Effective June 17, 2009.  No refunds for any tickets purchased before this date.

First 150 people to show up sporting a United Cerebral Palsey t-shirt get a free sandwich courtesy Chick-fil-A.

Beat the heat and the traffic when you take the he City Stages shuttles  provided by Rare Transportation Friday &  Saturday.  Catch a shuttle  at THE RARE MARTINI in the Lakeview District near  7th Avenue South and 28th Street and arrive at the Festival’s sync  vitaminwater gate on 4th Avenue North.  Shuttles will run Friday &  Saturday and  will bring patrons both to and from the festival.  If you aren’t ready to  go home yet when you arrive back in Lakeview, join the fun at the Official  City Stages After Party at THE  RARE MARTINI. theraremartini.com

Want to continue the City Stages experience after festival  hours?  To finish off the festivities on Friday and Saturday, the good  people at THE RARE MARTINI are  hosting the festival’s Official After Party, live from the Lakeview District  at 2839 7th Avenue South.  Join us for dancing, live music, DJ and great food, or just hang out with your  friends at the sidebar.  Bring this, your City Stages on-site guide, to  get $2 off the price of admission. You must be 21 to enter.

2nd Tier tickets - June 15 - June 18 - $45 - Buy Ticket

Gate Price - $55

Weekend Tickets are also available by calling Ticketmaster, 800-745-3000 or at the following outlets:

 - Legacy Credit Union, for Legacy Creit Union locations click here. 

-  Publix locations through Ticketmaster

-  Liveupscalebirmingham.com properties, for liveupscalebirmingham.com properties click here

Children 12 and under get in free when accompanied by an adult.

Single Day Passes

Single Day Passes - $28

Single Day passes are available on-line only prior to the Festival or at the gate June 19-21, 2009.

Buy a single day pass for Friday

Buy a single day pass for Saturday

Buy a single day pass for Sunday

Join golfers of all skill levels on Thursday, June 4 at Robert Trent Jones at Oxmoor Valley for this benefit event that’s always a blast.

Entry fee: $400/Foursome $100/Individual.  To Register click here.
Prizes will be awarded for longest drive, closest to pin, hole-in-one, and more.
Each registered player 1 round of golf with cart, tournament golf shirt, gift bag, catered lunch, invitation to post tournament party, 1 weekend pass to city stages - June 19, 20, & 21st

Check In & Lunch -11:30am -Shotgun Start- 1:00pm
Some corporate hole sponsorships remain, starting at $250. Contact Jon Vogel for additional information (205) 254-3005.

To register with a credit card, CONTACT Ann Dial McMillan (205) 324-6881x 108

Proceeds benefit The Birmingham Cultural & Heritage Foundation, Inc., the non-profit foundation that produces City Stages.

Please come out to Lil Stages the Big Party before the Big Party at Bottletree! Its only $8 but there will be musical performances by VASA,
http://www.myspace.com/vasamusic

NOEL JOHNSON of the White Oaks, http://www.myspace.com/reverendjohnsonandthemodernsun

and PRESTON LOVINGGOOD (of Wild Sweet Orange)
http://www.myspace.com/wildsweetorange

There will also be tons of games, prizes, and free giveaways plus great drink specials all night! Other special treats include:

Win a date Auction with two MAJOR HOTTIES!
Dream dates include very special City Stages extras & of course the company of two of our city’s most eligible singles- Anne Puckett & Jonathan Vogel
BRING YOUR DOLLA BILLS, Y’ALL!

Caricature-ish drawings by none other than Birmingham’s own, Daisy Winfrey. She’s got talent, for re-alz. You will get your own personalized piece of art for pennies, that will literally be worth MILLONS one day.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daisywinfrey

“Photobooth” photoshoot with Jonathan Purvis
TOTALLY FREE!
Get ready for your new facebook profile pic! You’re gonna look so hott AND so cool!

Also, fantastic prizes & give-aways await you!
VIP passes
T-shirts
CDs
ArtWalk paraphernalia
and much, much MORE!

If you love and support City Stages then you gotta come out to Lil Stages!

