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| Been doing music for a long time. A guy from a band called Nitemare Ally got me into playing bass, then I moved to guitar. Ended up joining a band call Mama Dropped Me. Mama Dropped me broke up and then I started doing originals. Since then, I started a group called Thought Process. |
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Thought Process is NJ3 (Nate Johnson), left and Neumatic Impact (Mark Lorette)
By BEN JOHNSON
Day Staff Writer, Arts/Music Reporter
Published on 7/23/2005
Who:
MCs NJ3 (Nate Johnson, 33) and Neumatic Impact (Mark Lorette, 30) of New London.
Why you should know them:
This unlikely duo of nocturnal musicians have put out an incredibly original CD of songs that fuse rap
and rock. The record boasts 10 tracks of tight beats and cutting hooks behind fresh rhymes that run the
gamut from amusing to thought-provoking — hence the CD's name: “Thought Process.”
Under the influence:
“I grew up on hip-hop and punk rock,” says Johnson, who is originally from Waterford. “I mean,
generically speaking, those are my main influences,” he revises, pointing out that genre names sometimes
serve to segregate music instead of integrate it. Lorette, who served in the military and grew up in
Central Falls, R.I., agrees, saying, “I was a hip-hop child before I knew what hip-hop was. I was into
aerosol painting and break dancing. But I listened to everything.”
A history of non-silence:
Both Lorette and Johnson have played music for years. Johnson, who started singing and playing bass
guitar in church (and still does) gained valuable experience while working in Connecticut and New Jersey
with Arrested Development drummer Rasha Don in a band called Divine Fruit. “He was really good about
teaching me the business side of the industry, and what they expect,” says Johnson. “He showed us that
musically you have to play professionally.” Lorette cut his teeth as the lead singer and guitarist in the
energetic Rhode Island punk band Mama Dropped Me. Mama Dropped Me had a rabid cult following despite
their lack of professional recordings, and you can still hear their music and their story on the Internet
(www.mamadroppedme.com).
High ideals:
A lot of the lyrical content on “Thought Process” deals with Johnson and Lorette's contempt with current
trends in hip-hop music. Both men have fond memories of the music they grew up with, and “Thought
Process” moves towards classic hip-hop and old school punk for that reason. “The objective here for this
album is to capture the essence and innocence of that time, and to expel what hip-hop is today — which
does nothing for me,” says Johnson. When the they first met, Johnson and Lorette had a three-hour
conversation about the Beastie Boys, a group that made a deep impression on both of them. “That's how we
knew we should do something together,” says Lorette.
Partners in rhyme:
As neighbors in the same apartment building with different lifestyles, Lorette and Johnson have a
peculiar collaborative process. When Johnson comes home from the late shift as a dealer at Foxwoods
casino, he'll find Post-it Notes on his door from Lorette informing him about ideas he's had on songs
that the two have been working on. Lorette, who is a student at Three Rivers Community College, operates
the computer where the group's recording, editing and production takes place. Lorette's place is littered
with instruments he uses in beat and music production. “Guitar, bass, drums, keys, give me something that
makes noise and I'll use it,” he says.
No TRL:
Neumatic Impact and NJ3 aren't looking to go big time. “First things first, we're really doing it for
us,” says Johnson, “but we want to see how far it goes as far as sales on the Internet.” (www.cdbaby.
com). For now, the duo of Thought Process just want to get their music out there and get back into the
local music community. “If New London is going to have a burgeoning arts scene,” says Johnson, “we want
to be in the middle of it.”
— Ben Johnson
© The Day Publishing Co., 2005
The Buzz:Thought Process
In The News |
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Location:
New London CT, USA
Neumatic Impact Website
mlorette@mail.com
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