The Songwriter's Beat 2010 Festival

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Parent Category: Other Festivals

Category: Music

Published on Sunday, 25 July 2010 15:31

Written by Bree Rubin

The Songwriter's Beat 6th annual Festival - New York City's only festival celebrating performing songwriters returns for three consecutive nights (July 22rd to July 24th) and features 18 top performing songwriters including acclaimed artists Martha Redbone, Steve Addabbo, Felicia Collins, Bertha Hope, Valerie Ghent, Rob Morsberger, Tabitha Fair, Peter Calo, Deni Bonet, Ann Klein and three winners of the Songwriter's Beat - Feel the Music! Song Contest.

Leading up to this year's Festival is the first annual Songwrite's Beat - Feel the Music! Song Contest, open to all songwriters. Celebrity judges including songwriting legends Ashford & Simpson will review the finalists and decide the winners. Three winners will participate in the Festival!

Now in its 10th year, The Songwriter's Beat is New York's most popular acoustic songwriters series, curated / hosted by singer-songwriter Valerie Ghent. The Songwriter's Beat features four songwriters of varying musical styles who are encouraged to try out their newest material and arrangements.

The Songwriter's Beat is delighted to share in the 33rd birthday celebration of the Cornelia Street Cafe! Proceeds of the Songwriter's Beat Festival benefit "Feel the Music!" , a NYC nonprofit which brings music and art to children and families impacted by trauma.

Friday, July 23 8:30PM     
Tonight's show features Keith Fluitt, a special set by Valerie Ghent, Ann Klein, Deborah Berg and Deni Bonet; Martha Redbone, Tabitha Fair and we will play AJ Roach's winning song, "Granddaddy" as AJ is on tour in Europe this month.

Keith Fluitt has performed globally and locally. He is a well sough-after background vocalist who has recorded and performed with such artists as Ashford & Simpson, Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Will Downing, Harry Belafonte, The Pet Shop Boys, Celine Dion and a host of others. Deborah Berg is a New York City-based singer/songwriter and recent songwriting workshop leader, whose distinctive voice, songwriting talents, and warm teaching style characterize her 25 year musical career. College radio favorite, who has performed with the likes of R.E.M. and Sarah McLachlan, Deni Bonet plays the violin like an air guitar. Singer-songwriter and Songwriter's Beat founder Valerie Ghent offers a strikingly powerful and emotive voice, piano chops to match and "soul-stirring, uplifting songs full of vitality and joy."

Ann Klein plays guitar and mandolin and other things with strings. As a composer/songwriter, she has: toured in Europe consistently for 10 years; played house concerts in the tri-state area and Texas.

Martha Redbone's role as a leading voice in both soul and contemporary Native American music has been recognized by the awards garnered for both her albums - Skintalk and Home of the Brave; which include 2006 Independent Music Award for Best R&B album and Best Debut Artist at the 2002 Nammys. Tabitha Fair, a pastor's daughter from Oklahoma,records and sings songs that represent her spiritual journey and life experiences.

Saturday, July 24 8:30 pm
Tonight's show features Kismet Lyles, Bill Grady, Morley, Bertha Hope & Monica Hope, Peter Calo and Amanda Homi, who won first place in the Songwriter's Beat 2010 Song Contest with her song, "The Boyz in the Coffee Bar".

Kismet Lyles, a featured lead for the Robert Wilson/Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon production of The Temptation of St. Anthony for 5 years throughout Europe and Australia is an unyielding force of melody. Her music is a harmonious blend of rock and r&b, layered on a jazz foundation. With a style ranging from acoustic-hiphop to pop-poetry, Bill Grady is always ready to provide his audiences with a real and thoughtful experience. The featured artist at the 60th Anniversary of the UN, Morley has had he distinct honor to perform for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela and has written, toured, and collaborated with artists such as Dave Mathews, Sarah Mclachlan, Queen Latifah, and Angelique Kidjo. Peter Calo is a Canadian born,singer/guitarist who has worked with artists such as Carly Simon, Hall and Oates, Joe Pecsi, James Taylor, Linda Eder, and Robben Ford and was been dubbed "one of the most engaging performers in the biz" by London's "Time Out" magazine.

 
Cover is $10  (plus $ 7 Drink Minimum). For more information go to  http://songwritersbeat.com or call 212.989.9319

Songwriter's Beat Festival
July 22-24, 2010
The Cornelia Street Cafe 29 Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village, NYC NY 10014

The Van’s Warped Tour Rocks This Summer

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Parent Category: Other Festivals

Category: Music

Published on Tuesday, 20 July 2010 22:13

Written by Brian Rentas

The Van’s Warped Tour, a summer music fest filled to the brim with popular punk-pop and hardcore bands, has entered its 16th year in 2010 with much praise and applause. Kicking off on June 25 in California and going until August 15, the tour is making its way throughout the U.S. and hitting some stops in Canada.

