BBC FAME ACADEMY RETURNS WITH £1m BURSARY FOR TALENT AROUND THE UK

Once again profit made from phone lines and record sales from this hit entertainment series will be added to the Fame Academy Bursary fund, set up to give thousands of talented performers the chance to pursue their dreams. Full details on how young people, under the age of 30, can apply for the bursary will be made in the coming month.

Over 14 million phone votes in total were made during the show, with the final ending on a high as 6.9 million viewers voted - making it the highest ever poll for a BBC show.

David Sneddon, Fame Academy winner who will be advising the Fame Academy Bursary's Board of Trustees said: "As a struggling young singer songwriter, I was desperate for someone to give me the break I needed. My chance came through Fame Academy, and I hope thousands of others get the opportunity they need through the £1 million raised so far and whatever we can raise during this second series."

The Fame Academy experience offers students the chance of a lifetime. It is the ultimate training academy for musical stardom and this year's intake will benefit from the intensive training that put last year's students into the charts and on the route to careers in the music industry. The most experienced teachers in the business will offer guidance on their musical and song writing skills, and they will be coached and nurtured in their performance style and techniques.

Comic Relief Does Fame Academy proved to be one of the highlights of Red Nose Day, with the phone lines raising over £600,000 for the charity, resulting in the evening becoming the charity's most successful to date.

Students with the raw talent needed to make it into the Academy will be hand-picked from their audition tapes or through talent searches held around the UK including, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. Full details are available by calling 0870 5122200. Singing ability is a must but producers will also be keeping an eye out for students who can play their own instruments and compose their own music.

The five top students from the last series (David Sneddon, Sinead Quinn, Malachi Cush, Lemar Obika and Ainslie Henderson) have all signed record deals and are in the process of writing, recording and touring all their own new original material.
David Sneddon hit number one with his first single and is currently in the charts at number three with his second single, while Sinead and Ainslie also had top five singles and Malachi's debut album charted in the top 20. The other students are also using the song-writing, recording and vocal skills that they developed in the Academy to pursue careers in music. All twelve students have also just completed a sell-out Fame Academy tour.

Fame Academy is an Initial production (part of Endemol UK).

REAL Promotions has been specializing in getting unsigned music into the hands of the music industry for 3 years. With their contacts database and personal relationships with members of all areas of the industry continually developing, both Sheffield Unsigned 2001 and REAL Unsigned 2002 have been great successes. They are compilation CDs of the highest quality and have invoked positive reactions toward the bands that have been involved with them.

2003 brings another opportunity for you to take advantage of this service with REAL Unsigned 2003. As before, 250 copies of the compilation CD, which will include the music of up and coming unsigned bands / artists who are ready to present themselves to the music industry, will be sent out to a wide range of people in the industry including Record Labels and A & R, Publishers, Agents, Managers, Promoters, Venues and the Media.

Entry is not limited to Sheffield bands and tracks will be considered from all over the country.

There is a new APPLICATION FORM that you can download at http://www.realpromo.co.uk and send in to the new address.

The closing date for applications will be Tuesday 1st July.

LYRICS FOR LIFE GIVES CANCER PATIENTS & SURVIVORS SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT

Sister Hazel, Indigo Girls, Edwin McCain and Many More Rock the House to the Tune of More than $130,000

Atlanta, GA: An event "inspired by the healing power of music," Lyrics For Life inspired attendees to open their hearts and empty their pockets for a good cause. More than $130,000 was raised to fund researchers working to find a cure and enrich the lives of patients and families affected by cancer. Because of the small, private setting Earthlink Live provides, the audience lived through the elation of overcoming and the anguish of succumbing to cancer as the artists described personal experiences.
Tia Sillers commanded the stage and the audience sat transfixed as she shared the news that her mother had just been diagnosed with melanoma. Many artists shared stories about watching loved ones battle this dreadful disease. The night was emotionally wrenching, yet in the midst of all the tragedy, the acoustic performances brought joy that overwhelmed the crowd.
In addition to a night of superb music, attendees were privy to an exclusive silent auction in Earthlink Live's candlelit lobby. Prized possessions from some of today's hottest artists were on display to be auctioned off in this chic setting. With a blockbuster inaugural year, fans and celebrities pitched in to ensure that this year would not disappoint. From donated lyrics like hit songs "Cry" and "She's My Kind of Rain" from country music's sexiest couple, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, to Michelle Branch's "Name of Love" and Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" hand-written lyrics, music lovers had more priceless paraphernalia from some of today's and yesterday's biggest names than they could handle. House favorites, Sister Hazel, Edwin McCain, and the Indigo Girls, made unique contributions to the bidding tables as well.
Uniting musicians and celebrities in an evening of intimate performances benefiting the fight against cancer, Lyrics for Life has created a huge gathering in its two years. With all the proceeds benefiting cancer organizations, Lyrics For Life is giving those afflicted with the disease something to really sing about.
Founded by Sister Hazel front-man Ken Block in loving memory of his brother Jeffrey, who lost his battle against Cancer, Lyrics For Life began with the simple principal of "making music matter." By bringing hand-written lyrics and other memorabilia from some of modern music's most important artists together with warm, acoustic performances to help those living with the disease, Block has truly made music matter. Today, Lyrics For Life has become an industry-wide commitment to the fight against Cancer.
The next Lyrics for Life auction will be held May 25th at the Starfest concert held by Tampa Star 95.7.

www.lyricsforlife.org

CLUB MIA

Club MIA presents: Skate Night at The Printers Devil, Stoke Road Slough, 1 min from Train/Bus station walking.

