Salutations promoters, how have you been? We’ve been fine. The kids are good, this new batch of almond moonshine is hot off the burners, but what else is new. Anyhow, an idea. If you’re going to title yourself a promoter then please do what the title of your job entails and actually promote something other than promoting yourself as the promoter. Not just book the band, send a few Facebook invites to the four girls you’re currently stalking behind the cloak of your promoter title and then pat yourself on the greasy back for a job well done. How about putting down that bag of nacho cheese Dorito’s, get your manly size 7.5 Nikes on, print up flyers and posters and pound the pavement on behalf of your clients - ya know, THE BANDS!

You see, this is the arrangement. Bands shouldn’t be expected to also do your job. We, the musicians, sacrifice days and weeks on creating a music set that makes your venue go boom, boom, pow (them chickens jockin’ my style) and you, the pie loving promoter, should be out there channelling the same type of energy, focusing on filling up the venue. Do you see how this relationship goes? Here, let me make this equation simple for you:

PROMOTER = BRING PEOPLE IN THE VENUE
BANDS = ENTERTAIN THE PEOPLE YOU BRING INTO THE VENUE

You booked a band for the night. You did not book a multi-talented, Medusa headed machine that triples as a promoter, marketing specialist and PR agent. Hey, while we’re at it, how about we go behind the bar, mix the drinks for your patrons and check IDs at the door too. We’re not Geek Squad, we’re not May Tag men, we’re not Nationwide is on your side, we’re not the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. We are the band, that’s it. It’s right there in your title: PROMOTEr. Your title is not GUY-WHO-BOOKS-BANDS-AND-THEN-EATS-SELF-CONGRATULATORY-CHICKEN-WINGS. It makes me want to uproot a tree trunk and pee on a telescope when I get an email back from a so-called promoter asking me, “Well, how many people do you think you can draw?”. You musty son of a Cadillac driver, that is your job to draw the people!!! You book the bands, you sell the band to the people and then the people come to see the band. It’s like if I were to have my professional title on my business card as “Race Car Driver” when in reality I fix vending machines.

Some time between the first episodes of He-Man and the last episodes of Seinfeld, promoters have lost their way. Just in case you are one of those unfortunates, I hope this message finds its way into your hearts. So please, promoters, take off the Bad to the Bone t shirt, marinate some Irish Spring bar soap into your skin and put booties in those seats. PLEASE. We do our job rehearsing in the studio and sweating our carbs out on stage and you do - what is it that you do again? Yes, you should know by now. Thanks buddy.

Catch Caleb of TCP without the band performing a solo set for DJ Tramlife’s Spin Cycle night at the Ruby Room. Will also be doing some Electric Boogaloo for change outside the venue. Lots of painters and local Hip Hop artists in the building. A great mixer for you up and comers to network at. Caleb on stage at 10pm.

There I am, in my boxer shorts, in my living room, MSNBC’s Lock Up series blaring in the background while I’m screen printing some shirts for this night’s event. I catch a sound bite of an inmate saying how prison politics won’t allow him to play dominoes with another race - I am saddened by this fact. 2 hours later I have 10 custom, hand made TCP shirts to giveaway tonight at DJ CheLu’s MC Battle - My happiness is rejuvenated by this fact. I also have my Levis on now because my legs were getting cold. As every hardcore rapper does, I pull up to the venue on my beach cruiser with a backpack full of swag. I hand CheLu the shirts and tell him to make it rain on them bitches. He then looks at me weird because I said something very odd. I must agree that was an odd thing to say upon arrival so I don’t hold anything against him and I accept my social handicap. CheLu then informs me that a majority of the MCs that came to battle today only have out of state ID cards (not drivers license, but ID cards) and the venue won’t let them in. This leaves the MC battle with only 3 rappers. Oh well, Lupe, the show goes on.  Tory-T gets into Gallagher’s and I shake his hand. I say something racist to him and he says something racist to me. I’m sure I go “barbecue, Heisman Trophy yada yada yada” and then he goes “eggroll, Karate spinkick yada yada yada”, but really I don’t remember. Don’t worry though, this is how we greet each other. Kinda like how people think the lion cub is in pain when the mom lion picks it with its mouth. Trust me, our racist salutations do not come with hurt. They are actually a sign of brotherly oddities that can only be formed while touring the North West in a small ass Kia coupe. In between my many smoke breaks and standing around breaks, Tory-T gets hired to host the event. Boom, TCP in the building!

