Los Angeles, CA (May 11, 2012) Univision Radio, the leading radio network serving Hispanic America, today announced that the second location of the national H2O Music Festival series will take place in Los Angeles on August 25 at the Los Angeles State Historic Park. The festival lineup includes Alejandro Sanz, Paulina Rubio, Snoop Dogg, Chino y Nacho, Alex Cuba, Romeo Testa, plus additional acts to be announced in the coming weeks.

MiO, the liquid water enhancer that changes water and inspires consumers to “shake things up,” and Chevron will serve as primary sponsors of the Los Angeles festival.

“Univision Radio is proud to bring the H2O movement to the Los Angeles area,” said Jack Hobbs, executive vice president of Sales, Univision Radio. “With this festival series we are bringing the new Latino generation we serve, the Hispanic 2.0 listener, together for their universal love of music.”

The Los Angeles State Historic Park will contain a main stage featuring local and emerging artists and some of today’s top names in music. In the past few weeks on Univision Radio stations, Chevron has been encouraging aspiring artists to upload their demo video or MP3 onto H2OMusicFestival/YourBand in the “Chevron Brings Your Band to the Stage” emerging artist promotion. Beginning on May 14, up to 30 finalists will be featured online, and from there Univision Radio listeners will vote for the five artists they want to see perform at H2O Los Angeles.

Additional H2O Los Angeles events include a vendor village featuring festival and artist merchandise, a lifestyle area, multiple watering holes, cool down tents, gaming areas, family areas, plus food and beverage, and more.

Univision Radio DJs will also be on hand throughout the festival mixing music as a transition between acts to keep the momentum going throughout the night. In addition to Univision’s support of the festival series on a national level, Univision television and radio stations in Los Angeles, Frenso, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego and Phoenix are supporting H2O Los Angeles.

The first H2O Music Festival will take place in Dallas on June 9 in the historic Cotton Bowl, featuring artists like Juanes, Snoop Dogg, Calle 13, Gym Class Heroes, Prince Royce, Weezer, Paulina Rubio, Damian Marley, Duelo, YelaWolf, Paty Cantú, Ozomatli, Intocable, Ramon Ayala and Bobby Pulido.

The official lifeline for up-to-date H2O Music Festival announcements and artist confirmations will be made available at:

www.H2OMusicFestival.com

DOWN WITH WEBSTER AS 2012 HEADLINER

ADDITIONAL ARTISTS ANNOUNCED

S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival is excited to announce Toronto rap-rock collective DOWN WITH WEBSTER as the headliner of the 2012 festival, taking place on Sunday, June 24 in downtown St. Catharines, Ontario.

ABANDON ALL SHIPS, DIE MANNEQUIN, THE LUCKY ONES, DEATH BY STEREO, and MY SON THE HURRICANE have also been added to the festival roster, joining previously announced acts THE PLANET SMASHERS, SAID THE WHALE, THE WOODEN SKY, STRUCTURES, and COUNTERPARTS.

The complete 2012 line-up of 160+ bands will be revealed soon, including the best of the Niagara music scene! Please keep an eye on www.scenemusicfestival.com for the latest news, artist announcements, and festival information.

Tickets are on sale now at www.ticketscene.ca/events/6314 and at hard ticket locations throughout Southern Ontario. For ticket locations and additional information, please visit www.scenemusicfestival.com/tickets. Tickets are $29 in advance (service charges may apply) and $35 at the door on the day of the festival.

Also stay tuned to the S.C.E.N.E. Facebook and Twitter pages for exclusive news, contests, and more!

Now in its 17th year, S.C.E.N.E. Music Festival is one of the largest annual, one-day, all-ages music festivals in Canada, and a premiere destination for showcasing quality independent music. Attracting 6,000+ fans to downtown St. Catharines each year, S.C.E.N.E. is a hotbed for up-and-coming musical talent across all genres, featuring both Canadian and international talent.

