mainframe

where the @#$% have we been?

I am eating breakfast at my favorite spot in the neighborhood for two dollars and ninety nine cents. And I thought this would be the best time to catch you up on what's been going on. When I wrote in last, I had just left Whistler. We hit the studio a few days later and recorded a sick song. No title yet, but the beat is by Rob and he's on one. About a week later, we flew into Fort McMurray. Well, Mad and Rob did, I got little too hammered the night before and tried to pull an all nighter, but fell asleep as soon as I sat on my bed to decide what to pack. I caught a later flight and it all worked out though. We were playing a string of 3 shows at one of our favorite venues, Showgirls. All three gigs, were for The Miranda Family Foundation, a great cause to help a mother of three, get the proper medication for her children. Combined with donations, ticket sales,and auction items, I heard we hit $100,000. That feels good. We rocked Fort Mac, Grand Prairie, and Edmonton. Thanks to all our people at Showgirls. Back home for a show a few days later in Squamish. A small club, but great vibe. It was called The Ocean Pacific. One of our friends owns part of it so we were well taken care of. Then there was a week and a half of getting things lined up for Beautiful Death Machine, followed by prep for the video shoot of Pressure, coming up this Monday. When those things were in motion, it was time for Mad and I to take a trip to Miami. Mad got a tattoo. Hint Hint. The next day, Nelly Furtado was playing at Hard Rock Live in Ft. Lauderdale. She hooked us up with VIP passes and we had a great time, proud of that girl. After party at a cool club called Mansion. Luckily for Mad and I, it was right across the street from our hotel, we had an early wake up and flight to Pittsburgh. Landed and crashed out. Next morning, we hit the radio station with Rob and Big. The weekend was already shaping up to be crazy. Dinner with the crew that night, show the next day. The DC Backyard BBQ, was held in the parking lot of the Monroeville Mall, and was home to 5,000 people, in and out during the course of the day. Moto Cross, bmx, skate, music, a winning combination. When we took stage, there was a cool 1200 heads watching. Some of them were first time Swollen listeners, and I know we got a lot of peoples interest. Brick by Brick yo. Had the Swollen Army back to the hotel for beers, pizza, and game 6 of the Cavs/Pistons series. Next morning, early flight again, home, chilled. The opening of the Deuce store in L.A. is around the corner and I cant wait. Sorry it's been so long since my last entry my bad. We have a private show on the 9th but, my Nephew is graduating, so I have to pull double duty that day. Next thing is the video shoot on Monday. I will have someone put up photos and a full review on my part. Have a good week. Prevail aka Cannonball Crush.

05 Jun 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Prevail in Whistler

Last weekend I made a trip up to Whistler for the Telus Ski and Snowboard Festival. I go every year and my role in the event changes annually. Sometimes it's a full on Swollen show. Sometimes I help to announce the Big Air competition. This weekend past, all I had to do was thank everyone for coming to the fashion show, rock a quick freestyle, and take my leave. As I stroll out on the catwalk, people start getting me hyped. I see a lot of familiar faces and I am loving it. The main part of the stage is sunken down a few feet by way of a staircase. As I jump down from the catwalk to hit the stage, where a group of drummers is awaiting me, I knock myself almost unconscious on the top bar of the scaffolding. My glasses and hat are gone, I can hear the mic rolling across the stage, and 400 people in the crowd saying, " Oh Shit!" My adrenalin and pride picked me back up off the ground in two seconds flat and I started rhyming like nothing happened. They weren't the kind of freestyles that would have won me a Scribble Jam title, but under the circumstances, I was just happy to not be in the back of an ambulance. I think it might be on YouTube The snowboarding the next day was illin!! Rob came up with Roger Swan, our engineer, and a couple crew members from our posse. That night was the Big Air. The main event of the week long festivities. Rob and I rocked my verse from Deep End, both Mad and I's verses from Fuel Injected and all of Lady Venom. I crowdsurfed and it made up for the night before. Luckily this was the night in front of 10,000 people, not vice versa. Chilled for about half an hour and then hopped back on stage to introduce Rahzel. He murdered it. The best part of it was I was still in my gear from riding earlier, boots and all. Sunday was a wicked day of riding too. The week was good. Rob has been making beats and Mad and I have been writing to them. Beautiful Death Machine is going to be a classic. Right now I'm sitting in First Class on my way to L.A. with Deuce. We are meeting up with Terry and Rob to look over the construction of the new store on Melrose and do some brainstorming. I will hit up Palm Springs on Sunday to catch the last day of Cochella too. Enjoy your weekend and be safe. P - W O N.