Warped Tour has been known as the “go-to” tour for fans of all ages, promising relatively cheap ticket prices and a damned good time. Starting off back in 1994 as a punk-rock/SKA festival, the tour has been a staple for all summer tour fanatics and has seen its fair share of chart topping performers. Bands like My Chemical Romance, Blink 182, Dropkick Murphys, NOFX, and Anti-Flag among many others have all toured on Warped Tour, and some bands still consider the tour as a stepping stone in their successful careers.

In recent years, Warped Tour started branching out into more and more popular genres, and now it is not too uncommon to see ska bands and post-hardcore bands sharing the same stage.  While some Warped Tour purists may say that the tour just isn’t the same, many music lovers are happy with the diversity within the lineups.

With more than 100 bands playing the tour—some playing the entire tour and some playing just a handful of dates—it might be a mess trying to figure out what bands should be on your must-see lists. Fear not! Here’s a compiled list of bands that are making huge splashes on Warped already and are guaranteed to put on an awesome set.

We Are The In Crowd
(Playing the entire tour)
http://www.myspace.com/wearetheincrowd
Hailing from Poughkeepsie, New York, We Are The In Crowd has been building up some buzz ever since they were signed to Hopeless Records back in November of 2009. Fusing together an electro-pop sound with two lead vocalists, WATIC’s catchy songs like ‘For The Win’ and ‘Lights Out’ have garnered them a small but dedicated fan-base. In a tour that has its fair share of pop bands, We Are The In Crowd is slowly rising up to be one of the bests of their genre.

Four Year Strong
(Playing until 8/02)
http://www.myspace.com/fouryearstrong
Give a listen to any song from any of Four Year Strong’s three studio albums and you will instantly be pumped up and ready to take on any mosh pit in your way. Four Year Strong’s live set is a something any music fan will enjoy simply because of the energy this five-piece throws down. This energy is always reciprocated by the band’s huge audience, causing some of the biggest pits any concertgoer may experience. The band is poised to take Warped Tour 2010 by storm—and honestly, what is better than a storm filled with epic breakdowns played by a burly, bearded five-piece band from Massachusetts? Nothing.

The Pretty Reckless
(Playing the entire tour)
http://www.myspace.com/theprettyreckless
A punk band fronted by a 16 year old girl who is a regular on The CW’s Gossip Girl? Yeah, it may seem like a weird band to recommend, but The Pretty Reckless is a band any Warped Tour attendee should try to see. With frontwoman Taylor Momsen’s “let’s kick some ass and take names” attitude and the band’s very grunge sound, TPW is right at home on this year’s Warped Tour. If their self-titled debut EP is evidence to anything, it proves that the band has some promise.

Pierce The Veil
(Playing the entire tour)
http://www.myspace.com/piercetheveil
Pierce The Veil is a hard band to describe—combining a post-hardcore sound with a few dabs of theatrical songwriting, the band’s debut album “A Flair for the Dramatic” gained the band some serious attention back in 2007. It’s share of frantic guitar work and amazing vocals provided by singer Vic Fuentes definitely grabs the listener’s attention while the great lyrical basis keeps their attention and rarely lets it go. The band’s live show is a treat, and with Warped Tour acting as their supporting tour for their newest album, “Selfish Machines,” Pierce The Veil is ready to give its fans a remarkable performance.

I See Stars
(Playing until 7/18)
http://www.myspace.com/iseestars
I See Stars combines elements of a typical ‘screamo’ band with electronica elements, culminating in a sound that is both fun and crowd-pleasing. Although the band has not been in the ‘spotlight’ for too long, ISS has already proved that they can put on a really fun live set. Songs like ‘What This Means to Me” and their cover of The Outfield’s ‘Your Love’ are a treat to hear live. Check them out.

The best part of Warped Tour, however, is just to roam around and to check out bands you might not normally consider seeing. Make sure to check out some musicians that aren’t too familiar!

For more information on Warped Tour and to purchase tickets, head over to their website at VansWarpedTour.com.

