Erie Gets Drunk In Memphis
By Jenna Croyle

There is a new band in town that started only a few months ago and they are out of this world. Drunk in Memphis is made up of Russ Higby on Vocals, Mike Dattilo on Guitar, Shawn Brinker on Bass and Marty Light on Drum and is Erie’s newest, definitive 80's hard rock band.

Looking the part of rock stars, not only does this band play all the songs you would expect, but also they do it so well. With guitar riffs that scream the classic, metal sound and a lead singer that belts out lyrics, this band surely gives you the look and feel of a true 80’s rock concert.

If you go to a Drunk In Memphis show expect to hear the band perform songs like "Say What You Will" by Fastway, “Don't Cry” by Guns 'N' Roses, “Look What The Cat Dragged In” by Poison, and “Come Follow Me” by The Answer to name only a few of the popular tunes that we all know and love.

Just watching this band on stage, you can clearly tell that they love to have a good time and incite their audience to do the same, creating not just another band in a bar show, but a total knockdown, drag out party experience.

On Friday August 19th Drunk in Memphis is slated to open for Skid Row at The Cove, Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio.

Skid Row formed in 1986 in Toms River, New Jersey, and is a successful hard rock band of the late 1980s and early 1990s with several multi-platinum albums. They became popular with their first two albums, Skid Row and Slave to the Grind, which are often considered their best-known works to date.

Their 1995 follow-up, Subhuman Race was also critically acclaimed but not as successful as the first two albums. Skid Row's latest albums, Thickskin and Revolutions per Minute, came out in 2003 and 2006.

Sponsored by Harley-Davidson of Erie, the Drunk in Memphis band members do their jobs perfectly, playing each note as it was meant to be played, ensuring that each song, to say the least, does justice to the original artist’s music.

I look forward to seeing this band again, if you have not had the chance to check out one of their shows, I strongly suggest that you to do so this Friday June 3rd at Sherlock’s. With Dekan by their side, Drunk in Memphis will be making the rip roaring musical magic that has already earned them the moniker of Erie’s party band amongst their rapidly growing fan base.

For more information on Drunk in Memphis along with show dates, please visit their website www.drunkinmemphis.com

RED Making Waves with New Record “Until We Have Faces”
By Drew Chiodo

In the perfect world of Rock-N-Roll, being in a successful band would require nothing more than looking good behind a drum-kit and a license to thrill, but as most musicians would tell you, that pipe-dream tends to not work out as one would hope.

“People ask what the name RED means and where we came up with it; it’s a power color, a very emotional thing,” Barnes says. “And I think our music gets to the core of that. We’re really trying to flesh out and draw out those emotions that may have been stagnant or just stirring up in people.”

In the beginning, after discovering and recording demos with the Grammy-Nominated rock producer Rob Graves, the band was swiftly signed by Sony BMG imprint, Essential Records.

With Graves for guidance, the band put out their debut album, End of Silence in 2006.

With RED’s freshman release single “Lost” being voted for the “Best Recorded Rock Song” at the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards, the band’s success began a chain reaction that has been unstoppable, even well into today.

After the bands second release of Innocence and Instinct in 2008, the band’s popularity began to soar. The record opened up on the Billboard 200 at #15 and at #5 on iTunes within the first week.

Having two extremely solid releases already under their belt, the latest RED release of Until We Have Faces has not been disappointing to their fans, nor their critics.

Until We Have Faces peaked at #1 not only on the Christian Albums billboard, but also on the Hard Rock Albums billboard.

With an appearance on Conan and Jay Leno earlier this February and with the success of their new album still ripping through the charts, there isn’t a whole lot that can and or will stop this band.

You can pick up the latest CDs, merch, show dates and other information by visiting their website.

Home of Country Music Clamps Down on Entertainment Piracy

Tennessee, home to the capital of Country Music, passed a law to crack down on the use of someone else's name and password to get online entertainment, drawing praise from the recording industry.

The new law was passed by both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly May 19 and signed into law by Governor Bill Haslam on Memorial Day..

The bill was pushed by Nashville's recording industry and adds theft of online entertainment user names and passwords on services such as Rhapsody and Netflix, to existing law..

"Given the significant economic contributions of the music industry to the state (Tennessee), it's important to ensure that the hard work of artists, musicians and labels is protected against emerging ways to steal music," said Mitch Glazier, D.C.-based executive vice president for public policy and industry relations for the Recording Industry Association of America..

