Diesel Houdini Makes Magic Out Of Music
By Jenna Croyle

Jason Pflueger, Josh Gone and Andy Costa make up one of Erie’s most talented bands that have caught the imagination of everybody who hears their music, while their originality has earned them the admiration of not only their audiences, but of their peers as well.

Diesel Houdini is a three-piece indie/alternative rock band that combines many contradictory influences that by all accounts should not blend, but amazingly, for them it does so well.

Diesel Houdini first started in the early 1990s, but did not last long. All three band members moved away. In 2003, Gone and Pflueger ran into each other again at Penn State Behrend College and decided to put the band back together. Costa joined the group also. They started with older songs, plus newer ones Pflueger had written while he was in Phoenix.

“Their original songs greet you like old friends and could give Maroon 5 and Kings of Leon a run for that certain hit like quality that highlights vocal, unique guitar work and an incredible tightness that offers credit to their name Diesel and Houdini.” said Fran Schanz, a long time fan.

With Diesel Houdini being so versatile, you might hear anything from punk, to straight rock, to rap beats coming from the stage, which makes for a mix that delivers a sound that is truly genuine hit quality.

Although the Diesel Houdini sound is one that can be considered very unique, the members admit taking personal influences from Bruce Springsteen and Black Sabbath with even a touch of Jazz thrown in that offers fans a steady repertoire of hard hitting no pretense rock that pounds the floorboards for every show.

Drummer Andy Costa, bassist/background vocalist Josh Gone, and guitarist/lead vocalist Jason Pflueger merge a mixture of musical backgrounds and influences into a sound that is totally their own.

As the 2010 RockErie Music Awards album of the year winner, Diesel Houdini certainly steals the show and takes over the stage and if you want to hear some of the best original rock music from Erie, I highly suggest you check out their next show or buy one of their CDs, “For Sore Losers” would be an excellent choice.

For more information on Diesel Houdini, please visit their website www.dieselhoudini.com

The 25 Most Exquisitely Sad Songs in the Whole World

There's no shortage of sad songs about rainy days and lovers who don't bring flowers. And then there are songs that truly bring the pain -- songs so despairing they can make us wonder why we even bother. Here are 25 little ditties so crushing, they could knock Dick Cheney to his knees.

25 'The River'
Bruce Springsteen (1980)
The Breakdown: Premature pregnancy, marriage and a weepy harmonica crush the dreams of a young couple.
The Waterworks: "We went down to the courthouse/And the judge put it all to rest/No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle/No flowers, no wedding dress."
Casualty Count: One couple's age of innocence.

24 'Nothing Compares 2 U'
Sinead O'Connor (1990)
The Breakdown: In this Prince-penned purple ode to an incomparable ex, there is life after love, but life really sucks.
The Waterworks: "Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling/Tell me baby, where did I go wrong?"
Casualty Count: One lover, seven hours, fifteen days.
 

23 'No Surprises'
Radiohead (1997)
The Breakdown: A killer even by Thom Yorke's bleak standards, the kiddie chimes can't hide the singer's suicidal depression.
The Waterworks: "I'll take a quiet life/A handshake, some carbon monoxide."
Casualty Count: One heart that's "full up like a landfill."

22 'A Change Is Gonna Come'
Sam Cooke (1964)
The Breakdown: Recorded just before his tragic death, the soul great's response to 'Blowin' in the Wind' set the tone for the desperate Civil Rights struggle.
The Waterworks: "It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die."
Casualty Count: Countless proud citizens in Jim Crow America.

21 'Space Oddity'
David Bowie (1969)
The Breakdown: In the same year as our lunar landing, rock's space alien creates Major Tom, whose remains will travel the galaxy alone forever.
The Waterworks: "Tell my wife I love her very much."
Casualty Count: One astronaut.

20 'That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be'
Carly Simon (1971)
The Breakdown: Marriage is inevitably dismal in this evocative pop hit, which was recorded a year before Simon's ill-fated marriage to James Taylor.
The Waterworks: "Their children hate them for the things they're not/They hate themselves for what they are."
Casualty Count: All marriages, one American dream.

19 'Lost Cause'
Beck (2002)
The Breakdown: The postmodern trickster reaches back to the Romantic era for the most depressing song on his breakup album, 'Sea Change.'
The Waterworks: "I'm tired of fighting/Fighting for a lost cause."
Casualty Count: The one love of your life.
 

18 'I've Gotta Get a Message to You'
Bee Gees (1968)
The Breakdown: Condemned man makes final plea to loved one.
The Waterworks: "One more hour and my life will be through."
Casualty Count: One convicted murderer with a heart of gold.
 

17 'Back to Black'
Amy Winehouse (2006)
The Breakdown: An ominous song of impending misery following infidelity, sung by a woman with her departing lover's name tattooed on her chest.
The Waterworks: "You go back to her/And I go back to black."
Casualty Count: A lover. Sobriety? Sanity?

16 'Shilo'
Neil Diamond (1968)
The Breakdown: Lonely kid turns to an imaginary friend.
The Waterworks: "Papa says he'd love to be with you/If he had the time."
Casualty Count: One squandered father-son relationship

15 'My Mom'
Chocolate Genius (1998)
The Breakdown: Recent Springsteen sideman cut this heartbreaker about a return visit to his childhood home, and the mother he was losing to senility.
The Waterworks: "My mom, my sweet mom/She don't remember my name."
Casualty Count: One Alzheimer's victim (and one dog).

14 'Anyone Who Had a Heart'
Dionne Warwick (1963)
The Breakdown: A lover begs her man to see how he's mistreating her. Classic Bacharach/David melodrama, crushing Warwick wails.
The Waterworks: "What am I to do?"
Casualty Count: One lover's sense of pride.

13 'Naked as We Came'
Iron & Wine (2004)
The Breakdown: Indie folkie Sam Beam's brutally sweet love song acknowledging that one always has to die before the other, plus a plug for cremation.
The Waterworks: "If I leave before you, darling/Don't you waste me in the ground."
Casualty Count: Your better half.
 

12 'In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning'
Frank Sinatra (1954)
The Breakdown: Ol' Blue Eyes parlayed his painful divorce from movie star Ava Gardner into a career makeover: the lonely guy at the end of the bar.
The Waterworks: "You'd be hers if only she would call."
Casualty Count: One Hollywood marriage, countless nights of sleep.

11 'Brick'
Ben Folds Five (1997)
The Breakdown: Singer recalls taking his high-school girlfriend to get an abortion -- on the day after Christmas, no less.
The Waterworks: "Now that I have found someone/I'm feeling more alone/Than I ever have before."
Casualty Count: One pregnancy, one first love, several Christmas presents.

10 'In the Real World'
Roy Orbison (1989)
The Breakdown: The master of pop-opera misery ('Crying,' 'It's Over') outdid himself with this quavering answer to his own 'In Dreams.' Posthumously released.
The Waterworks: "I love you and you love me/But sometimes we must let it be."
Casualty Count: All dreams.

09 'Concrete Angel'
Martina McBride (2001)
The Breakdown: What's more devastating than a child's headstone?
The Waterworks: "A name is written on a polished rock/A broken heart that the world forgot."
Casualty Count: One victim of child abuse.