08 May 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Pitt Meadows/Kelowna

Thursday had all the makings of a classic. Rooster's has earned the reputation of a rowdy party spot. We hooked up with our friend Hal again, but this time he was backed by a band called Voltz. The packed house was feeling it. We rocked an energetic set and the crowd was getting us hyped. After the show, I got a little seperated from the crew and ended up taking a cab all the way home. I had shot a few tv spots with CBC and Shaw, earlier in the day so I crashed hard. Next morning I met up with Rob and we made our way out to hook up with Hal and Paul for a ride to K-Town. Gotcha's is a legendary club in Kelowna and the show was sold out in advance. The speakers at this place are powerful enough to rock a small stadium. The show was nasty. We had half the crowd on stage during Lady Venom. Damn near perfect night. We went to a dope ass party afterwards and got lit. Rob and I were supposed to drive back at noon. Rob ended up flying that evening and I didn't leave until the following day. Great weekend trip. Congratulations to the Canucks for clinching the division. Tomorrow is Game 1 and we are going to crush! Our next show isn't for a couple weeks but I will keep you up to date before then. Cool Out. Prevail

10 Apr 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Prince George/Prince Rupert

We flew into Prince George nice and early. Our hotel was attached to the Treasure Trove Casino, where we were also playing that night. Took the day to chill and get ready for the show. We brought D.J. ItchyRon from Sweatshop Union to spin before and after our set. It worked out perfectly. The pre sales were great and we were looking forward to the show. Busy it was. The crowd was hyped and we had a great group of friends with us too. After rocking the house, we walked across the parking lot to The Publik, had a plate of food and then went to an afterparty at our friends House. Thank you for that. The next morning we were facing an 8 hour drive to Prince Rupert. It started snowing pretty heavily and, half an hour from the hotel, we had to ditch one of the vehicles and leave it for the tow truck. Six of us in a pick up, we make our way into the city. Crashed out hard. Next morning was nasty out but I hit up the gym and walked around for a minute anyway. We had 3 shows in a row at a spot called The Underground. Thursday was recently added but still filled up. Wicked crowd. Set the pace for the next 2 shows and word got around town quickly, the Swollen show is rowdy. Perfect. Hit an afterparty at Rain and then on to the homies to continue the festivities. Hungover Friday morning. Slept in, ate, slept, woke up, ate, chilled, hit the gym, ate, slept, woke up, drank, rocked the show. It was a different group of people every night at the show and that's exactly what we were hoping for. This one was sold out and cracking off. Afterwards hit up Rain for some food and called it a night. Saturday was all about NCAA. Good games and tonight's showdown should be a classic. This time I thought I would hit up my favorite restaurant in P.R. before the show. Caught up with a friend who was living up there part time and then back to my room to prepare for the madness. Everyone was calling Saturday as the big one. Sold out and wilin'. A perfect way to end the series. Shout out to the security staff who were on their game like gangsters. And to the girl who rocked with us live on stage during Breathe. All my folks at Rain and my homeboy Mike L. Oh, and we won a Juno that night too! Best Rap Recording of 2006 for Black Magic. As if it wasn't a great weekend anyway, that was a nice surprise and a good group of heads to celebrate it with. Our next gig is on Wednesday and I can't wait. Shouts to the wonderful Northern B.C.ers and I'll talk to you guys in a couple days. Peace It Out. Cannonball Crush.

