EXCLAMATION MARKETING!

07-29-05: WHO'S NEXT!

The photo above was taken during a HOT 97 Van Appearance in conjunction with BOOST MOBILE's sponsorship of SUMMER JAM 2005. We can talk about HOT 97 being #1 with key demos (like teens, 12-24, 18-24, etc.) but sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words. This was taken outside Cellular Island in Brooklyn, where a crowd of well over 1,500 ultimately gathered.

HOT 97

#1 THIS WEEK: DEAR SUMMER / JAY Z (ROCAFELLA)

ADDS:  AND THEN WHAT/ Young Jeezy f. Mannie Fresh  (Rocafella); FATHER ELEPHANT / Elephant Man (VP); RAH RAH (rmx) / Elephant Man f. Daddy Yankee & Pitbull (VP/Massive B);  PIMPIN' / Tony Yayo (Shady/Aftermath/G Unit)

CD101.9

#1 THIS WEEK: PEOPLE MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND / RICHARD ELLIOT (ARTizen); NP-1 GROOVE / P-1 (NOVO); PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY / NILS (BAJA);

ADDS:  KISSING / Bliss  (Quango

98.7KISS-FM

#1 THIS WEEK: WE BELONG TOGETHER/ MARIAH CAREY (IDJ)

NO ADDS:   

NEWS IN BRIEF: HOT 97 just completed a very cool, exclusive mixtape for MILLER BEER, celebrating their FLAVOR TO SAVOR campaign. Hosted by DJ ENUFF and Mixed by DJ KAST 1, the mixtape features tracks by TALIB KWELI, RES, and JEAN GRAE. Those three will all be performing at NY's Club Spirit in August. A CYPRESS HILL-headlined show pulls in to Spirit in September. All part of the FLAVOR TO SAVOR. Tomorrow night, DJ ENUFF spins at CLUB LEGEND in Elizabeth, NJ, where some of our own Flavor to Savor girls will be distributing these collectible mixtape CDs... JAGUAR WRIGHT had a good 3,000 people out to see her last week as she kicked off Kiss-FM's Summer Soul Nights at the South Street Seaport. THE TRAMMPS performed last night...  Our Harlem Week line-up is now complete! LEELA JAMES, newcomer CRUNNA, MIRI BEN ARI, YUMMY, I WAYNE, NICOLE HENRY, STEPHANIE COOKE, BLAZE, and VANEESE THOMAS. It's all going down beginning at 1pm on Sunday, August 21 at 135th & St. Nicholas Ave. HOT 97, 98.7Kiss-FM, and CD101.9NY CHILL will all be represented (as you can tell by this incredible line-up!)... HOT 97's WHO'S NEXT Live Music Series takes it up SEVERAL notches on Tuesday, August 23rd at SOB's as we celebrate the release of I WAYNE's CD. I Wayne will perform. We'll also have some other fine reggae artists from the area doing short sets as well as mixing it up with a mix of djs...

Keeping it short today. Everyone, have a great weekend!

07-21-05: SPRING 2005 RATINGS!

It's all about the Spring book this week. I know, I know. I read your emails. Check out our #1s and Adds this week. Then check out our latest numbers...

HOT 97

#1 THIS WEEK: WELCOME TO JAMROCK / DAMION "JR GONG" MARLEY(TUFF GONG/GHETTO YOUTHS)

ADDS:  PON DE REPLAY/ Rihanna (Rocafella/Def Jam); TELL ME /  Bobby Valentino f. Lil' Wayne (DTP/Def Jam); SHUT UP / Lil' Kim  (Queen Bee/Atlantic)

CD101.9

#1 THIS WEEK: PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY / NILS (BAJA); NIGHTLIFE / PAUL TAYLOR (PEAK/CONCORD)

ADDS:  MOON GLIDE / Praful  (Rendezvous); SERENE / Paul Hardcastle  (Trippin 'n' Rhythm); I CAN'T STOP LOVIN' YOU / Kem  (Motown)

98.7KISS-FM

#1 THIS WEEK: WE BELONG TOGETHER/ MARIAH CAREY (IDJ)ADDS:  SORRY FOR THE STUPID THINGS / Babyface;  WORK IT OUT / Dr. Charles G. Hayes & The Warriors f. Diane Williams; FIND YOUR WAY (BACK IN MY LIFE) / Kem; EVERY WOMAN DREAMS / Shanice

SPRING 2005 RATINGS ARE IN! Below are some of the highlights from the Spring book that came out earlier this week. 

HOT 97 remains TOP-RANKED IN KEY DEMOS. HOT 97 IS #1 with P12-17, P12-24, P12-34, A18-24, A18-34, M18-34, W 18-34, A18-49, and A25-34!!! In fact, HOT 97 HAS THE HIGHEST RATINGS AMONG ADULTS 18-34! MORE THAN ANY OTHER NY RADIO STATION!!

NO OTHER STATION IN NEW YORK CAN "MATCH" HOT 97'S STRONG A18-34 REACH! For example, run 20 M-Su 6a-12m spots on HOT 97. It'll take 25 of those spots on WHTZ to equal the reach HOT's 20 spots provide. It would take 30 on WWPR (Power105)!! 61 on K-ROCK. And 65 on WKTU!!

Special Mentional must be made of Hot 97's MORNING SHOW WITH MISS JONES. Granted, it's still a relatively NEW morning show (the team's only been together about 4 months), but they've made an instant connection with the NY audience. With a competitor down the dial who's a self-proclaimed "Hater," some might call this particular battle of the morning shows a case of GOOD VS. EVIL. I'll take that. Of course, there will always be people that wake up on the wrong side of the bed and just want to HATE in the morning. We'll take good-natured interaction with our listeners, funny phone pranks, clever parodies, and MAJOR GUEST STAR APPEARANCES over "hate" any time! Speaking of clever parodies, in case you missed it, here's another chance to hear one of the much-talked about MARTHA STEWART parodies from the HOT 97 Morning Show with Miss Jones: Download Hot97MarthaStewartLiving.mp3 .

98.7 IS ALSO ON FIRE AS ALWAYS! #3 IN THE MARKET WITH P12+ AND #2 A25-54. And our "Love Man," LENNY GREEN, IS #1 WITH THIS IMPORTANT DEMO IN THE EVENINGS, holding it down with his "Kissing After Dark" shift. But you know, that #1 ranking just doesn't tell the whole story. I wish I could bring buyers and listeners in to experience Lenny in the studio. The dimmed lights, the candles, the incense... it's LOVE in the air! It's "Kissing After Dark"! And it's working! Meanwhile, Michael Baisden holds it down in the afternoons with his "Love, Lies & Lust" program, coming in at a healthy #2 with A25-54. And congratulations to our KISS WAKE UP CLUB Morning Show, tying at 4th with both A25-54 and A35-54.

