The California foursome’s ethos is amply displayed on the 1994 album Smash and its breakthrough single “Come Out and Play.” Authoritatively sung by Dexter Holland, the song boasts lyrics that capture the exhilaration and death-defying foolishness of juvenile delinquency: ”They're like the latest fashion/They're like a spreading disease/The kids are strappin' on their way to the classroom/Getting weapons with the greatest of ease.” Holland’s performance is offset by guitarist Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman, who coaxes loopy Middle Eastern melodies from his instrument like a punk-rock snake charmer.

“Come Out and Play” rocketed to no. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, easing the way for subsequent Offspring hits including “Self Esteem,” “Gotta Get Away” and “Bad Habit.” Smash sold a remarkable 14 million copies worldwide, the record for most album units sold by an indie label band.

“Come Out and Play” surfaced just as gangsta rap was rising into the mainstream from the urban underground. With its ambiguous mix of gang-banger lyrics and punk absurdism, the single seemed to herald the arrival of a prophetic new force in rock & roll.

The Offspring continue to cast a puckish eye on western youth culture. On albums Ixnay on the Hombre, Americana, Conspiracy of One and Splinter, the band has explored topics including machismo (“Hit That“), societal decay (“Americana,” “LAPD“) and the mainstream appropriation of black culture (“Pretty Fly [for a White Guy]”).

Over the course of its 20-year history, the group has released seven studio albums, one compilation, three EPs and three DVDs, selling more than 32 million records worldwide. One of history’s best-selling punk acts, the Offspring seized the torch lighted by fearless post-Zeppelin visionaries including the Ramones, Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys.

Several elements factor into the Offspring’s success: Guitarist Noodles’ no-nonsense thrashings and the bedrock rhythms of bassist “Greg K.” Kriesel lay the crucial groundwork. Since the band’s inception, able drummers have included James Lilja, Ron Welty and Atom Willard. Former Saves The Day percussionist Pete Perada currently tours with the band.

Frontman Dexter Holland may be the Offspring’s secret weapon. His blowtorch vocals toe the line between Johnny Rotten snarling and Steve Tyler-inflected bombast. “Self Esteem,” “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy),” “Hit That” and other Holland-penned tunes combine punk attitude with pop, classic rock, reggae and ska.

Named valedictorian of his high-school class, Holland earned a master’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Southern California. Though he cites seminal punk bands Social Distortion and the Dead Kennedys as influences, Holland also professes a soft spot for legends including The Beatles and Bob Dylan.

His intellect and broad musical tastes help explain his sly songwriting style, but the singer firmly insists he doesn’t pander. "If I don't sell three million records, I'm going to commit suicide?" Holland quipped during a 1998 Rolling Stone interview. "You can't second-guess what the audience might say…if you try to gear your writing toward that, you're truly lost."

Holland’s philosophy has paid off handsomely. In addition to leading the Offspring, he and bandmate Greg Kriesel are founders of Nitro Records. Driven by passion, not market research, the California indie label has championed punk acts including the Vandals and Guttermouth, along with progressive group AFI.

Lately, the Offspring have been sequestered in the studio recording their eighth studio album with producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi). One may confidently surmise that the band’s forthcoming recording will rock — without taking itself too seriously.

The Russian-born, Bronx-bred singer/songwriter/pianist cites Billie Holiday, Frederic Chopin and The Beatles as major influencers, further defining Spektor’s explorative range and eclectic style.

“I don’t have an overall sound,” she explains. “I tend to think of each song as its own little world, so one song can be a complete punk song, while another could be a chamber ensemble with strings.”

In 2001, Spektor graduated with honors from the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College in New York, and spent time performing at the Sidewalk Café and the Living Room in New York City’s café circuit. A few years later, she accepted tour invitations from The Strokes and Kings of Leon.

Preceded by two self-released albums, 11:11 in 2001, Songs in 2002 and 2004’s breakthrough Soviet Kitsch (Sire), Spektor unleashed Begin To Hope in 2006, hitting No.1 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart.

Produced by David Kahne, Spektor’s abstract narrative on Hope is thoughtful, echoing such literary allusions as Boris Pasternak in “Apres Moi,” while “Fidelity” and “On the Radio” demonstrate pop accessibility.

“Somebody might be a quiet, tea-drinking gentleman who is very polite and nice, but he’s an actor and he plays Macbeth,” she says. When I play, it’s all real emotions and real empathies, but certain things aren’t summoned that just don’t need to be summoned in everyday life.”

The title track of The Who’s 1965 debut American album, The Who Sings My Generation, with such stuttered lyrics as “talkin’ ‘bout my g-generation,” introduced one of the most important and revered bands of the 1960s — and one of the very few to still remain active some four decades later.

