Radford’s Quadfest hit by swine flu
May 1st, 2009 by Infinite Skillz in Concerts, Making N.O.I.S.E.Swine flu
Noun Pathology:
A form of influenza caused by overly aggressive pigs (also known as law enforcement professionals) that occurs commonly after close encounters with these infectious vermin. Symptoms include nausea, despair, and a general lack of a good time.
After a successful performance at the State Theatre in St. Petersburg, I caught a flight this past Friday to rock mics with the rest of B.A.S.E. Inc at Radford University’s Quadfest 2009 in Virginia. We were all excited to play a show together for the first time on our home turf. Little did we know that we were the ones about to get played.
We arrived on Radford’s campus after the four-hour trek from northern Virginia. It was still too early to check into our hotel so we decided hit up the Alpha Sigma Phi frat house where we were scheduled to perform and maybe sneak a sound check in. Despite several earlier assurances that the DJ would have everything we needed, we discovered that he did not.
We had three mics. He had one mic input.
Rather than get upset, we dipped out to find the local music store. The folks at Barry’s Music (17 years and counting) were quite helpful but didn’t have any more four-channel mixers. It was apparently a really big party weekend at Radford and they were sold out. They did, however, direct us to the local Radio Shack. That store informed us that they too were lacking what we needed but secured the necessary goods at their Roanoke branch. We headed there immediately, but by now it was 30 minutes after we were scheduled to perform. Our gracious guests agreed to the delay and just told DJ Bonds to keep spinning.
Radford and Roanoke are separated by 50 miles of the pig infested Interstate 81 highway. It was here that F.a.T fell victim to the Virginia strain of swine flu. Allegedly, he was clocked doing 78 miles per hour in a 65MPH zone. I say allegedly because we noticed the unmarked vehicle ahead of us and were only going 60mph when we passed him. I say allegedly because this moving unmarked car is supposedly equipped with the ability to get a radar reading from an antenna placed in the back or front windshield allowing it to read data from all directions provided they are coming from the same plane. I say allegedly because the officer said “I clocked you doing about 78.”
About? Where exactly is “about” on a radar gun/antenna?
While being delayed and detained, it was discovered F.a.T’s license had been suspended unbeknownst to him because of an unpaid parking ticket last month. Our radar technician-slash-patrolmen, who looked a lot like Farva from Super Troopers, notified Jake of his suspended status since the party responsible for suspending his license had failed to do so. Oh, and he confiscated his license on the spot, meaning yours truly got to drive the rest of the way. We finally made it to Roanoke around 3 p.m. with no further trouble and bought what we needed. Our friends at Radio Shack didn’t tell us the mixer didn’t come with a power source or batteries but that was nothing a quick trip to 7/11 couldn’t fix.
We finished introducing ourselves to crowd of almost 300 party-minded students and I turned around to tell Bonds to play the first track in our set, “Smokers Only.” Instead of hitting me with the beat, he dropped a facial expression bomb while pointing behind me in equal parts terror and disgust.
An assorted dozen of local police officers stormed the field, turning our felicitous crowd into fleeing mob. I wasn’t aware that cops could break up parties on private property in the middle of the day. There were no noise complaints or fights.
We weren’t even having wet t-shirt contests like the house across the street. Just music and beer. Perhaps some of the kids were not quite old enough to drink. The officers sure were not checking IDs. They simply told everyone, “If you don’t live here, you gotta go.” Unfortunately, this prodigal son’s triumphant return was thwarted by a sinister strain of swine flu.
May 1st, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Dude. You have the worst luck with these shows. You’re like the Charlie Brown of MCs!
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:22 pm
The swine flu is more serious than I thought.
I’m pretty sure cops can’t bust in without a warrant, unless there was some sort of complaint, and when they got there they had reason to believe there was illegal activities going on inside .
May 2nd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
cops dont need any kind of warrant to break up and outside party, or “mob” as they referred to. Cops can do pretty much anything they want to in these times. its pretty shitty that they felt the need to break up a good time waiting to happen. i hope you guys get some better luck in the future with these shows, and knowing you, i know this wont knock you off your hustle.
whatcha gonna do when the swine flu comes for you.
uhh
May 2nd, 2009 at 1:39 pm
This story makes me angry.
You should send the Radford PD a bill for your airfair, time and gas money.
I don’t understand why it’s so difficult for these people to figure out their mic situation before it’s too late.
