July 2010 | Blog Archives
Get to know: FREE ENERGY | "We're going to rock the Hall of Fame."
Philadelphia rock band Free Energy will perform for the first time at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum on Wednesday, July 21 as part of the free Summer in the City concert series. The band formed in the fall of 2007 and garnered attention with their melodic, hook-laden dance-rock tunes. Their new album 'Stuck on Nothing' has received critical acclaim from fans and the media: Rolling Stone magazine labeled Free Energy as a band to watch this year and have since appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.
We caught up with Paul Sprangers of the band for some background on Free Energy and thoughts on performing at the Museum for the first time.
How did Free Energy form?
After our band Hockey Night ended, Scott and I signed to DFA with nothing but a collection of demos and a distant dream. A year after writing and recording, we went to NYC to record with James Murphy. After five months of recording, we could no longer stand sleeping in the DFA office, so we moved to Philadelphia where we rented a house and started assembling the band. Now, Free Energy is a wild, ass shaking five-piece ...
The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert Nominated for Five Emmy Awards
Today, we are pleased to learn that the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert, produced by Playtone, Tenth Planet Productions and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in association with HBO Entertainment, has been nominated for five Emmy Awards! See the list below for the nominations, and be sure to tune into NBC on Sunday, August 29, 2010 for the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards for the results.
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences - 62nd Primetime Emmy Award Nominations >>>
Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Special
The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert • HBO • Playtone, Tenth Planet Productions and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in association with HBO Entertainment
Joel Gallen, Director
Outstanding Picture Editing For A Special (Single Or Multi-Camera)
The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert • HBO • Playtone, Tenth Planet Productions and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in association with HBO Entertainment
Bill DeRonde, Supervising Editor
John Zimmer, Editor
Mark Stepp, Editor
Michael Polito, Editor
Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Special
The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert • HBO • Playtone, Tenth Planet Productions and the Rock and Roll ...
Partnering with the Unsung Heroes of New Orleans Music Scene
An exciting sidebar to our recent trip to New Orleans (see previous blog) concerns the Museum’s partnering with the Louisiana Museum system to assist in the restoration of one of Fats Domino’s pianos. As most know, Mr. Domino lost virtually everything because of the flooding from Katrina. This included his pianos.
The remains of one is on display at the Cabildo in New Orleans’ Jackson Square as part of the exhibit Unsung Heroes: The Secret History of Louisiana Rock ‘n’ Roll. A second one is about to be restored and used as a performance instrument in a new exhibit. Sam Rykels, Director, informed us that they were looking for the financial support to put the piano back in playing condition. We felt that this was an excellent opportunity for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum to help out and start to forge a relationship with this wonderful institution in the city which is the cradle of the music that we celebrate.
As the project progresses, we’ll keep everyone informed, so stay tuned.
Electrifying the Classroom: A Look at Summer Teacher Institute 2010
Last week the Rock Hall hosted its annual Summer Teacher Institute – an intensive workshop for educators where the Museum becomes the classroom and rock and roll becomes the teacher. This year we welcomed 50 teachers from 17 states and Canada to the house that rock built to learn how they can use popular music in their own curriculum. It’s an exciting time and one of my favorite weeks of the year. The energy is palpable and contagious.
I think what makes Summer Teacher Institute so exciting is the diversity of experience that each year’s participants brings. From kindergarten teachers to college professors, music teachers to science teachers, STI brings educators from all sides together to find ways to make learning come alive for their students through the power of rock and roll. This year, I met an English teacher from San Francisco interested in the poetry of rock lyrics (he took the red-eye flight just to get here in time!), a US History teacher from New Jersey preparing to teach his own high school rock history course this fall (he said it filled up in five minutes), and a group of teachers from Milwaukee curious to learn how ...