08 'Dance With My Father'
Luther Vandross (2003)
The Breakdown: Impossibly wrenching lament for the fact that we can't take care of our kids forever.
The Waterworks: "Sometimes I'd listen outside her door/And I'd hear how my mother cried for him/I'd pray for her even more than me."
Casualty Count: One father, one boy's sense of security in his father's arms.
 

07 'Hallelujah'
Jeff Buckley (1994)
The Breakdown: Leonard Cohen's existential hymn addressing an old fling becomes a heavenly, if unanswered, prayer in the hands of the ill-fated Buckley.
The Waterworks: "Love is not a victory march/It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah."
Casualty Count: One crisis of faith.

06 'He Stopped Loving Her Today'
George Jones (1980)
The Breakdown: Sung by the country star with the most tears in his beer this side of Hank Sr., a jilted lover carries his old flame's memory until his dying day.
The Waterworks: "I went to see him just today/Oh, but I didn't see no tears/All dressed up to go away/First time I'd seen him smile in years."
Casualty Count: One fatally broken heart.
 

05 'I Know It's Over'
The Smiths (1986)
The Breakdown: For Morrissey, the world's loneliest singer, life isn't just over -- it never really began.
The Waterworks: "As I climb into an empty bed/Oh, well, enough said."
Casualty Count: One lonely soul ... any minute now.
 

04 'Hurt'
Johnny Cash (2002)
The Breakdown: In failing health, the great American singer tolls a death knell for the rest of us with this brutal Nine Inch Nails song about addiction and self-destruction.
The Waterworks: "And you could have it all/My empire of dirt/I will let you down/I will make you hurt."
Casualty Count: Everyone he knows ("goes away in the end").

03 'Eleanor Rigby'
The Beatles (1966)
The Breakdown: The cute Beatle writes a timeless, devastating ode to the futility of life, set to a grieving string octet.
The Waterworks: "Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name/Nobody came."
Casualty Count: One spinster, one pair of socks.

02 'Gloomy Sunday'
Billie Holiday (1941)
The Breakdown: The Queen of Soul-Sapping is haunted about losing a loved one.
The Waterworks: "Angels have no thought of returning you/Would they be angry if I thought of joining you?"
Casualty Count: One woman's will to live.

01 'Chicken Wire'
Pernice Brothers (1998)
The Breakdown: Breathy Massachusetts sad sacks offer a lovely ballad about a woman choking to death on exhaust fumes ... and a cloud of minor chords.

The Waterworks: "They found her car/Still running/In the garage."

Casualty Count: One woman, and the drink she was holding.

Additionally, CMT will host a live, two-hour concert special May 12, featuring a line-up of several yet-to-be-named country artists and benefiting tornado relief efforts. A heartbroken Randy Owen, lead singer of Alabama, told us he is also hoping to put on a superstar show to aid his friends, fans and neighbors affected by last month's tragic storms.

Country Stars Help the Grand Ole Opry 'Play On' in Nashville

Brad Paisley headlined a star-studded show at the Grand Ole Opry Tuesday night (May 3), marking the one-year anniversary of the Nashville flood. The Play On, Nashville Opry Jam also featured performances by Trace Adkins, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley and Little Jimmy Dickens. Alabama even made a special appearance, joining Brad on his latest hit, 'Old Alabama.'

The Opry House underwent nearly a full transformation and renovation after flood waters crested more than eight-feet over the stage a year ago. Less than six months later, the building reopened looking bigger and better than before, representing the resilience and strength of the people of Middle Tennessee.

"The Opry is a metaphor for Nashville, and what the Opry did, I think, the city has done to a large degree, which is rebuild itself, and better than before," explains Brad. "It's such a magical place, and I could not be prouder of this place or this town."

The Opry member said he doesn't miss anything about the backstage area from before, describing it as "Shoney's before" and "Morton's" post-flood.

Trace Adkins also took to the stage of the Opry to commemorate his "house." "Being a Grand Ole Opry member, you're a member of a family, and when I saw the photographs and the video of what this place looked like that day and the day after, I was heartbroken, because as a family, this is our house. It hurt me. It really did," he tells The Boot. "Then not six months later to see the restoration and the resurrection, it was nothing short of miraculous. Now, this building, this institution is a testament, it's a monument to this city and the backbone that we have and the perseverance that we have. It just stands as a testament to what we're all about. We'll get knocked down, and we'll come back bigger and better than we were before."

Another singer who tries to stop by Opry every chance he gets is Dierks Bentley. "I felt total heartbreak about the stage and the circle and Porter Wagoner's dressing room, it was really sad," recalls the performer. "They saved the circle, and the backstage is better than it's ever been. It feels more homey than it ever has, and the truth is it kind of needed a little bit of an upgrade. It's a terrible way to get one, but I'm just glad they went ahead and used the opportunity to make it better ... As a fan, the whole experience is better than it's ever been. I'm sorry it's the flood that made it happen, but I love coming out here more than ever. It's really comfortable backstage."

Also on hand to celebrate the people and the Opry was Luke Bryan, who caught a glimpse of the renovated venue for the first time recently. "The fact that we're standing here today, and it looks the way it does [is unbelievable]. It's just perfect out here," the giddy singer tells The Boot. "The first time I got to see it was at the Opry about two or three weeks ago, and I just walked around like a kid in a toy store. It's just amazing back here. It's just an honor to get to play it."

The legendary Charlie Daniels also took part in the festivities marking the one-year anniversary of the Nashville flood, and one of the main things he was concerned about was losing the feeling of the Opry tradition. "A building like this ... to see it destroyed and wonder if the tradition is going to come back when they rebuild it, with all the new paint, the chrome and the rearranging, if it was going to feel the same. Buildings have feelings to them," the Opry member tells The Boot. "I was not worried about the music part out front, because that's the finest music in the country, and I knew that would come back, but the backstage area and the traditional part of walking in here and it feeling like the Grand Ole Opry, I was wondering about, and I have to say, it all came back. It's better than it was. The only thing they did, they reversed the men's room and the ladies room, so I keep wanting to go in the ladies room all the time. [laughs]"

Prior to his performance, Brad announced during an interview that he is going to donate proceeds from the sales of his current single, 'Old Alabama,' to storm relief efforts in Alabama. Royalties from digital downloads will be used to help the victims of the devastating tornadoes, which has killed more than 200 people in the state. Homes, businesses and schools were destroyed, and thousands more were left without electricity causing more than half of the state's counties declared disaster areas.

Do You Remember 1971? Albums Celebrating Their 40th Anniversary, Part One

1971 was a tremendous year for music. Not as good as 1970 or 1969, but better than 1960, 1975, 1983, 1998 and 2003. It should be noted, the quality of a given year is calculated by proprietary software developed by Y! Music. Only a select few of us have been given access to this incredible program. For example, John Kordosh, of the super-fine Framed! Blog, is not allowed to use it, because "it will just confuse him." The software does not recognize Gummo or Wall Girl.

If you don't see your favorite album from 1971 on this list, it will likely show up on Part Two.

