Advertisement

BUZZ BANDS

Share

He’s the kid with the easy smile and the ball cap tugged crooked -- the one who sticks out among his hard-partying friends because, as he likes to joke, he’s “the only black kid in Malibu.” But over the last 2 1/2 years, Shwayze, above, learned quickly where the party stops and work begins: in the studio of producer Cisco Adler. It was with Adler at the controls that the aspiring rapper made “Shwayze,” his debut album (due July 15 on Suretone/Geffen). “Malibu’s a small town, and I knew Cisco was a rock ‘n’ roller and I knew he had helped Mickey Avalon” as producer of two of Avalon’s singles, says Shwayze, born Aaron Smith. “I only knew him as a partyer, but he is one hard-working dude. Still, we would not have guessed this two years ago.” Shwayze’s humorous, easy-going rapping might not venture much further topically than weed and women, but combined with Adler’s sticky musical backdrops, it’s made the 22-year-old a hot commodity. The single “Buzzin’ ” has hit major radio; Shwayze played the lead-in set to Miley Cyrus at Saturday’s KIIS-FM blowout Wango Tango; and an MTV reality show launches in July. Most rewarding, Shwayze says, is how the album came together. “We made the record before we were signed,” he says, noting the absence of multiple producers or scads of guests (Dave Navarro appears on one song, “Flashlight”). “We were just doing our own thing.” Indeed, it’s the handiwork of the 29-year-old Adler -- the Whitestarr frontman, son of entertainment impresario Lou Adler and unofficial captain of the Malibu party squad for which Shwayze is now the unofficial spokesman. Says Shwayze: “Cisco is one talented dude.” Live: Shwayze plays Crash Mansion on Friday and is a headliner on this year’s Warped Tour (June 20 in Pomona; June 22 in Ventura). Also: Behind a new EP “Terry Tales & Fallen Gates,” the Little Ones play the Troubadour tonight and the Glass House on Friday. . . . Earlimart plays the Echoplex on Saturday; supporting act Siggy celebrates the release of its debut album, “The Absinthe Effect,” that night. . . . The nice twinbill of Matt Costa and the Delta Spirit on Saturday at the El Rey is sold out, but they’re playing the Glass House on Sunday too. . . . And the Kooks, with the Morning Benders, hit the Wiltern on Monday.

--

-- Kevin.Bronson@latimes.com

Advertisement