It’s not exactly the same band, of course. Keith Moon, The Who’s original drummer and the embodiment of the outrageous rock & roll fantasy lifestyle at its most extreme, succumbed to the fast life in 1978. Original bassist John Entwistle followed suit, though he lasted until 2002. But surviving vocalist Roger Daltrey and guitarist/vocalist/ songwriter Pete Townshend trudged on, performing the classic hits without a new studio album from the band since It’s Hard.

But that album, which yielded the minor pop hits “Athena” and “Eminence Front,” came out in 1982 — over 24 years ago! So the fall 2006 release of Endless Wire was greatly anticipated and ecstatically received. Many critics felt that it was the best work by Townshend (who continued to issue solo albums since It’s Hard) in years, if not decades.

There are key differences, to be sure. On the critical musicianship side, Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr’s son and The Who’s more-than-able touring drummer since 1996 (he actually received his first drum kit from his idol Moon), is present; equally estimable bassist Pino Palladino, who assumed the band’s touring bass role after Entwistle’s passing, is another seamless fill-in.

In the vocal department, Daltrey’s bluster has aged well and is altogether fitting: Always the delivery vehicle for Townshend’s lyrics, Daltrey has been supplied with songs showing the observations and reflections of a complex man now in his sixties. So while the album’s opening track, “Fragments,” may hark back to “Baba O’Riley” (from 1971’s Who’s Next) with its dainty keyboard play, it is not at all the “teenage wasteland” of that song’s stirring verse. Nor is Endless Wire a mere throwback to earlier Who work in other aspects, though there are plenty more links with the past that are just as obvious, both musically and thematically.

Rather, Endless Wire is Pete Townshend at his most pensive and philosophical — and modern. In “Fragments,” the artist who with his band helped define England’s modernist (mod) youth subculture of the mid-1960s, experiments with composer Lawrence Ball in creating music by way of the “Method” — an interactive music composition tool — as envisioned in Townshend’s three interlocking rock-opera projects: Lifehouse, which The Who released in 1972; Psychoderelict, Townshend’s solo album from 1993; and The Boy Who Heard Music, his blog’s novella written over the past two years.

In that novella, “Fragments” is a big hit song by the three-piece band that is the center of the story. By itself, it’s an existential exploration of man’s place in the universe, though it returns in shorter instrumental form in the middle of “Wire & Glass,” a 10-song “mini-opera” tie-in with the novella that makes up the second half of Endless Wire (the album’s title track is itself a song from this part of the program).

“Man in a Purple Dress” is simply Daltrey backed by Townshend’s acoustic guitar, and in its mocking rejection of priestly hypocrisy, is one of three songs Townshend wrote after watching Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. The frenetic rocker “Sound Round” evokes youth at life’s crossroads, “We Got a Hit” is a cynical take on stardom, and “Black Widow’s Eyes,” with its “Pinball Wizard” power-chording, is an ironic love song situated in the horrific Beslan (Russia) school massacre.

Giving it a final context, then, Endless Wire, seems an extension of The Who’s skeptical 1970 hit “The Seeker,” in which Daltrey gives voice to Townshend’s dismissal of Dylan, The Beatles and Timothy Leary, none of whom can provide life’s big answers. Ever the spiritual wanderer, Townshend, who was heavily influenced by the Indian guru Meher Baba, perhaps tenders his own answer in “Mirror Door,” the mirror, incidentally, being a key symbol in Tommy.

Citing such musical luminaries as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Johnny Cash, Daltrey’s voice concludes, “Music makes me, makes me strong.” As always, though, they are the words of Townshend, whose musical strengths have never been more pronounced as the creative genius behind The Who.

Often recognized by their trademark ties—Rob (yellow tie-vocals/guitar), Zubin (blue tie-vocals/bass), Ross (silver tie-percussion), Joe (red tie-vocals/guitar), and Andrew (green tie-vocals/keys)—Tally Hall began in 2002 when Andrew met Rob through friends. Andrew, the only member not originally from Michigan, began writing songs when he was eight years old and eventually headed to the University of Michigan to study composition. There he met Rob, who attended high school with Zubin and joined Joe's film production group. When Tally Hall's original drummer left the band, they recruited Ross, who went to high school with Joe.

