By Jason Genegabus

Jason Genegabus photos

I was driving through Kaimuki this afternoon and spotted a bunch of new concert posters on telephone poles near Kapiolani Community College.

Even in an era where text messages, MySpace bulletins and RSS feeds provide near-instantaneous communication between promoters and music fans, sometimes it’s the old-fashioned ways of guerilla street promotion that are the most effective. Until I drove by KCC, I had no clue that David Banner would be making a trip to Honolulu.

Did you know Banner, born Levell Crump, was student government president and earned a degree in business while he attended Southern University? Or that after graduating from college, he moved on to the University of Maryland to pursue a master’s degree?

He’s a very articulate individual who has come to the aid of Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans and testified before Congress in Washington, D.C. Banner spent much of his summer with the Rock the Bells festival tour before releasing his fifth full-length album, “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” in July.

Here’s a closer look at the poster:

While some have complained the posters are an eyesore and never get removed by the people who put them up in the first place, they do provide an affordable alternative to expensive radio and TV ad campaigns with maximum exposure.

The result? Posters specifically designed to contain as little information as possible so they can’t be traced.

We get Banner’s name and the date – Aug. 31 – he is scheduled to perform. But where is the show going to take place, and how much will it cost to attend?

And even more important: Who is the promoter behind the show?

I’d feel a lot more comfortable telling people about this show if I knew there was someone reputable behind the scenes. Right now, I have no clue who’s involved.

Got a tip? E-mail me at jason [at] starbulletin [dot] com.

Don’t know who Banner is? Check out the music video for his latest hit, “Get Like Me,” via this link.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 21st, 2008 at 7:37 pm and is filed under Nightlife, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.