"121 Financial Credit Union presents a free concert at the Jacksonville Landing on June 8, 2013. The show will be headlined by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Warner Bros. recording artist New Boyz. The concert will help raise funds for high school band programs and bring awareness to the needs of all music programs. There will be a performance by Chelsea Entertainment Group recording artist GUDGUD".
The I Love Music Foundation will host a benefit concert on June 8, 2013 at the Jacksonville Landing. The event will start at 2pm and run until 8pm. The Concert will feature 10 recording artists, a performance by the Teal Sound Alumni Corps and special performances from 5 of our local high school bands. The concert is headlined by recording artist Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Warner Bros. recording artist New Boyz. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus earned a Gold record with their "Don't you fake it" album, powered by the top 3 Billboard Alt Rock hit "Face Down". New Boyz has earned 3 US Billboard Platinum singles. ("You're a Jerk", "Backseat" and Tie me down ft Ray J".) The concert is presented by 121 Financial Credit Union.
The purpose of an I Love Music Tour event is to promote the importance and benefits of music education. We intend to pass out literature at the concerts showing case studies and facts about the added benefits of music education. Also in between artists we will show videos of Music education in action and testimonials from the students who are a part of high school bands, drum corps and winter guards. Also we will show testimonials from artists, politicians and business leaders who have all benefited from being in a school music program. The artists will also make mention of the importance of music in our schools. We will also have the band directors give testimonials during the concert of their struggles to keep a quality program going in the day and age of the all mighty budget cuts.
New Boyz
There has been a lot of focus on losing sports programs but there hasn't been enough spotlights shined on the need for music programs. The event on June 8th will be a celebration of all music education has to offer and show the great need for music programs. "Although the evidence shows that participation in school music programs supports higher achievement in reading and math, never in my 39 year career have the challenges to developing & maintaining high level public school music programs been greater. Now that we have serious economic challenges all over America, the need for creative ways to raise money to support our music programs is critical to our success. This is one of the newest and most creative ideas I have encountered to meet these challenges" says Frank Williams hall of fame band director.
The concert will be a free concert. High school band students will be selling discount coupons to local and national businesses of all types to raise funds for their bands. The coupon will also enter you into a sweepstakes to win a $500 gas card or two tickets and a limo ride to the Justin Bieber concert August 7. Plus many more great prizes. Coupons for the sweepstakes are $5 and can be purchased from any high school band student or online at www.ilovemusicfoundation.org
The second phase of talent confirmed for the 2013 ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL taking place March 15-17 and 22-24 during Miami Music Week, has been unveiled with what is undoubtedly the most diverse, forward thinking line-up ever billed in the event’s 15 year history.
Set to annihilate the newly designed, never-before-seen ULTRA MAIN STAGE and the aptly titled ‘MEGA STRUCTURE,’ MID PARK and more the Phase 2 DJ billing is quite simply out of this world. ALESSO, BENNY BENASSI, DIRTY SOUTH, DOG BLOOD (Boys Noize & Skrillex), ERIC PRYDZ, FEDDE LE GRAND, HARDWELL, LOCO DICE, LUCIANO, LAIDBACK LUKE, MARTIN SOLVEIG, PRETTY LIGHTS, STEVE AOKI and SVEN VÄTH are among just some of the names to join the already eye-catching line-up delivered in Phase 1, which included ABOVE & BEYOND, AFROJACK, ARMIN VAN BUUREN, AVICII, BASSNECTAR, CALVIN HARRIS, CARL COX, DAVID GUETTA, FATBOY SLIM, KASKADE, KNIFE PARTY, RICHIE HAWTIN, SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA and TIËSTO. After 14 consecutive years of delivering the ultimate dance music experience, it was never in doubt that ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL would deliver for its 15th anniversary.
Set to shake the revamped ‘LIVE STAGE’ to its very core, the next slew of LIVE acts confirmed includes AZELIA BANKS, FAITHLESS (Live DJ & PA Set), SLEIGH BELLS, SNOOP DOGG and THE WEEKND. Joining the likes of THE BLOODY BEETROOTS, BOOKA SHADE, BOYS NOIZE, CRYSTAL CASTLES, deadmau5, DISCLOSURE, DJ FRESH (LIVE), HOT CHIP, MAJOR LAZER, MATT & KIM, MODESTEP, RUDIMENTAL, THIEVERY CORPORATION and YEASAYER announced in Phase 1 at the beginning of the year, it’s safe to say that never before has an electronic music festival offered so much variety and such an array of top live talent than this year’s fifteenth edition of ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL.
