Written By: Metasyons
We hit Windsor Ontario on friday night. Shit was cool, the few people who were there seemed to enjoy themselves, And the cats we’re on Tour with (http://www.ppfhouse.com/) killed it!! Shouts out to the new homies!!! After being hassled coming and going at the border, needless to say we were glad to be back in the states. Then saturday came! Okay usually I’m not that excited, so don’t get used to it. But anyways, the venue we were supposed to rock just suddenly out the blue closed their doors on Friday. Leaving us without a venue for this second date.. Talk about a curve ball.. My boy Tommy came thru tho. Hooked us up with a spot at this party he was throwing. First thing that popped in my head was, college campus+ hip hop+ a bunch of drunk people = THE COPS!!! Of course I was right. They came 2 seperate times.. Goddamn jakes. They still couldn’t stop our shine tho. Our, meaning the crew (http://www.usmdetroit.com/) shit was so hype a damn mosh pit broke out during me spitting. If every show on the tour will be this hype, I might not make it. But make sure you check us out, cause we’re coming for that ass!!!

R.I.P. SCREAMING EAGLE

Pittsburgh
Okay so tonight we were in Pittsburgh Pa. I was really excited to come here. The only other time i had been here was on a 2 hr layover at the airport.
So we get to the venue, everything seems to be on the up and up. We kill it like no other. Unfortunately our brethren from canada were denied entry into the country. Go figure. We assumed that they would not have any problems, even made jokes in regards to them not makin it into the country, and lo and behold, they don’t get in. Talk about irony. But anyways back to Pittsburg.
We kill the show like i said. So it’s late you know. A couple drinks in us, we’re hungry as hell. So we go to this place called Tom’s Diner. After waiting for more than an hr and a half, what we believe is our food finally comes out. Cats are ready to grub out. Long story short, the orders are completely incorrect. After waiting another 20 mins they bring out the right food. So thats a total of almost 2hrs now, that it took at a diner that was half empty. Whatever we get our food. We feel like we should at least be comped for the horrible service. Of course they make it seem like it’s our fault, and how dare we ask for a comp. Needless to say those bitches at that diner were very, very close to experiencing what Detroit is all about, up close and personal. But I don’t need the stress or to end up in jail in the southside of Pittsburgh. But, I advise those visiting this city with the intentions of getting some late night grub on thee southside. Just wait till the sun comes up, and go to Primanti Bros. instead. You’ll get better service, and the food will not only come out in half the time, but will be delicious and well worth the little wait you might have to experience.
Im so disappointed right now, but hey I have to keep it moving. But beware of that place its terrible!!!!

Episode: 1

Columbus!!!!
So yea we rocked Columbus Ohio last night, at this place called Old Fields on high street, on the north side of town. Shit was pretty dope. Pretty cut and dry. On another note our brethren from Canada made it into the country. So they got to rock last night. They killed it. Again if you dnt know you need to get familiar about these cats http://www.ppfhouse.com. Anyways, there really wasn’t anything that would have upset me or the crew last night, so that was cool.
Of course you know we grubbed out tho. There was this place called Hounddogs Pizza practically right across the street. The locals said that, that was the spot to be at. They didn’t disappoint. That was def some of the best pizza I have ever eaten. Everything about it was on point. So if your in Columbus ever, make sure you stop at Hounddogs Pizza. They’re killing the game.

Evansville
So we hit up Evansville In last night. It was a pretty good night. But shitty sound= loss of voice. It was still a good time tho. We played at a spot called the Jungle on Main street. This place was nuts. Crazy zoo related animals all over the place. I felt like i was a little kid again. The owner of this place is a cheap, ball breaking, on the lamb from the mob, Russian. Lol, what your thinking is probably the same thought i had.
But i have to give most thanks to Cas One (http://www.myspace.com/cas1ne). He looked out for us hard. He put up with more than ten individuals, and was completely sincere about it. So thanks again To Cas and Jackie for lookin out for us. It was much appreciated. All in all this tour has been goin great so far. I really can’t complain about it. Wish some of the crowds were bigger, but that comes with the territory. That’s the whole reason we do this. To build that fan base.
Stay tuned for more info about the tour, and also be on the lookout for video footage from the tour so far. Stay classy you notty head greasy peasy summamabitches!!! I’m out.