It was a closely followed measure in Nashville, the long-time home of the country music industry which increasingly has become the recording center for many major rock acts..

It is not necessarily targeted at college students who share their passwords with other students, but it does not let them off the hook. "It's technically against the law to give your user name and password out to people not in your household," said Stephanie Jarnagin, research analyst for Senate sponsor Jim Tracy, a Republican..

The biggest offenders and targets of the law are those who deal in the black market of passwords, she said..

"What happens is people will hack into the system and steal thousands of user names and passwords and sell them for 50 cents a pop," said Jarnagin..

The penalty remains the same as the prior statute, $500 or less if it is a misdemeanor, and over $500 if it is a felony. The class of the felony and the punishment escalates with the value of the services stolen..

The way Tennessee is targeting this piracy is unique, Glazier said on Wednesday..

"While some states may already include subscription services in the scope of their theft of services laws, this is the first time a state has reviewed its cable theft law on the books in a forward-thinking manner to assure it is updated to address how entertainment is delivered today," he said.

Brewerie at Union Station

Quincy Jones Produces Arabic Charity Record
By Rima Maktabi

Quincy Jones has joined some of the biggest names in Arab music to produce a charity single aimed at helping a new generation of artists and musicians.

Jones, the veteran music producer who has worked with Michael Jackson, Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra, worked on the single called "Bokra" -- an Arabic version of his song "Tomorrow (A Better You, A Better Me)" -- with Badr Jafar, an Emirati social entrepreneur.

The artists involved include Lebanese star Majida El Roumi, who wrote the lyrics; Moroccan-born Grammy-winning producer RedOne, who co-produced the track with Jones; Kadim Al Sahir, from Iraq; Saber El Rebai from Tunisia; Amr Diab, from Egypt and Asma Lmnawar, from Morocco.

It is 26 years since Jones produced the iconic record "We Are The World," which sold tens of millions of copies to raise money for victims of famine in Africa. A contemporary version of the song was also released last year to aid the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Jones, who first toured the Middle East and North Africa in 1953 with the jazz musician Lionel Hampton, said: "I have long been a vocal proponent of music and the arts being a great asset in building bridges between people and cultures."

He added: "I believe that given a choice, people want to live in a world of peace and prosperity, and it is my hope that this song will serve as a clarion call for the people of the Middle East and North Africa who share that desire for peace, hope, unity and a better tomorrow to come together to achieve that dream."

The money raised will help finance educational arts and culture scholarships and projects for children in the Middle East and North Africa.

Jafar said in a press release: "This song comes at such an important time for the Middle East and brings together the region's leading talent to produce a song of inspiration and hope for all.

"There is no better time in the region's history than now for us to be producing a song of this magnitude, and we have the very best people in the industry behind it."

The Arabic lyrics, written by Roumi, are aimed to provide a beacon of solidarity and hope for the region, the organizers said.

RedOne, the co-producer who has worked with artists such as Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and Enrique Iglesias, told CNN: "It's such an honor to have been chosen by Quincy Jones to join the team and recreate this legendary song.

"We will be trying this new thing, inspire young people, the new generation thinking about peace, thinking about a better tomorrow."

The song was recorded in Rabat, Morocco, during the 10th edition of the Mawazine Festival Rhythms of the World.

Kadim Al Sahir, an Iraqi singer and composer who fled the violence in his own country, said the project was an opportunity to bridge divisions across the Middle East.

Al Sahir said it's not the first time he's worked with Jones, adding "he called me personally to ask for my help in doing the song in Arabic with an Eastern melody. I was happy then because I enjoy songs composed for humanity."

The team is also creating a music video for the song, as well as a behind-the-scenes documentary that will trace the "Tomorrow/Bokra" project, incorporating footage from various countries in the region where artists involved will be performing.

"Bokra" is expected to be released after Ramadan, which will run throughout August.

Metallica Voted the Best Rock Group of the Last 30 Years

The 'All Nightmare Long' group topped the poll compiled by British magazine Kerrang! of the most influential groups of the last 30 years, beating My Chemical Romance, Slipknot, Green Day and Foo Fighters.

Drummer Lars Ulrich said: "it gives me a very warm and fuzzy feeling that Kerrang! Magazine have voted Metallica as the band that most changed their lives. I remember the first issue of the magazine in 1981. I had made a pilgrimage to England because I was obsessed with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. I travelled all over the country and that first issue accompanied me everywhere."