25) Jukin' Bone - Whiskey Woman: Jukin' Bone are still remembered as one of the great bands of the early 1970s. The Whiskey Woman album is one for the ages. There isn't a hard rock band that followed that didn't inherit the fine boogie provisions of Jukin' Bone. When the singer asks, "Do you feel alright?" at the end of the title track it's a moment so devastating, so artistically pure that it never needed an answer. (No idea what that means, but I read a lot of rock criticism.) File under Grand Funk Railroad, Brownsville Station...

24) Lee Hazlewood - Requiem For An Almost Lady: While you should never judge a book by its cover, this album cover is so cool that you have to hear the music inside. And look at that album title! Hazlewood albums from this period are all essential, since he isn't afraid to talk through parts and the basic quartet here makes everything sound like an indie-rock album on Secretly Canadian. Like a low-rent Leonard Cohen. Or a high-class Rod McKuen.
 

23) Isaac Hayes - Shaft, Black Moses: By releasing the soundtrack to a now cult favorite movie and a double album in the same year that opened into the shape of a cross, Isaac Hayes declared 1971 the year of Isaac. Such Biblical-type proclamations made quite a stink among people who don't like this sort of thing. Everyone else bought the albums and were happy.

22) Dust - Dust: Featuring future Richard Hell / Ramones drummer Marc Bell, world-class bassist Kenny Aaronson, and Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise, who produced the first two Kiss albums, Dust were progenitors of the heavy metal movement, a movement "the kids" would bring to the top of the charts and eventually turn into an antisocial music that continues to cause hearing loss and to freak parents out across the country.

21) Amon Duul II - Tanz der Lemminge: I love when I read stuff like "Tanz der Lemminge isn't the easiest Amon Dull II album to get into..." Like their other work sounds like AM radio! Fact is, all the great German bands of the 1970s were virtually ignored the first time around. But their influences can be heard in a slew of British bands from the late 1970s who often managed to get credit for the sound themselves. I didn't read (m)any reviews of Public Image Limited records that mentioned Can (poised to appear in Part Two of this blog), Amon Duul II or Neu! A conspiracy or laziness?

20) The Last Poets - This Is Madness: Again, another great album cover and title. Two poets and a percussionist listed among the personnel. "White Man's Got a God Complex" is something everyone on Wall Street should sing in their spare time. The album instead made major inroads among what became the hip-hop community. Except these guys weren't about bling. (There was no such thing in 1971.)

19) Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Tarkus: That's one angry Armadillo on the cover. Apparently, it's meant to represent the military-industrial complex, which back in 1971 was still a quaint idea yet to completely rule over people's lives. Hey man, pass the Xanax.

18) Sly and the Family Stone - There's A Riot Goin' On: At the time of its release, Riot received mixed reviews for sounding muddy, lethargic and generally down compared to the upward movement of Stand! But, in retrospect, the album sounds much better and is considered a classic. Kind of like the way the older you get the more everyone under thirty looks better.

17) Yoko Ono - Fly: These days the world has come around to Ono's way of doing things. Besides, how "out there" can an album with Eric Clapton, Jim Keltner and John Lennon really be? Sure, it's not "conventional," but it isn't like they forgot how to play upon entering the studio. I'd think they had a great time playing these songs. Much better than anything by Half Japanese.

16) Bill Cosby - Talks To Kids About Drugs: It won a Grammy Award in 1972 for Best Recording for Children. But this public service announcement can be enjoyed by people of all ages. "Captain Junkie" alone is a track worthy of the Rolling Stones. Or Zoogz Rift.

15) The Who - Who's Next: There are those who dislike this album because they've heard it so many times it's become irrelevant. But that's not the album's fault. The synth loops, Moon's explosive drumming and Townshend's songwriting are pretty damn great. Like Live At Leeds, The Who sound like a different band than the one that hung around the 1960s. Is that the problem?

14) David Bowie - Hunky Dory: Ah yes, the album with "Changes" and its b-side "Andy Warhol." I agree with the movement who want Mick Ronson in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ronson is one of rock's overlooked heroes. If you love Hunky Dory, you love Ronson. Simple as that. Next, a movement to have Arthur Lee recognized as well.

13) Black Sabbath - Master of Reality: Reason #236 why rock albums used to be much better. Look at this Sabbath album. Take out the two instrumentals and you have six songs. Which by today's standards would be about 1/3 of a regular album. Yet, I would rather have a band's six best ideas released alone rather than having to sift through 18 tracks to find the six decent ones. And if a band doesn't know what their six best ideas are, ask someone!

12) Marvin Gaye - What's Going On: An album often noted for its socio-political musings. Which is lovely. But I still think it's the voice.
 

11) Led Zeppelin - IV: Funny to think there was a time when Led Zeppelin were new and did not yet have a perpetual contract with radio to play their songs several times a day. As Zeppelin albums go, this one is pretty famous. Every song is known to FM radio listeners. Plus it's an upgrade from Sabbath's six-song monster. Zeppelin gave us eight!

10) Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers: This Stones album took some time getting out. "Brown Sugar" had debuted at Altamont in December 1969. "Sister Morphine" had been cut for Let It Bleed. But when it finally hit in April 1971, it made complete sense as an album for 1971. Are you really going to argue with an album that features "Moonlight Mile"?

9) Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate: Another great album with eight cuts, including one that was recorded live at the Isle of Wight. The other seven include "Avalanche," "Dress Rehearsal Rag," "Diamonds in the Mine," "Famous Blue Raincoat" and "Joan of Arc." It's like, are you kidding? Sometimes I wonder if we haven't passed the golden age of folk and rock, the way we're past the golden age of blues and jazz. From I see, we're now in the golden age of computers!

8) Pink Floyd - Meddle: While there are those who worship the Syd Barrett era and those who converge on The Dark Side of the Moon era, I pretty much like anything with Roger Waters and David Gilmour. This album proves their best material was often the longer stuff. For "Echoes" is worth its extended length.

7) Joni Mitchell - Blue: While Joni would sadly wander off the path by the end of the decade into angry didactic music that was merely ok, back in the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s, she was as great as any first-rate name. Blue is the obvious pick, her most solid album in terms of accessibility and maturity. It used to be my favorite color.

6) Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson: The internet allows us to revise history. I don't think that many people were into Serge Gainsbourg back in the 1971. Likely Serge, in the U.S., couldn't steal away 1/10 of James Taylor's audience. But now, albums such as this one are readily available and are quite fun. Music is supposed to be fun, no? Take that Sweet Baby James!

5) Funkadelic - Maggot Brain: I'd take this one just for the 10-minute guitar solo. How many albums can you say that about?

4) Jethro Tull - Aqualung: Another album of the "classic rock" era where it seems as if every song has ended up on the radio, Aqualung is not noticeably better than previous Tull albums and is not noticeably better than many of the albums on this list, making us (me!) wonder, is it the flute?

3) T. Rex - Electric Warrior: Here's what I mean. While nearly every track on Aqualung has made it to FM radio, only "Get It On," as in "Bang a Gong," has received noteworthy airplay in the ensuing years. No "Mambo Sun"? No "Cosmic Dancer"? No "The Motivator"? I know T. Rex were no Styx, but still...

2) Don McLean - American Pie: Everyone remembers this album. Everyone owned a copy at some point and then sold it at their garage sale to another generation. The title track is tedious enough, but it's the tear-jerking sentimentality of "Vincent" that drives me up the proverbial wall. Yeah, I could have told you Vincent...like Don was the only one to have any insight into Van Gogh's greatness. How many great modern artists have you discovered, Don?

