I needed to upgrade my gear. The old 4-track was on its last leg and it was limiting my creative processes. I acquired a portable 8-track recording machine with petty cash left over from temp jobs and live show revenue. Flexibility is a must, quality sound is key and I wanted to increase my output. From my home studio, I laid out over 100 tracks in less than a year. There has never been an outburst of musical activity before or since. Beats by the pound? Naw sun.... How 'bout beats by the ton!

Bad Fathers		MC Angle
	The newly assembled crew was opening for touring acts, local entertainment 'zines and web sites started to print articles about us, and the street team (myself) passed out flyers on a daily basis. The live shows improved our sound because everyone could experience the crowd reaction to the rhymes, the tempo, and the mix.........All of us were improving our craft. Studio time was booked once a week, live performances locked down twice a month, and I was behind the boards working on music every afternoon while haunting the nightclubs in the evening.

Cash flow was a consistent issue...there wasn't enough to captain the ship! Rough waters ahead matte! Yo ho ho and a bottle of brew! Tack-Fu was earning the nick name "drunkie-fu" from all the pressure to complete the 2nd release "chained reaction." The project was going over budget and the fans, including the artists, were getting impatient for a cd release date.

Call it luck or well planted hype surrounding the release, but the Bad Fathers and myself were invited to attend a Loud records artist showcase in Atlanta. With tickets and luggage in tow, we flew down to perform, but I'd never flew on an airplane before! Buckle your seat beats before take off, then bring me a double after we leave the ground! Make that two at a time stewardess! When we hit some turbulence over Tennessee, and I left my seat 6 inches vertical, (the passengers in unison let out a nervous chuckle) I must have downed 12 packets of airline peanuts and 3 more stiff whiskey sours before we landed at the terminal. Atlanta's hip-hop crew the Vinyl Junkies showed us Iowa boys love with 3 days of sight seeing, radio spots, and good old southern hospitality. Once we arrived back in Iowa City, all efforts were made to finish up artwork, press up 1,000 copies, and have a the cd release event.

	We booked the gig at the downtown Sheraton Hotel, a nice spot for the occasion. Absolute jam packed audience, local tv coverage, record amounts of alcohol sales for the establishment, and the cds were flying of the merchandise table. I walked off with a wad of cash that put me squarely back to zero....ZERO?! ...........Now what?..........Keep the ball rolling?.........Enter the ring for round 3?