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Sublime with Rome to Headline AT&T Block Party as Part of the Big Dance Concert Series During the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four

Legendary Group to Perform A FREE Concert in Downtown Houston

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Contact(s)

Gail Dent
Associate Director of Public and Media Relations
317/917-6117


HOUSTON— As downtown Houston buzzes with excitement to host the 2011 NCAA® Men’s Final Four®, AT&T will kick off the festivities with the AT&T Block Party, featuring a free concert by alternative/ska-punk headliners SUBLIME WITH ROME. AT&T will start the party on Friday, April 1 of “The Big Dance” – a free, three-day music festival, produced by Turner Sports, CBS Sports and the NCAA, taking place at Discovery Green in downtown Houston during the 2011 NCAA Men’s Final Four weekend.  From music, to sports, to interactive technology, AT&T will keep fans connected before and after tip-off.

Sublime with Rome features drummer Bud Gaugh and bass player Eric Wilson – both founding members of the legendary ska-punk band, Sublime – alongside gifted singer/guitarist Rome. Founded in Long Beach, CA, by Gaugh, Wilson, and original vocalist/guitarist Bradley Nowell in 1988, Sublime was without question one of the most successful and influential ska-punk bands of all time, with over 17 million albums sold worldwide fueled by such radio hits as “Santeria,” and the chart-topping “What I Got.”
 

“AT&T is excited to build even more momentum around the 2011 NCAA Men’s Final Four weekend by announcing our headlining act – Sublime with Rome,” said Jamie Kerr, senior manager, AT&T corporate sponsorships.   “We’re all about keeping fans connected to their passions, and  this is just one of  the many activities we have in store over the course of the weekend.”

Sublime with Rome first came together in 2009 for a series of shows including such multi-artist bills as Cypress Hill’s Smokeout and the annual KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas spectacular.  Buoyed by the extraordinarily positive response, the band embarked on a worldwide headline tour that drew packed houses and rave reviews at every stop.  While the music of Sublime has always remained in constant radio rotation, Rome scored a hit of his own, co-writing and lending his distinctive voice to The Dirty Heads’ recent #1 modern rock hit, “Lay Me Down.” Sublime with Rome are currently in the studio working on their highly anticipated debut album, due out this summer on Fueled By Ramen.

“The Big Dance is just one of many events that will celebrate and highlight the NCAA Men’s Final Four,” said Greg Shaheen, NCAA interim executive vice president of championships and alliances.  “We are excited to bring our annual concert series to downtown Houston’s Discovery Green, which provides a great opportunity for Houstonians and visitors alike, to enjoy free music, entertainment and activities as part of the Final Four.”

Discovery Green, site of The Big Dance Concert Series, is conveniently located in downtown Houston.   The urban park serves as a village green, a source of health and happiness for local citizens and a window into the diverse talents and traditions that enrich life in Houston. 

“As an NCAA Corporate Champion, AT&T has a terrific understanding of how to engage NCAA fans through ongoing, year-round multi-platform brand activation. They will continue that extensive NCAA event marketing awareness with the AT&T Block party at Final Four and other NCAA Men's and Women's Championships throughout 2011,” said Will Funk, senior vice president of NCAA Partnerships and Branded Programming within Turner Sports Ad Sales.

In April 2010, the NCAA announced a new 14-year television, Internet and wireless rights agreement with Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., and CBS Broadcasting Inc., to present the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship beginning in 2011 through 2024. As part of the agreement, all games will be shown live across four national networks beginning in 2011 – a first for the 73-year old championship.  Additionally, CBS and Turner Broadcasting have been licensed and will collaborate on the NCAA’s corporate marketing program.

In the coming days, AT&T will announce the opening act for the AT&T Block Party, along with additional activities tied to the 2011 NCAA® Men’s Final Four.

For the latest information about The Big Dance Concert Series and all NCAA Men’s Final Four events and activities, go to NCAA.com/finalfour.

For more information on AT&T’s sports and entertainment, please visit http://fanzone.att.net.

About the NCAA

The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.NCAA.org and www.NCAA.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes.  The NCAA is proud to have the following elite companies as official Corporate Champions—AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola—and the following elite companies as official Corporate Partners—Buick, Enterprise, The Hartford, Infiniti, LG, Lowe’s, Planters, Reese’s, Unilever and UPS.

 

About AT&T 

AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

 

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries.  It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T │DIRECTV brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. 

 

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.  This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.


© 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

 

About Turner Sports

Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is an industry leader in televised and online sports programming, airing championship level sporting events on TBS, TNT and truTV, and managing some of the most popular sports sites on the Internet. Turner Sports’ television line-up includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, NASCAR and professional golf. The company’s digital portfolio includes SI.com, NASCAR.COM, NCAA.com, PGATOUR.COM, GOLF.com and PGA.com, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile websites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, which includes NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, NBA Mobile, the NBA Game Time App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com. 

 

About CBS Sports

CBS Sports, a year-round leader in television sports, broadcasts a portfolio of events on the CBS Television Network, including the NFL’s American Football Conference; THE NFL TODAY; college basketball, including the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship; golf, including The Masters® and PGA Championship; college football, including the SEC ON CBS; the U.S. Open Tennis Championships; CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR, including track & field, auto racing and gymnastics.  In addition, the division directs the CBS College Sports Network, a 24-hour national cable network; produces Inside the NFL for Showtime; and partners with CBS Sports.com in creating a recognized leader among sports Internet destinations.

 

NCAA, Final Four, March Madness and The Big Dance are licensed by or trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

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CONTACTS:

Britney Seltzer               Dancie Perugini Ware

                                     Public Relations             713/224-9115      britney@dpwpr.com

Serena Thomas             AT&T Corporate

                                    Communications             314/982-0554     serena.thomas@fleishman.com

Jenn Toner                   Turner Broadcasting       212/275-6642      jennifer.toner@turner.com

Jen Sabatelle                CBS Sports                    212/975-4120     jsabatelle@cbs.com

Gail Dent                      NCAA                           317/917-6117     gdent@ncaa.org