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LOCAL DETROIT BAND WINS COVETED DEMO RECORDING DEAL AND OPENING ACT SLOT FOR BON JOVI AT GIANTS STADIUM THIS SUMMER

LOS ANGELES, February 23, 2006 – Bon Jovi in association with AEG Live, XM Satellite Radio and WDVD-FM today announced the winner of BON JOVI’S “Have A Nice Gig” opening act competition from the first leg of the tour. JON BON JOVI and RICHIE SAMBORA selected Detroit’s own JODY RAFFOUL BAND to receive a demo recording contract and perform in the opening slot at their Giants Stadium concert this summer. The JODY RAFFOUL BAND beat out hundreds of Detroit’s best unsigned bands to be Bon Jovi’s opening act at The Palace at Auburn Hills on Friday, November 18th. That win qualified them to compete on XM Satellite Radio against 23 other winning bands from the first leg of Bon Jovi’s sold-out “Have A Nice Day” World Tour.

The decision came down to the wire according to Bon Jovi Management. Both Jon and Richie spent a great deal of time watching and critiquing the performances from each of the four XM Radio finalists over the past week of the current leg of the tour. When Jon and Richie deplaned in Houston, TX, this past Tuesday they went straight to their dressing room at the venue to revisit the footage and choose the winner. They sought the band that displayed the best songwriting and elicited the best crowd response; they then weighed in the opinion of fellow bandmates to choose the winner.

JODY RAFFOUL was asked to be present at the WDVD-FM studios in Detroit today under the guise that all four finalists were on standby for the live announcement of the winner. In fact, only the JODY RAFFOUL BAND was asked so they could be surprised with the special recorded video announcement from Jon and Richie that they had won.

“Jody, Jody you got the gig man... Congratulations!... Thanks a lot for everyone for supporting us and congratulations Jody; we’ll see you in a stadium in New York City this summer.”

Singer/songwriter JODY RAFFOUL has built a strong fan base touring the United States and Canada with his unique blend of working class pop-rock rhythms. Jody began developing his vocal, musical and songwriting abilities while still a teenager in a local cover band and has since gone on to record three independent albums, 1996's JODY RAFFOUL and 2000's SIMPLE LIFE and his latest release LIKE A STAR which has garnered the music industry and music critics’ attention including The Windsor Star newspaper who declared, "Light Of Day” confirms Raffoul’s status as one of [the Windsor/Detroit] area’s best unsigned artists.”

“All of the opening bands from the ‘Have A Nice Gig’ contest had the opportunity to share their music with a larger audience, and getting that chance is always more difficult for an unsigned band,” said Billy Zero, program director for XM Satellite Radio and host of “The Radar Report,” an XM music show for unsigned bands. “Whether the bands can fill a basement or massive stadium, XM provides a place for both new artists and established acts to have their music heard and create new fans among our millions of subscribers.”

WDVD-FM’s afternoon talent Jesse Addy says, “Detroit has always been a source of great musical talent and we're very proud to be a part of that tradition here at WDVD. Hopefully Jody won't forget us when he's dating a Supermodel.”

The “Have A Nice Gig” competition consists of 51 Bon Jovi concert tour dates beginning November 2, 2005 in Des Moines, Iowa and concluding with their March 11, 2006 concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. From the first 24 winning bands, four bands were selected as semifinalists by music fans across the country who logged on to the XM Satellite Radio website during January to vote online for their favorite. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora then selected the JODY RAFFOUL BAND as the grand prize winning band from the four semifinalists. Audio and performance footage of the JODY RAFFOUL BAND and the three other semifinalists is available online at http://bonjovi.xmradio.com. Details for the 27 bands competing in the second leg opening act competition will follow in the upcoming weeks.