So I have been hard at work the last few weeks putting together and managing the Samuel tour in California. Samuel will be opening for Dan Black for shows in Costa Mesa, LA, San Diego and Fresno. So far the tour is going very well and we’ve been having a blast. The first show was at Detroit bar in Costa Mesa. If you are in the LA area this week feel free to drop me an email at ian@wilkesagency.com to come to one of the shows. Lots of fun and good music ahead!
The past few weeks I have been hard at work helping my good friends over at Clockwork Music put together the SOUNDCLASH tour featuring The Alchemist and Just Blaze in Europe. This is going to be an incredible tour featuring two of the most legendary producers and djays in hip hop today. The first show is TONIGHT in the East Village in London UK. The rest of the shows are listed below. We have already started making plans to bring this tour to the states so if you would the like The Alchemist and Just Blaze to come tear it down in your city email ian@wilkesagency.com or dan@clockwork-music.com for booking details or if you are interested in tickets for any of the Europe dates. Enjoy.
“JUST BLAZE & ALCHEMIST UNLEASH “SOUNDCLASH” ON EUROPE
May 6 London, United Kingdom / East Village
May 7 Bordeaux, France / BT59
May 8 Nantes, France / Jongl’Hop
May 9 Amsterdam, Netherlands / Bitterzoet
May 11 London, United Kingdom / East Village
May 12 Zurich, Switzerland / Rote Fabrik
May 13 Milan, Italy / Tunnel
May 14 Paris, France w/ DJ Premier / Elysee Montmartre
May 15 Marseille, France / Cabaret Aleatoire
May 16 Helsinki, Finland / Virgin Oil Co.
Two of the world’s most legendary producers have joined forces to create a show like no other. With a catalogue of hits that includes the biggest and brightest names in music today, these two legendary producers are putting it down on the decks as they play off each other in a display of skills and selection in true sound clash style.
Just Blaze is one of the most creative forces in the game. Having cut his teeth in the late 90’s creating underground bangers for the likes of Buckshot, his distinctive sound soon caught the ear of the major players in the game and he soon had beats featured on albums from the likes of Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Big Pun & Jadakiss. However, it was as an in-house producer for Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records imprint where he initially became a household name, producing instant classics for Kanye West, Cam’ron, Freeway, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel; and of course the main man himself, Jay-Z, who has featured Just Blaze’s epic production on six of his last seven albums–all of which have gone platinum!
The Jersey born producer, also known as the Megatron Don, has a distinctive sound drenched in soul that still bangs so hard it rocks dance-floors across the globe while simultaneously influencing many of the biggest producers in the game. Just Blaze will undoubtedly be treating a packed house to a fantastic mix of his own productions and the influences behind them in this exclusive sound clash set.
The Alchemist, as the name would suggest, has a knack of turning things into gold, in his case samples and loops. Having got his start in the production game under the tutelage of two of the biggest names in the game (DJ Premier and DJ Muggs), this California native has made a name for himself for his trademark rough Boom Bap style hits. Through his work on albums for underground favorites Dilated Peoples & Defari he came to the attention of Mobb Deep who chose to feature his beats on their classic Murda Muzik LP; and he has has not looked back since.
With a resume that now reads like a who’s who of Hip-Hop’s elite; including work with Nas, Ghostface, Lil-Wayne, Emimem (The Alchemist serves as his tour DJ), Big Pun, Fat Joe & Raekwon to just name a few.
Just Blaze and Alchemist’s “Soundclash Tour” promises to be a legendary performance from two of the most respected names in Hip-Hop history; its also one that needs to be both seen and heard to be believed.
I spent a week down in South Florida on St. Pete Beach recently. St. Pete is a beautiful region of Florida once you cross the bay way and head out toward Fort Desoto beach which was named America’s #1 beach in 2005. One of the other highlights of St. Pete is the Don Cesar Beach Resort and Spa. I had the pleasure of getting to do a site visit here and experience some of the hospitality. The Don is situated in a beautiful spot right on the beach with two good sized pools and a nice big beach side bar right in the middle of all the action. The F&B was par however the facilities and service were great. Very friendly staff and about as prompt as you could expect given the lax style of South Florida. The rooms were standard for for a large Lowes Beach Resort, I wasn’t wowed but was not disappointed by any means. Below are a few photos of the pool area and a little of me getting my frozen drink on. 
