Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are a professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. The team plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The Warriors were founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors, a charter member of the Basketball Association of America. They were owned by Peter Tyrrell, who also owned the Philadelphia Ramblers of the American Hockey League. Tyrell hired Eddie Gottlieb, a longtime basketball promoter in the Philadelphia area, as coach and general manager. He named the team after an early professional team in the city.

Led by early scoring sensation Joe Fulks, they won the championship in the league's inaugural 1946-47 season by defeating the Chicago Stags, four games to one. (The BAA became the National Basketball Association in 1949.) Gottlieb bought the team in 1951.

The Warriors won their only other championship as a Philadelphia team in the 1955-56 season, defeating the Fort Wayne Pistons four games to one. The stars of this era in the team's history were Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston. In 1959, the team signed draft pick Wilt Chamberlain. Known as "Wilt the Stilt," Chamberlain quickly began shattering NBA scoring records and changed the style of play forever. On March 2, 1962, in a Warrior "home" game played in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Chamberlain scored 100 points against the Knickerbockers, a single-game record.

San Francisco Warriors

In 1962, Franklin Mieuli purchased the majority shares of the team and relocated the franchise to the San Francisco Bay Area, renaming them the San Francisco Warriors, playing most of their home games at the Cow Palace (located on the border between San Francisco and Daly City), though occasionally playing home games in nearby cities such as Oakland and San Jose. The Warriors won the 1963-64 Western Division crown, losing the NBA championship series to the Boston Celtics, four games to one.

In 1965, the Warriors drafted Rick Barry in the first round. Barry was named NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season, then led the Warriors to the NBA finals in the 1966-67 season, where the team lost (four games to two) to the team that replaced the Warriors in Philadelphia, the 76ers. Angered by management's failure to pay him certain incentive awards he felt he was due, Barry sat out the 1967-68 season, joining the Oakland Oaks of the rival American Basketball Association the following year. After several seasons in the ABA, Barry rejoined the Warriors in 1972.

With the opening of the Oakland Coliseum Arena in 1966, the Warriors began scheduling increasing numbers of home games at that venue. The 1970-71 season would be the team's last as the San Francisco Warriors. They changed their name to the Golden State Warriors for the 1971-72 season, playing almost all home games in Oakland. Six "home" games were played in San Diego during that season but more significantly, none were played in San Francisco or Daly City

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors won their only championship on the West Coast in 1974-75. In what many consider the biggest upset in the history of the NBA, the Warriors defeated the heavily favored Washington Bullets in a four-game sweep. That team was coached by former Warrior Al Attles, and led on the court by Rick Barry, Jamaal Wilkes and Phil Smith. So little was felt of the team's chances in the playoffs, even by their home fans, that the Coliseum Arena scheduled other events during the dates of the NBA playoffs. As a result, the Warriors did not play their championship series playoff games in Oakland; rather, they played at the Cow Palace in Daly City.

After changing their name from the San Francisco Warriors, the Warriors became (and remain) the only NBA team that does not include the name of their state or their city in their name.

www.warriors.com

**WIKIPEDIA

The NBA

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the USA's premier professional men's basketball league. It has 30 teams; 29 in the USA and one in Canada. It is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation as the National Governing Body (NGB) for basketball in the United States. The NBA is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues.

The league was founded in New York City, on June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[2] The league adopted the name National Basketball Association in the autumn 1949 after merging with the rival National Basketball League. The league's several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City. NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, New Jersey.

Regular season

Following the summer break, teams hold training camps in October. Training camps allow the coaching staff to evaluate players (especially rookies), scout the team's strengths and weaknesses, prepare the players for the rigorous regular season, and determine the 12-man active roster (and a 3-man inactive list) with which they will begin the regular season. Teams have the ability to assign players with less than two years of experience to the NBA development league. After training camp, a series of preseason exhibition games are held. The NBA regular season begins in the first week of November.

