One bite is all it takes to become a vampire salesperson. The sharp bite comes from the teeth of success, and the sensation is gloriously fulfilling.

Yes, the bite of success will transform a salesperson. After that first bite, success runs through his or her veins and creates a thirst only more success can quench. You have seen these vampire salespeople before, perhaps without recognizing exactly who they are.

So, how do you know when one of them is in your midst? They look like regular salespeople, but they do have certain characteristics that, when understood, will help you pick them out of a crowd.

For starters, vampire salespeople achieve extraordinary sales success. Their special powers give them an immense amount of energy; they never seem to rest with people around. Their colleagues may not particularly like them for reasons often hard to articulate. Colleagues may just feel that something is off with “that person.”

However, vampire salespeople are not dislikable. Their customers and the owners of the companies they work for love them. In fact, their likability and impressive sales numbers often cause owners to grant them special favors, give them extra attention, and ignore enforcing rules that apply to the mere mortals in the company.

Vampire salespeople do have special vampire powers. They have heightened senses, the ability to see objectives clearly, and have the ability to move product with incredible speed. This power and focus makes them appear unemotional, uncaring, and unreasonable, but these impressions are only felt by their colleagues — never from their customers.

You should know that vampire powers also come with vampire rules. Like traditional vampires, vampire salespeople must be invited before they can enter a home or an office building. Despite their incredible strength, they simply cannot enter a building without being invited first.

This rule has caused vampire salespeople to develop inventive methods for getting invited into a building. They’ll send handwritten cards, carefully worded emails, and even go so far as asking a friend of the business owner to make a phone call on their behalf. Yes, these folks are crafty. They will stop at nothing to make sure that their prospect invite them in for a meeting, as long as it does not involve any form of dishonesty.

Once they are invited into the room for a meeting, their super sight allows them to always see the next objective on their list. It is nearly impossible to distract a vampire salesperson, they are hyper-focused on achieving success for their clients and for their company. This focus forces them to always look one step ahead, sometimes even two or three steps into the future.

The power of anticipation complements their power of dedication for the work they perform every day. It is hard to surprise a vampire salesperson because they have already mapped out a dozen scenarios and developed best practice sequences for each of the possible scenarios. They also seem to apply this foresight to helping get product delivered after the sale, and will use their super strength to bulldoze any obstacles that may prevent maximum customer service.

Vampire salespeople also react to sunlight differently than normal people. When the sun is up, they cannot spend even one second performing an administrative task. If the vampire salesperson stops prospecting or presenting while the sun is up, his or her skin will catch on fire. So, if you know a person that cannot be bothered with company protocol during these golden hours, you may have yourself a vampire salesperson.

When the sun sets, the vampire is safe to complete administrative tasks. You may see them at work before the sun comes up, or you may receive emails from them in the middle of the night. It is not their fault, you can only blame the sunlight.

What do you do if you see a vampire salesperson? You either hire them, or you become their customer. Those are the only two choices, fighting them or trying to compete against them is futile.

Oh, you want to become a vampire salesperson? You cannot choose to become a vampire salesperson. You may try to emulate them, their behaviors, or their methods, but unless you have the unquenchable thirst for more success running through your veins, you will remain a mere mortal salesperson.

There are two terms used that describe two different types of selling. You have “farming,” which is developing/extending the relationship with a company where you are already doing business so that you can increase the revenue stream from that existing customer. The second term is “hunting.” “Farming” is typically recognized to be easier and much more appealing. Think about it, would you rather try to talk with someone that already likes and trusts you or would you rather attempt to meet someone new that does not know you from Adam? If a company expects the same salesperson to do both “farming” and “hunting,” typically what happens is that the Sales person ends up doing much more “farming” than hunting because it is easier and more appealing. However, that is a very short term strategy that can have extremely bad consequences. If you expand your relationship as far as it can go with your customer’s, you have no room for market growth. Therefore, it is imperative for a company to make sure that the “hunting” part of the equation is also performed.

So how does one go about “hunting?” Some of the challenge here is that there is no roadmap, there is no structure defined. I would like to create a structure for your sales team to follow. I do not want to suggest that this makes “hunting “easy. “ However, this structured approach should help.