KISS is also #2 overall with A35-54!

CD101.9 sees a rise in the ratings, as well, even as it continues to tweak its unique smooth/chill jazz format. No surprise that our ever-popular cruises continue to be sold-out successes. Shout out to SPYRO GYRA for selling-out TWO cruises just last night (also featuring CD101.9's Rafe Gomez as your cruise dj).

I WAYNE'S WORLD! It's gonna seem like it, anyway, come August.  His VP Records CD, "Lava Ground," featuring the HOT 97 hit "Can't Satisfy Her," drops on Tuesday, August 23rd. I Wayne will be performing on the HOT 97 stage during Harlem Week on Sunday, August 21 (along with Yummy and Leela James and others). Tuesday night (8/23), he'll headline HOT 97's WHO'S NEXT LIVE music series at SOBs. And he'll pop up later that week at a Bobby Konders party (Bobby, of course, being the host of HOT 97's On Da Reggae Tip, the most-listened to reggae/calypso show in the country!).

Speaking of our WHO'S NEXT series, REMY MA headlined our event this past Tuesday. You could feel the excitement spike when host Megatron announced that FAT JOE was in the room. Joe took the stage with Remy (pictured left) and she kept the show going for close to 40 minutes, introducing new songs that went over BIG with the crowd. People were digging the new material! Shout outs to our openers, including MIKE MURPHY and RYAN LESLIE plus unsigned stars-to-be MARK McLAUGHLIN and TANYA COUTURE. Big thanks to JEN TURNER for helping to set this gig up. Nice to see TOMMY MOTTOLA and SYLVIA RHONE checking out the talent, too.  After I Wayne tears it up in August, we're looking forward to introducing Motown's YUMMY to our Who's Next audience in September.

And a final, quick shout-out to all the folks behind the FUSION FLASH CONCERT series. 10 Secret Shows in 10 Cities. Fat Joe hit 'em in Philly. And Jermaine Dupree wowed 'em in Atlanta. In NY, HOT 97 helped drive a crowd of 3,500 to Pier 54 in Hudson River Park for a set by THE ROOTS. Hosted by Hot 97's resident "No Drama King," CIPHA SOUNDS.

That's enough for one week, no? Everyone, have a great weekend!!

07-13-05: DA "SUPERHEAD" INTERVIEW, CD101.9 BOAT CRUISES, BREAKFAST WITH BOW WOW

In just a few paragraphs, you'll be able to click on the link to hear the entire interview with KARRINE STEFFANS--aka "SUPERHEAD"--the author of CONFESSIONS OF A VIDEO VIXEN. This is the much-talked-about interview that ran on HOT 97's Morning Show With Miss Jones last week (and prompted Tigger to call in this morning). Many of you asked if I could include the interview this week. And those of you who are just being added to my list, please be aware that you can scroll down to the 07-05-05 entry and hear mp3s of the "John Dimick Phone Jack" as well as one of the Martha Stewart parodies from our HOT 97 Morning Show. Meantime.... let's start with our #1 and latest adds:

HOT 97

#1 THIS WEEK: DEAR SUMMER / JAY-Z (ROCAFELLA)

NO ADDS

98.7KISS-FM

#1 THIS WEEK: I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU / KEM (MOTOWN)

NO ADDS

"KARRINE, DON'T GOOOOOOOOOOO!" That was Miss Jones on HOT 97's Morning Show with Miss Jones, pleading to "author" Karrine Steffans as she fled the station studio following an interview that got a little heated when her "baby daddy," whom she lambasts in her book, Confessions of a Video Vixen, phoned in and went head-to-head with her, challenging many of the accusations made in the book. So what did Karrine think? That this was Larry King? Anyway, it was great radio. And people have been talking about it since. You can hear it for yourself by clicking on the provided link. Please be advised that the subject matter, needless to say, is often R-rated! Also, it's about 44 minutes long!  So set some time aside, maybe pour a drink, invite a few friends into your office and kick back and enjoy the "Superhead" experience together.                                                                         Download superhead_interview_on_hot_97.MP3

WHO'S NEXT? TRY WHO'S NOW! IT'S REMY MAAAAAAA! HOT 97'S WHO'S NEXT LIVE MUSIC SERIES has become one of the hottest parties in the city. JOHN LEGEND, ELEPHANT MAN, RZA, JAGUAR WRIGHT, MARTIN LUTHER and, most recently, 9TH WONDER & BUCKSHOT, are just some of the artists that have performed in this series. And that's not counting all of the hot unsigned talent we've presented on these nights as well.  The shows all go down at SOBs (Varick @ West Houston). This Tuesday, it's another big party as we present REMY MA (pictured left), currently enjoying a hit on the station with "Whatever." Hosted by Megatron, the night will also feature hot newcomers RYAN LESLIE, MIKE MURPHY, MARK McLAUGHLIN and NATANYA.  For more info or if you'd like to stop by and catch the show, just email or call me. The series is in conjunction with our new music site, http://www.whosnextonline.com.

HARLEM WEEK! 98.7KISS FM, HOT 97 AND CD101.9 will all take over the stage during HARLEM WEEK on Sunday, August 21. The HOT 97 live music line-up now includes I WAYNE, YUMMY, and LEELA JAMES. I should have a "throwback at noon" act locked in by the end of this week. Plus, of course, we'll be featuring some new and unsigned artists from the Harlem area!!

Just said Goodbye to 20 Bow Wow fans who'd been lined up since early this morning. They were the winners of our HOT 97 Morning Show's BREAKFAST WITH BOW WOW promotion. Special Thanks to Colleen n Kathi at AEG for letting us tie this in with the SCREAM Tour and working their on-sale date around this event, which got a LOT of on-air exposure!

