Rock Encyclopedia

Premiering on Friday, August 14 at 9pm on VH1 and VH1 Classic and Monday, August 17 at 8pm on History

Documentary Directed By Academy Award Winning Filmmaker Barbara Kopple and Executive Produced By Original Festival Organizer Michael Lang

In the summer of 1969, on a farm about 90 miles north of New York City, more than 500,000 people gathered for a three day music festival that in an instant, defined a generation and changed popular culture forever…Woodstock.

Now, 40 years after that historic moment, History(TM) and VH1 Rock Docs have joined forces for the first time, for a unique television collaboration, one that celebrates and explores the deep history and fascination of Woodstock, as well as the incredible music experience that defined a generation. The definitive two-hour documentary, “Woodstock: Now & Then”, will premiere on Friday, August 14 at 9pm on VH1 and VH1 Classic and on Monday, August 17 at 8pm on History.

Directed and Produced by two-time Academy Award winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple and Executive Produced by Michael Lang, the original festival organizer, the film examines Woodstock from the perspectives of not only the musicians who graced the stage, but the fans who gathered in mass, the concert promoters who risked everything and countless others whose unique experiences help paint a tapestry of Woodstock that hasn’t been seen in recent years.

“Woodstock: Now & Then” explores the frenzied days leading up to and throughout the festival, from how the planners scrambled to find a concert site and the traffic jams that shut down the New York State thruway to the infamously bad “brown acid,” the thunderous rain and mud and, of course, the music. Weaving together first-hand accounts with rare archival images and an iconic soundtrack, the documentary allows those who were there a chance to relive the experience and gives an entirely new generation an opportunity to feel the magic of that time.

The film will also take an important look at Woodstock’s legacy through the eyes of today’s musicians and activists examining why Woodstock and all it symbolizes is still relevant in today’s culture.

For more information please log onto www.history.com/woodstock and for more information on VH1 Rock Docs go to www.vh1.com.

“Woodstock: Now & Then” is part of History’s celebration of the historic events that took place during the summer of 1969. History will premiere new specials that also include “Moonshot” (premiering Monday, July 20, 8pm) and “Sex in 69: The Sexual Revolution in America” (premiering Monday, August 3, 8pm).

“Woodstock: Now & Then” is the newest film in the Emmy Award-winning VH1 Rock Doc franchise. VH1 Rock Docs are feature-length documentaries that tell unique stories of artists and music from a wide range of genres, styles, and musical perspectives.

“Woodstock: Now & Then” is a co-production of History(TM) and VH1, in association with Cabin Creek Films and Woodstock Ventures, Inc. Brad Abramson, Stephen Mintz, Shelly Tatro and Jeff Olde serve as executive producers for VH1 and Julian P. Hobbs is the executive producer for History. For Cabin Creek Films, Barbara Kopple serves as director and producer and Michael Lang as executive producer.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 95 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.

Source: VH1

S2BN Entertainment announces the release of the Rolling Stones’ The Biggest Bang Blu-ray, featuring over 3 hours of high-definition video and uncompressed digital 5.1 surround sound.

The Biggest Bang Blu-ray features more than 30 songs and footage from around the world, including their concert in Austin, Texas – a highlight of the U.S. tour, and an exclusive look at the Salt of The Earth Tour documentary including highlights from Argentina, Japan and their first ever concert in China. The Blu-ray also includes classic favorites such as “Honky Tonk Women,” “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Satisfaction.”

The Biggest Bang Blu-ray, distributed by Universal Music Group, will be available starting June 16, 2009, in the U.S. Customers can pre-order the disc at Amazon.

“The Biggest Bang Blu-ray offers fans an all-access pass and a behind-the-scenes look at A Bigger Bang Tour – the best tour of all time,” said Michael Cohl, chairman of S2BN Entertainment and Tour Director. “The visual and audio quality of the Blu-ray is incredible – it’s the next best thing to being front row at a show.”

The Rolling Stones are renowned for their incredible live show DVDs which include Four Flicks, a four-DVD set from the Rolling Stones that was certified 19-times platinum and is the number one selling concert (long form) DVD in U.S. history. The original Biggest Bang standard definition DVD box set, released in 2007, is platinum in the U.S., Canada, France and Australia, and gold in U.K., Germany, Norway, Switzerland and many other countries.

Rolling Stones A Biggest Bang Blu-ray Release

Live from Zilker Park Austin, Texas (93 min.)

