Forte

• Fri. Mar. 29, 2019, 10pm — Red Shaydez with Mint Green