In the regular season, each team plays 82 games, which are divided evenly between home and away games. A team faces opponents in its own division four times a year, teams from the other two divisions in its conference either three or four times, and teams in the other conference twice apiece. A team can therefore have a relatively easy or difficult schedule, depending on the division and conference it is a member of. After the recent changes to the National Hockey League's scheduling format, the NBA is the only major league in North America (besides the Canadian Football League), in which teams play every other team during the regular season. Each team hosts and visits every other team at least once every season. However, this results in each team playing nearly double the amount of games against teams from the opposite conference (30) as teams in their own division (16).

In February, the regular season ceases to celebrate the annual NBA All-Star Game. Fans vote throughout the United States, Canada, and on the internet, and the top vote-getters at each position in each conference are given a starting spot on their conference's All-Star team. Coaches vote to choose the remaining 14 All-Stars. Then, Eastern conference players face the Western conference players in the All-Star game. The player with the best performance during the game is rewarded with a Game MVP award. Other attractions of the All-Star break include the Rookie game, which pits the best rookies and the best second-year players against each other; the Skills, a competition between players to see who could complete an obstacle course comprising shooting, passing and dribbling in the fastest time; the Three Point Contest, a competition between players to see who is the best three-point shooter; and the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, to see which player dunks the ball in the most entertaining way. These other attractions have varying names which include the names of the various sponsors who have paid for naming rights.

Shortly after the All-Star break is the league's trade deadline.[vague] After this date, teams are not allowed to exchange players with each other for the remainder of the season, although they may still sign and release players. Major trades are often completed right before the trading deadline, making that day a hectic time for general managers.

Around the end of April, the regular season ends. It is during this time that voting begins for individual awards, as well as the selection of the honorary league-wide postseason teams. The Sixth Man of the Year Award is given to the best player coming off the bench (must have more games coming off the bench than actual games started). The Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the most outstanding first-year player. The Most Improved Player Award is awarded to the player who is deemed to have shown the most improvement from the previous season. The Defensive Player of the Year Award is awarded to the league's best defender. The Coach of the Year Award is awarded to the coach that has made the most positive difference to a team. The Most Valuable Player Award is given to player deemed the most valuable for (his team) that season. Additionally, The Sporting News awards an unofficial (but widely recognized) Executive of the Year Award to the general manager who is adjudged to have performed the best job for the benefit of his franchise.

The postseason teams are the All-NBA Teams, the All-Defensive Teams, and the All-Rookie Teams; each consists of five players. There are three All-NBA teams, consisting of the top players at each position, with first-team status being most desirable. There are two All-Defensive teams, consisting of the top defenders at each position. There are also two All-Rookie teams, consisting of the top first-year players regardless of position.

Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs begin in late April, with eight teams in each conference qualifying for the playoffs. The three division winners, along with the team with the next best record from the conference are given the top four seeds. The next four teams in terms of record are given the lower four seeds.

Having a higher seed offers several advantages. Since the first seed plays the eighth seed, the second seed plays the seventh seed, the third seed plays the sixth seed, and the fourth seed plays the fifth seed in the playoffs, having a higher seed generally means you will be facing a weaker team. The team in each series with the better record has home court advantage, including the First Round. This means that, for example, if the team who receives the 6 (six) seed has a better record than the team with the 3 (three) seed (by virtue of a divisional championship), the 6 seed would have home court advantage, even though the other team has a higher seed. Therefore, the team with the best regular season record in the league is guaranteed home court advantage in every series it plays. For example, in 2006, the Denver Nuggets won forty-four games, and captured the Northwest Division and the No. 3 seed. Their the opponent was the No. 6 seeded Los Angeles Clippers, who won forty-seven games and finished second in the Pacific Division. Although Denver won it's much weaker division, the Clippers had home-court advantage and won the series in five games.

The playoffs follow a tournament format. Each team plays a rival in a best-of-seven series, with the first team to win four games advancing into the next round, while the other team is eliminated from the playoffs. In the next round, the successful team plays against another advancing team of the same conference. Thus, all but one team in each conference are eliminated from the playoffs. Since the NBA does not re-seed teams, the playoff bracket in each conference uses a traditional design, with the winner of the series matching the 1st and 8th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 4th and 5th seeded teams, and the winner of the series matching the 2nd and 7th seeded teams playing the winner of the series matching the 3rd and 6th seeded teams. In every round except the NBA Finals, the best of seven series follows a 2-2-1-1-1 pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the other plays at home in games 3, 4, and 6. For the final round (NBA Finals), the series follows a 2-3-2 pattern, meaning that one team will have home court in games 1, 2, 6, and 7, while the other plays at home in games 3, 4, and 5. The 2-3-2 pattern in the NBA Finals has been in place since 1985.