May 2nd, 2009 at 1:56 pm
911 is a joke…
May 2nd, 2009 at 2:02 pm
thats pretty sgitty man, i too have been the victim of the abuse of the power our law enforcement is given. i do have to stand by the statement that there are good cops out ther,unfortunateky theres not enough and 75 percent get the job because they were teased or beat up in school so now”everyone gets to pay” i have felt for a long time that our laws and law enforcement need to be revamped severely.
best of luck to you in the next show
May 2nd, 2009 at 2:26 pm
yo man, that sucks! but now you see why Radford is not on my map! i too hate the swine flu
May 2nd, 2009 at 3:15 pm
oink oink.
May 2nd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
that would never happen in the BURG. oink oink.
May 2nd, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Man Jeremy, that sucks. What’s up with the guys that hired you though. They definitely should have had their stuff together better than that. Hope they still paid you for all your trouble.
May 2nd, 2009 at 5:11 pm
the difference between cops in va and cops in st. pete = shit like this. . .
May 2nd, 2009 at 7:40 pm
good read infy
May 2nd, 2009 at 8:14 pm
And now the rest of the story…
The police cuold have written all of the band members a $100 ticket for violating the noise ordinance, they didn’t. The resident in charge of the party could have also gotten a ticket, the police gave him a warning. Lastly, the resident in charge asked the police for assistance in dispersing the party. All and all the police were pretty cool to you guys and the party was broken up by the person who lived at the residence. Quit whinning, the music sucked anyhow!
May 2nd, 2009 at 9:53 pm
@Craig
You are wrong and an obvious carrier of the Swine Flu.
1. If the resident in charge wanted the party to disperse, he could have told us. I can do in ONE sentence what it took a dozen cops to do. A well-wielded microphone is a very powerful thing. The crowd was very much under control.
2. The OWNER of the house was there while we were setting up and his only request was that the girls who got up on the roof to get a better view of the show come down.
3. There were parties at every house in every direction as far as the eye could see and it was the middle of the day. None of the neighbors would have filed a noise complaint.
4. Even if they had, all we did was introduce ourselves. Before that the DJ played music (for hours) with no incident. How can you say we suck if we never performed?
5. I appreciate the fact that you took the time to read and respond to my blog, but it is far from whining. I guarantee you would not have been amused if your time and resources were so unnecessarily laid to waste.
6. Bite me.
May 3rd, 2009 at 12:53 am
Craig = owned
May 3rd, 2009 at 1:46 am
Craig = dead hahahaha
that was just about all the proof we needed to know that Infinites story wasnt made up or exagerrated since Craig decided to show proof of faggotry
Nice try
Inf good luck in the future and hope we get a cure to the Swine flu DISEASE
May 3rd, 2009 at 1:47 am
p.s. by disease i meant the fact that those assholes are a disease to society when they pull shit like this
May 3rd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Craig, what is “whinning,” anyhow??
May 3rd, 2009 at 2:56 pm
fuck those pigs.
May 3rd, 2009 at 6:54 pm
yea the cops could have just arrested everyone and came in there with S.W.A.T and tear gassed the whole crowd….but they didnt. lol fuck out of here with that homo shit.
everything inf said owns
fuck a craig
May 4th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Skillz, that was quite the well-thought-out, well-written response to such a douchebag. Bravo!
And jeez, man, talk about luck. You could write a comedy of errors memoir, “My Life as a Performer, or A Series of Great and Fucked Gigs”
May 4th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
CRAIG IS A BITCH!!! CRAIG PROBABLY WAS THERE & THE LAW HAD HIM SQUEELING LIKE A PIG IN THE BACK OF THEIR CARS.
IF I WAS THERE, YOU WOULDVE PLAYED!!!!!! I WOULDVE DROPPED THE NEEDLE ON THE RECORD, TURNED UP THE MICS AND BEEN LIKE……….
YOUR NEVER GONNA TAKE US ALIVE COPPERS!!!!!!
May 6th, 2009 at 4:33 am
bent, it’s going to be okayyyy <3
May 6th, 2009 at 11:39 am
Why do you always have the worst luck Inf?
Anyway, I’ll be back on American soil soon and freelancing as a bodyguard/swine flu antibiotic.
Will work for free music :)
May 6th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Enygma!!!!!!!!
where the fuck you been homie lol
you stopped posting on the fag lab so i was like damn i hope this dude is ok. last i knew you were overseas, than its like you were M.I.A so yea, glad to see your alive dude.
May 8th, 2009 at 6:35 am
I’m in a new location over in Afghanistan now. I don’t really have access to any forum related websites. I should be back in the states in about a month or two.