While Andrew was the only member to study music formally, Rob and Joe proved accomplished songwriters with similar desires to start a band. They worried less about stylistic boundaries than about fulfilling their creative potential. Joe describes it this way: "We don't like the idea of limiting ourselves to one genre because there's no point in doing that. If a certain idea requires a certain sound then why limit ourselves?" Accordingly, Mechanical Museum is spacious, intimate, hilarious, serious; disparate and seamless all at once. It's the natural result of having three songwriters, four vocalists, and five capable musicians in one band, as well as their common interests in the The Beach Boys, Queen and more recent artists like Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens. "We listen to everything and we try to take ideas from different genres and broaden the span of what people perceive as rock music," says Andrew. "The song wouldn't be the same if all of us weren't involved."

Early on, Joe filmed a surreal music video for the calypso-tinged "Banana Man." The video appeared on the internet humor site Albino Black Sheep (www.albinoblacksheep.com), drawing new fans to the band's website. "We didn't really realize what was going on outside of Ann Arbor," says Ross. "Then our website started crashing each month from the bandwidth and it became obvious that there were people outside of Ann Arbor that were listening to the music." To date, the video has been downloaded over two million times.

Andrew's song "Good Day"—the first he wrote for the band—heralded further success for Tally Hall, as it was not only featured on Fox's hit series The O.C., but also won Andrew the BMI/John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship, and a meeting with Brian Wilson. "Good Day" introduces the band by traversing their broad stylistic spectrum within a few minutes. A concise opening piano gives way to momentary rock bombast, before dropping back into a verse newly adorned with expanded instrumentation. By the end of the song we've heard an interlude that would make Freddie Mercury sweat through his body suit and a gather-round-the-piano sing-along that references the Beatles without imitating them.

Tally Hall has appeared with OK Go, Nightmare of You, World Party, and Fastball, among others. This summer will provide more opportunities to catch the band's compelling live show, though they'll also be using the time to write new songs and get a handle on their devoted and obsessive fans. "We've had people travel halfway across the country to see our shows," says Andrew. "We just assume that most bands have their fair share of loyal followers. Ours are just a little more…proactive." With so many fans mulling over everything from song lyrics to which members are single, why the modesty? "In the end, if someone likes us because we are funny, then I think we have succeeded in a way. But, if someone appreciates us because they understand us, then I think we will be truly satisfied," Zubin explains. "We're not a band that has a lot of pretenses," says Rob. "As long as people like the music, that is the main thing we're concerned with, and whatever they take from it, at least they're taking something." Whatever it is that Tally Hall is giving, they've got enough to go around.

CSN continue to enhance their legacy with new milestones and achievements, including a major concert tour in 2003. Potent as ever in holding an audience in thrall with their exquisite harmonies, Rolling Stone Magazine called a 1999 show at San Francisco’s venerable, Bill Graham-established Fillmore Auditorium “One of the concerts of the decade.”  That same year, CSN released the fourth career album of their quartet incarnation, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s critically acclaimed Looking Forward, with musical brother Neil Young.  In 2000, this artistically fearsome foursome toured the world with a hugely successful CSNY reunion tour, garnering rave reviews and conjuring up all the musical magic of their storied partnership everywhere they played.

In 1997, CSN was inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, recognizing their massive contribution to the evolution of contemporary American music.  The gala evening proved doubly special for Stephen Stills, who was the first artist to be enshrined twice on the same day, once with CSN and again for Buffalo Springfield… it also marked the second induction for David Crosby, who’d previously been ushered in with The Byrds. In fact, all three of CSN’s members claim such dual artistic citizenship.  Upon its formation in 1968, the trio instantly became a phenomenon greater than the sum of its parts, and the term ‘Supergroup’ fit the new venture like a glove.  Yet each partner already had their own substantial rock ‘n roll pedigree, having come from another hit-making band—Crosby from The Byrds, Stills from Buffalo Springfield, and Nash from The Hollies.  Together, they forged something magical, made possible by the harmonic convergence of their great talents.

Native Californian David Crosby, son of an Academy Award-winning cinematographer, began his career as a folk singer.  Although intending to become an actor when he moved from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles in 1960 at the age of 19, music prevailed and Crosby spent two years on the road, playing in clubs and coffeehouses throughout the country.  Back in L.A. in ‘63, Crosby won widespread recognition for his songwriting and charismatic presence with The Byrds.  Through his work with the seminal folk-rock band, Crosby helped co-invent an era-defining genre that influenced early ‘60s contemporaries Bob Dylan and The Beatles, and scores of musicians who followed. The Byrds-- which also included Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Gene Clark and Michael Clarke—brilliantly fused acoustic folk with electric rock and roll, and the success of the Dylan-penned “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” and their own “Eight Miles High” brought critical praise, worldwide fame, and financial prosperity.  The latter allowed Crosby, a lifelong lover of all things nautical, to buy the 60-foot schooner The Mayan-- ever since, sailing has been a refuge as well as a recurring metaphor in many compositions.

