As successful as Rob Thomas is, both on his own accord and as the lead singer of Matchbox Twenty, he still isn’t too cool for a “geek out” moment when interacting with fellow musicians. Take the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for example, which Thomas performed at.

“The day after the awards, Jann Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone, called me and told me that he was hanging at a party the night before and Bruce Springsteen was talking about my performance and how much he liked it,” recalled Thomas. “And I wet myself.”

Given his genuine excitement level, you might think the Matchbox Twenty front man was only half-kidding. But all kidding aside, Thomas stays true to his art by embracing his inner-fan.

“I think if you stop being a fan of music, you should get out of the business,” he bluntly stated. “If you think you’re above it, then you don’t get it.”
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Part 1: Ralphie’s 2nd Concert Ever, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Radio Promo

Part 2: Mad Season, Someday EP, New Matchbox Twenty LP


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Thomas doesn’t feel above it, and totally gets it – his actions speak for themselves. I caught up with the Grammy winner amidst a radio promo tour of mid-major markets. Yes, even after selling more than 80 million albums between Matchbox, solo works, and collaborations with the likes of Santana and Jagger – the singer/songwriter still makes the rounds, performing acoustic music sets for small groups of listeners who win access to the events.

“Radio promo for me is, hanging out with some of my best friends in the world, you know, traveling around the country, playing music for people,” he explained. “It’s what I do for a living, so to me yeah, it’s a really good time.”

Thomas latest project is his second studio LP, Cradlesong, along with a four-song EP, Someday. This summer he’ll embark on a “Storytellers”-type tour, playing venues ranging from 400 to 3,000 seats and performing acoustically while chatting about the songs and his career in between riffs. Then this fall, he’ll begin to work full-time with the rest of Matchbox on the band’s fifth studio album.

97 BHT, Atlantic Records, The Mall At Steamtown, and F.Y.E. proudly presented Matchbox Twenty front man and Grammy award winner Rob Thomas, with an intimate, acoustic performance at the 97 BHT studios.

In an interview that aired Monday on “The Ralphie Radio Show” – the band Train confirmed that they’ll hit the road this summer with John Mayer.

“I think we might be back (in Northeast PA), with John,” confirmed lead singer Pat Monahan. “I think we’re gonna do a handful of dates with him in this part of the country. We’re really excited about that.”

The tour revelation is just another chapter in the on-going saga of the San Francisco trio’s comeback. After a three year hiatus – Train released Save Me San Francisco last year. “C.S.I. New York” featured the band along with the single, “Hey, Soul Sister.” Radio picked up on it soon after – and now the Train is traveling the country again, selling out theaters, with plans yonder.

“Radio really did everything for us,” Monahan said. “C.S.I. kinda took it to a different place.”
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But the group is embracing both traditional media and social networking sites, such as Twitter. Train revealed that all three members update the official Twitter page, while guitarist Jimmy Stafford noted that such things are now a necessity.

“It’s a different world now,” Stafford said. “People buy their music on-line, and it’s a whole new way for us to stay in touch with our fans.”

The comeback brings a group of fresh fans from a new generation or music lovers and artists, alike. Recently in an interview with MTV News, Orianthi counted herself as one of those Train supporters.

“That’s really cool – you know what I think is happening is we’re all kind of fans of each other these days,” remarked Monahan. “We want each other to do well. Orianthi is an amazing talent, and were psyched for her too. So yunno instead of, ‘Hey man, she’s taking up my space on the CD case,’ it’s like, ‘Let’s do something together!’”

So who knows, maybe a Train/Orianthi collaboration is right around the corner? But, surely Train doesn’t have to worry about Orianthi taking their space on a compact disc case… now iPod space – that could be a different story.

97 BHT did it again – another priceless experience with your favorite artists!

Train performed on Friday, March 26 at The Lackawanna County Electric City Trolley Station & Museum located on the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, powered by Tobyhanna Federal Credit Union, Columbia Records, and 97 BHT!

Forget pimpin’… tweetin’ ain’t easy these days – even if you’re an international superstar with over 20,000 followers on the social networking site.

Shontelle Layne found that out the hard way – as imposter after imposter created accounts on Twitter claiming that they were the real Shontelle. But, there’s only one (@Shontelle_Layne), and now that is undisputable, as Layne’s account is “Verified.”

