INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL TO BRING BLACK EYED PEAS, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT AND THE COMMITMENTS TO TEDDY STADIUM IN JERUSALEM SEPTEMBER 9, 2007
August 7, 2007 - NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- For the first time in history, an extraordinary lineup of musical artists will unite together on one stage in Jerusalem, Israel. Jerusalem Rocks! is a non-profit International music festival which will be set against the backdrop of the Teddy Kollek Stadium in Jerusalem on September 9, 2007. Much more then a concert, Jerusalem Rocks! is a cultural extravaganza celebrating the freedom of expression inherent in music and is committed to shedding light on Jerusalem as a beacon of peace.
According to Jacob Ner-David, Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Jerusalem Rocks!, “While there have been festivals for peace and unity in the past, there has never been an event like Jerusalem Rocks! that brings this caliber of artists together in the Holy City. Our goal is for Jerusalem Rocks! to draw concertgoers from all parts of Israel, as we plan to demonstrate the city's ability to host major performances annually."
Jerusalem Rocks! is the dream of a group of individuals who see the importance of making culture available to all rungs of society. With a population of 725,000 including hundreds of thousands of students, youth and numerous Universities, the Jerusalem Rocks! organization feels that hosting an International musical event in Jerusalem was the perfect gift to Jerusalem - who hasn't hosted a concert of this magnitude in over 20 years - and a perfect place to make a statement to the rest of the World.
Carmi Wurtman, Jerusalem Rocks! Event Producer and Co-Founder notes, “This festival marks the beginning of an unprecedented movement that we hope will not only re-establish Jerusalem as a cultural center, but will also trigger behavioral changes , inspiring others to “answer the call" to embrace cultural differences."
On September 9, 2007, the Black Eyed Peas are set to return to Israel to headline Jerusalem Rocks! The Black Eyed Peas vocalist, Fergie, is scheduled to perform hits off her solo debut album, The Dutchess which boasts 4 consecutive top 5 singles and has sold millions of copies worldwide. Audiences will also be among the first to hear songs off of Black Eyed Peas front-man will.i.am's upcoming solo album entitled, Songs About Girls, scheduled to hit streets on September 25th, 2007. Will.i.am comments, “I can't wait to come back to Israel! The 2006 performance we did in Tel Aviv was one of the single best experiences of my life."
Jerusalem Rocks! also promises heavyweight performances scheduled by the progressive hip-hop collective and two-time Grammy Award winning artists, Arrested Development. Social change advocate and Arrested Development founder, Speech proclaims, “This is a life long dream, I wrote back in '89 that my next stop after touring America was supposed to be touring in Jerusalem. Almost 20 years later, it is finally happening and we are excited."
The group that describes their sound as “Life Music" is best known for producing strongly spiritual , Afrocentric singles with a focus on positive viewpoints. The mega-hit singles, “Tennessee", “People Everyday" and “Mr. Wendal" helped to catapult the sales of over five million albums. In 2007, Arrested Development is premiering works off a new album entitled, Since the Last Time, scheduled to hit streets in September.
Other performances scheduled at the Teddy Kollek Stadium include a mix of local and International acts including The Commitments from Dublin, Ireland - the band whose album and soundtrack to the movie, The Commitments, has sold 12 million copies worldwide.
Festival (and Vonage) Co-Founder Jeff Pulver adds, “The festival is just before the Jewish Holiday Rosh Hashanah, giving extra incentive for people traveling to Israel for the High Holy Days to arrive a few days early to catch the concert in Jerusalem."
Jonathan Schwartz, Co-producer and Musical Director concurs, “Jerusalem Rocks! is a no-brainer. Jerusalem deserves a cultural event of this magnitude and we plan to continue this festival for years to come."
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS AND PARTNERS:
CARMI WURTMAN: CO-FOUNDER & EVENT PRODUCER
Carmi has an extensive resume of productions, including The One Shekel Festival (which he also co-founded) which brings 20,000 people from poor communities every year to see lineups that include the most well known Israeli musicians for only one shekel, A Gift To Israel - a ten-show tour that brought 3 American musicians to Israel teamed with Israeli artists, Unwire Jerusalem - the event that kicked off wireless internet in downtown Jerusalem, WorldPride Jerusalem 2006 and the recently released Sony DVD, Matisyahu “Live In Israel".
JACOB NER-DAVID: CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Founder and Managing Partner of Jerusalem Capital, a venture fund focused on the Technology-Enabled Services (TES) sector in Israel. Jacob has been a successful serial entrepreneur for more than a decade, creating billions of dollars in shareholder value. He has built, managed, and successfully exited four companies, two of which were considered market leaders in the TES sector. Jacob has been named by Unstrung as one of the top 25 wireless executives in the world, and a “Voice on the Net Pioneer" by pulver.com. Jacob is a co-founder and Chairman of Digital Jerusalem, a non-profit focused on creating projects to advance the city of Jerusalem.