MUSIC ON THE HUDSON! THE CD101.9 & SMIRNOFF VODKA SUMMER CONCERT CRUISES ARE UNDER WAY. Last week, DOWN TO THE BONE performed during 2 sold-out cruises along the Hudson. Tonight, it's BOBBY CALDWELL.  From time to time, I can get a few guests on board, so let me know if there's a cruise you'd like to attend. For a full schedule, click on this link: CD101.9/SMIRNOFF VODKA SUMMER CRUISES

THE 98.7KISS FM SUMMER SOUL NIGHTS kick off next week. Co-sponsored by TANQUERAY, TOYOTA, and CINGULAR. It's the biggest outdoor party of the year. And the shows are FREE!! Every Thursday night on Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport. Speaking of "Free" (since it's the title of her new single), JAGUAR WRIGHT (pictured left performing as part of HOT 97's WHO'S NEXT LIVE series at SOBs a few months ago) launches the series next week. Just in time for her new release, DIVORCING NEO TO MARRY SOUL. For the full schedule, click on this link: 98.7KISS FM SUMMER SOUL NIGHTS SCHEDULE

IN SHORT.... FUSION FLASH CONCERTS PRESENTS A FREE SHOW BY THE ROOTS ON PIER 54 AT HUDSON RIVER PARK TOMORROW NIGHT. Hot 97's CIPHA SOUNDS will host the event.... We're already gearing up for the SIZZLA party at Supper Club at the end of the month, celebrating is signing with Damon Dash Music Group... Jim Jones celebrates his birthday with DJ Enuff at Club Exit tomorrow night... Giveaways on Hot 97  and 98.7KISS FM right now include DESTINY'S CHILD (MSG 7/29, Nassau 7/30), ANITA BAKER, the SCREAM Tour (MSG 8/24), and 50 Cent with Ludacris, Ciara, and Lil Jon (8/19, 8/20 PNC & Jones Beach)....

That's it for now. Enjoy the rest of your week. As always, feel free to forward my blog link to others. I've had some great conversations with Business Development folks this past week, since my last update. And enjoying discovering all the interactive depts. out there who are interested in our capabilities....

07-06-05: THE JOHN DIMICK PHONE JACK, HARLEM WEEK, ON DA REGGAE TIP, SUMMER JAM RECAP...

HOT 97

#1 THIS WEEK: DEAR SUMMER / JAY-Z (ROCAFELLA)

ADDS:  OUTTA CONTROL (RMX)/5O Cent w/Mobb Deep (Shdy/Aftrmth/G Unit)); GOLDDIGGER / Kanye West (Rocafella); Give Me That/ Webbie f. Bun B (Asylum)

CD101.9

#1 THIS WEEK: PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY / NILS (BAJA); HOOKIN' UP / BRIAN CULBERTSON (GRP/VERVE);  TROPICAL / CHUCK LOEB (SHANACHIE); NIGHTLIFE / PAUL TAYLOR (PEAK/CONCORD)

ADDS:  SUMMER GROOVE / Tim Bowman (Liquid 8); SWEET GRAPES / Marion Meadows (Heads Up);

98.7KISS-FM

#1 THIS WEEK: WE BELONG TOGETHER/ MARIAH CAREY (IDJ)

NO ADDS!

BACK-PORCH SOUL I actually started this entry at about 1AM on a Thursday morning a few weeks ago (6/23, to be exact). I had ALMOST taken  the 7:14 train home, which would have been a good thing. But I stopped by SOBs and was reminded that LEELA JAMES was performing. Even better, I discovered my good friend (and the person who first started telling me bout Leela some 1 1/2 - 2 years ago) DENISE PIZZINI was going to be there, as well. So, went back and put a few more hours in at the office and then headed back to catch the show. Even still, round 10:20, with Leela's band just hitting the stage, I caught myself fantasizing bout catching the 10:40 train. But then Leela's keyboard talked about the kind of soul music we were in store for. And when he likened the show that was about to go down as  "turkey neck up in the collard greens soul music," well, he had me. Thank God! What a show!  Leela is a soulful dynamo! Genuine. Not fake. Not neo-soul but REAL soul. And completely within her rights to end her show a capella singing "I don't need no pro tools / I don't need my vocals tweaked / I don't need my vocals fixed...." She proved it a few hours ago to a packed house at SOBs. Crossing my fingers that Leela will want to perform on August 21st during Harlem Week for us.... I spent much of the set thinking, Now this is a woman who could sing the menu from Southern Express and make it sound like a classic Motown album. Special thanks to Big D from WB for slipping me a copy of Leela's debut CD that I was able to play for everyone the next day!

THRILL OF THE GRILL Speaking of SOUTHERN EXPRESS, everyone was raving about the spread they put together this past Sunday for HOT 97's "Cookout with Missy." It was yet another HOT 97 "exclusive that money can't buy." Close to 300 HOT 97 listeners were treated to a cook-out with MISSY ELLIOTT (pictured left, with SEAN PAUL, who also stopped by the cook-out... and reportedly won a few rounds of spades while he was there), celebrating the release of her already much-praised new CD, "The Cookbook." Missy continues that celebration--as well as celebrating her birthday--at Club Exit this Thursday, HOT 97's weekly night at the club, hosted by DJ ENUFF. These events are also great sampling events, with COKE ZERO and MIKE & IKE's taking advantage of the partying crowd.  SOUTHERN EXPRESS ("THIS IS YOUR MAMA'S COOKING!") IS LOCATED AT 96 CHAMBERS STREET. JUST ASK FOR T.J. WHEN YOU STOP BY...

JOHN DIMICK, YOU'VE JUST BEEN PHONE JACKED....If you forward only one link this year, this needs to be it. Here's why: Among the many highlights on HOT 97's Morning Show with Miss Jones are the periodic "phone jacks" they  pull on unsuspecting listeners. Well, shortly before Summer Jam, they pulled a  phone jack on an unsuspecting Program Director. Their own. John Dimick.  All you really need to keep in mind is that this was John's first Summer Jam (in other words, HOW COULD THEY?!). It was his first time dealing with the world's biggest hip-hop festival. Remember, this year's year's line-up included Snoop Dogg, The Game, Kanye West, Lil' Jon (and friends), Cam'ron & the Diplomats... a guest appearance by Jay Z... and more. You can just imagine some of the politics involved (some of you have lived them). Now you can hear the HOT 97 Morning Show with Miss Jones phone jack Hot PD John Dimick, pretending to be Snoop's lawyer and--well, listen for yourself. Click here:  Download dimick_phone_jack.mp3

SUMMER JAM IN A JIFF....I want to thank EVERYONE who participated in this year's SUMMER JAM Festival Stage/Village. On stage, we opened with the Lyrical Championships, which pitted several freestylin' MCs against one another. That was followed by fashion segments courtesy of WHITE BOY (debuting their new WHITE GIRL line),  MECCA, APPLE BOTTOMS (pictured left), and AKADEMIKS. And then the music: RAY CASH, REMY MA (who brought Papoose on stage with her), CAPONE, YOUNG GUNZ, TEAIRRA MARI, MEMPHIS BLEEK, and LOST BOYZ. Once again, some 10-12,000 fans came out early for this "pre-event." So many, in fact, that we needed to open the gates nearly an hour early. It was a great look for all of our fashion partners as well as for all the artists who performed. And by the way, for those of you who missed out getting your artists on our Festival Stage, keep in mind that Harlem Week is coming up in late August (more on that below).