When calling on an account where you are not doing business today, you should assume that they are getting a competitive product or service from somebody else. Therefore, when talking to the prospective customer, I am suggesting that you ask them that question. For example, you might start with “Good Morning, I am Roger Bostdorff from the XYZ Company. We recently have had significant success with our product or service in the _________industry (same industry that the person you called is in). I was wondering if I could talk with you about how you are currently obtaining this product or service?” “May I ask you who you are currently doing business with? Are you satisfied with them?” At this juncture the answer is either “YES” or “NO.”

If the answer is “NO,” you ask them,” why not or what is it that is making you dissatisfied?” After their explanation you then can explain how your company does business to avoid these issues. If the company is truly dissatisfied you now have a foot in the door to gain a new customer with an increase in your revenue stream.

What if the answer to the question is “YES?” Our next question should be “Why?” We want to understand what makes the customer happy or satisfied. After listening very carefully you then ask, “Is there anything they could do to make you even more satisfied?” If they can identify something, you again have the opportunity to explain how your company addresses this issue. However, more times than not they may say that there is nothing they could do to make them more satisfied. This is where your competitor knowledge comes into play. You know who the incumbent is and if you have competed with them in the past you should know some weaknesses. You don’t want to say that you heard the competitor does a poor job in the following areas. However, you do want to pick those areas and reference them as follows: “We have had several companies in your industry change from other companies to us because of the following reasons…Do you have any issues or challenges in those same areas?” At this juncture you are attempting to set the hook of interest. If others are changing and you happen to hit an issue they have, but did not identify, you once again have opened the door to a possible new account.

I do not want to draw a picture of high percentage of success here. If this job was easy you would not have to drag someone to do it. However, with a documented process your odds do go up and your frustration should be reduced.

Good luck and good selling.

Roger Bostdorff is the President of B2B Sales Boost. He spent over 30 years with IBM in sales and sales management. B2B Sales Boost is a consulting company helping organizations improve their sales and overall business processes. He is also available for business speaking engagements. You can find more regarding B2B Sales Boost on the web at www.b2bsalesboost.com or calling 419-351-4347. If you would like to receive the B2B Sales Boost Newsletter please send an email to sales@b2bsalesboost.com

T

It’s been pretty difficult lately – not impossible, but certainly difficult – to miss the headlines and news stories surrounding what is being called the “Death of Goldman Sachs.” It seems that the powers-that-be in Washington, with ambitions of widespread financial reform, are touting revelations of “conflicts of interest” as the hangman’s-noose for Goldman.

The revolutionary new idea being thrown around now is the novel notion that investment banking (dealing in securities) might need to be separated from commercial banking (taking deposits).

What’s really funny about this startling revelation is that these exact conditions existed for nearly 70 years as a result of legislation passed directly following the Great Depression, in order to prevent such conflicts of interest. Under the Glass-Steagall Act, which was signed into law in 1933, speculation by banks was strictly controlled through the simple division of functions.

What also seems funny is that, in the nearly 70 years operating under Glass-Steagall, which was enacted to limit that kind of speculation that led to the market crash in 1929, the banking system in this country didn’t experience a single major crisis as a result of speculation. Note: There was the Savings & Loan Crisis of the 1980’s, which resulted from a mismatch in bank loans versus deposits, not speculation.

However, in 1999 a Republican-led Congress, spurned by then-Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, decided to repeal the Glass-Steagall Act, thinking it was outdated. A new piece of legislation, which repealed Glass-Steagall, was signed by President Bill Clinton that same year.

The repeal of Glass-Steagall, with its deep impact in the American financial system, was a long time coming. Since the 1980s the banking industry had lobbied politicians for its repeal, during which time Robert Rubin actually worked in the banking sector. Among other capacities, Mr. Rubin is the former head of (drum-roll please) Goldman Sachs. Surprise, surprise!

Interestingly enough, in 1987, in response to cries from the banking industry to repeal such a repressive law as Glass-Steagall, the Congressional Research Service prepared a report in that concluded with a list of pros and cons of the Act. Given what has happened in the banking world since 1999, they’re definitely worth a read.

