Dura Hale - Grand Prize Winner!
http://www.wreckthamic.com
http://www.myspace.com/durahale
Hip hop, Dallas, TX |
 If you are looking for an artist whose music contains gun talk, braggadocios lyrics, and the degradation of women you are certainly in the wrong place. There are many individuals who have grasped the concept of rapping but few who understand and appreciate the creative mind of a true musician. Dura Hale has the ability to mentally and visually paint a portrait for his listeners so they are not only able to enjoy his music, they can relate to it on a personal level. Dura infuses elements of jazz, soul, funk, and rock in his music to enhance his already dynamic rap lyrics and explosive delivery. His music is a unique combination of fire and ice. Dura is able to transform his music from exciting high energy rhythm tracks to cool, calm, and classy soul grooves that even a mature audience can vibe to. He takes you on a musical adventure through the mind of Dura Hale! |
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Lorenzo
http://www.lorenzolounge.com
http://www.myspace.com/lorenzolounge
Rock, Cincinnati, OH |
 In 2003, in a chance meeting backstage at Cincinnati's Music Hall, music legend Prince asked Mark Lorenzo, "Do you believe the cream will rise to the top?" After responding that he did, Prince continued, "Then you have nothing to worry about." Things have since taken off for Lorenzo. The band is touring in support of their release, Love Shape Bruise, recorded at Sunset Sound in Hollywood and Sin Studio with producer, Kevin Churko, Mutt Lange's engineer/programmer in recent years. Ironically, it's the exact same studio that Prince recorded all of his albums up to and including Purple Rain. Lorenzo became the first unsigned band to ever play the 20,000-plus seat RiverbendMusic Center when they opened for 3 Doors Down and Shinedown. They have also played with countless other acts including Default, Poison and Dark New Day. They also co-headlined the Labor Day Fireworks show for over 50,000 in Cincinnati with Hinder. In the band's first 21 shows, they have played for over an estimated 200,000 people. |
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Az One
http://www.azonesing.com
R&B/Pop, Bellville, IL |
 Composed of sisters Ayanna and Niambi Rowland, Az One will captivate you first with their drop-dead looks, then with a talent they've been honing since they began singing and performing in church choirs and musicals across the Midwest. The story continues the song "Be With You," written by Ayanna while working at the Illinois State Fair in 1999. The track was laid down in a dorm room on campus of Southern Illinois University, where both sisters were attending. The song found it's way to KATZ in St. Louis, which then produced a one-hour segment showcasing their songs. Since then Az One has they taken 1st place at Ro-Lisa's talent showcase in St. Louis, performed at the Juneteenth festival at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, IL, and the Illinois State Fair. They were a featured act during a Three Dimension dance show in Davenport, Iowa, and earned first place at the First Annual Black Expo in Springfield, IL. |
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Mark O'Connor
http://www.markoconnorjazz.com
Jazz, Tinley Park, IL |
 Saxophonist Mark O'Connor, an Austin, TX native, has been part of the Chicago and Milwaukee music scenes since 1996 as a performer, composer, and educator. His latest CD on Blujazz productions, Mirage, spent eight weeks on the national jazz radio charts and garnered such praise as: "With his hearty sound and bristling ideas, O'Connor can bowl over even a jaded follower of post-bop jazz." (Neil Tesser, Author, The Playboy Guide to Jazz, and Host of Miles Ahead on 1240 AM Chicago, and "A very good saxophonist he is... melodically and rhythmically engaging lines... expressiveness and melodic sensitivity." - Jazz Times Magazine. O'Connor has performed with such notables as Rufus Reid, Arturo Sandoval, Henry Butler, Steve Turre and Joe Williams. He has studied with well known jazz educators Dan Haerle and Fred Hamilton at the University of North Texas and at Eastern Illinois University with New Orleans piano luminary Henry Butler and Chicago pianist and producer of Mirage, Mark Maegdlin. |
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Rebels Advocate
http://www.rebelsadvocate.com
Hip hop, Des Moines, IA |
 Sounds coordinate to become words and words orchestrate to become power. Hip hop has brought power to the powerless, and a face to the faceless. In the honored tradition of Cube and PE, KRS and Quest, we present Rebels Advocate. Best described as a shot of truth too sweet to stomach, these guys have the rare ability to make meaningful hip hop fun again. The topics are never light, but the beats are so nice and the flows are so crisp, some listeners might not even fully digest the topics at hand. But fans who hunger for content won't be disappointed. H. Rap Brown and John Brown are the MCs and the music is provided by DJ Bashir. "One Brother," from the EP Panic In The Streets, charted in the top 25 in the two major hip hop college radio trades for six weeks in the Spring of 2006. |
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Pete Rodriquez Quintet
http://petestrumpet.com
Jazz, Manchaca, TX |
 Trumpeter, vocalist, percussionist and composer, Pete Rodriguez began his musical career at the age of 11, studying at the renowned Escuela Libre de Musica in Puerto Rico. Following high school graduation, Pete was offered full scholarships to both Rice University and the elite Manhattan School of Music. Rutgers University awarded him the prestigious Ralph J. Bunch Fellowship to pursue his graduate studies and he is now finishing his DMA in jazz performance at the University of Texas at Austin. More important than Pete's formal education is his musical experience playing with some of the best musicians in the world. Pete has performed with many of Latin music's luminaries, such as Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco, La India and Tito Puente, including singing on Puente's Grammy and Latin Grammy winning album, Mambo Birdland. Pete is the son of Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez, a music legend in the Latin music world who gave "Lil' Pete" the responsibility of directing El Conde's 12-piece orchestra while also playing the trumpet and singing. While excelling in the Latin field, Pete was also following his love for jazz, leading him down a path that allowed him to perform with such high profile bandleaders as Eddie Palmieri, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Chico O'Farrell, and Carlos "Patato" Valdez. Recently, he toured internationally with the legendary, Grammy-winning, Afro-Cuban jazz bandleader Bebo Valdez. |
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Our A&R screeners worked through 1,100 impressive submissions and selected these artists based on Overall Vibe, Songwriting, Vocal/Lead Instrument Performance, and Talent/Performance. These six artists performed at The Elbo Room in Chicago, IL on Thursday, August 17th, 2006.
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