Born in Texas, Stephen Stills had a peripatetic childhood, growing up in Illinois, Louisiana, Florida, Panama and Costa Rica, where he graduated from high school, resulting in the Latin influences that pepper his music.  Settling back to Florida, Stills played in a succession of bands, including The Continentals, with future Eagle Don Felder.  After he moved to NYC’s Greenwich Village, he began performing with the Au Go-Go Singers, which also included Richie Furay.  While touring in Canada with The Company, an Au Go Go’s offshoot, Stills happened to share the stage with Neil Young and the Squires.  They hit it off and agreed to work together, but Young disappeared.  Stills and Furay finally hooked up with him in L.A. in 1967, and after adding drummer Dewey Martin, Buffalo Springfield was born.  Stills and Young were a fiery combination, their contrasting guitar styles giving Buffalo Springfield a unique sound that quickly made them a sensation.  It was while with the Springfield that Stills, inspired by the riots between police and hippies on the Sunset Strip, wrote “For What It’s Worth,” one of the landmark anthems of the sixties.

Hailing from Blackpool, England, Graham Nash was inspired by songs he listened to on his parents’ radio.  At the age of fourteen, he and pal Allan Clarke began singing in local pubs in a style heavily influenced by the Everly Brothers.  Encouraged by their success, the pair decided to commit to a musical career and billed themselves as the Two Teens, who, after several evolutions and name changes, became The Hollies (named after Buddy Holly).  With Nash singing high harmony, Clarke handling lead, and Tony Hicks underneath, The Hollies—- created some of the most stirring 3-part harmony ever in popular music… they also became one of the most commercially successful acts of the British Invasion era.  In 1966, The Hollies released three hit singles went Top 10 in both the U.K. and the U.S.: “Bus Stop,” “Stop Stop Stop,” and “Carrie Anne.”  That same year, Nash and The Hollies recorded the album Two Yanks In Britain with their idols, The Everly Brothers.  It featured eight Nash-Clarke-Hicks compositions, the guitar work of a young session musician named Jimmy Page, and the harmonies of The Hollies.  It’s an experience Nash still considers a highlight.

As the ‘60s progressed, the seeds of change were sown that would unite these three consummate singer-songwriters and musicians.  By ‘68, Crosby had exited the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield had disbanded, and Nash, unfulfilled with The Hollies, was seeking new challenges. The planets fully lined up for CSN when, after Crosby produced Joni Mitchell’s auspicious debut album, he and Stills began collaborating.  They invited Nash—whose vocal abilities they admired--to their Laurel Canyon home during an L.A. stop on a Hollies tour.  They played two songs they were working on, “Helplessly Hoping,” and “You Don’t Have To Cry,” and Nash joined in.  According to Crosby, “When we heard him put on that third harmony, I thought I was gonna die.  I thought my heart was gonna jump right through my mouth.  It was about the rightest thing I ever heard.”  Nash concurs, “The minute I heard how our voices sounded together, I was physically and musically linked with David and Stephen from then on.  It was a truly magical moment.” Soon after, true to the lyrics of “Helplessly Hoping,” David Crosby, Stephen Stills & Graham Nash became “three together.”

In 1969, the trio released their stunning debut album, Crosby, Stills & Nash.  Along with “Helplessly Hoping,” Nash’s “Marrakesh Express,” Stills’ “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” and Crosby’s “Guineverre,” the album went straight to number one on the charts.  What’s more, it captured the hearts and minds of an entire era.  As Nash remembers, “We were all very much in love with each other; we were all very much in love with the music…obviously doing something we felt was totally unique.  It was against the grain of most of the music that was out at that time, and we just managed to slip this acoustic-feeling record right through all the stacks of Marshalls and giant electric guitars.”

Their rich, contemplative LP masterpiece made musical history, as did the band themselves when, joined by Neil Young, they played for a half a million people at the epochal 1969 Woodstock Music & Arts Festival in upstate New York in what was only their second appearance together.  CSNY’s stirring performance exemplified the spirit of the day, and is still treasured as a touchstone for many who came of age in the ‘60s (songs from their set later appeared on the Woodstock and Woodstock Two soundtracks in ’70 and ’71). 