1) The Doors - L.A. Woman: Jim Morrison went out as strong as he started. The Doors never recorded a terrible album. But their later concerts were marred by an insistence on pretending they were a blues band with songs like "Money," "Rock Me, Baby" and "Crossroads" showing up on their setlists. But this album took those blues and made them real. The cellophane cover was awesome.

Ex-Shinedown Guitarist Nick Perri Crafts Handmade Guitars

Nick Perri, a guitarist who cut his teeth playing with rock acts like Shinedown, Silvertide, Perry Farrell, and Matt Sorum, has launched Perri Ink. Guitars, a company that sells durable handmade custom guitars.

Each guitar is built-to-order with keen attention to detail. After wielding, playing, and destroying hundreds of guitars throughout his career, Perri has personally crafted the Protostar and Solostar models based solely on features he values as a player. Perri has consulted with musicians, engineers, and designers in order to craft axes that are perfect for guitar players at all levels of experience.

"Never once have I bought a guitar and felt it was perfect as is," Perri recently told Noisecreep. "Never once. So I began a lifelong obsession of modifications to enhance tone, performance, and vibe. Perri Ink. Guitars is a true dream realized, and I couldn't be prouder. I set out to build guitars that could take the pounding professionals deliver night after night on the stage and in the studio, and place them in the hands of everyday players around the world."

Perri's philosophy is simple: a guitar is greater than the sum of its parts. "A great guitar doesn't come from any one singular part. Rather, it's the culmination of many, many parts all working together and complementing each other in just the right way," Perri said.

"One of my objectives in forming this company was to lift the veil of secrecy for the first time. and actually include stock in every Perri Ink. Guitar and all the mods and tricks I've been doing to my guitars for all these years," he continued. "You shouldn't have to fight your guitar; rather, it should compliment your every stroke and accent. Never worry about playing the guitar. Only worry about what you are playing. These guitars are built to last, period. The proof is in the process. They are unparalleled and built to serve you, the artist, whenever and wherever you go."

Go here for more info

Brewerie at Union Station

25 Women Who Rock Right Now

2011 is already shaping up to be a pretty historic year when it comes to women making waves in music. Not only are the fairer sex dominating mainstream pop, but they've also -- in the past year -- emerged as leaders in all genres of music. So come celebrate a host of groundbreaking (not to mention gorgeous) female-fronted bands and leading ladies who are rocking our socks off at this very moment.

25 Willow Smith
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith's daughter just might be the most confident tween alive -- and with good reason. She has gorgeous, happily married, ridiculously famous parents, a certified viral smash with the video for her insanely addictive pop anthem 'Whip My Hair,' and a record deal with Jay-Z's label, Roc Nation. Her futuristic fashion sense may be occasionally wacky, but she's got another 15 years or so to be simply chic. For now, she's "just tryna have fun."
Essential Track: '21st Century Girl'

24 Victoria Legrand of Beach House
2010 was the year of dream-pop, and Baltimore's Beach House was the leader of that pack. At the centre of the band's acclaimed third album, 2010's 'Teen Dream,' is the voice of French-born chanteuse Victoria Legrand. With pipes reminiscent of Marlene Deitrich, her sultry delivery gives Beach House's sleepy songs their underlying sex appeal.
Essential Track: 'Zebra'

23 Jessie J
This English pop singer cut her teeth writing songs for the likes of Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. She won the coveted Critic's Choice Award at the 2011 Brit Awards (previously bestowed on Adele and Florence Welch) and just wowed the crowd on 'Saturday Night Live.' Like Robyn, she merges straightforward pop with dancehall, hip-hop and club elements, and takes on crotch-grabbing hip-hop guys with her track, 'Do It Like a Dude.'
Essential Track: 'Do It Like a Dude'

22 Dum Dum Girls
California band Dum Dum Girls channel '60s girl groups with a power shot of jangly guitars and fuzzed-out distortion. 2010's 'I Will Be' released to massive acclaim and saw the girls continue their winning streak with their recent 'He Gets Me High' EP, co-produced by the Raveonettes' Sune Rose Wagner (another fan of serious fuzz). Plus, it doesn't hurt that Dum Dum Girls always look perfectly retro-fabulous in miniskirts, leather jackets and vixen red lipstick.
Essential Track: 'Jail La La'

21 Janelle Monae
Kansas-born Janelle Monae wails like Aretha and boogies like James Brown. After signing with Diddy's Bad Boy label, she released her 2010 concept album 'The ArchAndroid' to rave reviews. She livened up the Grammys with a mesmerizing performance of 'Cold War,' sporting her distinctive pompadour and ever-present tuxedo. Monae's a soul singer with style to spare.
Essential Track: 'Cold War'

20 Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine
Florence has won awards for her music (Brits, Q), her lushly art-directed music videos (MTV Video Music Awards) and her unique "Lady of Shallot meets Ophelia" style (Glamour and Elle mags). A chart-topping artist in her native country, she's slowly built an ardent fan following in North America appearing on 'Saturday Night Live', 'Ellen', and the Grammys as well as licensing her tunes for TV and film. Up next? A sophomore album and a rumoured collabo with Canadian rapper Drake.
Essential Track: 'Cosmic Love'

19 Andrea Estella of Twin Sister
Brooklyn-based Twin Sister made a splash with 2010's trippy, disco-tinged 'Color Your Life' EP. And much of the credit goes to lead singer Andrea Estella's distinctive vocals: Breathy, laconic and borderline hypnotic. But it's Estella's dance moves in their 'All Around and Away We Go' video that aren't to be missed -- a flash of late-'80s choreography with equal parts sincerity and hilarity.
Essential Track: 'Lady Daydream'

18 Amanda Warner of MNDR
Originally from Oakland, California, Amanda Warner moved to NYC and formed MNDR with Peter Wade. Since their first banging tracks hit the Internet, she's won an opening spot for Massive Attack and taken lead vocals in Mark Ronson's killer tune 'Bang Bang Bang.' Oh, and she's also a producer and confirmed tech-head, having reportedly designed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' synthesizer rig.
Essential Track: 'I Go Away'

17 Alice Glass of Crystal Castles
A former teen punk runaway from Toronto, Alice Glass is known as much for her chopped black hair, heavy eyeliner and her showy stage antics (compulsive stage diving, attacking security guards, performing with broken ribs) as she is for the inventive electronic music she creates with partner Ethan Kath. And Crystal Castle's quick progression, including showing Alice's softer side on hit 'Celestica,' proves to us the girl with the raccoon eyes is a real dynamo.
Essential Track: 'Vanished'

16 Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells
Legend has it Alexis connected with her Sleigh Bells bandmate Derek E. Miller when her mother visited a restaurant where Miller was waiting tables. Mama Krauss offered her daughter up as a vocalist when he shared his musical ambition, and a star was born.In the video for 'Tell 'Em,' Alexis Krauss takes to the streets brandishing a baseball bat, and in 'Rill Rill,' she finishes off her beau by shoving him out of a moving car. She's basically a badass schoolgirl without a pigtail in sight. Could we love her any more?
Essential Track: 'Infinity Guitars'

