Benefit for Brandy and Yuk

On September 1, 2011 at Sonar, a benefit show was put together for Yuk aka Mr. Livewire who recently celebrated the birth of his daughter Kaylee only to lose his wife at the same time. So the out-pour of compassion, love, concern and caring started with well wishes and offers to try and help this now single father of 4 through messages on Facebook as well as face to face at events.  Tay Tay of Tayland Promotions then put together a benefit show where the space at Sonar was donated, the flyer and djing was donated by DJ Jabril and everything that was taken in at the door went to Yuk and his family as well as people donating clothing.

The performances were picked by Yuk.  He wanted it to be a celebration for Brandy and that's what it was!! The night ended with Yuk performing and the last song was the one he wrote for Brandy after she had passed.  As I looked around I could see tears in the eyes of a lot of people. 

Sometimes it's not about you but someone else who may be going through things worse than you!

If you are interested in helping you can contact me, Tay Tay, or Yuk for more information!  

Below are just a few of the 517 pictures I took that night!  Even if you aren't a friend of mine on Facebook you should be able to see the pictures!!

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

 

 

 

The New Camera - Just A Couple Weeks Away

Well this is the camera I am getting I do believe!  I will be buying it in the next couple of weeks.  Nothing real fancy but an upgrade from what I was using.  

Thank you to those who have donated even just a $1 to try and help me!  Tay Tay collected $110 for me and wanted to do more!  Also I had a few others tell me they were going to give to the cause and that meant alot. So wit in the next week or so I will be going into debt sort to speak and buy this camera so I can take pictures once again.

But things will be different.  The definition of paparazzi is 

(plural of, paparazzo, nodot=1); freelance photographers who sell photographs of celebrities to the media, especially ones who pursue celebrities and attempt to obtain candid photographs.

I have been doing this for free and not asking anyone for anything unless they ask me to come to their show or if they wanted a photo shoot.  Then it becomes a job.

I am still going to be taking pictures for TayLand promotions and for EC because for one they have a "business" deal with me sort to speak and for two they have tried to do things for me because we have a mutual love and respect for one another.  Also I will still be taking pictures of those I consider family and real friends.  Any other pictures that I take can be bought and will have my logo or website on them so that it can't be cut off or I just won't be taking certain people's pictures.  Sorry but since July it has been an eye opener to how much bullshit people have tried to feed me.

I support you by buying your dvd or cd and you get asked to donate to the camera fund and you say you don't have any money or you just turn away.  LOL  So my kindness is not a weakness!  I wasn't even asking for the donations.  That was something that someone felt was only right seeing how I support and take pictures and try and help other local artists other than my "home team".

In life we are tested every day.  And I believe this was a test for me to see the bigger picture and the reality of what my "role" is in this scene.  And it was a test for those around me and a good majority failed.  LOL  Since my camera has been broken, the requests for me to attend shows and events have all but stopped.  LOL  So I really find it funny!!

So once again, thank you to everyone who has supported me and who have given and who have offered to give and who have just been true to me.  Thank you to those who haven't as well.  Without you showing me the real you, I might have continued to be a fool.

Tay Land Promotions aka Tay Tay

I wanted to do something different in a way!  Instead of doing a bio of an artist or group or a review of someone's cd, I wanted to give a special thanks to someone who since day one of meeting her has been a really caring person.

If you don't know who that is in the picture with me then you need to get to know her!!  Her name is Tay Tay and she is a promoter here in the Baltimore scene.  She puts on shows at Sonar and at Club Reality where she is also a bartender!  I met Tay through B.O.M.B. and Shy Lady Heroin when she was throwing shows and bar tending at Penguins.   She seemed really friendly and I soon seen that she was funny.  Tay isn't from Baltimore but you really couldn't tell it because of all the love she has shown for the local artists.

As time moved forward, she started throwing shows at Bedrock.  Her shows seemed to consist of known acts as well as people I had never heard of as well!  She seemed to be giving a shot to everyone who wanted to do a show!  Regardless of if they were wack or not.  I have became familiar with a few artists through Tay Tay!

When my camera broke Tay was like the 4th person to suggest taking up a collection to help buy me a new camera.  The reasoning was that I have taken pictures for free of just about every artists, rapper and wanna be since 2008.  Now my whole thing was that I wasn't sure how some people would feel about people wanting to get money together to buy me a camera something like what others had bought for themselves!  But then again I don't charge for the show pictures and the photo shoots I have done for people were so cheap I was basically doing them for nothing.

In 2008, I went to 60 shows and took a total of 6,870 pictures.  In 2009, I went to 41 shows and took 3,832 pictures!!  And so far in 2010, I have gone to 37 shows and took 4,396 pictures.  Not to mention the 11 photo shoots and other events I have done and taken 539 pictures for those.  Of those 11, I got paid for 3!   That is a total of  15,637 pictures in 2 and a half years.

So Tay took up a collection at her Purple and Green Event on August 18th.  She collected $61.  I was appreciative of it because I wasn't expecting anyone to give but a $1 or $2.  I wasn't expecting anything for real!  I was just happy that Tay cared enough about what I love and what I do to even try!

So Tay, thank you for all that you do, have done and will do in this music business!  That's why when out of town artists ask me about shows I send them your way.

I love ya Tay Tay!!!