Jane's Addiction and Empire of the Sun to Headline Iconic Festival September 20 and 21

Jane's Addiction Named 2014 SSMF Honoree

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif., June 23, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nederlander Concerts and Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF) organizers announced today the 2014 line-up scheduled for Saturday, September 20 and Sunday, September 21 on the famed Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, CA. Legendary alternative rock band JANE'S ADDICTION has been named the 2014 SSMF honoree kicking off the two-day music festival on Friday, September 19.

JANE'S ADDICTION will be honored with the "Elmer Valentine Award," which celebrates the music and icons that have made an impact on the legacy of The Strip. Since launching their career with their first live performance at The Roxy in 1985, JANE'S ADDICTION has continued to influence the sound and artistic spirit of rock and roll on The Sunset Strip and beyond. This year the group is celebrating the 25^th anniversary of their ground-breaking album Nothing's Shocking, and original members Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, and Stephen Perkins continue to pave the way for alternative rock bands worldwide.

This marks the seventh installment of the award ceremony, where Lou Adler, Mario Maglieri and Elmer Valentine, founders of cornerstone Sunset Strip venues Whisky A Go-Go, The Roxy and Rainbow Bar & Grill were first honored in 2008. JANE'S ADDICTION joins a distinguished list of former honorees, including Ozzy Osbourne (2009) who received the first "Elmer Valentine Award," which was thusly named after the passing of original honoree, Valentine. Slash (2010), Mötley Crüe (2011), The Doors (2012) and Joan Jett (2013). The invitation only honoree event will be hosted at the House of Blues Sunset Strip on Friday, September 19.

"It all started for me back when my big brother used to tell me about The Strip, and about the amazing scene where artists like Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison blew people's minds by pioneering a new sound and influencing culture in a more exciting way than ever before. Complete with massive crowds from all over the world streaming through the streets and flocking to The Strip just trying to be part of it all," said Perry Farrell, Jane's Addiction frontman. "So when it came time for Jane's to record our first album we told Warner Brothers that before we could even release a studio record we had to make a live record on The Strip, and we even recorded it at The Roxy, because we knew that it had to embody that inspiration that came from the heart of that scene. We are very proud to come from this heritage and are truly honored by the Valentine Award."

Following the Friday induction ceremony, JANE'S ADDICTION will headline the first day of SSMF on Saturday, September 20 and play Nothing's Shocking in its entirety. The day will be packed full of performances by Failure, Cold War Kids, ††† (Crosses), Minus the Bear, Kaiser Chiefs, The Birds of Satan, Nightmare and the Cat, Beware of Darkness and Say Say.

Popular Australian electronic music duo EMPIRE OF THE SUN will headline day two of the festival on Sunday, September 21, bringing their spectacular lightning visuals and sound. Mayer Hawthorne, Iration, Big Data, Tove Lo, Big Freedia, We Came as Romans, Nostalghia and Fenech-Soler, plus more to be announced will round out Sunday's festival.

The two-day street festival will include three outdoor stages, interactive experiences, food, beverage and much more, transforming The Sunset Strip into the ultimate concert destination. Sunset Boulevard will be closed to traffic between Doheny Drive and San Vicente Boulevard from 2:00-11:00 p.m. on Saturday and 2:00-10:00 p.m. on Sunday. Iconic venues lining The Strip including, Whisky A Go-Go, The Roxy and Viper Room will host live performances for ticketed attendees throughout the day and into the night and after the street fest closes until 2:00 a.m. Entrance is first-come, first-served.

Tickets for the 2014 SSMF street festival are on sale now via the official ticketing provider, Eventbrite, at SSMF2014.eventbrite.com. Ticket options include: Single Day General Admission for $75 or a 2-Day festival pass for $125.

VIP tickets range from $149-$499 per ticket and include in-and-out privileges from the festival, access to the rooftop VIP area with views of the West stage, plus additional amenities that vary per level.

For hotel accommodations and additional activities surrounding the festival visit sunsetstripmusicfestival.com/hotels or visitwesthollywood.com.