Past performers include Bedouin Soundclash, City and Colour, Down With Webster, The Creepshow, Saint Alvia, Alexisonfire, Jason Collett (Broken Social Scene), The Midway State, Billy Talent, Arkells, Constantines, Lights, Teenage Head, illScarlett, Cancer Bats, Attack in Black, Shad, Silverstein, and many of the best and brightest talents in independent music today.

For more information, please visit www.scenemusicfestival.com.

Internationally acclaimed singer Melody Gardot has released a brand new video clip about the inspiration behind her upcoming album, The Absence. The enchanting behind-the-scenes piece is narrated by Melody herself and features commentary from renowned guitarist Hector Pereira, whose Spanish guitars provide the backbone for the new record. The singer also shares how her travels in Lisbon and Brazil brought new life to her music: “I sat under a tree and I had this thought,” says Melody, “which is if you sit under a tree long enough, either somebody finds you or you find yourself. And I found myself.”

Melody made her first major UK television appearance last week, performing both “Mira” and “Amalia” on Later… With Jools Holland. Both songs appear on The Absence, which is due May 29th on jazz label Verve Records (pre-order now on Amazon). She also recently unveiled a colorful clip shot in Brazil for “Mira,” while the video for the official single, “Amalia,” is coming soon.

For more on Melody Gardot and her extraordinary journey to the stage, visit her website at melodygardot.com.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Ume is Lauren Larson (Vocals, Guitar), Eric Larson (Bass), and Rachel Fuhrer (drums). The trio’s music is one of beautiful juxtapositions: the loud and soft, the aggressive and eerie, buoyant melodies bursting through wall-of-noise dissonance. Ume explores the artier, heavier side of indie rock, post-punk, and alternative rock.

With Phantoms, their full-length album released last August by Modern Outsider Records, Ume harnessed their carefully crafted chaos into ten tracks, capturing the unhinged passion and raw catharsis of their live shows while pushing their ever-evolving sound to impressive new heights. Like a bridge between Black Sabbath and Bat For Lashes, the LP is heavy, anthemic, beautiful and mesmerizing.

Ume has already garnered impressive reviews in the media. Nylon declared, “this band is ready to break out in a whole new way…A little like fuzzy shoegaze, raw garage rock and irresistible pop all rolled into one fiery package,” while Relix proclaimed the music as “heavy rock and ethereal indie pop with deft precision, finding new ground somewhere in between Warpaint, Metric and Mogwai.” Ume recently caught the attention of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain who attended and taped one of the band’s many packed shows at SXSW for an upcoming episode of his TV show No Reservations. To quote Bourdain, it was “… a shitload of rawk in a tiny little room.”

The band will be returning to the studio later this year to record their next studio album.

UME Tour Dates

JUNE*

2nd-3rd Houston, TX Free Press Houston Summerfeset

8th Austin, TX Red 7

11th Phoenix, AZ The Rhythm Room

12th Los Angeles, CA The Satellite

13th San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill

15th Portland, OR Bunk Bar

16th Seattle, WA Barboza

18th Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge

19th Denver, CO The Walnut Room

JULY^

15th Cincinnati, OH Bunbury Festival

21st Pensacola Beach, FL Capt’n Fun Beach Club

22nd New Orleans, LA Tipitina’s

24th Jacksonville, FL Jack Rabbits

25th Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution

26th St. Petersburg, FL State Theatre

27th Orlando, FL House of Blues

28th Atlanta, GA The Masquerade

29th Charlotte, NC The Fillmore Charlotte

31st Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore

AUGUST

1st Philadelphia, PA Trocadero

2nd New York, NY Webster Hall

3rd Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club

4th Rochester, NY Water Street Music Hall

5th Lansing, MI Michigan Rock N Brew @ Adado

7th Cleveland, OH House Of Blues

8th Pontiac, MI The Crofoot Ballroom

9th Chicago, IL House Of Blues

10th Indianapolis, IN The Vogue

11th Sauget, IL Pop’s

12th Kansas City, MO The Beaumount Club

* Co-headlining dates with The Life and Times.