The final playoff round, a best-of-seven series between the victors of both conferences, is known as the NBA Finals, and is held annually in June. The victor in the NBA Finals wins the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Each player and major contributor -- including coaches and the general manager -- on the winning team receive a championship ring. In addition, the league awards an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award

On August 2, 2006, the NBA announced the new playoff format. The new format takes the three division winners and the second-place team with the best record and rank them 1-4 by record. The other 4 slots are filled by best record other than those other 4 teams.

** WIKIPEDIA

Maroon 5

Maroon 5 is a soul-influenced American band originating from Los Angeles, California. Comprising five members: Adam Levine (lead vocals, guitar), James Valentine (guitar, backing vocals), Jesse Carmichael (keyboards, backing vocals), Mickey Madden (bass guitar) and Matt Flynn (drums), the band is best known for hit songs including "Harder to Breathe", "This Love" and "She Will Be Loved".

Maroon 5 has won several awards for its debut album Songs About Jane. Released in June 2002, the album enjoyed major chart success, going gold, platinum, and triple platinum in many countries around the world.[1] In support of Songs About Jane, Maroon 5 toured extensively throughout 2003 – 2005, in which a live album was released, entitled Live - Friday the 13th. Original member Ryan Dusick left the band in September 2006, due to injuries sustained by the constant touring, and was replaced by Matt Flynn.

After a hiatus from the music scene, Maroon 5 released their second studio album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long in May 2007, five years after Songs About Jane. The second set debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of nearly half a million. The band performed in various performances throughout the summer of 2007, in support of the album, and will be touring North America in Fall 2007 with The Hives as openers.

Controversy has surrounded both of Maroon 5's albums. Misogynistic lyrics, explicitly sexual videos, and explicit lyrics without a Parental Advisory label have all been issues.

History

Kara's Flowers

Four members of Maroon 5 have known each other since attending junior high school together in Los Angeles. While attending Brentwood School, Adam Levine and Jesse Carmichael joined up with Mickey Madden and Ryan Dusick to form Kara's Flowers, a garage/grunge band that played its first gig at the Whisky a Go Go on September 16, 1995. At that time, Levine sang with a deeper "grunge" voice as opposed to the high-pitched vocals he is known for now.

The band signed with Reprise Records while still in high school and released its only album The Fourth World in the middle of 1997, just as three of the four members were about to graduate (Ryan Dusick was completing his sophomore year at UCLA). A video was made for the opening track "Soap Disco", but it did not find success on MTV. Despite support slots on tours with Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger, the album failed to take off commercially and, in 1999, the band parted company with Reprise Records.

The four attended different colleges across the United States. They discovered new musical styles and developed a love for Motown, pop, R&B, soul, and gospel, experiences that would greatly influence the style and sound of Maroon 5. The four original members of Kara's Flowers remained in touch and started playing together again in 2001. Jesse Carmichael switched from guitar to keyboards, so a need arose for an additional guitarist. James Valentine, formerly with the band Square, joined them to fill that void.

Formation

When Valentine joined Kara's Flowers in 2001, the band adopted the name Maroon 5. The band played showcase gigs in New York City and Los Angeles. Levine credited the interim period with influencing the band's new style stating:

“ During the time between our record deals, I spent a lot of time in New York where I was exposed to an urban and hip-hop culture in a way that had never happened to me in L.A. It turned me on to an entirely new genre of music which has had a profound impact on my songwriting.”

The band signed with Octone Records, an independent record label in New York. They also signed a global music publishing deal with BMG Music Publishing.

