News and Events of Interest

ROCK JUSTICE WINS TOP ATTORNEY BAND AWARD

May it please the Court:

On September 29, 2007, the bands met at Canes Bar & Grill in Mission Beach, California prepared to do battle at the YNLD Battle of the Bands – “Jam For Justice” (proceeds donated to charity). At stake was the ultimate title Best Attorney Band in San Diego. Seven Bands stepped up to the plate but only one was going to take home the trophy. That band was:

Rock Justice

Rock Justice is:

Paul (“Snake”) Mirowski - Guitar & Keyboards
Sean Michaels (Foldenauer) - Lead Guitar & Vocals
Candace Tarry - Lead Vocals
Jamie Lockvis - Drums
Rick Mraz - Bass & Vocals

 

 

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TREASURE ISLAND WINES OPENS

Treasure Island Wines (TIW) is a sophisticated urban winery and a bonded wine production and storage facility offering a wide selection of services to accommodate our client's needs from a few barrels to one million cases. TIW's maverick winemakers specialize in crafting small batch artisan wines at our unique and convenient facility in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Centrally located between the Sonoma, Napa, Livermore and Santa Cruz grape growing regions, TIW offers the ideal geographic location for wine production, storage and pre-destination staging. In addition, TIW's location in the middle of San Francisco Bay provides the ideal natural environment for wine production and storage. With its perfect climate and easy access, TIW provides wine professionals with the utmost flexibility to address their business needs and the opportunity to fully realize their wine making creativity.

 

Find Treasure Island Wines at: http://www.tiwines.com/
Telephone (650) 464-7678
Facsimile (650) 832-1216

Location Address:
Building 201, Room 104, 9th
Street (Corner of 9th Street and Avenue H)
Treasure Island
San Francisco, Ca. 94130

Mailing Address:
527 Hillcrest Road
San Carlos, Ca. 94070.

For More information, go to WWW.TIWINES.COM

   

 

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THIS IS THE END, MY EX-FRIEND - YOU OWE ME $5 MIL
The “Doors” and Band Names

Some of you might remember “The End,” the song hauntingly sung by Jim Morrison of “The Doors” before his death. In now appears to be near the end of a bitter legal dispute between the three surviving members of The Doors, namely Keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and their drummer, John Densmore.

The Los Angeles-based band, which was inducted in 1992 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a string of hits in the 1960s including “Light My Fire,” “Break on Through,” “L.A. Woman” and “Riders on the Storm.” The dispute stems from a 1970 agreement signed by the four original band members, including Morrison, that any business deal would require a unanimous vote of The Doors. The agreement was reached after Morrison and three others got into a “violent disagreement” over using “Light my Fire” in a Buick television commercial. Apparently while the three partners had agreed to the commercial, Morrison vehemently disagreed and the commercial was not done. Since Morrison’s death in Paris in 1971, the remaining band members and Morrison's heirs split earnings from the still-flourishing sale of The Doors’ music and memorabilia. Each partner has veto power over business deals. The appeals court noted that “Morrison had been adamant against doing commercials, and Densmore wanted to honor Morrison’s memory.”

In 2002, Densmore declined an offer from the other two to go on a concert tour as “The Doors.” Reportedly, Densmore did not object to Manzarek and Krieger performing songs put out by The Doors as long as they didn’t call themselves The Doors, use the group’s distinctive logo or any other Morrison-era imagery. Densmore insisted that the other members could not call themselves “The Doors” because it was not The Doors without Jim Morrison.

Densmore and Morrison’s heirs sued Manzarek and Krieger in 2003 after the two began touring the country with Ian Astbury, former lead singer of The Cult, and calling themselves “The Doors of the 21st Century.” Densmore complained that the phrase “of the 21st Century” was often little more than fine print in advertisements and that the new band displayed Morrison’s image dozens of times during concerts. The tour reportedly grossed $8 million and netted $3.2 million, which went to the new band’s company called Doors Touring Inc. and none of which went to Densmore or Morrison’s heirs.

The trial court found that Manzarek and Krieger had improperly invoked The Doors’ name and images during a 2003 concert tour. In 2005, a judge ordered the new band to stop using “The Doors” in any form and ordered Manzarek and Krieger to pay Densmore and the heirs a combined $3.2 million, plus $2 million in legal costs. An appeals court upheld the $3.2 million award and is considering Manzarek and Krieger’s appeal of the $2 million in legals costs as excessive. Now that the California Supreme Court has refused to take up their case, Manzarek and Krieger are on the hook for more than $5 million.

Manzarek and Krieger now call themselves “Riders on the Storm” and continue to perform The Doors’ songs live.

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© 2008 Paul J. Mirowski. All Rights Reserved