1. Opening
2. You Got Me Rocking
3. Let’s Spend the Night Together
4. She’s So Cold
5. Oh No. Not You Again
6. Sway
7. Bob Wills Is Still The King
8. Streets of Love
9. Ain’t Too Proud To Beg
10. Tumbling Dice
11. Learning The Game
12. Little T & A
13. Under My Thumb
14. Get Off My Cloud
15. Honky Tonk Women
16. Sympathy For The Devil
17. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
18. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction
19. Brown Sugar

Salt of the Earth
A Bigger Bang Tour Documentary – 70 min

1. How Did It Begin?
2. North American Tour
3. Super Bowl
4. Back Of My Hand
5. Rio
6. China
7. Milan
8. Buenos Aires
9. Midnight Rambler
10. Last Show

Bonus Feature #1 -Austin Mini-Documentary 6:00 min.

Bonus feature #2. Bonus Songs: Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan (13 mins.)

1. Let’s Spend The Night Together
2. Rain Fall Down

3. Rough Justice

TECHNICAL INFORMATION
– Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese
– Picture: 1080i High Definition 16×9 Widescreen
– Audio: Uncompressed PCM Stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
– Blu-ray Discs are Sony Playstation(R) 3 Compatible

Source: Universal Music Enterprises

ROCK PROPHECIES, the Feature-Length Chronicle of Conflicted Photographer Robert M. Knight, on a Quest to Find Both Himself and the World’s Next Great Guitar Player

Is An Official Selection At The 2009 Nashville Film Festival

Imagine seeing bands like Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones long before they became famous. Legendary Rock photographer Robert Knight did just that, and has the photos to prove it. ROCK PROPHECIES explores Robert’s amazing career and follows him on his quest to help the bands of today become the Rock legends of tomorrow. When Robert stumbles upon Tyler Dow Bryant – a 16-year old guitar phenom from Texas – he’s convinced he may have found the next Stevie Ray Vaughan. Robert risks his reputation and career and takes a chance on Tyler. The two then set off on an unbelievable journey to take their own shot at making history.

ROCK PROPHECIES just won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2009 AFI Dallas Film Festival. It also received the highest combined vote total collected of any film playing at that festival. Dallas’ WFAA-TV film critic Gary Cogill said, “ROCK PROPHECIES is a remarkable film and one of my favorite films at the AFI Dallas Film Festival this year.”

The film features interviews and performances from Jeff Beck, ZZ Top, Carlos Santana, Slash, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, and Steve Vai, among others, and is an official selection screening in competition at the Nashville Film Festival on Saturday, April 18 at 7:30pm at the Regal Green Hills Theatre. Knight, Bryant and director John Chester will stick around afterwards for a brief Q+A, followed by an after-party at 12th and Porter, with performances by Tyler Dow Bryant and Sick Puppies. A second screening is set for Wednesday, April 22 at 9:30pm at Regal Green Hills.

“It’s a true story about having a dream, and how to fulfill that dream,” Knight says of ROCK PROPHECIES. “For that matter, it’s the story of fulfilling other peoples’ dreams, too.” While building relationships with established guitar royalty, Knight has always managed to keep his finger on the cultural pulse, leaping at the opportunity to photograph and promote emerging talent such as blues-rock star Joe Bonamassa, and rising bands Sick Puppies, The Answer and Panic At The Disco. Since Robert became involved, Sick Puppies has scored a hit single and viral video smash with “All the Same” and “Free Hugs,” The Answer has opened for AC/DC’s 2009 world tour, and Panic at the Disco’s debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, has sold 2.2 million copies.

A film by John Chester and produced by Tim Kaiser, ROCK PROPHECIES was shot in multiple locations across the U.S. and England. Kaiser has proclaimed Knight to be the “the Forrest Gump of Rock ‘n Roll” for his ability to capture history in the making, namely the last photo ever taken of Stevie Ray Vaughan and some of the earliest of Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. “A lot of people take great pictures,” says Kaiser, “but Robert just captures history again and again.” In the words of director John Chester, Knight’s “ability to zero in on the legends of tomorrow is more than a little eerie. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t filmed it myself.”

In a venture with Samsung Mobile, ROCK PROPHECIES will also introduce the world to another way to capture historic Rock moments with the new Samsung Memoir(TM) – a full touch-screen mobile phone designed to look and feel like a point-and-shoot digital camera. The Memoir, available exclusively from T-Mobile, has a built-in 8-megapixel camera and premium multimedia features, placing it among the highest quality imaging phones available in the U.S. The Memoir’s ability to capture and share quality photographs, and Robert Knight’s talent of capturing historical rock n’ roll moments make the tie-in with the film a natural fit.

In addition to the two screenings and concert, Robert Knight will be hosting a book signing at Borders Books (2501 West End Ave.) on Sunday, April 19 at 2pm for Rock Gods: Forty Years of Rock Photography (Insight Editions, October 2008) which is a comprehensive collection of Knight’s work with over 200 full-color images, plus commentary from artists that Knight photographed during the past four decades.

For more information: www.rockprophecies.com