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| Mic Wrecka and Mike "Slo-Mo" Brenner |
is the brainchild of Philadelphia steel guitarist Mike “Slo-Mo” Brenner. Brenner has recorded and played on the road with such artists as Badly Drawn Boy,
Magnolia Electric Company,
Marah,
Melody Gardot,
G Love
and more, but Slo-Mo is something totally different. Mixing Brenner’s steel guitar grooves with frontman Mic Wrecka’s rhymes and hip hop poetry, Slo-Mo Featuring Mic Wrecka has become a Philly favorite, winning over fans with a slamming live show and uniquely funky tunes backed by a tight 8-piece band. Slo-Mo’s first disc, Novelty
(Bong Load, 2000) was produced by Tom Rothrock (Beck, Foo Fighters, James Blunt) and Beale Dabbs (R.L. Burnside, Lutefisk) and combined electronic beats and samples with Brenner’s dobro playing.The follow-up was My Buzz Comes Back
(PHIdelity, 2005) the first disc to feature Mic Wrecka as a collaborator. The Brenner/Wrecka co-written songs My Buzz Comes Back
and Shackamaxon
received heavy airplay from Philly station WXPN and the band, now augmented by singers Susan Rosetti and Steph Hayes (of Philly’s Stargazer Lily
), set to work impressing audiences with their highly energetic live gigs.The next disc Smokey Mountain
(PHIdelity, 2007) continued the evolution of the band and further established Mic Wrecka as the frontman and main lyricist. Songs such as Shine As You Are
and Aramingo Takeout 
immediately became live show staples.With their newest, Gimme What You Got
(Authentic Records, 2009), the band has created a disc that matches the excitement of their lives shows as well as showcasing the increased confidence of the unit itself. With the addition of keyboardist Daryl Hirsch, the line-up has solidified and bloomed into a band that consistently delivers the goods, night after night.How do you describe your music to people?
Hip hop with steel guitar and pop elements.
Tell me about how you originally got into your craft.
I've been playing music for a while, been in bands since high school. But about 12-13 years ago, I got really into lap-style dobro and steel guitar, starting with bluegrass and then other stuff. I've always loved R&B and dance music, electronic stuff, so it was just a matter of time before i combined the steel guitar with hip hop or funk. I was just very lucky to meet Mic Wrecka and make such a cool partnership.
What is your favorite thing to do in the whole wide world?
Sit around and practice and play steel guitar. I can't get enough of it. Sucks that I have a day job now.
What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your business?
Keeping the band happy and productive, keeping every show fresh and rocking, continuing to be creative
When you were a kid, what did you think you were going to be when you grew up?
old
In what way has your community impacted your development as a musician?
Growing up in Philly, the sounds of R&B and funk and, later, hip hop, are inescapable. I grew up listening to white rock stations and learning classic rock, but it was music i heard as i walked around that probably had the deepest impact
What other artists out there do you love?
So many: but currently I'm really into Grant Green,
Wes Montgomery,
Beyonce,
Freddie Hubbard,
Jerry Douglas
What does your future hold?
I'm a musician, a father, a video editor, a writer: my crystal ball says "you will be very fucking busy from here on in."
