Congratulations to Homeroom for winning the 99X on-line band contest!

With nearly 2,000 votes cast, Homeroom won the opening slot for the Atlantis showcase at Velvet Underground/Hard Rock Cafe this Saturday by about 9 votes. Visit Homeroom's website to hear music from their latest CD, It's Not Me It's You.


The N*E*R*D / High Speed Scene show has been moved from the Tabernacle to the Coca Cola Roxy . Previously purchased tickets will still be honored. www.n-e-r-d.com

Our interview with The Polyphonic Spree from last week's 99X Upstart Fest is now up in the features section. The group's new album, Together We're Heavy , hit stores this week. Read the interview!

The end of Summer is quickly approaching, and so is the 2004 Atlantis Music Conference . From July 21 - July 24, Atlanta will play host to hundreds of showcasing bands and artists, along with some of the music industry's top professionals. To see a preview of what to expect next week, along with our showcase picks, click here.

David Bowie underwent an emergency angioplasty to open a blocked heart artery in Germany and is recuperating. Doctors discovered the blockage after the 57-year-old sought treatment after performing in the Scheesel, Germany on June 25, according to his spokesman. The remainder of Bowie 's European tour has been cancelled.

This Sunday July 11th at 1:30pm, Criminal Records welcomes The Polyphonic Spree for a special performance on the sidewalk in front of the Little 5 Points' record store. If you pre-order the band's latest release, Together We're Heavy , you'll also receive a Steve Keene painting inspired by the album while supplies last. www.criminal.com | www.thepolyphonicspree.com

Check out our latest additions to the Features - a live show review of the Bishop Don / The Californias show last week at Vinyl, and our featured band for July - Trances Arc. We were impressed by their live show and EP, but you can see for yourself - Trances Arc will be playing the Atlantis Music Conference July 22nd at Smith's Olde Bar. Also added is a new band to our 'Day Tripper' section - Vue . Read what the band had to say about Atlanta.

A huge thank you to all of our friends and readers who came out to the first Atlanta Music Guide 'Get Out And About' social at Vinyl - it was a big success, and we all had a great time. Thanks to all of the artists that came out and represented such as Linger, Y-O-U, Trances Arc, Slowearth, Avenge Vegas, Second Shift, Collective Efforts , Psychic Hearts, and The Warm Gunns, to name a few! Look out for our next social in mid-August, after the Atlantis Music Conference. Rumor has it we'll be hitting up East Atlanta.

The EARL will be hosting a series of shows this weekend to celebrate the venue's 5th anniversary. Each show is only $5.00, and artists performing include Kevin Kinney's STAR , Lucero , The Rosebuds , A Fir-Ju Well , and more. www.badearl.com

According to Billboard.Com, The Strokes have begun pre-production on their follow up to their 2003 record, Room On Fire with producer Gordon Raphael. The band has built a recording studio in their rehearsal space, and the new record has an early projected release date of Spring 2005. The next single off of Room On Fire will be "The End Has No End," which is slated for release worldwide on July 26 with a video to accompany the single. www.thestrokes.com

Have you been to a show recently that you absolutely loved, or heard a CD that was so great, it made your heart stop beating? Well, now you can tell the rest of the world (or at least the people who visit this site). The Atlanta Music Guide has introduced a new section to our Features - Reader Reviews. If you're interested in writing a CD review, concert review, or submitting live photos (local or touring acts) to the website, contact us at info@atlantamusicguide.com. Check out Natalie B. David's review of the new Lovedrug CD right here.

Butch Walker's forthcoming album Letters is available to pre-order! With your pre-order you get a free digital download of Butch Walker's "All Falls Apart" -- immediately upon completion of your order. Plus, you'll get a free BONUS CD called This is is me...justified and stripped with 10 live acoustic tracks (some footage taped last year at the Variety Playhouse) and 2 video clips that will ship with your CD on/about 8/24.To order click here. Butch plays the Variety Playhouse again on August 27th with American Hi-Fi supporting the show and as his backing band. Walker's Epic labelmate Val Emmich plays as well. www.butchwalker.com

Tickets for the Rock Boat 2004 have sold out, five months before the world's largest floating festival is scheduled to set sail. The cruise features artists like Sister Hazel , Gavin Degraw , Dexter Freebish , Cowboy Mouth and more. Although fans who still want in on the action must be put on a waiting list, talent slots are still open. Event organizers are having 'The Battle for the Boat,' a band search where the winners will get a slot on the festival's artist roster. Complete details are available at www.therockboat.com.

99X is looking for the last band to complete their 'New Rock Showcase' at the 2004 Atlantis Music Conference . Bands who want to fill this slot simply have to email bandcontest@99x.com with the band's name in the subject line, and the band with the most votes wins. The 99X showcase takes place July 24 at the Velvet Underground / Hard Rock Cafe' , and locals Second Shift , Y-O-U , Avenge Vegas , To Whom it Concerns , and Linger are already set to play. For more information, visit www.99x.com | www.atlantismusic.com

Singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright will be releasing four tracks from the Want sessions on June 29 via Apple's iTunes website. The four songs, which are collectively titled Waiting For A Want, are the first installment of Want Two, the musical companion to his current album Want One. These tracks were recorded during sessions which began in a friend's apartment and were completed while Wainwright was on tour with Sting in Europe. Other new, interesting offerings on iTunes include exclusive tracks by Franz Ferdinand , Jet , The Pixies , and stellastarr* .

This summer's massive Lollapalooza Tour has been cancelled just three weeks before it kicks off. The 16-city tour was pulled due to poor ticket sales, according to organizers. The bill was set to include Jane's Addiction, Morrissey, PJ Harvey, Sonic Youth, and Flaming Lips. The decision was made last night (June 21) after promoters and organizers were facing a loss of several million dollars. Festival co-founder and Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell said: "My heart aches along with the bands and all of our employees, whose hard work developed one of the most exciting and important tours that this nation was to see."

The lineup for 99X 's Upstart Fest has been announced. The concert will be held at the Masquerade Music Park on July 10 and features bands that are 'Sunday School' favorites, such as Auf der Maur , Sahara Hotnights , and Jem . Locals Five-Eight and JaD will also perform, along with Mitch Allan of SR-71. Tickets go on sale Friday June 18th at 10am. UPDATE - Polyphonic Spree has been added to the lineup as well.