Episode: 2

2 for 1!!!

Bloomington!!!
Okay so friday we were in Bloomington In. Shit that night was crazy. 2 mics and a kit are always great host! The crowd was on point as usual. Even with some of us having voice problems we stilled wrecked like USM does. The high point of the night was, not the show, but the doorman. My man’s is from Brooklyn, so you already know what type of cat he was. Real. But some douchebag walked by givin dirty looks, you know tryin to play that roll in front of his girl. We’ll just call the doorman “Brooklyn” for now. So Brooklyn went at the kid extra hard. I never met him before, but he can get down wit our crew anytime. Me, Notion, and Cas One were there to witness, what was probably gonna be a slaughter. I haven’t seen a kid get punked out like that since elementary school. I’m quite proud of that kid tho. He did something i totally didn’t expect and that was NOT drop the N bomb on us. I thought for sure he was gonna let “Niggers” rain down from heaven. Probably after he left. LOL. All in all it was a good night.

2Mics & A Kit

The next night we were in Chicago. We performed with family again. Ill Legit, Scud One, etc… For the most part it was a good show. It had it’s low moments tho. Not performance wise, but crowd wise. You know Chicago is like Detroit, in the aspect of giving foreigners a shot. I thought our brethren from Canada did an excellent job, as usual. But some of the audience was not as willing to even give them a shot. Their loss. People need to stop being so close minded and start showing a lil love. It goes a long way when you do. Shouts out to all thos who stuck around and checked out the other acts. We need more people like you. We hit Milwuakee tonight. I’m expecting a small draw, just because its a monday night, but you can never call it. Either way I’m looking forward to it. Stay tuned for tonights show update..

Ill LEGIT

Milwaukee on a monday night is really, really dead. It was still fun tho. We rocked at a soccer bar called The Highbury. It was a pretty cool set-up in there. Nice and cozy. We of course were performing on a monday night, so we were rocking in front of strictly other artists. And the majority of the artist were the tour fam. LOl. Classic shit. But we gotta give props to the SAFS Crew. These cats held it down. Young cats too. Not even 21 yet. I love seeing that hunger in young emcees. Takes me back a lilttle. I wish i still had hunger like that.

Nelson B.C
This has been such a crazy week! First it seemed like it took forever to even get to Nelson. There were many variables that contributed to that statement. First off it took us almost 2 days to get there.During the drive we encountered so many problems. The PPf crew caught a flat at like 4 in the morning one night. To my suprise none of them had ever changed a tire before. So of course you know ya’ boy came through for them. Had it changed in like 15 mins in the rain and pretty cold temps.
Back on tyhe road again, so we thought. In our vehicle,(the USM ride) the oil light came on. No biggie, you would think. But apparently it was more than just an oil related problem. So for a hot sec we were posted up in Ft. Macloud(I’m sorry if its mispelled) Alberta i believe. Mostly Native tribes. Thats where i discovered that beer in canada is really damn expensive! I mean 24.99 for a damn 12 pack of Heiniken? RAPE!! Anyways, Sleepy Biggs and I jumped in the PPF mobile, while Asylum 7 and A. Biggs went with the van on the tow truck. They got a room in Lethridge Alberta to wait till the next day so they could get the van oil changed up. Cool right? Naw, but we’ll get back to that in a minute.
So we’re riding through the foothills and mountains on the way to Nelson. Everything is quite beautiful and then the sun goes down. Long story short I’m at the wheel now. These were the most dangerous roads I’ve ever seen. Not only were they narrow, winding, two-lane roads. But it was pitch black,raining, and the thickest fog I’d ever seen. Also, there was quite alot of wild game signs. You know you always see the signs, and you think “i might see some deer”, the exact same thing that was going through my mind, untill i saw Mr. Moose. This thing was the biggest thing I’d ever seen. I mean at least 2 times the size of the Camry we were driving. 3 minutes before, and we would have been meeting Mr. Moose upclose and personal. Cars are speeding pass, not one single light. Absolutely insane. I prayed the whole way to Nelson. Then we arrived. Nelson was an awesome little town in the middle of the foothills of B. C. These people were soo kind. Where else would you go and practically get, the most spectabular and wonderous chron on the planet just given to you. I literally was in a daze for 2 days. The show was a blur, either it was an awful show, or i was just too blowed to even care. LOl, actually there was no one there. Well maybe a couple people. I still had a blast tho.
Back to the van, obviously A7 and A.Biggs made it to Nelson. But the damage to the van was deeper than anyone had even thought. We were all prepared to start the journey to Calgary. Let’s just say that oil changed quickly turned into a rod knock in the engine. We were sputtering along as best we could. We got as far as Coeur D’ Alene Idaho. Then we posted up at a hotel. If we were gonna come home, i wanted to do it immediately. So the next morning I hopped 3 flights to come back to the D. Talk about home sick. Lol. The tour for USM was cut short unfortunately. We had a pretty good time while it lasted. Shouts out to Leo37 and Magnolious for continuing to hold it down for us. We’ll see those cats again along wit Ill-Legit and my little brother A Dot on June 18th at the Old Miami (of course). So bring ya asses out and support the “Homecoming” of USM back to the D. I’ll see ya there.