^ all dates with Helmet and The Toadies except July 15th

USA Today gave Neck of the Woods three out of four stars calling the album “sharp,” and noting its “shades of electronica” and “muscular riffs,” while Paste heralded the band’s third studio record as “the best mainstream rock album of the year.” The Los Angeles Times likewise praised Neck of the Woods, awarding it three out of four stars, noting “its allusions all nod to the best stuff from a time when rock acts could be experimental, heavy and platinum-selling at once.” People gave the album four out of four stars, remarking “Silversun’s latest sparkles.”

Lead singer/guitarist Brian Aubert told Spin magazine that the songs sound “like a horror movie.” He continued, “[2009's] Swoon was more about what I was feeling at that particular time, whereas with this one, I wanted to see what built me. It was learning why I am the way I am.” When discussing the sound of Neck of the Woods, Aubert told Spin that drummer Christopher Guanlao steals the show. “We really wanted to play with drums as textures. We played around with drums coming in here and there and building atmosphere, which guitars usually do.” But he went on to joke, “I’m not going to let the others have all the fun. It’s still a rock record. We wanted to have moments of explosions like we’ve done in the past, but we didn’t want them to carry the whole song. There’s something a little bit psychotic sounding that we really like and we didn’t want to fill it entirely with big guitars.”

Silversun Pickups (lead vocals/guitar Brian Aubert, drums/percussion Christopher Guanlao, bassist/vocals Nikki Monninger and sounds/keyboards Joe Lester) have sold over 1 million records worldwide. Their first EP, Pikul, was released in 2005. While it hinted at great things to come, no one was quite prepared for the explosion of the band’s debut LP, Carnavas. Released in 2006, the record peaked at #81 on the Billboard Top 200 and was the #1 Alternative and Independent record for four consecutive weeks. The fantastic single, “Lazy Eye,” peaked at #4 at Modern Rock. In 2009, SSPU followed up with the equally powerful Swoon. That record debuted at #7 on the Billboard Top 200 and was in that chart for over 22 weeks on the strength of the #1 Modern Rock smash, “Panic Switch.” On November 25, 2011, they released the limited edition Seasick 10″ to support independent retail.

The band will be touring throughout 2012 and 2013, including summer festival dates, listed below.

5/28 – Sasquatch Festival – George, WA

6/1 – Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA

6/2 – Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA

7/5 – Moose’s Tooth Pub – Anchorage, AK

7/14 – Edgefest – Toronto, ON

7/20 – Firefly Music Festival – Dover, DE

8/8 – Richard L Berkley Riverfront Park – Kansas City, MO

9/1 – Xfest – Calgary, AB

9/2 – Sonic Boom – Edmonton, AB

More dates to be announced soon.

http://www.silversunpickups.com/

(New York, NY; May 16, 2012) – Multi Grammy award winning My Block/Columbia Records duo Mary Mary makes a splash on top Billboard charts. For the fourth time in their career, the duo’s new release Go Get It debuts at #1 on the Billboard Gospel Chart. Go Get It hit # 3 on the Billboard R&B Chart, and makes the top 20 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums charting at #16. The album, composed of two brand new songs and classic remixed and remastered versions of some of the duo’s greatest hits, has taken off as a fan favorite with the infectious lead single and title track, ‘Go Get It’ debuting on the top 10 Gospel singles chart since it’s April release, where it still remains, currently at #7. The album, heralded as a soundtrack to their current self-titled WE tv reality series, has been widely received by fans and critics alike.

Mary Mary kicked off their album promo week with an interview on ABC’s Good Morning America with host Robin Roberts and an exhilarating in-studio performance, backed by their live band of ‘Go Get It.’ The ladies rounded out their promo week with appearances on nationally syndicated morning show, The Better Show, Trinity Broadcasting Network’s Praise the Lord, and NYC’s PIX 11 Morning News.

Pundits agree; Go Get It proves that Mary Mary is here to stay. USA Today states “Sisters Erica and Tina have been delivering faith-inspired positive messages for more than a dozen years…Go Get It is a stirring call to improve your life…Can’t Give Up Now and Shackles are reminders of their broad appeal.” Billboard Magazine notes GO GET IT as “an insinuating groove and a gloriously uplifting lyric that urges the listener to “Go Get It…” Billboard goes on to say that “sisters Erica & Tina have managed to enjoy a devoted following in the gospel market while expanding its fan base in the mainstream thanks to the duo’s funky energetic style and signature soaring vocals.”

