WIZ KHALIFA, SLEIGH BELLS, TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB, AND ODD FUTURE WOLF GANG KILL THEM ALL (OFWGKTA) TO PERFORM AT “2011 mtvU WOODIE AWARDS”
Matt & Kim, Lupe Fiasco, Skylar Grey, Dev, Chiddy Bang and MTV’s Liz Lee
to Present at Show Airing Live on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU from Austin, Texas on Wednesday, March 16th at Midnight (ET/PT)
MTV’s 24-hour college network, mtvU, today announced that Wiz Khalifa, Sleigh Bells, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All and Two Door Cinema Club will take the Woodies stage with LIVE performances during the “2011 mtvU Woodie Awards” — the only night honoring college students favorite emerging artists and music. Matt & Kim, Lupe Fiasco, Dev, Chiddy Bang, Skylar Grey and MTV’s Liz Lee from “My Life as Liz” will present the Awards, handing over chunks of wood to the 2011 winners. Additionally, MNDR will keep the night going as the Woodies’ house DJ. The “2011 mtvU Woodie Awards” air live on Wednesday night, March 16 at 12am (Live ET/ Tape delayed PT) on MTV, MTV2 and mtvU from Austin, Texas during the South by Southwest Music Festival. Additional performers and presenters will be announced at a later date.
In addition to performing, one of the rap-game’s brightest young stars to watch, Wiz Khalifa, is nominated for “Woodie of the Year,” along with The Black Keys, B.o.B, Arcade Fire, and LCD Soundsystem. With 3.5 million friends on Facebook, over 1 million fans following him on Twitter, and 40 million views on YouTube for his first Atlantic Records video release, “Black & Yellow,” fans of this up-and-coming artist are eagerly awaiting the debut of his first album on March 29th. “Breaking Woodie” nominee and Brooklyn duo Sleigh Bells – comprised of guitarist / producer Derek Miller and singer Alexis Krauss – will also take the stage with a maelstrom of exploding guitars and rapid fire beats mixed with sweet-as-sugar vocals and a larger-than-life stage presence. Meanwhile, Glassnote Records’ Two Door Cinema Club, also vying for a “Breaking Woodie,” will travel from their native Northern Ireland to rock the Woodies this year with their signature guitar riffs, infectious live energy and inventive sound that is rooted in indie rock and pop. Adding some high-energy, live insanity to the mix, the hip-hop collective and grassroots phenomenon Odd Future, or Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA), will also command the stage with a live performance.
“Damn. We are beyond psyched to be nominated for a ‘Breaking Woodie,” said Derek and Alexis of Sleigh Bells. “We look forward to a night of chaos and fireworks. Many thanks to everyone voting for us!”
“We’re so happy to be nominated for a ‘Breaking Woodie.’ It’s a really respectable award to be up for and a massive opportunity for us,” said Kevin Baird of Two Door Cinema Club. “Not only that, but we get to smash the awards show with a live performance. It’s going to be a good night.”
Fans can vote for their favorite artists at Woodies.MTV.com now through March 1, 2011, except for the “Breaking Woodie” category which will continue during the live show on March 16. mtvU will collect “Breaking Woodie” votes in via Tweets and Facebook posts that include a combination of the nominee’s official “@” Twitter handle and the hashtag #Woodies. Artists will earn more votes as the “social voting” gets amplified via re-tweets, “likes” and comments.
As the only award show to honor and highlight the music and artists voted ‘best’ by the US college audience, the 7th annual show promises an unforgettable night of music and performances. College students established the “mtvU Woodie Awards” in 2004 and have since propelled numerous recognized acts to the next level of their careers – including surging record sales, headlining tours and mainstream notoriety. Examples include: Fall Out Boy (Streaming Woodie ’04), the Killers (Breaking Woodie ’04), Death Cab for Cutie (Best Video Woodie ’05), Plain White Ts (Breaking Woodie ’06), Gym Class Heroes (Woodie of the Year ’07), Paramore (Woodie of the Year ‘08) and Matt & Kim (Best Video Woodie ’09).
Jesse Ignjatovic/Den of Thieves is the Executive Producer for the “2011 mtvU Woodie Awards.” Garrett English and Amy Doyle are Executive Producers for MTV. Jen Jones is Producer. Joanna Bomberg and Gina Esposito are Executives in Charge of Music and Talent, MTV. Eric Conte is Executive Producer for mtvU.
Official sponsors of the “2011 mtvU Woodie Awards” include American Family Insurance, DORITOS®, Rhapsody®, Samsung Galaxy Tab™, Sun Drop and U.S. Army.
About mtvU:
Broadcast to more than 750 college campuses and via top cable distributors in 700 college communities nationwide, mtvU reaches nearly 9 million U.S. college students – making it the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S., as well as on cable systems from Charter Communications, Verizon FiOS TV, Suddenlink Communications, AT&T u-Verse and nearly 70 others. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are: on-air, online and on the campus. mtvU programs music videos from emerging artists that can’t be seen anywhere else, news, student life features and initiatives that give college students the tools to advance positive social change. mtvU is always on campus, with hundreds of events per year, including exclusive concerts, giveaways, shooting mtvU series and more.
About Den of Thieves:
Founded in 2007 by Jesse Ignjatovic and Evan Prager, Den of Thieves has quickly emerged as a force for ambitious event shows and uniquely stylized reality television series. Using their extensive experience working with talent, Ignjatovic and Prager launched Den of Thieves as the TV arm of the Warner Music Group in 2007. After a successful three year partnership there, they branched out and are now fully independent. With an array of formats ranging from Comedy Central’s stand-up special Russell Brand in NYC to VH1’s The T.O.Show to the MTV Video Music Awards, Den of Thieves continues to create, develop and produce original television.