Hug of War Wants to Enlighten You With Goofy Songs

Jason Kron, the one-man beat virtuoso behind Hug of War, not only dresses like a mad scientist, he's about as ambitious as a benevolent Dr. Strangelove. "I'm putting all of my creative energy into making music that will unite the world and usher in a new era of enlightenment," Kron says.

Hug of War's imminent takeover comes in the form of Emancipate Your Ears! 5000 Years of Global Music Domination Exposed!! the enterprising name of Kron's upcoming EP through his label Oo-Mox Industries (meaning 'Ferengi ear foreplay' for non-Trekkies). With tongue-in-cheek dance-centric subject matter like "Down With Parents" and "Treat Me Sweetly Until We Die," Hug of War falls closest to the goofy rap genre, but Kron wants to distance himself from labels.

"I have a need to tell stories and express my views in a playful but earnest way, and wanted to combine that with my love of the sound and visual aesthetic of '80s rap," Kron explains. "My first love is punk, and in the last few years I began to see the parallels between earlier punk and rap of the same era. The sound and struggles were different, but it was still a stripped down expression of empowerment, a 'fuck you' to the oppressor, a direct conversation between performer and audience member minus the pedestal that rock stars were always put on. This was prior to the more extreme commercialization of both cultures."

Kron adds, "I don't like being associated with hip-hop. Not to disrespect it as a culture, but I'm not part of it, and the last thing I want to do is try to make a parody of it. All I'm trying to be is myself, and I think genre labels create boxes that need to be destroyed."

Despite being one, Kron also has some harsh words for legal guardians. "Down With Parents" says it all, but if one of his earlier songs, "I Love My Gay Dad" is any indication, Kron has a good relationship with the folks that bred him.

"Parenting is very important work. ... My beef is with those parents (not always but often times in a higher financial class bracket), who view their children as nothing more than status symbols," Kron says. "Children should of course be taken care of as needed, but I'm sickened by those that love the power trip of controlling another life and do not nurture the child's spirit."

Emancipate Your Ears!... will be released at Trunk Space on Sunday, March 1, with Terror Pigeon (Austin-based electro-danceparty music) and Calliope Musicals (Nashville-based fun-folk), which puts Hug of War in pretty decent company.

Troy Farah needs a hug on Twitter.

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