The Monarch – Camden Town, London

November Dates: 07/11/09 and 21/11/09

Time: 7.30pm till 1:30am

Do you remember when you first saw that pack of brats pegging it round the halls in The Breakfast Club?

Remember when Tom Cruise danced in his underwear in Risky Business and made briefs sexy – briefly

How about when young Leo, unsurprisingly, got all wet with the gorgeous Virginie Ledoyen in The Beach

Or when Patrick Swayze pulled Baby out of the corner?

What about when Danny Laruso started kicking some ass in Karate Kid?!

Remember when the Goonies tied Josh Brolin to that chair and cycled off in search of a pirate ship?

What about when Mr Blue, Pink, Brown, Orange, White and Blonde stepped out of their cadillacs?

Speaking of colours – you’ve got to remember The Blues Brothers?

Now…stop thinking of the music!

You can’t can you. Of course you can’t. Because behind every great movie is a great soundtrack and an ultimate music moment that will forever be etched in our brains.

So we have stolen our fathers car, rounded up the brat pack and are heading towards Beaumont at a steady speed of 88mph to reap some dancing havock upon the home of John Lithgow. And we are making sure that NOBODY is left in the corner!

Taking place on the first and third Saturday of every month at The Monarch in Camden, SOUNDTRACKS! is London’s fastest growing new club night. The SOUNDTRACKS DJ’s spin their way through the finest movie tunes ever.

Come jive to Dirty Dancing, Ferris Bueller, Pulp Fiction, Grease, Pretty In Pink, Lock Stock, St Elmo’s Fire, The Commitments, Superfly, Top Gun and all their many many friends.

Featuring in order of appearance -

- Soundtracks DJs
- The best songs ever from the finest movies beamed to screen
- Dirty Dance Offs
- Drinking
- Free popcorn
- And introducing more general all out tomfoolery

From the makers of Hugs and Smiles.

Written and directed by Soundtracks DJ’s

Now lets try this again…

Remember when Ferris Bueller storms the parade and does the best karaoke “Twist and Shout” ever?

What about when Michael J Fox is surfing through Beacontown on the Wolfmobile while Stiles blares out “Surfin USA”?

You know when Nicholas Cage sings “So Happy Together” to Nicholas Cage in Adaptation?

How about when Martin Blank sits outside the radio shack listening to Debi play The Clash in Grosse Point Blank?

Or when Kevin Bacon defies everyone and cuts loose, Footloose!

Remember the band playing in the background of the bar in Coyote Ugly? Probably not…afterall, it was The Calling.

More information:

November Dates: 07/11/09 and 21/11/09
Time: 7.30pm till 1:30am
Price: Free before 9pm! £3 after 9pm! £2 STUDENTS ALL NIGHT!
Location: The Monarch
40-42 Chalk Farm Road
Camden Town, London
NW1 8AJ
Venue Phone Number: 020 7482 2054
Advance tickets: To guarantee entry advance tickets are available from www.bloodyawfulpoetry.com

Bloody Awful Poetry Official Website

The Monarch Official Website

Special Halloween Night Show with Slipknot

Fangoria Entertainment, publisher of the world’s best-selling horror magazine and industry leader of all things horror since 1979, has announced the FANGORIA TRINITY OF TERRORS – a brand new multi-media horror event taking place Halloween weekend, beginning Friday, October 30th and running through Sunday evening, November 1, 2009 at the beautiful Palms Casino Resort, home of Las Vegas’ premier musical venue, the Pearl Concert Theater.

This unparalleled event will feature celebrity appearances, as well as signings, screenings, vendors, exhibitors, panel discussions, special FX make-up applications, video gaming, tattooing, collectibles, special VIP parties and much more.

This all builds up to the special Halloween night performance in the Pearl Concert Theater by multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning alternative metal masters, Slipknot. Perhaps the most electrifying and dangerous band on the planet, they promise a truly unforgettable performance on Halloween night.

Guests appearing at the event include such titans as Roger Corman (Death Race 2000, The Pit and The Pendulum), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Rob Zombie’s Halloween), George A. Romero (Night/Dawn/Day Of The Dead), John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Seed Of Chucky), Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator, The Frighteners), Ken Foree (Dawn Of The Dead, The Devil’s Rejects), Tony Todd (Candyman, The Crow), Dee Wallace (The Howling, Cujo) and many, many more.

As to the panel discussions and film screenings, this isn’t your typical convention “panel room viewing” – panels and film screenings will be presented in the beautiful Brenden Theatres auditoriums, featuring state-of-the-art projection and sound. Brenden has 14 auditoriums at the Palms, equipped with IMAX, 3D and more. They are also the home of the renowned CineVegas Film Festival.

