The large audience at the Redhook Brewery listened half-attentively as the band struck its instrumental groove, a mellow and jazzy backdrop of bass, guitar, keyboards and drums. Several minutes elapsed before the first MC hopped up on the stage and began spitting out rhymes. A second vocalist joined the group during the next song, and a third MC later entered the mix.

Although the Seacoast music scene is fairly diverse, it is rare to see a live MC on stage, let alone three MCs in a homegrown seven-piece hip-hop band. But The Press has been playing regular gigs in the area for two years now, and although legal titling rights may soon force them to change their name, the band plans to stick around.

The Press performed for a packed house at Redhook on March 21, as the brewery unveiled its newest ale, Long Hammer IPA. Most guests were too busy dining and mingling to pay close attention to the music during the first set. But after sampling a few cold pints, the audience loosened up and started to dance. The crowd was fully in motion by the second set, and The Press responded with refreshed hip-hop intensity, spouting out lyrics at a tongue-twisting pace.

Vocalists Alex Beguin, Pat Joyce and Brian Capobianchi (a.k.a. Cap) make up the MC trio that helps set The Press apart on the Seacoast. They do not look like rappers, but their lyrical acrobatics provide all the credibility they need. All three perform with animated passion, dancing and gesturing to ’70s-style beats and bantering with the audience between songs.

But the backing band truly makes The Press singular. Bassist Roland Nicole takes center-stage, fingering his strings like Stanley Clarke and bobbing his head with enough force to incur whiplash. Drummer Jay Trikakis keeps the beats lively with heavy emphasis on snare and cymbals.

Jim Dozet’s guitar work provides a subtler component, riffing along with the melody and igniting Scofield-esque solos. Keyboardist Jeff Williams blends a number of styles, trading slightly psychedelic solos with Jimmy Cliff-style grooves. Trikakis said the four instrumentalists typically write the tunes before turning them over to the vocalists, who then write lyrics and weave them into the beat.

The soulful backing band combines with the MC trifecta to produce a sound with appeal that reaches beyond strict hip-hop fans. But the influence of mega hip-hop icons like Common is clear, and the jazzy background calls to mind popular groups such as Jurassic 5 and the Black Eyed Peas.

Nicole said the band’s musical backgrounds take the form of a Venn diagram with neo-soul at its center and various jazz, hip-hop and alternative influences along the outskirts. Band members pointed to Common, Jay Dilla and Omega Red as some of their most admired hip-hop artists.

The band opened for The Roots at the University of New Hampshire in the spring of 2006, and they embark on a tour of North Carolina and Virginia with hip-hop legend Slick Rick in mid-April. They’ve released one EP and hope to complete a full-length studio album by the end of May. 

Trikakis said opening for The Roots—one of the most highly esteemed hip-hop groups of the last two decades—was a thrill he will not soon forget. “It was a tremendous experience for us,” Trikakis said. “It’s kind of nice to share the stage with someone that we emulate so much.”

The Press’s next local date is at the Dover Brick House on March 29, with Rhode Island-based hip-hop group Capitol Hill.