The first battle is consists of Prince Deacon vs. Black. They go three rounds. Tory-T asks the crowd what they think of Prince Deacon. The crowd goes semi-wild. Tory-T asks the crowd what they think of Black. The crowd goes super wild. Black is determined to be the winner. The best part of the battle was when Tory said something to the effect of, “I love how it’s mostly white people in the audience and when I said “Black” all of y’all cheered out loud. HAHA gotcha muthafuckas!”. It was classic, off the cuff improve comedy at it’s best. The crowd was full of light-hearted people so they enjoyed the comedy as much as I did. CheLu throws on a beat and Tory-T rocks the mic one time for the crowd. I stand in the audience, smiling while Tory-T is spittin’ that Dylon hot fire. It’s usually me and Tory on stage together so it’s a rareity that I’m able to watch a TCP band member on stage as a civilian. Tory-T does the, “When I say T-C y’all say P” call and response and the crowd does just what he asks. I smile proudly like “I know that guy whooooo!”. Tory kills it, gets off stage with his Black Scale shirt and we try to converse with each other over the loud sound system. DJ CheLu takes the night away with jams and it’s a dance party. Our homies Dante’s Boneyard and Patrick Ronan are in the building as well having some good times. Always great to have them fellas in the place to be. I socialize, make friends, have a good convo with Ace from Gallagher’s, make acquaintances with a pretty young lady, laugh, bullshit, smoke cigarettes, drink cranberry juice and then steer my beach cruiser home.

Classic night with classy people.

TCP will be sponsoring DJ CheLu’s MC battle at Gallagher’s in Ocean Beach. MCs, this is your chance to eat up some competition. Don’t be scurred! Info below:

Free Style Amateur MC Battle. 21+ Only Event. After UFC 129 St.Pierre vs Shields

@@@SPONSORED BY:@@@
…
The Concrete Project
Local SD Hip Hop
www.theconcreteproject.com

*****It will be held April 30th Saturday Starting around 10pm-11pm*****

21+ FREE TO WATCH, NO COVER CHARGE

**CASH PRIZE for first place (Dependant On Amount Of Entries)**

**CASH PRIZE for second place (Dependant On Amount Of Entries)**

**Concrete Project Gear and Merchandise Will Be Sold and Given As Prizes**

Single Elimination Bracket Style

30 Seconds Per MC

60 Seconds for Final Round
WILL BE JUDGED BY THE CROWD so it is important to bring friends to support you

21+ ONLY $10 Enters you in the contest!!! Day of before 10pm payment is due, BUT if you want your logo posted on the TV’s send it to www.facebook.com/djcheLu by April 28th

Please NO Fights, Just a Sick Battle!!!

www.gallagherspubob.com

[View with PicLens]

This night we hit Longboards in Pacific Beach for some fun open mic action in celebration of our guitarist SB1’s bday and our good friends HeidiHo and Jubi’s bday. Since this wasn’t a full on show (fo’ show) we only performed 5 songs for the Taco Tuesday crowd. Their comes a time when constantly performing, rehearsing, recording, networking, marketing, more rehearsing and more shows takes a toll on a group and/or person. With that being said, I was showing lots of sign of fatigue during this show. Literally, I almost was standing up falling asleep. BUT you can’t be a punk when good people come out to see you perform so you just gotta tough it up and do your job. We started off the set kinda slow, but for our last 2 songs we brought out the energy to end the night in good ‘ol, high energy, TCP fashion. A guy in the front was literally covering his ears during our set (which I hope in his country means that he likes our music) so I made sure to give him a whole helluva lot of attention during a few of my verses. Thank you for the support my friend. After we got off stage we got to meet some great folks, share some drinks, share some smokes, share some laughs and share some rock, paper, scissors battles. I then went home, watched some Myth Busters and fell asleep on the couch. I am now currently in my soul stealing office, wishing that a turkey sandwich would some how appear on my desk and sing me a Justin Timberlake love song.

A special shout out to Patrick Ronan of SCENESOFCHAOS.COM for taking bringing out his photography talents and blessing us with some flicks. Also for his sister Shannon for bringing her North Carolina charm to PB. Also to the 3 hot girls that Johnny Hollywood introduced me to, but I quickly forgot their names because I am Mr. Magoo like that. Also for the beautiful Sheila Sondergard and the very handsome Shawn Balch for letting us bless their open mic. We love you all!!