A huge hip-hop concert is happening on Friday, but it’s not being put on by either of North Texas’ giant commercial hip-hop radio stations. Instead, the Southern Fried Summer Jam — with Bun B, Paul Wall, and Slim Thug, and several other rappers, at Air Hogs Stadium in Grand Prairie — is the product of three local companies started by independent business owners over a meal of french fries and margaritas.
The trio behind Flash Rain Productions, Tequila Rain Cantina and Grill in Hurst, and thelinQup.com looks at the concert as a victory for small-business owners throughout the region. “It shows the corporate giants that small companies can get into the music business,” said Eliazar Salinas, 25, whose family owns Tequila Rain and, with Marvin Daba and John Mack, co-owns Flash Rain and thelineQup, an online ticketing service. The concert also represents a new method of ticketing. Flash Rain offers credit card-like pieces of plastic called flash cards that reduce the need for paper tickets and can be re-used ad infinitum – sort of like Southwest Airlines’ old boarding cards. Another Flash Rain/Tequila Rain/thelinQup.com concert at Air Hogs Stadium — a three-day festival of rock ‘n’ roll, traditional Mexican music, and reggaeton — is planned for October. Salinas and his partners also hope that through thelinQup, they’ll be able to provide ticketing services for other major events, including sports. Tickets for Southern Fried Summer Jam are available for early purchase at Tequila Rain and all Eargazum stores and online at thelinQup.com. (Online buyers can pick up their flash cards at the gate.) “So many doors are opening now,” Salinas said, noting that his family opened the intimate Tequila Rain Cantina about six months ago and, with Daba, also recently opened The Linq, an internet café on Brown Trail Road geared toward minority youth. “You’re seeing a couple of local guys doing really well. [Our success] tells young kids that you can do anything you put your mind to.” For more info on the concert, visit www.thelinQup.com or call 866-996-2131. … Well, all of the ballots have been counted. All nine million of ’em. (Thanks to administrative assistant Mandy McDaniel and interns McKenzie Zieser and Susan Costa for their team spirit and counting skills.) On Sunday, we will announce the winners of our 12th Annual Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards at a nominees-only event — we’ll announce the winners to the unwashed later that night in a Blotch post. After the shindig, one of four ’09 Hall of Famers, alt-country singer-songwriter James McMurtry, will perform full-band at the Longhorn Saloon (121 W. Exchange St., in the Stockyards, 817-740-9477). The show is free, but you’ll need a ticket to get in — seating is limited. For tickets, visit either one of the 817’s BoomerJack’s Grill and Bars. There’s one at 2600 W. 7th St. in Montgomery Plaza (phone is 817-810-2666) and another at 2300 W. Airport Fwy. in Bedford (817-267-0267). Tickets are limited to one per visitor. However, the purchase of one entrée will get you two tickets. (I don’t know, but I’m guessing that the purchase of two entrées will get you four tix.) The Longhorn doors will open at 8 p.m.
Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.