The Congressional Research Service, in its 1987 report, listed the following reasons for “preserving” the Glass-Steagall Act:

1. Conflicts of interest characterize the granting of credit – lending – and the use of credit – investing – by the same entity, which led to abuses that originally produced the Act.

2. Depository institutions possess enormous financial power, by virtue of their control of other people’s money; its extent must be limited to ensure soundness and competition in the market for funds, whether loans or investments.

3. Securities activities can be risky, leading to enormous losses. Such losses could threaten the integrity of deposits. In turn, the Government insures deposits and could be required to pay large sums if depository institutions were to collapse as the result of securities losses.

4. Depository institutions are supposed to be managed to limit risk. Their managers thus may not be conditioned to operate prudently in more speculative securities businesses…

The same report from the Congressional Research Service found the following reasons for repealing Glass-Steagall:

1. Depository institutions will now operate in “deregulated” financial markets in which distinctions between loans, securities, and deposits are not well drawn. They are losing market shares to securities firms that are not so strictly regulated, and to foreign financial institutions operating without much restriction from the Act.

2. Conflicts of interest can be prevented by enforcing legislation against them, and by separating the lending and credit functions through forming distinctly separate subsidiaries of financial firms.

3. The securities activities that depository institutions are seeking are both low-risk by their very nature, and would reduce the total risk of organizations offering them – by diversification.

4. In much of the rest of the world, depository institutions operate simultaneously and successfully in both banking and securities markets. Lessons learned from their experience can be applied to our national financial structure and regulation

Isn’t it funny that the Congressional Research Center cited, as a reason for repealing Glass-Steagall, that “conflicts of interest can be prevented by enforcing legislation?” As we seen in since 1999, this obviously this isn’t the case. After all, this isn’t the role of regulators; as we’ve discussed previously, the role of regulators is to show up after an incident occurs to clean-up the mess and decide who to prosecute.

It seems so ironic today to hear political pundits discuss the need for sweeping “financial reform,” and nearly every single talking point is straight out an Act that successfully protected the American financial system against excess speculation for nearly three-quarters of a century. Yet, instead of pushing for restrictive banking laws that make sense, like Glass-Steagall, folks on Capitol Hill insist on trying to create new committees and agencies to make sure others are doing their job.

Unfortunately, as we all know, growing government will only make things worse. It’s about time to skip the pleasantries and get down to business with big banks. For 70 years this country had a system that works; and we abandoned it because of some large, well-placed political connections and contributions. It’s just about time we put banks back in their place, and cut the strings they hold in Washington. No more teachers, no more books; no more bailouts, no more crooks.
Dock David Treece is a stockbroker licensed with FINRA. He works for Treece Financial Services Corp (www.TreeceInvestments.com) and also serves as editor of the financial news site Green Faucet (www.GreenFaucet.com) and as a business commentator for Toledo Free Press. The above information is the express opinion of Dock David Treece and should not be construed as investment advice or used without outside verification.

Multi-platinum Rockers Gin Blossoms Slated for July 31 at Smoke on the Water – Ribs for the Red Cross, according to an April 28 news release.

Smoke on the Water – Ribs for the Red Cross takes place at Promenade Park in downtown Toledo, from Friday, July 30 though Sunday, August 1, 2010. Admission is just $5, with kids 12 and under free.

Fueled by mega-hits including “Hey Jealousy,” “Found Out About You” and “Til I Hear It From You,” Gin Blossoms have sold more than 5 million records worldwide.

Their 1992 and the multi-platinum selling New Miserable Experience featuring the singles “Hey Jealousy,” “Mrs. Rita,” “Found Out About You,” “Allison Road” and “Until I Fall Away.” They followed with 1996’s Congratulations I’m Sorry, which featured “Follow You Down” and the Grammy nominated “As Long As It Matters.” The bands latest release, Major Lodge Victory was released in 2006.They are currently at work on a new CD.

Opening for Gin Blossoms will be Toledo’s own Kentucky Chrome, a 5-piece rock n’ roll band that concentrates heavily on the music of the late 50s and early 60s.

“We’re thrilled to have the Gin Blossoms perform for the city this year at Smoke on the Water,” says Rachel Hepner, Co-chairperson for Smoke on the Water. “Their popularity should draw a great crowd to the event!”

