"Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the initial lineup for the 2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The 11th annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 7 - 10 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2012 lineup will total over 125 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days.Tickets for the event will go on sale on this Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 12 noon EST exclusively at bonnaroo.com."

Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2012 lineup announced"

Charles Bradley in Fort Greene Park in 2011 (more by BBG)

Before Charles Bradley released his excellent debut LP on Daptone Records last year, he performed under the name Black Velvet as a James Brown impersonator. On January 28 at Hiro Ballroom in NYC, he'll bring back the Black Velvet moniker for a James Brown tribute show with Jimmy Hill & The Allstarz Band. Tickets for that show are on sale now. The flier for the show is below.

Charles Bradley just played New Year's Eve at MHOW with Budos Band. Check out a video of them performing together at 12:01 AM, January 1, 2012, below.

More tour dates are down there too...

Continue reading "Charles Bradley played New Year's Eve, playing James Brown tribute as 'Black Velvet' (and other dates)"

We already posted Pitchfork's and SPIN's, so... here's Rolling Stone's top 50 albums of 2011. It's got tons of big sellers and major label players taking high spots like Adele, Jay-Z and Kanye West, Paul Simon, and Lady Gaga, but then something unexpected like tUnE-yArDs places at #13. There are also some odd inclusions like Wavves' Life Sux EP and then some albums you could only find on a Rolling Stone list like SuperHeavy (the supergroup featuring Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Damian Marley, and others). They also give shots to Little Dragon, Josh T Pearson, Das Racist, Wild Flag, and many more. Check out the full list below...

Continue reading "Rolling Stone's Top Albums of 2011"

photos by Ryan Barkan

Charles Bradley @ Bowery Ballroom

If we didn't mention it before, Charles Bradley is in fact playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on New Year's Eve along with The Budos Band. Tickets are still on sale. Charles is also heading out on the road in early 2012. Dates are scheduled around North America and Australia, and they're all listed below.

Saturday night, 12/3, two days after appearing on WNYC, Charles played a sold out show at Bowery Ballroom with Rodriquez. More pictures from that show, also below...

Continue reading "Charles Bradley played Bowery Ballroom w/ Rodriguez (pics), playing NYE w/ Budos Band & other dates"

The Budos Band in Prospect Park (more by David Andrako)

Lee Fields & The Expressions are headlining a benefit show at Brooklyn Bowl on Monday night (9/26). Tickets can be had for as low as $15 and as much as $100. Proceeds support NYC's non-religious suicide hotline run by Samaritans of NY. Corey Glover (Living Colour), Danielia Cotton, and The Smyrk are also on the bill. It's one of only three upcoming shows right now for Lee. The other two are in Chicago and Michigan and are listed below.

Other upcoming Daptone-related shows include the previously-mentioned Charles Bradley show at Bowery Ballroom in December (tickets), and the not-yet mentioned Budos Band show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on New Year's Eve (with "very special guests to be announced"). Tickets are on sale.

One thing I can assure you is that the MHOW NYE special guest is not Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings who are due to announce another NYC show of their own soon. Meanwhile they have scattered tour dates scheduled, some with My Morning Jacket. All dates for all of them, below...

Continue reading "Lee Fields playing a benefit @ Brooklyn Bowl, Budos Band & special guests playing NYE @ Music Hall (and other dates)"

Charles Bradley at Fort Greene Park in July (more by BBG)

If James Brown was Soul Brother #1, then one of the artists vying for that #2 spot is Charles Bradley, the Brooklyn soul crooner with as many on stage moves as his jacket has rhinestones. Bradley will spend most of the fall either touring the US (hitting Austin City Limits and the POPPED! Music Festival) or abroad in the EU, but will return to play Bowery Ballroom on December 3rd. Tickets are on sale. Full tour schedule is below alongside some recent video.

Continue reading "Charles Bradley playing Bowery Ballroom & other dates"

by BBG

I followed the music and ended up in the middle of the park, surprised that there weren't too many people there- maybe a few hundred? He deserved a few thousand, at least. During his last song there were flashes of lightning illuminating the night sky followed by a torrential downpour at the end of the song. Some ran away, some (including me) ran for a few small tents that were set up for the sound guys and stayed for the encore song (undoubtedly worth it- wet clothes dry but his voice will stay in my mind forever).

Even from a ways away, I could see his bright smile and feel the positive energy shooting out of him. He was wonderful and the kind of singer who's meant to be heard live, in his element there. I feel so lucky that I heard even a few of his songs in person. -[blogonlyknows]

Charles Bradley was fresh off a July 21st appearance on Jay Leno where he helped The Tonight Show's bandleader Rickey Minor pay tribute to Marvin Gaye by performing "What's Going On" with Grace Potter, Sharon Jones, and The Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles. Video from that appearance is also below. Charles' other recent accomplishments include covering Nirvana for SPIN's new Nevermind tribute album.

The show was one of two scheduled for Beans in the past week. He opened for Buck 65 at Bowery Ballroom a few days earlier.

Charles & The Menahan Street Band continue on tour this summer. Their festival-filled schedule includes Osheaga, Outside Lands, Bumbershoot, MusicFestNW, Austin City Limits, and POPPED!, all before they head to Europe.

An updated set of tour dates, video from Leno, and more pictures & video from Fort Greene below...

Continue reading "Charles Bradley played Fort Greene Park w/ Beans (pics), played Leno w/ Grace Potter & Sharon Jones (video)"

Meat Puppets

Meat Puppets recently finished up a tour in support of their most recent LP Lollipop which came out this past April. After a couple dates with Soundgarden at the end of the month, the Meat Puppets will take a short break before playing a few more dates this fall. Their last string of dates never came through NYC, but this one will on November 4 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are on sale now. All tour dates are listed below.

Meat Puppet Curt Kirkwood recently spoke to JSOnline about their tour and Nirvana, who they played with at Nirvana's MTV Unplugged performance, and whose seminal album Nevermind celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The Meat Puppets recorded a cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for Spin's new Nevermind tribute album, Newermind. The album also features contributions by EMA (who has shows coming up soon), The Vaselines, JEFF the Brotherhood, Amanda Palmer, Titus Andronicus, Surfer Blood and others. The album will be available for free download on Spin's website starting July 26. Tracklist below.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of Nevermind, Universal is also releasing a deluxe edition of the album on September 19. The reissue includes a 4 CD/1 DVD boxset with rarities, B-sides, unreleased recordings, BBC radio appearances, and an unreleased concert on DVD.

Universal will also reissue 1991: The Year Punk Broke on DVD on September 6. The film documents a Sonic Youth tour with Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr., Ramones, Babes in Toyland, and Gumball. The reissue includes a bonus film titled (This Is Known As) The Blues Scale, which features live footage of Sonic Youth and Nirvana.

Meat Puppets dates and video of them with Nirvana at MTV Unplugged in 1993, below...

Continue reading "Meat Puppets announce dates, appear on SPIN Nirvana tribute, 'Nevermind' is turning 20"

Here is the initial lineup for Willamette Week's MusicfestNW, scheduled for Sept. 7-11, 2011 in Portland, Oregon, and it's pretty great. The multi-venue fest includes big outdoor performances by Band of Horses (Sunday, Sept. 11), Explosions in the Sky (Saturday, Sept. 10), and Iron & Wine (Friday, Sept. 9), in addition to shows with everyone from Archers of Loaf to Big Freedia to Butthole Surfers to Neurosis. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 3rd. Check out the full list below...

Continue reading "MusicfestNW 2011 -- dates & initial lineup"

The 10th Anniversary ACL Festival line-up is on the books. Stevie Wonder, Arcade Fire, Kanye West, Coldplay, My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Nas & Damian "Jr Gong" Marley and Cee Lo top the bill of the over 130 bands. Bright Eyes, Social Distortion, Empire of the Sun, Santigold, Pretty Lights, TV On The Radio, Skrillex, Big Boi and Randy Newman are also on tap to rock September 16-18.

Continue reading "Austin City Limits 2011 festival lineup is here, tickets on sale"

The Outside Lands Festival, which runs from 8/12 - 8/14 in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, released their 2011 lineup in April (and now it's May, so consider this a catch up post). Tickets are on sale.

This year's fest will appearances from The Shins, Muse, Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys, Phish (two sets), !!!, Erykah Badu, Big Audio Dynamite (who played Coachella and are also playing Lollapalooza), Girl Talk and many more. The full lineup is below.

Continue reading "Outside Lands 2011 lineup"

photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

Charles Bradley in LA -- 5/4/2011

Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band are in the midst of a whirlwind West Coast tour that includes a date in Oakland on 5/6 which is the same night they'll appear (again) on Carson Daly (they'll be doing "Golden Rule"). Last night (5/4), they played The Echo in Los Angeles and pictures from that show adorn this post.

This week also marks the digital release of Charles Bradley's new soulful cover of the Neil Young classic "Heart of Gold". Released in April as a 45 via Daptone Records (where you can preview it and buy it in both formats now), you can now also get the song on iTunes. Bradley also recently released his album No Time For Dreaming.

After a tour in the EU in June and July, Charles Bradley will return to NYC and play a free, headlining show with The Menahan Street Band in Brooklyn's Fort Greene Park on July 26. Soon after that he head heads to Canada to play Osheaga and Sappy Fest, and in August he returns to California for Outside Lands. Check out all tour dates and more pictures from The Echo below.

Continue reading "Charles Bradley released a Neil Young cover, played the Echo (pics), playing a free Brooklyn show & other dates"

Syl Johnson supporting Yo La Tengo @ Maxwell's (more by Andrew St. Clair)

Deep Groove soul singer Syl Johnson will return to the NYC stage to play a headlining date at The Bell House on June 24th. Tickets are on sale. There he'll be supported by The Sweet Divines who are also scheduled to play a show with soul frontman Lee Fields at Southpaw on May 21st. Tickets are on sale for that too, as is the recently-released "My World" instrumentals on vinyl.

Lee's last show was another sold out affair on Friday, April 1st at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band...

"Bradley left everything he had out on the stage in about 45 minutes and was promptly relieved by headliner Fields, with the Menahan Street Band staying put and subbing for Fields' usual backing group, the Expressions. Looking like a pint-sized Lou Rawls, veteran singer Fields ably continued the retro-exploration into Daptone's dictionary of journeyman soul. As with Bradley, Fields is an older fellow influenced by the torchy, balladic nature of artists like James Brown and Bobby Womack as well as Al Green and the Hi Records crew." [Magnet]

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Maceo "Funk Dance Party" is the first in a 3-part series of free 'Celebrate Brooklyn' dance parties at the location. May 19th's "Tropical Dance Party" will feature La Excelencia & Que Bajo?!, and May 26th's "Bhangra Dance Party" will feature Red Baraat & DJ Rekha. They promise "Sweeping views, great lawn, dance lessons, beer garden, bike valet & it's free! Three spring evenings featuring some of the coolest dance bands on the planet, the funkiest DJs under the stars, and the greatest view in the world!"

More tour dates and some videos, below...

Continue reading "new Syl Johnson & Lee Fields shows, Budos Band & Maceo Parker dates ++ free dance parties in Brooklyn Bridge Park"

Bowery Ballroom photos by Lionel Bergeron, SXSW photos by Josh Darr

Noah & the Whale @ Bowery Ballroom

"I would gladly spend my last night on earth with Noah & the Whale... The fullness and the richness of their song whether on acoustic folk songs or rock songs on the electric guitar is amplified a thousand times by the band's enthusiasm. It's easy to see on their faces that they love what they're doing: even their bleakest, darkest songs like 'I Have Nothing' have a purity and an elegance that sets them apart from broody emo ballads on the radio. Similarly, Noah & the Whale's poppiest, most playful songs aren't just throwaway songs: substance and masterful lyrics complement pure infectiousness. -[Trust Me On This]

The NYC shows came just a few days after the band were down at SXSW to play a few shows including a showcase at Stubb's on March 17th with TV On The Radio (who also played a day party at the same venue), Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street Band (who have a Brooklyn show coming up), Portugal The Man (whose upcoming tour brings them to Webster Hall), and Foster The People (who have two upcoming sold out NYC shows).

TVOTR's set is watchable at Spinner's site.

Pictures from both the 3/21 Bowery show AND the official SXSW showcase, all bands included, adorn this post. They continue below along with some new Noah & the Whale song streams, Noah's NYC setlists and more dates...

Continue reading "Noah & the Whale played 2 nights @ Bowery Ballroom & SXSW w/ TVOTR, Portugal the Man & Charles Bradley (pics)"

Steve Arrington & Dam Funk

After a record release show at Southpaw, Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band have spent the better part of the last two weeks on the road in celebration of his new LP No Time For Dreaming. Later this month Charles heads to Europe for a string of dates with Lee Fields & The Expressions who he will also play with again on April 1 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets for the Brooklyn show go on AMEX presale Wed 2/16 at noon and go on regular sale 48 hours later. The two sold out the same venue in November.

Outside of the Brooklyn date, Lee Fields & The Expressions have only one other US show scheduled that we know about: August 5-7 at Pendarvis Farm near Portland, Oregon as part of Pickathon 2011. There, the funk-soul crooner will be joined by Mavis Staples, Bill Callahan, Califone, and many others. Full lineup is below. Tickets are on sale.

This week presents some great funky live shows: Kings Go Forth play two shows in the next week, Fitz & The Tantrums play MHoW on Wed (2/16, tickets), and Slave vocalist Steve Arrington at Southpaw on Friday (2/18, tickets). Arrington, who recently collaborated with Dam Funk on some new material, will be backed by Chin Chin and joined by Little Shalimar (mems TV on the Radio, Antibalas), DJ Spinna and Chances With Wolves. Arrington can also be found spinning records at The Commodore the day before (2/17). Flyer for that is below.

Last but not least, Southpaw will host another upcoming funk show on Feb 26th featuring Willie West> with The Sweet Divines + The Sweet Divine Rhythm Band. Tickets are on sale.

For four decades, deep soul man Willie West has been one of New Orleans' best kept secrets.. Originally from the New Orleans area, Willie first broke into the business in 1958 with his band The Sharks. Members of that band later joined up with Joe Tex and Fats Domino. In the early 60's he and the band signed to Rusttone Records. They had a regional hit titled 'Did You Have Fun?' Which lead to gigs with Jimmy Reed and Solomon Burke. In 1966 Willie signed to Allen Toussaint's Deesu Records and together they record several incredible singles. Willie sang the title track 'The Greatest Love' to the movie Black Sampson and had two single released by Warner Brothers. The early 70's saw Willie join one of the most beloved New Orleans acts, The Electric Soul Train. Later in the 70's Willie joined the legendary band, The Meters for whom he sang lead vocals until they dis-banded in 1980.

All tour dates and some videos below.

Continue reading "Lee Fields & Charles Bradley playing more shows ++ Steve Arrington, Willie West & the Pickathon lineup too"

Sharon Jones & Lee Fields at Prospect Park (more by David Andrako)

It's only been a few days since Lee Fields funked up Bowery Ballroom and already lots more Daptone updates to report on!

In addition to their previously discussed date with the purple one at MSG on 1/18, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings have a proper set of East Coast dates scheduled a few weeks later - none in NYC, but there's the 1/29 show at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ, and a CT show on 2/12. Charles Bradley also plays that show, and others this month with Sharon Jones. He also has his own previously discussed appearance scheduled for 1/25 at Southpaw (tickets are still on sale).

The full lineup of Charles's Southpaw show also includes the Menahan Street Band, "The Electric Sound Of Johnny Arrow" featuring Cochemea Gastelum, DJ Honeydripper, DJ Dave Griffith. Members of the Menahan Street Band also play in The Del Reys who play with Eli Paperboy Reed at Brooklyn Bowl TONIGHT (1/12). Spiritkid is also on the Finger on the Pulse-presented "Soul Bowl" show. Tickets are still on sale.

Charles Bradley recently posted a video for "The World (Is Going Up In Flames)", check out a behind the scenes video for that clip below and look for a longer version to appear on his Facebook later this week.

The Budos Band (who also share members with Menahan Street Band and The Del Reys) have various US tour dates scheduled through June. The band plays NYC again on March 11th at The Bell House. Tickets are on sale.

Prince recently announced another show at MSG on February 7th (no opener info yet). Tickets for the new show go on presale at 11AM on 1/13, and general sale at 10AM on 1/15.

All tour dates and some video is below...

Continue reading "more Daptone news (Budos Band dates, behind the scenes w/ Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones, Del-Rays tonight & more)"

Sharon Jones & friend @ Best Buy Theater on New Year's Eve (Dara Weinberg)

"The disarming warmth of the Dap Kings' homegrown sound translated well in the 2,100-capacity venue. Against the usual Dap Kings backdrop of bright horns and funky percussion, Jones sustained her boundless energy level for much of the two-hour performance. At one point, she even kicked off her high heels and summoned African ancestors for a shamanistic dance medley.

The band was fully synchronized from the opening number, the slinky ballad "If You Call" to a propulsive rhythmic buildup for an encore rendition of "100, Days, 100 Nights." Some of the night's finer moments, of course, alluded to economic hardships. The horn stabs of "Money" and "No Chimmeys in the Projects" carried a raw sense of urgency, while Jones cracked, "Ain't nothin' evil about money because we neeeeed that money." After a suitably cool take on "Auld Lang Syne," Jones pushed herself vocally to wring a double meaning from "Better Things."

"I've got better things to do than remember you," Jones sang. Puffs of fog machine smoke framed her band as balloons and confetti filled the room.

Warming up for Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings was New Orleans songwriter Allen Toussaint.

"There's no place I'd rather be tonight. I really mean it," Mr. Toussaint said." [Soul Train]

As previously discussed, fellow Daptone-r Charles Bradley (who shared a bill with Lee Fields in Brooklyn recently) will celebrate the release of his new album No Time For Dreaming at Southpaw on January 25th. Tickets are still available. The date comes right in the middle of a tour Charles is going on with Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (who played 12/30 & 12/31 at Best Buy Theater). A review from the 12/31 show is quoted above.

Bradley's new video for new-album song "The World (is Going Up In Flames)", contest details and all dates below...

Continue reading "Sharon Jones played New Year's Eve, Lee Fields plays tonight (WIN TIX) ++ a new Charles Bradley video"

DOWNLOAD: Charles Bradley - "The World (Is Going Up In Flames)" (MP3)

Charles Bradley album art (reminds me of something...)

Lotsa great funk and dancefloor grooves are coming to Southpaw and elsewhere for you old soul fans/45 collectors out there.

Though Charles Bradley just released the 45 of the same name, he is prepping to release No Time For Dreaming, a new LP for Dunham/Daptone Records. Is Charles Bradley a stranger to hard time?

Charles Bradley is no stranger to hard times. Born in Gainesville, Florida in 1948 and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he spent the better part of his childhood living on the streets. One of the more optimistic moments of his childhood came in 1964, when his sister took him to see James Brown at The Apollo. Brown's energy and showmanship would form a lasting impression on Charles. He went home and immediately began practicing microphone tricks with a broom attached to a string, imitating the Godfather's every move.

Forty years later, Charles was still trying to make ends meet, still trying to make it as a musician. He was performing his James Brown routines under his alter ego "Black Velvet" when Gabriel Roth of Daptone records happened upon his show at the Tarheel Lounge in Bedstuy. Roth recognized his raw talent and directly brought him into the studio for a session with The Sugarman 3.

Charles Bradley's last show was with Lee Fields at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 11/20, and Lee Fields & The Expressions have another show in the immediate future: 1/7 at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are now on sale. Still no opener listed. I'd suggest Budos Band but they just headlined AND SOLD OUT the same venue recently themselves.

Speaking of Daptone, legendary New Orleans musician Allen Toussaint will join Daptone queen Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings at Best Buy Theater during their two day stint at the venue (tickets for both Dec 30 and Dec 31 are still available).

Toussaint collaborated with The Meters in the 70s, who will also be in NYC in the coming months (the "Funky" version anyway) (tickets available for Feb 15th, 16th, and 17th shows billed as "The Funky Meters").

A soulful New Years Eve can also be had outside of Manhattan at the Bell House thanks to Dig Deeper who are bringing Marva Whitney, Billy Prince (of the Precisions) and the Sweet Divines to the Brooklyn venue that night.Tickets are still on sale.

Start the New Year at the Bell House too. The Detroit Cobras headline the venue on January 1st, one night after they ring in the New Year at Maxwell's with the Fleshtones.

Dig Deeper hosts soul singer Lenis Guess at Southpaw on January 22nd with The Solid Set. Tickets are on sale.

Dig Deeper most recently hosted Syl Johnson at Southpaw. Syl also played a show with Yo La Tengo one night later.

Milwaukee's Kings Go Forth will play Southpaw on 2/19 as part of a stint of East Coast dates in late February. Tickets are on sale, and their full tour schedule with some videos and stuff is below.

Continue reading "soulful New Years Eve options, Kings Go Forth tour dates, Allen Toussaint, Detroit Cobras, new Charles Bradley & more"

"Still reeling from Charles Bradley/MSB/Lee Fields show in #brooklyn on Sat. Absolutely floored us." - Dominic Umile

Sharon Jones & Lee Fields @ Prospect Park in August (more by David Andrako)

Lee Fields headlined the show at Music Hall of Williamsburg Saturday night (11/20), and with Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band also on the bill, it's no surprise that they reportedly turned away over 100 people at the door of the sold out Brooklyn show. Luckily for those that didn't get in, Lee Fields will return to the stage on January 7th, but this time at MHOW's Manhattan sister Bowery Ballroom. Stay tuned for more details like tickets and openers.

Meanwhile, tickets are still on sale for the shows that Charles Bradley's Daptone label mates, aka Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, are playing at Best Buy (formerly Nokia) Theater on December 30th and 31st.

Continue reading "Lee Fields played MHOW w/ Charles Bradley, playing Bowery"

Lee Fields at the waterfront (more by Tear n Tan)

The above picture comes from Lee Fields' recent Pool Party shindig with !!!. Lee Fields & The Expressions also opened for the Black Keys at Terminal 5 in the past month. And now comes word that Lee Fields & The Expressions will headline a NYC show, this time at Music Hall of Williamsburg on 11/20 with Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band. Members of Antibalas, El Michels Affair, the Dap-Kings and the Budos Band make up the members of both soulful bands. Tickets go on sale Wednesday (9/1) at noon.

The Dap Kings, whose most recent NYC show was a headlining one in Prospect Park, meanwhile will head out on tour with Sharon Jones in September. US and European dates below.

The Budos Band have a few shows coming up too, one of which is the release party for their new album ("The Budos Band III") at Southpaw in Brooklyn on September 18th. Tickets for that show are on sale. All dates below.

And last but not least, Daptone's Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens can still be found at Fat Cat every Friday night, and have some upcoming tour dates including Pop Montreal in October. All dates for everyone, below...

Continue reading "Lee Fields & Charles Bradley schedule a show, Sharon Jones leaving on tour, Budos Band & Naomi Shelton dates too"

The 2010 lineup for Madison Square Park's annual Oval Lawn series of free Wednesday shows is below. Held in the same NYC location that the Big Apple BBQ occupies this weekend (June 12-13), the series will offer eight free concerts this summer. The Big Apple BBQ features three bands on Saturday, and three on Sunday including Daptone Records' Charles Bradley. Full schedule below...

Continue reading "free shows in Madison Square Park (Big Apple BBQ this wknd)"

Lee Fields @ Southpaw on December 18th (Alex Darsey)

Lee Fields & The Expressions and Charles Bradley and The Menahan Street Band will be touring Europe this February. After they get back, the two soul bands will play a Music Hall of Williamsburg show on Friday, February 19th. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, January 13th at noon.

Lee headlined a show at Brooklyn's Southpaw on December 18th. A video of him and the band performing "Honey Dove" from that gig is below. He also appeared at Knitting Factory during CMJ with other Daptone artists including the Budos Band, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (who have a new album on the way and who played Brooklyn Bowl since then), The Menehan Street Band and Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens (who played last night, Jan 11th at Joe's Pub, and who you can always catch at Fat Cat).

The Budos Band are playing at Maxwell's on January 15th (tickets) and Southpaw on January 16th, for a show that also includes the Nouvellas and DJs Chances With Wolves (featuring Mark Ronson) (tickets).

Mark Ronson will also be taking part in Yoko Ono's upcoming gig at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

All tour dates, a video from Lee's December Southpaw gig, a rehearsal clip of Naomi & the Gospel Queens and more are below...

Continue reading "Lee Fields touring w/ Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street Band (dates), Mark Ronson playing w/ Budos Band"

photos by Jacob Blickenstaff

Sharon Jones (and fan) & the Dap Kings @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn

Brooklyn venue Southpaw has two Daptone Records-related shows in its future. Lee Fields & The Expressions, whose new album actually came out on Truth & Soul, will return to the club on December 18th for a show with their T&S labelmates Michael Leonhart & The Avramina. Tickets are on sale. The Budos Band play Southpaw on January 16th. Tickets are on sale for that too.

Lee Fields and The Budos Band shared a not-actually-CMJ bill with their Daptone labelmates Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, and The Menehan Street Band at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on October 23rd. It was a private show that the Brooklyn label set up to showcase its artists while CMJ was in town.

"The headliner, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings along with guitarist Binky Griptite, was truly the anticipation of the night. This frantically dancing and singing queen wasn't afraid to bring the audience on stage or get down and dirty with her sassy self. Bereft of the glitz and glamor of the previous act, Jones was perfectly quaint in her dark jean jacket and slacks. Her voice had more power than anyone that night, and it's no surprise that she is Daptone Records' star. Outrageously genius, Jones and Griptite ripped the stage apart and threw it at the audience with a grin. Good thing this was the kind of audience who knew how to throw it right back." [Performer Blog]

Naomi Shelton and The Gospel Queens (aka the Gospel Queens of Brooklyn) play every Friday night at Fat Cat.

Sharon doesn't have any NYC shows coming up, but she and the Dap Kings are going on a short tour in December which includes a NJ date. Recently the group performed with Phish in California.

She and the Dap Kings will also be appearing on television TONIGHT (11/24). If you've been near the Bedford L in Brooklyn lately, you may have noticed the mural. Dinner With The Band, "A new series from IFC with tasty meals and rocking tunes", is on IFC every Tuesday at 11pm (starting tonight). Set your DVR.

As previously mentioned, chef Sam Mason will cook not-necessarily-vegan meals with guests that include Final Fantasy, Les Savy Fav, Men, Kid Sister, Flosstradamus, Yacht, and... Sharon Jones.

"Dinner With the Band" started as an online show conceived by Darin and Greg Bresnitz, brothers who were both passionate about music and food. (Mr. Mason is still devising ways to get musicians more involved in the kitchen. "I wanted to help, but he didn't let me," said Kid Sister, a Chicago rapper who appears on a coming episode. "He was real in-control.") When the brothers asked Mr. Mason to host in 2006, they "didn't really know who he was," Darin Bresnitz recalled.

Mr. Mason added, "No joke: they Googled 'tattooed hipster chef', and I came up." [NY Times]

The artists that appear on the IFC show play music in addition to cooking. Check out two clips from tonight's Sharon Jones episode, along with more pictures from Knitting Factory, below...

Continue reading "Dinner With The Band on IFC (tonight) w/ Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings + upcoming Daptone shows & Knitting Factory pics"

photos by Chris La Putt

Menahan Street Band @ Southpaw

The Budos Band have three NYC shows coming up, one of which is tonight, Thursday November 13th, at SOB's. The second is at BAM Café on December 6th, and the third is December 19th at Mercury Lounge with their Daptone Records labelmate Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens. Naomi also performs every Friday at the Fat Cat. Mercury Lounge tickets are on sale.

In other Daptone news, Sharon Jones recently performed two non-CMJ shows during CMJ week, one of which was an Obama fundraiser, and the other for Perez Hilton. Back in September Sharon and the Dap Kings performed at Austin City Limits (ACL) (the festival), and for ACL the TV show. Look for the latter on PBS.

Last but not least, the latest Daptone/Dap Kings/Budos off-shoot, The Menahan Street Band, performed at Southpaw with the Phenomenal Handclap Band back in October (before CMJ even). They were joined on stage by special guests including Charles Bradley, but not Sharon (she stayed in the audience). More pictures from that show, and all Daptone-tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Budos Band tour dates, Menahan Band pics, Daptone stuff"