Called “the most famous talent scouting event” by The London Paper, the April edition of BMI Sessions will continue to showcase the best of the UK’s buzz bands. Slated for April 3 at 229 (Great Portland Street, Venue 2) at 8 p.m., this month’s musical movers and shakers will be The Research, Birdman Ray, Kick Superb and Little Fish.

Wakefield’s The Research dish out sassy guitar-driven “teen fury” in the vein of contemporaries The Cribs. The ardent Birdman Ray fuse bluesy strings with scuzz-rock, forming an amalgamation of infectious Weezer and stripped-down White Stripes garage rock. Vivacious Kick Superb bring together the best of the post-punk era with chantey terrace tracks reminiscent of The Clash and The Jam, while Oxford’s mighty rock duo Little Fish combine shades of PJ Harvey and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, entrancing audiences with their anthemic mix of rock, punk and stunning live delivery. The pair recently opened hometown shows for Supergrass, whose frontman Gaz Coombes subsequently dubbed Little Fish lead singer Juju the “new Patti Smith.”

Kick Superb www.myspace.com/kicksuperb

Little Fish www.myspace.com/littlefishmusic

The Research www.myspace.com/theresearch

Birdman Ray www.myspace.com/birdmanray

S O S
Evan Bogart
Edward Cobb
Jonathan "JR" Rotem
Embassy Music Corporation
Here's Lookin' At You Kidd Music
Jonathan Rotem Music
Reach Global Songs
Southside Independent Music Publishing LLC
Rihanna
SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG

SAVIN' ME
Daniel Adair (SOCAN)
Chad Kroeger (SOCAN)
Mike Kroeger (SOCAN)
Ryan Peake (SOCAN)
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Nickelback
Roadrunner/IDJMG Records

SHAKE IT OFF
Mariah Carey
Rye Songs
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Mariah Carey
Island Records

SHE SAYS
Howie Day
HKD Music
Howie Day
Epic Records

SO SICK
Ne-Yo
Super Sayin' Publishing
Zomba Songs
Ne-Yo
Def Jam/IDJMG

SOUL SURVIVOR
Young Jeezy
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Young Jeezy Music
Young Jeezy featuring Akon
Corporate Thugs/Def Jam Records

STICKWITU
Franne Golde
Kasia Livingston
Robert Palmer
Franne Gee Music
Myia’s Koala Bear Music Publishing
Notting Hill Music, Inc.
Parchi Music
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Pussycat Dolls
A & M Records

SUGAR (GIMME SOME)
David Byrne
Trick Daddy
First and Gold Publishing
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Trick Daddy featuring Ludacris & Cee-Lo
Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic

SUGAR, WE'RE GOIN' DOWN
Andrew Hurley
Patrick Stump
Joe Trohman
Pete Wentz
Chicago X Softcore Songs
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Fall Out Boy
IDJMG/Fueled By Ramen/Island

TALK
Karl Bartos (GEMA)
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Coldplay
Capitol Music Group

UNFAITHFUL
Ne-Yo
Super Sayin' Publishing
Zomba Songs
Rihanna
SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG

UNWRITTEN
Natasha Bedingfield (PRS)
Danielle Brisebois
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Gator Baby
Natasha Bedingfield
Epic Records

WALK AWAY
Kara DioGuardi
K'Stuff Publishing
Kelly Clarkson
RCA/RMG

WHAT HURTS THE MOST
Jeffrey Steele
Gottahaveable Music
Songs of Windswept Pacific
Rascal Flatts
Lyric Street

WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE
Ryan Adams
Barland Music
Tim McGraw
Curb Records

WHERE'D YOU GO
Mike Shinoda
Kenji Kobayashi Music
Zomba Songs
Fort Minor featuring Holly Brook & Jonah Matranga
Machine Shop/WB

YOU AND ME (2nd Award)
Jude Cole
Jason Wade
Dimensional Songs of the Knoll
G-Chills Music
Jude Cole Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Lifehouse
Geffen Records

YOU 'RE BEAUTIFUL
James Blunt (PRS)
Amanda Ghost (PRS)
Sacha Skarbek
David Platz Music, Inc.
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.
James Blunt
Atlantic Records

