The massive music show at the Anaheim Convention Center this past weekend was the largest event ever held at the venue, organizers said. The NAMM Show, put on by the International Music Products Association, brought in 95,709 registered attendees — almost 10,000 more than just three years ago.

The four-day event, which ended Sunday, brought in an estimated $80 million to the Orange County economy. Each year the show is the largest event at the center, which is the biggest on the West Coast with 1.6 million square feet. Exhibitors show kazoos to drum sets and take up all of the floor space and even leak over to nearby hotels.

The attendance uptick bodes well for more than just NAMM. “I think it speaks to the upward moving in the economy,” said Charles Ahlers, president of the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau. “People, in the last few years, didn’t attend meetings (overall) as fervently as they did in the past.”

The event is always closed to the general public. Badges are free to industry members and their guests only. Celebrities often attend the show; this year, the well-known included Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The 2012 show had:
A 6-percent increase in attendance over last year.
An international registration hike of 15 percent to 11,981 attendants.
A total of 1,441 exhibitors, including 236 new ones.
NAMM attendance in recent years:
2008: 88,128
2009: 85,799
2010: 87,569
2011: 90,114
2012: 95,709

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When Trenton resident Julie Lyons first told people she was a stand-up comedian, she said, no one believed her.  “I had no confidence,” Lyons said. “When I told my sister she said, ‘How did this happen?’”

After six years of honing her talent and building her confidence in comedy clubs from Chicago to Columbus and from Tampa to Ontario, Lyons said now when she tells people she’s a comic people smile and say, “That figures.”

Lyons moved to Trenton when she was 3 and graduated from Trenton High School. She has three adult children and six grandchildren. On paper, she doesn’t seem like the average stand-up comic.

By day, Lyons works as a secretary for a municipal finance advisor in Detroit. By night, she carries out a life-long dream of making people laugh. Lyons grew up watching The Ed Sullivan Show and said she remembers the female comedians vividly.

“I didn’t understand the jokes, but people were laughing and I just thought that would be the greatest feeling in the world—to be able to make a room full of people laugh,” Lyons said. Lyons made her dream a reality about six years ago when she took a stand-up comedy class at Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle in Royal Oak.

She said she remembers being the oldest person in the class and feeling very under prepared. “Everyone else had either been doing stand-up already or had been writing jokes down their entire lives,” Lyons said. “Everyone had a notebook filled with jokes.”

Eventually Lyons would have a notebook of her own, and her ability to make a room full of people laugh landed her an upcoming show at The Comedy Room at Portofino with fellow Trenton native Tim Slagle.

Slagle is also a former Trenton Trojan and is headlining the show. He's appeared on MTV, Showtime and Fox News Red Eye. He’s been heard on Sirius satellite radio, The Bob and Tom Show and numerous radio shows in Chicago, according to a news release.

Lyons has played the Annual Laugh Detroit Comedy Festival at the Comedy Castle with Lewis Black and Kathleen Madigan. She's also won several comedy contests. It may have taken her a long time to convince people she's a stand-up comedian, but Lyons said it’s been a fun journey getting there.

“This job is so fun because I just meet funny people, either just for the night or however long the show runs,” Lyons said. “It’s really a dream come true. It took me a long time to tell people I was doing it.”

Ultimately, Lyons said she dreams of being on the Late Show with David Letterman. “That would never happen,” Lyons said. “I think the only way I would get on that show would be to have been taken hostage and then he invited me on the show to tell my story.”

The upcoming comedy show starring Lyons and Slagle begins at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday at The Comedy Room at Portofino. Tickets are $12.

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Through Jan 22, the Hudson High School Drama Department will present a live comedy show by the student improvisational comedy group. Bring your family, a sense of humor, and an obscure object that you have lying around your home or car (for the game Object-Prov) to any one or all of the three shows in the Hudson High School Mini-Theater, 69 Brigham St., at 7 p.m. (Sunday show is at 2 p.m). Shows are interactive as the troupe will be relying on audience participation for ideas, situations, and even participation in certain games. So, come join the troupe as they play improv comedy games in which they will act, sing, dance, cry but most important always make you laugh. Tickets are $5 for adults and students and may be purchased at the door.

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A soiree turned sour in Ranaghat on Sunday night when miscreants raided the venue resulting in the death of three persons. A huge police contingent was rushed to the spot.

The attack occurred a little after 9pm in Town Outdoor Ground near the Ranaghat Municipality where the programme was going on. The function was organized by a local magazine and more than a 1000 people had gathered to be a part of it.

Amid the function, the audience suddenly heard gunshots and ran for cover. Later, three youths were found slumped on the ground. Reportedly, two of them died on the spot while one succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital. Neither have the victims been identified nor was the motive behind the attack known.

