Junk Music

Donald Knaack's Junk Music was performed at the Sundance Film Festival's Closing Night Party. Knaack/The Junkman's percussive music, played on a variety of found objects, covers a wide range of musical styles and infectious grooves. He has had a great success performing Junk Music for a wide variety of audiences from Late Night with Conan O'Brien to World Environment Day at the United Nations to First Night Boston to Lincoln Center's Out-of-Doors to the Van's Warped Tour to performances at Colleges and Universities to workshops to performances for elementary & high school students. The Junkman's new album, Junk Music 2, which incorporates dance-oriented tracks, includes "Surfer at the River Styx" written for choreographer Twyla Tharp as well as "Abracadabra" featured in the ESPN television spot Makeshift. The album is now available at www.junkmusic.org.

An American Life

Leonard Bernstein's An American Life, a groundbreaking eleven-part documentary series illuminating the life and work of Leonard Bernstein, aired on radio stations across the country and around the world beginning in October. The series of 60 minute programs is narrated by Susan Sarandon and produced by Steve Rowland with Larry Abrams. For additional information, go to www.wfmt.bernstein.com.

Song for a Cause

Award winning recording artist Judy Pancoast joined commentator Chris Matthews from Hardball after her September 2004 performance at a Washington, DC fundraiser. Pancoast premiered two original songs written and recorded by the children of the Nyumbani Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. Matthews is a longtime supporter of Nyumbani, which provides a home for children whose parents have died of AIDS.

New from Phil Vassar

Phil Vassar has released his third Arista Nashville album, Shaken and Not Stirred, his most compelling record to date. Each song tells a story about the joys of friendship present and past, the changing textures of life and on the album's first single, the transition from irresponsible youth to adulthood. Each note reflects Phil's growth as a singer, musician, and storyteller. The multitalented piano man in country music wrote the songs with his band, which includes Jeff Smith, his guitar player. Vassar also wrote with his bus driver, Billy Alcorn, and his wife Julie. Several songs on this album are just Vassar, a piano and a microphone. Vassar has written hits for many of Nashville's top names and has won Songwriter of the Year honors twice at the ASCAP Country Music Awards. Vassar has also won the "Top New Male Vocalist" award from the Academy of Country Music.