IT'S A GOOD GOOD THING... It wasn't too long ago that David Hinkley observed--in his Daily News "Radio Dial" column--that one of the funniest things on NY radio these days are the "Martha Stewart Living" parodies on HOT 97's Morning Show with Miss Jones. It's just one of the MANY things the Morning Show has been doing RIGHT, as evidenced by the recent trends. Check out an example of one of the Martha Stewart Living installments here. Or as our "Martha" would put it, "Check it out, bee-yotch!" It's another mp3 I guarantee you'll be wanting to forward to friends... Download Hot97MarthaStewartLiving.mp3   

"THE STREET SOUNDS LIKE A SYMPHONY..." Last year, HOT 97 took over the stage during Harlem Week one afternoon. We presented sets by TALIB KWELI, KURTIS BLOW, MASTA ACE, plus several new/up n' comers, including JAE MILLZ, DENIM, and LIL' EDDIE. This year, all three Emmis stations--HOT 97, 98.7KISS-FM, and CD101.9NY CHILL--will command the stage on August 21st. I've already RUSHED to confirm YUMMY for the stage.  And thank you, VP RECORDS, for confirming I WAYNE. Looking for 2-3 more acts. And soon! Last year, I locked in our line-up too late for any of the artists to take advantage of all the advance press HARLEM WEEK garners. If you have an artist in mind, keep in mind, the content's gotta be clean! 

WHO'S NEXT!  HOT 97's  WHO'S NEXT LIVE music series at SOB's (Varick @ West Houston) continues on Tuesday, July 19th with... REMY MA. She's got one of the hottest tracks on HOT 97 right now with "Whatever" and EVERYONE's salivating for the release of her new CD in September. That's REMY, pictured left, performing on the Festival Stage at this year's Summer Jam! As always, we'll have some unsigned and/or emerging artists opening the show. The 19th will include MIKE MURPHY on the bill. Look for an ODB Tribute night in August. And hoping to tie in with YUMMY's debut CD release in September.

 

04-13-05: AYiCaRaMBa! Hot 97 in the Post's Tempo section!

Today's NY Post features a pull-out TEMPO section, as always "capturing the rhythm of Latin New York." And today they're digging JULISSA MEDINA from Hot 97's Morning Show with Miss Jones. This is a great little piece, as Julissa was a physical therapy student not too long ago when she became a contestant on Angie Martinez's "Apprentice" contest. This proved to be a big break as Julissa was soon interning on the Morning Show and has now become a full-fledged on-air personality! Click here: Download NYPostJulissa04-13-05.pdf  to read the whole piece.

Late Update: 04-12-05 (10PM) Fatty Koo, Amerie

This is just a quick update to the one below! Gotta shout out JAMES BROWN at Sony for inviting me to their special presentation last Friday. FATTY KOO are gonna be blowin' up. Loved the reality series, debuting later this month on BET. And how cool to see a truly organic group. Nothin against picking Idols and searching for the next big prefabricated group, but as people will be attesting once they see the show, hear the story behind these kids, and start hearing the music, this is the real thing. Crossing my fingers that they make it to our Summer Jam Festival Stage!

And speaking of Sony... look for HOT 97 to support AMERIE's instore performance and signing on the 26th at VIRGIN MEGASTORE TIMES SQUARE. DJ ENVY from the HOT 97 MORNING SHOW with Miss Jones will host the event!

Now keep reading for this week's #1's plus other recent and current goings-on at HOT 97, CD101.9, and 98.7KISS-FM....

Update: 04-012-05 Summer Jam, KISS Phenomenal Women

"He owns the charts and the airwaves." -- Hot 97 PD John Dimick praises our good buddy 50 Cent in the current issue of Rolling Stone (April 21, 2005 issue)

This upate concludes with Summer Jam info, so read on...

HOT 97

#1 THIS WEEK: CANDY SHOP / 50 CENT f. OLIVIA (SHADY/AFTERMATH/G UNIT)

ADDS:  JUST A LIL' BIT/5O Cent (Shdy/Aftrmth/GUnt)); STILL TIPPIN' (rmx)/Mike Jones/Slim Thug/Paul Wall/Buck & 50 (SwishaHouse/WB); We Belong Together / Mariah Carey (Island Def Jam); STREETS RAISED ME/Ja Rule f. Mary J. Blige (The INC); LIKE THAT/Memphis Bleek (Rocafella)

CD101.9

#1 THIS WEEK: TIN TIN DEO / DAVID SANBORN (VERVE)

98.7KISS-FM

#1 THIS WEEK: TRUTH IS/ FANTASIA (J RECORDS)

Virgin Records' BROOKE VALENTINE stopped by the HOT 97 studios recently. That's Brooke, pictured left, with our own queen of the middays, SUNNY. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Sunny, by the way, who celebrated with not 1 but 2 club events this past weekend. Friday night at Club Speed. And Sunday at Deep, with Mashonda and D Block, among others, scheduled to join in the festivities! Speaking of parties, gotta shout out BEST BUY for their excellent Grand Opening Celebration for their new SoHo location. It went down at Webster Hall last Thursday night (4/70. Great crowd! When I heard the opening band was called The Vacancies, to be followed on stage by The Eyeliners, I joked that Little Steven should be introducing them. I was kidding! Then 20 minutes later who walks by me but... Sylvio Dante himself. Steven took the stage 'round 9 to introduce "one of the coolest bands EVER!" and a few minutes later out walked JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS who rocked the house for over an hour. Awesome, awesome--and ON TIME--event!

98.7KISS-FM hosted its first annual PHENOMENAL WOMEN luncheon last Thursday. Huge success.  Not surprisingly, FANTASIA (pictured left)--who also performed at HOT 97's Full Frontal Hip Hop event in March--brought down the house. The event honored women making a difference in their community. SHON GABLES was a guest speaker. CISSY HOUSTON and VALERIE SIMPSON also turned out. It was a typically classy 98.7KISS-FM event and one that we've no doubt will return next year.

