Marv Ellis & WE Tribe
WE Tribe is composed of five creatively fearless musicians who share the vision of transmitting positivity, positively slathered in gritty old-school hip-hop techniques and classy classical instrument solos sandwiched between healthy whole-beat FUN.
The tribe includes, classically trained jazz musicians, Matt Calkins on saxophone, and Dorian Crow on upright bass. Scratch DJ DV8 and one of Eugene’s godfather’s of hip-hop, Sage Lien, collectively make up the drum section. Lien still rocks a vintage ’90s ASR-10 sampling keyboard complete with floppy discs. Then there is the MC, Marv Ellis, whose restraint on the mic encourages fluidity within the flow, which is a key element to quality conscious hip-hop.
After just one year as a band, WE Tribe has performed up and down the West Coast and even in Mexico. And thanks to their rapid community following, they were able to raise funds for their own tour bus in a mere four days. Aside from the practical benefits of fitting all their gear and themselves in one tour vehicle, the fact the community swooped in to support them showed that the people recognize that WE Tribe has something special going on.
Community and unity are constant themes for WE, which is why they partnered up with apparel company 541 Threads to help make the world a better place for everyone. Through this partnership, a portion of the funds from each CD and hat sale goes to feed five people.
In a lot of ways WE Tribe is what Marv envisioned when he started the ambitious hip-hop orchestra Imaginary Friends, and he was moving in this direction with the Platform when he lived in Portland. Now back in his hometown of Eugene, many of the things he’s worked for over the years have started to come together. All he needed was a fluid and authentic brotherhood, which he has now. Welcome to WE Tribe.
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