BRYAN STEINER: CO-PRODUCER
Bryan is president and partner of 2b Vibes. Besides work on the long list of productions (Matisyahu Live in Israel, The One Shekel Festival, etc.), Bryan has owned and operated a record label and worked extensively with artists in both the U.S. and Israel in areas as varied as personal management - including setting up and managing International tours - and musical production.
JONATHAN SCHWARTZ: CO-PRODUCER & MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Jonathan has been working in the music industry in New York City for over ten years. As a partner in the Zenbu Media Group, he manages the marketing department of four separate music magazines including Relix, the second longest running music publication in the U.S. Jonathan also runs the Relix record division, an Internationally distributed label including several Grammy Award winners and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Jonathan is also a Producer of the “Jammy Awards," the premier grassroots music award show in the U.S. held annually at Madison Square Garden's Theater, and was a Co-Producer of the inaugural 2006 Green Apple Music & Arts Festival, the largest Earth Day event in the United States comprised of over 70 concerts in 30 venues around New York City.
JEFF PULVER: CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Jeff is the founder of pulver.com, an incubator for Internet based Innovations started in 1994. Jeff is one of the true pioneers of the VoIP industry, a leader in the emerging TV on the Net industry and a great friend of the Israeli Hi-Tech community. He is known globally as a renowned thought leader, blogger and entrepreneur. Additionally, Mr. Pulver is the founder of: Pulvermedia, Network2, Free World Dialup, the VON Coalition and Vivox and is the co-founder of Vonage.
YEHUDA KATZ: CO-FOUNDER & ARTISTIC ADVISER
Yehuda has been on the local Israeli music scene for 13 years as the lead singer of Reva L'sheva. He is the founder and musical director of Israel's first traveling festival, Am Yisrael Chai, musical director 10 years running of the annual tribute concert to Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, director and founder of Artists And Musicians for Israel, a non-profit organization, and musical producer of more than 15 albums.
INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS:
DIGITAL JERUSALEM A non-profit organization dedicated to bringing innovative projects to the people of Jerusalem. Because of their efforts, downtown Jerusalem today enjoys free wireless Internet access. Digital Jerusalem is proud to be a sponsor and producer of Jerusalem ROCKS!
JERUSALEM FOUNDATION
Founded in 1966 and celebrating its 40-year anniversary, The Jerusalem Foundation is an independent, non-profit, community foundation that believes in a comprehensive approach to promoting and enhancing a free, open, pluralistic and modern society in Jerusalem. To date, the foundation has raised over 5 billion shekels which were invested in thousands of projects for the benefit of all residents of Jerusalem.
August 7, 2007 - NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- For the first time in history, an extraordinary lineup of musical artists will unite together on one stage in Jerusalem, Israel. Jerusalem Rocks! is a non-profit International music festival which will be set against the backdrop of the Teddy Kollek Stadium in Jerusalem on September 9, 2007. Much more then a concert, Jerusalem Rocks! is a cultural extravaganza celebrating the freedom of expression inherent in music and is committed to shedding light on Jerusalem as a beacon of peace.
According to Jacob Ner-David, Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Jerusalem Rocks!, “While there have been festivals for peace and unity in the past, there has never been an event like Jerusalem Rocks! that brings this caliber of artists together in the Holy City. Our goal is for Jerusalem Rocks! to draw concertgoers from all parts of Israel, as we plan to demonstrate the city's ability to host major performances annually."
Jerusalem Rocks! is the dream of a group of individuals who see the importance of making culture available to all rungs of society. With a population of 725,000 including hundreds of thousands of students, youth and numerous Universities, the Jerusalem Rocks! organization feels that hosting an International musical event in Jerusalem was the perfect gift to Jerusalem - who hasn't hosted a concert of this magnitude in over 20 years - and a perfect place to make a statement to the rest of the World.
Carmi Wurtman, Jerusalem Rocks! Event Producer and Co-Founder notes, “This festival marks the beginning of an unprecedented movement that we hope will not only re-establish Jerusalem as a cultural center, but will also trigger behavioral changes , inspiring others to “answer the call" to embrace cultural differences."
On September 9, 2007, the Black Eyed Peas are set to return to Israel to headline Jerusalem Rocks! The Black Eyed Peas vocalist, Fergie, is scheduled to perform hits off her solo debut album, The Dutchess which boasts 4 consecutive top 5 singles and has sold millions of copies worldwide. Audiences will also be among the first to hear songs off of Black Eyed Peas front-man will.i.am's upcoming solo album entitled, Songs About Girls, scheduled to hit streets on September 25th, 2007. Will.i.am comments, “I can't wait to come back to Israel! The 2006 performance we did in Tel Aviv was one of the single best experiences of my life."
Jerusalem Rocks! also promises heavyweight performances scheduled by the progressive hip-hop collective and two-time Grammy Award winning artists, Arrested Development. Social change advocate and Arrested Development founder, Speech proclaims, “This is a life long dream, I wrote back in '89 that my next stop after touring America was supposed to be touring in Jerusalem. Almost 20 years later, it is finally happening and we are excited."
