MEDIA CONTACT Jen Clark Rex Tel:  (918) 599-0029 Cell: (918) 810-6908 jen@rexpr.com www.dfest.com

Dfest Announces First Round of Artists

TULSA, OKLA. (April 21, 2009) – Dfest, the Midwest’s largest festival and conference, today announced headliners and major expansions of its two- day industry conference. Founders Tom Green and Angie DeVore-Green announced information on Dfest at a local press conference.
 
“Dfest 2009 will not only be more exciting with thanks to our new sponsors, partners and venues, but this year’s talent will by far be the most exciting and diverse offering yet,” said Green before announcing headliners The Black Crowes, Gogol Bordello, Citizen Cope, Blue October, Bassnectar, Ozomatli, Metro Station, Bill Hamel, Delta Spirit, DJ Rekha, Gil Mantera’s Party Dream, Gringo Star, Joe Pug, Other Lives, Rachelle Van Zanten, The Knux, and The Uglysuit. Emerging artists Adam’s Attic, Ali Harter, Callupsie, Ivan Ives, The Burning Hotels, The Nightlife, Tim Miller, Unwed Sailor, Crocodile, and Daniel Walcher were also announced today.
 
“In addition, we are excited to welcome the Grammy Foundation, NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences), and MusiCares to the Dfest family,” says Green.  “These new industry partnerships will allow us to further expand the already incredible opportunities that the Dfest Music Conference offers emerging artists and managers.”  
 
A music manager’s forum will also take place during the conference.  Hosted by the Music Managers Forum – US, this new partnership gives participants the opportunity to discuss the issues, problems facing the music industry and creative ideas to overcome those problems in the future.  
 
Festival co-founder Angie DeVore-Green also announced another new offering for Dfest his year, yoga and conscious living.  This latest premium expansion, designed in partnership with wellness leaders around the state, will offer an additional yoga conference where attendees can learn more about conscious living, reducing your imprint on Planet Earth, wellness, and how yoga and music actually go hand in hand and can be a way to become more creative.  With a Dfest Yoga Conference pass, attendees can learn new techniques for de-stressing and channeling their creative energies.
 
"There's a common audience that is into music and holistic living," said DeVore-Green. "Especially in Tulsa, where there's a growing segment of the population seeking holistic alternatives to health, fitness, food, and entertainment."
 
Dfest 2009 will be the first year for the eco-village called, “The M.E.T. Recycling Eco-Village.” The Village will be located during Dfest in the parking lot north of the PAC.  Vendors promoting Greening and Sustainability efforts will be located in the village. Official Dfest merchandise and the lost and found booth will also be included in the village.   
 

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First Round of Selected Emerging Artists   

Adam's Attic  
Ali Harter  
Callupsie  
CoCo Jones  
Crocodile  
Daniel Walcher  
Dead Sea Choir  
Dignan  
Dirtfoot  
Erin Austin  
I Said Stop!  
Ian Moore  
Ivan Ives  
Kawnar  
Mayola  
Modern Science  
Native Lights  
P.D.A.  
Recorder  
SocietySociety  
Stars Go Dim  
The Burning Hotels  
The City Lives  
The Culprit  
The Nightlife  
The Pons  
Tim Miller  
Unwed Sailor  
Vangough
 
 
2009 Venues
Poseiden Stage (Sante Fe Parking Lot)
Triton Stage (PAC Parking Lot)
PAC Williams Theater
PAC Liddy Doenges Theater
The Blank Slate
Exit 6C
The Asian Noodle Bar (formerly Tsunami)
Route 66 – Blue Dome Diner
Dirty’s Tavern
McNellies
Dilly Deli – on the patio
Jo Mamma’s
Templ (Official DJ Venue)
The Flytrap
 
2009 Partners and Sponsors       
Sponsors
State Farm, Cox Communications, Tulsa Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, Anheuser-Busch, Tulsa Community College, Arvest Bank, New Dominion LLC, Kum & Go, Cherokee Casino, American Airlines and Great Plains Coca-Cola, Oklahoma Foundation for the Music Industry [OKFMI], New Medio
  
 
Community Partnership
MET Recycling – Trash and Recycling Program (ECO-VILLAGE) Grissom Elementary PTA – Beverage Partnership, Proceeds, One Cent per Can pull tab.
 
Conference
The Grammy Foundation and The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
 
Partners
MusiCares Foundation and Music Manager’s Forum-US
Yoga Partners The Art of Yoga, The Canebrake, and Inner Peace Yoga

About the GRAMMY Foundation
The GRAMMY Foundation® was established in 1989 to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture — from the artistic and technical legends of the past to the still unimagined musical breakthroughs of future generations of music professionals. The Foundation accomplishes this mission through programs and activities that engage the music industry and cultural community as well as the general public. The Foundation works in partnership year-round with its founder, The Recording Academy®, to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural heritage. For more information, please visit www.grammyfoundation.org.
 
About MusiCares
MusiCares® ensures that music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical and personal need. MusiCares offers programs and services to members of the music community including emergency financial assistance for basic living expenses including rent, utilities and car payments; medical expenses including doctor, dentist and hospital bills; psychotherapy; and treatment for HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, hepatitis C and other critical illnesses. MusiCares offers nationwide educational workshops covering a variety of subjects, including financial, legal, and medical and substance abuse issues, and programs in collaboration with healthcare professionals that provide services such as flu shots, hearing tests and medical/dental screenings. The MusiCares MAP Fund® allows access to addiction recovery treatment and sober living resources for members of the music community regardless of their financial circumstances. Staffed by qualified chemical dependency and intervention specialists, MusiCares Safe Harbor Rooms offer a support network to those in recovery while they are participating in the production of televised music shows and other major music events. MusiCares holds weekly addiction support groups for people to discuss how to best cope with the issues surrounding the recovery process. The MusiCares Sober Connection is a database of individuals across the United States who can take music people to recovery support meetings while on the road. For more information, please visit www.musicares.com.
 
About Yoga and Healthy Living
The organizers of Dfest have partnered with The Art of Yoga in Oklahoma City, Wagoner’s Yoga Barn at the Canebrake and Inner Peace Yoga in Tulsa to design a yoga convention that will showcase the state's very own existing and emerging purveyors and professionals specializing in the products, activities and ideas that are shaping the conscious living revolution. "Music and sound have a profound effect on our experience and our state of mind," said Aprilhelen Morgan, of the Art of Yoga. "Music is a universal language, a form of expression that can transform the individual and even the community. Yoga is the very same thing, a diverse set of practices that can transform the individual, the community and maybe even the world."
 
The Yoga conference and festival will be structured much like Music Industry Conference, providing attendees with exposure to yoga and other disciplines such as tai chi, meditation and sound therapy through various platforms.  "This conference will target all levels of yoga practitioners," said Morgan. "Everyone is welcome, from those who are just curious about yoga to those who have been practicing all their lives. We're designing a comprehensive conference that includes yoga classes, speakers, discussion panels, clinics and trade show features."  Yoga classes will be offered throughout the two day conference and will include more traditional styles of hatha yoga as well as classes that integrate multiple modalities such as stretch therapy, acro-yoga and trance dance, said Morgan.