Over a dozen new films will be screened, including Ti West’s latest terrifying frightfest The House Of The Devil, the critically acclaimed documentary Nightmares In Red, White And Blue and Dark House, starring Jeffrey Combs.

Tickets are available online at the events official website www.trinityofterrors.com and through Vegas.com, as well as all its service locations throughout the Las Vegas area.

Buy DVDs, music, more:

Horror on amazon.com

Trinity Of Terrors Official Website

Fangoria Official Website

Slipknot Official Website

The Urban Music Awards has announced its return back to the USA with the ‘United we stand’ initiative which sees both the USA and UK UMA team collaborate to bring about history in the making as the Urban Music Awards makes its long awaited return to New York City.

The Urban Music Awards USA is set to take place on the 18th of July 2009 at the Highline Ballroom, Manhattan, New York City to mark the UMA’s 7th anniversary and in light of the recent success which have seen collaborations between UMA nominees, Estelle (UK) featuring Kanye West (USA), Taio Cruz (UK) feat. Busta Rhymes (USA), M.I.A (UK) featuring Jay-Z, TI, Kanye West and more. The UMA is following up this success by celebrating the achievements of both scenes live, in the heart of New York City giving millions of viewers worldwide an opportunity to see the best UK has to offer coupled with the biggest US acts live on one stage.

The confidence in both scenes can be tracked back as far as Eminem’s collaboration with Dido several years ago which gave birth to ‘Stan’ one of his biggest worldwide hits to date. UMA’s very own Lilly Allen’s collaboration with Common on ‘Driving me wild’ saw the US hiphop maestro win over millions of new fans in the European and Asian territories.

Most recently past UMA winners Akon and Sway have gone into the studio to come out with a sure fire hit ‘Silver & Gold’ and who can forget Mark Ronson’s collaboration with Ghostface, Trife & Nate Dogg with the single ‘Ooh Wee’ or Adam F feat Redman with the classic hit ‘Smash Sumthin’.

The Urban Music Awards is always known for setting trends for others to follow, first by being the first truly independent awards ceremony that gave music fans direct control on who they nominated and voted for and secondly by being the only awards ceremony to launch in 6 countries simultaneously including most recently the Caribbean island of Jamaica .

“We strongly believe in overcoming adversity by always emerging in a much stronger position. A lot of organisations disappear when the going gets tough but Invincible Group has had a proven 10 year history coupled with the grassroots credibility to remain the flying flag for inspiration, dedication, motivation and success. We are very excited for 2009 as all artists know that their bread and butter now lies in international bookings and it’s extremely paramount that collaborations are celebrated leading to music fans being exposed to new good quality music worldwide” added Jordan Kensington, CEO of Invincible Group, & The Urban Music Awards (Worldwide).

2009 sees the Urban Music Awards giving music fans across the USA, Europe, Asia, Africa & The Caribbean the chance to both nominate and vote for their best acts of UK origin together with their best acts of US origin via 10 out of the overall 18 categories listed below;

Artist of the Year 2009 (USA & UK)
Best Album 2009 (USA & UK)
Best Gospel Act 2009 (USA only)
Best Collaboration 2009 (USA & UK)
Best Female Act 2009 (UK & USA)
Best HipHop Act 2009 (USA & UK)
Best International Latino Act 2009
Best International Reggae Act 2009
Best Magazine (Print & Online) Worldwide
Best Male Act 2009 (UK & USA)
Best Music Video 2009 (USA & UK)
Best Producer 2009
Best R&B Act 2009 (USA & UK)
Best Radio DJ 2009 (USA & UK)
Best Radio Station 2009 (USA only)
Best Single 2009 (USA & UK)
Best TV Show (US only)
UMA 2009 Living Legend Award (US only)

For the up and coming new talent, the UMA’s in association with Sonicbids are proud to announce America’s Next Urban Superstar giving a chance for millions of aspiring new rappers, singers, vocalists and more to compete for the chance of being crowned America’s Next Urban Superstar, winning a recording contract courtesy of Invincible Records and an opportunity to perform in front of industry heavyweights and music fans alike at the prestigious Urban Music Awards USA in New York City on the 18th of July 2009.

Commenting on the partnership, Jim Schultz of Sonicbids said “It was a pleasure working with the Urban Music Awards in 2007 and we look forward to working together again in 2009 to search for America’s Next Urban Superstar”.

The televised competition will see auditions held in LA, Miami, Atlanta and New York
giving up and coming acts across North America maximum exposure via the UMA’s. As for the pioneers of the urban music scene, the UMA’s have introduced the UMA Living Legend award. Seven sponsored awards due to be handed to pioneers of the scene. “A lot of new musicians and artists coming out today owe their success to legends that made up the urban music industry and we are proud to make sure our pioneers get the true recognition they deserve” said Alyssa Menard, Events Manager, Urban Music Awards USA.

From Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Run DMC, to Chaka Khan, Grandmasterflash, Montel Jordan, Boyz 2 Men and more. You have the power to decide who gets the seven UMA Living Legend awards and all the other 18 categories by registering and nominating at www.urbanmusicawards.net.

As always the UK come out winners again this year as immediately after the New York show we return to homebase for collaboration with our UMA team in France for the first ever UMA (UK/France) award set to take place at a secret location in London, UK on the 1st of November 2009.

Live collaborations between French R&B, HipHop, Soul Artist and our very own homegrown talent. Those that are lucky enough to get VIP tickets are set to witness decent good quality music celebrated on one stage. Due to popular demand, we are also proud to introduce ‘The Best Asian Act’ category for 2009.

To mark what is set to be a very historical 2009 for the UMA’s, the organisation will release the UMA 2009 ‘United we Stand’ Compilation which will be distributed throughout 13 countries featuring the crème de la crème of talent from UK, USA, France & the Caribbean!

So, what are you waiting for? You the public, the fans of urban music hold the cards now and all you have to do is to register and nominate your favourites, which started 11th of March through till the 20th of April 2009. The full list of nominees will be announced on the 1st of May 2009.

About the UMA:
The NO. 1 premiere R&B, HipHop, Soul and Dance Music awards ceremony in the world. The Urban Music awards ceremony is held annually in the USA, UK, France, Caribbean, and Japan with plans to expand to Asia, Dubai and Africa. The Urban Music Awards was born out of the need to build a worldwide and independent awards ceremony to recognise the achievement of urban based artists, producers, club nights, dj’s , radio stations, record labels and artist that are or were previously unrecognised within their country of origin and are a product of the current Dance/R&B, HipHop, Neo Soul, Jazz, Grime, Garage and D&B music scene. Past winners at the Urban Music Awards have included; Grandmasterflash, Nas, Omarion, Danity Kane, Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis, Adele, Vybez Cartel, Goldie, Dizzee Rascal, Terri Walker, Sean Paul, Beverley Knight , Raghav, Erup, Lemar, Sway, Boyz2Men, Beenie Man, T.O.K, Craig David, Lethal Bizzle, Shakira, Papoose and many more . The Urban Music Awards has set it self as a credible awards ceremony. From its inception all nominations and voting have been left for YOU, the public to decide! In 7 years, the prestigious awards ceremony has been covered by : The BBC World Service, CNN, MTV, BET, VH1, BBC Radio 1, BBC Entertainment Online, Invincible TV, Evening Standard, The Metro Newspaper , The Independent, The Guardian , Channel 4, CD:UK , London Tonight , Choice fm , New Nation, The Voice, and many more.

About Invincible Group:
Invincible Group is the international parent group of companies behind Invincible Magazine, Invincible newspaper, Invincible Radio, Invincible TV, and Invincible films, Invincible Jeans, Invincible Events and Invincible Mobile. Invincible was launched by on the 1st July 1999 in London, as a style, ideas and impact conscious brand with the aim of serving our vibrant, multi-cultural society. Since its creation, with offices in the United Kingdom, USA, Germany, France and the Caribbean, Invincible has launched the careers of musicians, artists, photographers, designers, writers, models and actors around the world, while staking out an unchallenged position for itself at the cutting-edge of international urban cool and inspiration. Fuelled by a dedication to success, Invincible promotes a message of unity to empower ethnic diversity and creativity. Invincible events is also responsible for the Urban Music Awards (held annually both in the UK, France, Caribbean, & U.S.A), British Music Week and the National Entrepreneurs Conference (NYC).
Check our brand websites @ www.invinciblemag.com | www.invinciblemobile.com | www.urbanmusicawards.net | www.britishmusicweek.com | www.internationalfootballawards.com | www.invincibleradio.com | www.invinciblemediagroup.com (c) est. Since 1999

Register & submit your nominees for the: Urban Music Awards USA

Register & submit your nominees for the: Urban Music Awards UK/France edition

Urban Music Awards Official Website

Guitar Center is pleased to announce the next installment of Guitar Center Sessions: An Evening of Dialogue and Insight with Joe Bonamassa.

Taking place Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA, the evening is free and open to the public. The evening will be powered in part by Gibson Guitars.

Joe Bonamassa is one of the premier blues-rock guitarist of his generation. At the early age of 12 he was already a touring pro, opening for the legendary B.B. King. Since then, Joe’s incendiary playing has earned him a loyal legion of fans and numerous albums in Billboard’s Top 10 blues chart.

Also a gifted singer and songwriter, Joe Bonamassa was named Best Blues Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine’s readership in their annual Reader’s Choice Awards for 2008, and recently released ‘From Nowhere in Particular’, a 2-CD live album recorded during his fall 2007 U.S. tour and released on his own J&R Adventures label. The CD debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Charts.

