Blending hip-hop, soul, jazz and funk with an eclectic and poignant tongue twisting lyrical style, the seven members of The Press Project circulate massive amounts of physical and musical energy in a supercharged live performance spectacle.

The Press Project has swiftly ascended the ladder of local notoriety and moved onto the surrounding New England music scene with force. After winning Boston’s premier battle of the bands in early 2006, The Press Project went on to highlight the Spotlight Music and Art Awards and open for The Roots in April. With the band’s debut album ‘Get Right’ recently released and a tour with Slick Rick as well as shows with Robert Randolph, George Clinton and Soulive on the boards, The Press Project has positioned itself as one of the premiere emerging underground hip-hop acts.

The Press Project is a movement, equal parts instrumentals that make people get up out of their seats and messages that make them think and believe in music again. The sounds and lyrics appeal to everyone from hip-hop heads to jazz and soul junkies and the average listener of any age. Crowds are often filled with college students, late twenty and early thirty somethings and the parents of those college students. As guest vocalist Iyeoka states on the album, “These are the voices you believe in…This is The Press y’all.”

The band originated in early 2005 amidst the burgeoning artistic landscape of the NH Seacoast. In the beginning of the beginning, members were collected to form a band out of necessity in order to back the ever-eloquent underground hip-hop master Breeze Evahflowin from NYC at a local show. From these auspicious roots grew a movement and that movement adopted a magnetic quality, pulling together the musical and lyrical best in the surrounding area. The Press Project was formed.

At its base, The Press Project is a trio of MCs supported by keyboards, lead guitar, bass and drums. At its most complex The Press Project is a group set to shift the musical paradigm. The sound that emanates from the stage is best described as ear canal narcotics; a finely tuned blend of hip-hop, soul, jazz, blues, funk and rock n roll. It has been said that the band’s music ushers audience members to a particular state of mind and that live shows are filled with an intense and enthralling force unlike any other.

The band performs over twenty originals, fourteen of which were recently laid down on the debut album. In addition, the band performs select covers by The Roots, Guru, Common, Talib Kweli and others.

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http://www.myspace.com/thepressproject

Boyz II Men is a four-time Grammy Award-winning American R&B/soul singing group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1988 as a quintet which originally included Marc Nelson, Boyz II Men found fame as a quartet, with members Nathan Morris, Michael McCary, Shawn Stockman, and Wanya Morris, on Motown Records during the early 1990s. Nelson left the group before their first recording to pursue a solo career.

Based on sales, Boyz II Men is the most successful R&B male vocal group of all time. It recorded five #1 R&B hits between 1992 and 1997 and has sold more than 60 million records [1]. Three of its #1 hits, “End of the Road”, “I’ll Make Love to You”, and “One Sweet Day” (with Mariah Carey), set and broke records for the longest period of time a single remained at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100; the last of them still holds the record. Although “On Bended Knee” did not break any records, it was still an immensely popular song that reached #1 and made Boyz II Men the third artists (behind Elvis and The Beatles) to replace themselves at the number one spot of the Billboard Hot 100.

Boyz II Men was signed to Motown Records from 1990 to 2000, at which point it was moved to parent label Universal Records. After the 2000 album Nathan Shawn Michael Wanya, Boyz II Men moved to Arista Records. In 2003, Michael McCary left the group due to chronic back problems resulting from scoliosis. As of 2005, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, and Nathan Morris continue to tour and record as a trio. At the 1995 Grammy Awards, the group received four Grammy Award awards for their work, including two for their 1994 sophomore album, II in 1995.

Eve 6 was an alternative rock band from Southern California, who disbanded in 2004. Their musical genre has often been classified as punk or post-grunge. The band formed in 1995 in La Crescenta, California as Eleventeen; the name Eve 6 was only adopted later, after they already had a recording contract and were looking for a replacement drummer. Tony Fagenson, who auditioned while attending the University of Southern California, was an X-Files fan. After seeing the episode “Eve”, which featured genetically engineered characters known as “Eves,” he got the name from the character called Eve #6 who made a remark about biting a guard’s eyeball, which Fagenson thought merited “Eve 6″ as a band name.