Lars also paid tribute to 'Powerslave' group Iron Maiden, who came in at number three on the list, behind Green Day.

He said: "Iron Maiden have been the blueprint for everything that we have ever wanted to do."

Ozzy Osbourne is at number nine on the list with the magazine declaring: "That Ozzy is even alive today is enough to warrant his inclusion on the list, so herculean has his drug and alcohol intake been over the years."

The poll is included in a birthday issue of Kerrang! Magazine which is out next week, celebrating 30 years since the magazine launched in June 1981.

Kerrang! 30 Rocks! bands, top ten:

1. Metallica
2. Green day
3. Iron Maiden
4. Slipknot
5. My Chemical Romance
6. Linkin Park
7. Bullet for my Valentine
8. Blink 182
9. Ozzy Osbourne
10. Foo Fighters

Bob Dylan has Been Hailed a 'Huge Hero' by Kings of Leon

The legendary 'Blowin' in the Wind' folk singer celebrates his 70th birthday today (24.05.11) and a host of stars have all paid tribute to his influence, with stars such as Slash, Arcade Fire and Keith Richards all wishing him well.

Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill said: "He's a huge hero. Anyone who's ever tried to write a song feels stupid when they hear one of his.

"We met him on tour. I almost passed out."

Former Guns N' Roses guitar player Slash was also full of praise, saying: "I've played with some of the greats but Bob Dylan is one of the greatest without a doubt."

Arcade Fire singer Win Butler added: "I got into Bob Dylan while at school. Once exposed to this music it made radio a lot harder to listen to."

Bob rose to prominence in the early 60s and quickly gained a reputation as a civil rights campaigner with tracks tackling social injustice and documenting the huge social shift of the decade. He was particularly prolific in the early part of his career, recording some 300 songs in his first three years as an artist. His albums 'Highway 61 Revisited' and 'Blonde on Blonde' and 'Blood on the Tracks' are all regarded as classics of folk rock.

Although Bob's output started to slow in the latter part of the 70s, he has consistently released albums up to 2009s 'Together Through Life' and is still playing shows on his Never Ending Tour, which has seen him play roughly 100 shows a year since 1988.

Other artists to have played tribute to Bob over the weekend include The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who said: "He's an inspiration, really, to us all, beyond even the songwriting, because he's always trying to go somewhere new. I love the man.

U2 frontman Bono said he loves how ahead of his time Bob was, saying: "The tumble of words, images, ire and spleen - shapeshifts easily into music forms 10 or 20 years away, like punk, grunge or hip-hop."

Cuba, Florida Orchestra Embark on Cultural Exchange

In a rare cross-cultural collaboration, two classical-music groups from Cuba and the United States will engage in a multiyear partnership that will include American musicians performing in Havana. The Florida Orchestra, based in Tampa Bay, said its collaboration with Cuba's Music Institute of Havana will start in September.

The Florida Orchestra said the partnership is expected to include an ensemble of its principal musicians giving a concert and leading master classes at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in Havana. The U.S. musicians are also to perform with members of the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba and bring donated instruments from the U.S.

Organizers said one of their goals is to send the entire Florida Orchestra to Cuba to perform as early as the 2012-13 season.

The St. Petersburg Times reported that the orchestra has received permission to travel to Cuba from the Office of Foreign Assets Control in the U.S. Treasury Department, which oversees trade with Cuba.

Artists from Cuba periodically travel to the U.S. -- the National Ballet of Cuba is scheduled to perform this month at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and at the Music Center. But it is rarer for American artists to set foot in Cuba.

In 1999, the Milwaukee Symphony became the first major U.S. music group to perform in Cuba since the communist revolution. In 2009, the New York Philharmonic canceled its planned concert series in the island nation due to embargo restrictions that would have prevented orchestra patrons from travelling with the group.

The amount of cultural exchange between the hostile nations has increased in recent years as the U.S. has sought to ease travel restrictions. In November, the New York City Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre sent dancers to Cuba for the 22nd International Ballet Festival in Havana.

Members of the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra -- a student ensemble from Massachusetts -- are currently in Cuba as part of a concert series.

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The Beatles Anthologies Finally Available on iTunes

The three remastered Beatles Anthology collections finally go digital, exclusively through iTunes.

First released in 1995 and 1996, the three volumes of The Beatles Anthology feature rare and unreleased songs, outtakes and alternate versions of their classics.

The albums went multi-platinum and spawned a new Top Ten Beatles hit with the revived and completed single 'Free As A Bird'.