Joe also hosts “Daily Cup Of Joe” as well, a Monday-Friday show on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Blues Channel 74 that airs from 12-12:15 PM (ET).

Designed to provide informative, provocative conversation and hands-on tutorials, Guitar Center Sessions serves as an incubator for musicians, providing them an opportunity to network with their peers in an intimate setting and gain career-fostering advice from their heroes.

Join us for a very special in-store event as Joe shares tips, techniques and experiences, talks about his signature Gibson Les Paul, and lays down some seriously soulful licks.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 @ 7 pm
Guitar Center Hollywood
7425 Sunset Blvd.
(323) 874-1060

Free to the public. Limited capacity.

Guitar Center Sessions
Guitar Center

Joe Bonamassa Official Website

There’s a PIRATE Party in town and you’re invited!

That’s if you’re in the vicinity of the beautiful and historic Iffley Village in Oxford, England on Wednesday 17th, September 2008.

At the Prince of Wales Pub to be exact.

The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre is raising money in aid of Cancer Research and there’s a Fancy Dress Party being held at The Prince of Wales, including a prize for best costume.

Party starts at 8:30pm – w/ live music by Jim Driscoll & Jenny May. Playing acoustic/alternative/folk.

For phone number and directions go to:

Prince of Wales

2008 is sure to be a year like no other for POP Montreal. This year’s festival will feature artists like the legendary Burt Bacharach and New Orleans Soul Queen Irma Thomas, alongside poetic-punk troubadour Nick Cave, the seminal and brilliant WIRE, and the godfathers of experimental electronic psych Silver Apples.

POP Montreal International Music Festival takes place October 1-5, 2008.

Also appearing will be the single most important benchmark for a cappella music, Brooklyn’s The Persuasions, and other stand-outs including Canadian rap legend, Michie Mee, upstarts like Black Kids, Ratatat, Dan Deacon and The Dodos, as well as Hot Chip, Dark Meat, Great Lake Swimmers, Beach House, Vetiver, T. Raumschmiere, Teki Latex, Ste Catherines, Liam Finn, and reclusive Neil Young collaborator Elyse Weinberg (she’s awesome, Google her, or check her out on eMusic.)

In addition to all the amazing music, there will be a specially commissioned composers series with, among others, original pieces by Socalled, performed at porn theatre Cinema L’Amour. This year, POP introduces its very first gear exchange and record shop, the enigmatic art of Mingering Mike and also…Kids POP!

POP…OR POOP?

You can also participate in the fun now, by voting for the SIRIUS Fan Choice award.

The top 3 artists with the most favorable pop-to-poop ratio (more pop, less poop) will be playing the SIRIUS Satellite Radio stage during the festival. Just click on the widget below to vote POP (woo! i like this!) or POOP (not so much):

KIDS POP (NEW THIS YEAR!)
This year, kids and youth can explore Montreal’s innovative cultural scene at Kids Pop. A variety of shows, demonstrations and workshops will be offered that connect artists with young folks in order to share skills, encourage artistic expression and enjoy Montreal’s cultural offerings.

PUCES POP
In its 4th year, Puces Pop is a DIY festival that celebrates independent creation. It features a marketplace of handmade goods, a record sale and gear swap, a series of free arts & crafts workshops and a mini-seminar on business skills for self-employed artists. And it’s all kicked off by a fashion show with a $2000 prize!

ART POP
The Visual Arts component of Pop Montreal, Art Pop’s purpose is to showcase fun and exciting artists that resonate with the youthful energy of its musical counterpart. Look out for some wild technologies, superheroes, Japanese copycats, French activists, teenage passion, digital vandalism and crazy good times in general. And cute cats, too.

SYMPOSIUM – Talk Music to Me!
A music conference like no other: all programming is artist-driven, interdisciplinary, and reflective of Montreal’s diverse and lively culture. They will be bringing together a discerning and savvy force of thinkers and artists to present panel discussions, keynote interviews, listening sessions, as well as hands-on workshops and round-tables.

FILM POP
More musically inclined than ever before, with Paris’ Vincent Moon’s views on All Tomorrow’s Parties, workshops on writing music for film, rockabilly the 514 way, NFB 3-D reveries, and some headlining surprises, you’ll definitely want to be watching more attentively during this 5th edition of Pop’s cinematic offspring.

