Durst returning popular acts to Venue 18

FOSTORIA — Brian Durst has hosted some highly successful hip-hop shows at Fostoria's Venue 18 Entertainment Complex, and he's capitalizing on that by bringing some of their strongest performers to 11295 Ohio Route 18 in the coming months.The music industry is no different than any other in that relationships can be key."There's a reason why I keep bringing them back," said Durst, who grew up in Fostoria and now resides in Carey. "And there's a reason why they keep coming back. We're expecting all of these shows to do well."LITFRANK's fourth Venue 18 appearance in as many years is scheduled for March 14, followed by Montana of 300 on March 18, Blind Fury on April 4 and Seckond Chaynce on May 23.Durst said ticket information for each show will be available at www.skeletix.com, and he expects the admission price at the door to be $20 per person.Durst said LITFRANK's success has grown before the very eyes of Fostoria-area fans."He's seriously blowing up," Durst said. "From four years to where he is right now is insane. And I love to see it, too. I like that he's still humble enough to keep booking with me and still keep coming to the middle nowhere, Ohio."Durst said that as many recent artists have, LITFRANK first grew a significant following on social-media platform www.tiktok.com. Durst said LITFRANK has lately been creating "trauma music," which goes hand-in-hand with Tik Tok's "Trauma Tok," in which people share personal experiences involving various forms of trauma they've encountered."It's a little dark," Durst said. "But, like, his mother was an addict and, for whatever reason, while he was on Tik Tok, he put her little, tiny shorts on his head. And he blew up. He even did a few shows where he wore her old shorts on his head — the point being his mother wasn't a big lady, probably a crack addict or whatever. ... He makes music for kids who were abused and traumatized. There are a lot of people like that, unfortunately."Montana of 300, who first became a "name" act in 2016, will be back at Venue 18 for the third time. He's best known for his 2016 song 'Wifin' You.'"Everybody loves Montana," Durst said. "It's a good, clean show. ... I never have to worry about fights or anything; that's not the kind of crowd he brings. Everybody's coming to have a good time and listen to good music. He's just a vibe himself. And, again, the fact that he's willing to come back and work with us — those previous shows must have gone well enough."Blind Fury, who is blind, made a name for himself in the early 2000s largely through his success during the "Freestyle Friday" episodes of the BET show "106 & Park." Blind Fury went unbeaten for 17 consecutive weeks in the show's freestyle rap competition, Durst recalled. Blind Fury has since had a number of albums released."I remember thinking he was just, like, the coolest guy ever," Durst said. "I wanted to be like him. ... Now, I've got four songs with him. He's such a humble dude, such a cool dude. He lets people come on stage and freestyle with him during shows. He's honestly one of the coolest people I've ever met."Durst has booked Seckond Chaynce and his unique blend of musical styles at both Venue 18 and the Carey Brewing Company. The artist has, along the way, developed a worldwide following His notable songs include "Head Over Heels," "My World" and "Undeniable.""He's probably the most versatile, talented artist that I've ever seen or met," Durst said. "I remember when I first found him, that's what the caption of the reel said: 'This artist can do all genres.' It's hip-hop, it's rock, it's pop, it's R&B — he really does do all genres. There are really no limitations with this guy. Like, right now, country is kind of like his milieu or whatever, but he murders the R&B scene. He does whatever he wants to do and he does it well."