The group that describes their sound as “Life Music" is best known for producing strongly spiritual , Afrocentric singles with a focus on positive viewpoints. The mega-hit singles, “Tennessee", “People Everyday" and “Mr. Wendal" helped to catapult the sales of over five million albums. In 2007, Arrested Development is premiering works off a new album entitled, Since the Last Time, scheduled to hit streets in September.
Other performances scheduled at the Teddy Kollek Stadium include a mix of local and International acts including The Commitments from Dublin, Ireland - the band whose album and soundtrack to the movie, The Commitments, has sold 12 million copies worldwide.
Festival (and Vonage) Co-Founder Jeff Pulver adds, “The festival is just before the Jewish Holiday Rosh Hashanah, giving extra incentive for people traveling to Israel for the High Holy Days to arrive a few days early to catch the concert in Jerusalem."
Jonathan Schwartz, Co-producer and Musical Director concurs, “Jerusalem Rocks! is a no-brainer. Jerusalem deserves a cultural event of this magnitude and we plan to continue this festival for years to come."
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS AND PARTNERS:
CARMI WURTMAN: CO-FOUNDER & EVENT PRODUCER
Carmi has an extensive resume of productions, including The One Shekel Festival (which he also co-founded) which brings 20,000 people from poor communities every year to see lineups that include the most well known Israeli musicians for only one shekel, A Gift To Israel - a ten-show tour that brought 3 American musicians to Israel teamed with Israeli artists, Unwire Jerusalem - the event that kicked off wireless internet in downtown Jerusalem, WorldPride Jerusalem 2006 and the recently released Sony DVD, Matisyahu “Live In Israel".
JACOB NER-DAVID: CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Founder and Managing Partner of Jerusalem Capital, a venture fund focused on the Technology-Enabled Services (TES) sector in Israel. Jacob has been a successful serial entrepreneur for more than a decade, creating billions of dollars in shareholder value. He has built, managed, and successfully exited four companies, two of which were considered market leaders in the TES sector. Jacob has been named by Unstrung as one of the top 25 wireless executives in the world, and a “Voice on the Net Pioneer" by pulver.com. Jacob is a co-founder and Chairman of Digital Jerusalem, a non-profit focused on creating projects to advance the city of Jerusalem.
BRYAN STEINER: CO-PRODUCER
Bryan is president and partner of 2b Vibes. Besides work on the long list of productions (Matisyahu Live in Israel, The One Shekel Festival, etc.), Bryan has owned and operated a record label and worked extensively with artists in both the U.S. and Israel in areas as varied as personal management - including setting up and managing International tours - and musical production.
JONATHAN SCHWARTZ: CO-PRODUCER & MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Jonathan has been working in the music industry in New York City for over ten years. As a partner in the Zenbu Media Group, he manages the marketing department of four separate music magazines including Relix, the second longest running music publication in the U.S. Jonathan also runs the Relix record division, an Internationally distributed label including several Grammy Award winners and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Jonathan is also a Producer of the “Jammy Awards," the premier grassroots music award show in the U.S. held annually at Madison Square Garden's Theater, and was a Co-Producer of the inaugural 2006 Green Apple Music & Arts Festival, the largest Earth Day event in the United States comprised of over 70 concerts in 30 venues around New York City.
JEFF PULVER: CO-FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Jeff is the founder of pulver.com, an incubator for Internet based Innovations started in 1994. Jeff is one of the true pioneers of the VoIP industry, a leader in the emerging TV on the Net industry and a great friend of the Israeli Hi-Tech community. He is known globally as a renowned thought leader, blogger and entrepreneur. Additionally, Mr. Pulver is the founder of: Pulvermedia, Network2, Free World Dialup, the VON Coalition and Vivox and is the co-founder of Vonage.
YEHUDA KATZ: CO-FOUNDER & ARTISTIC ADVISER
Yehuda has been on the local Israeli music scene for 13 years as the lead singer of Reva L'sheva. He is the founder and musical director of Israel's first traveling festival, Am Yisrael Chai, musical director 10 years running of the annual tribute concert to Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, director and founder of Artists And Musicians for Israel, a non-profit organization, and musical producer of more than 15 albums.
INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS:
DIGITAL JERUSALEM A non-profit organization dedicated to bringing innovative projects to the people of Jerusalem. Because of their efforts, downtown Jerusalem today enjoys free wireless Internet access. Digital Jerusalem is proud to be a sponsor and producer of Jerusalem ROCKS!
JERUSALEM FOUNDATION
Founded in 1966 and celebrating its 40-year anniversary, The Jerusalem Foundation is an independent, non-profit, community foundation that believes in a comprehensive approach to promoting and enhancing a free, open, pluralistic and modern society in Jerusalem. To date, the foundation has raised over 5 billion shekels which were invested in thousands of projects for the benefit of all residents of Jerusalem.
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