“In celebration of Ultra Music Festival’s double weekend and 15 year anniversary, what we’ve achieved with this edition’s ocean of talent and stage production is we feel unprecedented. As the industry we work in continues to explode, with so much talent emerging and the taste of our consumer changing in the process, diversity was key,” says Russell Faibisch, Ultra Music Festival Founder, Executive Producer, CEO & President. “We’ve never put so much time and effort into programming an event as we have for this year’s Ultra Music Festival. We truly hope everybody attending this year will value and more importantly enjoy the unique experience we’ve worked so hard to create,” adds Adam Russakoff, Ultra Music Festival Executive Producer, Director of Business Affairs & Talent Buyer.
There is more. ULTRA have also announced the incredible array of arenas set to appear over the two weekends this year. It wouldn’t be ULTRA without the legend that is CARL COX. Bringing his titanic CARL COX & FRIENDS ARENA to Bayfront Park this March, he’ll be playing host to some of the finest names in house and techno, including CASSY, FATBOY SLIM, JAMIE JONES, JOHN DIGWEED, LOCO DICE, LUCIANO, MAGDA, NICOLE MOUDABER, RICHIE HAWTIN, SVEN VATH, UMEK and UTO KAREM. Expect seriously big things from this much-loved ULTRA veteran and his merry following. Once again, the world’s #1 DJ ARMIN VAN BUUREN delivers his breathtaking A State Of Trance 600 stage, where ABOVE & BEYOND, ATB, COSMIC GATE, DASH BERLIN, FERRY CORSTEN, MARKUS SCHULZ, TRITONAL and W&W will all be joined by the legendary PAUL VAN DYK who will be making his long-awaited return appearance to the world’s premiere dance music event.
Finally, the MEGA STRUCTURE serves up an all-star lineup of the world’s top acts, which includes main stage regulars ALESSO, CALVIN HARRIS, DAVID GUETTA, ERIC PRYDZ and TIËSTO, just one example of what ULTRA meant by “2 Weekends, 2 Unique Experiences.” Fans will rejoice to see their favorite artists tackle both the Main Stage and the Mega Structure at ULTRA 15. Keeping it going for underground fans, new to ULTRA this year is SURFACE, a brand new concept arena held each Sunday of the festival at the Bayfront Stage. Reading as a ‘who’s who’ from the world of the underground scene, look forward to seeing the likes of ART DEPARTMENT, CLAUDE VONSTROKE, DAMIAN LAZARUS, DANNY DAZE, DROOG, FRANCESCA LOMBARDO, GUY GERBER, JUSTIN MARTIN, LEE FOSS, MACEO PLEX, MAYA JANE COLES, MIGUEL CAMPBELL, SETH TROXLER, SOUL CLAP, SUBB-AN, TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS, WOLF & LAMB and more.
ULTRA is not only delivering the world’s greatest underground sounds each Sunday, but every day of the festival. The MIXMAG STAGE will play host to performances by tech gurus CARLO LIO, DUBFIRE, ELIO RISO, JON RUNDELL, JOSH WINK, SHADED and YOUSEF on Friday of Weekend 1. The second Friday will boast additional techno sounds from AUDIOFLY, CARL CRAIG, KEVIN SAUNDERSON, NINA KRAVIZ, PAUL WOOLFORD, RADIO SLAVE and STACEY PULLEN. Each Saturday will also see a myriad of techno and deep house artists that include DAVID SQUILLACE, tINI + GUTI, MARTIN BUTTRICH, NIC FANCIULLI B2B JORIS VOORN, REMO, ROBERT DIETZ, SCUBA, STEVE LAWLER, and TIGA on Weekend 2, and an undisclosed arsenal of premier DJs to play on Weekend 1. SPACE IBIZA (voted #1 Club in the world and winning multiple awards) plans a triumphant return on Saturday, March 23 to host the tech house and techno acts that they are known for. Also hosting stages will be Skrillex’s formidable OWSLA label, Afrojack’s JACKED, Mark Knight’s TOOLROOM, with more to be announced in Phase 3.Completing the full house, the brand new ‘TRAPPED’ arena, featuring the likes of BAAUER, BRO SAFARI, DJ CRAZE, DILLON FRANCIS, FLOSSTRADAMUS, NADASTROM and many more look more than adequate to cater to the new trap craze.
Finally, for the ninth consecutive year, ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL proudly welcomes back the “ECO Village”. This area is dedicated to the exposure and understanding of numerous non-profit organizations and charities, and will run over both weekends of the festival. You can find several interactive booths that provide an informative outlook on the world today.
About ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL:
As the world’s most famous outdoor electronic music festival, ULTRA has won “Best Music Event” by the International Dance Music Awards (IDMA) six consecutive years, from 2005 to 2011, “Best International Dance Music Festival” by the Ibiza DJ Awards in 2008 and “Best Festival” by the Village Voice Media New Times consecutively five years running from 2005 through 2009. Originally created as a pure EDM (electronic dance music) festival in 1999, ULTRA has grown through the years to present not only the genre’s hottest, biggest and best headline artists (The Prodigy, Swedish House Mafia, The Chemical Brothers, Tiësto, David Guetta, deadmau5, Underworld, Kraftwerk, Armin van Buuren, Moby, Fatboy Slim, Justice, Carl Cox and Avicii to name a few), but also crossover headline bands that incorporate EDM elements in their music and have a history or new beginning in the EDM community and culture (The Cure, The Killers, New Order, Duran Duran, The Black Eyed Peas, Erasure, M83, Santigold, The Ting Tings, Cut Copy, Empire of the Sun and Bloc Party). In 2012, global pop icon Madonna appeared as a special surprise guest—the festival’s gift to their fans—to introduce the main stage final headlining artist AVICII, joining him behind the decks to premiere his UMF remix of her new single “Girl Gone Wild.” The year also was the subject of CAN U FEEL IT, a major documentary feature about the festival, which was shown in over 500 theatres nation-wide. Together with its signature, cutting-edge productions, ULTRA is unrivalled by consistently presenting the world’s greatest, most diverse EDM line-ups year after year.
In 2013, as it celebrates its 15 year anniversary, ULTRA will become the first major EDM festival in the world to expand to two weekends with dates set for March 15, 16 and 17 and March 22, 23 and 24.
A global brand, ULTRA takes place in Miami, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Ibiza and Korea, expanding into Europe with ULTRA EUROPE July 2013 in Croatia.
Last month, nominees for the 55th Annual Grammy Awards were announced by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and pianist-arranger-composer Shelly Berg, who is also dean of the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, was nominated in the category “Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)” for his arrangement of “Out There,” on Lorraine Feather’s CD Tales of the Unusual (Jazzed Media). Berg and Feather are frequent musical collaborators and co-wrote the song.
Other nominees in the same category this year include Esperanza Spalding, Vince Mendoza and Nan Schwartz. Winners will be announced at the Grammy Awards show in Los Angeles on February 10.
An accomplished pianist in both classical and jazz styles, Shelly Berg is a recording artist for Concord Music Group, and a Steinway piano artist. He has arranged and recorded with many award-winning artists and is currently arranging and co-producing a new CD with Gloria Estefan (Sony International). He is featured as an arranger and pianist on two Grammy and Latin Grammy Award winning Arturo Sandoval projects on the Concord label. The Shelly Berg Trio (Shelly Berg, piano; Gregg Field, drums; Chuck Berghofer, bass) recently recorded an all-Gershwin CD with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, José Serebrier, conductor.
Berg was a featured speaker at the TEDxMIA conference on Miami Beach in October and performs at major music festivals and venues throughout the world. He was named dean of the UM Frost School of Music in 2007 where, in addition to teaching both privately and in the Frost Experiential Music Curriculum, he administers the academic, musical and research pursuits of over 700 music students and 100 faculty. He was formerly the McCoy/Sample endowed music professor at USC Thornton School of Music where he taught for 16 years.
Berg was a featured performer on several concerts during the 29th annual Festival Miami in October, and performed on piano and the B-3 organ at the Hollywood Bowl in July for a Ray Charles Tribute concert (Gregg Field, producer). Upcoming appearances in South Florida are December 12 for the Gold Coast Jazz Society at the Broward Center with vocalist Cheryl Bentyne (nine-time Grammy winner with Manhattan Transfer) and on January 11, 2013 at the Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami as part of Larry Rosen’s JazzRoots Series.
For more information, http://www.shellyberg.com or http://www.music.miami.edu.
Lorraine Feather
Lorraine Feather’s Tales of the Unusual follows on the heels of her stages-of-life album Ages, which received a 2011 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album. All of the lyrics on Tales of the Unusual are by Feather, with music by her close longtime collaborators Russell Ferrante, Eddie Arkin and Shelly Berg; it also features music by Duke Ellington, Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi and film composer Nino Rota. The album is aptly described in Carl L. Hager's liner notes as "a musical inquiry into that mysterious labyrinth at the distant edges of rational human behavior, a foggy moor equal parts chilling nightmare and blinding vision quest, vaudevillian adventure and paralytic terror." Despite the far-fetched nature of some of the stories, common human emotions underlie them—loneliness, longing, and unexpected joy. Lorraine Feather is a prolific lyricist and has written lyrics for many Disney Channel television shows. She has received seven Emmy nominations.