June
25 - Home Depot Center - Carson, CA
26 - Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA 

27 - Seaside Park - Ventura, CA  

29 - Cricket Pavilion - Phoenix, AZ  

30 - N.M.S.U. Practice Field - Las Cruces, NM

July
1 - AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX 

2 - The Showgrounds At Sam Houston Race Park - Houston, TX  
3 - Superpages.com Center - Dallas, TX

5 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - St.Louis, MO

6 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Indianapolis, IN 
7 - Post Gazette Pavilion - Burgettstown, PA  
8 - Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre - Cleveland, OH 
9 - Arrow Hall - Toronto, ON  
10 - Parc Jean Drapeau - Montreal, QC  
11 - Comcast Theater - Hartford, CT  
13 - Comcast Center - Mansfield, MA 
14 - Darien Lake P.A.C. - Darien Center, NY  
15 - Toyota Pavilion - Scranton, PA  
16 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ  
17 - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum - Uniondale, NY  
18 - Monmouth Park Racetrack - Oceanport, NJ  
20 - Merriweather Post Pavilion - Columbia, MD  
21 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - Virginia Beach, VA  
22 - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater - Charlotte, NC  
23 - Vinoy Park - Petersburg, FL  
24 - Cruzan Amphitheater - West Palm Beach, FL  
25 - Firestone Amphitheatre - Orlando, FL  
26 - Lakewood Amphitheater - Atlanta, GA  
28 - Riverbend Music Center - Cincinnati, OH  
29 - Marcus Amphitheater - Milwaukee, WI  
30 - Comerica Park - Detroit, MI  
31 - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre - Tinley Park, IL

August
1 - Canterbury Park - Shakopee, MN  
2 - Sandstone Amphitheatre - Bonner Springs, KS  
5 - Northlands Park - Edmonton, AB  
7 - Utah State Fairgrounds - Salt Lake City, UT  
8 - Invesco Field - Denver, CO  
10 - Cricket Amphitheatre - San Diego, CA  
11 - Pomona Fairplex - Pomona, CA  
12 - Sleep Train Amphitheatre - Marysville, CA  
13 - Idaho Center Amphitheatre - Nampa, ID  
14 - Gorge Amphitheater - George, WA 
15 - Washington County Fairgrounds - Hillsboro, OR

OZZFest Returns

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Parent Category: Other Festivals

Category: Music

Published on Saturday, 10 July 2010 08:41

Written by Daniel Huttner

Launching Saturday, August 14, 2010, in San Bernardino, CA, --  the birthplace of the first OZZFest in 1996 -- OZZFest returns. This heavy metal juggernaut of a music fest was instrumental in igniting the careers of platinum-selling artists like System of a Down, Disturbed, Linkin Park, Incubus, Slipknot, Queens of the Stone Age, Godsmack, Avenged Sevenfold, Mudvayne, Lamb of God, Killswitch Engage and Lacuna Coil.

Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States (and in some years, Europe) featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded byformer Black Satbbath lead Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne -- both of who also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne.

The Ozzfest tour has featured bands of a variety of genres within heavy metal and hard rock, including alternative metal, thrash metal, industrial metal, metalcore, hardcore punk, nu metal, death metal, gothic metal and black metal. Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath have played the tour several times over the years.

This year’s tour will include main stage artists Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Rob Halford, DevilDriver and Nonpoint.  Second stage headliners Black Label Society will return for their seventh appearance on the tour and will be joined by Drowning Pool, Kingdom of Sorrow, Goatwhore, Skeletonwitch, Saviours and Kataklysm.  OZZFest marks the first concerts in the U.S. in connection with the June 22 release of tour founder Ozzy Osbourne’s new album Scream (Epic Records).

In addition to non-stop music on both stages, concert-goers can once again visit the OZZFest “Village of the Damned” featuring a mix of interactive activities, shopping and entertainment throughout the venue concourses.

All six dates of the explosive Live Nation produced tour will feature “all-in ticket pricing” which means there are no hidden fees whatsoever -- no parking charges at the shows, no facility or surcharge fees -- the price you see is the price you pay.

Tickets prices start as low as $30 per ticket when purchased in a four-pack. For complete ticket and tour information visit: www.OZZFest.com and www.LiveNation.com
 
2010 OZZFest Tour dates:

Sat, Aug 14
San Manuel Amphitheater
San Bernardino, CA

Tue, Aug 17
First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
Chicago, IL
                    
Thurs, Aug 19
First Niagara Pavilion
Pittsburgh, PA
                 
Sat, Aug 21
Comcast Theatre
Hartford, CT
                   
Sun, Aug 22
Susquehanna Bank Center
Camden, NJ
                  
Tue, Aug 24
Comcast Center
Boston, MA