POP MONTREAL 2008 CONFIRMED ARTISTS:
Burt Bacharach, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Hot Chip, The Persuasions, Dan Deacon, Ratatat, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Cori Bishop (aka Elyse Weinberg), United Steel Workers of Montreal, The Dodos, Liam Finn, Wintersleep, Dark Meat, Headlights, Playdoe, Dabaaz, Kim, Eric Belanger, The Veils, WIRE, Black Kids, St Catherines, Vetiver, Silver Apples, Thomas Function, Julie Doiron, Chad Van Gaalen, Dominique Grange & Jacques Tardi, Great Lake Swimmers, Katie Moore, Socalled, Woodhands, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Sam Shalabi, Gatineau, Jason Collett, Chocolat, Irma Thomas, Wedding Present, Evangelicals, Beach House, Jana Hunter, Cex, Teeth Mountain, Teki Latex, D’Urbervilles, Michie Mee, and so much more…

Passes on sale now and tickets for individual shows also available.

For details and updates, please visit:

Pop Montreal Official Website
Pop Montreal MySpace

UPDATE: SOCO MUSIC EXPERIENCE – TEMPE, AZ – CANCELLED

August 12, 2008, LOUISVILLE, KY – Southern Comfort has announced that the SoCo Music Experience scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 18, 2008 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium has been cancelled due to an unexpected escalation in production costs. At this time, there are no plans to reschedule the event this year.

——————–

Southern Comfort has announced that it is partnering with several music and lifestyle sites to bring the SoCo Music Experience to the web in the form of custom episodic content. Music fans will get a taste of the music festival experience from the fans perspective mixed with live performances and interviews with the artists in clips produced by Pitchfork.tv, Heavy.com, My Damn Channel, Complex.com and Death + Taxes.

Check out Heavy.com’s first webisode, “Anticipation”.

“The SoCo Music Experience is in its fourth year and we felt it was time to take a fresher approach as a spirits brand by extending the event to millions of music fans digitally but in a different way,” said Campbell Brown, Vice President, Director Southern Comfort Americas. “We’re packaging the overall festival experience with interviews from both fans and performers and delivering the content in SoCo’s brand voice.”

The SoCo Music Experience festival tour is going to six markets with each event showcasing five national performers with five top local acts on two stages all for the low price of free*. An outdoor venue is transformed into the complete festival experience – food and beverage vendors, poster and t-shirt shop, the local record shop, merch tent, cornhole games, photobooths and the SoCo & Lime Dome, among other areas. The festivals are open to be people 21 and over.

Digital Partnerships

Pitchfork.tv – Episodes will feature behind the scenes footage, band and fan interviews and live performances. Viewers will get to learn how the performers came together as a group, as well as how groups of friends experience music together.

Heavy.com – Episodes will feature behind-the-scenes footage, band and fan interviews and live performances. Each four-minute episode will explore themes associated with SoCo’s brand positioning and the artists that embody them. The Heavy.com partnership has already launched with episodes including “Anticipation,” “Energy,” “Magnetism” and “Character” featuring the SoCo Music Experience in Atlanta.

My Damn Channel – Twelve weeks of episodes of “My Damn Channel Music Nights” will feature music bars and clubs in New York and Los Angeles and on the SoCo Music Experience festival tour this summer. Starting in July, original content will be produced for a customized, co-branded channel presented by Grace Helbig, host of My Damn Channel’s “Daily Grace.”

Complex.com – The fashion/lifestyle site is building a comprehensive guide to select SoCo Music Experience festivals, including an original “Best of” Web Series about the event and host cities, emerging artist bios and live recordings.

Death + Taxes – The music magazine will be creating custom content for their site featuring behind the scenes footage, band and fan interviews and live performances.

“These sites provide us the opportunity to bring a Southern Comfort experience produced in a way their viewers are accustomed to watching video on their sites,” said Brown. “It’s a partnership in the truest sense of the word.”

In addition to these partnerships, festival pre-roll videos will appear on Hulu.com, Billboard, UGO.com, Crave Online, PasteMagazine.com, Virb.com and numerous other music-focused sites.

“Not only have we increased our investment around talent and the experience, we are making a strong digital play for Southern Comfort increasing our spend in this area to 25% of the total media budget versus 5% the previous year,” said Brown. “Our overall digital spend is up 300% versus last year, which give us a real opportunity to engage our target consumers with a meaningful SoCo experience.”

Having already been to Atlanta and Denver, the event hits four more cities this summer. This year’s performers have included Against Me!, Gnarls Barkley, Ghostland Observatory and Blonde Redhead, while The Roots, French DJ duo Justice, The Black Keys, MGMT are among those scheduled to play upcoming festival dates.

