I think the local hip-hop community is doing an amazing job of being a community, displaying perseverance, and unity, and innovation. It seems like a lot of other artists are concerned with the business side of things – or the bottom line being a huge factor in decisions they make – and rightfully so, but the primary objective – or priority – of the hip hop community right now seems to be putting on the best show possible, regardless of the money.. And I think that’s pretty dope.
I think the local hip-hop community is doing an amazing job of being a community, displaying perseverance, and unity, and innovation. It seems like a lot of other artists are concerned with the business side of things – or the bottom line being a huge factor in decisions they make – and rightfully so, but the primary objective – or priority – of the hip hop community right now seems to be putting on the best show possible, regardless of the money.. And I think that’s pretty dope.
I agree that it’s an important discussion to have as a “community” that, yes drug use in Charleston is everywhere, all the time. That’s obvious to just about anyone who goes out.. but what are we actually talking about here? This video is the perfect example of the difference of what you say and how you say it. The OP raises some good points.. which is why we are having this discussion.. but the motive is personal, and in my opinion, self serving.. I’m not picking one side or the...
I agree that it’s an important discussion to have as a “community” that, yes drug use in Charleston is everywhere, all the time. That’s obvious to just about anyone who goes out.. but what are we actually talking about here? This video is the perfect example of the difference of what you say and how you say it. The OP raises some good points.. which is why we are having this discussion.. but the motive is personal, and in my opinion, self serving.. I’m not picking one side or the other – I’m just stating the fact that despite the validity of your argument, if you’re intentions are not pure, it will be obvious and it could discredit what you’re saying. Dude is not a virtuous crusader, he’s a butt hurt guy with a grudge.. Again, just an opinion.. That being said, everyone is entitled to their own opinion .. after all that’s what free speech and democracy is all about. I’m glad we have a forum to discuss these things.
@martingrooms I didn’t grow up here but I went to CofC 2011 – 2015 and it was everywhere then too. But that was before the fentanyl crisis. That adds another whole layer to this. Your regular dealer who you’ve trusted for years could accidentally sell you a bag that kills you. It’s pretty wild how that is now a legitimate possibility that people need to be aware of, not just some D.A.R.E bullshit.
Truly does seem to be that saying No is the only way to change anything… but in college...
@martingrooms I didn’t grow up here but I went to CofC 2011 – 2015 and it was everywhere then too. But that was before the fentanyl crisis. That adds another whole layer to this. Your regular dealer who you’ve trusted for years could accidentally sell you a bag that kills you. It’s pretty wild how that is now a legitimate possibility that people need to be aware of, not just some D.A.R.E bullshit.
Truly does seem to be that saying No is the only way to change anything… but in college if someone told me that cocaine was bad I would have said “Yes, and?” Sometimes you just have to learn things for yourself. That’s what makes the fentanyl shit so scary, because kids are gonna try coke if someone has it regardless.
Also, nobody wants to be around someone who’s going to be a D Bag about people’s choices, so you don’t really want to go around telling people not to do coke. I’m happy to state my opinions but I’m not trying to ruin anybody’s good time. It’s just frustrating to see it everywhere, every weekend. And the money… the amount of money that it costs is one of the biggest deterrents.
Like, a bag of blow is at least $60. If you’re doing that every week that’s almost $300 per month. $300 per month is a car payment. Putting a car payment up your nose, for a quick rush, followed by a long, depressing comedown. It’s the shittiest drug ever.
$300 per month times 12 is $3600. 1 gram of cocaine per week for a year.
And that’s just one gram of cocaine per week. That $60 supply ain’t making it longer than one night… so if you’re doing it more than one night, you’re gonna need to get another bag…
It’s crazy because I feel like this is relatively new for Charleston. I kinda remember real drugs having a pretty big stigma coming up and didn’t personally encounter or do any until I moved out west for a bit. Now I just hear about it all the time, though I’m not about that life these days.
At any rate, powder drugs in 2024 are wild. It’s such a gamble and a lot of us are (and have been) losing friends to fentanyl. It’s kind of hard to do more than say no and hope you inspire someone...