Songs About Jane

The band recorded Songs About Jane at Rumbo Recorders in Los Angeles with record producer Matt Wallace, who had also produced for Train, Blues Traveler, Kyle Riabko, and Third Eye Blind. Most of the material on Maroon 5's debut album was directly inspired by Levine's tumultuous relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Jane; "We were breaking up as the band entered the studio," he explains. "After compiling a song list, we decided to name the album Songs About Jane because it felt like the most honest statement we could make with the title."

The first single "Harder to Breathe" slowly started to pick up airplay which helped spur sales of the album. By March 2004, the album had reached the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and "Harder to Breathe" had made the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts. The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200 in August 2004, 26 months after its release; this was the longest period between an album's release and its initial Top 10 appearance since SoundScan results were included in the Billboard 200 in 1991.

Songs About Jane eventually reached #2 on the Australian albums charts while "Harder to Breathe" made the Top 20 singles charts in the U.S. and UK, and Top 40 in Australia and New Zealand. The album also eventually climbed to #1 in the UK and #2 in Australia. The second single, "This Love", reached #5 in the U.S., #3 in the UK, and #8 in Australian The third single, "She Will Be Loved", reached the Top 5 in both the U.S. and the UK, and went to #1 in Australia. The fourth single, "Sunday Morning", reached the Top 40 in the U.S., UK, and Australia.

Constant touring and Dusick leaving

Maroon 5 was constantly on tour after releasing their album in mid-2002. During this time, the band toured with Michelle Branch, Nikka Costa, Vanessa Carlton, Graham Colton, John Mayer, and The Rolling Stones.[11] Others they have toured alongside include Gavin DeGraw, Matchbox Twenty, Sugar Ray, Phantom Planet, Big City Rock, The Like, Simon Dawes, Jason Mraz, The Thrills, Thirsty Merc, Marc Broussard, The Donnas, The RedWest and Guster.

Maroon 5 also played Live 8 in Philadelphia in 2005. Their set included a cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World" and frontman Levine performed with one of his heroes, and the closing act, Stevie Wonder.[12] On May 13, 2005, in Santa Barbara, California, the band wrapped up the Honda Civic Tour, which they headlined.[13]

Over the years of touring with the band, percussionist and back-up vocalist Ryan Dusick had been suffering from the touring life. His arms were injured and, for a part of some tours, he was not able to drum. In his section of Midnight Miles, Dusick detailed his pain and its progression through their tours. It was during the band's early tour that he took his first break with Ryland Steen taking his place for a few shows. He returned for the next tour but was forced to take another break because, as he writes, "I deteriorated to such a degree that both of my arms were pretty much useless."[14] Josh Day was to be his replacement for a few shows while Dusick underwent tests to determine the cause of his pain. Nine months passed and Matt Flynn, Gavin DeGraw's former drummer, assumed the position of what was initially a temporary replacement, but Dusick officially left Maroon 5 in September 2006 with Flynn replacing him permanently.

It Won't Be Soon Before Long

On May 22, 2007, Maroon 5's second album, It Won't Be Soon Before Long, was released worldwide by A&M/Octone Records. According to Levine, the follow-up to Songs About Jane is "sexier and stronger", gaining inspiration from iconic 80s artists such as Prince, Shabba Ranks, Michael Jackson and Talking Heads. Before its release, "Makes Me Wonder" was the #1 selling single and video on iTunes. It was also the #1 selling album, with more than 50,000 digital pre-sales. After its release, the album broke iTunes sales records its week of release, selling over 101,000 albums.

The first single, "Makes Me Wonder", was released to radio March 27, 2007. The making of the music video was previewed on MTV's Total Request Live, and premiered on the show March 29. The song debuted at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100, the lowest debuting single of the group's five chart entries. In the first week of May, the single skyrocketed from a lowly position of 64 to #1, the biggest jump in Billboard history. "Makes Me Wonder" has also achieved #1 on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs, Pop 100, and Hot Dance Club Play charts.

To support the album, the band performed on a "six-date club tour" in which they visited small venues in Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Miami, and New York City in early June 2007. They followed with a concert that streamed live via MSN Music in mid-June. Then, on July 9, the band announced plans for their 2007 It Won't Be Soon Before Long world tour set to begin September 29 in Detroit and conclude November 10 in Las Vegas. The Hives, as the tour's special guest, will be performing on all of the dates while Sara Bareilles, Kevin Michael, and Phantom Planet will each be performing in a portion of the tour. On July 10, they opened for The Police, in Miami, and followed with an acoustic performance at the Miami club, Studio A, the next day.

