Rapper with 'Flow like Poe' coming to Laconia on Friday

LACONIA — Andrew Nielsen, also known as MC Lars, is what happens when a child grows up loving both literary icons such as Edgar Allen Poe and rap heavyweights such as KRS-One. He is the progenitor of “lit-rap,” a subgenre of hip-hop, and he will be performing in Laconia on Friday night.

MC Lars will appear at the Laconia High School Auditorium on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. As this is a performance sponsored by the Laconia Putnam Fund, there will be no cost to attend.

Nielsen said his music is “PG-rated” and will be suitable for all audience members. That’s a reflection of one of his other early influences.

“I grew up a big ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic fan, as did anyone born in the last 50 years, and love how he can be shocking and creative without ever being obscene,” he said.

Nielsen grew up in California and attended Stanford, then Oxford, universities. He began his music career with an EP in 2004, and has found a niche audience that has kept him touring and recording since then. He has since recorded four studio albums; the most recent, “The Zombie Dinosaur,” was released in 2015.

While MC Lars is categorized as a subgenre of rap, his music is far more eclectic. Ska, punk, hardcore and EDM (electronic dance music) will all make an appearance on his records. “My music fuses everything,” he said. In fact, he borrows heavily from the independent, DIY business model used by indie punk bands. The records he produces promote his live shows, and his tours would break even if not for the merchandise sales.

“We are traveling T-shirt salesmen who happen to make music; we pay our rent with our merch sales,” he said.

Nielsen founded his own record company, which allows him to record genre-confounding music and rap about topics that wouldn’t be considered hit-worthy by a major label.

MC Lars songs cover popular culture, such as “Sublime with Rome (Is Not The Same Thing as Sublime)” which disparages over-priced tickets to posthumous reunion tours; “If I Were a Jedi (That Would Be Hella Awesome)” fantasizes about the Star Wars universe yet throws in a couple of Harry Potter references; and “The Ballad of Hans Moleman” sends off a supporting character in The Simpsons.

Then there’s his interest in popular culture of years ago. In “Flow Like Poe” on his 2012 “The Edgar Allen Poe EP,” MC Lars breaks down Poe’s meter and rhyming schemes. In this, and other songs, he argues that writers such as Poe and Shakespeare forged the same tools used today by rap’s elite lyricists:

“Got a raven on my shoulder, gothic thematics/Demonic alcoholic, multisyllabic/It’s a habit, take a look and I’m sure you’ll find/That the mechanics of rap are the mechanics of rhyme.”

His fans are as diverse as his music is eclectic.

“Our fans are an interesting cross-section of college kids, engineers, artists and educators. We make music for people who don’t really listen to mainstream music, who don’t often go to shows, but who are fiercely loyal and amazing supporters,” he said.

A Putnam first

MC Lars will be the first rapper brought to Laconia by the Putnam Fund, said Jim Rogato, one of the fund’s directors.

“We’re looking forward to a great show, certainly different than anything else we’ve put on. This really goes to the younger generation, the 20- and 30-year-olds,” Rogato said. 

The Putnam Fund was first made aware of MC Lars through a TEDx Talk he gave, titled, “The hip-hop of Shakespeare.” Nielsen has the ability to introduce classic literature to the hip-hop generation. He also can show an older audience how storytelling can work within a rap structure.

“He should appeal to everyone, even if they’ve never sat down and listened to rap, they should at least give it a chance. It might open up a new world for them,” said Rogato. “That’s part of the charge of the Putnam Fund, to open up new worlds, whether it’s Mary Wilson or MC Lars.”

Wilson, a founder of The Supremes, was the prior Putnam Fund show. Coming in November will be a blues ticket, Sugar Ray Norris and the Bluetones, joined by Jon Butcher.

“As always, it’s free admission,” said Rogato.