Live on Stage :
Stuart Lennon, Chocolate Hostage, Second In Line + Sullivan

Friday 23rd May
The Printers , Stoke Road, Slough
Entrance Fee : £2.00
Doors open 8.00pm, Bar ‘til 1.00 am
Flyers and Maps : www.missinginaction.me.uk

HitQuarters launches SongQuarters, a unique music publishing and songwriting service that informs you of the recording status of the world's 500 most successful artists, including who is currently looking for songs, in what style, and who to contact. You can also listen to samples of each artist's songs and find leads for newly signed and other developing artists.

www.songquarters.com

NINE DOGS DEEP

The hype surrounding London band Nine Dogs Deep is gathering momentum. Recent reviews have declared Nine Dogs Deep are "on the verge of phenomenal success", "a hugely talented band with a big future" and "real contenders for the coveted title of 'Next Big Thing'".

Nine Dogs Deep have been confirmed to appear at the Mill Hill Music Festival on Friday June 6.

The event is establishing itself as a highlight on the festival calendar, showcasing North London's most gifted acts. Established and successful artists will cover a variety of genres alongside the most promising local talent.

The band have a string of dates in and around the capital leading up to the Festival, including performances in Shoreditch, Mayfair and Kentish Town already confirmed (details below).
Nine Dogs Deep are receiving fantastic reviews for their live show which "sets them apart from their contemporaries" and proves the band are "a genuine attraction on London's live music circuit". Their music sounds "as fresh as hearing a band like Blur or Coldplay for the first time". They have been touted as being "instantly infectious" and having "something to please everyone while still managing to come with a unique sound".
There is a real buzz following the band as their fan base swells after each performance, stretching as far afield as Australia, Sweden and Russia. Their music is receiving praise and turning heads within the industry. It seems only a matter of time before Nine Dogs Deep are unleashed.

Full information on the band is available on their website at www.ninedogsdeep.com

JJ BLAIR

Thanks to everyone who came to the Bret Alexander/JJB show at the Bullfrog last month. The audience was great and it's always good to hear Badlee/Alexander "classics" in a different setting. Bret & Johnny paired up on a few songs--notably "Sunday Morning" and a few others. JJB went cover-tune crazy, having just learned how to play "Space Oddity" by David Bowie. "Playing that live, for the first time, felt like a life accomplishment," says JJB.

JJB also had a good time at the ABBA Java Coffee House in State College. He says, "It's like a gigantic living room with a great sound system." More thanks to all who came to that one.

###UPCOMING CONCERTS###

* Sat. 5/17, 11am. Downtown Merchants Assoc. Arts Fair, Pine Street @ 4th Street, Williamsport PA

* Fri. 5/30, 10PM Bullfrog, 225 W. 4th Street, Williamsport PA (570-326-4700)--JJB is opening for Richard X Heyman--JJB say, "Richard is a phenomenal singer-songwriter from NYC who restored my faith in the subgenre known as power pop--even though Richard doesn't specifically label himself as such. Richard has a long and interesting career (recently profiled in Billoboard Magazine) doing melodic, punchy and cogent pocket symphonies. A friend described it as 'imagine Elvis Costello if he fronted the Left Banke,' though I'd add some blue eyed soul to the mix too. RXH is coming with with a 3 pc. band. Visit his website www.richardxherman.com and try to make this gig if you can."

***WEB & AIR NEWS***

Do you like making your own "mix" CDs? Cuts from FIRE and EXOTIC ANIMALS... are now available to download at http://stage.vitaminic.com/main/johnny_j_blair. Vitaminic is based in San Francisco, just blocks from JJB's old house on Steiner Street.

"She's Not Some Animal" still hovers in the Top 10 at KAOS-FM in Australia.

KRISTI MOORE

WHAT: Phenomenal vocal ability of up and coming singer, debuts with a song of patriotism, passion and a proud love for America. Featured on Clearchannel Radio, including XL106.7 FM.

WHO: Central Florida resident Kristi Moore, 20, has released her first single American Tears, dedicating both passion and patriotism for the United States Armed Forces. All profits from the sale of the single will be distributed by the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (www.nmcrs.org), to families of American soldiers who were killed in the recent, "Operation Iraqi Freedom."

WHY: To raise money for families of fallen soldiers in "Operation Iraqi Freedom."

WHERE: July 3,2003 Moore will be singing her debut single American Tears at this year's "Red, Hot and Boom" at Crane's Roost Park in Altamonte Springs. The CD will be sold at the event.

http://www.kmooremusic.com