**wikipedia.org

Phantom Planet

Phantom Planet is an alternative rock band from Southern California. The band is most widely known in popular culture for bearing former member, actor and drummer, Jason Schwartzman and its track "California", which became the theme song for the popular Fox TV series, The O.C..

History

Phantom Planet played their first show in 1995 at The butterfly in Hollywood. Most of their friends could not attend because they were still in high school, while the Dragonfly only serves customers that are 21 and over. Two of the songs they played are featured on the bonus material of the Chicago, Chicagogoing, Chicagogone DVD. Among the songs performed were "My Friend Liz's Dad" (misprinted as "My Friend Liz Is Dead" on the DVD) and a cover of the Beastie Boys 1994 song "Sabotage".

The band is named after the theme song of a 1961 B-movie called The Phantom Planet. They decided on the name in 1994 in a Pizza Hut.

Phantom Planet released their debut album, Phantom Planet is Missing in 1997. It is largely a collection of surf-rock inspired tunes reminiscent of The Beach Boys. It was after the band's second album, The Guest in 2002 that the band found mainstream success. It produced the highly popular song, "California". The Guest continued to forge the pop-rock sound the band introduced in their debut.

The band's eponymous third album in 2004 marked a significant change in both the band's sound and lineup. Ditching their radio-friendly pop-rock, the band moved towards a more garage rock sound that was popular at the time. Lead singer Alex Greenwald has been very clear that he wants the band to change their sound on almost every record. "I love rock 'n' roll music," Greenwald said. "I especially loved bands, like The Beatles, that changed with every single record they made. That's been our plan from the get-go. We want our records to be like experiments. We want to have fun with the music. People can hear when you're not having fun. They discover you're bored and you're boring." However, in the middle of recording the album, founding member and drummer Jason Schwartzman abruptly left the band to focus on his acting career. He was replaced by Jeff Conrad, who helped record the remainder of the album. Phantom Planet was released to mixed reviews from critics. Shortly after the album's release, guitarist Jacques Brautbar left the band to pursue a career in photography.


Upcoming album
Phantom Planet have completed the recording process. They have so far released two teaser trailers made by Travis Schneider, with the first one ending with "Spring 2007" and the second one with "Summer 2007".

On August 10, 2007, guitarist Darren Robinson provided an explanation for the delays to the release of the band's fourth album with a post on their Myspace blog:

In the music industry, the most fun part is of course the music. The "business side" of things is necessary if you want your bands' music to be heard- and we do. But the "business side" is, well, a big pain in the ass. This is the (slightly vague) reason for the huge delay in our record being put out.

Phantom Planet has stated in an interview with RaggedMag that they thought a band should be like a "cult", because each band has a group of followers that are totally devoted to them. They wanted to take the fan/band connection to a new level, so they created a logo that appears to be a circular piano which morphs into a sleeve with a pointing hand protruding from the cuff, with the idea that they will sell a lot of hoodies featuring this logo, so that everyone at the shows (including Phantom Planet) will be wearing them. The new record is about singer Alex's fictional experience with a cult, but they have stated that the word "cult" can have many different meanings and interpretations.


Other appearances
The band has opened for many well-known artists, including Guns N' Roses, Sting, Elvis Costello, Incubus, Guided by Voices, The Zombies, The Hives, American Hi-Fi, Maroon 5, and Ludacris.

Phantom Planet has appeared on the television programs Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, performing "So I Fall Again", and "American Dreams", playing British rock band The Zombies. They have appeared in the 2005 remake Bad News Bears, playing a band called The Bloodfarts. In 2005, they covered the CSNY track "Our House" for the movie The Chumscrubber. Phantom Planet also performed a cover of Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby" for Not Another Teen Movie. "Big Brat" was also introduced in the soundtrack to the video game Driv3r. Alex Greenwald, the band's vocalist, sang a fusion jazz cover of Radiohead's "Just" for the 2006 compilation Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads.