The band was started in the early 90’s with guitarist Russ Ely and Richard Edwards, with two different sounds, 70’s rock-n-roll and 80’s distortion.  Named “Southern Mixx” until the mid 90’s, they performed cover songs, mainly up beat country and rock-n-roll, in Birmingham and surrounding areas at various clubs, private parties and festivals.

Carla Mathews joined the band in 1996 bringing powerful vocals.  This addition opened the door to a driving rock sound, and a name change to “Drive South”.  Russ and Carla’s song writing skills created a number of original songs that were worked into the sets which added a new direction and positive responses.  Russ, Richard and Carla stuck together through several musician changes until finally securing bass player Billy Weems, also bringing song writing talent.

In January 2006 the band took a break from the performance scene, and made a decision to strictly focus on original material.  This led to the studio and the completion of their first CD in January 2008, self titled “Drive South”.  The CD contains a variety of songs from ballad country to alternative rock.  This first accomplishment earned good reviews and CD sales from “Dig Station”, “CD Baby” and “ITunes”.   

Performing live again, they added drummer David Jones in February 2008, and acquired outstanding musicians David Sweat on guitar and Andy Weems on harmonica and keyboards, which added a full rounded sound to live shows.

“Drive South” is back on the scene and are currently in the studio recording their second CD, with completion set in late fall.  This band with their rock drive and southern classic edge has proven to be a consistent hit.

MySpace page with music previews

MySpace page with music previews

MySpace page with music previews

SHIROCK Live on Talk of Alabama (ABC 33/40)!

SHIROCK live on Good Day Alabama (Fox 6)

SHIROCK BIO
written by: Tracey Pepper

With recent political events inspiring people around the world to believe that change is on the way, there’s no better time for SHIROCK, an earnest young band with an uplifting message, to make their mark on the music scene. “The reason we make music is because we want to be a catalyst for change, and we feel like that begins with being honest about who we are and where we’re at…the dirt and the glory, the big ideas and the problems we see, all of the dreams and uncertanties…” says the band’s founder, frontman, and namesake Chuck Shirock. “Our hope is by doing that, we’ll be part of a shift in our generation to live for the things that matter and not get caught up in the things that don’t.”

To that end, SHIROCK make music that capitalizes on the transformative power of rock and roll and its ability to move and inspire people. Their dynamic debut album, Everything Burns, is filled with bold, anthemic songs that bristle with restless urgency and passionate optimism. You can hear it not only in the sonics — the sweeping melodies, the textured layers of gritty guitars and plaintive keyboards, and Chuck’s fervent wailing vocals — but also in the lyrics, which are rooted in the personal, the political, and the spiritual. Produced by Jay Ruston, who has also worked with The Donnas, Everclear, Matisyahu, and Cold War Kids, Everything Burns may sound grand and expansive, but underneath the soaring arrangements is a singer/songwriter album at heart, creating an interesting tension that allows the songs to feel both personal and universal.

Though SHIROCK is a five-piece, at its core are songwriters Chuck Shirock and Pap. The two met in 1999 and discovered that they had both spent time living overseas with missionary parents. Chuck grew up in the Philippines and Scotland before his family returned to the States, while Pennsylvania-born Pap’s Greek family settled in Ohio after a year spent in Turkey. Both Vocal Performance majors, they began playing music together in college, with Pap contributing harmonies and keyboard parts to Chuck’s early demos. Eventually she joined Chuck onstage. While also studying music and music business at the same college, drummer Adam Gatchel and bassist Derek Blank joined Chuck and Pap in Summer 2005. After being in various other bands, guitarist Jason Bynum joined the four in late 2006. Over the years, both the musical relationships and friendships within the band have grown and deepened, something that feels palpable upon listening to Everything Burns.

“The songs on the album — they’re our lives, our relationships, our friendships within the band. They’re our pursuit of trying to figure out life, who we are, who God is, and how it all makes sense,” Chuck says. “It’s all of that put to music.”