It was previously announced the Mini-KISS will headline Smoke on the Water-Ribs for the Red Cross on Friday, July 30. Additional headliners and full entertainment line-up, featuring several local bands will be announced shortly.

Sponsors for Smoke on the Water – Ribs for the Red Cross include Columbia Gas of Ohio and KeyBank, First Solar, Heartland Health Care, Mercy, Labatt Blue, Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Heineken. Media partners include Toledo Free Press, FOX Toledo and Cumulus Toledo stations K100, 94.5, 93.5, 106.5 The Zone, Star 105, 1470 and 1560.

The concert magazine Pollstar is reporting that the “American Idol” tour with Crystal Bowersox will play the Huntington Center on Sept. 2. The Huntington Center has not yet confirmed the date, but the date is listed on the American Idol Web site.

The “American Idol” feud between Toledo and Tampa continues with a “Snowstorm” invading Wild 94.1’s morning show on April 23.
The “Idol” battle began April 7 with Andrew Z and the Morning Show sending a message to Wild 94.1 Hits and Hip Hop that Crystal Bowersox is better than Saint Petersburg, Fla., native Michael “Big Mike” Lynche. In the days that followed, both stations created numerous song parodies “dissing” the other city and other city’s “American Idol” contestant.
A group of white rappers, dubbed Snowstorm, flew down to Tampa to deliver a rap to Orlando and the Freak Show on April 23. Cassidy Ratliff “Milk Shake,” Jason Kelley “Creamer,” Nate Deakin “Buttermilk” and Denim Kelley “Provolone” accompanied comedian Donny Palicki “Milkman” to represent Andrew Z’s show in Tampa.
The group  spent four hours creating  their rap parody based on Young Money’s and Lil’ Wayne’s  “Roger That,” which they performed in the Tampa studio, Jason said.
“They did awesome. I knew they would,” said Andrew “Z” Zepeda. “When you do live radio, it’s different than TV where everything is so scripted and planned out. This could have gone terrible, but I don’t think it could have gone any better.”
With just a text from Zepeda to morning show host Orlando Davis the evening before, Snow Storm arrived at CBS Radio, the broadcasting network of 94.1, at 7:15 a.m.  A cop car was in the parking lot from just after their arrival until after their performance and  the “white rappers” joked it must be there for them.
Outside the guys spoke on-air with Zepeda before entering the studio at 8 a.m.  and were quickly on  and off the radio before 8:15 a.m.
“We were a little rushed, but in the clutch we all came through perfect. We hit everything and no one [messed] up their words,” Ratliff said.
Following the performance, Davis served up an on-air rap at the challenge of Palicki. Davis,  who was just “messing around,” performed a  rap making fun of Zepeda and Snow Storm, emphasizing he knows how to rhyme words like “cat” and “hat.”
In Tampa, the phones lit up with support and criticism. One listener said the “white boys are wack”  and  get them off the radio, while another  listener said they did a good job but they should keep them in Tampa for a little while to teach them  to really flow and then try it again.
Davis joked that the Snowstorm did a good job with their rap, but he was more impressed that they were sent down to Tampa.
“I had listened to their podcasts and they talked about sending someone down to Tampa, and I thought they’re probably going to send people down here. When I heard they were coming, I knew it was going to be funny,” Davis said. “It was fun.”
Snow Storm was  fortunate with the day they chose to invade 94.1 because after they served their diss, they were able to sit in studio and listen live to comedian Jim Breuer. Following the up-close comedic performance, the guys had breakfast with the morning show.
“I was a little nervous. We’re in Tampa and this is their ground and we were bum rushing them. But they comforted us. They  welcomed  us with open arms. They had their jokes and their little fun, but they have to, of course.  It was all good and fun,” Jason said.
During breakfast, Davis shared that listeners in Toledo have helped provide him with a lot of dirt on Andrew Z’s morning show, as well as information about Toledo. References to Woodward and the west side, are all compliments of Toledo listeners, he said.
Tampa is working on something to challenge Snow Storm’s trip to Tampa, Davis said.
“The ball is in our court. We’re not flying no one up to Toledo… We’ll come back to something, but we’re going to keep it here in Tampa because we don’t want to go up to Ohio,” he said.
Snow Storm is comprised of individual rappers from Toledo.  Jason Kelley is a rapper and producer of Station 38 Records. His brother Denim is a filler and hype man for the studio.  Both Ratliff “Chaotic” and Deakin “NayPalm” are rappers  under Station 38 Records.  More information about their music can be found online at myspace.com/jasonkelleymusic, www.myspace.com/cha0ticmusic and www.myspace.com/naypalm419.
Palicki, “Donny P.,” with Bacon composed the first few parodies the morning show performed for Tampa.   Donny P.  is performing with “Andrew Z’s Small Town Comedy Tour” and can be seen next  May 3 at Carmies Grill & Bar in Tiffin.

