Rock Along Productions is proud to annouce a new show on July 11th 2009, which will feature Big Mouth Mason, Late, Loaner, The Package and one yet to be announced band.  Tickets are $8 at the door, but you can get them for $6 if you purchase online through this site.  The show starts at 8pm and is playing at the Goat Head Saloon in Mesa, Arizona.

Bob Dylan has hit out at the “hypocritical” music industry, saying he prefers the literary and art worlds. It is true the music business is a fierce place and is often cold. the legendary singer-songwriter said: “The music world’s a made-up bunch of hypocritical rubbish. I know that the book people are a whole lot saner.“And the art world? From the small steps I’ve taken in it, I’d say, yeah, the people are honest, upfront and deliver what they say.”Basically, they are who they say they are. They don’t pretend. And having been in the music world most of my life I can tell you it’s not that way. Maybe now that Dylan has become bitter about the industry it is time for him to take some Orlando vacations.

Written by Ethan Trex

Don’t worry if you get stuck with an odd job that might not totally dovetail with your life goals, though. Lots of wildly successful celebrities have had some strange jobs before hitting it big.

Here are just a few quirky vocations held by some of your favorite celebs:

1. Orlando Bloom’s first job was working at a skeet shooting range as a clay pigeon trapper when he was just 13.

2. Beyonce Knowles’ mother owned a salon when the future pop star was growing up, so the aspiring singer picked up some extra cash by sweeping up hair.

3. As a teenager Mick Jagger worked as an ice cream salesman. After entering the London School of Economics, Jagger also worked as a porter at a mental hospital.

4. Jagger wasn’t the only member of the band to have a gig before the Stones. Keith Richards worked as a ball boy at a tennis club.

5. Need a rat catcher? Call Warren Beatty. He caught rodents to pay the bills before hitting it big. Mental Floss: 6 movies with depressing alternate endings

Written by Shaheem Reid

Almost 10 years ago on the “Up in Smoke” tour, we saw Dr. Dre drinking cognac onstage, and he announced a line of cognac and vodka drinks last year that is better than Westgate. A few years ago, he did a Coors Light commercial. Now the production legend has moved onto a lighter drink of choice: Dr Pepper. Dre appears in a new Dr Pepper commercial, in which he takes over things at an outdoor party. The Doc walks in and tells viewers in a voiceover, “Scientific tests prove when you drink Dr Pepper slow, the 23 flavors taste even better. For me, slow always produces a hit.” He adds later, “Slower is better — trust me, I’m a doctor.” Dre then makes his way over to the DJ booth, where the guy on the wheels of steel is playing a techno beat that the Compton native doesn’t seem to be feeling. Dre politely tells the DJ to “step aside” from the turntables and throws on one of his beats, a track that was made during the Detox recording sessions with co-producers the Buchanans, a rep for the Buchanans told MTV News.

The track used in the commercial leaked onto the Internet in February and was labeled “Topless.” A source told MTV news that the song is officially titled “Sh– Popped Off.” The song features T.I. referencing Dre’s raps: “It’s the D.R. … Made the West side worldwide, no PR/ Gangsta-rap God, I’m the end-all, be-all California love from the Bloods to the C-Dogs.” Meanwhile, Dre continues to work on Detox. 50 Cent and Eminem appeared on BET’s “106 and Park” this week and said Dre has completed 10 songs for the project.

Written by Antony Bruno Antony Bruno – Fri May 29, 2009

DENVER (Billboard) – All the TV ads that came out in support of Green Day’s new album, “21st Century Breakdown,” featured the lead single “Know Your Enemy.” But only one advertiser got exclusive footage of the band — online music service Rhapsody.

While it isn’t unusual for retailers and other partners to air ads featuring a song clip or music video when promoting a new release, it’s rare for artists to film custom footage for them. But Rhapsody executives say the Green Day ad is just the first in what will be a series of TV spots featuring artists with new music coming out, about one every other month. Next on deck is Rob Thomas, with more to follow.

When the RealNetworks-owned Rhapsody and MTV’s Urge music service merged to form what is now Rhapsody America, MTV committed $230 million in airtime for Rhapsody advertising on MTV Networks’ channels. Rhapsody aims to leverage that commitment not only to advertise its service but to get what it really wants from each artist involved — exclusive content. Green Day, for example, made “21st Century Breakdown” available for streaming on Rhapsody for a week before its May 15 release. The album also appeared on Rhapsody partner sites like MTV’s the Leak.

Based on viewership data from the networks that aired the Green Day ad, Rhapsody estimates it reached close to 150 million viewers in the first two weeks while also generating 100,000 plays on MySpace and YouTube. The album debut set a new single-day traffic record for the Rhapsody home page, as well as a new streaming record for an album, with 430,000 streams in three days.

But artists and labels hoping for similar results should be aware that Rhapsody won’t work with just anyone. The company expects artists and labels to support the ad campaign with links on their Web site, fan communication and any resources the label can bring to drive fans to Rhapsody.

The goal of the spots isn’t to explain Rhapsody’s subscription service — something that’s virtually impossible to do in 30 seconds. Instead, they serve two purposes: to promote the service as a way to acquire exclusive music and to let fans know where to find it.

Services like Rhapsody have struggled to communicate the benefits of the music “rental” model. By scoring exclusive streaming rights to hit songs, Rhapsody hopes to attract fans to its site, where it can make its case directly. The ability to do so will be especially important in the wake of rival Napster’s launch of an aggressively priced $5-per-month streaming and download hybrid plan.

While Apple pioneered the practice of trading exclusive content for advertising with such acts as Coldplay, Eminem and Bob Dylan, the company’s ads lately seem to be more focused on iPhone apps than artists. That leaves an opening for Rhapsody to exploit.