SSMF's sponsors include Jack Daniel's, Gibson Brands, Bud Light, Monster Energy, Hornburg Land Rover/Jaguar and Tequila Herradura. Promotional partners include CBS RADIO's Los Angeles stations, (KROQ, KCBS, AMP Radio, KRTH, KNX and KTWV), KTLA5, Eventbrite, Whole Foods, the City of West Hollywood and Visit West Hollywood.

For more information about SSMF, visit SSMF.com, facebook.com/sunsetstripmusicfestival and Twitter.com/SSMF.

About Jane's Addiction

JANE'S ADDICTION has continued to influence the sound and artistic spirit of rock and roll on The Sunset Strip and beyond. This year the group is celebrating the 25^th anniversary of their ground-breaking album Nothing's Shocking, which featured the popular hit "Jane Says," and recently performed two sold-out performances of the album (front to back) at the opening of the new Las Vegas Brooklyn Bowl earlier this month. When Jane's was inducted into Guitar Center's Rock Walk of Fame in June 2011, Tom Morello said "Nirvana often gets credit for being the first 'alternative' band to break through, the band that changed music and led rock out of the hair metal wilderness of the '80s. That's just not true. It was Jane's Addiction." Jane's Addiction passed into legend early and by design. In 1991 the band headlined and launched the inaugural Lollapalooza and since then, original members Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, and Stephen Perkins have received several accolades and been recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

About Empire of the Sun

EMPIRE OF THE SUN has become the highlight of many summer festivals with their larger-than-life production featuring stunning visuals, dancing swordfish girls, cryo-bazookas and otherworldly special effects. The group started in 2008, with two of Australia's leading musician/producers LUKE STEELE (The Sleepy Jackson) and NICK LITTLEMORE (Pnau) who created a vision that seemed to come from an alternative reality - a post-apocalyptic psychedelic adventure known as EMPIRE OF THE SUN. The band's debut Walking On A Dream sold a million-plus copies worldwide, spawning the singles 'We Are The People', 'Walking On A Dream', 'Standing on the Shore', 'Without You' and 'Half-Mast'. Sophomore album Ice On The Dune spawned the singles 'Alive' and 'DNA'. Empire Of The Sun have won 8 ARIA awards (including Album of The Year for Walking On A Dream), 2 BRIT nominations (including Best International Album) and countless other accolades have followed. 

About The Sunset Strip Music Festival

The Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF) is a not for profit festival created in 2008 to promote, preserve and perpetuate the legendary Sunset Strip music experience. Now in its seventh year, the festival has featured performances by established and rising artists including Linkin Park, Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, The Smashing Pumpkins, Slash featuring Fergie, Imagine Dragons, Awolnation, The Offspring, Public Enemy, Bad Religion, Kid Cudi, Steve Aoki, LMFAO, Neon Trees, Matt & Kim, among many others. The festival has also raised significant charitable funds through ticket proceeds and sponsor partnerships that have benefitted music education programs, drug and alcohol treatment centers and children's cancer foundations. The Sunset Strip Business Association is the managing member of the limited liability.

About The City of West Hollywood

The City of West Hollywood is a creative hub located in the heart of metropolitan Los Angeles. Well known for leading trends in entertainment, dining, fashion, design, and architecture, West Hollywood is also filled with rich history. At just 1.9 square miles, the City prides itself on iconic destinations such as the Sunset Strip; Route 66/Santa Monica Boulevard; and the West Hollywood Design District. The City was incorporated in 1984 by a unique collaboration of activists and affordable housing advocates. West Hollywood is passionate and innovative in its approach to local government and the City's elected leaders and local community of approximately 35,000 residents embrace a spirit of grassroots activism. West Hollywood has led the way in many critical social movements during the past thirty years including: HIV and AIDS, affordable housing, environmental protection; and the civil/human rights of LGBT people, immigrants, seniors, and women. For more information about the City of West Hollywood, please visit www.weho.org.