Indeed the songs on Everything Burns wrestle with the big questions. “New Solution” is about hoping for change and “a different way of doing things because how things are now just doesn’t work,” Chuck says. “Time Goes By” reflects a sense of restlessness. “We all go through those times when we wish we were in a different place or that life looked a bit different — when you’re just kind of stuck,” Pap says. “Still Young” insists that as long as you’re alive, you still have a chance to make a difference, Pap says. Finally, there’s “Everything Burns,” which is the album’s title track and sums up SHIROCK’s mission statement. “It’s this idea that our time is so valuable and limited…we want to use is wisely,” Chuck says. “So much around us is temporary. We want to live for the things that really matter…like relationships, pouring time and resources into people, and really making a difference. Everything else just burns.”

SHIROCK don’t just sing about making a difference, they are actually making it happen. They recently launched the non-profit organization Everything Burns as a way to encourage their fans to help those in need. “People are passionate right now about wanting to do something to effect change,” Pap says, “but sometimes it’s hard to know how to get involved. This is a way for us to connect people we meet at shows with people in their area trying to make a difference.” In February 2009, SHIROCK will launch the “Everything Burns Tour,” which will stop in 14 major cities and partner with local charities working to solve issues of homelessness and poverty in their area. All income from the tour will go directly to charity.

SHIROCK’s other plans for 2009 include expanding their Nashville-based fashion line, Irock Clothing, which Chuck and Pap launched in 2008 as a creative outlet and means to develop their brand. “So much of the band merchandise we see doesn’t really have the right fit or feel,” Chuck says. “We wanted to make T-shirts that you would want to wear even if you didn’t know the music. We’ve always been interested in fashion and wearing clothes that represent a person’s individuality and uniqueness.” The line, which features shirts, jackets, bags, and accessories, has been carried in stores regionally, and has sold out at every boutique that carried it.

And of course 2009 will see the February release of Everything Burns which SHIROCK recorded at Nashville’s Ocean Way studio with Jay Ruston. Five songs have been available since March 2008, when the EP 5 was released digitally on iTunes. In addition, the band sold more than 3,000 copies over seven months on the road, due in no small part to the strong fanbase SHIROCK has built through grassroots touring (more than 150 shows in the eastern U.S. in 2008) and marketing. Five songs from Everything Burns have also been featured on MTV’s The Hills among other placements on Television - including NBC’s ER.

Getting their songs heard is all part of SHIROCK’s grand plan to make a difference. “So much music these days is just noise,” Chuck says. “It might be great-sounding noise, but it’s still noise. It’s not communicating something real that makes you feel something. For us it’s about so much more than entertainment. We strive to make you feel something in everything we do.”

Find out more at SHIROCK.net

Check out Pio Fusco on Talk of Alabama 33/40!

MySpace page with music previews

The biggest night in City Stages history was when Lynyrd Skynyrd performed in 2004. Since then the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 13, 2006. They will release their new album “God & Guns” September 29.

Learn more about the band at their official website: lynyrdskynyrd.com

Follow the band at: myspace.com/lynyrdskynyrd

The first time I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd live was back in 1970’s. With their triple guitar attack, wildman frontman and a kick-ass rhythm section, Skynyrd’s incendiary live show was full of power and grace, and simply everything great a Southern rock band could be.

The veritable guitar army is still in fine form; founding member Gary Rossington, plus ace axemen Rickey Medlocke (formerly of Blackfoot), and 2006 addition Mark Matejka (formerly of The Charlie Daniels Band), look menacing in black, prowling and pacing around the stage pulling and bending strings. These days, you just don’t see this kind of guitar firepower onstage at the same time anywhere, period.

A rocking “What’s Your Name” features a fiery solo by the maniacal Medlocke; his long hair flies as he spins around in circles. Medlocke’s searing slide solo falls into Rossington’s wicked break–his warm, liquid tone is to die for and his phrasing and left-hand vibrato deadly. Rossington has created some of rock’s most memorable licks of all time and not surprisingly, has been honored with his own signature model Gibson Les Paul.

The ringleader is Johnny Van Zant (younger brother of founding member the late Ronnie Van Zant), who sings with power and conviction and talks to the crowd like they were family friends over for a BBQ. He knows how to get them riled up too.

Fancy guitar licks fly on “I Know A Little,” the playing, tone and tightness are simply staggering. The emotional “Simple Man” hits hard, while new anthem “Red White & Blue” is a moving moment, stocked with country, common man themes–the same as they’ve been singing since day one.