In 1970, CSN released the now-classic album Déjà Vu to great acclaim, generating three Top 40 singles: "Woodstock" (#11), and Nash’s smash double play of "Teach Your Children" (#16) and "Our House" (#30).  It also introduced perennial favorites including Young’s “Helpless,” Stills’ “Carry On” and Crosby’s “Almost Cut My Hair.” Next up was 1971’s 4 Way Street, a double live LP that showcased both group dynamics and solo strengths, and delivered Neil Young’s “Ohio,” a rebellious memorial to the four students killed at Kent State in 1970.  Although CSN–-and CSNY—drifted apart later in the ‘70s, they continued to perform and record, individually and in various configurations.  Solo, Crosby released If I Could Only Remember My Name, and Nash followed with Songs For Beginners.  Together, the pair recorded three albums, and the hit single “Immigration Man.”  Stills released the platinum Stephen Stills, Stephen Stills 2, two LPs with Manassas, and Long May You Run with Neil Young. 

And, while CSNY released the chart-topping multi-platinum compilation So Far in 1974, it wasn’t until 1977’s CSN that the trio delivered more new studio recordings.  The album’s “Just A Song Before I Go” became their first multi-platinum single, and their highest-charting track, reaching #7 on Billboard’s Hot 100.  The follow-up, 1982’s Daylight Again, added two more hits to the CSN songbook, Stills’ “Southern Cross” and Nash’s “Wasted On The Way.”  Allies, in 1983, was a collection of live highlights from assorted concerts. At that point, after fourteen years together, CSN had put out only five albums of new material.  Some critics attributed their limited discography to unresolved “creative differences,” but as Crosby pointed out, “We said up front when we started, ‘We’re gonna work in different combinations, in every combination that’s potentially there.  You’ll see albums by two of us or by one of us…’ So, of course, they ignored it, and every time we did anything else, they said, ‘Oh, they broke up.’  And, every time we got back together, they said, ‘Oh they reformed.’  The truth is we’re gonna work in whatever combination that pleases us.”

Crosby’s words rang true with the 1988 release of CSNY’s American Dream, a platinum-plus album that brought the group full circle, reaching a new generation of listeners.  They were further underscored with the release of Live It Up in 1990, featuring CSN along with guest appearances by artists including Peter Frampton, Branford Marsalis, Bruce Hornsby, and Crosby’s old Byrds-mate, Roger McGuinn.  The following year brought the four-CD retrospective Crosby, Stills and Nash, now certified platinum. The deluxe compilation houses archival photos, extensive liner notes and 78 tracks chronicling their then-22-year history together, including 27 previously unreleased rarities. In 1994, CSN released After The Storm, featuring performances by Stills’ son Christopher and daughter Jennifer, among others.  That same year marked CSN’s 25th anniversary, which they celebrated in grand style with a sixty-date tour, including a return visit to the most famous location of their performing career when they lent their special magic to Woodstock ’94.

The end of the ‘90s and the beginning of the new millennium brought a major renewal for CSN and compatriot Neil Young.  In 1999, CNSY entered the studio to record Looking Forward, the acclaimed album preceding their full-scale 2000 reunion tour.  Produced by the group, Looking Forward features new material from all four.  Individually, and as a whole, their talents shone, and it was an admitted thrill for them to record in unison, gathered around a single microphone.  The collaboration took off powerfully, and the ecstatic spirit of their music-making was clearly in evidence throughout the 2000 tour, where fans young and old experienced the house being brought down around them every night by spine-tingling harmonies and heart-wrenching contrasts. They reprised the experience for CSNY’s equally acclaimed 2002 ‘Tour Of America.’

Today, looking forward perfectly describes the separate and joint visions of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash as they embark on their world tour of 2005.  CSN continues to play major concerts together all over the world in support of the recently released Crosby*Nash album, the new Stills’ studio record, Man Alive!, and Crosby, Stills & Nash Greatest Hits.  Their music was prominently featured in the stunning new IMAX feature Coral Reef Adventure—an unforgettable journey across the Great Barrier Reef--from Macgillivray Freeman Films, the creators of Everest.  At the same time that their joint musical venture continues to thrive, each of the three is deeply involved with an array of individual projects.

David Crosby is collaborating with Graham Nash on a new album, their first studio effort as a duo since 1976’s Whistling Down The Wire.  2003 set the stage for a rare solo tour from Crosby, and   recently, he has also recorded and toured with CPR, the jazz-inflected rock trio he formed with James Raymond, the biological son he was reunited with in 1995 after giving him up for adoption thirty years earlier.  CPR’s third album, Just Like Gravity, was released in 2001, following ‘99’s Live At The Wiltern, recorded in Los Angeles.  Crosby is also an ardent activist for campaign finance reform, organizing a major citizens’ rally in Washington, D.C. prior to the November 2000 elections.  He regularly performs benefit concerts in support of a number of causes near and dear to his heart.