It’s crazy because I feel like this is relatively new for Charleston. I kinda remember real drugs having a pretty big stigma coming up and didn’t personally encounter or do any until I moved out west for a bit. Now I just hear about it all the time, though I’m not about that life these days.
At any rate, powder drugs in 2024 are wild. It’s such a gamble and a lot of us are (and have been) losing friends to fentanyl. It’s kind of hard to do more than say no and hope you inspire someone else to do the same.
There is a viral post on Instagram right now that has a lot of discussion potential. The poster, @josh_sapakoff has disabled comments on the post, but we can talk about it here.
It’s a long video filmed out front of The Commodore that directly calls out the ownership for allowing cocaine dealers to do business in his establishment. The person who created the video is a former employee of The Commodore, who claims he was fired because he knew too much.
I have no personal comment on the accusati...
There is a viral post on Instagram right now that has a lot of discussion potential. The poster, @josh_sapakoff has disabled comments on the post, but we can talk about it here.
It’s a long video filmed out front of The Commodore that directly calls out the ownership for allowing cocaine dealers to do business in his establishment. The person who created the video is a former employee of The Commodore, who claims he was fired because he knew too much.
I have no personal comment on the accusations themselves, but in terms of the larger conversation about cocaine use in Charleston, I have a lot to say. All of my friends have heard me say something about it if you’ve known me for a while. I think cocaine use in Charleston is out of control and I think it ruins a lot of the beautiful things about this city by poisoning the minds of the people who live in it. I’ve also watched it suck the life out of many of my peers so that their obvious one track mind goal is to acquire more cocaine.
Not to mention the depression, the anxiety, the paranoia, and the amount of wasted money that comes along with doing it even one time. Doing it regularly is like a shock to your body that never stops and it puts you into a real dark place faster than you can even notice.
Thanks to Josh for speaking out. He’s right when he says that anyone who has tried it knows it’s not good for you. It’s one thing to do cocaine on a special occasion once in a blue moon. It’s another thing to be looking for a bag every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. Even more than that for a lot of people. If you’re doing that, you are seriously harming your physical and mental well-being and I encourage you to reconsider.
I’ve had some great memories at Theatre 99. In the pre-pandemic days I went there a lot on Wednesday nights for the improv series. I love seeing this surge in comedy happening in Charleston lately and I would love to collaborate within that community more than we currently do.
I’m no good at math, but admire people who are. The inspiration for “Girl With The Abacus In Her Head” is my memory of a friend who easily solved math problems in her head by visualizing an abacus. The song’s not about her, but instead about anybody who has ever set aside a talent or an ambition, then struggled to make sense of that choice later in life. Hopefully the song’s chorus offers some encouragement that one’s potential can be reclaimed: Take care of your promise, and it’ll take care of you....
I’m no good at math, but admire people who are. The inspiration for “Girl With The Abacus In Her Head” is my memory of a friend who easily solved math problems in her head by visualizing an abacus. The song’s not about her, but instead about anybody who has ever set aside a talent or an ambition, then struggled to make sense of that choice later in life. Hopefully the song’s chorus offers some encouragement that one’s potential can be reclaimed: Take care of your promise, and it’ll take care of you.
“Girl With The Abacus In Her Head” is the first single off my upcoming album COSMIC CHECKOUT LANE, produced by Columbia music legend Todd Mathis, and available April 12, 2024 on all the major streaming platforms.
I hereby instate the Extra Chill Garden Club. Yes, this is a music forum. Yes, we also like gardening.
Today felt like the first day of Spring in Charleston. February 26th. Every year I get a little too excited around this time and plant things way too early. This year, I’m trying not to make that mistake. Although, I probably still will to some extent.
Gardening is a lifelong hobby. Each year you have a limited amount of time to learn and experiment as much as you can before the onset of...
I hereby instate the Extra Chill Garden Club. Yes, this is a music forum. Yes, we also like gardening.
Today felt like the first day of Spring in Charleston. February 26th. Every year I get a little too excited around this time and plant things way too early. This year, I’m trying not to make that mistake. Although, I probably still will to some extent.