“Gimme Three Steps” is a guitar party straight from Jacksonville, with rhythm section member Michael Cartellone (drums) digging deep, wide grooves. The aching ballad “Tuesday’s Gone” is decorated with a full orchestra while other tunes use a horn section.

Classic tune “Free Bird” is pure drama. Rossington raises a million goosebumps in the sweet sentimental intro, Van Zant hits home during the powerful verse, and the entire band shows power in the majestic double time triple guitar outro. The sheer intensity and overall sense of abandon is breathtaking.

“Live shows are really what this band is about,” says guitar legend Rossington in a low drawl. “We love to play live, there’s nothing else like it. We don’t know anything else to do. We got it down now, people are enjoying it so were enjoying doing it for ‘em.”

Despite the high mileage, Skynyrd sounds fresh and renewed while still staying true to their roots. Not just going through the motions, they nail the material, and play with passion and conviction–all while looking like they were having the time of their lives.

“I think we capture the spirit of the old guys who aren’t with us anymore,” says Rossington. “They’re up on stage with us in heart and soul–I think the people feel that. We’ve tried through the years to keep original all the music, the spirit, the sense of the story.”

Rossington’s playing has the depth and hard earned wisdom of a true survivor; at this point, there’s a lot of gratitude in his voice. “It’s a blessing, but it’s been hard,” he admits “I’ve been through a lot a shit in my day; heart surgery, the plane crash, and this and that, but to come back to this (band)–that’s what it’s all about, what makes my life happen. I’m just real thankful for it all.”

For singer Johnny Van Zant, Skynyrd is a family tradition. In 1987 he was called to fill the shoes of his older brother, the late Ronnie Van Zant (well, Ronnie never wore shoes), a bigger-than-life figure in the legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Johnny has grown into the daunting role with respect and humor. “To carry it on,” says Van Zant, “means everything to me.” And he’d better get it right. “I’m gonna die one day, and the last thing I want to do is go towards the light and see Ronnie there going ‘I’m pissed at you!’ I try to do everything we do with the most respect and pride, believe me.” Van Zant knows who butters his bread.   “I attribute the success of the band to the fans–my hat’s off to them.’’

Rossington humbly adds: “I never thought we would get this big. I thank God everyday that we’re still around and able to play and people still like us and come to the shows. As long as that’s happening, we’ll keep going on. It’s a gift from God, I think.”

The band started as worship leaders in their local church, but the group soon felt God taking them in a different direction. They created a new project that focused on writing original music, which eventually became known as “Ohio Avenue.” Their name was inspired by a street in Indiana where lead singer Derek Williams grew up. “When my parents divorced, my mother felt God urging her to move to Alabama (along with my brother and I),” says Williams. “We ended up leaving our lives and comforts behind to follow God’s direction. Fast forward a few years and I felt like I was back in the same situation. I was playing in a worship band and God began to urge me to leave and follow the new direction he was giving me. I thought about how I felt when I left my old street and how God took us out of comfort and security to follow his voice. It just made sense to call the band Ohio Avenue. To me, Ohio Avenue is about leaving everything behind to follow God’s direction.”

Though relatively new to the Christian rock scene, the band has managed to
make a powerful impact. The band released a 5 song ep with producer Barry
Blair (Audio Adrenaline, Bleach, Poor Man¹s Riches) in 2007. Their first
single from the EP, “Close to Me,” has been the most requested song on the
Jon Walden Show at 93.7 WDJC in Birmingham, AL. Ohio Avenue has landed
opening slots for bands like Kutless and Superchick and performed at
national Christian music festivals including Cornerstone, Enfuego, The Big
Ticket Festival, and Rock the Light. The band is currently working with
writer/producer Adam Smith (Brooke Barrett Smith, Britt Nicole) and plans to
release a full length project in mid 2009.

Although they are accomplished musicians, the band remains focused on
ministry. They value authenticity and honesty in their music and their
lives. Lead singer Derek Williams says, ³I think the whole basis of our
music is that we are all complete disasters. We are not and never will be
perfect. Christian or Non-Christian, we all need a savior. So, I think
people can relate because we don’t come from the perspective of “We’re
perfect Christians trying to show all the imperfect people how they need
salvation. We want to let people know that in the midst of all your pain
and disappointments, there is a God who still loves you.” As of today, Ohio
Avenue is traveling and performing at churches all over the Southeast. They
hope that their music will impact the people they meet in a meaningful way.
The band wants to fulfill the call on their lives, and hopefully, help
others to do the same.