Stephen Stills is also set to release his new solo album, Man Alive!, the follow up to his most recent solo disc, 1991’s acclaimed Stills Alone.  Set for release this summer, the album—produced by Stephen and Joe Vitale—features outstanding performances with Herbie Hancock, Graham Nash and Neil Young, and will be preceded by the track, “Feed The People”, forwhich Stills received the 2004 UNICEF Children’s Champion Award. Recently, Stills was deeply entrenched—along with Neil Young--in putting together Box Set, the critically revered, comprehensive, 4-CD, Buffalo Springfield retrospective issued on Elektra-Rhino Records in 2001. 

In addition to recording with Crosby, for the new Crosby/Nash album featuring 18 new Crosby/Nash recordings released earlier this year and followed by a Crosby/Nash tour of Europe in February and March, Graham Nash is underway with the 5.1 mix—for DTS Entertainment—of Another Stoney Evening, capturing a 1970 Crosby/Nash concert, and is involved with an upcoming DVD project filmed and recorded while Crosby/Nash were on tour in Dublin in March.  In 2002, Songs For Survivors came out, Nash’s first solo album in many years, which he co-produced with Russ and Nathaniel Kunkel.  Released in DVD-A on DTS, and on CD by Artemis Records, it marks the first time a major artist premiered a new album in 5.1 prior to its stereo release.  The disc won the DVD Association’s prestigious ‘DVD Excellence Award,’ and Nash himself was named ‘Surround Music Artist of the Year’ at the first annual Surround Music Awards in December ’02.  Also in 2002, Off The Record: Songwriters On Songwriting--a coffee-table volume featuring interviews with 25 composers—was published.  Accompanied by an audio CD, the deluxe book was co-presented by Nash and Manuscript Originals, which he founded in 1993 to commemorate classic songs via museum-quality artworks designed around handwritten lyrics.  Also in the visual arts arena, Nash oversees Nash Editions, a world-renowned digital fine arts press. A gifted photographer with an increasingly high-profile, his ‘New York Portfolio’ recently had its debut showing in New York City.

Solo commitments notwithstanding, Crosby, Stills and Nash have always been about community.  Both as world citizens speaking out on causes they believe in (and perform on behalf of, including No Nukes, Live Aid, and AMFAR concerts, and countless more), and as artists who believe in the music they make in unison, their dedication is unwavering.  Just as they will always address the important issues facing our society, CSN will forever--in song--remain three together.

BMI, Turning Leaf Vineyards, and Hewlett Packard (HP) will present live performances by songwriters BMI Tyler Hilton, Chris Stills, Julianna Raye and William Tell during the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, being held Jan. 18-28 in Park City, Utah. Turning Leaf, a sponsor of the Film Fest, will be hosting the performances in the "Leaf Lounge," an exclusive wine bar that will be free and open to the public (21 and over only; capacity restrictions apply).

Tyler Hilton	Chris Stills

Each one-hour performance is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the Leaf Lounge, which will be located at 751 Main Street in Park City. Tyler Hilton will perform on Saturday, Jan. 20; Chris Stills will perform on Sunday, Jan. 21; Chris Stills and Julianne Raye will perform together on Monday, Jan. 22; and William Tell will perform on Tuesday, Jan. 23.

Julianna Raye	William Tell

"We're thrilled to partner with BMI and HP again this year to bring such a superb array of singer/songwriters to Sundance," said Noelle Campbell of Turning Leaf. "These young artists will be an exciting addition to the experience we offer festival-goers in the Leaf Lounge."

"We're happy to have this opportunity for our songwriters at Sundance, as it gives both the public and the filmmaking community an opportunity to discover four of the most vital voices in music today," said Tracie Verlinde, Senior Director, Writer/Publisher Relations at BMI. "It's a unique opportunity for the public to participate in a Sundance Film Festival event and hear music that has become a soundtrack for filmmakers and the stories they tell."

Palm Springs, Calif., native Tyler Hilton is an accomplished singer/songwriter/actor, having released his major label debut, The Tracks Of, to much acclaim along with film and television support. His first single, "When It Comes," climbed through the charts and also saw him embark on the Virgin College Megatour with Michelle Branch. On the acting side, Hilton played the role of a young Elvis Presley in the feature film Walk the Line, and also had a recurring role on the WB Television series One Tree Hill. Music being his first passion, Tyler has continued touring, selling out multiple venues on the West Coast performing what has been described as "...ebullient, contemplative blues-folk ballads...and music in the grand tradition of songwriters like Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie."