The other highlights of my trip were all the grimy little bars and restaurants right on the harbor. A good friend of mine that lives in St. Pete took me to some of them for some local catch and evening cocktails, so good. Most all of them had doc space for boats pull up so boaters could just jump out and be right in the restaurant. Below are a view candid shots I took from my phone. The spots to mention would be The Wharf and The Sloppy Pelican, great food and lively scenes.
The trip to Austin this year for SXSW was a huge success and a great time. I want to recap some of the bigger acts that I saw that were great as well as some hidden gems that I just happened to stumble upon. (Above photo credit Loren Wohl)
The first group I want to talk about is The Very Best. These guys came out onto the Fader Fort stage and absolutely set the place on fire. One of the most hype performances I saw without a doubt. This group is straight out of Africa coming through with amazing hooks, melodies and beats that will just melt your face. They have a great classic reggae feel to them as well with a very tropical sound. In fact I coined my own phrase to describe The Very Best and that is Trop Pop. Definitely keep an eye for this one and make sure to check out their myspace.
Next up, a very non traditional hip hop artist that got it absolutely cracking in the packed spot was Alabama’s own Yelawolf. The beauty of this show was that I randomly walked in on it at Beauty Bar not knowing he was playing. When I walked in he was just starting his track Pop The Trunk. He had the spot filled to the brim with every head in the spot singing “Don’t make me pop the trunk… on youu.” So amazing. Very unique style, voice and fantastic to watch live.
Of course I have to talk about the home town hero Samuel. Samuel played two showcases the first of which was the Hypem showcase however his second show for the Neon Gold Records showcase was the show that made you want to go back to your hotel room after and write your mom about how good it was. Samuel did not hesitate to bang out what may have been one of his best performance yet opening for Marina and the Diamonds for a sold out Lamberts BBQ. Samuel only seems to ripen a little more after each show and is slowly becoming the great pop artist I have faith he will one day become. Look out for his debut album entitled “Trains to Wanderland” which will be dropping this July.
This next adventure I’m going to tell you about was by far the most epic. After a long night of drinking I found myself back near The Mansion, my resting place, with my friend Luka. There was this dump of a frat house right across the street from the hotel and we heard some great music coming out of the place so we decided to check it out. As the current band was finishing people outside on the lawn were hurrying us in saying, lets go The Bubbles are about to go on. The Bubbles indeed, I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears, these guys were simply amazing. Incredible live show, drunk off their asses and having a blast. Huge mosh pit took up the whole main floor of the spot and these guys tore it down. A great indie pop band from Austin and a true gem. Incredible light poppy sound with that unique touch to it that can get anyone moving and feeling good. After my friend Luka and I left the show we kept laughing saying, no one will believe us when we tell them about The Bubbles experience. It was simply that good and I will remember it above any of the other performances I saw.
So until next year folks, it was an epic one. Drinks, laughs, adventure and music, couldn’t be better.
Heading out to SXSW next week and couldn’t be more excited. Many big things happening within the family including HeavRoc Music’s very own Samuel to perform in the Neon Gold showcase and the Hypem Showcase on Thursday March 18th. However for me I’ve been booking hotels and flights for many managers, indie/major labels, bands and artists for SXSW for a good 2 months now. After booking some great hotels it was time to decide where I was going to be resting my bones this year. Last year my number one pick was The Driskill which I think is by far Austin’s finest. Kind of like the Waldorf Astoria or the Plaza to New York but not played out just yet, this place is truly where its at. Located in the heart of downtown Austin, this hotel offers a product second to none. Fantastic hospitality and the location couldn’t be better for bands or SXSW goers. This hotel was a huge success for me last year. I also booked several rooms at The Mansion on Judges Hill. A little more on the boutique side and located on the Northern part of downtown but still in a great location for SXSW action. This is my hotel of choice for 2010 and is where I will be staying. I expect great things from this property and from my talks with the managers there thus far I am excited for a great stay. So lets rip down south for some feel good times in Texas and look out for my affiliated showcases! Check the flyer below.