**wikipedia.org

The Killers

The Killers are an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, most famous for their hit singles "Somebody Told Me", "Mr. Brightside", and "When You Were Young". Formed in 2002 and made up of Brandon Flowers (vocals, keyboards), Dave Keuning (guitar, vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass guitar, vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr., (drums, percussion), they released their debut album, Hot Fuss, in 2004. Their second album, Sam's Town, was released in early October 2006. Their first two albums to date have sold in excess of 8,750,000 copies.

Formation and Early Success

In 2001, Flowers was abandoned by the first band that he was in, a synth pop band known as Blush Response, after he declined to move with the rest of them to Los Angeles, California. Shortly thereafter, Flowers attended an Oasis concert, and, realizing that he wanted to make the transition from a keyboard band to a true rock band, began searching for a guitarist. It is said that between then and his first meeting with David Keuning, he was rejected by a potential guitarist who claimed that "this 'Duran Duran' crap wasn't going to go anywhere." (After gaining his fame, Flowers was waited on by that same guitarist in a Las Vegas restaurant). He then met Keuning after responding to an ad that Keuning had placed in the paper that listed, among other things, Smashing Pumpkins and Oasis as influences. The two hit it off immediately and began rehearsing. They were joined by a bassist (Keuning's roommate) and a drummer.

Both bassist and drummer quickly moved on to other things, and the drummer later sued the band, claiming that he wrote "Mr. Brightside." After their departure, Vannucci and Stoermer (who were both in other bands at the time; Vannucci was drummer in a melodic indierock group called Expert On October, featuring current backup guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist Ted Sablay on bass) were approached by Flowers and Keuning with an offer to join "The Killers," a name which comes from the bass drum of a band in a New Order video for their song "Crystal".

After watching a few of their early shows, Vannucci acknowledged that the group was very green and would need a lot of work to become a polished act and their fan base was scarce. However, Vannucci did eventually join the band.

Stoermer was the last to join. He filled the remaining post at least partly because he and Flowers had quickly become friends. They played their first gig as the new band at a club in Vegas called The Junkyard. After Vannucci sold his house the band found themselves without a garage to rehearse in and took to sneaking into UNLV's music rooms, where Vannucci was attending college, in order to practice.

Initially, the Killers played at small clubs in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the band's lineup stable and their repertoire of songs expanding, the band began to attract attention from talent bookers, local agents, major label, scouts—and a UK representative for Warner Bros. Though the Warner Bros rep passed on the band, he took the demo back with him, showing it to a friend who worked at UK indie label Lizard King. The Killers then signed that summer to a British label.

**wikipedia.org

Atheneaum

Athenaeum was an alternative pop rock four-piece band from Greensboro, North Carolina, USA formed in 1990 at an eighth grade dance by Nic Brown and Mark Kano.

After several personnel changes, Kano and Brown recorded an eight song EP in 1995 with bassist Alex McKinney and lead guitarist Grey Brewster. The "Green Album," as it is widely known, sold about 10,000 copies.. The album was self-released and also distributed by Redeye Distribution.

In 1996 the band was signed by Atlantic Records. They released their major label debut, Radiance, in 1998. The first single, "What I Didn't Know," was a minor hit. During the recording phase for their next album, Brown left the band to attend college. He was replaced by Jeremy Vogt, who performed with the likes of Tonic and The Connells. Brewster also dissolved his membership with the group and was replaced by Mike Garrigan, the lead singer and songwriter of Collapsis.

This new line up played their first show on March 31, 2001, at Ziggy's in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The new set included Garrigan's Collapsis anthem, "October".

Athenaeum's second album Athenaeum was released on September 18, 2001. However, it received little promotion in the wake of the September 11th attacks.

Athenaeum was eventually dropped by Atlantic Records. They toured for an additional three years and released their final record, Hourglass, a collection of rare outtakes and demos, before performing their last show at Ziggy's in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on December 28, 2004.

Kano and Garrigan subsequently formed the band mg4 (with Alex McKinney, the original bassist for Athenaeum and Jeremy Vogt), who released an EP in the summer of 2004 titled Gravity Affects Me. "mg4" continues touring to date and information on shows can be found at Mike Garrigan's official website.