Following the digital release of their Red and Blue singles collections, box sets, LOVE album and back catalogue, this is the first time fans can get the Anthologies online.

The three volumes have been remastered by the same Abbey Road crew who worked on the Beatles back catalogue remasters and will feature collage artwork from Klaus Voorman.

You can pre-order them now, individually or as part of the 155-track Anthology Box Set with a extra, 23-track Anthology Highlights album of the best of the collection.

The Beatles Anthologies will be available to download from June 10.

Trent Reznor and Karen O Cover Led Zeppelin for New Film

Former (or current, depending on whose word you take) Nine Inch Nail front man and Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have teamed up to cover Led Zeppelin.

The pair will cover 'Immigrant Song' from Led Zeppelin III. It will appear on the soundtrack to 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo', which is directed by 'The Social Network' director David Fincher.

Playlist reports that the song will appear in the trailer for the film, which is scheduled to begin screening in the USA today.

It's not the first time Reznor worked on a David Fincher film. Last year, he won an Oscar for his soundtrack to 'The Social Network'.

'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' is due to open in December.

Gil Scott-Heron, 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised' Singer, Dead at 62

Gil Scott-Heron, the musician, poet, author and hip-hop pioneer who wrote 'The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,' has died in New York at age 62. The sad news was revealed on Twitter by his UK publisher. The cause of death is currently unknown.

One of America's greatest cultural figures of the 1970s and an inspiration to generations since, Scott-Heron had been in fragile health for many years as a result of a decades-long battle with cocaine and HIV infection.

Scott-Heron was renowned for his vivid combination of music and poetry, defining new ways of incorporating spoken-word artistry within ambitious sonic settings right up until his death. He was a key figure in post-civil rights articulation of Black America, calling himself "an interpreter of the black experience," while his early works were a clear forerunner to hip-hop. Scott-Heron looms as large in the music of contemporary stars such as Kanye West (who largely based 'Who Will Survive in America?' on 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' on Scott-Heron's sampled voice and music) as he did on Public Enemy's Chuck D more than 20 years ago.

Faye Treadwell, Manager of The Drifters, Dies

Fayrene "Faye" Treadwell, who as The Drifters' manager was one of the first African-American female managers in show business, died last week in Burbank, Calif. She was 84.

Treadwell's daughter, Tina, said in a statement that Treadwell died after a long illness. No other details were provided..

After the 1967 death of her musician-manager husband, George Treadwell, she gained control and managed The Drifters, the R&B group best known for such hits as "This Magic Moment," "Under the Boardwalk" and "Save the Last Dance for Me.".

Treadwell is survived by her daughter, stepdaughter, mother and two sisters.

Holy Ship! Electronica Cruise to Feature Tommy Lee, Fatboy Slim

Tommy Lee will ditch his Mötley Crüe drum kit in exchange for swim trunks and a turntable this January. He's part of the inaugural Holy Ship! electronica cruise that will also feature Fatboy Slim, Diplo, Rusko, Skrillex, A-Trak and many others. Tommy Lee will play with DJ Aero.

The three-day cruise leaves out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on January 6, 2012 and stops in Port Lucaya, Bahamas and an undisclosed private island. Holy Ship! sails on the MSC Poesia.

Reservations begin June 15th and must be booked through the official cruise website. The cruise is presented by HARD, Cloud 9 Adventures and the Bowery.

Tommy Lee is about to hit the road as part of Mötley Crüe's 30th anniversary tour with Poison and the New York Dolls.

Sugarland Take a 'Stand' for Tornado Victims

Sugarland are one of many country artists reaching out to those affected by the devastating tornadoes that ripped through multiple U.S. states last month. Joined by tour mates Little Big Town, the dynamic duo have released a live version of their song 'Stand Up' and an accompanying video, with proceeds benefiting the victims of the Tuscaloosa, Ala. and Joplin, Mo. tornadoes.

The unique collaboration is offered exclusively through iTunes. The high-definition video was shot by Sugarland documentarian Valarie Allyn Bienas during the band's Chicago, Ill. and Minneapolis, Minn. tour stops. Downloads of the clip will help the American Red Cross for tornado relief in Alabama and Missouri.

'Stand Up,' written by Sugarland members Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles, appears on their most recent platinum-selling album, 'The Incredible Machine.' Their tour of the same name will continue its multi-city trek through the end of October.

Click here to find tour dates and ticket availability.