The Taylor Gang tour featuring Chevy Woods kicks off Thursday, Jan. 26, at Timothy's Pub and Grill.

"We're really excited to be coming to Dayton," said DJ Scholar, Woods' deejay formally known as Robert Gabriel III. "I've always had great experiences in the past at Dayton, so it made sense for us to make it the first stop of the tour."

Gabriel said his past experiences in Dayton include deejaying for Mike Posner in January 2010, the St. Patrick's Day bar crawl in 2011, and the Big Sean concert in March 2011 at Tim's. This four-location tour also includes stops in Toledo, Cleveland and Ann Arbor.

"We've been trying to help Chevy come up for a little bit and we think this tour is just the beginning," Gabriel said. "A number of other artists have performed at Tim's before they got big and we have the same hope for Chevy."

Gabriel said the show is a collaboration of 4.0 Entertainment LLC, a company he started, and Black Rose Entertainment.

"This show is really unique in that it was set up as a personal favor from Chevy's manager," said Tyson D, the promoter of the show, who requested that his full name not be printed. "He got in touch with me on Christmas Eve when I was at home, and said he wanted to make a show happen at UD to kick off the tour because Wiz [Khalifa] and others had great experiences, so we got to work."

University of Dayton sophomore Dave Zup, a Cleveland native, is opening for Woods.

"I think the concert's going to be a great experience overall, the Taylor Gang culture and the Pittsburgh culture is something that has quickly become popular," Gabriel said. "2011 was a good year for us, and we want to continue that into 2012."

Woods, the headliner for the Taylor Gang tour, was born in Pittsburgh and was the hypeman, or promoter, for his friend and rap counterpart Wiz Khalifa, before starting to rap himself, according to Woods' website. His most recent mixtape, "The Cookout," was released Sept. 24, 2011, and has since accounted for over 100,000 downloads, according to Woods' website.

Tyson, a 2004 UD graduate, stressed that the show was specifically for the students.

"We've worked hard to put this show together for the students," Tyson said. "We want UD students to come to this, so we made the ticket prices $10."

Gabriel said he considers UD almost like a second home, even though he went to college in Toledo.

"Tim's gave me opportunities when I was just starting out, and I always had great experiences so I'm excited to come back," Gabriel said. "We want as many people to come as possible."

Doors open at 7 p.m. Thursday, and the show is open to anyone over the age of 18.

For tickets and more information on the concert, visit http://www.taylorgangtour.com, or go to Timothy's Pub and Grill.



The Taylor Gang Tour kicks off with a performance by rapper Chevy Woods Thursday, Jan. 26, at Timothy's Pub and Grill. Woods has gained popularity through his association with rapper Wiz Khalifa.