The Recording Academy, the organization internationally known for the Grammy Awards, will present its 2012 Grammys on the Hill Awards in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, April 25 at the Liaison Capitol Hill hotel.

Often referred to as Washington’s most interesting mix of music and politics, the event will honor U.S. Representative Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and seven-time Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/producer John Mayer for their commitment to improving the working environment for the nation’s music community.

The Grammys on the Hill events include an awards ceremony on April 25 and the music community’s only annual advocacy day on Capitol Hill on Thursday, April 26, at which hundreds of music professionals from across the country will visit with legislators to advance pro-music policies that improve the environment for music and its makers.

For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys, www.facebook.com/thegrammys. For updates on Advocacy, please follow @TRAinDC on Twitter.

“Advocating for the protection of music makers’ rights is an essential part of the work we do at The Academy, and Grammys on the Hill is an excellent opportunity to recognize leaders and influencers who work on this mission, while inviting our members to utilize their voice,” said Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow. “This year we are proud to honor Rep. Berman, who has a long history of working to support music creators, and John Mayer, who beyond being an enormous talent is also an active philanthropist in arts and education.”

Grammys on the Hill Awards: April 25, 6:30 – 10 p.m.

Taking place at the Liaison Capitol Hill hotel, the Grammys on The Hill Awards will include a cocktail reception preceding the awards ceremony with special guest presenters and performers to help recognize the achievements of Berman and Mayer as well as a Grammy Foundation Signature School that has demonstrated excellence in music education.

Grammys on the Hill Advocacy Day: April 26, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

This advocacy day for music makers features a morning briefing with keynote speeches by leading legislators and lobbying members of Congress on Capitol Hill with special guests.

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The Grammy Awards confirmed that 2011 truly was the year of Adele.  The 23 year-old singer was honored with 6 Grammy Awards, including “Record of the Year,” “Album of the Year” and “Song of the Year,” tying the record held by Beyoncé for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in a single year.

This brings Adele’s career Grammy total to 8.  Viewers who tuned into the live ceremony, which took place from the Staples Center in Los Angeles earlier, witnessed Adele deliver a breathtaking rendition of “Rolling in the Deep,” her first public performance since she underwent vocal surgery in November.  Adele took home honors in the following categories:

Record of the Year (“Rolling in the Deep”)
Album of the Year (“21″)
Song of the Year (“Rolling in the Deep”)
Best Pop Solo Performance (“Someone Like You”)
Best Pop Vocal Album (“21″)
Best Short Form Music Video (“Rolling in the Deep”)

Adele’s sophomore album 21 was the biggest selling album of 2011 with over 18 million units sold worldwide.  Entertainment Weekly declared it “that rarest pop commodity: timeless,” and the Associated Press affirmed that Adele “created more than just an album with good songs: she’s crafted a masterpiece.”

In addition to being named Billboard’s “Artist of the Year,” Adele had the best-selling US single of the year, “Rolling in the Deep,” certified 6x Platinum, as well as the best-selling music DVD of the year, “Live at The Royal Albert Hall,” certified 7x Platinum. She has broken countless records – including becoming the first-ever artist to lead the Billboard 200 while concurrently having 3 Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles from the same parent album (“Rolling in the Deep,” “Someone Like You,” and “Set Fire to the Rain”).

21 has spent 19 nonconsecutive weeks, to date, at #1 on the Billboard Top 100, surpassing records held by Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Some Gave All” and 1998′s “Titanic” soundtrack.

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Two-time Grammy winner Kenny Loggins ; Grammy- nominated band OneRepublic fronted by lead singer Ryan Tedder, who is currently nominated for two Grammy Awards; and DJ Michelle Pesce are scheduled to perform at the 2012 Grammy Celebration — The Recording Academy’s official after-party.

Additionally, in the celebration’s MasterCard Jazz Lounge, the exclusive event will feature performances by members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Grammy Camp — Jazz Session with current Grammy nominee Arturo O’Farrill. Inspired by Rio’s Carnival, this year’s all-star gathering will be a euphoric event where guests will dance, sing, party and continue to celebrate Music’s Biggest Night. The night’s festivities will be catered and produced by Along Came Mary Productions.

One of the year’s most anticipated events attracting Grammy winners, nominees and celebrities, the 2012 Grammy Celebration will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 12 immediately following the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.

“We’re looking forward to continuing the celebration of Music’s Biggest Night by enjoying some amazing music and outstanding cuisine at our Grammy after-party,” said President/CEO of The Recording Academy Neil Port now. “This year’s festive Carnival will be a most fitting and exciting component of an extremely memorable evening.”