02 Apr 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Aldergrove

We had a wicked show the other night with our brother Hal and our friends Shocore. Mustang's was sold out and Aldergrove was ready to paaartaaay. The backstage area was fun before the show, just catching up with old friends and draining the life out of a bottle of Goose. We hit the stage on fire and the crowd kept the energy up all night for us. It feels good to be able to rock for your local peeps and get some home time in. Thanks to Joye and Tim who have helped us on so many levels it's unreal. I had a chance to hang with Ms. Furtado earlier in the evening and laced her with a Deuce Hoodie, she loved it. Unfortunately her show started right when I had to leave for mine so I couldn't catch the performance but I know she smashed it. Speaking of Deuce, he flew to L.A. this morning to be on an episode of Family Jewels with Gene Simmons. Yeah broski! Things are good and now we are in Prince George for another sold out gig. Yo, I also want to give a mad shout to Lindsey Lohan for rocking the Swollen Skullcandy Headcrushers at a party she was djaying a few weeks back. C'mon that's dope. Our hotel is attached to the Casino we are playing in and I think I may go test my luck at the slots for a minute. Look for an update tomorrow evening and have a good Tuesday. Prevail Wonder.

27 Mar 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Okemo/Killington

Jake! Our tour manager who most of you will remember from Swollen TV, made infamous by his patented "It's time to go work" chant. We hadn't seen him in a while so it was good to catch up . Luckily for us it was a day off the next morning and all we did was sleep. I made a pot roast with all the goods and we smashed down. It was a movie night and an early crash. The snow was falling to the tune of 21 inches fresh and Rob and I were up at 7:30 to ride. Unfortunately the rain came sometime while we were sleeping and took away all our fun. The show that night was at Christophers and it was St.Patrick's Day. Packed. Fire Marshall hazard packed. Awesome energy. The stage was 6 inches off the ground so we were pretty much right in the crowds face. Rowdy evening and I look forward to a return. Shout out to Dope Dave and Mark and Andre and co for the love yo. Battleaxe Warriors for life. The next days drive was a mere 30 minutes to Killington. The Pickle Barrel is a dope spot. This show was exactly the right vibe to wrap up a tour. Nice and loud and great people. The band house felt like it was haunted so I slept in the truck. We drove to the airport in Burlington and made our way home. Two days of sleep and we have a show tonight. I'm on my way to drop by and say what up to Nelly, she is rocking in Vancouver tonight. Our show is a ways out of town so I will not be able to see her gig but I still want to say YO KILL IT GIRL. Saukretes is traveling with her too and I haven't seen the homie in a while either. The weekend is approaching and we have a handful of shows. Look out for a posting on Monday of the weekends events and an update of tonights show. Be good y'all. And massive shout out to Zodak, good to talk to to you today brother. Cannonball Crush

22 Mar 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in London/Prague

Jetlag has finally let go of me and I feel caught up to the time zone. The show in London was at the famous Jazz Cafe. Zapp played the early show and we went on afterwards. The crowd was international for sure. Partly friends from Canada and partly friends from the States, the rest were our English homies. We had a great time. It was a more intimate show but those sometimes are the best. Shout out to the whole crew. I did end up spending the day off in London and I was glad I did. My dear friend Zain, took me to the Tate Britain and then we went on a whirlwind tour from there. We ran into Rob and our homegirl Steph and we teamed up for the rest of the day. Momo's, The Absolut Ice Bar, Sketch, The Purple Bar at The Sanderson, back to Momo's and then to The Collection, where we smoked apple flavored shishsa from a hookah. We ate a proper English Breakfast at 3 in the morning and my flight was early. Due to a slight miscommunication we missed our flight to Prague. Spent a cool 7 hours at the airport and then flew to the city of a thousand bridges. I think thats one of Praha's nicknames. The Lucerna Music Bar has a huge stage to work with and the sound was pretty crackin. Great crowd. A shitload of stage diving. Some crashes but they were so hype they shook it right off. Had a nice chat with a fellow Vancouverite and then back to the castle that had been converted into a hotel for a good night's sleep. We were on our way to Vermont but it was a lengthy journey. When we arrived at the airport I started looking for the promoter or a driver to get us to Okemo. As I turn the corner, who do I see but..