Follow the band and hear the music at:
myspace.com/ohioavenue

Not so many years ago, he was singing for tips in Second Avenue bars and soaking up country music history at his day job working in the video tape library of the late, great Nashville Network. Today he’s among the most successful and relevant country singers in the business. They say Nashville doesn’t work like this anymore - that talented strivers with no connections don’t stand a chance. But Dierks Bentley proved that Music City’s engine still runs and that as a place for education, inspiration and validation, it has no parallel.  Critics find him credible. Fans pack his shows.  There are precious few new artists recording hits today about whom that can be said.

Bentley’s kind of country has never been straight-up-the-middle. Instead, the Arizona-native grew up on a potent hybrid of honky-tonk, bluegrass, singer/songwriters, classic country and modern rock & roll, forging his own sound along the way.

Follow the aritst and hear the music at: myspace.com/dierksbentley

As the Plain White T’s learned over the last two years, there’s something unreal about success. One minute you’re sweating your ass off on stage in some dive. The next, your song is #1 and your CD has sold more than a million albums worldwide. One minute you’re listening to “Rubber Soul” on your iPod; the next you’re a Song of the Year nominee at the Grammys and Ringo Starr is saying hi to you. Unreal. Yet staying real is precisely what the Plain White T’s are all about. So on their new Hollywood/Fearless CD, Big Bad World, they passed on the digital bells or whistles. Instead, producer Johnny K pressed the ‘record’ button and the band simply played its heart out.

And there’s plenty of heart on Big Bad World. Says singer/songwriter Tom Higgenson, “We tried to be really ambitious and not worry about people’s expectations for this record.  Our vision was to do it in a classic way.” To that end, the band only used gear or instruments made before 1970: vintage guitars, old Vox amps and Leslie speakers, a Ludwig drum set circa 1966. They even recorded without a click track (equivalent to walking a high-wire without a net). Because they recorded it live, you might hear imperfections. But in the case of “Big Bad World,” those imperfections worked perfectly.

Follow the band and hear the music at: myspace.com/plainwhitets

Stick an Englishman in a band with three true blue Texans and you’re bound to come up with something pretty damn original.

In this case, the result is Electric Touch, the type of unbridled rock band that’s been missing from the scene for sometime now- a monster of a group whose sound is big enough to fill an arena.

Really, their name says it all. “I thought it was like A Clockwork Orange….almost a paradox,” says charismatic frontman Shane Lawlor. “But everybody thought it sounded like a vibrator.” That wasn’t exactly a negative. “That probably is this band in a nutshell,” he concedes.

He’s not too far off: Electric Touch’s mind-blowing self-titled debut album (due out this summer from the Austin-based Justice Records), is a tour de force of brilliant melodies, rock hard riffs and stick-in-your-head lyrics. Produced by Frenchie Smith (Built to Spill, The Dandy Warhols, Meat Puppets) and mixed by Gavin Mackillop (Goo Goo Dolls, Sugarcult,  The La’s), the album announces the arrival of a bold new talent.

How Avi came to record her debut album in L.A., the first joint release from Ian  Montone’s Monotone Label and Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records, is a true 21st century tale of the way the Internet has transformed the music business and shrunk the globe in the process.

Born in the tiny town of Miri in Sarawak on the island of Borneo, Zee grew up near the South China Sea in a liberal, encouraging household where her father owned an energy consultancy.  “I was bred to be a lawyer,” she says, but music was in her blood.  Her father’s father sang and played double-bass, accordion, violin and guitar in bands.

At age 12, Zee moved from Borneo to Kuala Lumpur where she has been based since.  At 17, Zee started locking herself in a room for hours on end to learn to play guitar. Guitar took a back seat for 4 years while she was studying fashion design in London. When she returned to Kuala Lumpur, she picked the instrument back up and began writing songs and performing with a band.