HOT 97 & NAVAN are currently co-presenting the WHO'S NEXT LIVE series at SOBs. Coming up next week... a super-hot lineup!...We've got MARTIN LUTHER (pictured left)! LYFE (pictured below right)! SAUKRATES! And in keeping with the real spirit of this series, we'll be introducing DESTANI WOLF, coming in from the west coast for this event. Last month, at the Elephant Man show, everyone entering the club was treated to a sample of Navan--a fusion of vanilla and cognac. We'll be doing it again next week. But we'll also be hosting a "tastemakers" hour prior to the doors opening to the general public at 7pm. That means an opportunity to sample specialty drinks featuring Navan. IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN US FOR THIS TASTEMAKERS SESSION--YOU'D NEED TO BE THERE BY 6:15--PLEASE LET ME KNOW. It's all going down this Tuesday, April 19. Hosted by HOT 97's Megatron. With Rodney Morandi from HOT 97 Programming on the 1s & 2s (Rodney's back by special demand after the way he held it down with the Elephant Man crowd!). Coming up on May 31: JAGUAR WRIGHT, KLICK, plus others to be announced.

By the way, a lot of people have have been asking about this series. We also have a website--http://www.whosnextonline.com--now active. In fact, in a matter of 2-3 days after the site went live, more than 400 artists uploaded their music to it! WHO'S NEXT ONLINE will quickly become a destination point for artists who want to get their music heard! Many will be chosen to participate in our live series at SOB's.

HOT 97 is all over the JORDAN CLASSIC event this week. Wednesday night (4/13) our Street Team will be hosting a signing at the Foot Locker on West 34th Street (by Madison Square Garden). FABOLOUS will be signing as well as members of the Jordan Classic National Team. [p.s. Catch Fabolous when he phones in to Angie Martinez tomorrow 'round 4pm.] On Saturday, it's the JORDAN CLASSIC at Madison Square Garden. With music by the Heavy Hitter...DJ ENUFF! For more info, just click here.

And CD101.9 NY CHILL teams up with ULTRA RECORDS for their party tomorrow night (Wed, 4/13) in celebration of the release of ULTRA.CHILLED 05! It's going down from 7p-10p at nublu (62 Ave. C bet. 4th & 5th--under the blue light). Music by DJ Ricardo and Barry Cole with giveaways ALL NIGHT. Plus... nublu's Brazilian Night continues after the Ultra party! 2 different retailers have called me asking about this release due to the number of customers that came in looking for it (Ultra ran spots for the release on CD101.9, so listeners were asking for the CD101.9 chill CD, apparently).

Listeners have been glued to 98.7KISS-FM's WAKE UP CLUB lately. Thanks to "KISS IDOL," which is attracting some pretty impressive talent. Finalists will perform at SHOW NIGHTCLUB on Monday, April 25th. The event will also feature BRIAN McKNIGHT. Plus some surprise celebrity guests. If you'd like to attend, please don't hesitate to call me.

And it just never stops! The following night (Tues, April 26), KISS-FM's "Loveman"... LENNY GREEN...broadcasts LIVE from NY's LQ (Latin Quarters). Lenny's special guest for this special edition of KISSING AFTER DARK will be LALAH HATHAWAY. Again, if any of you would like to attend, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Gotta say SPECIAL THANKS to ELIZABETH McCRANK at UMVD for hooking us up with promotional items our street teams were able to give away at this year's NY Auto Show. The HOT 97 and KISS booths are ALWAYS popular attractions and this year was no different. Also shouting out JAZZ and YVES PIERRE at DEF JAM for their help with giveaway items for this event.

Finally... Summer Jam XII. Everyone should have this year's Music Retail Package. The pricing DID NOT go up from last year. There's plenty of on-air exposure, a track on our Summer Jam sampler, email newsletters to our database of more than 240,000 opt-in loyal listeners, and much more. INCLUDING IN-STORE EXPOSURE ON SAM GOODY TV WHICH HITS MORE THAN 450 STORES NATIONWIDE! And... as many of you who've already called know... I can move the spots to later in the summer to accommodate releases coming out in June or July.

So let's talk...

Meantime, everyone have a great rest of the week!

Update: 03-30-05 TRENDS, Summer Jam XII, CD101.9 in Ent. Weekly

Before we get started with the latest trends, the current #1s, latest adds, and other goings-on, check out this article that ran in Sunday's Daily News. Also, FOR THE LATEST TRENDS (JUST OUT MONDAY), SCROLL DOWN TO THE END OF TODAY'S UPDATE... AND IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN YOUR SUMMER JAM PROPOSAL YET, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO CALL ME... Give rap a break

March 27, 2005

This past Sunday, NY DAILY NEWS columnist David Hinckley weighed in on all the media attention focused on rap music and the hip-hop culture in recent weeks. "A lot of the folks who have been unloading on rap music and hip-hop culture in the last few weeks have been enjoying this beat-down just a little too much." You can view the entire article at David Hinckley Gets It Right.

HOT 97

#1 THIS WEEK: HATE IT OR LOVE IT (rmx)/ GAME feat. 50 Cent (Shady/Aftermath/G Unit)

ADDS: U ALREADY KNOW (RMX) / 112 feat. Foxy Brown (Def Soul), WAIT / Ying Yang Twins (TVT), GIRLFIGHT / Brooke Valentine (Virgin), BABY MAMA / Fantasia (J Records)

98.7KISS-FM

#1 THIS WEEK: LET ME LOVE YOU / MARIO (J)

NO ADDS:

ELE ROCKS SOBS! HOT 97's WHO'S NEXT LIVE monthly music series at SOBs brought ELEPHANT MAN (pictured) to the legendary club last week. Unsigned artist BLACK JEWELZ treated the crowd to a short set, wisely mixing in some dancehall flava with at least one track. Rodney Morandi, of the Hot 97 Programming Dept,  held it down all night on the 1s and 2s. And our own "On Da Reggae Tip" co-host JABBA hosted the night. Elephant Man lived up to his "Energy God" moniker with two adrenaline-fueled sets backed by his full band. Ele packed the club for 2 shows.