15 Emily Kokal of Warpaint
Growing up selling tie-dyed t-shirts up and down the California coast with her hippie mom, which was excellent preparation for the experimental art rock Kokal creates as part of L.A. band Warpaint. The band has benefited from connections with actress Shannyn Sossoman (who drummed for the band) and Red Hot Chili Peppers' John Frusciante (who mixed and mastered their debut EP). Kokal's got a summer-day-lazy delivery and an ethereal, feminine vibe.
Essential Track: 'Elephants'

14 Katie Stelmanis of Austra
Toronto-based Katie Stelmanis was classically trained in opera as a child and uses that tremulous vocal power as frontwoman of Gothic electro trio Austra. Dark, sexy, danceable and unnerving, Austra's awesome video for 'Beat and the Pulse' features women dancing in their underwear who are revealed to have webbed hands and tails and other freaky alien features. Stelmanis, who also made an impression singing with F--- Up, is finally poised for a big breakout in 2011 with Austra.
Essential Track: 'Beat and the Pulse'

13 Alaina Moore of Tennis
When Tennis vocalist/keyboardist Alaina Moore and her husband Patrick sold all their belongings, bought a boat and went on an eight-month sailing journey, they didn't simply take in the sights. With inspiration from an onboard soundtrack of the Shirelles, Paul Simon and "sunny pop," they began writing an album.The result is a strong effort full of wistful tunes with Phil Spector overtones, a throwback sound that's still fresh and modern. No wonder Tennis is one of the year's biggest buzz bands.
Essential Track: 'Long Boat Pass'

12 Zola Jesus
Nika Roza Danilova grew up in the wilds of Wisconsin with a penchant for Schopenhauer and a dad that hunted deer and listened to the Dead Kennedys. Now she's known as Zola Jesus, and creates strange, unsettling yet beautiful music. With EPs 'Stridulum' and 'The Spoils' under her belt, the Siouxie Sioux lookalike will soon bring her Gothic, industrial and pop elements to her anticipated full-length.
Essential Track: 'Night'

11 Oh Land
Naana Oland Fabricius looks like a young Heidi Klum and makes excellent Scandinavian electro-pop. A former ballet dancer who switched careers after a serious injury, Oh Land's music has a cheeky zippiness reminiscent of Lily Allen at her best. And with her model good looks, it's no surprise she's been tapped as a face for fashion house M Missoni -- the loveliest Danish import since Raveonettes' Sharin Foo.
Essential Track: 'Sun of a Gun'

10 Lykke Li
Swedish singer Lykke Li first caught North American attention with the minimalist electro-pop on her 2008 release, 'Youth Novels.' With 2011's 'Wounded Rhymes,' Li's taken her coy come-ons to a darker, more aggressive place ("I'm your prostitute/ You gonna get some" she sings on the lead single) and critical reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. She's sexy, stylish and a little mysterious. Lykke Li is simply the thinking person's pop idol.
Essential Track: 'I Follow Rivers'

09 Ellie Goulding
Ellie's been a critical darling in England for the past couple years and is poised to find mainstream success on both sides of the pond. The quirky blonde won the Critics' Choice award at the Brits and was the number-one predicted breakthrough act of the year in the BBC's annual poll of music critics, 'Sound of 2010.' Her debut disc, 'Lights,' is filled with electro-tinged pop and she already has a new album planned for September 2011.
Essential Track: 'Starry Eyed'

08 Beth Ditto
Ditto first made a music industry splash as the energetic frontwoman of the Gossip. She's since been compared to Janis Joplin because of her deep and powerful pipes and uninhibited stage presence. Now she's got a synth-heavy solo project that's garnering rave reviews and winning new fans. Produced by Simian Mobile Disco, Ditto's latest track 'I Wrote the Book' is filling dance floors the world over.
Essential Track: 'I Wrote the Book'

07 Glasser
Cameron Mesirow (aka Glasser) is the daughter of two offbeat artists, and her music is true to that counterculture pedigree. Her latest release, 'Ring,' is eccentric electronic, with layered vocals, world music elements and trippy beats. Mesirow has stated that she's a fan of the Muppets and she invented her own musical instrument, the "bifurcated pipe organ." A true eccentric talent.
Essential Track: 'Mirrorage'

06 Regine Chassagne of Arcade Fire
Regine Chassagne has enjoyed both massive critical acclaim and commercial success as part of Montreal's Arcade Fire, and she's married to the band's co-founder, Win Butler. Chassagne and her fellow Fires are fresh off a Grammy Album of the Year win for 'The Suburbs,' but despite the band's wild popularity, she still seems like she has a pretty normal life, free from paparazzi stalking and Internet rumours. Nice work if you can get it.
Essential Track: 'Ready to Start'

05 Nicki Minaj
Never mind that she's the hottest female in a male-dominated musical arena -- Nicki Minaj is the sharpest player in hip-hop, period. Minaj first generated heat guesting for Ludacris and Usher, and her schizophrenic flow stole Kanye's all-star 'Monster.' And, with the release of 2010's 'Pink Friday,' her day-glo wigs, skin-tight catsuits and quirky alter egos took center-stage. Her theatrical image may scream, "Look at me!," but her rapid-fire rapping and fine singing voice more than back it up.
Essential Track: 'Moment 4 Life (Feat. Drake)'

04 Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast
Best Coast frontwoman Bethany Cosentino helped propel the lo-fi, surf pop sound into the indie rock spotlight in 2010. With her band's acclaimed album, 'Crazy For You,' the Los Angeles-based vocalist and songwriter created tunes reminiscent of '60s beach music, with a thoroughly modern swagger.Oh, and She's also one half of of indie rock's royal couple, alongside her boyfriend, Wavves' Nathan Williams.
Essential Track: 'When I'm With You'

03 Robyn
Robyn started out as an All-American blonde pop star in the early 2000s (despite being Swedish) before bowing out of imminent pop culture ubiquity and returning to her homeland. A decade later, Robyn has reinvented herself as the premier purveyor of intelligent, emotional dance-pop. Her latest work, the masterful 'Body Talk' trilogy, is quite simply crawling with what should have been number one hits. Robyn's in no rush, but as word continues to spread she won't be dancing on her own for much longer.
Essential Track: 'Dancing on My Own'

02 Wanda Jackson
The only woman on this list who's already in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Wanda Jackson was one of the first female rockabilly artists in the '50s and '60s -- a bona fide pioneer of rock 'n' roll with a raw, growling delivery and shaking hips. Thanks to the support of ardent fan Jack White, she's got a new album called 'The Party Ain't Over,' and she's bringing her legendary rock show to a new generation. Oh yeah, and she also dated Elvis.
Essential Track: 'Thunder on the Mountain (Feat. Jack White)'

01 Adele
She may be young, but Adele's voice packs an emotional wallop far beyond her years. The English singing sensation already has a couple prestigious awards under her belt (including a Grammy and a Brit) and a recent number one album in the US, UK and Canada. Besides the poignant intensity of her voice, she's lauded for embracing her natural curves in an era of ever-skinnier pop starlets.
Essential Track: 'Rolling in the Deep'

New Orleans' Jazz Fest Thrives, Despite Competition
By Kathy Finn

A sea of flowered shirts, colorful tank tops and straw hats sways to an infectious beat under a searing blue sky.