The SoCo Music Experience festival tour will hit the following cities this summer:

August 23, 2008 – San Diego, Ace Parking Lot, Petco Park
Featuring Common, The Black Keys, Kinky, Saul Williams, Grand Ole Party
*Note: a donation of $5 for the San Diego Music Foundation is requested

September 6, 2008 – Madison, Willow Island at Alliant Energy Center
Featuring The Roots, The Black Keys, GZA, Benevento Russo Duo, Ha Ha Tonka

September 13, 2008 – Saratoga/Albany, New Venue TBA
Featuring Justice, MGMT, Lotus, The Whigs and other acts TBA

CANCELLEDOctober 18, 2008 – Phoenix/Tempe, Phoenix Municipal Stadium
Talent TBACANCELLED

In its fourth year, past acts at the SoCo Music Experience have included Flaming Lips, Cold War Kids, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Spank Rock, The Roots, Architecture in Helsinki, GIRL TALK, Sick Puppies, Cypress Hill, Z-Trip, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Rose Hill Drive, Galactic, Delta Spirit, among others.

With the SoCo Music Experience, Southern Comfort continues to back great live music experiences in 2008, including the Voodoo Experience, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Lollapalooza, Forecastle Festival and countless other live music events.

For more information and continued updates about the SoCo Music Experience, please visit (restrictions may apply):

Southern Comfort Music Experience

MySpace Music is proud to announce that Nas will be performing a free show for his MySpace friends in West Hollywood on July 18th, 2008 at 10:30 p.m. at the Roxy on Sunset – a show being powered by Saints Row 2.

Celebrating his highly-controversial untitled album, Nas will give fans a taste of what’s in store for this next phase of his celebrated career.

Early wristband pick-up for the free, all ages performance will begin at 12 p.m. on July 18, 2008 on a first come, first served basis.

Hailing from the storied Queensbridge projects of New York City, a housing community that spawned notable hip-hop luminaries such Marley Marl and MC Shan, among many others, the self-proclaimed “King of New York,” Nas, has left an impression on the hip-hop world that is nothing short of legendary.

Poetic street-imagery displayed on his debut album ‘Illmatic’ in 1994 instantly made him the worthy heir to Rakim’s throne, and since that time Nas has continued to draw attention to himself both for his impeccable storytelling talent and controversial moves in the media.

Now with his new untitled album released July 15 on Def Jam Records, Nas is poised to add another notch to his already rock-solid catalog with an album full of politically-focused wordplay and stunning production.

Nas on amazon.com

For more information on MySpace Release Shows sponsored by Saints Row 2, please visit:

MySpace Hip Hop Profile

For the very latest news items, tour dates and media, go to:

Nas MySpace
Nas on Def Jam
Nas Official Website

MySpace Secret Shows is pleased to announce that Jason Mraz, one of modern music’s most inventive and compelling live performers, will play a stripped down set in Hartford, CT at Webster Underground on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 8 PM.

Mraz will be accompanied by percussionist/vocalist Toca Rivera. During a break from his worldwide tour in support of his latest album, ‘We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.’, Jason Mraz will perform a very intimate show at the 200-capacity Webster Underground.

The Secret Show is a free, exclusive performance for the MySpace community.

Released in May 2008, ‘We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.’ skyrocketed to #3 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Charts, the highest charting album in Mraz’s career. The album is Mraz’s first set of all-new material in three years and was produced by Martin Terefe, known for his work with KT Tunstall, Ron Sexsmith, and James Morrison. The album sees Mraz continuing to tread his own distinctive artistic path, melding a variegated musical tapestry with passionate, personal lyricism. Among the highlights are collaborations with British tunesmith James Morrison and MySpace phenom singer/songwriter Colbie Caillat.

MySpace Music has organized more than 150 Secret Shows since the franchise launched in February 2006 with artists like Gnarls Barkley, Neil Diamond, Slayer, Franz Ferdinand, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs performing in cities around the world.

For more information about the artists and upcoming schedule, visit:

MySpace Secret Shows

Jason Mraz Myspace
Jason Mraz Official Website

The next Round Our Gaff is on Saturday July 19th, 2008 and it’s going to be packed – again! Resident DJs and RoG promoters The Ladies of the Manor will spin a delectable mix of rocking, sleazy and noisy Electro, Punk and Indie schmindie amongst another stellar RoG lineup:

The Sugars
Coaxed out of the garage by mates The Long Blondes, Leeds natives Anna, Alex and Matt specialise in short, sharp, garage-flavoured, quiff-bothering indie dancefloor-fillers. This lovelorn three found each other humming Jackie Wilson and Sonics 45s down by the riverbank. Imagine 50s street corner harmonies colliding head on with a tricked out hot-rod: All crashing cymbals with a clutch bag of distortion and high heels in tow.

We Have Band
This elusive London/Manchester trio’s hyperkinetic basslines ala Hot Chip, relentless rhythms and out-of-this world vocals that would send David Byrne running for retirement has record label A&R types salivating over them after only a handful of gigs in super-cool clubs (like Round Our Gaff!). Infectious, danceable and DARK. “If someone doesn’t sign them, and sharp-ish, we’ll have a whip round and do it ourselves.” – The Guardian

rubinthecubin
Rising from the ashes of S. Rock Levinson, clad in biohazard suits and day-glo shades, rubinthecubin make an almighty electropop surf racket, as sick as the Pet Shop Boys strapping the Beach Boys onto a flaming barbie. Must be heard to be believed.

