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This November, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ANNEX NYC will open its doors for the first time. The highly anticipated ANNEX will take visitors beyond the typical museum experience in a dynamic and immersive journey that recalls some of the most defining moments in rock and roll history. When the ANNEX opens on November 24th, visitors will journey through multiple galleries to discover the moments ignited by hundreds of music revolutionaries like John Lennon, Madonna, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan. Additionally, The ANNEX will open its first special exhibit in true punk rock style, honoring the Clash. The Clash exhibit, which debuted at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, OH in 2006 will now appear at the ANNEX for a limited run.

Advance tickets for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ANNEX NYC go on sale today, exclusively at www.rockannex.com or 866-9-ROCKNY (866.963.2569). The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ANNEX NYC, located at 76 Mercer Street, is set to open on November 24, 2008. Exhibits are subject to capacity and advance ticket purchase is essential to ensure access for a desired time and date.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ANNEX NYC will be an experiential, technologically advanced exhibition that focuses on the greatest moments in rock history and will resonate with everyone from the casual music fan to the seasoned rock enthusiast. The ANNEX will also showcase selected items from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s vast collection, including Bruce Springsteen’s 1957 Chevy, John Lennon’s Record Plant Piano, Elvis Presley’s motorcycle jacket, a handwritten poem by Jim Morrison and much more. The exhibits, including the Roots & Influences, Moments to Movements and New York Rocks rooms, will highlight rock and roll’s impact on music, allowing visitors to discover, or rediscover, their connection to it all.

As the first of its rotating featured exhibits, The ANNEX will open its doors with an exhibit dedicated to the Clash, entitled Revolution Rock: The Story of the Clash. This exhibit will allow visitors to get an in-depth look into how the band’s politicized lyrics, musical experimentation, and rebellious attitude have helped shape rock history. As rebels with a cause, The Clash took the manic anger of British punk and transformed it into a political and aesthetic agenda. Album after album, as they railed against the status quo of corporate rock and safe middle-class values, The Clash was a burning reminder of why punk mattered.

Today the band is regarded as one of the most explosive bands to come out of the fertile late-1970’s London scene. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 by Tom Morello and U2’s The Edge, the Clash is one of the most influential bands of its time. The exhibit will examine the music and lives of the band with artifacts including well-known instruments, stage clothing, rare posters, set-lists and original manuscripts. Highlights include Joe Strummer’s Fender Telecaster and Mick Jones’ Gibson Les Paul Jr. guitars and handwritten lyrics for “London Calling,” “Know Your Rights” and “Clampdown.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ANNEX NYC is proudly supported by official sponsors Citi, Best Buy, Diesel for Bloomingdales, and Gibson. Additional supporting partners include Sony, Sennheiser, Klein + Hummel, Brocade Home, Kohler and NYC & Company.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs. www.rockhall.com

Source: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ANNEX NYC

New Mexico Fan’s Video for ‘An Extraordinary Life’ Selected by ASIA as Song’s Official Online Music Video

In what may be an exciting new case of “life imitating art,” the acclaimed British rock super-group ASIA has announced Doug Purdy of Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the grand prize winner of the band’s QuickTime music video contest. The contest was launched by the band, EMI America Records, and strategic partners as a new initiative between ASIA and its fans. For the contest, (which was hosted by www.asiavideocontest.com), ASIA fans were invited by the band, in partnership with QuickTime, to create their own music videos for “An Extraordinary Life,” a track from ASIA’s new album, Phoenix.

The song was designed to celebrate the positive aspects and memories in everyone’s life, and encourages the listener to “Carpe Diem” — live every day to the fullest. The song was written by ASIA members John Wetton and Geoff Downes in direct response to Wetton’s recent successful recovery from open heart surgery. Purdy’s video, like many others entered into the contest, contains personal home video footage and photos interspersed with footage of ASIA performing the song, for a unique interactive experience.

“This was a unique way of connecting with our fans, via the web,” says Carl Palmer, ASIA’s drummer. “It was interesting to see the type of images our fans thought could fit the song, itself.”

As the contest’s top prizewinner, Purdy has won an Apple MacBook AIR laptop, custom etched with ASIA’s logo. In addition, his creative video has been selected as the song’s official online music video by ASIA’s Geoff Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton. The video is featured at ASIA’s official websites, www.myspace.com/asia and www.originalasia.com.

Phoenix, ASIA’s first studio album since 1983 with all four original members, was released in North America on April 15, 2008 by EMI America Records. Since 1982, ASIA has sold more than 15 million albums, and the band recently completed its latest 52 city world tour (the third since the band re-formed in 2006) to support the global release of Phoenix.

