appears in...
Marv Green: feels naked without it
Captured at BMI Country Awards 2008
BMI Foundation Opens 22nd Annual Pete Carpenter Fellowship for Aspiring Film Composers
The BMI Foundation has announced the opening of the 22nd annual Pete Carpenter Fellowship for aspiring film composers under the age of 35. The Fellowship was established by the BMI Foundation and Pete Carpenter’s family, colleagues, and friends to honor the late co-composer of television themes and scores including The A-Team, Magnum P.I., The Rockford Files, Hardcastle and McCormick, Hunter and Riptide. The successful candidate will have an opportunity to…
Calle 13 Sweeps 2009 Latin Grammys

Puerto Rican power duo Calle 13 walked away with trophies in all five of their nominated categories last night at the 2009 Latin Grammys, staged at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Reggaetón has emerged as a powerful global trend, garnering more nominations than any other genre, and Calle 13, comprising rapper Residente (René Pérez) and the producer Visitante (Eduardo Cabra), are at the forefront…
Theory of a Deadman’s Hard-Earned Scars and Souvenirs

“We always try to write music without any boundaries,” says Tyler Connolly, lead singer and guitarist for hard rockers Theory of a Deadman. “And that’s partly because we don’t really have a ‘core demographic.’ We’ve got 40- and 50-year-olds at our shows alongside the 14- and 15-year-olds. What’s great about Theory is that we try to let everything happen naturally.” That seems to include…
La Coka Nostra Builds a Brand You Can Trust

Since the rap group La Coka Nostra formed around 2006, it has become one of the most promising supergroups to emerge since the Wu Tang Clan. But even though they’re gaining the respect of critics and delivering knockout performances like those during the 2009 Rock the Bells tour, the whole group is something of an accident—right down to their name. “It started as inside joke,” says Slaine,…
D.C. Arts & Humanities Commission Offers Unique Grant Opportunities

BMI has a long tradition of support for the arts, with a special focus on opportunities for generations of future creators. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities provides a number of unique opportunities for members of the Washington, D.C.-area creative community via its series of grant programs. Details on these programs and how to apply for the various grants are available the Commission’s website,
Ryan Star is Rising, on His Own Terms

It was 2005 and singer/songwriter Ryan Star was an artist on the verge. Stage, the band he co-founded at age 14, was signed to Madonna’s Maverick Records and touring with major acts. But while Star’s career looked promising, an insistent inner voice haunted him. “I needed more from life and music,” the singer says. “I couldn't fight the reality that I feel most like myself when the…
Dan Goggin’s 25 Years of ‘Nunsense’

Twenty-five years ago, Dan Goggin never imagined that a little cabaret show he and some friends put together in Greenwich Village would wind up becoming a worldwide phenomenon. The idea was simple — a song-and-dance revue starring actors dressed as nuns — but it didn’t take long to catch on. “We were booked for four weekends, and we ended up running for 38,” Goggin recalls. “It was way…
The Dirges’ Bittersweet Melodies

As their woebegone name would hint, the Dirges perform bittersweet, beer-hoisting original tunes that evoke their Irish-American roots. But as singer/songwriter Fran DeAngelo explains, there is more to the Dirges’ name than meets the ear. When DeAngelo and cohort “Tall Pete” Mathus first teamed back in 2001, they composed a pair of tunes entitled “Stuytown” and “Hattie Street”—songs inspired by the untimely deaths of mutual friends, including…
‘We Will Rock You’ Is Most-Played Song at Pro Sports Games for ’08/’09 Season

BMI has determined that “We Will Rock You,” a favorite of sports fans and teams for three decades, ranks as the most-played song at games of the National Football League, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball last season. “We Will Rock You” was written by Brian May and included in a 1977 album titled News of the World by the British rock group Queen. While the song has been…
Holly Williams, Upholding and Enhancing a Family Tradition

Singer-songwriter Holly Williams, grandchild of legendary honky-tonk provocateur Hank Williams Sr. and daughter of hard-charging country star Hank Jr, is a long, tall siren with an intense, smoldering style and a fabled bloodline that affords her both a tremendous advantage and some built-in, inescapable challenges. On her current Here with Me album (Mercury Nashville), she excels at gracefully navigating between the extremes such a…