Brown went on to record and perform with bands such as: Skeleton Key, Claire Holley, Longwave and Ben Lee. He finished a creative writing degree from Columbia University in 2002 and occasionally surfaces around Chapel Hill, NC mostly doing sessions work for local artists or former bandmates. For a brief time Brown worked as a publicist for Yep Roc Records with former Athenaeum manager, Stephen Judge who has been with Redeye Distribution and Yep Roc Records since 2002 and is currently listed as General Manager of the company. Judge also helped start Eleven Thirty Records in 2004 and has worked with artists such as: Concrete Blonde, The Gourds, Daniel Lanois, You Am I, The Hothouse Flowers, Public Enemy and The Alarm.

Brewster's current musical projects are unknown and he currently resides in Charlotte, NC.

Discography

Albums
Untitled EP of eight songs (1995) (widely known as The Green Album and The Green CD)
Radiance (April 7 1998) Billboard Heatseekers peak #46
Athenaeum (September 18 2001)
Hourglass (July 30, 2002)

Singles
"What I Didn't Know" (1998) from Radiance. Billboard Hot 100 peak #58
"Flat Tire" from Radiance.
"Comfort" from Athenaeum.

Guest contributions
"Comfort" - Live in the X Lounge IV (2001)
"Forever and Ever, Amen" (Randy Travis cover) - Songs for Sixty Five Roses (2006)

**wikipedia.org

The Corrs

The Corrs are a Celtic folk-rock and pop rock group from Dundalk, Republic of Ireland. The members of the band are four siblings - three sisters and one brother - Sharon, Caroline, Andrea and Jim Corr. The band rose to prominence in the late 1990s, and have since sold over 55 million albums worldwide. They have had numerous number one singles and albums in Europe, Australia and Asia, and have received multiple Grammy Award nominations.

Members

All of the Corrs were born in Dundalk, County Louth, the children of musicians Gerry and Jean Corr. Their uncle, Peter Corr, was a professional footballer

The members consist of:

Jim Corr (born James Steven Ignatius Corr, on July 31, 1964) is the oldest member of the band. He plays guitar, keyboards/piano and provides backing vocals.
Sharon Corr (born Sharon Helga Corr, on March 24, 1970) plays the violin, and provides backing vocals.
Caroline Corr (born Caroline Georgina Corr, on March 17, 1973) plays drums, bodhrán, tambourine, percussion, piano bongo and provides backing vocals.
Andrea Corr (born Andrea Jane Corr, on May 17, 1974) is the lead singer and plays the tin whistle.
In late 1995, before the start of their first tour, additional musicians Anto Drennan (electric guitar) and Keith Duffy (bass) were brought in to supplement the band's sound. Their positions became permanent, although they are essentially only sidemen and tend not to appear in the band's promo videos nor make any contribution to the songwriting. However, Drennan has been credited as co-producer on some tracks.

During their Royal Albert Hall concert on St. Patrick's Day, 1998, the guitarist was Conor O'Brady.

From 2004 onwards, with Caroline on 'light duties' or absent, Keith Duffy's brother Jason Duffy joined on percussion, with Kieran Kiely on accordion and keyboards.

While Jim and Caroline are the only siblings to be credited playing the piano on their albums, all four members can play the piano, which was taught to them by their father.


History

The Corr siblings were exposed to music from their early years. Their main influence was from their parents, Gerry and Jean Corr. They played ballads and folk tunes in local bands, and formed their own band called "Sound Affair". Jean sang and Gerry played the keyboards and they performed covers of songs by various famous bands. The Corrs children travelled with Jean and Gerry to gigs in the family estate car.

As they'd approached their teenage years, they worked on vocal harmonies and instrumental skills in Jim's bedroom, a house which he rented around the corner. Jim played the guitar, Andrea was the lead singer, and Sharon and Caroline on the keyboards. They used a drum machine on the keyboards for rhythm.