Follow the artist and hear the music at: myspace.com/zeeavi

Eric Hutchinson

Although he’s been favorably compared to his early idols (Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Paul Simon), one of the most remarkable things about Sounds Like This is the sheer breadth of musical styles Hutchinson effortlessly encompasses. His ease is perhaps inherited from his grandmother, who played viola in a local orchestra, backing everyone from Tony Bennett to Aretha Franklin as they came through town. From the buoyant album opener, “Ok, It’s Alright With Me” to the thoughtful “Back to Where I Was,” depicting two friends at crossroads in their respective lives, to the soulful “You’ve Got You,” the self-described student of pop music fuses divergent styles into a sound he alone owns. Hutchinson’s vocals veer from a gritty growl to a shimmering falsetto on “Outside Villanova,” which gives way to the jazzy “Food Chain,” wherein the narrator comes to terms with a relationship marred by lies and broken expectations.

Follow the artist and hear his music at:
myspace.com/erichutchinson

Like the Mud Shark and the Rock Lobster before it, Vulture Whale is quickly making a name for itself in rock’s rich taxonomy. The group hails from Birmingham Alabama, and in February 2009, they will release their sophomore (and also self-titled) album on Skybucket Records (Dexateens, 13ghosts, Barton Carroll). Vulture Whale is comprised of Wes McDonald (formerly of The Ohms), guitarist Lester Nuby (formerly of Verbena), bassist Keelan Parrish, and drummer Jake Waitzman. All of the members of Vulture Whale have played together in one form or another for several years now, and their chemistry immediately is apparent on the opening tracks of Vulture Whale.

The album-mixed by Mark Rains (The Shys, Waylon  Jennings, The Close)-is a focused affair in which clever, plain spoken and honest lyrics sit atop inventive, catchy melodies that are underscored by lush, thumpy arrangements. The album’s centerpiece is the jaunty “Sugar,” a track that is reminiscent of Pavement and Modest Mouse. “Tote it to Cleveland, AL” gives a nod to The Replacements, while “Guillotine” is a raucous call-to-arms. Equal parts Grendel and Pegasus, the Vulture Whale dwells deep in the mythical Ocean of Rock where the Rolling Stones regularly ditch their behind-the-beat swagger for up-tempo and melodious rock numbers.

Put simply, Vulture Whale. is the Saturday night record you’ve been waiting for, from  the band you should have been rocking out to long ago.

MySpace page with music previews

Wax Fang began as one man’s basement vision of how rock ‘n’ roll might sound if it simultaneously existed in the past and future, stopping in the present just long enough to stupefy listeners.

In creating the core of Wax Fang’s catalog, Scott Carney dedicated months to overdubbing intricate layers of music for what initially was a solo project in every sense. The resulting album, Black & Endless Night, is the sound of a record collection imploding, combining glam-rock, pop, and surf riffs with the dreamy ambience of vintage Brian Eno and David Bowie.

Carney then decided to do a little exploding. He found a fierce band in drummer Kevin Ratterman and bassist Jacob Heustis, who took the album’s warm precision and blew it away in all the right ways. With those two providing a deep, resourceful bottom end, Carney was free to indulge in his distinctive, aggressive guitar playing.

MySpace page with music previews

The modern musical unit known as Black Moth Super Rainbow first emerged from an obscure Pennsylvania forest glen in 2003 to relay a somewhat confounding sound with Falling Through a Field. Over the next few years, that peculiar sound developed, and the cult of BMSR began. With the release of their naturally-sweetened, candy-coated, and acclaimed 2007 treat, Dandelion Gum, a number of curious listeners bent their ears and adjusted their listening habits to incorporate Black Moth Super Rainbow’s oddly creepy and off-beat sweet audio plyings. With support slots opening for Flaming Lips and Aesop Rock, the oft-camera shy outfit was soon positioned in front of thousands of brand new sonically adventurous music enthusiasts who weren’t necessarily prepared for the eccentric visuals of BMSR’s surreal live show, but would hopefully emerge changed, and be better off for it.