Artists ranging from Bon Jovi to New Orleans jazz singer John Boutte pump tunes on multiple stages as an exuberant crowd delights in the experience of one of the world's largest music festivals.

Robbie Alves, an audio engineer from Los Angeles, is nearly as comfortable in this setting as he is in his West Coast home.

"It's maybe a little bit of escapism, but what's wrong with that?" asked Alves, who has attended the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival almost every spring for the past 20 years. This year's festival began last weekend and continues this Thursday through Sunday.

Forty-two years after it began, the event known as Jazz Fest has become a 12-stage, seven-day blockbuster that features not only jazz but also blues, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, rock, funk, Latin and other styles.

It continues to draw music fans -- 375,000 people paid an average of $40-$60 to spend a day at the fest last year -- even as competition from other festivals has dramatically increased.

"A rock festival has a narrow group of kids that go to it. This festival, from the beginning, went out of its way not to do that," said Quint Davis, producer and director of the event and CEO of Festival Productions Inc.

"This is a festival that's for everybody. When Bon Jovi is on that stage, Pete Fountain is over on that one, Jason Mraz is over there and Fantasia is in the middle."

Since the 1950s, when the Newport Jazz Festival popularized the concept of live music performed in an outdoor setting, music festivals have become a fixture of America's cultural landscape.

NEW EVENTS, SURVIVAL CHALLENGE

New events sprout yearly as producers seek to match the success of such stalwarts as the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in California, Chicago's Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas, Sasquatch! Music Festival in Washington, and Tennessee's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival.

But the laid-back vibe that characterizes these events belies their underlying challenge. Achieving just the right mix of music, location and amenities -- such as food, parking and overnight accommodations -- is a balancing act with a high risk of failure.

During a music industry conference held in New Orleans over the weekend, Larry Vallon, an executive vice president with AEG Live, the largest producer of music festivals in North America, ticked off names of festivals around the country that launched and were shut down within just the last few years: Rothbury Festival in Michigan, All Points West Music & Arts Festival in New Jersey, Mile High Festival in Denver.

Despite headliners like Coldplay, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and the Dave Mathews Band, the events "just did not resonate," Vallon said.

"The competition is really, really intense," said Danny Melnick, artistic director of the 34-year-old Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival in upstate New York. Speaking during the conference, he said the trick is to build audience loyalty.

"And it's not necessarily just about the music," Melnick said. "It's really about the experience of being at the festival."

Davis said the Jazz Fest's emphasis on cultural heritage, including Louisiana arts and crafts and Native American traditions, distinguishes it from many other festivals. Plus, the lineup of Louisiana delicacies - like fried shrimp po-boys and Cajun jambalaya - is a big draw.

Allen Jamieson, his wife Ann Jamieson and their three kids -- ages 3, 6 and 15 -- came from Tulsa, Okla., this year to attend the fest for the second time.

He said they love to see Louisiana blues-rocker Tab Benoit, and they like the idea of going to a festival that's fun for the adults and the kids.

"You couldn't get this anywhere else," he said.
 

Cinema's Top 20 Music Geeks

As the "MTV generation" has slowly but surely taken over Hollywood, music geeks have become as common on the big screen as they are in the world's universities, blogs and coffee shops. In the movies, they come in all shapes and sizes -- from the superfan to the pretentious snob to the music-obsessed loner -- but there's a little bit of them in each and every music fan.

20 James Brennan
'Adventureland' (2009)
Jesse Eisenberg always seems to be playing the worst kind of music geek: the pretentious know-it-all. In 'The Squid and the Whale,' his character even claims Pink Floyd's 'Hey You' as his own composition. That's why 'Adventureland' amusement park employee James is such a welcome change; he's all about Lou Reed, Hüsker Dü and the Replacements, but he still turns out to be a pretty nice guy.

19 Mark the Record Store Clerk
'Empire Records' (1995)
It's almost shocking when 'Empire Records' employee Mark calls Axl Rose his favorite singer. How can there be room for Axl in a heart so full of GWAR? Ethan Embry (credited as "Ethan Randall") brings his usual aw-shucks sweetness to a brain-damaged "Bohab" (as GWAR fanatics are known) who is so into the costumed horror-metal band that he hallucinates himself into one of their videos.

18 Ivan Alexeev and Josh Tager
'Tapeheads' (1988)
In the cult classic 'Tapeheads,' Ivan (John Cusack) and Josh (Tim Robbins) lose their security guard jobs and decide to follow their dream and get into the music video business. Hey, it was 1988 and MTV still showed videos. Inspired by their love of a has-been soul duo called the Swanky Modes (played by real-life soul legends Sam Moore and Junior Walker), the pair become unlikely music business big-shots.

17 Alex DeLarge
'A Clockwork Orange' (1971)
As the psychopathic leader of a gang of twisted, murderous thugs, Alex (Malcolm McDowell) of 'A Clockwork Orange' loves three things above all else: sex, violence and music. He even brutally assaults a couple while doing a rendition of 'Singing in the Rain.' Chief among his inspirations is the music of Ludwig van Beethoven -- the composer's Ninth Symphony (ironically titled the 'Ode to Joy') forms the soundtrack to Alex's most twisted fantasies.

16 Summer Finn
'(500) Days of Summer' (2009)
Indie rocker fantasy No. 124: The cute girl in the office tells you she likes the music coming out of your headphones. That's how it starts for Tom and Summer (Zooey Deschanel) in '(500) Days of Summer,' who bond over the Smiths in an elevator. Add to that her cat Bruce (as in "Springsteen") and her tendency to do Lee Hazlewood karaoke, and you've got a music-lover's fantasy girl. She'll still dump you, but at least she'll do it with a 'Sid & Nancy' reference.

15 Steven 'Stevo' Levy
'SLC Punk' (1998)
Stevo (Matthew Lillard) is a poseur-hating punk purist and one of the very, very few punk rockers in Salt Lake City. While best friend Bob searches for romance, Stevo keeps busy keeping it real, dismissing the debate over who started punk by focusing on the only thing that matters: "We did it harder, we did it faster, and we definitely did it with more love, baby!"

14 Chad the Nanny
'Jerry Maguire' (1996)
Todd Louiso is dear to music nerds' hearts for his role as Dick, the soft-spoken record-store clerk in 'High Fidelity.' Yet most people know him as "child technician" Chad the Nanny in 'Jerry Maguire.' A rabid jazz fan, Chad hooks Jerry up with what he considers the ultimate makeout tape: "Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Stockholm, 1963. Two masters of freedom, playing in a time before their art was corrupted by a zillion cocktail lounge performers."

13 Debi Newberry
'Grosse Pointe Blank' (1997)
When professional assassin Martin Blank goes home for his Grosse Point High School 10-year reunion, he finds his ex girlfriend Debi Newberry (Minnie Driver) spinning an all-vinyl "oldies from the eighties" weekend on WRFN-FM. Debi's selection of ska, punk and New Wave classics by the Clash, the Specials, the Jam and others is so awesome, we'll happily ignore that she plays a few songs from other decades.