They rehearsed a lot at Jim's place in his studio furnished with bits and pieces from the kitchen like egg cartons and fruit boxes. For the first couple of years, they spent weekends and nights trying to establish their own unique sound. The sound which they achieved first was a synthesised pop rock and soon other instruments were incorporated. Sharon incorporated the violin and Caroline only used the bodhran for instrumental songs. After, they teamed up with Bill Whelan to achieve the Irish celtic folk-rock sound.

The Corrs were formed to audition for the 1991 film The Commitments. Jim, Sharon, and Caroline had a small part as musicians, while Andrea got a speaking part as Sharon Rabbitte, the sister of the main character. While auditioning for the movie, they were noticed by their future manager, John Hughes.

They first achieved success after performing on The Late Late Show, then hosted by Gay Byrne, in 1993, with their first single "Runaway". However, the band was relatively unknown outside Ireland until 1994, when American ambassador to the country Jean Kennedy Smith invited the group to perform at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in Boston after seeing them play a gig in Dublin. This performance also led to them becoming the supporting act for Celine Dion on her 1996 world tour.[1] They'd extended their stay in America to search for a record deal. They'd landed one with Atlantic Records and over a period of five months, they'd recorded their first album, Forgiven, Not Forgotten.

Their first album, Forgiven, Not Forgotten, had its greatest success in Australia, Sweden, Spain and Ireland, gaining later success in the UK and in Canada. In 1997 they released Talk On Corners, which was principally popular in Ireland, eventually taking off in Britain, and later other countries. Both have been certified gold in the United States, and In Blue has been certified platinum by the RIAA. In 2004, they released a slightly more guitar orientated album, Borrowed Heaven.

According to the Irish Recorded Music Association, The Corrs have sold over 60 million records, worldwide, not including singles. In January of 2006 and January of 2007, the Irish Singles Chart, and RTE Albums Chart released statements claiming that the band had sold closer to 90 million records worldwide.

They also recorded Canto Alla Vita with Josh Groban for his self-titled album, and also been involved with a number of collaborations including with Rod Stewart, Alejandro Sanz, Ron Wood from The Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow on C'mon, C'mon and Bono from U2.

In 2005 the band returned with Home, a traditional Irish album celebrating their roots, many of the songs coming from their late mother's songbook.

The Corrs were made Honorary Members of the Order of the British Empire in 2005 for their outstanding contribution to music and charity work. This was met with some discontent by some in the Republic of Ireland as the Order is, obviously, a British award headed by Queen Elizabeth II.

In July 2005, The Corrs performed at the Edinburgh Live 8 concert featuring Bono on one song.


Discography

*Albums
Forgiven, Not Forgotten (September 26, 1995) Atlantic Records/143/Lava#1 IRL, #1 AUS, #2 UK (Gold), #4 ESP, #131 US (Achieved Gold status in UK)
Talk On Corners (October 28, 1997) Atlantic Records/143/Lava #1 IRL, #1 UK, #1 AUS, #3 ESP, #72 US (Achieved 11 x Platinum in the UK)
In Blue (September 12, 2000) Atlantic Records/143/Lava #1 IRL, #1 UK, #1 AUS, #1 ESP, #21 US, #2 FR (Achieved 3 x Platinum in the UK)
Borrowed Heaven (May 31, 2004) Atlantic Records/143/Lava #1 IRL, #2 UK, #2 ESP, #4 AUS, #51 US (Achieved Silver status in the UK)
Home (September 26, 2005)(Europe), (September 28, 2005)(Japan), (February 7, 2006)(U.S.) Atlantic Records #1 IRL, #8 ESP, #14 UK, #5 FR (Achieved Silver status in the UK)

*Compilations
Best of The Corrs (November 5, 2001) Atlantic Records/143/Lava #6 UK, #2 AUS
Dreams: The Ultimate Corrs Collection (November 20, 2006) Atlantic Records #43 UK #5 ESP #1 IRL

*Live albums
The Corrs - Live (1997) (Only released in Japan)
The Corrs Unplugged (November 12, 1999) Atlantic Records/143/Lava (Platinum in UK)
VH1 Presents: The Corrs, Live In Dublin (2002) (Only released in the USA)

Official Website: www.thecorrswebsite.com

**wikipedia.org