Here's another Ecrowd shot from one of the Elephant Man shows at SOBs. By the way, our series is currently sponsored by NAVAN and audience members were treated to FREE samples of this tasty fusion of vanilla & cognac at both Elephant Man shows. Coming up: April 19 at SOBs, we have MARTIN LUTHER confirmed. With SAUKRATES. And possibly Sony Urban's LYFE (who can definitely be seen at SOBs on 4/4). We'll be adding a couple of unsigned acts "from da streets" to round out this bill. JAGUAR WRIGHT looks to be our headliner on 5/31.  As I've mentioned before, the series will be complemented by a website where unsigned and emerging artists will be allowed to share their music for others to hear. WHOSNEXTONLINE.com should be up and running within the next 2 weeks.

"THE SMOOTH-JAZZ FORMAT IS AGING. IT'S GONNA DIE OUT AS ITS AUDIENCE GETS OLDER." That's WQCD (CD101.9 NY CHILL) PD BLAKE LAWRENCE quoted in last week's Entertainment Weekly. The piece is titled "Death To Smoothie?" It also includes an encouraging quote from the man who created the smooth-jazz format back in the '80s: "I haven't seen enthusiasm for a genre from such a wide range of people in a long time," says Frank Cody of LA's The Wave. If you'd like to read the whole piece, click here: Downloadewdeath_to_smoothie_32505.jpg 

THE TRENDS ARE IN! The second phase of the winter 2005 book came out Monday (3/28). And look at how WRKS (98.7KISS-FM) did with its core Adults 25-54 audience (all dayparts are Mon-Sun):

6A-12M: KISS went from 5.4 to a 5.9 (#3) in the trend and went 5.8-7.0 in the month for rank of... #1;

6A-10A: KISS went from 4.3 to a 4.8 (#5) in the trend and went 5.0-5.5 in the month for rank of #4;

10A-3P: KISS went from 5.0 to a 5.8 (#2) in the trend and went 5.6-7.4 in the month for rank of #2;

3P-7P: KISS went from 6.3 to a 6.9 (#) in the trend and went 5.9-8.8 in the month for rank of #1;

7P-12M: KISS went from a 6.4 to a 6.5 (#2) in the trend and went 7.1-7.1 in the month for rank of #1!

Now look at how WQHT (HOT 97) did:
[ALL results based on Mon-Sun 6a-12m]

Persons 12+: Hot 97 pulls a 5.2 share for the month. 

Persons 18-34: Hot 97 pulls an 11.0 share for the month. Good for another first place finish.

Teens: Hot 97 pulls a 20.6 share for February.  Good for another 1^st place finish.

TEENS rocked with HOT 97, landing us at  #1 in 4 of the 6 available day-parts (and we’re close to being #1 in the other two day-parts)!!!

COMING UP: 98.7KISS-FM'S LENNY GREEN BROADCASTS KISSING AFTER DARK LIVE FROM LQ ON TUESDAY, APRIL 26. SPECIAL GUEST: GEORGE DUKE. MORE GUESTS TO BE ADDED....ANGIE MARTINEZ & DJ ENUFF ARE STILL GIVING AWAY "STATE PROPERTY" PRIZE PACKS ALL THIS WEEK. ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WILL ATTEND THE PREMIERE OF "STATE PROPERTY II" IN NYC IN APRIL WITH ANGIE AND ENUFF!! GREAT PROMOTION. GREAT GRAND PRIZE. THANKS PECAS, YVES... HOT 97 WILL BE SUPPORTING THE UPCOMING JORDAN CLASSIC. SATURDAY, APRIL 16 AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN. MUSIC THAT NIGHT PROVIDED BY OUR OWN DJ ENUFF!...

Update: 03-15-05 Full Frontal, 50 Cent, CD101.9 Listening Parties

Before we get into it... Just bumped into DJ ABSOLUT and asked him what was big in the clubs. His pick: "OH" by CIARA feat. LUDACRIS (hey, coincidentally, an ADD this week on HOT...boy, Abso really can pick 'em). Then I saw CIPHA SOUNDS, who's holding it down for both ANGIE MARTINEZ AND DJ ENUFF this week. I asked him what was popping in the clubs and he didn't miss a beat. "'TOMA' by PITBULL. It's climbing!" he said. In fact, he said he was going to kick off THE RUSH HOUR with it... So there you have it. HOT 97 is on the streets and in the clubs. And that's what's popping!

HOT 97

#1 THIS WEEK:

HATE IT OR LOVE IT (rmx)/ GAME feat. 50 Cent (Shady/Aftermath/G Unit)

ADDS:

OH / Ciara feat. Ludacris (Jive)

THE CORNER / Common feat. The Last Poets (Good/Geffen)

SLOW DOWN / Bobby Valentino (DTP/Def Jam)

CD101.9

#1 THIS WEEK:

UP AND AT 'EM / Norman Brown ()

98.7KISS-FM

#1 THIS WEEK:

LET ME LOVE YOU / MARIO (J)

NO ADDS:

SUMMER JAM XII is just around the corner again. Sunday, June 5 at GIANTS STADIUM. Once again, I'll have a package available for our record label partners. One package will provide: 1) Inclusion in :60 pre-recorded spots on HOT 97; 2) LIVE :10 reads promoting your artist; 3) A feature channel on HOT97.com and inclusion in a newsletter to our 250,000+ database members (and that number will grow as we get closer to Summer Jam); 4) A track on our Summer Jam XII CD sampler, which will be inserted in the special edition of XXL created for this event and distributed to the audience; 5) 1 month of special positioning in the NY ADI with a major music retailer.

We'll also have a Festival Village once again and with that... a Festival Stage. Last year, we presented an incredible line-up of performances on this stage, including sets by MOBB DEEP, TOK, ERICK SERMON, LIL' WAYNE, NINA SKY, JIN, PITBULL, and others. It will be a little more consolidated this June, but I'll still be looking for 3-4 artists to put on the Festival Stage. And we're hoping to present some fashion segments, as well (last year, Jin killed it, performing one song while models came out in Ruff Ryders Clothing!).

My label and fashion partners will see a proposal for SUMMER JAM XII in the next day or so...

98.7KISS-FM is also gearing up for its next KISSING AFTER DARK Live broadcast with host LENNY GREEN. Looking at a mid-April date. In January, we presented JOSS STONE at the Copacabana. I know our Music Director JULIE GUSTINES already has a few artists in mind for this one. But if you have any suggestions, please feel free to call or email me... (please note that the artist performances ARE NOT broadcast live)

HOT 97 PRESENTS A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE BY ELEPHANT MAN this Tuesday night (3/22) at SOB's! In addition to a FULL BAND SET BY ELEPHANT MAN, we'll be featuring some brief showcases by PERRIER & KAMELEON and BLACK JEWLZ. It's part of our monthly live music series at SOBs, which started last September. The series now has a name, too: WHO'S NEXT LIVE. We'll have a microsite up shortly http://www.whosnextonline.com) where we'll encourage unsigned and emerging artists to post their music for others to hear. This will be a real peer-to-peer site for people who are passionate about their music. More to come. By the way, our next few shows are co-presented by NAVAN--A FUSION OF COGNAC & VANILLA. If you're planning on coming out--and I'm guessing more than a few of you probably are--be sure to get your COMPLIMENTARY TASTE of NAVAN on your way in! Hmmm... The Energy God, some roof-raising dancehall music, AND Navan cognac?! Works for me...