About the club…

ROUND OUR GAFF’s rammed-to-the-rafters knees-up at The Enterprise has been delivering a monthly kick in the arse to Camden’s Saturday nights since autumn 2007.

The Ladies Of The Manor – promoters of this punk rock institution – have come up with a night of messy, raucous, unadulterated fun… with more than a hint of glamour thrown in.

Each month, your hostesses handpick a diverse lineup of up-n-coming and already-there artists who take to the stage and decks to woo a heaving room of North London partygoers. But don’t think that “Eclectic” means “random sh*t that doesn’t go together” – if it makes you jump, expect to hear it. Check out the impressive roll call of past guests for proof:

The Rakes, Friendly Fires, Dead Kids, Scanners, Grovesnor, Ed Seed from The Mules, Ross Allen, Greco Roman DJs, The Ghost Frequency, The Nuns, Yeti, The Barker Band, Paris Trading, Olympians, The Gin Riots, Electric Aristocracy and Tits of Death.

“Upstairs at the Enterprise is stuffed to the gills, and four blokes are crammed onto the bijou stage, the energy they fill a room with makes people their bitches, spilt pints or no…. More please!” – Drowned In Sound

8pm-1am @ The Enterprise, 2 Haverstock Hill, Camden, NW3 2BL
Tel. 020 7485 0404 / Nearest Tube Chalk Farm
Entry £5 in advance from We Got Tickets: www.wegottickets.com/event/32524
or with flyer from www.roundourgaff.com / www.myspace.com/roundourgaff
£7 on the door.

Saturday July 19th, 2008

THE SUGARS + WE HAVE BAND + RUBINTHECUBIN + LADIES OF THE MANOR DJs

Sign up to the Round Our Gaff mailing list for a chance to win a copy of The Sugars’ debut album ‘The Curse of The Sugars’ and a pair of guestlist spots to RoG.

Round Our Gaff – Myspace
Round Our Gaff Official Website

Wednesday night (July 2, 2008), La Cigale in Paris hosted the third global Smirnoff Experience event, showcasing a dream collaboration between Mark Ronson and Duran Duran, continuing the tradition of unique original performances.

The event unveiled live performances of Mark Ronson’s reworkings of his favourite Duran Duran classics along with songs from their new album. Highlights included View to A Kill, Rio, Red Carpet Massacre, Planet Earth and Girls on Film, performed by the band together with Ronson. Earlier in the evening, Simon Le Bon provided guest vocals with Daniel Merriweather on Stop Me during Mark Ronson and the Version Players’ set.

Watch video – interviews, highlights from the event:

The 1200-capacity invitation-only event attracted a star-studded crowd including, Eva Mendes, Philippe Starck, John Galliano, Ellen Von Unwerth, Santogold, Kenna, Tim Burgess, Yasmin Le Bon and Daisy Lowe.

During the 90-minute performance the crowd enjoyed specially created versions of classic Duran Duran tracks. The collaboration came about when Smirnoff invited Ronson to bring his unique perspective to the Duran Duran catalogue, forming the centrepiece of this latest Smirnoff Experience event.

Mark Ronson shared of his experience in working with Duran Duran: “This has to be one of the highlights in LIFE for me.”

Commenting on the collaboration, Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon said: “There’s not that many people on Planet Earth (!) right now who’ve got what it takes to work with Duran Duran both musically and visually. In fact, when I look at it like that, Mark Ronson may be the only man alive who is. And, being very big fans of his, we couldn’t be more thrilled”.

Duran Duran bassist, John Taylor, commented: “Mark is one of the most exciting talents in music today. He’s a super-nice guy too, which makes it even better. He had a lot of crazy ideas which all seemed to work out. So many, in fact, that what was supposed to be a thirty-minute set turned out to be an hour and a half! And it’s great to have his big band wrap themselves around us too, horns, strings and percussion. It was really magical!”

The night opened with the Smirnoff Experience resident DJ Tom Middleton celebrating the 20th anniversary of Acid House music with a unique collaboration. Classically trained pianist Maxence Cyrin from Paris, joined him to create a collection of dance classics performed on a grand piano.

After the live music, the crowd were treated to an original and underground set from Busy P aka Pedro Winter, owner and founder of uber-cool Parisian electronic label Ed Banger Records. Busy P played a DJ set that premiered his Smirnoff Experience rework of Duran Duran’s hit The Reflex, before Middleton came back to close the event in his own unique party style.

