CALENDAR
Friday, June 8^th
8:00pm
Keith Urban @ United Airways Center, Phoenix.

8:30pm
Ima Robot @ House of Blues Sunset Strip.

9:00pm
The Forty Four’s @ 2^nd Street Jazz Bar & Grill, Los Angeles

Black Light Burns @ The El Ray, Los Angeles

10:00pm
Sponge @115 Bourbon St., Chicago

Saturday, June 9^th
4:30pm
Kenny Chesney w/ Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland, Pat Green and Sara Evans @ Heinz Field in Pittsburgh

7:00pm
The O’Jays w/ Johnny Gill and Keith Sweat @ The Greek Theatre.

8:00pm
Tool @ Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City.

John Mayer, Ben Folds and Rocco DeLuca & the Burden @ The Hollywood Bowl

Eek-A-Mouse @ The Ventura Theater

Sunday, June 10^th
Noon
Zac Harmon, James Cotton Band, Hubert Sumlin and many more @ the Chicago Blues Festival

7:30pm
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony @ House of Blues Dallas

8:00pm
Elliot Yamin @ Showbox Theatre, Seattle.

9:00pm
Ozomatli @ The Watercourt, Los Angeles

Marty Stuart, Porter Wagoner and the Lonesome Spurs @ Safari Sam’s, Hollywood

The Kinsey Report @ Buddy Guy’s Legends, Chicago

ARTIST EMPOWERMENT IN THE NEW MUSIC INDUSTRY
By Barrett Yeretsian
When Jesse Beer asked me if I'd be interested in writing a weekly column for Hits Daily Double, I was thrilled, to say the least. My answer was simply "Yes!" while hundreds of neurotransmitters fired simultaneously in my head with ideas of what I should write about. One neurotransmitter flashed, "Write about your experiences as a record producer." Another dashed by, "Write about your perspective as a songwriter and recording artist who has turned down opportunities to sign with major labels." The philosopher neurotransmitter argued, "Make sure whatever you write about sheds some light on what is relevant to the music industry today and something that could help the readership of the site make sense of these volatile, uncertain shores. Remember that idea we had teased a while back…artist empowerment?" The philosopher neurotransmitter won the argument but promised the others that their insights and wisdom would be incorporated in the column.

Empowerment is the ability and capacity to achieve self-actualization. The idea of artist empowerment has fascinated me since I began my career in the music industry 12 years ago, when my first band released a four-song demo and began playing the L.A. club scene, sharing the bill with bands like System of a Down, Snot and Coal Chamber. Since then, my songs, productions and recordings have been played on NBC, MTV, the hit TV show America's Next Top Model, Lifetime Channel, XM Satellite Radio and terrestrial radio, and continue to be played tens of thousands of times a month on Yahoo Music. I've been interviewed on the radio and featured many times in several high-profile international newspapers and magazines, including the Los Angeles Times and the Japan Times. I have performed and been interviewed on NBC's Today in L.A. On July 29, I’ll be performing one of my original symphonic compositions at the legendary Hollywood Bowl. I also graduated with a degree in philosophy from UCLA and turned down full scholarships to the top law schools in L.A. to pursue my career in music.

As a songwriter, producer, recording artist and composer, I have navigated through the best and the worst of the music industry. To many, what I have accomplished are the triumphs of an empowered artist. But from my perspective, empowerment is a life-long process, not a destination. My own journey, my formal and informal education, as well as my experiences with countless songwriters, bands, and recording artists, have illuminated, shaped and framed my ideas about artist empowerment. Whether one’s goal is to sign a record deal with a major record label or to simply make a living through one’s musical endeavors, too many of us are chasing our tails by going through the industry’s obstacle course, repeating the same fruitless struggle. My weekly column will be both descriptive and prescriptive, exploring what it means to be an artist, how many of those sexy characteristics that we think make us great can actually hold us back, what we can do to find the necessary balance that leads to self-actualization and finally why artist empowerment is so important in today's music industry. I can assure you, we're in for a stimulating adventure.

Barrett is currently producing several very talented artists, composing for film and television, performing with and writing songs for several of his own projects and teaching the drums at all levels. He welcomes and encourages any and all feedback relating to his column. You can email him at: barrett@barrettyeretsian.com

JE-C’S ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:
This week, I turn my attention to rock band Digital Summer, a distinctive five-piece band that originated in Phoenix. The group uses heavy/melodic guitars and raw, emotional vocals to create an edgy, powerful sound, yet its tone is soothing enough for a radio-friendly world. Here are some quick stats on the band:

* Largest-drawing unsigned band in AZ
* Distributed over 70,000 copies of their EP.
* Voted Most Entertaining live Show at the AIM Awards
* Multiple on-air interviews on 98 KUPD (the only AZ band to get this treatment)
* Average 800-1,200 plays a day on MySpace

Check them out at www.digitalsummer.net or www.myspace.com/digitalsummer

JE-C’S NEW MOVIE RUNDOWN
Surf’s Up
Starring the voice talents of: Brian Benben, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, Jane Krakowski, Shia LaBeouf
Synopsis: Working from a novel premise—that penguins invented surfing—this fun animated feature is shot in a mockumentary style and follows a camera crew as they go behind the scenes at the Penguin World Surfing Championships.
Thoughts: From the coming attractions, I think this movie could be really good and very funny. I’m hoping it isn’t just a great trailer.

Ocean’s Thirteen:
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Bernie Mac, Ellen Barkin
Synopsis: Danny Ocean and his ever expanding band of merry men plot their latest heist. Joining the cast are Al Pacino and Barkin, one of whom will play Danny's love interest.
Thoughts: I saw Ocean’s Eleven, never saw Twelve, don’t know if I’m going to see Thirteen or not. I heard Twelve was horrible, which made me question why they would even continue to make these movies, but alas, this is Hollywood, and it has a great cast, so we shall see.