“I most commonly find inspiration in music and travel, and after experiencing the vibrant culture of Brazil earlier this year, the 2012 Grammy Celebration theme became glaringly clear,” said Branden Chapman, Executive in Charge of Production and Chief Business Development Officer for The Recording Academy.

“With the support of hundreds of event professionals, we will symbolically transport our 5,000-plus guests to Rio de Janeiro’s annual Carnival celebration complete with a life-sized samba float, Copacabana and Ipanema beach lounges and favela inspired scenes showcasing the 64 performers and dancers that will entertain the crowd throughout the evening.”

Once again, The  will partner with highly regarded event producers and renowned celebrity caterer Along Came Mary to co-produce and cater the post-telecast Grammy Celebration, overseeing all of the event entertainment, decor, menu, and other logistics.

Led by The Recording Academy, ACM and its design and lighting team will take the vast convention space, equaling the size of three football fields, and transform it into a festive Carnival theme with dancers, acrobats, aerialists, projections, elevated lounges, and floor-to-ceiling water walls.

The exquisite menu includes five buffet stations (Brazilian churrascaria, favelas fabulous, Copacabana nights, Latin flavors, and 42 degrees below) and seven different samba sweets (caramelized banana-chocolate bread pudding, spinning lady sundae bar, passion fruit creme tarts, palma saffron pears galette, Miami spice cheesecake, sugarcane wafers, and macadamia nut squares).

The menu was designed using locally grown meat, produce and cheese, when possible, and all seafood is sustainably produced. Leftover edible food from the Grammy Celebration is donated to local food banks, and all cooking oil used for the event will be recycled.

A mainstay in the entertainment industry, ACM has masterfully orchestrated many of Hollywood’s most distinguished events and has been named top caterer in the nation by numerous publications. The Recording Academy has hired ACM to co-produce the Grammy Celebration for 12 consecutive years.

Image Courtesy of   Dana Nalbandian / Shutterstock.com

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Current GRAMMY nominees Chris Brown ,deadmau5, Foo Fighters, David Guetta , and Lil Wayne will join for a special performance highlighting dance/electronica music for the first time ever on the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards (www.grammy.com ).

Music’s Biggest Night — hosted by two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J — takes place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Dial Global, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys .

Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys , www.facebook.com/thegrammys .

The performance will take place in a special outdoor tent adjacent to STAPLES Center on the Nokia Plaza at L.A. LIVE. Consulting and participating on this special segment is renowned hospitality company The Light Group’s HAZE Nightclub at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Four-time GRAMMY winner Lil Wayne has five nominations: Best Rap Performance for “Look At Me Now” (with Chris Brown and Busta Rhymes); two nods in Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “I’m On One” (with DJ Khaled, Drake and Rick Ross) and “Motivation” (with Kelly Rowland); Best Rap Song for “Look At Me Now”; and Best Rap Album for Tha Carter IV .

deadmau5 has three nominations: Best Dance Recording for “Raise Your Weapon” (with Greta Svabo Bech), Best Dance/Electronica Album for 4X4=12, and Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for Foo Fighters’ “Rope” (deadmau5 Mix). Two-time GRAMMY winner Guetta is up for two awards: Best Dance Recording for “Sunshine” (with Avicii), and Best Dance/Electronica Album for Nothing But The Beat.

Previously announced performers for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards include Adele (in her first live performance since undergoing vocal cord surgery last fall); Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson ; Tony Bennett and Carrie Underwood ; Chris Brown ; Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton ; Coldplay and Rihanna; Foo Fighters; Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt ; Bruno Mars ; PaulMcCartney; Nicki Minaj; Katy Perry ; Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band; and Taylor Swift.

Aldean, The Band Perry, deadmau5, Guetta, Minaj, and Shelton will perform on the GRAMMY telecast for the first time. Previously announced presenters are Marc Anthony , Dierks Bentley , Jack Black ,Drake, Fergie, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert , Gwyneth Paltrow , Ryan Seacrest , Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, and Ringo Starr .

LL COOL J has hosted “The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night” since its inception in December 2008, and this is his first time hosting the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast.

Image Courtesy of  Randy Miramontez / Shutterstock.com

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Over the course of their illustrious 25-year career, Blues Traveler have sold more than 10 million combined units worldwide, played over 2,000 live shows in front of more than 30 million people, and, in “Run-Around,” had the longest-charting radio single in Billboard history, which earned them a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

A television favorite, they have been featured on Saturday Night Live, Austin City Limits, VH1′s Behind the Music and they hold the record for the most appearances of any artist on The Late Show with David Letterman.