HOT 97 hosted a VIP LOUNGE SERIES event featuring 50 CENT recently. The winners-only event was taped at Sony Studios in NYC where it was hosted by ANGIE MARTINEZ and attended by over 150 Fitty fans. Angie's interview with 50 was great, with a lot of positive comments from 50 regarding recent events (in fact, some of his quotes from the interview were picked up by the local papers last week). Hot always asks that the artists perform 3 songs as part of the event. 50 did. And then he did another. And another. And another. It was a mini-concert that saw him bring OLIVIA and YAYO on stage! And as if that wasn't enough, 50 walked the crowd afterward, posing for pictures with every fan in the room. This event was co-sponsored by VERIZON. They just don't get much better than this. The promotion sounds HUGE on the air, winners are treated to an intimate, up-close-and-personal experience with their favorite artists, and the show is later broadcast to HOT 97's 2 million plus listeners. Special thanks to James Cruz and the crew at Violator, Karen Rait and Nino Cuccinello at Interscope, Mike Negri and his crew at Sony Studios, for making this happen!

HOT 97's FULL FRONTAL HIP HOP music and fashion event went down on March 3. The event took place at HAMMERSTEIN AUDITORIUM and was SOLD OUT! T.I., Daddy Yankee, Omarion, Fabolous, and Fantasia (pictured, left) all performed. Jennifer Lopez (pictured, below left) appeared. Angie hosted; DJ Enuff held it down on the 1s and 2s. And what a great look for our fashion partners in this event! KARA SAUN, fresh off The Bravo Channel's Project Runway, made a special appearance, introduced by J-Lo herself. We also presented new looks from ECKO UNLIMITED, ECKORED, POLO, NEVER BROKE, and KAUFMAN FURS. Rounding out the collections on stage, Mashonda introduced her new line, JANUARY JOY INTIMATES (pictured left; the one that isn't J.Lo). The models strutted out to the tune of Mashonda's hit, "Back of the Club." Toward the end of the event, ECKO surprised everyone by bringin out REMY MARTIN as a model for their segment.

ANGIE MARTINEZ & DJ ENUFF WILL BE DOING GIVEAWAYS NEXT WEEK. QUALIFYING WINNERS EACH GET A COPY OF BEANIE SIGEL'S NEW CD, "THE BECOMING" (OUT 3/29) PLUS SOME ROCAWEAR GEAR. ONE GRAND PRIZE WINNER WILL GET TO ATTEND THE RED CARPET PREMIERE OF "STATE PROPERTY II" WITH  ANGIE AND ENUFF! 

I'm looking to set up more listening parties with CD101.9 NY CHILL like the one we hosted at MANNAHATTA a few weeks ago.  Looking at going back to Mannahatta, checking out some other venues (and I'm always open to suggestions), and hoping to bring additional outside partners/sponsors on board.

That said... regarding HOT 97, CD101.9, and 98.7KISS-FM...All my label friends--it's more important than ever that you help me keep current on your upcoming releases. And on any artist appearances!

Please feel free to forward this blog url to others. The more people aware of our goings-on and upcoming opportunities, the better!

Meantime... have a great rest of the week!

chris

Update: 02-24-05 OMARION, 50 CENT, M. BAISDEN, ANTIGONE RISING

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“Just wanted to let you know, [recently] while I was in the cab from the airport the driver had on CD101.9FM New York Chill. I was thrilled to hear two of our tracks, ‘Fingerprints’ by Alex Cortiz and ‘Bossa Note’ from Dalminjo! Hearing them back announced was fantastic as well – as a result, we should see a bump in sales on the retail side.  Thank you so much for the support!”

–Stacey Taylor

Pandisc Music/Streetbeat Records/Kriztal Entertainment

The kudos for the relaunched CD101.9 just keep pouring in. Now then… before I get into what’s going on and coming up at CD101.9, 98.7KISS-FM, and HOT 97, I’ve got to talk about ANTIGONE RISING. Their music has absolutely nothing to do with any of our station formats, but seeing them perform provides one of those storied reminders of “why you got into this business in the first place.” I was invited to a taping they did last week at Sony Studios and I swear I’ve still got the entire set replaying in my head. I go into more detail below, so read on. First, some HOT, KISS, and CD101.9 news….

#1 on HOT 97

DISCO INFERNO / 50 CENT (Shady/Aftermath/G Unit)

ADDS: SO MUCH MORE / FAT JOE (Atl)

#1 on 98.7KISS-FM

CHARLENE / ANTHONY HAMILTON (Jive)

ADDS: I CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU – KEM (Motown)

CAUGHT UP – USHER (Jive)

ORDINARY PEOPLE – JOHN LEGEND (Col)

And topping CD101.9’s playlist…

HOW DOES IT FEEL / PETER WHITE (Sony)

STONE GROOVE / BONEY JAMES (Warner Bros)

RIDERS ON THE STORM / O’2L (Peak/Concord)

UP ‘N’ AT ‘EM / NORMAN BROWN (Warner Bros.)

SWEET GRAPES / MARION MEADOWS (Heads Up)

Getting down to business...

