New York, NY (March 1, 2011) – 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 16at 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, andLCD 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 ofTwo 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.