YOUR BODY
Bigg D
Marcus "Pleasure" Cooper
Jim Jonsin
Corey "Slick' Em" Mathis
Diamond "Baby Blue" Smith
Joseph "Blue" Smith
Spectacular Smith
Black Boy Hatchet Music
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Pretty Ricky
Atlantic Records

Singer/songwriter Gavin DeGraw led the CSN tribute with a jaw-dropping medley that included "Carry On," "Almost Cut My Hair" and "Teach Your Children." Twenty-time Grammy Award-winning bluegrass queen Alison Krauss and dobro master Jerry Douglas from her Union Station band brought down the house with "Long Time Gone"

Red-hot rockers Maroon 5, whose members were themselves feted with the BMI Pop Song of the Year trophy for "She Will Be Loved" and as BMI Songwriters of the Year (along with crunk rapper Lil Jon), belted out "Our House." Rounding out the all-star musical salute, which was led by music director Michael Thompson, was Allman Brothers Band frontman Gregg Allman, who was backed by Krauss and Douglas on "Southern Cross."

Hosted by BMI President/CEO Del Bryant and Los Angeles VP/GM Barbara Cane, the 54th annual BMI Pop Awards also recognized the writers and publishers of the 50 most performed songs on U.S. radio and television from the past year. In addition to the Icon tribute and the announcement of the Song and Songwriters of the Year, EMI Music earned its second consecutive BMI Pop Publisher of the Year Crystal, Weezer's "Beverly Hills" was named College Song of the Year and "1, 2 Step" received BMI's very first Internet Song of the Year award. The gala ceremony also included a special presentation to 21-year-old Catawba College student Dennis E. Reed, Jr., named first place winner of the BMI Foundation's 9th Annual John Lennon Scholarship Awards.

WE BELONG TOGETHER
Darnell Bristol
Mariah Carey
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
Sid "Uncle Jamz" Johnson
Patrick L. Moten
Sandra Sully
Bobby Womack
ABKCO Music, Inc.
Ballads By Design Publishing
Hip Chic Music
Mister Johnson's Jams Music
Rye Songs
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Mariah Carey
Island Records

YOU AND ME
Jude Cole
Jason Wade
Dimensional Songs of the Knoll
G-Chills Music
Jude Cole Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Lifehouse
Geffen Records

BMI staged its 54th Annual Pop Awards on May 16, with top honors given to BMI Icons Crosby, Stills & Nash; Jesse Carmichael, Ryan Dusick, Adam Levine and Mickey Madden of Maroon 5 and Lil Jon as Songwriters of the Year; "She Will Be Loved" as Song of the Year; and EMI Music as Publisher of the Year. Hosted by BMI President/ CEO Del Bryant and Los Angeles VP/GM Barbara Cane at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the black-tie dinner recognized the writers and publishers of the past year's 50 most performed pop songs from BMI's catalog of more than 6.5 million compositions.

	BMI Pop Awards Photo Slideshow
	BMI Icon Tribute
	2006 BMI Pop Awards song list
	Crosby, Stills, & Nash Bio

A highlight of the gala ceremony featured a musical tribute to legendary singing trio Crosby, Stills & Nash, who were honored as BMI Icons for their "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers." The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, whose signature three-part harmony has endured for more than three decades, join an elite list of previous BMI Icons that includes Paul Simon, James Brown, Brian Wilson, Isaac Hayes, Dolly Parton and Carlos Santana.

Martin Bandier and his EMI Music Publishing team accept the publisher of the year award

The musical partnership of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash has produced some of the most timeless rock songs ever written, including "Marrakesh Express," "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Helplessly Hoping," "Guinnevere," "Teach Your Children," "Wooden Ships," "Dark Star" and "Just a Song Before I Go." Called "the voice of an entire generation," CSN has just announced a summer reunion tour with Neil Young.

Maroon 5	Lil Jon	Crosby, Stills & Nash

Pop-rockers Maroon 5 were joined on stage by rapper Lil Jon to collect their BMI Songwriter of the Year Crystals for placing three songs each on the most performed list of 50. The trio of tracks earning Maroon 5 members Jesse Carmichael, Ryan Dusick, Adam Levine and Mickey Madden the prestigious title were "Sunday Morning," their two-time BMI Pop Award-winning smash, "This Love," and Song of the Year "She Will Be Loved."

