Photo Courtesy: Alex Bonham-Carter

Marty Hillard is probably one of those folks who can’t sit still for very long. Just when he’s got one project down, he’s starting another. On Monday night Hillard teams up with longtime friend and collaborator MORRI$ to debut their latest project Ebony Tusks.

Most folks recognize him as the smooth-voiced, soft spoken polite man about town from Cowboy Indian Bear. But on Monday you’ll get to see another side of the musician with his latest hip hop adventure. “I just wanted to have an opportunity to express myself in a way I enjoy,” says Hillard. “Most of the art and music I made has all been very reactionary.”

This isn’t a new adventure for Hillard. He began rapping as far back as high school. In recent years he’s taken a few detours with electronic music (thesistermaria) and indie rock (Jen Say Kwahs, Cowboy Indian Bear). But now, he’s feeling the urge to go back to his roots. “For so long, I was just out of this dialogue of rap and hip hop,” says Hillard. “It’s just something that in the last couple of years I wanted to engage in not as a spectator but as a participant.” Reuniting with his good friend (and former neighbor) to collaborate is also encouraging. “I was excited about it because I like making stuff with MORRI$.”

Despite being two completely different genres, the folks who love Cowboy Indian Bear will most likely be the same fans at the Ebony Tusks show. Lawrence is a versatile town, home to fans with a large musical pallet. This is comforting to HIllard, who hopes fans will enjoy the change-up. “If anything, it’s just an extension of me as much as anything else I’ve done,” says Hillard. “And I hope they can embrace me for that.”

To embrace Ebony Tusks, you can catch them Monday night at PIZZA POWER, 1001 Connecticut at 6:00 p.m. They’ll be playing with Radar Defender, Electric Courage Machine (from Texas) and Mira Loma and the Bad Vibes (also from Texas).

To listen to a preview (it won’t be posted for very long) of Ebony Tusks, click here.