MTV and Craig Brewer to launch "$5 Cover" music series

Today, MTV and Craig Brewer (director of the Academy Award winning movie Hustle and Flow) announced that “$5 Cover,” a music series starring the hottest up-and-coming artists in today’s Memphis music scene, will premiere on Friday May 1st.

Fans will have full access to all the music and artists they discover through “$5 Cover” with the release of the series’ soundtrack, available exclusively in digital formats, on Tuesday, April 28. The album, which features eight previously unreleased tracks, explores a wide range of musical genres. From the crunk stylings of Al Kapone, whose “Whoop That Trick” was featured in “Hustle & Flow,” helping put him on the national map, to the enchanting sounds of songstress Amy LaVere, listeners will be exposed to the full complement of musical offerings that make Memphis the hotbed of music talent it is today.


Catching the Series
In addition to Friday night episode premieres, music fans can get their “$5 Cover” fix throughout the week and around the clock with TV, online and mobile content.

· AMTV – AT&T will host a full “AT&T $5 Cover Week” from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m., Mondays through Thursday, that gives fans access to exclusive videos, interviews and short form segments.

· MTV2 – A “Memphis”-themed week beginning May 4 will include short form series episodes airing nightly for three weeks at 11 p.m., along with the documentaries, music videos, and more.

· mtvU – “$5 Cover”-themed programming, packaged music hours, interstitials, and other short form efforts will be featured, driving to fivedollarcover.com.

· MTV.com and Fivedollarcover.com – Viewers can watch the content on demand, listen and download the music, learn about these artists and take a deeper dive into this fascinating scene.

· AT&T mobile phones – AT&T wireless customers will be able to access content from the series in the form of Cellular Video (CV) clips, ringtones and content available through their mobile Web browsers.

Filming of “$5 Cover”
MTV and Brewer collaborated with the local newspaper, filmmakers, tourism bureau and film commissions to ensure that “$5 Cover” has the authenticity and involvement of the Memphis community. Acclaimed photographer and documentary filmmaker Alan Spearman, of the city’s Commercial Appeal newspaper, shot almost 150 hours of footage to make 12 mini documentaries providing insightful and remarkable portraits of the artists in the series. The Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau brought on the founders of the popular Memphis-focused Web destination “Live from Memphis” (http://livefrommemphis.com) to produce dozens of shorts called “Flipside” to bring the viewer snapshots into the colorful local scene. Additionally, the Tennessee and Memphis Film Commissions supported the project with unique incentives and rebates to provide full support for this fledgling new form of entertainment.

Sound Track Listing
1. Killing Him – Amy LaVere
2. Gettin' Mine –Al Kapone (previously unreleased)
3. Too Much Love – Harlan T. Bobo
4. The Icky Muck – Muck Sticky
5. Ain't Got No Money – Jack Oblivian
6. Carrie Rodgers – Two Way Radio (previously unreleased)
7. This N' That – Muck Sticky
8. Nothing I Can Do –Snowglobe (previously unreleased)
9. San Francisco – Lucero
10. We On Deck – Al Kapone (previously unreleased)
11. Run Away – Two Way Radio (previously unreleased)
12. I'm Your Negative – River City Tanlines (previously unreleased)
13. The No Draws Blues – Valerie June (previously unreleased)
14. A Dangerous Thing – Lucero
15. Ms. June – Snowglobe (previously unreleased)

Meet the Cast
These are the artists and stories that make up the heart and soul of “$5 Cover”:

Amy LaVere as Amy - Rock/Indie/Americana
Southern songstress whose petite frame is smaller than the stand up bass she plays. Sassy and talented, her voice is innocent and bewitching. She is ambitious, but when she gets romantically involved with band mates, her expectations fall short, creating yet another sad song.

Clare Grant – Actress/Former Playboy “Babe of the Month”
She is the garage-band poster girl - the drinking, dancing muse of all the rockers in Memphis. When Clare can’t find love she goes to extremes. She has been known to party too hard and go home with the guys in the band, putting her friendships in jeopardy.

Ben Nichols as Ben - Rock/Southern Rock
Sexy as hell bad boy, and front man of Lucero. Ben is an old flame of Clare’s (amongst many others). He is constantly touring with his band, but is in town long enough to turn Clare’s world upside down. The kind of guy you wouldn’t bring home to mom, covered in tattoos, all the women swoon over him.

Al Kapone – Rap/Crunk
Al is one of the originators of the Memphis underground rap explosion and a pioneer of the Dirty South Crunk/Buck style of Hip-Hop. He is a true performer and loves to work an audience. He mentors his son AJ, on the music game and records his flow between delivery jobs.

Kate Crowder of Two Way Radio – Indie Pop
Sweet and sincere, Kate is a mother and musician. Her voice is angelic and evokes a world filled with cotton candy, bubblegum and carnivals. Her lyrics, sometimes deep, are all about love.

Muck Sticky – Rap/Comedy/Alternative
He is known as Muck, Muck Sticky, the Sticky Muck, or the Nifty Mervous Thrifty. He is a tireless self-promoter and sincere ambassador of peace, friendship and personal empowerment. Muck has a crush on Kate but is unable to express his feelings for her.

Brad Postlethwaite as Brad - Indie/Pop
Slender with glasses and a beard, Brad is a musical genius; he seems to play with everyone in town and fronts a band called Snowglobe. Brad is dependable and knows his way around Packy’s studio.

Valerie June – Folk/Rock
Valerie is a singer-songwriter, whose mysterious, melodic voice and eclectic, neo-hippie style transcends her down home southern charm and wholesome beauty. She lives in the same house as Amy, Clare and Wally and works at the local coffee bar, Java Cabana.

Alicja Trout as Alicja - Garage/Punk/Rock
Rock star and mother, Alicja is a bad ass, punk rock musical powerhouse and the subject of one of Wally’s many documentaries. She demands everyone’s attention when she is rocking out with her band River City Tanlines.

Harlan T Bobo – Rock/Indie
Harlan T Bobo’s ironic, tortured lamentations have established him as one of Memphis’s top singer-songwriters. At once humorous and sincere, Bobo’s voice is much the soundtrack for a packed Saturday-night show as it is the Sunday-morning hangover that follows — a love-weary, public diary of romance and loss.

Jack Oblivian of Jack O and the Tennessee Tearjerkers – Rock/Indie
The patron saint of many a Memphis musician, Jack “Oblivian” Yarber has spread his hard-driving punk rock anthems around the world with disaffected charm.
When he’s home, the city’s musicians come together for his shows — both as fans and as students.