12 Riff Randell
'Rock 'n' Roll High School' (1979)
There are fans, there are fanatics, and then there is Riff Randell (P.J. Soles), the planet's biggest Ramones worshipper. In 'Rock 'n' Roll High School,' the evil Principal Togar confiscates her Ramones tickets, so Riff does what any self-respecting rocker would do: She stages a full-scale rebellion, seizing control of Vince Lombardi High School and making Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny, and Marky Ramone honorary students.

11 William Miller
'Almost Famous' (2000)
In 'Almost Famous,' William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is a borderline case since he's essentially a fictionalized stand-in for director (and former music journalist) Cameron Crowe. When the 16-year-old wunderkind lands a Rolling Stone assignment to go on tour with the (also) fictional band Stillwater, he embarks on the ultimate music geek dream -- an all-access peek behind the curtain, with all the booze, groupies and giant egos one teenager can handle.

10 Patrick Bateman
'American Psycho' (2000)
Christian Bale played a glam-obsessed music journalist in Todd Haynes' 'Velvet Goldmine,' but it was in 'American Psycho' that he portrayed his first true music scholar: yuppie serial killer Patrick Bateman. His straight-faced tirades about the hidden genius of middle-of-the-road 1980s chart-toppers Huey Lewis & the News, Whitney Houston and Genesis (their 'Invisible Touch' album is "an epic meditation on intangibility") put even the most pretentious rock snobs to shame.

09 Steve Dunne
'Singles' (1992)
Every Cameron Crowe movie includes at least one hard-core music nerd, and in the twentysomething grunge classic 'Singles,' that title belongs to Steve Dunne (Campbell Scott), former college-radio DJ and "the only man ... who could mix Elvis Costello and Public Enemy." So how does Steve handle a tough breakup? Like most of us, he lies on the floor blasting John Coltrane and gets drunk by himself at Soundgarden concerts.

08 Nick O'Leary and Norah Silverberg
'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist' (2008)
Nick (Michael Cera), the only straight member of a queercore band, makes the most heart-melting mix tapes in high school. Norah (Kat Dennings) is unknowingly his biggest fan. They go on a quest to see legendary (fictional) indie band Where's Fluffy? Nick and Norah then embark on a romantic New York adventure that includes dry-humping on the couch at Electric Lady Studios.

07 Mike Damone
'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' (1982)
When he isn't selling his classmates tickets to see Cheap Trick, Ozzy Osbourne or Blue Öyster Cult, Ridgemont high school scalper Mike Damone (Robert Romanus) dispenses tips on how to pick up women ... using a cardboard cutout of Debbie Harry as a visual aid. It's hard to argue with a guy who drops can't-miss dating science like this: "When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on Side One of 'Led Zeppelin IV.'"

06 Mark 'Hard Harry' Hunter
'Pump Up the Volume' (1990)
In 'Pump Up the Volume,' Hubert Humphrey High School senior Mark Hunter (Christian Slater) is the ultimate wallflower, so shy he can barely look at girls, let alone talk to them. But at night, like some rock 'n' roll werewolf, he transforms into "Hard Harry," the town's most dangerous pirate-radio DJ, spinning everything from Leonard Cohen to Henry Rollins and Soundgarden for his adoring legions of angst-ridden teens.

05 Juno MacGuff
'Juno' (2007)
Most high schoolers are obsessive about music. Pregnant teen Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is just, uh, next level. While most expectant mothers would be babbling about prenatal vitamins, Juno bonds with her baby's adoptive-father-to-be over her favorite bands ("a three-way tie between The Stooges, Patti Smith and the Runaways") and Sonic Youth's awesome cover of the Carpenters' 'Superstar.' The movie even ends with Page and Michael Cera duetting on The Moldy Peaches' anti-folk classic 'Anyone Else but You.'

04 Seymour the Record Collector
'Ghost World' (2001)
Steve Buscemi's Seymour is the saddest character in 'Ghost World' – and that's saying a lot. He's even depressed about the one thing that gives him joy: his collection of 1,500 rare 78 rpm records. "You think it's healthy to obsessively collect things? You can't relate to other people, so you fill your life with stuff." Seymour may have a point; When your top three interests in life are jazz, blues and ragtime, it's time to broaden your horizons.

03 Dewey Finn
'The School of Rock' (2003)
Between 'High Fidelity' and 'Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny,' Jack Black is no stranger to onscreen music-geekery. But Black's single greatest cinematic offering at the altar of rock is Dewey Finn, the Obi-Wan Kenobi of junior jamming in 'The School of Rock.' Dewey passes on his slobbering worship of the guitar Pantheon to the next generation, bestowing upon them "the power to blow people's minds with our high-voltage rock."

02 Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar
'Wayne's World' (1992) and 'Wayne's World 2' (1993)
Over the course of two movies, Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) went from hosting a low-budget cable-access show in 'Wayne's World' to hosting a slightly higher-budget cable-access show and organizing the monster music festival Waynestock in 'Wayne's World 2.' Along the way they communed with the ghost of Jim Morrison, chilled backstage with Alice Cooper and Aerosmith, and performed the most famous lip-sync in film history.

01 Rob Gordon
'High Fidelity' (2000)
In 'High Fidelity,' Rob Gordon (John Cusack), the sad-sack proprietor of Championship Vinyl, inhabits a world defined by his taste in music. He organizes his records autobiographically, he expresses his emotions via best-song lists and his favorite book is Johnny Cash's autobiography. The top spot in this list is reserved for the man behind the music-geek mantra "What really matters is what you like, not what you are like."

Hard Rock Memorabilia Exhibition to Tour U.S

An over-stuffed garment rack in a warehouse on the outskirts of Orlando holds some of the world's most precious second-hand clothing.

The frothy white wedding dress worn by Madonna in her music video "Like a Virgin" hangs at one end, while crammed in the middle is Michael Jackson's red leather jacket from the music video "Beat It."

The clothes, along with Justin Bieber's skateboard and Ray Charles' Braille Playboy magazine, are among 40 pieces of rock memorabilia that will go on tour in the United States beginning on May 18 to celebrate the Hard Rock Cafe's 40th anniversary.

"If an artist gives us memorabilia, they assume we're going to take care of it and we're never going to sell it. We have a responsibility," said John Galloway, Hard Rock's chief marketing officer.

Ever since Eric Clapton donated a red Fender guitar in 1979 to the original Hard Rock Cafe in London, Hard Rock International, now a subsidiary of Seminole Gaming, has assembled what is billed as the world's largest collection of rock memorabilia, estimated to include at 73,000 pieces.

Much of the collection decorates the company's 171 restaurants, casinos and hotels in revolving displays. The rest is housed in what looks like a thrift shop.

Hard Rock typically acquires items through donations from artists and purchases at auction, but many pieces, such as Jackson's jacket, have an interesting history.

In 1984 Jackson gave the red jacket, adorned with 27 decorative zippers, to 14-year-old David Smithee of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who was terminally ill with cystic fibrosis. Smithee died a month later. Hard Rock historian Jeff Nolan said the family eventually contacted Hard Rock.

The company will not discuss prices paid for items or estimate the value of the collection, other than to describe it as "priceless."

"It's a huge part of history. It's precious," Nolan said.

Hard Rock employees follow local bands and buy memorabilia, betting on the artists' future potential. That's how the company acquired Bieber's skateboard years before the teen Canadian pop singer became famous. It is also why there is a rack of blue jeans and T-shirts worn by little known heavy-metal artists from a Taste of Chaos tour two years ago.

