Free Republic

They cannot perform in public. They cannot pose for album cover photographs. Even their jam sessions are secret, for fear of offending the religious authorities in this ultraconservative kingdom. But the members of Saudi Arabia's first all-girl rock band, The Accolade, are clearly not afraid of taboos. The band's first single, ‘Pinocchio,’ has become an underground hit here, with hundreds of young Saudis downloading the song from the group's page on MySpace (pictured). Now, the pioneering young foursome wants to record an album in secret places far from censorship. All four members of The Accolade are women: Dina, the group’s...

Lance Cpl. Robert A. Hill, a light armored vehicle mechanic with Delta Company, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, kneels between his brothers — Army 1st Lt. Josh T. Hill (right), maintenance platoon commander, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, and Lance Cpl. Bryan G. Hill, an armorer with Transportation Support Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 1st Marine Logistics Group — during their first reunion in more than a year at al Asad Air Base, Iraq, recently. Photo by Cpl. Ryan L. Tomlinson. AL ASAD — A mechanic with 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion deployed to Iraq, leaving his family behind to...

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - A former boy band mogul pleaded guilty on Thursday to an audacious fraud that used fake accountants, fake bank accounts and a dead man's signature to swindle banks and investors out of more than $300 million. Lou Pearlman, known for launching the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, took a plea deal in a U.S. court in Orlando on two counts of conspiracy involving bank and investor fraud, one of money laundering and one of making false claims in a bankruptcy. "I'm accepting full responsibility," Pearlman, 53, told U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp. The pudgy, white-haired...

You've gotta admire folks who bring their trade to a whole new level, even if that does mean escalating the international arms race between builders of automated, wooden, rubber band miniguns. The 24-barrel, tripod-mountable monster you see above, lovingly known as the Disintegrator, was rather amazingly hand-carved and assembled by Anthony Smith of the UK, who spent four months on the ambitious build. Unlike your dinky little six-shooter, this model boasts a 288-band capacity and 40-round-per-second firing capability, making it one of the most dangerous weapons to remain unbanned by the TSA. To see this wonder in its full...

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee told the Hope/Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce in a July 2 letter that he did not feel welcome in his hometown, and he would take his bass guitar and go home. Responding to the Chamber's decision not to sponsor a July 10 session of Huckabee's education reform tour, the governor wrote Chamber Executive Director Mark Keith that he was "stunned that a town I once called home is the only community in Arkansas that has asked me not to come and answer questions about an Arkansas Supreme Court decision that will impact schools statewide." Keith and...

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2007 – The devil may have gone down to Georgia, but Charlie Daniels stopped off at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., to show his appreciation to the servicemembers stationed there May 16. Charlie Daniels plays his legendary licks for about 5,500 servicemembers, families and friends at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., May 16. Spirit of America brought the band to the station to play for Marines from New River and nearby Camp Lejeune. About 70 wounded Marines attached to Wounded Warrior Battalion East at Camp Lejeune were guests of honor at the...

CAMP LIBERTY -- Do the words rock ‘n’ roll, country music or rhythm and blues cross your mind when you think of a military band? The 1st Cavalry Division Band plays a little bit of everything to ensure Soldiers get a taste of home. The 1st Cavalry Division’s band, Amber Tight, is a group of Soldiers with different talents and musical backgrounds. Their mission is to keep morale high, said Sgt. Eric Still, a guitar player in the band.“Our band is unique in that there are so many different styles coming together,” said Still, a native of Pattysburg, Miss....

Shut Up and Sing, which documents three years in the lives of the Dixie Chicks, is a sympathetic if flawed portrait of a band in crisis and transition — both, to an extent, of its own making. The film — and the band's future, for that matter — spills with love and hate and accountability. The love and hate are easily identifiable. Behind the scenes, the band's three members — Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison — create a massive family with their spouses and children. Even when Maguire seems jarred by the backlash created by Maines' now-infamous comments...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2006 -- A Celtic band from California is donating all proceeds from online sales of its latest single generated through a special endeavor on Myspace.com to a veterans organization. One of the U.S. Celtic music scene’s rising acts, Culann’s Hounds, has earmarked proceeds from their track titled “The Blackthorn Tavern” to the National Veterans Foundation. Band member Steve Gardner said he and bandmate Michael Kelleher think it’s the least they can do. “Beyond politics, Michael and I both believe strongly that American citizens who fight in the name of their country deserve the thanks and support...