Gardening is a lifelong hobby. Each year you have a limited amount of time to learn and experiment as much as you can before the onset of winter. Also, each year you are given a fresh start.
This year, I tore out all four of the garden beds that I built during the pandemic. I also tore out more than half of the grass in my backyard. I’m going to build an epic flower garden back there instead.
Pictures will be posted later. Any other gardening folks on Extra Chill?
Promoting shows is a constantly evolving game, and there are a lot of different strategies to achieve it. I’m a big fan of creative marketing ideas that are cheap and engaging. People who have worked with me over the years know that I like to stir the pot, and it works really well for marketing purposes.
I’m going to share some of my favorite methods for promoting shows off the top of my head and then come back to add more over time. If some of you dear visitors chime in we can create the...
Promoting shows is a constantly evolving game, and there are a lot of different strategies to achieve it. I’m a big fan of creative marketing ideas that are cheap and engaging. People who have worked with me over the years know that I like to stir the pot, and it works really well for marketing purposes.
I’m going to share some of my favorite methods for promoting shows off the top of my head and then come back to add more over time. If some of you dear visitors chime in we can create the collective bible of DIY concert promotion.
Selling Tickets 101
Full disclosure: I’m still a small time promoter. I just have a lot of ideas.
Collaboration
My favorite way to sell concert tickets is by creating collaborative content with the artists who are performing. Whether this is interviews, which are my bread and butter, or creative video content. It works wonders and it creates genuine value outside of advertisement. Doing collaborative work improves the overall spirit of a production and not only makes it seem like a bigger deal, it also makes it more rewarding for the people involved.
Starting Fake Beefs
Extra Chill’s most successful marketing scheme to date has been the fake beef between Nordista Freeze and Daddy’s Beemer that we used to promote our show at Royal American with Nordista Freeze in February 2020. People were really engaged with the plot, which was entirely invented and not really discussed but everybody was in on it. It worked and it was one of Extra Chill’s most successful events to date. Learn more about that here.
Collecting Emails
This is part of a long term strategy. Collect those emails. Over time, it snowballs into more and more people who you have direct access to communicating with. These are your number one supporters, or at least the ones who want to hear the information directly from the source. Email subscribers take the least amount of convincing to get them to press play or buy something.
Ads
Yes, ads. Buying ads works. Especially social media ads when it comes to selling concert tickets. Because your fans spend their time on social media. The bad thing about it is that it contributes to the social media masses. They have developed a pay-to-play algorithm where you can’t easily reach an audience if you’re trying to sell something unless you pay for an ad. It’s the unfortunate reality of the internet in 2024. Unless you are an algorithm-cracker (think Noah Kahan), which must of us are not.
Handing Out Flyers
This is such an old school method that is overlooked in the game of promoting concerts. Printing small, pocket-sized promotional flyers that have all the information needed to attend a show. Then, go out and show your face as much as possible in town during the weeks leading up to your show, and carry the flyers around with you.
Not only will people literally see you out and be reminded of your event subconsciously (if they know about it), you will also have the opportunity to hand out flyers to strangers. Those same strangers might be looking for something to do on the night of your show.
Hanging Posters
This one is also old school and it works. The more obvious locations the better. For instance, I saw one time that Easy Honey postered up the entirety of electrical poles on Calhoun street. They wrapped the poles completely in tape and it was awesome. Everyone who walked down Calhoun saw it.
So of course I stole that idea and did the same thing. You can’t really get away with it anymore because the city cracked down. But it works.
SEO
This is a big one and it drives Extra Chill. SEO. Such as, getting people searching the internet for “live music in Charleston” or whatever town you’re in to come play. This involves getting your show mentioned in local media, so that you enhance your presence on the web. This is part of what makes Extra Chill’s Live Music in Charleston roundup so valuable, because of how many people search for that each week and find us.
Ultimately, concert promotion is a multi-faceted game. These are just a handful of ideas to get the discussion started. I’m going to come back and add more over time, as technology evolves and as Extra Chill continues to grow. Others can feel free to chime in with their own ideas that work.
