Astor Place Riot's "Fine White Line" was released in December 2011

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 22, 2012 -
Astor Place Riot

Astor Place Riot was a four-member band, which was already practicing together when they decided to put an ad onto Craigslist for a lead singer.  Although they were aware of the news reports regarding the Craigslist murders, they moved forward in placing this ad.  They met with Joshua Fletcher who, after the first time they practiced with him, knew that he was the right one for the position. They have not stopped playing since.

Band members include:
Tim Condo (drums/percussion)
Clay Gibson (guitarist/vocalist)
Susan Janis (violin/viola)
Jason Majewski (bass)
Joshua Fletcher (lead vocals/songwriter/guitarist)

After their first show at a local outdoor music festival hosted by MTV reality stars, the band continued performing at various venues in the area to build up a local following.  

Astor Place Riot most recent CD “Fine White Line” was released in December 2011
with rave reviews.  Their lead single “Complete Waste” (originally titled ‘Complete Waste of Time’) refers to someone’s constant talk about what they will do but never set out to accomplish it.  This song also deals with consequences of these non-actions.   This single has a hot rock beat to it.  It is fast paced with many guitar riffs, vocal harmonies with a bit of a suspenseful texture to it.  

“Fine White Line” carries many common threads that run through their songs such as working with a melodic core and with clever instrumental arrangements.  The vocals are great, arrangements are pure rock and you cannot get any better than that.  
Astor Place Riot’s mass appeal is due to their storylines and great rock sound.  They are very radio friendly and their music is memorable, giving current rockers a run for their money.

“Fine White Line” is available in both digital and physical formats.
Astor Place Riot was a finalist in WKQQ Decent Exposure Battle of the Bands.

“Jared Lee created the artwork for “Fine White Line”.  Otherwise, both of our albums were completed purely from the talents of the band.  We wrote, arranged, recorded, mixed and mastered both of our albums – all while fulfilling other fulltime obligations.  A strength of ours is the ability to consistently create quality products from our own talents and drive.  With such a solid foundation and an extensive catalog of songs yet to be recorded, we can only imagine what we could accomplish with the right musical partnership(s).”

You can listen to and/or purchase songs or entire albums from either “Without Wax” EP or their latest CD “Fine White Line” by logging onto any of the following websites:
www.astorplaceriot.com
www.facebook.com/astorplaceriot
www.promofm.com (Search:  Astor Place Riot)

Astor Place Riot is currently working with A & R Select based in Beverly Hills, Ca. for licensing, publishing, a record deal and/or placement opportunities.  For additional information, please contact them at:
323-924-5897
www.arselect.com

A & R Select is a promotional and placement company for musicians all over the world. Based in Hollywood, Ca., they have a strategic location for all musicians as they continually flock to that area of the world for recognition and stardom.

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White House 'rushed' firm's loan

15 September 2011 Last updated at 00:31 GMT President Barack Obama cited Solyndra as an example of how the stimulus bill would create jobs The White House could have rushed approval on a major government-backed loan to a failed solar panel firm for political reasons, say US Republicans.

Solyndra declared bankruptcy this month after laying off 1,100 workers, and was then raided by the FBI.

The company came to prominence when President Barack Obama visited it in May 2010 to promote green business.

The White House denied the loan had been rushed so that Vice-President Joe Biden could attend a groundbreak event.

Several US solar firms have been shuttered in recent weeks, amid a surge of cheaper technology from Chinese manufacturers, combined with falling demand for the energy panels from Europe.

Decison 'urgency'

Internal emails of the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) were subpoenaed by the investigations panel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee several months ago.

The OMB was tasked with the final due-diligence review on the $535m (£340m) loan after it was approved by the Department of Energy.

House Republicans cited the emails during a subcommittee hearing on Wednesday to question whether the loan programme's selection process was sound.

"Our investigation raises several questions about whether the administration did everything it could to protect taxpayer dollars," said committee chairman Fred Upton.

US taxpayers are liable for the loan now that the company has declared bankruptcy.

The Republican lawmakers say the emails suggest that staff members felt pressured to sign off on the loan.

In one email, an unnamed OMB staff member wrote: "We would prefer to have sufficient time to do our due-diligence reviews and have the approval set the date for the announcement rather than the other way around."

The Republicans said a groundbreak event for the California-based firm, attended by Vice-President Biden via satellite link, was scheduled in September 2009 before the loan was even approved.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said the emails had nothing to do with pressure to approve the loan, but instead with preparing Mr Biden's schedule.

"What the emails make clear is there was urgency to make a decision on a scheduling matter," Mr Carney told reporters. "People were simply looking for answers about whether or not people could move forward."

'No danger' of failure

The company was the first solar panel company to receive a loan from a federal programme to support innovative green technologies.

The government-guarenteed loan scheme was first created by the Bush administration in 2005, but was boosted after President Obama added stimulus money to the programme's funds.

As recently as two months ago, Solyndra's chief executive Brian Harrison told the committee that the company's finances were sound and there was no danger it would fail.

Solyndra cited the falling world price of solar panels as the reason for closing down the firm.

The FBI and the energy department's inspector-general office raided the company and the homes of several of its executives on 8 September.

Solyndra said the FBI was seeking records on its loans.

The company laid off 1,100 employees at the end of August.

Two of the company's executives were invited to Wednesday's hearing but did not attend, saying they were focusing on the firm's sale. They are expected to appear next week instead.

Energy department loans director Jonathan Silver said Solyndra's failure should not reflect on the loan programme as a whole.

"I can't imagine a scenario in which we would willingly as a country walk away from what would be undoubtedly one of the largest - if not the largest - industries in the world over the next several decades," Mr Silver said.

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