Lil Jon picked up his third Songwriter of the Year win - he was both BMI's top Pop and Urban writer in 2005 - for penning "Lovers and Friends" (Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz featuring Usher & Ludacris), "Goodies" (Ciara featuring Petey Pablo) and "Salt Shaker" (Ying Yang Twins featuring Lil Jon), the latter two of which also made the list of top songs at the 2005 BMI Urban Awards. He was also honored at that ceremony as writer of the Song of the Year ("Yeah!"), as well as named one of BMI's Top 10 Urban Producers.

Included on Maroon 5's multi-platinum debut, Songs About Jane, "She Will Be Loved" was named BMI Pop Song of the Year for scoring the most airplay of any song on the most performed list during the award period. Co-written by the band's four BMI members, and published by Careers-BMG Music Publishing and February Twenty-Second Music, "She Will Be Loved" earned Maroon 5 their second Grammy this past February for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal; they were named Best New Artist the previous year.

EMI Music Publishing (EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc./EMI-Hastings Catalog, Inc./Stone Diamond Music) claimed its second consecutive BMI Pop Publisher of the Year prize with 18 songs on the top 50 list, giving the publishing giant the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs. EMI Chairman & CEO Martin Bandier accepted the company's 11th BMI Pop Publisher Crystal.

In addition to the Song of the Year, BMI also recognized the performance achievements of two other songs: "Beverly Hills" earned Most Performed Song on College Radio kudos for songwriter Rivers Cuomo of Weezer and publisher E.O. Smith Music, and "1, 2 Step," written by BMI Top 10 Urban Producer Jazze Pha and published by Bubba Gee Music, Noontime Tunes and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., received BMI's very first Internet Song of the Year award by tallying the most hits on BMI-licensed web sites during the award period.

Three other songs besides "This Love" took home a second BMI Pop Award, including "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys, which also won last year; D.H.T.'s version of "Listen to Your Heart," which earned a Pop Award in 1990 for the recording by Roxette; and the Hall & Oates remake of "I'll Be Around," which won a Pop Award in 1972 for the original Spinners hit written by Thom Bell and Phil Hurtt.

Songwriters Gavin DeGraw, Kara DioGuardi, George Pajon, Jr., will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes, and Full Force members Paul Anthony, Baby Gerry, B-Fine, Bowlegged Lou, Curt-T-T and Shy Shy each scored two BMI Pop Awards, while publishers Careers-BMG Music Publishing/Zomba Songs, Cherry River Music Co., Dimensional Songs of the Knoll, El Cubano Music, Ensign Music LLC, February Twenty-Second Music, Forceful Music/Mokojumbi Music, G. DeGraw Music, Inc., K'Stuff Publishing, Songs of TVT, Sony/ATV Songs LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group (Songs of Universal, Inc./Irving Music), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., Waters of Nazareth Publishing and will.i.am music, inc. were each cited for multiple award-winning songs.

Another of the ceremony's highlights included a special presentation to 21-year-old Catawba College student Dennis E. Reed, Jr., first place winner of the BMI Foundation's 9th Annual John Lennon Scholarship Awards. The Charlotte, North Carolina native, who got to share the stage with some of music's biggest stars, went home with a $10,000 scholarship for his song, "Out of Control." Established in 1997 by Yoko Ono in conjunction with the BMI Foundation and matched by generous donations from Gibson Musical Instruments, the John Lennon Scholarship program recognizes the talent of young songwriters between the ages of 15 and 24.

Eleven years and several lapsed musical trends later, Weezer towers as a musical force to be reckoned with. By critical consent, the band’s pop-injected rock songs paved the way for the post-punk “emo” sound. Yet despite their current status as rock & roll major leaguers, Weezer hasn’t changed. On their new album, Make Believe , singer/songwriter Rivers Cuomo, guitarist Brian Bell, drummer Matt Sharp and bassist Scott Shriner continue to cast their lot with the world’s working class heroes. 

The band’s affection for the underdog is apparent in their video “Beverly Hills,” in which the quartet bemoans its misfit social standing while romping with fans and Playmates at Hugh Hefner’s Playboy mansion. The result is a broadly appealing fantasy clip that combines the self-deprecating humor of Nirvana, the bling-brandishing charm of rap videos, and the wink-wink cheekiness of vintage Weezer. 