Follow the band and hear the music at:
myspace.com/blackmothsuperrainbow

Video: “Sun Lips”

In addition to Wise Up, The Hard Lessons have a series of CD singles on the horizon, coming this March. In a nod to both the serial comic strips of the 40’s (think Superman), as well as the record clubs of the 90’s (think Sub Pop), Detroit’s The Hard Lessons will release the first single in a four-part series, B sides and G sides. Release dates begin in November, 2007 on both CD and 45 with special interrelating artwork. Each single will chronicle modern life from both a male and female perspective, as seen through the eyes of the band’s male and female vocalists (and songwriters) Augie and Ko Ko. The first single will feature the songs “See and Be Scene” and “Don’t Shake My Tree,” written and sung by Augie and Ko Ko, respectively. In a music world forever altered by digital downloading, The Hard Lessons are making record collecting fun again.

The band also recently released a CD single in tribute to Neil Young. Hey Hey, My My contains two versions of that track, which often serves as an exclamation point to The Hard Lesson’s live sets. Also included on the disc is a raw version of “Harvest Moon,” performed by vocalist/keyboardist Ko Ko Louise and The Sights’ Eddie Baranek on guitar.

MySpace page with music previews

As part of the North Mississippi Allstars, Cody Dickinson has three Grammy nominated albums under his belt. He has shared the stage with artists as diverse as Kid Rock, Dave Matthews Band and Mavis Staples, and toured all over the world steadily since 1996, earning a legion of fans.

The majority of the material on ‘Make A Move’ was written by protégé Garry Burnside, the youngest of R.L. and Alice Mae Burnside’s fourteen children. Garry is a walking encyclopedia of Mississippi hill country blues. He grew up playing with Junior Kimbrough every Sunday night in Junior’s world-famous juke joint (where he met a young Cody Dickinson for the first time).

Kirk Smithhart was awarded The Albert King award for Best Guitarist by the Blues Foundation when he was only 19. Daniel Robert Coburn, born and raised in Flint MI, cut his teeth playing rock and hardcore. He formed Dixie Hustler in 2001 whose debut record was produced by Aaron Julison of Kid Rock and Cody Dickinson. “Hot” Cleveland grew up surrounded by the gospel music of Memphis and has recorded and toured with a number of lauded musicians including Olanda Draper, Shalamar, and Howard Hewitt.

Follow the group and hear the music at: myspace.com/hillcountryrevue

- 1st album came out summer 2008 on Ecstatic Peace Records
- New 7″ vinyl single “Mama’s Mad Cause I Fried My Brain” out April 2009 on Fat Possum
- Turbo Fruits have recently expanded from a duo to a trio.
- Currently in the studio mixing new album for September 2009
- Led by guitarist / vocalist Jonas Stein (of the late, great Be Your Own Pet)
- With Wes Traylor on bass and Zack Attack on drums.

Turbo Fruits will be featured performers in the movie Whip It!,  directed by Drew Barrymore, and starring Ellen Page (Juno) and Jimmy Fallon.  In theaters in October (Fox Searchlight Films)

MySpace page with music previews

Follow the band and hear the music at:
myspace.com/flatcatatlanta

Acclaimed rockers Roman Candle will release Oh Tall Tree in the Ear, their much-anticipated follow up to 2006’s The Wee Hours Revue, May 12th on Carnival Records.

The songs for this album were written mostly in a rural part of the U.K., despite the band being from Chapel Hill, NC. “We had been playing shows in London after the Wee Hours came out, and we decided to stay for a month with some friends of ours who owned a manor house in east Yorkshire,” says Matheny. “We stayed in an apartment above what used to be the horse stables, and wrote a bunch of lyrics and music for the new record.” Matheny goes on to explain that the two major influences on them during this writing time, were Tom Stoppard’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” which they had seen while in London, and Rainer Maria Rilke’s “Sonnets to Orpheus,” which they were reading at the time.

Produced by Jason Lehning (Alison Krauss, The Silver Seas) and recorded in Nashville and North Carolina, Oh Tall Tree in the Ear capitalizes on the band’s distinct melodic sensibilities and its earnest, introspective lyrics. Skip, Timshel and Logan Matheny, the trio at the core of Roman Candle, remain a band dedicated to the power of a well-crafted song.