22 Mar 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Wil/Munich

I'm sitting in my hotel room with a great view of Camden Lock. Just spoke with the promoter for the show tonight and she said they have never had a request from a rap group for cordless mics. Well aren't they in for a pleasant surprise. Switzerland was dope. Wil is a nice little city and is as clean as you can get. Remise was the name of the venue and Chris had the sound rocking. Shout out to Ruven for taking good care of us too. Another sold out gig and the crowd was on one. Sick show super fucking energy. I kicked it for a while after the show because the dj was killing it, and I was getting offered hash left right and center and I like hash a lot. There are no hotels in Wil so we stayed outside of town in a little burg. The drive yesterday went by pretty fast and before I knew it we were in Munich. Buildings there are ill and the church in Marienplatz is definitely outstanding. The Atomic Cafe was full too. With only two shows left on the tour, it looks like we might be able to go home with the bragging rights that every gig was left without a ticket to be had. Besides a few technical difficulties with the sound, the show was off the rack. The crowd hung with us through the audio problems and we just kept rocking and feeding off the room. Next time we will have it all figured out and we look forward to giving Munich the full Swollen experience on our next visit. Thank you to Stefan for letting me tour the building after the show. This morning we said goodbye to the best tour manager we have ever had, our brother Nils. You fucking rule and thanks to Karin from Subotage as well for bringing us back out to Europe, your support of our group from the very beginning has been amazing and very much appreciated. Although London is clearly one of the most diverse and exciting cities in the world, I am toying with the idea of jumping on a cheap flight from Gatwick tomorrow and spending our day off in Prague. I am in need of a little chill time and if I stay here I know I will be in and out of the world class galleries all day, tripping around doing the tourist thing. We shall see what the cards hold for me. Tonight should be ridiculous so check me tomorrow for the details. I'm starving and in need of a Guinness. I must also remember not to throw up the peace sign in the same way as we know it in North America, I would hate for it to be taken in the wrong way. Ta. Previtty Prev. What up to the Infamous Cardin Brothers!!!

12 Mar 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Linz/Oslo/Zurich

My deepest apologies friends. The internet connections in the hotels have been insanely expensive and I have fallen behind a few days on posting news. I tried about five times to post the Linz news and all I was able to do was a sentence of pure nonsense. In no way did I intend to post a bunch of random letters, that was a test and you can imagine my frustration when that the only thing I was able to enter. Kapu, the bar in Linz, was off the hook. We packed 200 in a very small room and it was hotter than Hell's Kitchen. The crowd was outstanding. After the show we had a homecooked meal of spaghetti, carrot and ginger soup, and tiramisu. Yeah boyeee. Next morning we drove to the airport in Munich and flew into Oslo. The promoter Chris was awesome and we knicknamed him pssht pssht due to the fact he got into a scrap just before the show and punched some dude out. Bla was the name of the venue although it was anything but. Once again sold out and jamming. We hadn't been since the tour with Souls and I was really looking forward to it. The hotel was a shithole though. It had a squeegee in the shower so you could clean the floor when were done bathing. Nasty. We had an official afterparty and Rob and I kicked it there for around an hour. Next morning, flew back from Oslo to Munich, picked up the car and drove to Zurich. Last night at Dynamo drew 650 heads and they were ready for us. Talk about wiling out. Can't wait to get back to that city to perform again. A mellow half hour trip today and we ended up in Wil. A small very European village that is rumored to rock out. Swollen style for sure. Rob and I just finished soundcheck and this place bangs. They usually have punk shows here so it fits our energy level well. I finished Don Quitoxe two days ago and now I have my sights set on Faust. It must be all the shows we are doing in Germany. I think a nap is in order. I have been doing a fair bit of interviews and yesterday morning was a great tv show in Norway we all took part in. I must say, the future of the Swollen Movement in Europe looks extremely positive. If we just keep grinding, it will all fall in place. You guys are the best, have a sick Saturday night and drink a bottle of water before you crash out tonight, it helps with the hangover. Your Brother in Arms, Prevail the Merciless.