Treading the road less traveled is a habit for the members of Weezer. Founded on Valentine’s Day, 1992, the band was signed to DGC Records (Geffen) after a mere 16 months together. Produced by Ric Ocasek of Cars fame, Weezer’s self-titled debut album sold over two million copies on the strength of three singles/music videos: “Undone (The Sweater Song),” “Say It Ain’t So” and “Buddy Holly.”

Following several tours, Weezer took time off to discover itself. Cuomo attended Harvard, while Sharp and Wilson worked on extra-curricular music activities. 

The group emerged from their hiatus with their pop instincts intact. The band’s 1997 sophomore disc, Pinkerton , won raves and gold certification. In 2001, The Green Album was released to a Top 5 welcome, fueled by the infectious tracks/videos “Hash Pipe” and “Island in the Sun.” The following year saw the release of Maladroit , a record that solidified Weezer’s reputation as a band with a rock-solid musical heart. 

During their current Make Believe world tour, Weezer has performed before a massive, marquee-like “W” insignia that is an obvious aesthetic homage to their childhood influence, KISS. As they enter their second decade, the members of Weezer are still pursuing the rock & roll dream on their own comic terms.

Formed in 1999 while still in high school, the quintet, which is named after the principal, Ed Rooney, in the cult classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, includes frontman Robert Carmine (brother of Phantom Planet’s drummer Jason Schwartzman), guitarist Taylor Locke, bassist Matthew Winter, keyboardist Louis Stephens and drummer Ned Brower. Combining stud appeal and talent, Rooney sold out the Roxy in West Hollywood without having released a record and is now on a nationwide tour. The group is also part of the featured lineup on Lollapalooza, the traveling circus of mainstream rock giants.

While Rooney maintains that the only two bands who’ve supplied significant creative influence are Nirvana and Weezer, their sound is reminiscent of The Beatles.

“Some of the greatest pop songs were written by people in their early 20s,” said Carmine recently. “All those Beatles songs -- they were young guys when they wrote those love songs. Our lyrics are similar to what people experience, no matter what their age. And that’s the kind of music we like.”

Coincidentally, it was Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo who gave Rooney their big break early last August by inviting them to tour as Weezer’s opening act on the Enlightenment Tour.

“We are a band with a strong sense of direction and intent. We’re not a jam band,” says Brower. “Each part has a purpose within the context of the song.”]]> 2003-07-01T18:00:01-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/233333 Artists, Weezer, Musical Styles, Rock, Musicworld, Hitmaker It may have been almost five years since Weezer released its last album, but it's been worth the wait, both for the fans and the band. "This time, we were focused like Ninjas," says bassist Mikey Welsh of the sessions for The Green Album, which has already yielded a modern rock hit single with "Hash Pipe."

For their long awaited return to the studio, Weezer recruited Ric Ocasek to produce, reprising the role he played on the group's 1994 self-titled debut. That album yielded hits like "Buddy Holly" and "Undone (The Sweater Song)," providing some witty relief to the downcast sensibility of grunge that was the prevailing sentiment at the time. Though the band's style was markedly different from the current trend, notes drummer Patrick Wilson, "In a lot of ways, how we play our instruments is similar - rock music with Marshall amps - except the sentiment behind the music is a lot different."

The group's first album earned the band awards, critical accolades, and a large contingent of die-hard fans that has persisted throughout the long stretch between releases. "I think the loyal fan base gave us the most motivation to get back out there and continue as Weezer and make another record," says guitarist Brian Bell.

The group started out in 1992, with current members Rivers Cuomo (vocals and guitar, as well as songwriting) and Wilson along with guitarist Jason Cropper and bassist Matt Sharp. When Cropper left the band during the sessions for its first album, Bell joined up. Weezer followed up the debut in 1996 with Pinkerton, after which Sharp left the group to concentrate on his band The Rentals, and was replaced by Mikey Welsh, who had toured with Juliana Hatfield.

All the while, Cuomo was also pursuing a degree at Harvard, while Bell and Wilson pursued such side projects as Space Twins and Special Goodness. But when the band regrouped in 2000 for the Warped tour and a round of club dates, the response was so positive that Weezer started plotting their third album.

Hopefully, Weezer's following won't have to wait quite so long the next time. "I've been writing songs every day, and I think the next album is already half written," says Cuomo. "I'm just so excited about these new songs I can't wait to do them."