For more information, http://www.lorrainefeather.com
55th Annual Grammy Award Nominees:
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) Category
“City of Roses”
Thara Memory & Esperanza Spalding, arrangers (Esperanza Spalding)
Track from: Radio Music Society [Heads Up International]
“Look to the Rainbow”
Gil Evans, arranger (Gil Evans Project and Luciana Souza)
Track from: Centennial - Newly Discovered Works Of Gil Evans [ArtistShare]
“Out There”
Shelly Berg, arranger (Lorraine Feather)
Track from: Tales of the Unusual [Jazzed Media]
“Spain (I Can Recall)”
Vince Mendoza, arranger (Al Jarreau And The Metropole Orkest)
Track from: Live [Concord Records]
“Wild Is the Wind”
Nan Schwartz, arranger (Whitney Claire Kaufman And Andrew Playfoot)
Track from: The Greatest Film Scores of Dimitri Tiomkin [LSO Live]
About the University of Miami Frost School of Music
The Frost School of Music, one of two schools created in 1926 when the University of Miami was founded, is one of the largest and most relevant schools in the U.S., and one of the most comprehensive in all of higher education. The naming gift from Dr. Phillip and Patricia Frost was one of the historic highlights in the life of the School. The Frost School has pioneered new curricula including the ground-breaking Frost Experiential Music Curriculum, and was the first in the nation to offer professionally accredited bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Music Business and Entertainment Industries, Music Engineering Technology, and a master’s in Arts Presenting. Its premier ensembles include the Frost Symphony Orchestra, Frost Wind Ensemble, Frost Opera Theater, Frost Jazz Vocal Ensemble and Frost Concert Jazz Band. Now the home of the Henry Mancini Institute, the Frost School also offers a songwriting minor through the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program and was among the first to offer degrees in Music Therapy, and Studio Music and Jazz. Its graduate jazz program is ranked among the top three in the nation. The University of Miami School of Law and the Frost School now offer the first-ever joint degree program in law and music business (J.D./M.M.). The Frost School’s innovative programs, combined with its traditional areas of concentration, offer its students one of the widest choices of career programs of any music school in the nation.
An artist and guitarist since the 1970's, Virgil Mandanici set out to make guitars that would be exceptional in tone and playability first. After 35 years of playing guitar, he decided it was time to create guitars that would feel, play and look better than anything anyone has ever played before – thus Virgil Guitars was born! As a master craftsman, Virgil has drawn his building career from several luthiers over the past couple years to make these incredible guitars. The inlay and appointments on his guitars are simply a testament to his attention to detail.
Says Virgil, “After playing guitar for over 35 years, I knew what I was looking for in tone and how a neck should feel and had been willing to go to any length to achieve the 'perfect' guitar fit for myself, and ironically, other players. On my Signature & Artisan Series guitars, they come with a DVD that shows the birth of my guitars starting out with a chunk of wood all the way to a music video – I do every step of this process by myself, in-house. I am not aware of any other builder in the world that is doing this... Yet, I am also planning on making ALL unique guitars – there will NEVER be two guitars alike, so all owners of a Virgil Guitar will have their own unique tone and feel. I am also working on making guitars to fit different budgets.”
Virgil Guitars makes custom, one-of-a-kind boutique guitars in Tampa, Florida. Each guitar has its own story, a one-of-a-kind inlay and certain models even come with a DVD of the build. Virgil carefully documents each build with amazing photography and videography assuring the buyer the guitar's tone/sound before purchase. Says Virgil, “The inspiration for all designs comes naturally since I have been a guitarist and artist since the '70s. Watching the masters like Larry Robinson and Grit Laskin helped quite a bit as well – I was amazed at the detail. I love the fact that I can also 'paint' my designs with no paint... I use various shells, stone, prehistoric shark teeth, precious metals and natural wood for all the colors I would ever need.”
“As a player, the most important thing for me in a guitar is playability and sound. Virgil Guitars are the best playing and sounding electric guitars I have ever played. Honest. Then when you add the amazing beauty of the inlay and woodworking, you really have something special.” - Guitarist Todd Grubbs
Bottom line, why would someone want to purchase a custom crafted guitar from Virgil Guitars? Virgil explains, “They should buy them for their playability – don't let the fancy schmantzy inlay and detailing fool you – everyone who has played my guitars does the same thing; they first give some 'ooohs' and 'ahhhs' with the inlay or detailing and even some of them have said, 'Well, I'm not really into a lot of inlay...' However, as soon as they put it in their laps, it's the exact same thing we all do as guitarists; we feel the balance of it in the lap, we feel the neck, how open chords and then barre chords feel, then we feel the action of the strings, then the accessibility to the higher frets. The next critique is focused on the tone. I am the same person who pays attention to the details on the inlays as much as every other aspect of my guitars. It would make no sense to spend all the time on the inlay and just blow off the IMPORTANT aspects of a guitar. I make all of my guitars as if it was my last guitar I was to build and have as a guitar!”
For more information, visit the official Virgil Guitars website: http://www.virgilguitar.com/