Eve 6’s basic rock trio (guitar/bass/drums) sound is augmented on their later studio recordings with many interesting studio techniques. For example, “Bang” (from Horrorscope) culminates in a section constructed entirely from repeated, overdubbed layers. Eve 6 also made liberal use of overdubbed vocals and other studio polish, such as the vocoded filigree directly preceding the breakdown section of “On The Roof” (from Horrorscope). The songs themselves generally conform to the late 90’s pop-punk aesthetic, and can be roughly divided into four different categories: the sugary-sweet bubblegum pop of “Rescue” and “Promise” (from Horrorscope), the punk of “Hokis” (from It’s All in Your Head) and “Superhero Girl” (from Eve 6), ballads, such as “Hey Montana” (from It’s All in Your Head) and “Here’s to the Night” (from Horrorscope), and anthems (characterized by beginning almost inaudibly, with sparse instrumentation, and ending climactically) such as “Arch Drive Goodbye” (from It’s All in Your Head).

Eve 6 was perhaps best known for its lyrics, however, which feature vivid imagery and inventive wordplay: two of the group’s hits, “Inside Out” (from their self-titled album) and “Promise” (from Horrorscope), are good examples of this style. The nostalgic ballad, “Here’s to the Night” is probably the most notable; it is characterized by a pleasant change in tempo and style from the band’s other songs. While the song was written about a one night stand, for many teenagers it was misinterpreted as a song about the closing of an era (specifically of high school), and was chosen by many graduating senior classes to be their “class song.”

Leandro Barbieri (born on November 28, 1934 in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina) better known as Gato Barbieri (Spanish for “Barbieri the Cat”) is an Argentine jazz tenor saxophonist and composer who rose to fame during the free jazz movement in the 1960s and from his latin jazz recordings in the 1970s. [1]Born to a family of musicians, Barbieri began playing music after hearing Charlie Parker’s “Now’s the Time.” He played the clarinet, then the alto saxophone while performing with the Argentine pianist Lalo Schifrin in the late 1950s. By the early 1960s, while in Rome, he was playing the tenor saxophone, and also worked with the trumpeter Don Cherry. By now influenced by John Coltrane’s late recordings, as well as those from other ‘Free jazz’ saxophonists such as Albert Ayler and Pharoah Sanders, the warm and gritty tone, which would become his trademark sound, began to develop. In the late 1960s, he was fusing musics from South America into his playing and contributed to multi-artist projects like Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra and Carla Bley’s Escalator Over The Hill. His score for Bernardo Bertolucci’s film Last Tango in Paris earned him a Grammy Award and led to a record deal with Impulse! Records.

By the late 1970s he was working for A&M Records, and moved his music towards jazz-pop with albums like Caliente (with his best known song, Carlos Santana’s Europa).

Though he continued to record and perform into the 1980s, the death of his wife Michelle led him to withdraw from the public arena. He returned to recording and performing in the late 1990s, playing music that would fall into the arena of smooth jazz.

Thursday - June 26, 2008
5:00pm, Columbus Park

Morningside began simply enough: a few friends got together to sing Neil Young tunes and share their own acoustic originals. These relaxed and carefree jam sessions between guitarists Ryan Kimmet, Andrew Kraemer, and multi-instrumentalist Scott Lilley soon became regular, weekly rehearsals. It wasn’t long before an actual band was born. Testing the waters of Fairfield County’s singer-song
writer circuit, the band soon became regular performers at venues such as Bethel’s Molten Java. As Morningside’s reputation began to grow, the group holed up in New Canaan’s Bookroom Studios to record their 2004 debut, Porch. The album documented their acoustic americana sound and highlighted the multiple voices and songwriters of the band. Porch helped establish the band as a presence in the tri-state area music scene. With radio play on WKZE and WXCI as well as gigs ranging from New York’s Kenny’s Castaways to Boston’s Milky Way Lounge, the band continued gaining momentum.

Morningside used their growing following as an opportunity to experiment with new instruments, arrangements and ideas. Rather than duplicating the sound of Porch, the band decided to “plug in” and explore new sonic territory. With new members Chris Cacciato (drums), Brett Marshall Lefferts (flute, synth, and backup vocals), and Joe Yunckes (bass) joining the group, Morningside added new energy to their original sound. With new instrumentation and limitless opportunities, the band wrote and rewrote the songs that would become the second album: Mistakes We Knew We Were Making. This album reflects the sound of a band that has truly established an original voice; a seamless integration of old and new, acoustic roots with electric innovation, melody with noise, John Prine with Pavement.

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Over the last five years, the Nashville outfit has released three full-length albums, two EP’s, played hundreds of shows, started a clothing line (IROCKclothing.com) and launched a non-profit organization (EVERYTHINGBURNS.org). With the release of the “Sputnik Sessions” EP, SHIROCK embarked on a massive college radio campaign, being added to over 300 radio stations nation wide.