What comes to mind when you think "Air Force band"? Maybe orchestral and waltz music? Not so. News 4's Todd Kunz caught up with the Air Force band on tour and clears up some of the misconceptions. "One, two..." "The youth is real responsive." "...Three, four!" Warhawk, the Air Force Band of the West. Don't let the name fool you. "When they hear it's a military band, they sort of have this preconceived notion," says Major Dean Zarmbinski, commander of the group. The band travels 30,000 miles a year throughout Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana. They're just one of...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgtWZXK9gm8 Some background: She is Judge Leslie Lewis, 3rd district of Utah. And she is up for retention, or "re-election" on this coming election day. http://www.firejudgelewis.com/

Why did you write "Simple Man?" I'm disgusted with what's going on in our country about violent crime. We take the criminal's side in a lot of cases rather than the victim's and it's just a shame. It's time we do something about it. That's what prompted "Simple Man." How do you feel about violence in schools? I think it's horrible. I honestly believe violence in schools started in the '60s when we took any semblance of morality and prayer out of the schools. People talk about the separation of church and state; if you read the Constitution, the law...

The new record, "Never Give Up, Never Give In." by the band, Hyperbole will be released on December 6th and available locally, in Michigan, or online from the bands own website ilovehyperbole.com There will be release shows all week that week and a full US tour early 2007 to support it. However on, September 11th, 2006 the band made available a track from the record for all to listen to online for free. The song is called, "The Pride is Back" and was inspired when the band was touring california earlier in the year, in Antioc, CA. Getting off a...

From Nasrallah's other fans at the DNC's Associated Press:The El Haija Brothers. Song in praise of Hezbollah chief propels West Bank boy band to local stardomSarah El Deeb, Canadian PressPublished: Friday, August 25, 2006YAMOUN, West Bank (AP) - They were struggling in a boy band, working the West Bank wedding circuit and dreaming of stardom.Now the five singers who make up the Northern Band have come a little closer to their goal, with help from an unwitting ally - Hezbollah guerrilla chief Hassan Nasrallah.At the height of the Israel-Hezbollah war, the band wrote new lyrics, in praise of Nasrallah, for...

AL ASAD, Iraq (July 10, 2006) -- Hollowell, a band from Orange County, Calif., entertained a crowd of service members at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation building here June 29. According to Jared Daniels, bassist for Hollowell, the band decided to come out to Iraq to show their support for the men and women fighting for our country. "The is the best way we can think of to say thank you to all of the troops," said Daniels, a native of Orange County, Calif. "We need to show our support for everything the men and women over here are doing....

U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Kevin Kumpf American College Musicians Reach Out to Iraqi Military Band By Norris JonesGulf Region Central DistrictUS Army Corps of Engineers BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 25, 2006 — The Iraqi army’s military band located north of Baghdad in Taji is hearing a symphony of support from musicians throughout America thanks to the efforts of a U.S. Navy sailor. Chief Petty Officer Kevin Kumpf said shortly after arriving in Taji he received a personal appeal from Iraqi Base Commander Col. Alaa about specific equipment needs his military band had. Kumpf, non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the U.S. Army...

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (May 19, 2006) -- Marine Band San Diego sent a delegate of five Marines to the locally harbored USS Midway on Saturday where they provided patriotic music for the Girl Scout Operation Thin Mint 2006 Sendoff Celebration. Girl Scouts by the hundreds, troop leaders and parents gathered on the large carrier’s deck and surrounded the center stage waving miniature American flags while the brass quintet played patriotic music. The girls met on the ship as a formal way to send massive quantities of cookies sold throughout the year to the troops deployed overseas. Bill...

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2006 – Volunteers with groups dedicated to supporting America's fighting men and women gathered for a celebrity-led concert in the Pentagon's outdoor center courtyard today. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld meets Sara Singer, an "Operation Iraqi Children" volunteer, during a concert at the Pentagon, May 5. OIC is a nonprofit organization co-founded by actor Gary Sinise that sends school supplies to children in Iraq. Photo by William D. Moss  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The event, which was sponsored by "America Supports You," featured actor Gary Sinise and his "Lt. Dan Band," whose performance was broadcast...