It has been said that Chris Stills has the "perfect storm" in his gene pool. A talented singer/songwriter who is as adept in French as he is in English, Stills has created his own path in his parents' footsteps - Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) and French chanteuse Veronique Sanson. With an immaculate sense of melody and an earth-shatteringly beautiful voice, he has released two CDs, with his second, self-titled CD slated for a U.S. release this April. He journeys to the Sundance Film Festival to promote the music for the film, Resurrecting the Champ, for which he wrote, performed and produced two songs. The film is directed by Rod Lurie and stars Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Alan Alda and Teri Hatcher. Lurie and Julianna Raye co-wrote two songs, "Quiet Poems" and "Every Eden," for the film, and Chris and Julianna sing on both of them.

Julianna Raye has captured time with her still-life songwriting. Entertainment Weekly described Julianna's songs as "languidly gorgeous ballads, [that evoke] a timeless L.A..." and Billboard characterized her songwriting as "...rich and emotionally searing work." A striking songwriter of stylistic diversity, Raye's sound ranges from torchy to reflective, captivating the listener and showing her uniformly superior talent. Raye co-wrote two songs for the film Resurrecting the Champ," which screens at the Sundance Film Festival.

William Tell is set to release his solo debut CD, You Can Hold Me Down, on New Records/UMe on March 6. The former songwriter/guitarist for alt-rock band Something Corporate, Tell's catchy hooks, stylish melodies and sharply emotional lyrics are a rock-strewn antidote for mindless pop. His unique style calls to mind elements of The Beach Boys and The Beatles with a modern, Southern California guitar-based flair. With a huge MySpace following and fans tracking him since his Something Corporate days, Tell's music will be setting the tone for 2007.

Visit BMI @ Sundance 2007

R.E.M.	Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five	Ahmet Ertegun

Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who died Dec. 14, 2006, will also be honored. Ertegun was a crucial figure in the careers of artists such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, and one of the leading figures in the creation of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

R.E.M. was the quintessential indie rock band until breaking through to mass success in the early 1990s with hits including ''Losing My Religion.''

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five led the most innovative act in hip-hop's formative era in the late 1970s, and the song ''The Message'' was like a letter from urban America. Grandmaster Flash was considered a pioneer in many DJ techniques.

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria considered includes the influence and significance of the artist's contribution to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll. Past inductees include Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Cream, Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling Stones, among many others. All inductees are represented in the permanent exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, which contains the largest collection of rock and roll artifacts chronicling the history of popular music.

Welcoming Daughtry (center) to the BMI L.A. office are his manager Sterling McIlwaine, and BMI's Tracie Verlinde, Barbara Cane and Myles Lewis.

Daughtry's raw performance of Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" not only received critical acclaim from all three Idol judges, but also earned him a lead singer offer from the band, which he respectfully declined opting instead for a solo career.

Del (left) & Dane Bryant smile over their parents' plaque

Boudleaux and Felice's body of work reflects a quintessential partnership, and includes songs for the Everly Brothers like "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up, Little Susie," along with hits for country music legends Little Jimmy Dickens, Eddy Arnold and Jim Reeves. The list of icons who have recorded the Bryants' material reads like a who's who of the very canon of American music, from Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Elvis Presley, the Grateful Dead, the Beach Boys, Elvis Costello, Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly to Dean Martin.

Hank Williams, Jr. says a few words about legend Roy Orbison

Felice Bryant was also inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in October.

Other Walk of Fame inductees included country singer Reba McEntire, affectionately dubbed the "first lady of country music"; effervescent vocalist Ronnie Milsap, who performed a vital role in introducing country music to mainstream audiences; a capella student ensemble the Fisk Jubilee Singers, which first formed in 1871 and went on to educate and entertain American presidents and European royalty with their passionate performances of traditional African-American music; American legend Roy Orbison, regarded as one of the founding fathers of rock and roll; and Maestro Kenneth D. Schermerhorn, the beloved Nashville Symphony music director whose achievements included the first East Coast tour for the Nashville Symphony and several Grammy-nominated albums.

Del (left) & Dane Bryant accept the honor on behalf of their parents

Created earlier this year, the Music City Walk of Fame on Nashville's Music Mile will be a landmark tribute to those from all genres of music who have made significant contributions to preserving the musical heritage of Nashville and have contributed to the world through song or other industry collaboration. Permanent sidewalk medallions made of stainless steel and terrazzo, with each honoree's name displayed in a star-and-guitar design, will be installed in the sidewalk along the Music Mile, the roughly one-mile stretch of Demonbreun Street from 4th Avenue South to the Music Row Roundabout at 16th Avenue South. The first plaques will be inlaid in Hall of Fame Park on Demonbreun, between 4th and 5th Avenues South.

The Orbison family celebrates Roy's induction with friend Hank Williams, Jr. Pictured are (l to r): son Roy Orbison Jr., wife Barbara Orbison and Hank Williams, Jr.