10 Mar 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Athens

If you haven't yet been to Athens, go! The show was packed and the crowd is getting more and more hip hop shows all the time thanks to DJ Noize and Co. I crowdsurfed all the way to the bar, drank a Mythos ( Greek Beer ) and ran back to the stage in time for the chorus. We had a great show. The response deemed us worthy of being invited back in the summer for a mini tour of Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal. WHAT!!! Yesterday was our first day off and we travelled for a few hours to make it here to Linz Austria. Serene, calm and picturesque, we had a killer Italian meal at Pizzeria Amici. Thanks to the staff who took amazing care of us and even brought us a free round of grappa and dessert. Today Rob and I had plans to check out the city and go to the Musuem. We both ended up waking at 5. Oops. Smashed down a late lunch early dinner and now back at the Ibis Hotel sending you guys this entry. Tonight will be a smaller capacity show, hauling in a cool 200 heads to the gig. Tomorrow is Norway and heres a Swollen fact for my old school Members. If you can remember the photo from Balance where Mad and I ( he with cowboy hat me with short afro ) are standing facing each other in front of a Totem Pole, that camoflauge jacket I was wearing was bought from a second hand store in Oslo for $5. This tour so far has really sparked our motivation and when we get home we will continue to record tracks for Beautiful Death Machine with great fervour. There is a very patient Aussie waiting to use the computer so I gotta jet. My friends, be well, I will hit you up in the afternoon after we arrive and I have a chance to do some vintage shopping. Peace Out!!! P-Won

07 Mar 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Hamburg

Should I tell you I'm just kicking it Greece doing it big in Athens waiting to rock the house with Gza, Main Flow, Freestyle, and b-boy Junior? Too late. Anybody ever been out here? Illin. It's awesome. The promoters are on their game and people couldn't be friendlier. We are going to hit up The Parthenon on the way to the gig and take some flicks. But the full Athens experience comes in tomorrows enrty, and it will be good stuff. Last night was Hamburg at the Waagenbau and it was off the rails. Speaking of rails, we played underneath a train station that was in operation while we were performing. It added a certain element of power that is hard to desrcibe. As Madchild said, " You can't get anymore underground than this." Packed to the walls and rowdy. A perfect situation to turn out the house. Lots of Swollen t shirts in the crowd and a ton of crowdsurfing by the audience. One of the homies hit the deck pretty hard but he shook it off and came back to the show later on. We even had the crowd singing happy birthday to one of their boys! It's exactly the same in German as it is in English. That was dope. After the show we kicked it for a bit and then Rob and I wandered around to see the legendary Ripperbahn district. He has never seen anything like it and I thought it would be a different experience for him. 20 minutes and a chicken donair later I started surfing YouTube looking for the footage from Skaters Palace. I couldn't find it so if anybody knows the key words, hit us up on MySpace and Rob will relay the info to me. Thank you. Woke up, ate, hit the airport and flew into Zurich for a quick layover. And then, all of a sudden, the sun started to shine in the window next to my seat and I knew we were close to Greece. Tonight is a big show. 1500 heads and they are going to get the full Swollen introduction. I can't wait. The food is great, the city is vibrant and I am going to be on one tonight. I hear a bottle of vodka somewhere calling my name and I feel obliged to answer it's call. This is the start of a new week my friends, face it with confidence and an open mind. Live life to the fullest and enjoy yourselves. I gotsta go. Kalinikta.