Podcasts of smack-down sessions can be found online at www.925kissfm.com.

“American Idol” airs on FOX Toledo each Tuesday and Wednesday night.

There ain’t no grave can hold my body down. There ain’t no grave can hold my body down. When I hear that trumpet sound I’m gonna rise right out of the ground. There ain’t no grave can hold my body down.”
So goes the chorus of the title track from Johnny Cash’s final album, “American VI: Ain’t No Grave”, which came out earlier this year.
“That one really hit home,” said pastor Loran Miracle of St. Andrew United Methodist Church. “It really struck me. It’s obvious that Johnny Cash was a very religious man.”

Randy Garcia (lead guitar), Mario Dario Jr. (drums) and Jeff Hagele (bass).

Beginning May 1 St. Andrew will present “The Gospel According to Johnny Cash,” the latest installment of its “Toledo Country Limits” program. The services will be held at 6p.m. every Saturday through May 22.
Started two years ago, the program utilizes a blend of contemporary and classic country music to make biblical teachings relevant to a modern congregation.
“I once heard from another preacher that if you want to get a congregation when you move to Miami start a conga band,” Miracle said. “You have to use what people know. In Toledo, by a long shot, it’s country music.”
Miracle, who has ministered at St. Andrew for nearly 14 years, said he hit upon the idea of using the music of Johnny Cash in this way after he recently purchased “American VI.”
“I started doing research and I found that the people who were his, I guess you could say, biographers, divided his music into four categories; ‘Love,’ ‘God,’ ‘Murder’ and ‘Life’,” he said.
These categories will form the basis for a different sermon each week.
“I’d love to say that I did exhaustive research on his entire body of work, but I actually just listened to about 30 or 40 songs,” Miracle said. “I picked songs that I liked and I know the congregation will like.”
For the theme of Love, Cash’s songs, “I Walk the Line” and “Ring of Fire” are spotlighted.The theme of God will feature, “Ain’t No Grave” and “Wayfaring Stranger.” Three songs, “Sam Hall”, “25 minutes to go” and “Folsom Prison Blues,” are the focus of Murder. Lastly, Life breaks down, “16 tons” and “Man in Black.”
“I’ll even wear black for the next four weeks,” Miracle said.
Guitarist Randy Garcia is equally enthusiastic about the program.
“I think we should use any way possible to get the message to people,” he said.
With more than 20 years of experience as a musician, Garcia has played rock ‘n’ roll, country, classical, Spanish and Christian music. As lead guitarist at St. Andrew he has been a part of the program from the beginning. He performs with bassist Jeff Hagele and drummer Mario Dario, Jr.
“It’s a really nice thing that we have here,” he said. “We already have the traditional church-goers, now we want to get the non-traditional ones.”
Producer Dean Thomas also spoke highly of “Toledo Country Limits.”
“We’ve had people come in who were going to quit church and leave religion all together,” he said. “We want them to come in, relax and enjoy the music. The message is hidden in the music and we help dig it out.”
Thomas said even though the size of the congregation has yet to increase since the program began, it remains consistent at 60 to 80 people.
“We have a great mix of people,” he said. “It’s the sort of group where you know when someone is there and when they’re not there.”
Thomas said the church wants to do more sermons based particular artists’ music, but will wait to see how people respond to the Johnny Cash-themed services before making any plans.
Thomas also had a hand in updating the church’s sound system for the new program.
Another church staff member, Don Fifer, was responsible for hiring Garcia and other musicians for “Toledo Country Limits.”
“Loran had the idea and I ran with it,” he said. “We had some different musicians at first, a keyboardist and a different bass player, but the three we have now are solid.”
Fifer also handles the sound and lighting for the services.
“I hate to brag, but our sound system is great,” he said.
Fifer said he is glad the services use a lot of music that isn’t religiously themed.
“We’ve done quite a few songs that you wouldn’t do in church,” he said. “We’re using secular music to get a religious point of view across. It’s more realistic.”
Pastor Miracle agreed.
“Johnny Cash’s music, specifically, works very well for that,” he said. “He had a really rough start, but managed to bring it back around at the end.”
St. Andrew United Methodist Church is at 3620 Heatherdowns Blvd. Visit www.toledocountrylimits.org to learn more about “The Gospel According to Johnny Cash.”

