This is my first time posting on this forum and I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself while showing my gratitude to Todd Johnson and Spin Nightclub for allowing me to operate both as an artist and as a promoter at their venue.
For as long as I have lived in Indianapolis and been active in the music scene (2000-2004 & 2008-present) I've always been one of those people that others really love and appreciate or just completely write off...no common medium whatsoever.
Between 2002-2004 I performed quite frequently at both the Patio, Tiki Bob's, and The Cube as both M-Eighty (Emcee) and as Matt Markoff (Bassist for the Punk Rock band The Drug Sluts). To this day I give my praises to people like Ron Miner "Indiana Jones" and Rusty from the Mudkids for providing me with the opportunities to grow as a local artist and display my talents in public forums when no one else would give me the time of day. It was these show opportunities in Indianapolis that truly opened the door for me to network with other like-minded artists locally, nationally, and internationally and afford me with the opportunity to spend my days working professionally in the music industry as an A&R and an Artist.
From 2004-2008 I lived in California and obtained my Law Degree (yep, M-Eighty has a juris doctorate) and spent my summers living in New York building the label Think Differently Music Group alongside the RZA and Dreddy Kruger. As an A&R, I have appeared 3 times on the Billboard Top 200 charts since 2005 for albums including "Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture", Bronze Nazareth's "The Great Migration", and GZA's "Pro-Tools" and simulatenously became the 1st Indianapolis based artist to receive a national recording contract with my group "Almighty" in 2008 (Babygrande Records/Red Eye Distribution) and achieve the #1 single on the Top 40 Underground Hip-Hop Charts for the song "Handle the Heights" (Canibus/M-Eighty/Bronze Nazareth/Keith Murray).
Is any of this a big deal to anyone in Indianapolis?...not at all, and this gets me directly to my point.
I consider myself a very humble, easy going person who pretty much sticks to myself, my family, and my loved ones whenever I am not having to be in the public eye. (Its always the people who boast the most who really have no worthy accomplishments to discuss) Prior to moving back to Indianapolis, I was introduced to Todd Johnson over the phone and told him of my interest to bring more national talent to Indianapolis. See, having lived in both California and New York spolied me to the core. San Francisco is like having 10 different broadripples in a 7' x 7' radius and NYC is like having a dozen different downtowns to run through...my point is that you can always find something to occupy your time. Everyday of the week I could see an amazing concert (rock/hip-hop/punk/techno/etc) or go to a major league sporting event (Yankees/Knicks/Giants/Warriors/Athletics/etc) or just some absolute randomness like getting invited to a party at Andre Agassi's house hosted by Duran Duran or maurading through the secret underworld of both San Francisco and New York City. (Fortunately I still finished law school with a 3.0 average)
Todd recognized very early on that I was a very no nonsense type of person and I was someone willing to work as hard as possible in order to preserve my integrity and good spirit with those who I maintain prosperous business and friendship ties with. Every national act that came through Spin since 2008 I funded out of pocket and Todd was gracious enough to provide me with a venue to host these events whereas other venues wanted sometimes between $1,000-$3,000 just to hold my events there on top of paying for the talent, the promotions, etc. Every show had amazing turnouts and it was for the first time that many people in Indy (regardless of their musical preferences) began to show their appreciation for my efforts. Artists like Black Sheep, Keith Murray, Canibus, Digable Planets, Paul Wall, Killah Priest, Spice One, and more all graced the stage at Spin which marked a very good time for me and showed the naysayers and controllers of Broadripple that it is possible to do great hip-hop events without the threat of violence and other intolerance that often plagues the good nature of these artists, the promoters, and the fans who come to see their favorite artists knowing that this opportunity may never surface again.
As an artist, I am very saddened by the news that Spin Nightclub has closed its doors because I loved their staff (especially John Martin who is hands down one of the best Sound Enginneers I have ever met) and I loved performing on their stage knowing the great deal of history and talent that has left its presence both as The Patio and as Spin in its short existence. I am fortunate enough to have performed throughout the entire United States and have seen firsthand how good music and a good spirit affects others who want to follow in your foot steps. For those who have not shared in this same fortune and are among the Indianapolis and greater Indiana arts community, whether immediately or through time, the closing of Spin will definitely plague us all. There was a point in time where Broadripple was considered an Arts Community and that is why people from all walks of life took to its establishments, its friendly environment, and local businesses. Well, the times have changed and now it is the community that has to pay the ultimate price. Spin Nightclub will probably become a white castle or something along those lines that all the masses can enjoy as they exit Rock lobster or Landsharks or Brother's (by the way, i never thought I'd live in a city where a sports bar was the main attraction...wow!) and instantly forget that Spin or the Patio ever existed. I applaud venues like Birdy's, the Emerson Theatre, Melody Inn, and more for really standing behind the Arts here in Indianapolis. The Vogue definitely does its part too but only time will tell if the Vogue will be willing to extend a helping hand to someone of my caliber and allow me to run events in their establishment for the ultimate benefit of the people of Indianapolis.
In closing, I extend a great debt of gratitude to Todd Johnson for taking a chance on me and allowing me to prosper within the confines of Indianapolis when no one else was willing to do so. I sincerely wish you nothing but good fortune and to the staff at Spin and its many patrons I have the gracious opportunity of meeting, I thank you for your appreciation and generosity.
M-Eighty
www.myspace.com/holytoledoproductions-------------------------------------------------------------
Side Note:
The D-12 Show on Saturday September 19th will now be hosted at the Ice Lounge Downtown.
**The 8/5 Onyx show and the 8/22 Black Sheep shows have been cancelled along with my July events.