The Urban Media Symposium is taking place in Austin, TX April 6 & 7 in conjunction with the Urban Music Festival and Texas Relays.

http://www.myspace.com/urbanmediasymposium

The Crossover: Urban Then, Mainstream Now April 6th & 7th at the University of Texas at Austin

By Carl Settles, AdFed board member

Urban music and culture have taken center stage in American life. However, except for a few notable exceptions, African-Americans across the country remain largely absent from marketing and communications fields. So much so, that in an effort to encourage Madison Avenue ad firms to hire more minority talent, officials like former New York Attorney General (now Governor), Elliot Spitzer have threatened to take legal action.

How do we reconcile the prevalence of urban culture in mainstream media with the lack of African-American participation in the marketing and communications fields? Are African-Americans simply not interested in job titles like Creative Director or Account Planner? Are educational institutions proactively recruiting African-American students in MarCom fields? The Austin Ad Fed is teaming up with the University of Texas at Austin and the Urban Music Festival http://www.urbanmusicfest.com to present Austin's first ever Urban Media Symposium. The Crossover: Urban Then, Mainstream Now April 6th & 7th brings together academics, entertainers, business people and advertisers to examine the unmet promise of prosperity for African-American creative, marketing and communications professionals.

We have some exciting panels shaping up including executives from Nike, Nielsen, sports figures like the legendary Vince Young, leading academics and some of today's top ad agencies including Ad Age's 2006 Multi-Cultural Ad Agency of Year, Burrell Communications of Chicago. If you would like to find out more or participate as an attendee, panelist, or volunteer, please visit our web site located at http://www.urbanmediasymposium.com or email us at diversity@austinadfed.com

Please visit our web site at http://www.urbanmediasymposium.com and look for updates and more info there.

Symposium Panelists:

Angie Stone Grammy Nominated Neo-Soul Vocalist Daryl Jones, GM, Geographic Business Units, Oregon Nike Julian Davis, Director of Urban Services, Atlanta Arbitron Dr. Jerome Williams, Austin University of Texas Austin Ken Lowery, VP of Communications, New York Nielsen Media Research Korey Coleman, Animator – Spill.com / Film-maker, Austin Dr. Neal Burns, University of Texas Austin Bertrand Sosa, NetSpend / MPower Trenzio Turner, Account Executive, Sanders/Wingo Advertising, Austin

As Kelly Doze sings her first note, heads immediately turn. Her voice has soul, power, and distinctiveness that makes an audience come alive and want more. But Kelly wanted "more" too. Kelly has been singing professionally for the past seven years. She started out as a lead singer for the cover band "Soul Masquerade" from Austin, Texas. Two years later, she was recruited by the infamous cover band "The Grooves" where she began to hone her performance skills , and quickly realized she wanted more than to just sing other people's songs... After signing to upstart record label, Austin Texas Records, Kelly teamed up with Malford Milligan and Mark Donovan to record her debut album at Austin to Boston Recording Studios. This 13 song album shows that her musical writing talent mirrors her vocal versatility. The album features a wide genre of Blues, R&B, Pop, and Rock. Well known Austin artists such as Malford Milligan, Lisa Tingle, Ron Flynt, Phil Fisher, Paul Klemperer, Yogi and many more contributed their musical talents on this album. "This was one of the most creatively energizing projects I've ever worked on," exclaimed Milligan. Kelly's sophmore album, "Define Me", has a very unique and different feel of Pop, Soul, and R&B with a touch of Americana. This album's ground work was done again at Austin to Boston Studios, the re-worked, tweeked, and finalized at Awesome Works Recording in Holland, TX. Kelly actively participated in the production of this second recording along with Mark Donovan, Malford Milligan, John Moore, and Zeke Benenate. Between all of their creative minds, and the help of fantastic musicians, this new album has something for everyone. Kelly and the band are very excited about what lies ahead. With interests from various major labels and a busy touring schedule, it looks as if Kelly has found the "more" she was looking for ! Go to: kellydozeband.com

The Texas Sapphires, winner of the “2006 Best New Band” award at the Austin Music Awards, top the second “Carousel Saturday Nights” bill. Their recent release, Valley So Steep, is still receiving rave reviews. The album, produced by Lloyd Maines, has been called “one of the best country albums of 2006,” “pure unadulterated bliss,” and more often than not as what Austin country should strive to be. A live favorite for drinkers and dancers, any lively crowd in front of them can’t stand to stay in their seats for long.

Local one-man-band extraordinaire John Schooley opens the show with a mix of delta blues and country punk. Sidelined by surgery since January, he’s ready to stomp, strum, and sing his way back into the game. Next up is Heather Rae and the Moonshine Boys, a crowd favorite at the Carousel Lounge. Stand-up bassist Shannon Marino slaps the rhythm while Jeremy Wade picks out the melody behind Heather Rae’s vocals, guitar, and fiddle. Eve Monsees and the Exiles take the stage right before the Sapphires. Led by drummer Mike Buck and guitar slinger and singer Eve Monsees, the Exiles formed in 2002 and cut their eponymous debut in 2004. In 2005 the band toured Europe as part of the Ruf Records blues caravan, and back home in 2006 were featured in the Austin Blues on the Green series to honor Clifford Antone’s passing.

This show is the second in a series of shows to feature the best of Austin’s established bands as well as some of its newest additions. Set in the one-of-a-kind atmosphere that only the Carousel Lounge can provide, the shows will be filmed and recorded as part of a project featuring the club and the music it hosts. Please support these exciting and dedicated bands as well as this time-honored club.

EVENT INFO

Where: The Carousel Lounge, 1110 E. 52nd St., Austin, TX 78752
When: March 10, 2007
Who: The Texas Sapphires (11:15pm)
Eve Monsees & the Exiles (10:15pm)
Heather Rae & the Moonshine Boys (9:15pm)
John Schooley & his One-Man-Band (8:30pm)
Cost: $5

Get ready for SXSW with an intergalactic rock experience. Touching down on the earth’s surface at 6 pm on March 14th, JEFFERSON STARSHIP will perform an hour long set at Waterloo Park. The Austin music event is free and no ticket is needed.