Fame is a funny thing. If there’s a lesson pop culture history teaches us, it’s that you have to be prepared for anything — anything — to be the one thing you’re always remembered for.
Take Milli Vanilli, two random guys recruited by a producer to play the lead singers for a fictional music group. Then, when suspicions start to mount that they aren’t doing their own singing, the producer himself reveals their secret. Rob and Fab end up the scapegoats and an eternal punch line. The producer, the guy behind the whole idea, is still working today.
Toledo has its own home-grown example. His name was Fred Merkle.
Merkle was a baseball player, and a damn good one. Born in Wisconsin in 1888, but raised in Toledo, he played infield in the majors for 16 seasons, spent another five years in the International League, then returned to the majors to play his final games for the Yankees in 1926. His lifetime average was .273 and he finished his career with 733 RBIs and 272 stolen bases.
But despite these achievements, there’s only one thing history remembers Fred Merkle for. They called it “Merkle’s Bonehead Play.”
Sept. 23, 1908. Merkle, playing for the New York Giants, was starting his first game in the major leagues. The Giants were playing the Chicago Cubs in a game critical to the pennant race.
Bottom of the ninth, Merkle gets a key hit to drive the potential winning run to third, and Fred ends up at first base. The next batter drives the winning run home. Merkle, before he tags second base, heads to the dugout.
The rules of baseball state that if a runner is tagged out at a base as a result of a force play, the run doesn’t count. In Merkle’s era, however, the rule was rarely, if ever, enforced. He was simply doing what countless ballplayers before him had done without incident.
But the Cubs got a ball to second (history is unclear if it was even the game ball), and the umpire decided suddenly to enforce the unenforced rule. Merkle was called out.
The game was thus tied, but could not be restarted, as the fans were on the field and could not be cleared off. And when the Giants and Cubs ended up tied for the pennant, the game was replayed, the Giants lost, and Merkle was blamed.
From that day forth, fans called him “Bonehead” Merkle. “Bonehead.” Despite the fact it was the first game he’d ever started. Despite the fact that the rule he’d broken hadn’t been called by any other ump before. Despite the fact that he ended up playing another 15 years and helped his teams win five other pennants. He was always “Bonehead.”
It’s easy for the public to ride on the scapegoat. It’s fun to kick someone when they’re down. We all do it. (I’m guilty, too: Have you heard my bashing of “American Idol’s” Tim Urban?) But we have to be careful — our snap judgments can have lasting consequences.
Remember Milli Vanilli? After the fall of the group and subsequent years of ridicule, Rob Pilatus turned to a life of drugs and crime. He was found dead of an overdose on April 2, 1998, at the age of 32. The jokes don’t seem so funny anymore, do they?
Merkle’s story doesn’t end that tragically, but the mantle of “Bonehead” would follow him the rest of his life, leaving him estranged from the game. According to the book “The Baseball Hall of Shame,” he was quoted in an interview sadly predicting that the nickname would end up on his tombstone. He was spared that, at least: He passed away in 1956 and lies in an unmarked grave in Florida.
One mistake that wasn’t a mistake, and Merkle was judged by history a fool. How would history judge any of us?
One misstep and society would make us a laughing stock?
The lesson of Merkle’s Boner is not for the goats of history, but for us, the public — reminding us to think twice before we jump on a bandwagon of scorn. O