05 Mar 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Gotenburg

Sweden has been blessed with a special kind of magic that is rare. I still have many places to travel and explore but for the cities I have been fortunate to see and experience, Gotenburg is on my list as one of the best. A brisk evening walk last night, led me to a cool restaurant called Vino Bar. I walked into Nina Simone playing on the radio and a table of folks who were having a few pre Swollen show drinks. I ate a plate of venison with pappardelle and washed it down with a glass of Rippaso. After dinner I joined the table of S&M enthusiasts for an Aquavit and a beer. They were a few years into their rap career and they have a posse called the Apollo Crew. Great conversation and then a stroll back to the hotel left me with not much time to get ready for the show. When we arrived at Club Scratch you knew it was going to be off the hook. Sold out and hot and ready to go crazy. From the first song the energy just kept building. Lots of crowdsurfing. We had about 30 people come up to us after the show and say it was their favorite gig in a long time. Now that's what I'm talking about! This morning came way too early but breakfast made up for it. Drove for a few hours, got back on the ferry to Germany and made our way to Hamburg. Crashed out and then did an interview with my homegirl Bianca. Before I forget, search YouTube for a clip of me climbing the scaffolding in Munster. The club was called Skaters Palace. Tonight was another classic but you'll have wait until tomorrow to read about it, sorry, the chicken donair is making me very very sleeeeeeeeeeee

04 Mar 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Munster

What up y'all. After downing a couple Erdinger Dunkel's, I was in prime show mode. The venue, Cassiopeia, was sponsored by RDS and the German Team was in the house. RA had just finished when we walked in and gave us the thumbs up that the crowd was hype. It was an indoor skatepark so it was hard to tell how many heads in total but I'm going to say 1000. All of whom were ready to rock. I climbed up the scaffolding and shocked the shit out of the promoter, don't he know I'm loco? A cool 15 feet above the crowd ripping rhymes is all in a days work. The Swollen Army was well represented too! By the time our set was coming to a close, we felt like we weren't done yet and, the crowd agreed. A short but powerful encore and then back to the dressing room for a couple interviews before Jedi mind tricks killed it. Hit the merch booth for a minute too and hung with RA. That cat is cool as fuck. Chilled with JMT for a hot second then back to the hotel for a 5am departure. Look out for all three of us touring together real soon. Took the ferry into Denmark and then drove here, to Goteborg Sweden. I just knocked out an hour and fifteen minute radio interview and am starving. I am going to walk into town and find some Aquavit and a plate of food. We don't go on tonight until 1am so I have a bit of time to explore. I should be sleeping right now but the traveler in me says go and be adventurous. I can sleep when I'm dead right? Or after the show works too. Check in with me tomorrow and I'll have full details of the evening at hand. Med vanlig halsning( Yours sincerely ) Prevail.

03 Mar 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Berlin

Does Berlin rhyme with whirlwind? If it doesn't it should. The show last night was off the hook! Has anyone ever tried to type on a European keyboard? This shit is killing me, instead of the top row of letters spelling qwerty, it spells qwertz and the y is on the bottom left. After a long trip that went by surprisingly fast, we landed in Berlin. Rob and I did a few interviews while Mad caught up on some much needed rest. Cassiopeia is not only the name of a star but, also a sick nightclub nestled amidst an indoor skatepark. We packed a cool 300 and something into the space and proceeded to go to work. We must have played every song we had committed to memory. They dropped me once while crowdsurfing but the show was spotless besides that. We hadn't played Berlin a good 8 years so it was crazy seeing the response so positive. Cool city that has certainly gone through a lot of positive change. I chilled for a while after the show then took take a tour of the 3 level facilities. Music on every floor. Not my steeze but still fun. Back to the hotel and an early morning wake up to ensure I got in on the free breakfast! Jumped in the Mercedes van and made our way to Munster. The whole time I was thinking I was going to get some unique cheese, come to find out this is the wrong Munster. Well at least the cafe next to the hotel had excellent beer. Wait a minute, I'm in Germany, the beer is excellent everywhere you go. And cheap. Nelly Furtado is on the cover of German FHM so I bought a copy for the scrapbook. Proud of that girl! Tonight is a big show. Us, RA, and Jedi Mind Tricks. Yeah boyeeee. So far so dope. Tomorrow we roll to Sweden and I can't wait. But first things first. Rock the house tonight and re-ignite the Swollen Movement in Germany. City by city, country by country, through out the world. I need to grub, I'm outta here. Shout out to my man last night from the Bay Area who had the kill!!! That shit got me §%&#+! up. Until the Morgen, Dankaschon .
The computer won't let me put the two dots above the "o" but you know what I mean. I will also have a surprise for you guys in the next two or three days. Be good to each other and have a great weekend. P Ein.

