**MEDIA ALERT/PHOTO OPPORTUNITY**

Thursday, April 29

Hard Rock Cafe – Hollywood Hosts Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands Final Local Competition, April 29 

Winners of Hard Rock International Contest to Perform Onstage at Hard Rock Calling 2010 with the likes of Paul McCartney & Pearl Jam

WHAT:              Local bands Big Bang Radio, Grindstone and London Heights will vie to make their rock dreams become reality at Hard Rock's Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands finals this Thursday at Hard Rock Cafe – Hollywood. Special guests Ghosts of Gloria, last year's winner who was recently signed to EMI, will open for the competition.

The Hard Rock Café- Hollywood winner will face off against other participating Hard Rock Cafe global location winners for a chance to perform onstage at Hard Rock Calling 2010 in London's Hyde Park – one of the U.K.'s most-anticipated concert events.  Rock legends Pearl Jam and Paul McCartney will headline Hard Rock Calling in June – the first concert of Hard Rock's Ambassadors of Rock Tour, a global concert series featuring top artists and bands to benefit charities worldwide.  Other featured artists at Hard Rock Calling include Wolfmother, Ben Harper & Relentless 7, The Hives, The Gaslight Anthem and more.

Winners of each respective location will be judged by a distinguished panel including Little Steven Van Zandt of the legendary E Street Band, Doug Brod, editor of SPIN Magazine, Toby Leighton-Pope, vice president of promotions, Live Nation UK and 2009 Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands winner Rudy Vaughn of The Rudy Vaughn Band.  The final stage of the competition will then be turned over to the fans, who will be able to vote for a favorite on www.hardrock.com between May 25 and June 6.

The contenders are:

Big Bang Radio (BBR) from West Palm Beach has been described as "a delectable mix of rock and funk with a pop-iness about them that makes you want to hear more and more" by The Rhythm Scene and Miami New Times. The group has won international recognition through the FUSE reality show, Bodog Battle of the Bands where they placed third out of 10,000 battling bands. BBR has opened for The Strokes, Duran Duran, Daughtry, Gnarls Barkley, All-American Rejects, Candlebox and Foreigner and is a staple on the Florida music festival circuit including Sunfest, Moonfest and the Bang Music Festival. Led by lead singer Angela Peel, an American Idol Season 1 contestant, Big Bang Radio is poised to rock out.

Grindstone: Based in South Florida, GrindStone is an established original/cover rock band with each member having years of experience playing live shows. GrindStone prides itself on always putting on a show more comparable to a concert event than your average local bar band.

London Heights of Miami mixes different styles of music - pop, funk and alternative rock – that match its members' diverse cultures and tastes. The band began with Mario Molina and Andrew London writing songs and melodies. Juan Moreno and David Silva joined the group contributing and creating as a quartet. London Heights' goal is to show the world what four friends can create with talent, passion and some musical instruments.

WHEN:             Thursday, April 29 at 9 p.m.           

WHERE:           Hard Rock Cafe - Hollywood at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

                        1 Seminole Way

                        Hollywood, FL 33314

WHO:               Hard Rock International's Ambassadors of Rock Battle of the Bands

CONTACT:        Robyn Melvin, Hard Rock Cafe – Hollywood, 954-315-9112, hollywood_sales@hardrock.com 

Ryan Rogers, Seminole Hard Rock Casino, (954) 327-7631, ryan.rogers@seminolehardrock.com

            Ana Lanzas, Seminole Hard Rock, 954-327-7504, ana.lanzas@seminolehardrock.com

                        Fran Folic, Bitner Goodman, (954) 730-7730, ext. 117, fran@bitnergoodman.com

# # #