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Comedian Angelo Bowers’ tragic and untimely death last week, in a traffic accident caused by a drunk driver, has brought the Los Angeles comedy community together. On Saturday, the monthly rooftop comedy show, “It's A Long Way Down: Comedy With A View,” will hold a show in Bowers’ honor.

Bowers and fellow comedian, Josh Adam Meyers, were driving through Hollywood on Jan. 3 when, at 12:40 a.m., their Jeep Wrangler was struck by a 21-year-old drunk driver in a Toyota Matrix. Meyers and the driver who caused the accident suffered serious injuries. Bowers, who was a passenger, died several hours later.

“It's A Long Way Down,” a free show held on the rooftop of a Culver City apartment building, was founded by neighbors Alex Hooper and Eric Sheffield last March. Bowers not only performed at their debut show, he was the very first comic booked, Hooper says.

“He was a brilliant joke writer, his demeanor was so relaxed, he didn’t care about anything except making people laugh -- he didn’t even have a Facebook to promote his stuff,” Hooper says. “That first show was so great and had this amazing vibe to it; Angelo was a major contributor to the fact that we’re still going so strong now, a year later.”

“It's A Long way Down” typically features one relatively known comedian -– Eric Andre, Rob Delaney and Kyle Kinane have headlined –- along with a roster of emerging comics. It’s a loose, BYOB event that feels more like a party than a structured comedy show. Saturday’s show, says Hooper, is the first time that money -– donations -- will be accepted from audience members; donations will be put toward Meyers’ recovery.
“We don’t want anything to do with money because it’s not about that,” Hooper says. “It’s about our friends having an awesome place to see great comedy and for comedians to feel comfortable. But this time around, if people have anything to give, we’re asking that they do.”A Twitter feed has also been created to pay tribute to some of Bowers’ best material: @AngeloJokes.

Saturday’s lineup at “It's A Long Way Down” includes headliner Pete Holmes, as well as comedians Asterios Kokkinos, Aparna Nancherla, Traci Stumps, Jeremy Paul and Bombo Belford. Jonny Loquasto, a close friend of both Bowers and Meyers, will also perform.

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After a two-week improv camp, area students will take stage for our first ever amateur improv night at The SPACE on Jan. 13th. This will be an entertaining and hilarious evening as the improv students take the stage to perform a comedy show based on your suggestions. This evening will be hosted by comedian and instructor Scott Novotny and will be starring: Thea Ennen, David Frank, Stephanie Lewis, Doreena Loescher, Jean Martinson, Joell Neault, Gina Postma, Marjean Rowan and Julie Sanders.

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Hotpress have confirmed that The Music Show will return for a 2012 incarnation when it hits the RDS, Dublin in February. The show will take place on February 25th and 26th 2012 and is support by RTE 2FM and IMIR (Irish Music Intellectual Rights) and will as with every year combine probably the greatest collection of musical resources in Ireland under one roof. Musical Instruments, equipment, technology, a live stage feature some of Ireland’s unbelievable talent, seminars and panels featuring some of the world’s leading music industry heads. Public interviews with major acts, photographic exhibitions and more.

The show annually attracts around 12,000 people to the RDS and in our opinion is one of the greatest resources for bands, people who want to play or work in music and for general music fans to get an inside scoop. The full line-up for this year’s show will be announced over the coming weeks.

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January and early February aren't exactly prime time for music here or anywhere. But I've found eight shows in Lincoln and Omaha over the next month or so that should shake off the winter doldrums.
Here they are:

Jan. 14: Blake Shelton, Pershing Center. Shelton, who was supposed to play Pershing last year, scuttled that tour to continue to be a judge on the hit NBC talent show "The Voice." He's squeezing in his "Well Lit & Amplified" tour around the show's taping, with the Pershing date the third stop. Based on his opening performance at Brad Paisley's Nebraskaland Days concert last summer, Shelton's ready to headline, and his new prominence -- not only from his music, but also from his marriage to Miranda Lambert and his TV success -- guarantees he's big enough for arenas.

Jan. 18: Lydia Loveless, Duffy's Tavern. At 21, Loveless is already a hell-raising hillbilly punk with a big ol' voice, a honky-tonk heart and great, gutsy songs that have earned her comparisons with Neko Case and Loretta Lynn -- which is a fine pair to draw to. She made a fine fiddle-drenched album, "Indestructible Machine," for Bloodshot Records last year -- another mark of quality -- and she should be at home on this triple bill that also includes Amy Schmidt & The Restless Things and Lloyd McCarter & The Honky Tonk Revival, who just cut a new album at Fuse Recordings.

Jan. 29: The Bears of Blue River, Duffy's Tavern. Formed in Muncie, Ind., The Bears of Blue River takes its name from a children's book about a boy living on the frontier in 19th century Indiana. The sextet, which now is scattered across the Midwest but based in Chicago, plays a brand of indie-folk-pop that comes out as a mix of Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison with Rilo Kiley.