E-mail Jeff at PopGoesJeff@gmail.com. Jeff can be heard every Wednesday and Thursday on “The Andrew Z Show” on 92.5 KISS-FM. He also posts a Web-only column every Friday at www.toledo freepress.com.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit of nostalgia walking through the UT student union. As I walked toward WXUT 88.3 FM, I remember the excitement I felt years ago at 6 a.m. every Monday. Equipped with the latest vinyl in Hip-Hop and a bag of CDs on my back, I felt like I was going to save the world one underground hit at a time. But this isn’t Martini’s Wet N Wild Show (calm down, it was just a name) this is Andre L. Williams’ “The Session, where real music still matters.”
In the hallway, I ran into his co-hosts, E.T. (Elevated Thinkin) and Naki Akrobettoe and while waiting for Andre we made small talk about the life and/or “death” of Hip Hop. “But Hip Hop lives!” I exclaimed. “Why? Because, you can’t kill an era!” I mean, sure, its evolved in a way that those from the “True School” period ( Jay Dilla,  A Tribe Called Qwest, Digable Planets etc.) can’t stomach but that period lives on through groups like Slum Village, Little Brother and Toledo’s own Elevated Thinking and The Basix.
Suddenly, Andre appeared and we walked into the station continuing our conversation while the elements of Hip-Hop shine. It shines through the poetry of Naki’s crew D.E.E.P. (Developing Empowering, Enhancing Poets) and the conscious thoughts of E.T. while Andre runs the program playing that “True School” Hip-Hop. This past week, the Hip-Hop community was dealt a blow when Keith Elam aka Guru of Gang Starr lost his battle with cancer.  He was hardcore and conscious during a period of Hip-Hop when you had to be one or the other. Guru was Hip-Hop.
This week, “The Session” was dedicated to Guru. During the dedication I asked Andre about his inspiration for bringing real Hip-Hop to the airwaves and he simply replied, “I feel like radio didn’t play what people wanted. There was music for the teen boppers or music for an older generation but nothing in between.”
College radio has always been a way for local artists of all genres to interview and receive feedback. Hip-Hop show are popping up on the Internet and satellite radio. Audiences are looking to quench their musical thirst with nourishing lyrics, which leads me to the phenomenal poetess, Naki Akrobettoe. The only member of the show with an undergrad background in radio production, she not only has the gift of natural flowing lyrics, she also has love for the radio business.  She shared with me her motivation for being a part of “The Session” by simply stating, “I’m passionate about music. I want to be able to use my skills, my communication skills; my English skills to remind people of music and its purpose to keep them alive and (for them to) always seek something different to challenge themselves.”
Andre Williams has carefully crafted a team with a voice for the future. They are armed with all the elements needed for conscious Hip-Hop heads: love, knowledge and respect. Tune in to “The Session” Wednesday nights from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on WXUT 88.3FM.
As we continue on …

In an industry whose retail pricing has increased at an alarming rate over the decades, far more than other products, it is time that its consumers got something for free. Thus, Free Comic Book Day arrives May 1.
Launched in 2002, Free Comic Book Day marks a time when many comic companies produce special edition comics to be given away gratis in shops across the country. Sounds good, right? It gets better. Though many of the free comics are repackaged from previously published titles, some companies, like DC and Marvel, put out brand-new books to kick-start an event. The scope of titles for Free Comic Book Day can often be breathtaking: stuff for the kids, stuff for adults — cool, free stuff for everybody. Check out  www.freecomicbookday.com for details.
Toledo’s own three comic shops are participating in this year’s freebie-palooza:
n The Game Room, 3001 W. Sylvania Ave., will have a selection of more than 20 titles and will open promptly at 11 a.m. They have a limit of one [free] copy per issue with a purchase. There are a limited amount of copies so they are all on a first-come, first-serve basis.
n  JC’s Comic Stop, 5239 Hill, will have a storewide sale, in addition to promoting the shop’s MySpace and Facebook pages, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and a huge back-issue sale the following weekend. They will have free comics from this year and from years past, including copies of “Ultimate Spider-Man No. 1.”
n Monarch’s Cards & Comics, 4400 Heatherdowns Blvd., will offer a wide range of sample comics from all of the major publishers, including Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, IDW, Archie and Image. Most of these comics are intended for all ages and the store welcome families as well as regular customers to stop by and see what they have to offer.