Episode: 3

We just had the welcome home show on Friday night! It was a great night. Every act came prepared, meaning that their “A” games were brought. Of course it was an even prouder moment for me, because my little brother performed. He goes by the name of A Dot. Murdered it! That’s what was good about that show tho, was the overall hypeness of it. It was quite an honor to share the stage with all the guys. It’s been a great pleasure to be on this tour. Leo and Mags’, you guys are great people. Had a blast with you cats. Gotta come to the D real soon.
July 2nd marks the long awaited debut of my crew members, Draztik and Sleepy Biggs. Smokers cough! Soon to be labled a classic. This will be at The Old Miami (of course). Check out the first video off the project below. Thank you guys for supporting what USM is trying to do, and just genuinely getting it! It’s very much appreciated.

TOUR RETROSPECTIVES

Written by: LEO37 of PPF House

Well ladies & gents,

IT’S DONE!

Clipped Wings has finally wrapped and I’m caught somewhere in between a mute and a ramble.

The amount of adjectives that I have stored up about this tour is damn near the size of one of those Oxford mini-travel dictionaries and as such, I’ll do my best to refrain from breaking it down too much.

With that said, after 5 years of touring, this was easily the most successful, the most difficult and the most memorable of all the ones I’ve been on and for that I felt it justified to write this note.

From starting in a gloomy night in Windsor to wrapping it up with an opportunity to spin at an Aloe Blacc show, through 100+ hours of driving, moose, deer, raccoons, blown tires, plastic wrapped windows, short circuited windows, something that resembled tonsillitis and plenty more, I’ve arrived at this point alive and content.
To everyone who came out, bought a ticket, bought merch, told a friend, shook a hand, booked work off and destroyed a pair of shoes, THANK YOU. You are the only reason we’re able to this and I thank you for allowing us to pursue our dreams. To everyone who housed us, fed us, lent us their showers, made us some coffee and just generally gave us aid, thank you for keeping us alive. Road life is difficult and the breaks you’ve provided has made this all the more tolerable. To USM, I have no words to describe the experience. Thank you.