Jan. 31: Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Lied Center. Almost exactly a year ago, South African a cappella vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo released "Songs from a Zulu Farm," an album that took the group's members back to the rural areas where they grew up. It ends with a great version of "Old McDonald" and it just got a Grammy nomination. With a new record on the way, Ladysmith is touring the U.S. and will return to the Lied Center for the first time since 2005. Don't miss this show. They're spectacular.

Feb. 2: Cass McCombs, The Waiting Room, Omaha. McCombs is a fine songwriter who released two excellent albums in 2011, April's "Wit's End" and November's "Humor Risk," then started a three-month tour in December. That tour will bring him to Omaha next month, but you likely won't read any preview interview with McCombs here. Nashville Scene is reporting that he's only doing interviews with female writers. Guess I'm out.

Feb. 3: Craig Finn, Slowdown, Omaha. The Hold Steady singer is releasing his first solo album in late January, then going on tour with one of the first stops in Omaha for a "front room" show at Slowdown. The music on "Clear Heart Full Eyes" is more subdued than Finn's Hold Steady stuff. But it's still brilliantly written and he's a great performer. I can't wait to see this show, especially in the small space where tUnE-yArDs delivered one of the best shows I saw last year.

Feb. 7: Supersuckers, The Waiting Room. Eddie Spaghetti and guitarist "Metal" Marty Chandler put on one of 2011's best Lincoln shows in April at Knickerbockers when Spaghetti went country with his solo album "Sundowner." The irrepressible, always entertaining Spaghetti is now off the country roads and has brought the self-proclaimed "Greatest Rock ‘n' Roll Band in the World" back together. There's supposed to be a new Supersuckers record sometime this year, which is the official excuse for the tour. But no new music is needed for this blast of garage punk to be a don't-miss show.

Feb. 11: Snowstorm Music Tour with T-Pain, Pershing Center. Last year, a North Dakota promoter put together a successful small-market tour that featured rapper Nelly and electro hip-hoppers 3OH!3 that had one of its best dates in Lincoln. Trying the same formula again, the Snowstorm Music Tour is headlined by rapper T-Pain and rap-rock band Gym Class Heroes along with a handful of other acts. Look for this one to be another hit with the local audience.

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PHIL Doyle, Wales’ favourite stand-up comedian, comes to Llandybie on Saturday, January 14, when he appears at a special charity show at Clwb Rygbi Llandybie. The event – organised by local fundraisers Peter and Gillian Brown – is in aid of Crossroads Sir Gar Caring for Carers, while a donation of the evening’s proceeds will go to the Welsh Guards In Afghanistan Appeal.

Peter is a former Welsh Guard, while Gillian works for Crossroads. Both hope the show will become a regular fixture in the calendar. “It’s a win, win situation,”said Peter. “If we can get people to come along, enjoy a nice show and get a few more donations then everyone wins all round.”Crossroads provides support for people of all ages and the people Gillian helps look after are at opposite ends of the age spectrum.

The show, which features music from Eric The Hat, a buffet and raffle kicks off at 7.30pm. A ball donated by Shane Williams and autographed by the original Ospreys squad will be auctioned towards the end of the evening. Tickets for the show and buffet, priced at £10, can be obtained by ringing 01269 850008 or 07786 946604. (Limited tickets available at clubhouse).

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THERE is still time to enjoy the Embassy Theatre’s traditional new year musical spectacular. The Janice Sutton School of Dance holds several show-stopping performances in the Skegness theatre every Janaury.

And there are still two more shows scheduled for this year’s sensational production - ‘The Sound of Musicals’. The first two performances were held on Sunday and Monday, but those who missed out will get further chances to enjoy the show this Saturday evening at 7pm and Sunday afternoon at 2.30pm.

Janice Sutton believes that audiences will be in for a treat. She said: “What better opening could you have for the Embassy Theatre’s 2012 programme than our award winning production team and their spectacular show - ‘The Sound of Musicals’.

“Our show-stopping, colourful, fast-moving, feel-good and popular shows have provided wonderful entertainment for thousands of visitors and locals alike over the years. “With a talented cast of singers and dazzling dancers in fabulous costumes, not forgetting all those ‘ahhhhhh’ factor beautiful tots, the team will put ona musical journey through some of the world’s favourite musicals.

“We’re sure to feature at least one of your special favourites. “This show is ideal for the New Year family theatre treat,” she added. The specatular musical tribute to some of Hollywood and Broadway’s finest includes the likes of the King and I, Les Miserables, Sound of Music, Annie, Oliver, We Will Rock You, Wicked, Fame and Disney’s Beauty & the Beast.

It’s a musical show-stopper not to be missed. The Sound of Musicals will be performed at the Embassy Theatre in Skegness on Saturday, January 7 at 7pm and Sunday, January 8 at 2.30pm. Tickets cost £12.50 for adults, £11.50 for over 60s and £6 for children.

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