Gill S.O.T.U.

Click here to buy my CD._________________________________________________________ _________Sometimes poetic, sometimes soul, sometimes hip-hop, sometimes comedic, always from the heart, gill Sotu has a style like no other. He is the master of connection, engaging audiences throughout southern California. Whether he is performing poetry or singing with band the one thing that stays consistent –passion. ____________________________________________________________ ______Gill S.O.T.U – poet, singer/songwriter, emcee, dj, artist, event host Program director of the marquee (non-profit arts/music venue in golden hill, san Diego) ____________________________________________________________ ___2009: Host of Train Of Thought, successful weekly open Mic at The Marquee assists in poetry workshops in san Diego’s juvenile county lock-up ____________________________________________________________ ___ 2008: member of san Diego slam team, semi-finalists in the national poetry slam debut album – elephant heart nominated for 5 mavric independent music awards *song of the year –acoustic *song of the year – hip hop *album of the year *song of the year – comedy *Best mixing of a full length cd ____________________________________________________________ ____ 2007: “Gang green” Grand Slam Poetry Champion of Los Angeles founder of “SOTU Productions” a non-profit art organization in Ventura County ____________________________________________________________ _____ 2006: grand slam poetry champion of Ventura county ____________________________________________________________ _____ Other accomplishments Headline band for the ojai valley youth foundation MLK Day celebration 4 years running 3 time winner of the borders poetry slam – thousand oaks Winner of the 2003 csuci student talent competition Gill’s music and poetry has been heard from radio stations, universities, elementary, Jr high’s, to coffee houses and big concert venues all over southern California. He as also performed in various venues around the United States including Hawaii. ____________________________________________________________ _____ "In the middle of listening to 1500 songs that were submitted I popped in the CD from Gill S.O.T.U. and I was automatically hooked in! Before I knew it I had listed to the CD 3 or 4 complete times because I had enjoyed it so much. I can't remember another artist that happened with. Gill's CD soon made it onto my iPod and into my 'favorites' playlist." -Doc Rogers, Founder of the MAVRIC Music Awards ____________________________________________________________ _____ “His music and words make you stop whatever you’re doing and listen to something beautiful” -Paul Mabon, HBO Def Jam Poet ____________________________________________________________ _____ “Not your mama’s poetry-Local verb master Gill SOTU opens a new chapter of creativity in Ventura.” -Chris Jay, VC Reporter ____________________________________________________________ ___ “The room is still enough to hear a single shuffling of feet as 28 year old Gill Sotu steps into the spotlight and takes the microphone. More than 200 people…press into cramped auditorium seats or sit cross-legged on the floor around him like children waiting for a story.” – Melissa Heckscher,LA’s Daily Breeze Newspaper 2006 ____________________________________________________________ ____Once upon a time a poem wrote me/ In it I was written backwards and left handed with a red pen/ Perhaps it was filled with blood/ My poem described me as a line that drips/ I crossed out a memory of me hurting a woman who didn’t deserve it/ I went further back and knock out that kid in the 6th grade that did/I traveled to my 5th birthday, put quotations around the word father, then a question mark/ Finally placing three dots at the end of the word meaning “to be continued” and ended the sentence with a heart/Once upon a time a poem wrote me/ In it I was being created/ Shaped to be soon realized in a woman’s womb/ God held me carefully carving within my interior small mistakes And slightly larger victories/ ____________________________________________________________ ____