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2006 – U.S. soldiers from Task Force Band of Brothers scored successes in two operations this week. Soldiers from the task force caught seven suspected insurgents in the act of emplacing explosives yesterday. Soldiers on patrol with Battery B, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, observed the suspects digging. As the patrol approached, the suspects tried to flee in two vehicles. The soldiers stopped, searched and detained all the suspects. In one vehicle, a blue truck, soldiers discovered more than 120 mortar rounds, fuses and four missiles. At the site where the...

WASHINGTON (AP) - They may be politicians, but they're also a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n' roll. An all-congressional band known as the Second Amendments will perform for U.S. troops over the holidays during a trip to the Middle East and Europe. The bipartisan rock and country band features Reps. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., on guitar and lead vocals; Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., on lead guitar; Dave Weldon, R-Fla., on bass; Jon Porter, R-Nev., on keyboards; and Kenny Hulshof, R-Mo., on drums. While the name sounds political - the Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the right to...

TIKRIT, Iraq, Nov. 2, 2005 – Task Force Band of Brothers and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) officially took command of military operations in north-central Iraq in a ceremony at Forward Operating Base Danger here Nov. 1. The ceremony marked the transfer of authority from Task Force Liberty and the 42nd Infantry Division, a National Guard unit from New York that has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom for a year, to TF Band of Brothers. TF Band of Brothers is composed of two brigade combat teams and a combat aviation brigade of the 101st Airborne Division,...

NEW FRANKLIN - Joey Ashley played drums and clarinet in the Manchester High School marching band. On Friday, Oct. 28, during the halftime band show at the Manchester football game against Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, the 1999 Manchester graduate who died in a submarine accident will be honored by the band. A patriotic halftime show will be dedicated to Ashley, band director Nathan Sensabaugh said. After Ashley's death, his parents, Dan and Vicki Ashley, donated his clarinet and his quad drums to the high school. On Friday night, Kelly Robertson, 18, a senior, will play Ashley's clarinet and Nate Duncan,...

WOODBRIDGE, Va. - The marching band at Hylton High School in Woodbridge is going to have learn a different song. The Washington Post says the band had added "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," by the Charlie Daniels Band to its play list for an upcoming guest appearance at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. One letter, however, from a parent whose children are home-schooled, was sent to a local newspaper complaining that the song about the devil shouldn't be played at school events because of separation of church and state. The letter worked because the band's director has decided not...

(AP) OSSEO, Wis. A bus carrying 60 high school students home from a band competition collided with a semi truck early Sunday, killing at least five people, officials said. "The coroner is still on the scene," said Brent Pickard, a spokesman for the state transportation agency in Eau Claire. The students from Chippewa Falls High School had been at a competition at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The crash happened shortly after 2 a.m. on Interstate 94, west of Osseo in the west-central part of the state, he said.

CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (Oct. 4, 2005) -- Clapping, singing, and even dancing sounds like something that would be taking place in the halls of a huge musical auditorium, but for service members here, it is inside of a plywood building where their celebration occurs. The Camp Taqaddum gospel band, made up of 15 service members from the Marine Corps, Army, and Navy, performs in front of a respectively large crowd of worshippers every week at the Taqaddum chapel. Members of the band believe their role plays a huge part in laying the foundation of an enthusiastic worship environment for attendees,...

Looking to gain some quick knowledge on high school band instruments, guitars I know, brass ones I dont!

June 22nd, 2005 - ST. PAUL, MN - Senator Norm Coleman today announced that the music will go on after all for the rock band Glass Tiger, thanks to the persistence of a caseworker who cut through the red tape to help the Canadian band obtain their visas so they could perform on the NBC network show “Hit Me Baby One More Time” this Thursday night. The rock band Glass Tiger was originally scheduled to appear on the NBC show on Thursday June 30 and was on track to obtain the necessary visas. But then NBC unexpectedly moved up the...

A student-created memorial honoring Niagara Falls High School sophomore Anthony “Tony” Sheard is causing some stir in the community. Sheard was shot and killed Wednesday night while allegedly trying to rob a pizza delivery man in the 1300 block of Pierce Ave. While police have linked him to gang activity in the past, friends, family and school officials remember a different side of Sheard. Flowers litter the floor around Sheard’s locker located on the fourth floor of Niagara Falls High School. The locker is covered with photographs of Sheard, letters and posters. Messages include “Rest In Peace” and “We Love...