A series of original Smirnoff cocktails were created specially for the event, including a choice of four martinis, two of which were strawberry basil and melon and mint. The invited guests were offered a special sampler on entering the venue. Bottled water was given out throughout the evening, as well as a plentiful supply of canapes.

Smirnoff Experience is a global experiential marketing program, celebrating the brand’s rich heritage and originality. The program features original collaborations fused with unique and interactive entertainment – all showcased in four of the cities most relevant to the history of the brand: Moscow, Shanghai, Paris and New York City.

Smirnoff

Mark Ronson

Duran Duran

Guitar Center is pleased to announce the next installment of Guitar Center Sessions: An evening of dialogue and insight with Dave Mustaine. This exclusive event is powered by Marshall amps and will be taking place on July 10, 2008 at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA and is free and open to the public.

Since forming Megadeth in 1983, Dave Mustaine’s career has been one of the most thrilling and musically innovative in the history of heavy metal, selling over 20 million albums with 7 Grammy nominations. Under his extraordinary vision and leadership as guitarist, songwriter and singer, Megadeth has helped pioneer the thrash and speed metal movements and has influenced and inspired a generation.

Designed to provide informative, provocative conversation and hands-on tutorials, GC Sessions serves as an incubator for musicians, providing them an opportunity to network with their peers in an intimate setting and gain career-fostering advice from their heroes. For this evening’s event, Dave Mustaine will offer guitar techniques, discuss his favorite gear (including his signature guitars and Marshall amps), and provide advice on marketing, monetizing and touring in today’s music business.

Join us as Dave Mustaine, one of Metal’s most legendary icons, shares his experience and insights from his celebrated and distinguished career.

July 10, 2008 @ 6PM
Guitar Center Hollywood
7425 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA

Guitar Center Official Website

Foot Locker, leader of style originality, is proud to sponsor the Urban Music Awards‘ newest category, Britain’s Next Urban Superstar.

Synonymous with great music and great fashion, the Urban Music Awards and Foot Locker are on a mission to unveil the next generation of urban music talent in the UK through this exclusive new talent search.

The only strictly urban talent search of its kind to be directly associated with a major awards ceremony, Foot Locker and the UMA’s will be searching for Britain’s Next Urban Superstar via a nationwide talent search from June 2008.

Auditions will be held in major UK cities between June and September 2008. Hopefuls can also audition at exclusive, one-day only, private recording booths at five Foot Locker’s this summer – including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Southampton and Cardiff. A selection of the most talented, and the most entertaining, of these in store auditions will be shown exclusively on www.footlocker.eu.

The successful auditions will qualify for the televised heats, to be broadcast on Flava TV (Sky 357) and Invincible TV online starting from 16th July, 2008.

The winner of the talent search will be presented with the coveted Foot Locker ‘Britain’s Next Urban Superstar’ award at The Urban Music Awards ceremony hosted on 1st November and broadcast on Channel U on 27th December, 2008.

Natasja Jennings, Associate Manager for Media Strategy at Foot Locker comments:

“Foot Locker is dedicated to supporting the rising stars of the urban music scene, and is excited about this new award that will uncover such a wealth of new urban music talent. Foot Locker is known for providing our consumers with the latest trends and styles and this is a great opportunity to directly communicate with our consumers under such a highly acclaimed awards ceremony like The Urban Music Awards.”

Leading the way in the latest exclusives in sneakers, Foot Locker is a perfect partner to the annual Urban Music Awards, which has become synonymous with fresh new music and leading fashion trends.

For more information, go to:

Foot Locker Europe Official Website

Yes, it’s true you have another chance to see The Futureheads if you missed buying a ticket to the sold out show at the Bowery Ballroom.

The Futureheads will be playing Rock n ROFL presented by Brooklyn Vegan and Klaus Kinski tonight, June 18th, 2008 at Pianos in NYC.

For more info, go to Brooklyn Vegan

More on The Futureheads:

Myspace
The Futureheads Official

I know this is really last minute, but there is this great event going on tonight to benefit teenagers with cancer. It is called Teenage Kicks and could well be the charity event of the year. Some of the world’s top artists, designers, tattooists and rock stars have been given a pair of white canvas shoes to customise. The shoes, or art works, will then go into a LIVE Internet auction.

The auction will be running alongside an evening of mayhem. Top Live Bands, World Famous DJ’s, Celebrity Hosts, Skaters, BMX, Live Graffiti (live art fusion with 5 artists creating a calibrations art piece throughout the evening), Doodle Wall, Interviews and 20 pairs of shoes on display ready to be auctioned off.

The awesome event takes place tonight, June 12th 2008, at 6 p.m. at 93 Feet East, 150 Brick Lane. Check out the website for more information on how to get there, but also the amazing list of bands, djs, and celebrity hosts at the event tonight! Come out tonight to support such a great cause!

Teenage Kicks 2008 Official Website
Myspace