SHEILA E. FROM FOX’S HIT SHOW “THE NEXT GREAT AMERICAN BAND” RETURNS TO THE
2007 BATTLE OF THE HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BANDS AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER NOVEMBER 17
Warren G., Lalah Hathaway, O.N.E. and Others Among Celebrity Guests
Scheduled to Participate
CARSON, CA (Friday, November 2, 2007) – The Home Depot Center’s Battle of the High School Marching Bands today announced a partnership with FOX in support of their newest competition series, “The Next Great American Band” to co-promote preserving music education in American schools. Legendary percussionist and performer Sheila E., will return for the fourth time to the annual charity event at The Home Depot Center on Saturday, November 17, 2007, and also serves as a judge on the FOX series which airs Fridays at 8:00 p.m. PT/ET.
"I'm really excited to share my love for and the gift of music with others. What an honor it is to be a judge on Fox's "The Next Great American Band" and as an annual participant with the Battle of the High School Marching Bands. What a privilege it is to be able to utilize both as vehicles to reach young, aspiring artists," says Sheila E." In the four years that I've been involved with the Battle of the High School Marching Bands, I have been entertained and inspired by high school students from across the nation, and this year, I am especially proud to make a special introduction for New Orleans' all girls band from Xavier Prep. I send to all the bands my very best wishes, and expect a great show on Nov. 17!"
Sheila E. will appear on stage at the 2007 Battle of the High School Marching Bands to introduce New Orleans’ all-female high school marching band from Xavier Prep High School in New Orleans, La. – certainly fitting for the talented percussionist and four-time event alumna. The infamous Catholic, all-female band is a civic leader in the city of New Orleans, who hosted students from three other predominantly African American high schools in New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina. Together, Xavier Prep, St. Augustine High School, St. Mary’s Academy and Redeemer Seton formed the MAX School, integrating faculty staff, administration and students from all four schools. Today, Xavier Prep continues its mission of serving others in need, focusing their capital campaign on upgrading school facilities and assisting families who are struggling to send their children to Catholic schools. Xavier Prep will participate in the Battle of the High School Marching Bands for the first time this year and has the honor of being introduced to the 10,000-seat crowd at The Home Depot Center by the event’s only four-time alumna.
Among other projects Sheila E. is involved in, is the new FOX unscripted series, “The Next Great American Band,” which airs on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. The producers behind mega-hit phenomenon “American Idol” have taken the musical reality genre to a whole new performance level with a mission to find undiscovered groups on “The Next Great American Band.” Singer/songwriter John Rzeznik (The Goo Goo Dolls), Australian TV personality Ian “Dicko” Dickson (“Australian Idol”) and Sheila E. serve as judges while Dominic Bowden (“New Zealand Idol”) hosts the series. While it is up to the viewers to determine with their votes who will secure a contract with 19 Recordings and the title of “Next Great American Band,” judges Rzeznik, “Dicko” and Sheila E. narrowed down the auditions from the Oct. 19 premiere to 12 semifinalist bands who perform weekly in front of a live studio audience. The show’s finale is live on FOX on Friday, December 21.
Inspired by her father, legendary Latin jazz percussionist and orchestra leader Pete Escovedo, Sheila E. picked up drumsticks at the age of three and has made an indelible mark on the music industry. She toured in the 1980s, performing with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. Her friend, Prince, helped catapult her career into pop superstardom with the hits “The Glamorous Life” and “A Love Bizarre.” Sheila E. also served as musical director for Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé and Prince, and was television’s first female music director for Magic Johnson’s “The Magic Hour.” Recently, she appeared with and played drums for Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band. Her current project, C.O.E.D. (Chronicles of Every Diva), is touring worldwide and preparing for a new record release. Along with her commitment to music, philanthropist Sheila E. maintains a heavy involvement with charitable organizations, including serving as chair and co-founder of the Elevate Hope Foundation, focusing on promoting music and arts to victims of child abuse.
Along with Sheila E., other celebrities scheduled to participate in the Battle of the High School Marching Bands includes rapper Warren G., singer Lalah Hathaway and the hit group O.N.E. Also scheduled to appear via video is R&B star Bobby Brown. Each celebrity guest will be providing a special, personal introduction for the six finalists in the competition.
The fourth annual Battle of the High School Marching Bands, the “Southern Show Style” marching band competition on Saturday, November 17 at The Home Depot Center, features six finalists from across the United States. The show will feature a one-time-only performance featuring Earth, Wind & Fire’s Verdine White, who will perform “September” with the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band. This special performance marks the first time a collegiate band has ever performed at the Battle of the High School Marching Bands.
Tickets for the $10 general admission event are on sale now at The Home Depot Center Box Office and online at www.ticketmaster.com. The annual event, featuring six high school marching bands competing “Southern Show Style” for the grand prize of $10,000 and prizes, raised more than $100,000 for The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation and the VH1 Save the Music Foundation in 2006.
The six finalists include two local, Southern California high schools including I.C. Norcom High School Marching Band (Portsmouth, Virginia) Jordan High School (Long Beach, Calif.), Percy L. Julian High School Marching Band (Chicago, Ill.) Redan High School Marching Band (Stone Mountain, GA), Xavier Preparatory High School Marching Band (New Orleans, LA), and the 2006 winner Inglewood High School Marching Band (Inglewood, Calif.).
About The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation
The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation was established to provide financial and in-kind support for educational, recreational and social service programs which improve the lives of young people in the Greater Southern California region. The Home Depot Center Charitable Foundation has given more than $400,000 to youth organizations since The Home Depot Center opened in 2003.
About the VH1 Save The Music Foundation
Since 1997, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation has successfully restored and sustained instrumental music programs in 1,500 public schools in 100 communities across the country, including Memphis, Houston, Chicago, New York, Denver, Baltimore and Milwaukee. Over the past ten years, various artists and celebrities have shown their devotion to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation by partnering with the organization as they’ve reached out to struggling school districts across the country. Celebrities including Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Sting, Billy Joel, Kiefer Sutherland, John Legend, Rob Thomas, Alicia Keys, and Jewel have donated their time and efforts to the organization in attempts to raise awareness about the importance of music in a child’s education.
To date, The Foundation has provided more than $40 million in new musical instruments, affecting the lives of more than 1 million children. For more information on the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, please visit http://www.vh1.com/partners/save_the_music/ .
About The Home Depot Center
The Home Depot Center is southern California’s home of world-class competition and training facilities for amateur, Olympic, collegiate and professional athletes. The $150 million, privately financed facility was developed and is operated by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California. The Home Depot Center features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 27,000-seat stadium for soccer, rugby and other athletic competitions and outdoor concerts, a 10,000-seat facility for track & field and lacrosse, the ADT Event Center (a 2,450-seat indoor velodrome for cycling) and other facilities for softball, baseball, beach volleyball, basketball and other sports. The Home Depot Center is home to three professional sports teams – Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, and Major League Lacrosse’s (MLL) Los Angeles Riptide. Named an Official U.S. Olympic Training Site, The Home Depot Center is also home of the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) High Performance Training Center and is the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF). The David Beckham Academy for youth soccer, Andre Agassi’s Safe Passage All-Stars at-risk youth tennis program and Athletes’ Performance’s training center for elite and professional athletes are all based at The Home Depot Center. The Home Depot Center has additionally been designated official training sites for USA Cycling and USA Track & Field. For more information, please visit www.homedepotcenter.com.