02 Mar 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Aspen

After a very early morning of travel we arrived at the Denver airport. I don't know if you've been there before, but this place is huge. You have to take a tram to connect from the main terminal to anywhere else in the building. A refreshing five and a half hour drive later, we arrive in Aspen. My boy Randy, look out for him to be the next Top Chef ( he's made his way to the 3rd round ), was hyped to go out on that particular Friday night. Why you ask? Because George Clinton and Funkadelic were rocking the Belly Up Tavern. It was one of the best shows I have ever seen. There are a lot of characters involved and each one plays their roles to perfection. Not to mention, the music was off the chain. Classic after classic after classic. Shortly after the George Clinton&Co set, there was second performance by one of the music world's rising stars, Elan. He killed it with a Reggae set that had me up out of my seat. After the shows we grabbed Elan and headed to a place called Dish. If anyone remembers my entry from a long time ago about a 12 course meal I had an amazing restaurant called Barclay's, this is the same space but new owners. They transform it into a club at night and it was cracking. Between 7 of us we made short work of a bottle of Goose and went our seperate ways. Rob and I woke up around 9:30 and started getting our gear together for a day up Snowmass. 11 inches of fresh and a sky full of blue awaited us. We hooked up with Randy, thanks to Chevonne for the ride, and hit the mountain. It was ill. The snow out there is champagne styles and there was no one in the lift lines. We were running shit. When the temperature drops though, you feel it. After an epic session I headed back to the condo for a power nap before the show. Mad and I had a few drinks then got picked up to go to the gig. We were opening for Sean Paul and had graduated from playing the club circuit of the Honda Ski Tour, to the main stage on a Saturday night. The crowd was great for us. It was cold as hell but they still let me crowdsurf and held me up on the barricade. We got off stage feeling pretty damn good. Rob and I knocked out a quick interview in the VIP tent and then went back outside to watch Sean Paul. He murdered it. Linked up with the posse ( Randy, Naka, and Othello ), and hit somewhere I can't recall the name of. It was a weekend for the history books and I can't wait until the next Honda Ski Tour rolls around. You may not have heard yet, but I am the host of a t.v. show called Canadian Snowboarder. It airs on The Score network in Canada on Fridays 7:30 Eastern. I shoot the next two episodes tomorrow at Cypress Mountain. It has been a great experience for me and has drawn me even closer to one of the things I love most in life. Check for it on YouTube as well. Madchild got Acrow to do a sickening tattoo of the Battleaxe Warriors skull on his back. It looks unbelievable. I'm next then Rob. Our boy Nate has one too, that's family for life. We leave for Europe in a couple of days to rock The Monsters of Rap Tour with Jedi Mind Tricks and R.A. the Rugged Man. The shit is going to be stupid nasty. Can't wait. The first show is in Berlin on the 1st of March. Stay tuned the next day for a full update. And, in closing, a well deserved congratulations to Mr. Martin Scorsese for the 4 Academy Awards, you have certainly earned them many times over. My Edgar Allan Poe book is calling to me and I can no longer resist it's macabre contents, good evening. P Won.