Written By: D.Allie of USM
Whaddup my people,
As I was only able to do the Midwestern leg of the Clipped Wings Tour the last show I appeared on was last night in Milwaukee. I am writing this from my friends apartment in Chicago taking a day of rest here before I head back home to Detroit. Yeah, I know it’s not a far drive back but I’m lazy and like to take my time. lol. As I’ve done more specific tour diaries in the past and will probably bore you with the minute details of the road in the future I will opt out of doing so this time around. For one I was only on the road a short while to really get into the debauchery that I’m usually known for, and I feel it far better that I discuss how I’m feeling instead of specific events. It might come off as random and scatter-brained but here goes nothing.
For one the road is a rough place for artists like us that are still out here starving. We are kind of caught in a catch 22 in the fact that we don’t have a ton of fans throughout the country so it’s difficult to tour, but we have to hit the road in order to build a fan base so there’s really no choice in the matter. There are no tour buses (honda element), no hotel rooms (although I was able to talk my way into a $25 room one of the nights), there’s not always showers, there’s not always people at the shows, there’s no fancy technical and personal riders sent out so that means there are definitely no bottles of champagne popped. There’s us, our tour mates, and the artists and people we have built connections with before. The goal and what ultimately determines if a tour is a success are the new connections we are able to build in each city.
Gone are the days in which artists can breeze into a city, chill backstage, hit the stage, and then dip. When we are touching down in a city we want to know what the scene is like. I’m trying to talk to everyone I can to acquire the info, and to share my experience with them inside and outside of music (I still pretend like there’s still a difference). Gone are the days where artists can even stand behind a merch table. After I leave the stage the first thing I’m going for is my box of merch and I am talking to everyone personally in the venue. After I have tried to sell everyone in the building then I go for the email list and I offer them a free download as a thanks for them signing up. I wait till after we go on stage so the audience has a chance to hear what they’re supporting but next tour I think I’m gonna go in swinging for my career. There were a few times when the crowd was lost before we got on stage and those were definite missed opportunities.
Still I am not seeing artists do the method I mentioned above enough which is probably one of the reasons I have no problem sharing. The playbook is nothing without execution after all. On the other hand, I want to give myself more credit than that. I want my peers to succeed in this game and I do believe there is a place for us all, but everybody has to put in work. The only people that really think music is so competitive are the ones that expect something for nothing. And yes, although making music is important in this game, this is NOTHING. It’s what you do with that music and your plan to get it to the people, and furthermore your application of that plan that will get you to where you want to go. Your personal opinion of your own music in relation to others is also NOTHING. Opinions are like assholes and most people usually ARE. I’m not thinking about why these whack musicians are successful. I’m thinking about how they are successful and if there are any strategies I need to co-opt.
When I hit the road I expect nothing. To every single person that put us up in their homes, fed us, let us shower THANK YOU. Although some of you I have known for a long time you didn’t have to do that so I am forever appreciative. To everybody that put us on a show giving us a path to build a fan base in your city THANK YOU. Although there were high’s and low’s in attendance we saw the promotional efforts put in and my new motto is if you give us 3 shows in a city we will build your hip hop scene for you if you don’t already have one (those ego’s can get a bit crazy. i got a few). To all my friends that came out to the shows along the way THANK YOU. I know some of yall don’t even listen to Hip Hop but I’m thankful you’ll lend an ear to me and my musical peers when we fall through town. To the sites such as Fusicology, La Famiglia, Potholes in My Blog, and Detroitrap (if I’m missing anyone forgive the mind) THANK YOU for shining light on what we’re doing.
To my brothers in United States of Mind, thank you. As I am not able to continue with the tour it is you guys that are spreading the USM name and getting our music out to a larger audience person by person.
To sum up everything touring is rough business. Nothing is given and everything is hard to earn. I didn’t even bring up the ego’s. lol. We’re all crazy deranged artists so of course we’re gonna but heads from time to time. Sometimes the day in and day out can be like walking on eggshells. You want to be mindful of other peoples thoughts, opinions, and schedules without getting yours stepped on. This is also an impossibility but we do our best in this respect. lol. Taking all this into account I can logically only come to one conclusion: I WOULDN’T CHANGE A THING.
This is exactly what I signed up for and what a beautiful struggle it has come to be. The small victories, the big mistakes, the huge shows, the off nights, the getting wasted no matter what happens. lol. That’s what it is. Can’t wait to fully process this experience (which will take at least a week mind you) so the next time I hit the road (hopefully touring my new project with Eddie Logix entitled “Progress Report”) I can do it bigger and better. That’s right folks. Next time around I’m going for the couch as opposed to accepting the floor. Until the next time I’m in your city folks.
-d