MySpace page with music previews

MySpace page with music previews

Follow her and hear the music at:
myspace.com/meiko

Born into a musical family in Enfield, CT, Brandon sang his first solo at the age of five.  It was musical theater instead of organized sports that kept Brandon’s attention while attending high school in Springfield, MA.  Eventually after finishing school he moved to Nashville, TN and began playing the club circuit as well as recording several albums worth of original songs. Brandon has shared the stage with David Gray, The Fray, Peter Frampton, Emmylou Harris, Sugarland, Daniel Lanois, Johnny Lang, Patty Griffin, Brandi Carlile, Aqualung, Emerson Hart of Tonic, Better Than Ezra, and Liz Wright.  Now living in Los Angeles, Brandon is an independent artist playing shows and preparing to record a brand new album for release later this year.

Follow the artist and hear the music at: myspace.com/brandonyoung

There’s a new breed of dark, raw, mind-blowing psych-rock crawling from the South, and its name is Dead Confederate. The Georgia group conjured the haunting sound of their debut full-length album WRECKING BALL the old-fashioned way: by making it in the tiny concrete box of a studio in Austin, Texas, where the sound effects for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre were recorded. “We’re kind of like a Jackson Pollock painting,” explains singer/guitarist Hardy Morris, 28. “Brutally honest. There isn’t some big twist or turn, it just lays it all out there. Immediate, no frills, primal, emotional.”

Dead Confederate - Morris, bassist Brantley Senn, guitarist Walker Howle, keyboardist John Watkins, and drummer Jason Scarboro - first bonded over Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath (”stoner shit,” as Morris puts it) when they attended high school together in Augusta, Georgia. After keeping a band loosely together throughout college, the five-piece got serious when they were faced with the prospect of finding careers outside of music. After the small-town crew moved to Atlanta, “We were all kind of huddled together in this little house in the big city,” Morris recalls, “Things took a turn and Brantley and I started writing serious personal stuff. We weren’t just playing anymore, we were really writing and searching.” Dead Confederate was born.

Follow the band and hear the music at myspace.com/deadconfederate

Their delivery of acoustic and electric guitars with a hard-hitting rhythm section has lead to sold out shows all over the Southeast and won’t be stopping there. Hightide Blues played Bonnaroo 2008 and are expanding their touring with shows throughout the Midwest, East Coast and West Coast.
In February 2008 Hightide Blues recorded their second EP “Love Come Easy” with producer Richard McLaurin at House of David Studios in Nashville, where music legends Elvis, Neil Young, B.B. King, Joe Cocker, and Roy Orbison recorded some of the most influential albums in music history. The highly anticipated “Love Come Easy” is generating excitement from fans and major record labels alike. Being labeled the fastest up and coming band in the Southeast, Hightide Blues is following in the footsteps of the many music legends who graced the very same studio, and anything is possible for this band as they tour the country picking up momentum and fans along the way.

MySpace page with music previews

Mr. Rojas was awarded a music scholarship by Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, where he is currently pursuing piano studies in the Artist Diploma Program for international soloists under the tutelage of pianist Harold Martina. Mr. Rojas was recently selected by the prestigious Van Cliburn Foundation as exclusive pianist of its annual Community Concerts Program. Furthermore, in November 2007, he was invited by the University of Montevello as concert soloist. Among his future performances worthy of mention, is a 2010 tour of China, which includes recitals, master classes, and orchestra performances as soloist.

www.joegiattina.com

www.alabamabluesmachine.com

Follow the performers and hear the music at:
http://www.myspace.com/theherbtrotmanband

The “Latin Jazz” sound of The Latin Rhythms Band has been entertaining audiences in music festivals, night clubs, Mexican cantinas, and private fiestas and dances since 1995. The band’s highly energetic and danceable shows include salsa, merengue, boleros, bossa novas, guajira, guaguanco, and Latin rock stylings. Their array of instruments includes trumpet, trombone, electric bass, keyboard, drum kit, congas, bongos, and an assortment of Latin percussion - maracas, clave, cow bell, Cuban guiro, merengue guiro, and timbales. Although the band members are now based in the Tennessee Valley, they bring a wealth of cultural and musical experiences from Puerto Rico, The Dominican Republic, Panama, and Mexico.

www.latinrhythmsband.com

www.pattonjames.com

Follow the performers and hear the music at:
myspace.com/pattonjamesandthesynchromatics