Source: EMI America Records

Guitar Center, Motley Crue and Panel of Industry Judges Narrows Search For The Next Band To Make Rock History

Guitar Center and Motley Crue announced today the six finalists for the Guitar Center On-Stage: Your Chance To Make Rock History. The final six bands were chosen from a pool of 30 semi-finalists over a period of two days as each semi- finalist performed one song live in front of a panel of industry experts at Guitar Center’s legendary Sunset Boulevard location. The final six bands will continue onto the finals to perform live for Motley Crue at the world famous Whisky A Go-Go on November 10th in Hollywood.

The top six bands were chosen by influential leaders in the music industry, including President of FUSE TV, Eric Sherman; Producer and Front man of Sixx:A.M., James Michael; Music Director of Los Angeles radio station 98.7, Julie Pilat; Chris Nilsson of Tenth St. Entertainment and General Manager of Eleven Seven Music, Frank Woodworth.

Sixx:A.M. front man and producer, James Michael shares, “I was amazed by the talent I saw over the past few days. Rarely do I get to see so many great bands play one after another. The “Guitar Center On Stage” program has already proven effective in finding America’s best up and coming rock bands.”

The finalists who are just one step closer to being official rock stars include:

• The Spittin’ Cobras (Seattle, WA)

• Lorene Drive (Victorville, CA)

• The Dirty Pearls (New York, NY)

• Waterstreet (Peoria, IL)

• Something To Burn (Los Angeles, CA)

• The Heroine (San Antonio, TX)

Since launching the search for the next great American rock band in August, Guitar Center and Motley Crue have had a staggering 7,930 bands register and close to 175,000 online votes cast at the program’s web site — makerockhistory.com. The site also garnered nearly one million unique visitors since its launch on August 1st.

Motley Crue’s Mick Mars notes, “Our partnership with Guitar Center gives us the opportunity to help an up-and-coming band by giving them every element needed to succeed. Like Ozzy did for us when he took an unknown band called Motley Crue on the road, we too are looking for the next generation’s great rock band.”

Continuing its support of aspiring artists, Guitar Center and the world’s most notorious rock band will provide one up-and-coming band the ultimate, career-altering opportunity — the chance to open on tour for rock icons, Motley Crue. The winning band will also receive $25,000 cash, $20,000 in exclusive new gear from Gibson Guitar, management from Tenth St. Entertainment, and a recording deal from Eleven Seven Music, Motley’s management and record label.

“Guitar Center On-Stage is our most revolutionary program yet, and we are truly amazed with the quality of talent that will go onto perform for Motley at the finals,” said Norman Hajjar, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer for Guitar Center. “Guitar Center invests millions every year behind programs that are dedicated to helping striving artists realize their musical dreams and this initiative is literally going to make rock history.”

The Guitar Center On-Stage finals, which are free to the public, will be held November 10th at the world famous Whisky A-Go-Go at 7 p.m., where each of the bands will perform live for Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil and Mick Mars of Motley Crue who will select the top band and winner of Guitar Center On-Stage.

Allen Kovac, CEO and Founder of Tenth Street Entertainment and Eleven Seven Music said, “From the performances that we have witnessed over the duration of this initiative, it’s apparent that Guitar Center On-Stage is an innovative platform that helps find fresh and groundbreaking new artists, whom would otherwise not have a chance to tour with the likes of Motley Crue. The winning band will not only have the chance of a lifetime to open for the notorious rockers, but they will have the support of the record label, management, credibility from Guitar Center and marketing to launch them into the competitive music industry to jump start a long and successful career.”

To check out the audio and videos of the final six bands or for more information about the finals at the Whisky A-Go-Go on November 10th, please go to http://www.makerockhistory.com/.

Motley Crue

Having survived three decades of decadence and nearly every possible obstacle, including several brought on by themselves, Motley Crue now find themselves alive and elevated to rock royalty. The Crue have returned with the recent release of Saints of Los Angeles, their first CD with the original line-up — Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, Tommy Lee and Vince Neil — in over a decade and the ninth studio album in their career. The disc debuted at #1 on the Independent Album chart and was the top debut of the week at #4. Based on the band’s New York Times bestseller, The Dirt, the revealing CD offers tremendous insight into the lives of the rebellious leaders of the “L.A.sleaze rock” movement. The single “Saints of Los Angeles” broke barriers when it was released simultaneously on Rock Band and by traditional means, selling more than five times the number of downloads via the video game as it did on iTunes in its first week of release. The band has just completed the inaugural Crue Fest, the top rock festival tour of the summer and tour stops from Japanto Mexico. They will play at the legendary Palladium in Hollywood on November 14th before beginning their U.S. arena tour at the beginning of the year. http://www.motley.com/

Source: Guitar Center