NASHVILLE |FR: ALEXANDRA GREENBERG/MSO
818-380-0400 x223, agreenberg@msopr.com
URB MAGAZINE CELEBRATES 15 YEARS
WITH ANNIVERSARY GATEFOLD SPECIAL ISSUE FOR MARCH
AND EVENTS IN LOS ANGELES, AUSTIN AT SXSW, MIAMI AT WMC AND MORE
Since its conception in 1990 by Publisher and Creative Director Raymond Leon Roker and co-founder Mark Bankins, URB Magazine has been at the forefront of chronicling emerging urban culture. To commemorate its 15-year milestone,URB will release a special anniversary three-gatefold cover showcasing talents who have graced past covers, representing the magazine over the years. Photographed exclusively by Pieter M. van Hattem in New York City this past January, the cover features the most vibrant cast of forward-thinking musical artists ever brought together for a single cover shoot, including Interpol’s Carlos D, Jean Grae, Moby, The Root’s ?uestlove, DJ Craze, Slug of Atmosphere, Princess Superstar, El-P, Todd from The Faint, Cut Chemist, Talib Kweli, Tunde from TV on the Radio and Armand Van Helden. The issue is on sale March 7, 2006.
To intensify the celebration, several artists who have appeared on the cover and in the pages of URB will perform at URB’s anniversary-related events across the country. URB will also incorporate its 15-year commemoration into Sauza presents URB Next100 Live documentary events in Austin and Miami during their respective music conferences. The Sauza presents URB Next100 Live documentary, which chronicles interviews conducted with artists that have appeared inURB’s annual Next 100 issue, will be shown. Filmed last year in New York , Austin , Miami and Los Angeles , the film includes live performances and interviews with Moby, Gang Of Four, LCD Soundsystem, Mark Ronson, Mr. Lif, Buck 65, Princess Superstar, Jason Bentley and more.
In addition, there will be a photo tour encompassing a retrospective of images that have appeared in the magazine over the last decade and a half. Curated by Roker, images by some of URB’s most talented photographers–Roger Erickson, Kiino Villand and Patrick Hoelck–will be displayed. Meanwhile, URB will maintain its presence as a featured media sponsor during the M3 convention in Miami March 22-26 and for its 6th year at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival April 29 – 30 in Indio , CA .
The complete list of URB 15-year anniversary events is as follows:
Date Event Venue, City
March 11 URB Issue Release Party w/ Mike Realm The Whiskey Bar, Austin
March 15 URB Issue Release Party w/ Princess Superstar Opus 22, New York City
March 16 URB Issue Release Party with ?uestlove Fluid, San Francisco
March 17 URB Issue Release Party with Moby w/ Avalon, Los Angeles
Jason Bentley & Steve Aoki
March 18 “Sauza presents URB Next100 Live” at SXSW w/ TBD, Austin
Gang of Four, Mark Ronson, The Domino
March 18 URB Introspective Photo Preview at SXSW TBD, Austin
March 23-25 URB Introspective Photo Preview at M3 Surfcomber Hotel, Miami
March 23-24 M3 Sunset Sessions Surfcomber Hotel, Miami
March 26 “Sauza presents URB Next100 Live” at WMC National Hotel, Miami
March 28 URB Introspective Photo Preview at WMC National Hotel, Miami
www.urb.com
About URB Magazine:
URB is the premier alternative music magazine for multicultural Gen-Y covering emergent hip-hop, indie and electronic music and the lifestyles that surround it. Often called the Rolling Stone of the underground, URB broadcasts from ground zero where progressive music movements ignite and emerging scenes, styles, technologies and cultures percolate just below the surface. Launched on the principle that what was occurring beneath the surface and outside the range of mainstream eyes and ears was worth celebrating and documenting, URB remains the vanguard for what’s next. Today, it is the longest running and most read underground music magazine in America . In both 2003 and 2005, URB was the recipient of the Western Publication Association’s Maggie Award in the “Music/Consumer” magazine category as well as the 2004 Dancestar USA Music Award for “Best Magazine.”
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If you would like to arrange an interview with URB’s founder Raymond Leon Roker or managing editor Joshua Glazer, RSVP for one of the URB 15-year anniversary events or inquire for more info in general, contact:
Alexandra Greenberg /MSO
818-380-0400 x223, agreenberg@msopr.com
