Here in Prague some images from the first day Charles bridge and the castle at Sychrov!

PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

TRADICIONES

Long time client Kristelia came thru to add to her sleeve..

SOUL SUNDAY

Welcome to Soul Sundays, today's selection is "Double Dutch Bus" By Frankie Smith. I never realized this song was behind a big scandal. Here, is a history lesson in the small role that Frankie Smith played in uncovering the “Yuppie Conspiracy” (dubbed as such by Federal authorities) ran by the Larry Lavin scandal West Philly dentist and $5M/175 lbs.-of-cocaine-per-month.From 1978-1984, Larry Lavin masterminded his huge cocaine-distribution ring which included 3 graduates of UPenn dental, two lawyers, four stockbrokers, an airplane pilot, a high school English teacher, an elementary school principal, record company executives, accountants, a New Jersey state auditor, a psychologist, a registered nurse, and a variety of businessmen. Now, for the Double Dutch Connection: While still in dental school, Lavin was raking in millions of dollars and needed outlets to dump this money in without arousing suspicion. One such investment, proposed through friend and co-conspirator Mark Stewart, was WMOT-TEC Records (which was situated in the Wellington Building on 19th St., right off Rittenhouse Square). WMOT-TEC, which had distribution through CBS Records, released Frankie Smith’s “Double Dutch Bus” in 1981; upon release, the track’s popularity grew steadily on the Billboard soul charts. In his 2000 book Doctor Dealer. Mark Bowden writes, “Months later, Larry found out that Mark had incurred fabulous expenses in L.A., mostly in rental costs… not the least of which was leasing himself a new Ferrari… CBS meanwhile, reporting substantial sales from ‘Double Dutch Bus,’ was charging so much for pressings, promotion, and distribution that the net profit on sales, Larry’s one source of return on all these investments, was close to zero.” Frankie Smith was owed about $30,000 in royalties, and he sang his complaints like a canary. Frankie Smith reported Lavin to the IRS, which set Lavin’s ultimate fate, you will pardon the pun, snowballing. While Frankie Smith wasn’t getting paid, Stewart was enjoying the high life. On September 4, 1986, Lavin pled guilty to operating a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, tax evasion, and other charges and was sentenced to consecutive prisons terms totaling to 42 years. According to his Wikipedia page, Frankie Smith “is currently working as a delivery driver for AC Reproductions in Philadelphia, PA.” We can assume he never got and continues to not receive his royalties. Sorry Frankie that you never made a penny off this song. Dr. Larry Lavin took all the profits off this song and became the biggest coke dealer in Philly. Damn this track is still hot. White hot. HAHA. This song always played at parties I went to and The one line that stuck with me was Give me a Ho if you got your funky bus Fare. And everyone at that party always shouted HO, HO. That song was a jam & always had everyone on their feet. Hope you like my selection, Thanks for Tooning in!

 Mrs.Toons

TRAILER OF THE WEEK

MISTER CARTOON . BANGKOK . DYLAN MADDUX from Dylan Maddux on Vimeo.

BAM!

THE DOG IN ME

GET YOUR HUSTLE ON

EYE TO THE STREETS

SOUL SUNDAY

What's up! Welcome to "Soul Sundays" today I'm going to change it up a bit.  When I
didn't want to play oldies and wanted some faster music to groove to Funk was always
one of my other choices in music.  My selection today is "The Best of one way"
featuring Al Hudson & Alicia Meyers. They had many hits such as "Pull Fancy dance",
"Mr. Groove", & "Cutie pie".  
One Way was an American R&B/funk band that was popular in the late 1970s, and
throughout most of the 1980s.
Originally, One Way came out as Al Hudson , Alicia Meyers & the Soul Partners and
recorded a few interesting, but unsuccessful albums for ABC Records. They were then,
and are now, a self-contained act, though the original name suggests a standup vocal
group. Essentially, Midwest wonders, they never crossed over, and never got as big
as predicted on the R&B circuit, despite having a devastating live act.   One way
was a talented group & made hit after hit. You should also check out "if you play
your cards right", "Pop It" & "Burn it".  I remember when cruising was in, my
friends & I use to cruise Whittier Blvd.  "one way" was always on repeat to get the
party started. Hope you like my selection! Always stay humbled & embrace every moment. 

Mrs. Toons

TRAILER OF THE WEEK

ENVIOUS TOUCH

Nicky from Envious Touch Wires came through to get his first tattoo inspired by the

 Culture!

THROWBACK THURSDAY

WATCH THE THRONE

ONE OF A KIND

STAY CLEAN

SOUL SUNDAY

What's up welcome to Soul Sundays! Today's selection is " No man is an Island" & "You need confidence" by "The Vandykes" This group was formed in Fort Worth, Texas in 1964. The same year the most iconic Chevy impala was built. I'm very proud to say I'm an owner of one. Rondalis Tandy (lead vocal) teamed with three aspiring singers, Wenzon Mosley (tenor), James Mays (bass) and Eddie Nixon (falsetto). Nixon left prior to recording ‘No Man Is An Island’, which was the Van Dykes’ first single, the prototype for many of their subsequent releases. This exquisite ballad featured Tandy’s tight falsetto, while a sparse instrumental section emphasized the three singers’ close harmonies and their indebtedness to the Impressions. The trio folded in 1968 following Tandy’s departure for California. This is another talented group that fell apart too soon. Check out their other songs "Never let me go", "I've got to go on without you" & "Doing the best I can" thank you for Tooning In! Stay humbled, embrace every moment..... 

Mrs. Toons

TRAILER OF THE WEEK

FACEBOOK LOTTERY

Congrats to our Homie David Choe on "Winning" the game!

THROWBACK THURSDAY

JUST IN

We just got these in an email of a sleeve from a while back... He wanted to let us know how it healed up.

LONG SLEEVES

We just got back from a weekend out in Houston from sleeving out Carl Crawford of the Boston RedSox. We caught up with the Homies Slim Thugga, Bun B and Paul Wall during the weekend too. Here are a couple flicks of how it went down..

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

Here are a couple image from our Super Bowl Sunday BBQ over the weekend.. Everyone had a good time and ate lots of good food!

SOUL SUNDAY

Welcome to Soul Sunday's! Today is a tribute in memory of The Soul King Mr. Don Cornelius. He passed away earlier this week at the age of 75 due to an apparent suicide. Don Cornelius was the silken-voiced host of "Soul Train" who helped break down racial barriers and broaden the reach of black culture with funky music, crazy dance steps and cutting-edge style. "Don Cornelius gave artists who had been segregated from most mainstream vehicles of expression a chance to perform in front of a huge national audience, "It was a tremendous opportunity that changed their careers and the whole music industry. It showcased such legendary artists as Marvin Gaye, Barry White, and Michael Jackson. He brought the best R&B, soul and later hip-hop acts to TV and had teenagers dance to them. It was one of the first shows to showcase African-Americans prominently, although the dance group was racially mixed. Cornelius was the first host and producer. I remember growing up and watching soul train I always wanted to see the fashion and follow the dance moves. Especially, during the The `Soul Train' line – that will go down in history.  Thank you Mr.Cornelius for the awkward interviews you did and great memories of Soul Train... Love, Peace & Soul!! Mrs. Toons 

RIP 

Donald Cortez "Don" Cornelius 

September 27, 1936 – February 1, 2012

TRAILER OF THE WEEK

BRISK BODEGA

Here is one shot from the event last night. . Check out the event recap below.!

#BRISKBODEGA

GRIM TEAM OFFICIAL

#BRISKBODEGA