by Bill Pearis

The 37th season of Saturday Night Live comes to a close next weekend (May 19) where Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger will pull double duty as both host and musical guest. Before you plan your bathroom breaks you might be interested to learn that Mick's backing band will include both Foo Fighters and Arcade Fire. Though we're still eight days from the live telecast, Jann Wenner has already give the SNL season finale five stars.

Meanwhile, this week's SNL has Will Ferrell and Usher.

What songs Mick will do is anyone's guess, but Will (brother of Win) Butler and other members of the Arcade Fire (as Phi Slamma Jamma) may have been getting some practice with a cover of the Stones' "The Last Time" at last weekend's Crossing Brooklyn Ferry festival.

Last year, Mick released the debut album by his new group SuperHeavy that also includes Joss Stone, Damian Marley and the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart. The video for SuperHeavy's single "Miracle Worker" is below.

Continue reading "Mick Jagger hosting and performing on SNL season finale with Foo Fighters & Arcade Fire"

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.

3-Day passes are sold out. 1-Day passes go on sale at 10am. Full lineup below...

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

Lollapalooza last year (more by Josh Darr)

Lollapalooza celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with some huge names on its just-announced lineup. See it in full below.

The festival has obviously changed over the years. What started out as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction with a 'touring festival' lineup that included the Rollins Band, Nine Inch Nails, Butthole Surfers, and Souxsie & The Banshees, has turned into a one-weekend Chicago festival that Lady Gaga co-headlined last year. As leaked a while ago, Foo Fighters, Muse and Eminem all play this year, as will Coldplay, Cee Lo Green, and My Morning Jacket along with the reunited Cars and the continuing-to-be-reunited Big Audio Dynamite and Death From Above 1979, and a bunch of other bands which may or may not be worth the ticket price depending on how you feel about the headliners and generally seeing bands in big, hot, outdoor crowded parks (Lollapalooza happens in Chicago's Grant Park from August 5th - 7th).

Full 2011 Lineup and a couple of videos (one from 1991, one from 2010), below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2011 lineup announced"

photos by Samantha Marble

In what seemed like just a few seconds, Damian Marley, his hype crew and duo of backup singers rushed the stage to the retro-sounding intro of their first single, "As We Enter." Soon after, Nas joined them onstage, where they delivered a high-energy opener, keeping up the Bob Marley tradition with a waving Ethiopian flag.

During his solo set, Nas seemed to create a sometimes intense, sometimes moody atmosphere among the audience of nodding heads. "Connecticut, let's represent!" Nas screamed over a roaring crowd. The rapper made his way through songs like "Nas Is Like" and "Hip Hop Is Dead."

"We just finished the record Distant Relatives. This wasn't about nothing but realness," the rapper said of the concept behind his and Marley's joint LP. "So to all my distant relatives out there, my leaders, this one's to all the leaders." With that he launched into the calming "Leaders."

Marley and Nas played off each other's energy during various cuts, delivering some authentic chemistry. And it was only fitting that the duo's set ended with a cover of Bob Marley's 1980 hit "Could You Be Loved." Marley played with the audience as he encouraged singing in what eventually became a full out sing-along with the echoing voices of the crowd right behind the chanting music. [MTV]

Nas & Damian Marley headlined a sold out show at Williamsburg Waterfront on Saturday night, one night after Primus headlined there. Both acts also played the Gathering of the Vibes in Bridgeport, CT over the weekend (described above).

Nas & Damian performed a two-hour set of collaborative material (from this year's Distant Relatives) and solo songs ("One Mic," "Welcome to Jamrock," etc.). More pictures from their set and a video of show opening "As We Enter", with one more video, below...

Continue reading "Nas & Damian Marley played Williamsburg Waterfront (pics)"

Warpaint @ SXSW 2010 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

tonight in NYC
* Rana on a boat
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Mike Birbiglia @ UCB
* Sally Seltmann @ Joe's Pub
* Jim Campilongo @ Living Room
* The Heavy, The Black Hollies @ Bowery Ballroom
* Warpaint, Sherlock's Daughter @ Mercury Lounge
* Reverend Vince Anderson & His Love Choir @ Union Pool
* Baaba Maal and Playing for Change @ Central Park SummerStage
* Anamanaguchi, Surf Team, So So Death, Filthy Savage @ Party Expo
* Sundelles, Shark?, Food Stamps, Turtle Ambulance @ Knitting Factory
* Delphic, Penguin Prison, Das Racist, Sensual Harassment @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Sally Seltmann is supporting her Arts & Crafts release with a show at Joe's Pub tonight.