27 Feb 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in the New Year ( 2007 that is )

It's been a minute, but when you hear what's been happening, you'll understand why I've been so busy. Point form, otherwise its going to be a novel of epic proportions. Park City. Tara and Lucky own our favorite club called Suede. They rented us a condo so I made dinner for 10 friends from Utah. Damn can I roast a chicken and mash some potatoes. Twisted my ankle that night performing. Next day to Calgary to start our tour with the Trailer Park Boys ( TPB ) and Helix. Had an accupunture session that got me back to around 75%. Calgary= killed it. 2 shows Vancouver= Destruction. Kamloops= Murderous. Saskatoon= Yeah Boyeeee. Regina= I got to visit with my 89 year old Grandma. Smart as a whip, srtong as an ox, and a heart of pure gold. Hope it runs in the family. Oh and we demolished the show. Winnipeg= live version of Lady Venom with Helix and the roof was on fire when we left the building. The Honda Ski Tour picked up in Breckenridge and I rode with my friend Zach from Smith Glasses. The show that night was a sea of mosh. An ocean of motion. Insane. Back to Park City. Played at a nightclub on a saturday night in front of a crowd who weren't really up on the fact we were playing. A few songs in though and we had a bunch of new listeners. Plus I rode on the solo all day on my new Burton set up rocking the Shuffle and loving life. Lake Tahoe here we come. It was Super Bowl Sunday. Evidence and Alchemist were coming up the next day to meet us in Mammoth and we needed 2 more cordless mics to accomodate them. After driving for an hour and a half we arrive at our rental destination. A pis drunk dude trying to sell rusty broken mics from the Bon Jovi era. Needless to say I was choked. Listening to the first punt returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl history wasn't quite the same as watching it on the tube with a cold brew. The show was dope and next day was Mammoth. The sound was a joke but Ev and Al helped make it a night to remember. I ended up changing my departure to Hawaii to be a day and a half early. Boy did that suck. Was that sarcastic enough? The homies from BAMP rule. They got the Islands under control as far as shows go and we love that they bring us out. Also mass shouts to IN4MATION. Look for the Swollen T they have designed for their stores. SICKO!!! 2 gigs on Maui. Good vibes. 2 shows on Oahu. Great energy. Mad and Rob got to stay for a few days but I had to fly to Vegas for the Magic Show. A clothing convention that was amazing for us, and when I say us, I mean Deuce. My role in the company has increased and diversified at a rapid rate. We have an exclusive line with Gene Simmons of KISS called Money Bag. I kicked it with him for the last 4 days and we got along famously. He is a very very driven businessman and it is inspiring to say the least. Don't be surprised if you see or hear Swollen on Family Jewels. It's like that! I have also been adopted into the Cardboard Robot circle. A very cool line from Cali that I bought a lot of when we were living in Venice. They made me a team member and it was an honor I accepted with great appreciation. I was supposed to fly home last night, flight cancelled. Today, flight oversold on the second leg of the trip. So here I am. I was supposed to go Vegas to Phoenix Phoenix to Vancouver. Now I am stuck in Phoenix flying back to Vegas Vegas to Vancouver. ?????? Plus this is the third time I have attemted to type this blog and I'm fiending to burn one down. I should be home just in time to shower and go to the passport office to replace my I.D. before we go to Europe in a week and a half. But believe me, I'm not complaining, life rules. I'm just giving you guys the facts as I always do so you can be in tune as to what's happening. Oh wait, an announcement is coming on the loudspeaker as I am typing, yeah my flight is delayed again. I love beer. I swear it won't be as long until the next entry. Thanks for your undersatnding . Peace love and hairgease. P Won

18 Feb 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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Swollen in Sun Valley

Yes Yes y'all. The Honda Ski Tour was held this past weekend in Idaho and it was crazy fun. We were originally booked for Friday only but there was enough demand to add a second night so we played on Saturday as well. The first night was interesting. The breaker was blown, so every time the volume got too loud it would cut the power. It was off and on all night, making for a bit of frustration but we handled it like pros. I did Canada 3000 from on top of a stool. Small party at the hotel afterwards but we set off the fire alarm so we had to cut it early. Next afternoon, hungover as a mutha, front desk calls saying we have to check out. Huh? The three of us in the lobby must have been a sight. I had an interview on the mountain and then chilled before our show that night. My Eagles lost and now I'm all Bears. Saturdays gig was flawless. The sound was dialed, the people were happy, and we were on revenge mode from the night before. Ended up driving straight from the show to the airport at 3am. Got home in time to catch the football madness and that was our trip. We leave on Friday for Park City. Its Sundance Film Festival so the show will be beserk. Lots of peeps in town. Stay tuned on the weekend for the full review.
Peace out!!!!!! P

17 Jan 2007 posted by SWLN/MBRS

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