The duo, sisters Erica and Tina Campbell have been keeping up a tremendous pace. In the past year the ladies have been nominated for every major award and have taken home many – receiving the prestigious ASCAP Golden Note Award, a BET Award, Soul Train Award, two Stellar Awards and double Grammy nominations. In addition to filming the first season of their reality series which takes a personal look at their lives as singers, mothers, wives, and siblings – trying to balance it all; both sisters experienced pregnancy within the past year. Erica and husband/producer Warryn Campbell welcomed their third child in February 2012 and Tina and husband/Tonight Show Band drummer Teddy Campbell, are currently expecting their 5th child due August 2012.

Having just announced Season 2 of their WE tv series the ladies are showing no signs of slowing down. The duo will be honored at this year’s 2012 Essence Music Festival and will be touring in the coming months. The album Go Get It was released, May 8th 2012 and is available now in stores and online.

AND AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT ALL DIGITAL PROVIDERS ON MAY 29TH

[New York, NY – May 16, 2012) – Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter and producer R. KELLY, will release his 11th studio album, Write Me Back, on June 26TH (RCA). Write Me Back will be available in Standard and Deluxe editions; the latter will include 4 bonus tracks, while the physical version will have special packaging that will include a postcard for fans to actually write R. Kelly back. Both versions of the album will be available for pre-order on May 29th at select retailers.

“Share My Love,” the album’s first single, recently grabbed the #1 spot at Urban Adult radio. Kelly’s newly released second single, “Feelin’ Single,” described as “classic Kelly, full of infectious hooks and buttery smooth grooves” (Prefixmag.com), will impact Urban Adult radio on May 21st and 22nd. The single will be available for purchase at all digital providers on May 29th.

Write Me Back is the follow up to 2010’s critically acclaimed Love Letter, which celebrated the music of the 50s and 60s. The new album represents the natural progression of Kelly’s musical time machine, recalling the sultry and seductive sounds associated with such icons as Barry White, Marvin Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass, among others. Like its Love Letter predecessor, Write Me Back is also a celebration of love.

From classic R&B to hip-hop, inspirational to gospel, no other artist has covered the vast array of human emotions more than R. Kelly. With a track record that boasts over 40 million albums sold worldwide, 6 #1 albums, 11 #1 singles, 3 Grammy Awards, 8 Soul Train Awards, 6 American Music Awards and 6 Billboard Music Awards, R. Kelly has rightfully earned his title as the undisputed “King of R&B.” In 2011, Billboard named R. Kelly the #1 most successful R&B artists of the last 25 years! When not in the spotlight, Kelly has written and produced hit songs for Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Maxwell, Britney Spears and countless others. More recently, Kelly was tapped to write and produce original music for the upcoming Sparkle soundtrack.

Check out behind-the-scenes footage from the Write Me Back album packaging shoot and listen to the new single “Feelin’ Single.”

www.r-kelly.com

+Debbie Fettback
Photo: Official

+Debbie Fettback
Photo: Official

Fans were encouraged to apply for the free tickets via a ballot, but a technical error meant everyone who put their name on the list was sent an email to confirm they had been successful, when only 20,000 free tickets for the concert are actually available.

Executives at the ticket distribution company Ticketmaster have now been forced to cancel all of the confirmations and launch another ballot.

A Ticketmaster spokesman tells the BBC, “Due to a data processing error, Ticketmaster incorrectly advised all customers who had entered the ballot for tickets to the London 2012 Olympic torch relay special city celebration in Birmingham that they were winners in the ballot.

“All customers who originally entered the ballot have been informed of the error and that all tickets previously claimed have been invalidated. In the interests of fairness to all applicants the ballot has now been declared void.”
The gig will take place at Birmingham’s Cannon Hill Park on 30 June.

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