Ashley Dupre Austin Recordings surface

Barnstormers Studio release 1st recordings of Spitzer's companion
Ashley Dupre, who came into the national spotlight as New York governor Elliot Spitzer's paid companion, recorded at Austin's Barnstormers Studio in 2004. The first release from that session is available at www.myspace.com/ashleydupresings. It was shortly after those recordings that she moved to NYC to pursue a career in music. Her recordings there were in the dance music genre.

"I don't think this hip-hop sort of beat thing ... is the way she needs to go. She's got a real soulful, big blues voice to her." commented Jerry Cooper, the financier and guitar player for the Austin sessions. "I think she has the potential to sound good." Cooper was her boyfriend at the time and himself a musician. He heard her singing in the shower and encouraged her to sit in with his band at his gigs and eventually paid for her to come to Austin to work with Bruce Newman, the owner of Barnstormers Studios.

"Music is what it's all about," Dupre has continued to say despite all the notoriety she has suddenly received. She is currently trying to stay out of the maelstrom, but has given her blessings to bring these recordings to light in hopes that her true ambitions can be realized.

Arlo Guthrie Celebrates 40th Anniversary
@ Alice's Restaurant in Niederwald, Texas

In 1965, an act of "rubbish dumping" happened in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The criminals were fined $50 and told to pick up the garbage. One of the litterbugs just happened to be the son of Woody Guthrie, the renowned composer of the American classic "This Land is Your Land." Forty years later, the dumping incident has become an American legend, immortalized in song, on film and known by folksingers and. political activists all over the world. On June 15th, Arlo Guthrie, the composer of the "Alice's Restaurant Massacree," and his long time back-up band The Mammals begin a tour to celebrate the 18 minute and 20 second song that was released as a record in 1967 and adapted for cinema by Arthur Penn in 1968.

In 2003, a small restaurant in Niederwald, TX opened called "Alice's Restaurant." They feature great food and live music. On June 9th, 2005, Arlo Guthrie will preface the 40th Anniversary Massacree Tour by headlining the First Annual Alicefest, a day long festival featuring 12 other bands on the mainstage and an acoustic stage with more music. Playing with Arlo will be his son Abe Guthrie and Gordon Titcomb. Also featured from America's first family of folk music will be Sarah Lee Guthrie and her partner, Johnny Irion, whose new album, "Exploration" is rapidly establishing them as the next generation of American Folksingers.

Alice's Restaurant encourages you to walk in to your draft board, sing a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walk out. Although there are no statistics about how many draftees tried that approach, peace activists are as likely to be invigorated by strains of "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" as they are by "Give Peace A Chance" or "Blowing in the Wind." Alice's Restaurant of Niederwald, TX was inspired by this song, Alice in Wonderland and other great Alices of our culture and is dedicated to "good service, great food and even better music" in the Austin, TX area. Alice's Restaurant has been hosting songwriters and bands while serving meals that "couldn't be beat." In the last three months, Alice's Restaurant was mentioned 5 times in Austin's prestigious newspapers, and won third place in the "Best New Club" category of the Austin Music Awards.