MEXICO CITY – In a tree-shaded neighborhood at Mexico City's southern edge, the sound of bagpipes breaks the silence of a balmy March evening. A dentist, a blacksmith, a high school student and a criminal lawyer – Mexicans dressed in tartan plaid kilts – are playing the songs of centuries past. They call themselves the St. Patrick's Battalion Pipe Band, after a little-known battalion of Irishmen who fought for Mexico in the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. In a country known for mariachi music, and where wearing a kilt and playing the pipes can draw ridicule, these 15 men and women...

The US military is funding development of a weapon that delivers a bout of excruciating pain from up to 2 kilometres away. Intended for use against rioters, it is meant to leave victims unharmed. But pain researchers are furious that work aimed at controlling pain has been used to develop a weapon. And they fear that the technology will be used for torture. "I am deeply concerned about the ethical aspects of this research," says Andrew Rice, a consultant in pain medicine at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, UK. "Even if the use of temporary severe pain can be...

Rossford cancels Christian rock band; local group was to play at anti-drug school assembly next week Rossford High School officials were considering letting a Christian rock band play during an anti-drug assembly next week, but decided yesterday to cancel the performance because of concerns over having religious music played in a public school. "We are just shutting the whole thing down," Rossford Superintendent Luci Gernot said. "There is some controversy, and I'd rather err on this side."The school district's law firm, Whalen & Compton of Akron told school officials yesterday that it "wasn't appropriate" to let the band Pawn perform...

I've got a bunch of Christmas cards ("proudly MADE in the U.S.A.") that will be going with the last Christmas care packages for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan with candy canes and other goodies, and I need some fun jokes to go in them! Please both post your joke here and then send a copy to me by FReepmail with your first name, town and State at the bottom. I'll print them up and tuck them in the last 4 or 5 dozen cards going out tomorrow and Tuesday.

© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com A school district's long-standing policy banning Christmas songs with religious references is under scrutiny after officials clarified that it includes the prohibition of the performance of instrumental numbers without lyrics. Instead of tunes about Jesus, and even Santa Claus, the 40-member Columbia High School brass ensemble will be limited for the first time to seasonal selections such as "Winter Wonderland" and "Frosty the Snowman," the Newark Star-Ledger reported. Some parents of students in the South Orange/Maplewood School District in New Jersey are perplexed, including Eric Chabrow, whose son plays saxophone in the ensemble. "There needs to be...

MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) - The Bush campaign agreed on Friday to stop playing the 1976 hit "Still The One" -- by the band Orleans -- at Bush's rallies, after the song's writer, John Hall, protested its use by the president and backed the challenger, Democratic Sen. John Kerry.

the district admin's name is Stan Mack. he says it's a "partisan event" so off-limits due to some previously unknown/unwritten school policy. I would think it would be a band's honor to play for any sitting prez.The admin was interviewed on local radio, and seems to be trying to play it down the middle, but it might help his story if the policy were in writing.

I found only one other thread from July which even referenced Kerry's old band. Jack Radcliffe, former piano player for the 60's band "The Electras", was interviewed this morning by WCOL's Woody, a popular DJ at a country music station in Columbus, OH. The interview was very intertaining. A few interesting points were brought up during the interview. 1. When Jack was asked if he'd be voting for Kerry, the answer was, "I'm kind of on the fence. I haven't made up my mind yet." 2. When Jack was asked about Kerry's bass playing ability, "Kerry wasn't a bass player,...

Penn State Republicans Greet Dave Matthews Band Concertgoers, Friday October 1st About six o’clock Friday evening, over thirty Republicans greeted concertgoers at the entrance of the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State. While the Young Republicans from Penn State held down the corner at University Drive drawing cheers and jeers from the passing traffic, a few of us strung out along the walk to the main entrance of the center. I had with me my battle scared Bush/Cheney sign from the September engagement with Teresa admires and the Mothers Opposed to Bush (MOB) thugs at Swab Auditorium. Some people in...

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- A high school marching band has turned down an invitation to play for President George W. Bush during his visit to Allentown, Pa, Friday. The band from Parkland High School said it wants to remain neutral in the presidential race.

Authorities in Chicago are considering criminal charges against the Dave Matthews Band after reviewing surveillance footage of an August 8 incident in which the group's tour bus allegedly dumped human waste into the Chicago River. Police Commander Michael Chasen said he's certain that the band's bus is the culprit, thanks to the footage, which was shot from nearby buildings and shows a bus crossing the bridge as a tour boat passes below (see "Dave Matthews Band Sued For Stinking Up Chicago River"). Criminal charges could include violations of public nuisance laws and ordinances to protect public health and safety, according...

