TULSA — Dfest has announced that The All-American Rejects will be participating in an artist discussion panel at the Dfest Conference on Saturday.

Dfest also says that the evening before, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame will present their “Rising Star” award on stage at the music festival.

The All-American Rejects are Stillwater’s breakout pop stars. Their last album sold a multi-million number of copies worldwide and their upcoming album — set to release this fall — was named No. 2 on Alternative Press magazine’s 2008 anticipated albums of the year list.

Members of the band and its management will participate in a question-answer panel from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Tulsa. They will discuss their rise from having $1,000 in the bank (between all of them) to selling multi-platinum records. They also will share their experience in creating new revenue streams like Tyson’s Butter Clothing and Edmond Records, the label of Dfest act The City Lives.

The panel will be available to all registered participants of the Dfest conference, at no additional charge to conference registration. Conference badges must be worn to gain entry; music festival wristbands are not valid for admission.

To register for the conference, visit www.dfest.com and click “tickets.” Conference badges are good for entry into the conference, trade show and music festival, with priority entrance to club stages.

At 11:50 p.m. today, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame will present the band with its “Rising Star” Award on Dfest’s Hadaly Stage, prior to their performance.

The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame gives the award to individuals or groups who have attained significant national notice for their musical talent and have a solid connection to Oklahoma by birthright, moving to the state at an early age, living in Oklahoma for a significant portion of his or her career, writing songs or music about Oklahoma, or furthering music in the state.

“The All-American Rejects is an Oklahoma native band that’s achieved tremendous national success and proudly represents Oklahoma,” said Beth Seim, executive director of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee. “We’re excited to present them with this prestigious award at a festival that has put Oklahoma on the map.”

“We’re so appreciative that the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame is presenting the band with this award at Dfest,” said Tom Green, Dfest co-creator. “Oklahoma roots run deep at this festival, so we always make a point to feature an Oklahoma artist as a major headliner. This award from the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame solidifies this long-standing Dfest tradition.”