HOT 97’s monthly live music series at SOBs continued Tuesday night (2/22). Our series has a name now: WHO’S NEXT LIVE. Within  the next few weeks, we should have a microsite up through which unsigned artists will be able to post their music and information about themselves. HOT 97 will be driving listeners to the site where—we hope—they might get turned onto the next Jay, Biggie, Tupac, R. Kelly, or Mary J. You get the picture. Our phones have been off the hook and our mailroom already flooded with demos ever since this series kicked off last September with THE ALCHEMIST. Meantime, Tuesday night, DEAD PREZ were our featured headliners. The night also featured some R&B from the streets of  Brooklyn courtesy of DEEP (who have a hot mixtape on the streets mixed by our own DJ Kayslay), JUBILEE & CHOCOLATE TAI, and the “Runaway Slave,” SHANI KULTUR. It was a near sell-out, too! COMING UP NEXT MONTH: JAGUAR WRIGHT (3/22)…

And yesterday (Wed, 2/23) it was the proverbial trifecta as HOT 97 headed out to Queens Mall to join SAM GOODY in welcoming OMARION for a performance in celebration of his CD, “O,” which dropped today. And get this: The first 500 people who purchased Omarion’s CD at Sam Goody in Queens Center Mall on Tuesday got a wristband for yesterday’s event. The store, which normally opens at 10, opened at 7am. By 10:15, they

had distributed all 500 wristbands!... HOT 97’s DJ Envy hosted the event and I just wish I had some audio I could link to here so you could all hear the screaming as Omarion took the stage. The main floor was jammed and people lined the railings on each level overseeing—and in some cases, not even overseeing—the stage area. Good to see the guys from Sam Goody braving the crowd and manning a table with copies of “O” on sale.

From Queens we headed downtown to MANNAHATTA (Bowery at Bleecker) where, from 6p-8p, where the CD101.9 NY CHILL LOUNGE team took the lounge’s “hours of happiness” up a notch. We were celebrating jetBLUE’s 5^th anniversary! DJ SIMPLY P (aka our good buddy Paul Washington from ADA) featured new music from THIEVERY CORP., JEREMY ELLIS, and JAZZINHO, as well as playing tracks from compilations like ULTRA CHILLED V. 5 and GIANT STEP’s new SIMPLY GOOD MUSIC, V. 2… And he intro’d and/or back-announced all the new music! What I loved about the evening was the number of CD101.9 listeners who came up to me just to talk about the music they’re hearing on the station, with the #1 question being….WHERE CAN I BUY THIS MUSIC? I’m hoping this will the first of many listening parties with new partners. Mannahatta always offers great drink specials during their happy hour, but our new friends at TIGER BEER (and WHAT a party they threw at Drive-In Studios a few weeks ago) provided some of their brew so we were able to offer complimentary beer during our portion of the event. from 6p-8p plus giveaways, including vouchers for trips on jetBlue. Special thanks to Karrie Goldberg (at Cielo and Drive-In) for expediting the Tiger Beer connection for us!

And from downtown Manhattan we headed up to 41^st Street where 98.7KISS-FM hosted a winners- and guest list-only LISTENER APPRECIATION PARTY at SHOW NIGHTCLUB for the man who’s really stirred things up in the afternoon on NY radio this past year… MICHAEL BAISDEN. Michael officially became syndicated earlier this year and this event event gave some of his biggest fans a chance to spend some quality partying time with him. There was a limited open bar from 8p-10p courtesy of our friends at ANHEUSER-BUSCH, SCHIEFFELIN-SOMERSET, CLOS DU BOIS, and HYPNOTIQ.

Coming up quickly: HOT 97’S FULL FRONTAL HIP HOP. Been talking about this for weeks. Now it’s right around the corner. Performances by T.I., DADDY YANKEE, FABOLOUS, OMARION, and FANTASIA. An appearance by JENNIFER LOPEZ. Hosted by ANGIE MARTINEZ. Music by DJ ENUFF.  Plus fashion segments by ECKO UNLIMITED, ECKORED,  LADY G UNIT, JANUARY JOY INTIMATE, NEVER BROKE, and KAUFMAN FURS. It’s all going down next Thursday, March 3 at Hammerstein Ballroom.

And we’re on the air right now with our VIP LOUNGE FEATURING 50 CENT. This intimate, listeners-only event will tape next week and air on HOT 97 on Monday, March 7. ‘Course, the album just go pushed up to a March 3 release date, but still…

Right now, I’m preparing for Summer Jam XII at Giants Stadium. Last year, we introduced the Summer Jam Festival Village complete with a Festival Stage. You’ll see an abbreviated version this year. Summer Jam falls on Sunday, June 5 (mark it down!). And I’ll have a package together that encompasses on-air, on-line, retail, our Street Essentials CD sampler (50,000 distributed to our Summer Jam audience), plus 2^nd Stage performance opportunities. Our 2^nd Stage last year featured performances by TOK, Mobb Deep, Cormega, Nina Sky, Lil’ Wayne, Erick Sermon, Jin, and about a dozen other performers!

I’m gonna wrap up the station stuff with that. With Summer Jam. And, as promised earlier, I want to close with some comments about a band I saw the other night….

I saw ANTIGONE RISING perform at Sony Studios on Friday night (2/18). They were recording a live album that would be sold exclusively at Starbucks. I’d read a lot about the band but had never had the opportunity to see or hear them. All I can say is, what a great experience this was. While it’s easy to cite any number of artists their music recalls (Melissa Etheridge is easy to reference, but I like some of the descriptions I found on their chatboard, like “Dixie Chicks on steroids” and “Phish of pop rock”), the bottom line is this all-female quintet has honed its own unique yet timeless sound. What I heard was a natural, organic sound that was steeped in blues, folk, and plenty of rock (despite being an unplugged performance). This is a group that Delaney & Bonnie could’ve easily counted among their friends in the 70s, that the reunited Aerosmith would’ve embraced in the ‘80s, that the Black Crowes would’ve been hailing in the ‘90s, and who’ve earned whatever time in the national spotlight comes their way once they drop their Lava Records debut. Speaking of the Crowes, AR should be opening one of their numerous upcoming gigs at Hammerstein Ballroom. [Coincidentally, I read that AR did perform somewhere with Rich Robinson’s post-Crowes band.] AR talk about years spent traveling together in a van playing countless club gigs and that experience comes through loud and clear not only in their music but in their comfortable interaction with each other. And their audience. These girls have a great sense of humor (this is one live album where you can look forward to the between-song patter).

So how good was the performance, really? So good I rushed home and Googled ANTIGONE RISING and tried to buy any CDs I could online. Managed to find one of their indie releases still available. Also spent some time perusing various reviews they’ve garnered over the years. And logged time on their chatboard (where even the Sony Studios “live sound guy” was inspired to post a comment, in which he noted the “feel and vibe in the room was very spiritual, and almost romantic at times.”). Meantime, Friday night at Sony Studios was simply a great night, a night that reminded me—especially in this day of idols being created over the course of a TV season and artists thinking “paying your dues” means having to get your own reality TV show—it was heartening to see a group that so truthfully played with and off one another. Hopefully, AR will be one of the next bands to become a 7-year “overnight sensation.”

Chris