The Music City Walk of Fame is an official project of Music City, Inc, the charitable foundation of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB), and is produced with the support of presenting sponsor Gibson Guitar, sponsor GAC, the City of Nashville and Metro Parks.

The Bryants' plaque will sit in Hall of Fame Park on Demonbreun Avenue

A large crowd gathered downtown to mark the occasion

Friday begins at 11:15 a.m., and features Chicago-based band the Bon Mots-composers of sugar kissed pop music. Often compared to the Byrds and praised for vintage instrumentation, PopMatters.com cheers that the band mixes "witty lyrics and sly nods to the likes of Elvis Costello and Pavement," while AllMusic.com proclaims, "The Bon Mots just may be Chicago's best-kept secret."

12:30 p.m. ushers in another Chicago troupe, Cameron McGill and What Army. McGill's lyrics and melodies embrace the enigmatic and the melancholy, all while categorically maintaining a stark dedication to beauty and self-deprecating humor.

1:45 to 2:30 p.m. will be dominated by Houston's Makeshifte. Makeshifte is not for the faint of heart. The 2005 Texas Buzz Award winners for the "Musicians' Choice" award cite Hoobastank, Linkin Park and Incubus as key influences of their heavy, guitar-driven tunes led by feverish vocals.

San Francisco's Kelley Soltz follows Makeshifte at 3:00 until 3:45 p.m. Stoltz is capable of channeling Carl Wilson to sinful perfection, then swings over and nods to the Beatles, refusing to adopt any one monotonous sound or voice. A master of several instruments, Stoltz waves fondly to past icons while planting his feet firmly in 21st century pop.

4:15 to 5:00 p.m. brings Anderson, Indiana's Jon McLaughlin. A classically trained pianist, McLaughlin relishes in the sounds of Billy Joel and Ben Folds, and melds spirited keys with crooner-inspired vocals. The result jumps vigorously between genres like jazz, funk, rock and ragtime.

Chicago's Musical Outfits kick things off Saturday at 11:15 a.m. These four young musicians have created quite a buzz thanks in large part to the group's dynamic live show. Their 2005 debut album, Left Here, garnered spins on popular Chicago radio stations 93.1 WXRT, WLUW and Q101.

12:30 to 1:15 p.m. sees Austin, Texas, band St. James take the stage. The trio's buoyant harmonies are layered copiously over exquisite strings and the occasional piano, creating a moody feast for the ears well-worth revisiting.

New York rapper Lanz takes over at 1:45 p.m. Sixteen-year-old Lanz originally embraced the sounds of Jay Z, Tupac and Nas as an escape from the hardships that greeted her at an early age. Lanz has poured her arduous experiences into her lyrics, resulting in mature reflections in spite of her youth.

From 3:00 to 3:45 p.m., Rhode Island's Elvis Perkins holds down the fort. Dreamy melodies and stories dominate Perkins' music, which draws thoughtfully from folk rock and relies heavily on guitar and occasional fiddle mastery paired with emotive percussion.

At 4:15, Chicago's Kill Hannah wraps up Saturday's day stage. The Atlantic Records recording artists have created a fresh British-inspired rock / electronica hybrid best savored live. BMI proudly offers the opportunity to witness the band Billy Corgan called "the future of Chicago rock."

From 11:15 a.m. to noon Sunday morning, Chicago's Katie Todd Band will pleasantly awaken the crowd. Three albums deep into a promising career, the band is buoyed by Todd's sweet vocals that hint provocatively at the jagged edge buried just beneath the surface.

Chicago's Catfish Haven takes the stage at 12:30 p.m. The band's rustic sound achieves notoriety thanks to soulful lead singer George Hunter's gravelly vocal delivery. Named for the trailer park Hunter called home in his youth, the troupe's authentic grittiness seeps into every corner of their sound.

1:45 p.m. brings Atlanta's Manchester Orchestra to Chicago. The young pop band displays an innate understanding of balancing emotional depths with radio-friendly hooks that often evades artists twice their age. Manchester Orchestra is sauntering down a golden path, prompting Paste Magazine to proclaim, "When experience matriculates into that pre-existing talent, great music will spring from this simply good music."

Birmingham, Alabama's Moses Mayfield hits the stage from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m. Epic Recording artists who claim influences ranging from Pearl Jam to Peter Gabriel, Moses Mayfield delivers an insightful rock punch that somehow prompts both introspection and unbridled head-banging.

Chicago's Assassins wrap up BMI's Lollapalooza day stage from 4:15 to 4:45 p.m. The group's unique approach to composition and songwriting itself results in experimental layers of electro-rock bearing the distinct thumbprint of each one of the six members.