Twitter Verification is the process by which Twitter puts its official stamp of approval on an account’s claim that he/she/it represents what the user claims. A baby blue and white “check mark” along with the words “Verified Account” appears in the upper right hand corner of the profile. There’s only one form of verification, yet a number of methods to obtaining it. Layne broke it down during an interview on “The Ralphie Radio Show,” prefacing the story by admitting the processes can be both complicated and frustrating.
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“There’s two ways you can do it – if you know people on the inside, like you can contact Caroline or whoever that are on the inside,” Shontelle revealed, with a quick name-drop in the process. “Or you can just do what everyone else has to do, which is go to (Twitter’s) support on-line, and submit one of those verification request forms.”

Layne admits her management took care of the process, although she has a hunch that her “twarmy” – passionate stable of fans on Twitter – played a role in the outcome.

“My management had been on it for a minute, and then suddenly my followers got really annoyed ‘cause of all the imposters,” she recalled. “They literally did this thing called a ‘twitition.’ I don’t know what that is, but it spams everyone out.”

Shontelle said that the Twitter petition spread quickly, and soon her followers were “at replying” the artist, requesting that she check her profile to see the change. Layne finally received her blue and white check mark, and suddenly tweetin’ became a little easier for the Barbados-born singer.

The artist is currently finishing up her sophomore LP, No Gravity. “Impossible” is gaining airplay on mainstream stations across the country.

Check out what you missed from PROM DATE 3.21.10 at Bentley’s, Route 309 in Ashley.

Thanks to our sponsors: TUNIS BRIDAL SHOPPE, FEEL GOOD LIMO, TUXEDO JUNCTION, ACCENTS SELECT MODEL AND TALENT AGENCY, SAKARI SALON, TANFASTIC, PARRISH LIMO, STYLE HOUSE, BENTLEY’S, AND 97 BHT!

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Barbados-born Jaicko stopped by “The Ralphie Radio Show” to chat and perform an acoustic version of his new single, “Fast Forward (FFWD)” – off his forthcoming LP, Can I.

In an interview on “The Ralphie Radio Show,” Iyaz revealed that he recently collaborated with Miley Cyrus in-studio.

“No, that was for her’s,” replied the singer, real name Keidran Jones, when asked if the track would be featured on his forthcoming album. Reprise Records’ Tommy Page confirmed that Iyaz’s debut LP, My Life, will hit stores April 27. The first single, “Replay” – not only topped the charts, but scored the Virgin Islands pop star some free product from Apple.

“They gave me some small little Shuffles that said, ‘Stuck On Replay’ on the back,” Iyaz divulged. On the hook of “Replay”, the crooner likens his unwavering love for a girl to his iPod being stuck on replay. “‘Replay’… all of my songs, if not most of ‘em, are based on true stories.”
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This also holds true with Iyaz’s latest single, “Solo,” – yes, he’s an eligible bachelor. The song samples Janet Jackson’s 1993 smash, “Again.” In a prior interview on “The RRS”, producer J.R. Rotem remarked that he breathed a sigh of relief when the sample cleared, as the song leaked on to YouTube before clearance. Although Iyaz eventually sent the link out to his followers on Twitter, he denies actually posting the track.

“I was in Vegas… I went on my Twitter, and somebody posted, “Man, I just heard ‘Solo’ on the radio,” recalled Iyaz. “So, you know me. I went straight to YouTube, and there it is. I was like, ‘Wow!’ And I didn’t have it (yet).”

The singer said that a similar situation occurred with “Replay.” Surely Iyaz hopes the entire situation will rewind and playback – producing yet another number one hit for the twenty-one year old artist.

You heard the studio version of “The Perfect Mistake”, off Cartel’s third LP, Cycles on “The RRS”. Now, check out the acoustic version, performed by Will and Joseph, and filmed in high definition.

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Will Pugh and Joseph Peppers from Cartel stopped by “The Ralphie Radio Show” to chat about the band’s new single, “The Perfect Mistake” off of Cycles. Will and Joseph also talked about Tiger Woods, making it big in the A-T-L, and an alleged run-in with Hillary Duff.