Stuntdouble & Tenshun Talk 3-part "Welcome to San Diego, Now Go Home" EP Series & Pump The Brakes (The Witzard Interview)

Bob "Stuntdouble" Surratt AKA Bobby Stuntdooblier & Jon "Tenshun" Calzo—or sometimes, just 10shun—are an emcee/producer duo hailing from San Diego, California. Stuntdouble & Tenshun quietly unleashed 3 self-released EP, as well as an additional EP's-worth of out-takes or "party-starters" between 2011-18. Said 3-EP series was fittingly dubbed Welcome to San Diego, Now Go Home and consists of, in order: The Ballad of Shawn T. Nelson, Pay Us a Visit & The Hunchback of Golden Hill, as well as 2016 out-liers EP, Pump The Brakes. Bob & Jon first met around 2003 while being employed at the same place of work, as Tenshun's boss suggested Stuntdouble check out his then-newly released Grey Death.

Prior to unveiling their Welcome to San Diego, Now Go Home EP series, actually, recorded and self-released two earlier small-batch "full-lengths" on CD-R throughout 2005: Don't Have to Be Drunk to Tell The Truth & You Can't Polish a Turd through 10shun's own SKRAPEZ Label. After, somehow, just recently discovering the Welcome to San Diego, Now Go Home series, I reached out to both Tenshun & Stuntdouble, who both kindly agreed to participate within a comprehensive Q&A. The text below has been lightly edited for general clarity. The Hunchback of Golden Hill, Pay Us a Visit & The Ballad of Shawn T. Nelson EP's are currently available on Stuntdouble & Tenshun's Bandcamp page in either digital or 7-inch formats.


Sincerely,

Matt "The Witzard" Horowitz
Your Resident New Jersian


I. How are all of the releases within your "Welcome to San Diego, Now Go Home" EP Series thematically connected or related?

Stuntdouble: All three records, thematically, look at San Diego, California. We're known as a "tourist destination" to most, but there is definitely an underbelly of this town. We have a long history with the military industrial complex, we have the fourth largest population of people experiencing homelessness, we have issues with gentrification, etc. We wanted the records to, eventually, stand as a "concept album," which explores life in the city from a somewhat different angle.

Tenshun: They are all based around stuff that happened or is happening around San Diego.

II. How did you fellas first meet and ultimately, decide to start actively recording and releasing music together as Stuntdouble & Tenshun?

Stuntdouble: I met Tenshun at work. His supervisor gave me a copy of his album, Grey Death. I was blown away! I hit him up for a beat and we've been making songs and doing shows [together] ever since.

Tenshun: I met Stuntdouble at my job. My friend gave him a copy of my album, Grey Death. From there, we met up and made a song called "Back Off."


III. What type of relation, if any, does Pump The Brakes have to your 3-Part EP series, "Welcome to San Diego, Now Go Home?" Where exactly do these "loose" tracks initially stem from?

Stuntdouble: Pump The Brakes are songs that don't really fit the theme of the Welcome to San Diego material. At the end of the day, we're still Hip-Hop guys and we like to make sh*t that is fun to perform. Songs like "A$$hole," "Nice Hands," and "Nom de Plum" are made for performing. Heads don't want to go to a show to hear sad songs; people want upbeat stuff that's fun. Some of the "Welcome to San Diego" material just doesn't work in a live setting.

Tenshun: That was just a EP of songs that didn't fit the theme of the records. They are mostly hyped party-rocking tunes.

IV. Now that your "Welcome to San Diego, Now Go Home" EP series has been effectively completed, what's next for Stuntdouble & Tenshun, either together or as separate solo entities?

Stuntdouble: Tenshun's always got other projects cooking. I've got some beats from him and other producers I'm working on. I'm in grad school right now, so music, generally, has to take a back seat. I'm hoping to put out another EP sometime (late) this year.

Tenshun: We are currently working on some new songs, at the moment, and are hoping to drop a tape on I Had An Accident (IHAA) Records.


V. What exactly are the titles The Ballad of Sean T. Nelson, Pay Us a Visit, and The Hunchback of Golden Hill intended to mean or convey?

Stuntdouble: Each EP is named after their title tracks. "The Ballad of Shawn T. Nelson" is about a guy who took a tank on a rampage through The Clairemont & Kearny Mesa areas of the city. He was, eventually, stopped and gunned down by the police. His story is pretty complex and speaks to issues and histories of San Diego. "Pay Us a Visit" is about the tourism industry here in San Diego. That song, for me, kind of encapsulates what the Welcome to San Diego project is all about. "The Hunchback of Golden Hill" is a personal joint about the neighborhood I grew up in. It's since gone through a pretty thorough gentrification. I was butt-hurt about it for years; the song kind of reconciles some of those feelings for me.

VI. Judging by "Shaving C.R.E.A.M." (great play-on-words!) you fellas are both die-hard Wu-Tang Clan fans. If so, what are some of your all-time favorite Wu-Tang/solo verses?

Stuntdouble: My all time favorite is "Cuttin' Headz" from [Old Dirty B*stard's] first solo album. Also, anything from Enter: The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers.) Sh*t, pretty much anything from the first five Clan albums.

Tenshun: I like a lot of the old school Wu-Tang albums; even the Gravediggaz stuff was ill! I liked the sound of the production RZA was doing during that time. All raw and gritty stuff.


VII. Do either of you have any particular solo or collaborative projects dropping any time relatively soon that you might like to mention or expand on within this space?

Stuntdouble: Nothing soon...

Tenshun: I have a few projects coming out soon. SKRAPEZ (Psychopop & I) are currently working on a record. I have a project with Bethaniens Dust coming out on IHAA. I also, have some solo stuff in-the-works, which is more Noise and f**ked Electronic beats.

VIII. Who designed the phenomenal artwork for your 3 "Welcome to San Diego, Now Go Home" EP's? They personally, remind me of old school American Traditional tattoo artwork!

Stuntdouble: That's def. what we were going for. My good friend, DJ Dimitri, did the art for the first two. The plan was to get him to do all three, but he just had his kid when it was time to get the art rolling for the third record. The homie, ARTOO of Hellnote Crew (who's, also, a tattoo artist) stepped in and made our third cover. Both guys are incredibly talented and in addition to being dope artists, they are great musicians.


IX. What would each of you cite as some of your greatest sources of personal inspiration and influence while recording your 3 collaborative EP's?

Stuntdouble: My family and crew, First Power. The San Diego region, 90's-era Hip-Hop, and our local underground Hip-Hop scene. Our town has been bubbling for a minute now. We got a lot of really dope, active cats out here.

Tenshun: Early Hip-Hop stuff with dope drum breaks and samples.

X. Aside from your 3 collabortaive EP's, which particular release(s) would each of you recommend fans check out from each other's catalogs? Stuntdouble for Tenshun's and Tenshun for Stuntdouble's, please?

Stuntdouble: Tenshun's got so much heat in his back catalog. However, and I'm not sure, if it's still available, [but] I would say, check out Grey Death. Also, peep the SKRAPEZ 7-inch series. All fire!

Tenshun: Stuntdouble has a project with Mr. Henshaw called Future Primitive Foot Prints. Also, peep out some old verses Stuntdouble did on the Roundtable MC's album, Table Manners [EDITOR'S NOTE: under his then-alias, "Lipher Cypher."]