On March 6, 2012, Hip-O Select/Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) releases Blues Traveler: 25 , a 2-CD retrospective that spans the first 25 years of the band’s incredible recording career. 25 features a total of 29 tracks including a newly recorded cover version of Sublime’s “What I Got,” their greatest hits, B-sides, unreleased demos and rarities— among them a remix of “Run-Around” by acclaimed electronic producers Gunslinger, and excerpts from the band’s online concept album Decision of the Skies: A Traveler Tale of Sun and Storm.

Remarks vocalist John Popper, “In a quarter century, through every possible kind of high and low, through every dream realized, through every hope dashed, always there was a return to that dedication and belief in the music and in each other.

On behalf of all of Blues Traveler, I am privileged to express how honored we are, how deeply proud we are to share with you the first of our quarter-century celebration and appropriate look back at some favorites you may find familiar as well as rarities that for some reason or another have yet to see the light of day. In our hearts we view this as a time to step back to look at what we’ve done. We hope you will share that experience with us with as much satisfaction as we have had in bringing it to you.”

Originally from the suburbs of New Jersey, Blues Traveler moved to New York in the late ’80s where they became an integral part of a new wave of artists coming up in the jam-band scene, packing clubs like Nightingale’s, Wetlands and Mondo Cane.

The band’s live reputation landed them a deal with A&M Records and over the years they released a string hit albums including their 1990 self-titled debut; 1991′sTravelers & Thieves; 1993′s Save His Soul; the platinum selling Straight on till The Morning; and their massive, 1994 multi-platinum breakthrough release Four.

Disc one of Blues Traveler: 25 features the band’s biggest hits and staple tracks representing all nine of their studio albums. Included are their No. 1 hit single “Run-Around,” and their top 20 hit “Hook.” Both songs were taken from 1994′s Four which climbed to No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and has now sold over six times platinum.

Other tracks featured are the No. 4 hit single “Carolina Blues” from 1997′s Straight on till Morning, which reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200; the band’s first top 20 hit “But Anyway” plus “Gina” and “100 Years” taken from their 1990 self-titled debut; “Amber Awaits” and “After What” from their top 50 album Bastardos!, an album produced by former Wilco member Jay Bennett; the hard-rocking, Led Zeppelin-esque track “How You Remember It” and “You, Me And Everything” from their most recent 2008 release, North Hollywood Shootout; plus a new 2011 recording of Sublime’s “What I Got” which is only available on this two-CD set.

Disc Two of 25 is a collection of rarities including B-sides, unreleased demos and studio tracks. Featured are early demo versions of “But Anyway” and “Trust In Trust” recorded in 1988; the quirky “The Poignant and Epic Saga of Featherhead and Lucky Lack” which was recorded in 1993 but never made it to an album;

The unreleased studio track “Demon” which was written in 2000 during a songwriting session in Austin; plus the tracks “12 Swords,” “The Sun and the Storm” and the 20-minute odyssey “Traveler Suite,” all taken from their 2000 concept album Decision of the Skies: A Traveler Tale of Sun and Storm, which was originally only made available as a download through the band’s website.

As Blues Traveler prepares for the next 25 years, they are currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on their tenth studio album.  They are about to embark on a nationwide tour celebrating 25 years of making music, and Blues Traveler: 25 offers a glimpse into the evolution of one of the most beloved artists to come out of the jam-band scene

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This past weekend was one of anticipation and excitement as fans came out to see the popular English rock band Coldplay perform at Glastonbury, England’s renowned music festival. The presence of this Grammy award winning band made this spectacular event even more amazing, it was their 1st headlined Glastonbury appearance since 2005.

The festive city was filled with bright lights and a screaming crowd as the band got down and performed a number of the fans favorite hits on the legendary pyramid stage. Keeping that excitement alive, they surprised fans with not only one or two news songs, but a total of four unreleased tracks. Right before giving fans a taste of their upcoming album, lead singer Chris Martin warned the crowd “Please forgive us for playing new songs, one day they’ll be your favourites, but now it’s OK to be thinking, ‘What the fuck?’”

And judging by their reaction, the fans loved each one. The new tracks include: ‘Hurts Like Heaven’, ‘Major Minus’, ‘Us Against The World’, and ‘Charlie Brown.’ This performance marked the very first time these songs were played live in the UK. It’s been quite some time since their last album Viva La Vida which sold nearly seven million copies back in 2008, but after three years they’re back to give fans more great music.

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