Music legend Ornette Coleman received an honorary doctorate of music from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  The Department of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance congratulates Mr. Coleman on this great honor, his 80th birthday, and for being one of the most important musicians and innovators of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  The event also included a commencement address by President Barack Obama.

THE OFFICIAL CEREMONY TEXT

There’s something inherently ‘good’ about Del McCoury. I say this, never having met the man; although I’ve been close enough to photograph him on a number of occasions, and to have briefly exchanged pleasantries. But that doesn’t count, and I know it.. Yet, here I am – insisting that I have perceived enough about the man to proclaim him thus.

After four rounds of BMI's Road to Bonnaroo competition, four sonically distinct bands – The Non-Commissioned Officers, How I Became the Bomb, Caitlin Rose, and Space Capone – have each earned a coveted spot at the 2010 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Sponsored by BMI, the competition gives Nashville the chance to show off some of its most-praised indie acts on a global stage.

As I was walking on the hill in Boulder to get some Chinese food and a beer before the show, I passed by a very animated and excited Jeff Austin (mandolin player from Yonder Mountain String Band) talking to a friend.

The 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival, celebrating its 5th Anniversary, is being held July 16 – July 18 at Chicago’s Union Park, and this year is primed to be the best ever.  The festival is proud to announce the addition of the Jonathan Richman-inspired, summery pop of Sonny & The Sunsets, set to fill the spot left vacant by the unfortunate cancellation of jj.

The unique sound of meniskus is hard to classify. They have been labeled as Latin, European, House, Trance Rock, but none of these really pinpoint what their music sounds like. At times you can hear a mystic Middle Eastern influence, at other times hints of Ukrainian Punk and ancient ancestral harmonies. The only way to really understand is to see them perform live.

It was a nice Mother’s day in Boulder, CO, and is there a better way to spend the evening than with the Toots & the Maytals at the Fox Theatre? There seemed to be a good Rasta vibe permeating through the Fox tonight. The bartenders were all smiles as usual, including long time bar tender Spotty, who is the best bartender in the city, and his happy to serve lifestyle was extra vibrant as well.

I began my commercial broadcast radio career starting back in the early 90s, in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Working for that region’s heritage rock station was quite an introduction to the civilian world, as I had only recently finished my enlistment in the U.S. Navy. I came from uniforms, and tradition, to working with a morning show that wasn’t all that different from early Howard Stern.