The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads and the book Unfit for Command have traction and have legs. But, we must not just discuss them here. The liberal press ignores most the facts, but even the few friendly reporters or comentators may not know much of what is known here. In addition to posting here, it is important to email them when they do not raise or refute a point sothey will be better prepared to do so in the future. It is also important to write letters to the editor. We can't just preach to the choir here.

Byron York begins by saying "Alston did indeed serve under Kerry." Mr. York made the usual mistake all reporters do when reporting on Sen. Kerry and his "Band of Brothers" by simply repeating what they repeat to them without confirming whether or not it could possibly be true. York writes, "And it appears that while Alston was in fact on board PCF-94 when Kerry was in command, his total time of service under Kerry was quite brief _ perhaps as little as seven days." Based upon what, what Fred Short or David Alston told him? Read on.... "Alston, a gunner's...

Kerry's true "Band of Brothers" are not his fellow Vietnam veterans. They are the those who would weaken America... the internationalists... the terrorists who would blame us for 'intervening.' The true friends of Kerry are all of those who want us to feel guilty for the fact that America is an exceptional nation, filled with individuals whose freedoms enable us to rise constantly higher.

Getting Back in Tune with Swinging '60s BY DAVE BARRY July 25, 2004 When word got around the music community that the original Federal Duck was getting back together after 35 years, the reaction from serious rock fans was unanimous: Why? I should explain that the Federal Duck was the band I belonged to when I was a student at Haverford College back in the '60s. We were originally called The Stomp Jackson Quintet, and then The Guides (don't ask) but we came up with our new and final name one night when we were lying on the bank of...

Being somewhat older than most folks here and a film buff for all those years I could speak and listen, the thread on Favorite War films got me to thinking. There are many fine war films that have never been seen by those born past 1970, so I have put as many as I could remember. Just cut & paste the film's title into IMDb search mode and click away. IMDb is at http://us.imdb.com/ There are so many genres of films, television series and mini-series about warfare, so I will start threads to list all your favorites in each category:...

Being somewhat older than most folks here and a film buff for all those years I could speak and listen, the thread on Favorite War films got me to thinking. There are many fine war films that have never been seen by those born past 1970, so I have put as many as I could remember. Just cut & paste the film's title into IMDb search mode and click away. IMDb is at http://us.imdb.com/ There are so many genres of films, television series and mini-series about warfare, so I will start threads to list all your favorites in each category:...

Being somewhat older than most folks here and a film buff for all those years I could speak and listen, the thread on Favorite War films got me to thinking. There are many fine war films that have never been seen by those born past 1970, so I have put as many as I could remember. Just cut & paste the film's title into IMDb search mode and click away. IMDb is at http://us.imdb.com/ There are so many genres of films, television series and mini-series about warfare, so I will start threads to list all your favorites in each category:...

Band leader jailed for hate music The leader of a German skinhead rock band has been jailed for forming a criminal group that spread hate against Jews and foreigners. Berlin prosecutors have hailed the verdict as a precedent in efforts to crack down on neo-Nazi music. Band leader Michael Regener, 38, was jailed for three years and four months. Presiding Judge Wolfgang Weissbrodt said he was the creative force and songwriter behind Landser. Bass player Andre Moehricke, 25, and drummer Christian Wenndorff, 27, were placed on probation. The judge said they helped investigators and expressed remorse. All three were fined...

Band leader says suicide show will go on A band leader in the US promises to proceed with plans for a live suicide during a concert despite the threat of criminal proceedings. Hell on Earth leader Billy Tourtelot said on the band's website the concert and suicide will take place in an undisclosed location in St Petersburg, Florida. The band intends to broadcast the event and the internet and asks its fans to visit the site for the performance at 12.30am UK time tomorrow. Tourtelot's announcement last month that he would host the suicide of a terminally ill fan led...

'The show will go on,' says rock band that plans a suicide on stage By David Usborne in New York 01 October 2003 Plans to make a suicide on stage the centrepiece of a performance by the alternative rock band Hell on Earth will not be thwarted, the lead singer said yesterday. Earlier this week, the City Council of St Petersburg, Florida, tried to block the event, due to take place on Saturday, by passing an emergency ordinance making it illegal for anyone to include a suicide in an entertainment event or use it for promotional purposes. But Billy Tourtelot...