One of the newest acquisitions is the dress Katy Perry wore for her 2008 MTV Latin American awards performance when she leapt into the show's four-tier pink anniversary cake and then skidded around the stage.

"We had to spend two days cleaning fondant off of it," Nolan said.

An item rarely leaves the Hard Rock collection, except if the artist has second-thoughts about a donation, as Peter Frampton did about one of his guitars.

"Years later, he stops at a Hard Rock and sees it on the wall and is like, 'Damn, why did I give that?' He came to us and was asking, 'What's it going to take.'" Nolan said.

He made a deal to swap the guitar for the talk box and the off-white, chamois-cloth-like costume Frampton wore for his "Frampton Comes Alive!" album.

"If you listened to any kind of rock in the 70s, you had this album and Peter Frampton was wearing this," Nolan said.

The touring memorabilia will be displayed in a big rig truck at Hard Rock locations, beginning in New York City and ending August 17 in Hollywood, Florida.
 

Kid Rock Accepts NAACP Award in Detroit

Grammy-nominated artist Kid Rock told nearly 10,000 people at the Detroit NAACP branch's annual fundraising dinner that his use of the Confederate flag during on-stage performances has nothing to do with how he feels about blacks.

"I love America. I love Detroit, and I love black people," the musician said Sunday night during the annual Fight for Freedom Fund dinner at Cobo Center.

Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, used the event to diffuse criticism aimed at the Detroit NAACP branch which honored him with its Great Expectations Award.

The Macomb County, Mich., native said his use of the flag derives from a popular song by legendary Southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Earlier, a group of about 50 people picketed outside Cobo Center in protest of the decision to honor Ritchie. The group also burned a replica of the flag, considered a symbol of racism and oppression to blacks in the South. It was carried by secessionist Southern troops in the American Civil War.

The dinner is the largest fundraiser for the Detroit NAACP branch. Civil rights pioneer John Lewis gave the dinner's keynote speech.

Others also were honored Sunday night, but most of the attention was focused on Ritchie.

Detroit NAACP President Wendell Anthony said Ritchie was being honored for his advocacy of the city.

"We're not lifting up the flag," Anthony said earlier Sunday. "We're lifting up a gentleman who has worked very hard to be a booster for Detroit."

From the time it was first announced, the choice of Kid Rock as honoree has been criticized by some who said the use of the Confederate flag conflicts with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's message.

"It stands for hatred, bigotry, racism, murder," Detroit political consultant Adolph Mongo said of the flag. "Every bigot and racist in this country loves that flag."

Mongo helped ignite the flag about 5 p.m. It took several attempts with a cigarette lighter before the flag caught fire to chants of, "Burn, baby, burn."

The Confederate flag symbolizes racial oppression, but also pride in the South for many Southerners, said Kirk Mayes, 35, of Detroit.

It "really is a symbol of the past," Mayes said after attending the dinner. "Today, it's about moving forward. We have to kind of be open to the spirit of forgiving. Not embracing its symbolism of hatred, but recognizing its relevance."

Ritchie, who appeared at the event with his son, received loud applause when he was introduced and again when he stood to accept the award.

He called the controversy surrounding his use of the Confederate flag a "fiasco."

"I've never flown that flag with any hate in my heart. Not one ounce," Ritchie said before announcing $50,000 in donations from his foundation to Detroit recreation centers, a conservancy on the city's Belle Isle, a youth theater group, a youth training agency and Habitat for Humanity.

Ritchie met recently with Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and discussed how he could help the city, mayoral spokeswoman Karen Dumas said Sunday night.

Ritchie also announced that his foundation would be donating $50,000 to storm relief efforts in tornado-ravaged states.

"That's what Detroit city is all about," he said. "We're fortunate enough that we haven't been touched by Mother Nature like our friends in the South have."

His family-run foundation is very active in the Detroit area. It has supported the Detroit-based Karmanos Cancer Institute's research and patient care, where Ritchie's donations have included money, guitars and even an invitation to dinner — to the highest bidder.

Through his "Made in Detroit" apparel line, Ritchie recently established the Made in Detroit Endowed Scholarship to help offset tuition costs of Wayne State University students from throughout southeastern Michigan who are selected for their academic achievements and limited financial resources.

Children across Continent to Perform Song Simultaneously

Children at more than 1,700 schools, from gritty New Orleans to the wilds of British Columbia, unite in music on Monday, when for a single moment across time zones they will all perform the same song.

Singers, violinists, drummers and other young music makers will launch into "I Wanna Play," a song by country music star Aaron Tippin, at 1 p.m. EDT.

The seventh annual "Music Monday" is orchestrated to applaud the benefits of music education, from cultivating acceptance of others to increasing hand-eye coordination, said sponsors National Association of Music Merchants and the Coalition of Music Education.

From young special needs crooners to polished conservatory musicians, "Music Monday" will include musicians of all levels, said coalition executive director Ingrid Whyte.

"'Music Monday' gives everyone an opportunity to be heard." said Whyte. "It allows them to be part of something big."

An estimated 650,000 students in 65 school districts in the United States and 1,679 in Canada signed on for the event.

When the clock strikes 1 p.m. EDT, choir members will open their mouths to sing, trombonists will grab their slides and blow and music will fill school auditoriums coast to coast.

For low-income youth in particular, playing music pays off in more ways than music appreciation, including reducing bullying and boosting attendance, said social worker Giselle Friedmann, who created a drumming program for Los Angeles public schools.

In the drumming program, teachers lead students who drum on their desks and repeat: "I accept you. You accept me. And that's the way it will be."

A UCLA study of the program found group drumming relieved anxiety, stress and defiance, according to findings published in March in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

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"Songs for Japan" charity album raises $5 million

A charity album featuring hits from the likes of Lady Gaga, Bob Dylan and Madonna has raised $5 million for the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the record labels involved said on Wednesday.

The album "Songs For Japan," a collaboration between the world's biggest record companies, was released a month ago and has been on sale in digital format and as a two-disc CD set. It was available from March 25 on iTunes and from April 4 as a CD.

Organizers said the Japanese Red Cross Society last month received $2 million on behalf of featured artists, songwriters, labels, publishers and iTunes, who waived their royalties and proceeds. A further payment of $3 million was made on Monday. More than 500,000 copies of the album have been sold so far in all formats. Songs For Japan featured 38 hits and classic songs, including "Imagine" by John Lennon, "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" by Elton John and "Pray" by Justin Bieber.

Keith Urban Lends Hand to Wis. Salon Owner

A Wisconsin hair salon owner is missing her signature storefront sculpture: a fiberglass hand shaped like a chair with images of country star Keith Urban.

Urban Style owner Denise Mackey-Natz says the hand was unbolted from its concrete block outside her store and stolen last month.

Urban heard about the theft and called Mackey-Natz. He's offering four tickets and four VIP passes to any show on his "Get Closer World Tour" to anyone with information that leads to finding the hand. The salon is offering a $200 reward.

Mackey-Natz suspects college students stole it as a prank but says she just wants it back because it is so close to her heart.

She bought the hand three years ago for $2,500 to benefit the Children's Museum of Eau Claire.

Urban's tour starts June 16 in Biloxi, Miss.