Looking towards continued success, Aaron Yates – better known as Tech N9ne – has just announced a slew of fall tour dates in support of his 11th studio album, The Gates Mixed Plate, which moved just over 17,000 units and debuted at no. 13 on the Billboard 200.
Yates, 38, is best known for his role as the face of Strange Music – an independent hip hop label based in Lee’s Summit, Miss. – and is a big reason that, just last year, the imprint raked in just under $15 million dollars without a huge radio or television presence. “Somehow we’re recession proof,” Strange Music CEO, Travis O’Guin, recently told XXL, “it freaks me out sometimes, but I’m confident that we have it figured out.”
Tech N9ne’s next performance will be later tonight at Illinois’ Gathering of The Juggalos (an underground music festival actually held underground). The rest of the 47-date tour hits municipalities like Denver and Seattle, but mostly forgoes large cities in favor of small-market stops in towns like Bellingham, WA, and Petaluma, CA. Along for the ride are E-40 and fellow strangers Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun, and Big Scoob.
Tickets for most dates are on sale now and available via Ticketmaster.com, but those of you who haven’t cashed in your piggy banks can spring for a $99 VIP package that comes with a slew of swag like a snake belt buckle, DVD, and passes to an hour long meet-and-greet with the Strange Music crew. The rest of us will just have to wait patiently for an imminent Weezy collaboration.
Tech N9ne 2010 Tour Dates:
08/14 – Cave-In-Rock, IL @ Gathering of the Juggalos
08/26 – Lawrence, KS @ The Granada
08/28 – Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
09/05 – Stateline, NV @ MontBleu Casino
09/15 – Lincoln, NE @ Pershing Center
09/16 – Cedar Rapids, IA @ Hawkeye Downs
09/17 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
09/18 – Madison, WI @ Capital Theatre
09/19 – Minneapolis, MN @ Epic Concert Center
09/21 – Duluth, MN @ Clyde Iron Works
09/22 – Rapid City, SD @ Dublin
09/23 – Billings, MT @ Shrine Auditorium
09/24 – Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
09/25 – Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theatre
09/26 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Great Salt Air
09/27 – Missoula, MT @ Wilma Theatre
09/28 – Kennewick, WA @ Toyota Center
09/30 – Bellingham, WA @ Wild Buffalo
10/01 – Seattle, WA @ SoDo
10/02 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
10/03 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre
10/04 – Chico, CA @ Senator
10/05 – Bakersfield, CA @ Rainbow Ballroom
10/06 – Petaluma, CA @ Phoenix
10/07 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst
10/08 – Anaheim, CA @ The Grove
10/09 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
10/10 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
10/11 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
10/13 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theatre
10/14 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
10/15 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
10/16 – Springfield, MO @ The Shrine
10/17 – Sauget, IL @ Pop’s Nightclub
10/19 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners
10/20 – Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
10/21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel
10/22 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
10/23 – Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
10/24 – Baltimore, MD @ Bourbon Street
10/25 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
10/26 – Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
10/27 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
10/28 – Orlando, FL @ Club Firestone
10/30 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown
