by Bill Pearis

After busting up the gang in 2000, snarky mid-'90s piano trio Ben Folds Five reunited this year with a new album on the way and a tour, which they're on now. The tour stops at Central Park Summerstage tonight (9/14), their first NYC show in 12 years. Tickets for tonight's show are still available. BFF will also return to the NYC area for a show at Port Chester's Capitol Theatre on October 9 with Kate Miller Heidke (tickets) and a couple days later they will play opening night of New York Comic Con on October 11. Tckets for that are still available too.

Ben Folds Five, best known for their ballad "Brick" back when people still held up lighters at shows (1997), have a new album, The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind, which is their first since 1999 and is out next week (9/18). The record was funded via Pledgemusic and is a little mellower than the bouncy, fuzzy pop of their Clinton-era singles like "Underground" and "The Battle of Who Could Care Less" but his sense of humor seems intact. You can listen to tracks at SPIN, TeamCoco and Rolling Stone.

Ben Folds Five are also playing Florida's Deluna Fest which happens September 21 - 23 in Pensacola Beach, FL and also features Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Bob Mould doing Copper Blue, Diplo, Florence & the Machine, Band of Horses, and many more. Tickets for Deluna Fest are still available and full line-up is below.

A list of all Ben Folds Five dates, a few classic clips and that Deluna Fest lineup are below...

Continue reading "reunited Ben Folds Five releasing LP, playing Central Park (tonight), Comic Con, Deluna Fest (lineup) & other dates"

photos by Colin Kerrigan

Earth, Wind & Fire help Philly celebrate Independence Day

A little after 1 p.m., the Parkway was already jammed with people who had come from near and far for the Fourth of July celebration in Philadelphia - and it stayed that way well into the night as the Roots repeatedly rocked the stage, and Earth, Wind & Fire's Philip Bailey hit some stratospheric high notes.

Many came in red, white, and blue attire, with their children, their spouses, and their dogs.

Courtney Beckett, 22, a medical assistant from West Chester, even brought her six-foot boa constrictor, Sampson.

"They're cold-blooded, so they need heat," she explained as her cousin, Zhabree Jacobs, 8, let the reptile curl around her shoulders.

And, boy, did that snake get grilled.

Temperatures pushed 90 most of the day at the Wawa Welcome America celebration Monday, as people ate gyros and cheesesteaks, swayed to music, and reunited with friends and family to party Philadelphia-style.

Organizers had no official crowd count, although Mayor Nutter said, "This might be the largest Fourth of July event ever." The event has been known to draw a million or more people.

With a pink-and-orange sunset in the background and Sara Bareilles and the Roots performing. [Philly.com]

The Roots hosted and performed at their Fourth of July Jam in Philly with Earth Wind and Fire, Michael McDonald, Estelle, Sara Bareilles, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Boyz II Men and others. The concert, which was billed as "the largest free concert in America," lived up to its title, though as expected at a concert that big, not everyone has a positive experience. According to Anthony Sbarro, "Way too many people at the Roots Fourth Of July on the Parkway concert. Good luck to whomever is going! I'd recommend against it." Tamika Chandler posted a video to her YouTube account of what she dubbed the "4th of July Jam Fiasco." The video description and tags read:

People arguing & fighting. I wanted to enjoy the concert but because so many people were trying to budge in front of those who were smart enough to be early and sitting down in their own seats, I ended up filming the entertaining arguments/fights that arose from this.

Parkway, Philadelphia, Philly, Jam, Concert, Fourth, 4th, of, July, Fireworks, Fights, Beer, Drunk, Arguing, Arguments, yelling, crowded, crowds, kids, pot, marijuana, smoking, wild, fiasco, rude, the roots, earth, wind, fire, &, and, PA, pennsylvania, city, mayor, nutter, police, popo, smh, penn's landing, downtown, city, delaware river, wawa, michael mcdonald, sarah bareilles

Check out her video work, and a video of Estelle and Michael McDonald performing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" together, below.

In other Roots news, Black Thought plays Brooklyn Bowl tonight (7/5) with J. Period, Mr. Mecca, Skotch Davis, Boogie Blind and DJ Suga Ray. Questlove DJs the same venue every Thursday. This Thursday is a "special free edition".

More pictures and videos from the 4th of July Jam below...

Continue reading "The Roots celebrated 4th of July in Philly w/ Earth, Wind & Fire, Estelle, Michael McDonald & more (pics & video)"

The Roots at Prospect Park in 2010 (more by David Andrako)

Although musical options in NYC are limited on the 4th of July, you could head to Philly for the Philly Fourth of July Jam. This year's show, which is being billed as the "largest free concert in America," will feature The Roots and special guests including Earth, Wind and Fire, Michael McDonald, Estelle, Sara Bareilles, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. It runs from 7-10pm at Benjamin Franklin Parkway and will be followed by fireworks (naturally).

Meanwhile you can catch Earth, Wind and Fire in NYC tonight tonight (6/28) and Wednesday (6/29) at Beacon Theatre. It's been forty years since Earth, Wind and Fire first hit the scene, and...

Forty years later, Bailey says Earth, Wind & Fire is still in pursuit of being the best band in the world.

"We're just being the best we can be and seizing the moment we've been given," he says.

"We still practice and we still hone our craft, though we've been playing these songs thousands and thousands of times. We make sure we go back and pay attention to the little details, and our audience appreciates the attention we put into stuff."

Throughout its storied career, Earth, Wind & Fire mixed funk-seared dance jams such as "September," "Boogie Wonderland" and "Serpentine Fire" with Quiet Storm classics such as "Devotion," "Can't Hide Love" and "Keep Your Head to the Sky." Often, the Grammy-winning band stoked its sound with African and Brazilian rhythms on its way to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [Calgary Herald]

Earth, Wind and Fire also have shows scheduled in Atlantic City and CT before Philly on the 4th. All dates are listed below.

The Roots have been keeping super busy as usual. In addition to planning the biggest concert in America and collaborating with countless musicians, partially related to then playing Fallon on a daily basis, they played a series of interesting shows in NYC last week. At least Questlove is taking a day off from Brooklyn Bowl.

Most of those shows were part of the ongoing Blue Note Jazz Fest. Two of them, at the Blue Note, were The Roots and Rakim performing Paid in Full in its entirety...

"With an early show and a late show, the band ran through the 10 track of the classic album with funky flawlessness. During the first show, Nelson George asked Rakim and Black Thought questions about the album's legacy and Rakim's career at the beginning and half way points. The second show featured questions from Toure, and both Dave Chappelle and Talib Kweli were in the house who had their turn posing questions as well. Very dope stuff indeed." [Okayplayer]

Check out a video from this performance below. Estelle, also on the 4th of July show, played two shows at the Blue Note last week too.

The Roots also performed at the launch of Rebuild the Dream at Town Hall on Thursday (6/23). Rebuild the Dream is a new movement to bring back the American Dream and help Americans find jobs, go to college, etc. The Town Hall event consisted of a long motivational speech and call to action interspersed with a couple performances by The Roots. Learn more at the movement's website. Video of the entire event, and the other stuff, below.

Continue reading "The Roots played w/ Rakim, hosting giant 4th of July show in Philly w/ Estelle & Earth, Wind & Fire (who are on tour now)"

Jill Scott's great new album, "The Light of the Sun", is out June 21st. If you have any doubts, stream the whole thing now at NPR.

Scott has come a long way since she was working as The Roots' hook girl. (Can you imagine a time when Scott rode the bus on the Things Fall Apart tour just to come out and sing the chorus she'd written for Erykah Badu to sing in "You Got Me"? And people were kind of bummed when she hit the stage -- until they heard her sing, of course?) Scott began in Philadelphia as a spoken-word artist, and on The Light of the Sun, she incorporates that work into her songs cleverly. When she finds an opening to leaven her singing with speech, she goes for it, but within reason and to an end.

This summer Jill will take the show on the road. "Jill Scott's Summer Block Party" will hit amphitheaters in multiple cities including Wantagh, NY aka Jones Beach on July 28th. Tickets for the NY show, and other shows, are on sale now.

The shows will be hosted by Doug E. Fresh with opening sets by Anthony Hamilton and Mint Condition. DJ Jazzy Jeff will work the turntables. All dates below...

Continue reading "Jill Scott releasing "The Light of the Sun" (stream it), bringing a 'block party' on tour (dates)"

Rob Swift

For the second year in a row, Red Bull Thre3style is taking place in Brooklyn to test the top party DJ's in their mixing skills. In the ultimate battle scenario, nine local DJ's will take turns stepping up to the tables to determine who can rock the dance floor the hardest combining three different music genres in fifteen minutes.

Competing in the night's party are DJ's Get Live, Cobra Krames, Synapse, Dances with White Girls, Theory, Vinyl Richie, Equal, Stimulus and Kalkutta.

The DJ's will compete in 15 minute intervals and play a set of at least three different genres. The winner of Red Bull Thre3style will take home a $1,000 prize check and a trip to DC to compete in East Coast finals. The winner of that will go on to participate in the US National finals.

The show will also feature appearances from Total Eclipse & Rob Swift of the X-Ecutioners, and will go down on April 22nd at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets are now on AmEx presale and go on regular sale on Friday.

On a similar note, the regional battle of the 2011 DMC Battle for US Supremacy is scheduled to go down at Santos Party House on June 11th. The show will feature an appearance from host DJ FatFingaz and tickets are on sale. Then on August 6, Santos Party House will host the DMC US Finals DJ Battle. Tickets are on sale.

Red Bill held another Thre3style event at SXSW over the weekend. Performers included De La Soul, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Z-Trip, and surprise guest LL Cool J. Videos below...

Continue reading "Red Bull Thre3style & other NYC DJ battles coming (LL Cool J, De La Soul, Z-Trip & others played one @ SXSW)"

The Roots Picnic 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

As Pitchfork reported, The Roots Picnic will be happening again this year at Philadelphia's Festival Pier on Penn's Landing, on Saturday, June 5th. ?uestlove announced part of the lineup via a Twitvideo (which you can see below), and it includes of Mayer Hawthorne, Clipse, the Very Best, Neka, Tune-Yards (a recent Questlove favorite), Das Racist, Bajah & the Dry Eye Crew, Pattern Is Movement, headliner Vampire Weekend and The Roots (with two side-projects, Black Thought's Money Making Jam Boys and ?uestlove with DJ Jazzy Jeff). He also says that the fest will be reuniting a certain black hat/gold chain (and it could be assumed, Adidas)-wearing hip-hop crew.

Tickets go on sale Friday, March 5th at 10am.

Mayer Hawthorne headlines Webster Hall Thursday night (3/4).

Picture sets from last year's Picnic are here. Pictures from a 2009 show at Brooklyn Bowl that featured more than a few of the members of this year's lineup are here. See ?uestlove's video for yourself (where he also announces that it's the Roots' one year anniversary on Fallon - congrats!) below...

Continue reading "The Roots Picnic - 2010 date & initial lineup (Vampire Weekend, Clipse, The Very Best, Tune-Yards, Run DMC?)"

Arcade Fire @ the Obama staff ball last night (more by Bao Nguyen)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Punch Brothers @ Living Room
* The Whitest Kids You Know @ Comix
* Drive by Truckers @ Starland Ballroom
* The Naked Hearts & The Antlers @ Cake Shop
* Deep Red (Nomi) @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Hockey & Cale Parks @ Santos Party House
* Matt & Kim & ??? @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Regina Spektor, Ra Ra Riot, The Bloodsugars @ Bowery Ballroom
* Midnight Masses (with Choir) & Katie Eastburn @ Union Pool
* A Big Yes And A Small No, Apollo Run @ Union Hall

DJ Jazzy Jeff was born today in 1965.

Loney Dear's new video for "Airport Surroundings" below...

what else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"