Most recently SHIROCK has joined the PMC management roster, alongside such acts as Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, All American Rejects, Plain White T’s, and Charlie Mars. While in London a few months back SHIROCK opened a show for the All American Rejects to an overwhelming response. SHIROCK has also just finished recording 4 new songs in Nashville, TN with friend and engineer Andy Hunt. This short EP titled, “SHIROCK /// 2006” has been distributed to select radio stations, and plans are currently under way for TV placements.

Since SHIROCK’s performances at 2007’s SXSW conference, the band has been writing and recording demos at their rehearsal studio, Studio 7 in Nashville. These demos alongside songs such as “Say It Out,” “New Solution,” “Drag U Down,” “I’ll Take Rain,” and others make up what will be SHIROCK’s first major release.

Thursday - June 26, 2008
5:00pm, Columbus Park

Blind Melon is an American rock band that existed from 1991 to 1995, and ceased with the death of lead vocalist Shannon Hoon shortly after the release of the band’s second record. The band reformed with the new lead vocalist Travis Warren in 2006.

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Besides having a thriving production business producing everything from GIOIA BRUNO of EXPOSE to music for THE 2004 OLYMPICS, THE TODAY SHOW and NBC SPORTS, Dave has been an avid performer performing with U2, THE FAMILY STAND, HUBERT SUMLIN, BOBBY RUSH, WILLIE “BIG EYES” SMITH, EDDIE SHAW, THE DRIFTERS and RUBY DEE & OSSIE DAVIS. He has also shared the stage with such notables as ARETHA FRANKIN and RICHIE HAVENS. Dave also produced the winner of BEST SELF PRODUCED BLUES CD of 2006 for producing ROXY PERRY’S “BACK IN BLUESVILLE”. Dave has a new CD entitled TIME’S A WASTIN’. Here’s what people are saying about it: David F Hughes producer/music director LAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI JUKES Dave Fields delivers so much soul, emotion and shear passion with these recordings.

As many times as I’ve heard Dave, he always sounds fresh. He continues to blow me away both live and on record with his virtuosity as a brilliant guitarist and “world class” producer. His singing? Why it’s as smooth as silk and he plays some fine piano and very tasty slide. The writing here is quite crafty, full of fun and games, and yet, a real sneak peek into the heart and the soul of Dave Fields. If you don’t know Mr. Fields yet, you’ll know him for sure after you hear this masterpiece. Man this stuff is timeless, inspired I must say. Imagine if you threw a few mahtzah balls and a stalk of corn into a pot of collard greens? I like to refer to it as “Corn Fed Blues”. Believe me, everything you’re about to hear is all True. If you don’t believe it, just ask his Rabbi! I’ll stop talking and ya’ll start listening ‘cause TIME surely is A WASTIN’.

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Thursday - June 19, 2008
5:00pm, Columbus Park

While Blues Traveler is best known among fans for their improvisational live shows, the general public is most familiar with the group from their fourth studio album Four. Released in 1994, the two singles “Run-around” and “Hook” gained mainstream radio popularity.

Blues Traveler’s subsequent releases were not as successful as the quintuple platinum sales of Four, though the band has maintained a loyal fanbase from the beginning of their career. Their albums with A&M in the later 1990s include Straight on Till Morning and Bridge.

Sheehan’s death in 1999 and Popper’s struggle with obesity put a damper on the group’s success, and A&M dropped the band after low sales of their 2001 album Bridge. However, the band took this transition period as an opportunity to start in new directions musically.

The group signed with Sanctuary Records and released Truth Be Told on August 5, 2003. Their latest album, ¡Bastardos!, was released on September 13, 2005 by Vanguard Records.

Blues Traveler has recorded a “best-of” collection of older songs reinterpreted with acoustic instrumentation called Cover Yourself. The band recently played an acoustic session on A&E’s Private Sessions.

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Source: WikiPedia

June 19
Blues Traveler
Dave Fields
The Honors

June 26
Blind Melon
Shirock
Morningside

July 3
No concert

July 10
Gato Barbieri
Cosmic Jibaros
Summerlost

July 17
Eve 6
Article A
Crash Moderns

July 24
Southside Johnny and the
Asbury Jukes
Christopher Robin Band
Soulstream

July 31
Billy Vera
Sera Buras
Vivacity

Aug. 7
Boyz II Men
Omar Wilson
The Press Project