How many times have you left a show and every conversation in the room echoes the appreciation of an unforgettable experience?

I came home on Friday night to an invitation from my friend Jesse Dangerously to attend a Buck 65 show on Saturday at the Black Sheep Inn . I immediately accepted Jesse’s invitation and spent the entire next day anticipating the show! I even programmed my GPS to make sure that myself, my boyfriend, and Jesse would find our way safely. When we arrived at the venue after 8 p.m. there wasn’t a single available seat in sight! Eager fans arrived early to reserve a good place in front of the stage. Luckily, Buck 65 (Rich Terfry) arrived as we were about to commit to leaning on the wall by the door. Rich kindly invited the three of us up to his private room to relax and chat before his set while the beautiful artist Kyrie Kristmanson warmed up the anxious crowd with her angelic presence and music.

If it isn’t yet obvious, I should mention that I’m an avid Buck 65 fan. I immersed myself in the Halifax hip hop scene while I was there for four years attending King’s College. Halifax is home to many talented artists, including Alpha Flight Crew, Backburner Crew, and The IMF. I had the pleasure of interviewing Buck 65 a few years back at the Khyber Centre for the Arts, which is Halifax’s renown base for emcees, djs, breakdancers, and artists. Rich offered me a lot of informative quotes, which allowed me to write an interesting article for the Dalhousie Gazette. I will never forget this interview, which was followed by one of his unbelievable shows at the Marquee Club. I have been a huge fan of his before I even considered going to school in Halifax, because for me Buck 65 embodies Halifax’s artistic talent. Since then, I caught his show in Ottawa in April 2008 but unfortunately didn’t get a chance to speak with him… this show in Wakefield was an opportunity for me to see where Rich is at now. Was I ever impressed!

I have seen Buck 65 perform over 10 times now, and each time he stirs up a different mood in the room. On Saturday he gave the crowd the most personable and intimate performance that I have ever seen from him. He started the show by telling us about his father, who his fans recognize from Roses & Bluejays, arguably one of Buck 65’s best-known songs. Rich told a hilarious story (one of many) about his father removing snow with a flame-thrower and how their neighbours would look at his father like he was crazy yet they were the ones who were shoveling snow! This was the introduction to his riveting two-hour performance that held my undivided attention and took me through an emotional experience.

Key moments in Buck 65’s performance included his speed-rapping over a Polish symphony instrumental, explaining beatboxing to the audience (which according to him sounds a lot like something similar called “ees” and “ohs” that was prominent in Mount Uniacke – his hometown), and his rendition of a hysterical song about a mayor who does one thing wrong and loses his job (to say the least)!

When he ended his set, the crowd begged for more and Buck 65 performed an encore, which involved him pointing a microphone at his hands so that he could drum on his lap while performing Wicked and Weird (another big hit) at a tempo that left the audience on a high note.

A few things struck me once the show sadly came to an end. Firstly, Buck 65 mentioned that he started writing raps the year I was born (1984). Secondly, humour is a powerful way to reach audiences and give them something to remember. (Buck 65 has the ability to make a room of standing people slap their thighs because they are laughing so hard). Thirdly, you can have an impact on people if you build their trust and support. (Buck 65 has a loyal following where the majority of his audiences have seen him perform more than once, in fact, he his track Craftsmanship is all about giving people a reason to come back).

On his website, Buck 65 recently posted three huge albums he recently created titled the ‘Dirtbike’ project. The three “albums” are each around an hour in length. Buck 65 wrote and recorded these three albums in just three months! How many artists do you know that willingly release their music to fans on the internet? If you haven’t checked them out yet, Buck 65’s ‘Dirtbike’ albums resemble his earlier work – Vertex and Square (my personal favourite). It’s hard to fathom that Rich wrote and recorded three hours of music in only three months, because it seems almost superhuman, but to me gives us a reason to come back for more.

So where is Buck 65 now? Apparently he is going on tour to Ireland, London and Paris later this month. I strongly encourage you to listen to the ‘Dirtbike’ albums on Buck 65’s website. I also recommend checking out Rich out on CBC’s Radio 2 Drive (Monday to Friday from 3-6 p.m. EST) to listen and indulge in the music of up-and-coming Canadian singer-songwriters and artists.