Arcade Fire tickets went on sale Saturday morning.

The Stooges have a show coming up in Atlantic City.

There's a free show at the Seaport Tuesday evening.

There's a free Dan Deacon show in Red Hook on Tuesday.

Bonnaroo is over. Some videos below...

Nas and Damian Marley recently appeared on Craig Ferguson. Video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

Outside Lands 2009 (more by Chris Graham)

San Francisco's Outside Lands Festival 2010 takes place in Golden Gate Park from August 14th-15th. Headlining acts for the fest include Kings of Leon, Furthur featuring Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, The Strokes, My Morning Jacket, Phoenix, Social Distortion, Levon Helm and Al Green. Other acts include Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, The Budos Band, Dawes, Gogol Bordello, Cat Power Janelle Monáe and Tokyo Police Club. The full lineup (which will be added to) is below.

Two-day passes go on sale Tuesday, June 2nd at 1pm EST. Single day tickets go on sale Sunday, June 6th.

Check out pictures from all three days of Outside Lands 2009 (which as you may have figured out was one day longer than this year's).

A video trailer for this year's fest and the lineup is below...

Continue reading "Outside Lands 2010 lineup announced"

Roky Erickson & Okkervil River in Austin (more by Tim Griffin)

tonight in NYC
* Mike Birbiglia @ Union Hall
* Torche @ the Charleston
* Jarboe, Hull @ Union Pool
* Dub Trio @ Santos Party House
* The Dreams, TeePee @ Glasslands
* Japanther, Care Bears on Fire @ Galapagos
* Taken By Trees @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Karen O & Nick Zinner @ MoMA Garden Party
* Booka Shade @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Imogen Heap, Geese @ Hammerstein Ballroom
* Roky Erickson and Okkervil River @ Webster Hall
* Woods, Effi Briest, St. Vincent (DJ) @ Brooklyn Bowl
* Karina Denike, Jeffrey Kish, Michelle Amador @ Cake Shop
* Greg Laswell, Jimmy Gnecco, Brian Wright @ Bowery Ballroom
* The Dirty Pearls, Killcode, Diablo Royale @ Santos Party House
* Teengirl Fantasy, The Loud Objects, Kingdom (DJ) @ China Chalet
* The Depreciation Guild, Wild Nothing, Braids @ Knitting Factory
* Gride, P.L.F., Power Cup, Unmen, InTheShit @ Bushwick Bike Shop
* Brahms, Das Racist, Gordon Voidwell, Shadowbox, Rewards (DJ) @ Pianos
* Fan-Tan, The Tryptics, The Hotcakes, The Flying Change @ Mercury Lounge
* Cannabis Corpse, Mutant Supremacy, Street Pizza, Mutilation Rites, Dust of Eden @ Party Expo

After having to cancel due to volcano, Jarboe finally gets to play Union Pool tonight.

Taken By Trees play LPR tonight with special guests.

Karen O and Nick Zinner help MoMA raise money tonight.

JDH & Dave P are DJing at the Booka Shade show at Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight.

Woods are playing a free show at Brooklyn Bowl.

Roky Erickson is backed by Okkervil River tonight at Webster Hall. A re-post of Nardwuar's interview with Roky and Will Sheff is below.

Braids play Knitting Factory tonight and Mercury Lounge Thursday. They were also just added to the bill of Friday's Rooftop Films.

Brahms continue their residency at Pianos tonight.

Torche headline a small show at The Charleston tonight. They open a big show at Summerstage tomorrow. $15 tickets for the Charleston show will go on sale at 6pm at the venue. Doors at 8pm.

Nas and Damian Marley, who recently played Highline Ballroom, were just on Jimmy Kimmel. Videos from their performance below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Tuesday?"

by Benjamin Lozovsky

DOWNLOAD: Nas & Damian Marley - Patience (MP3) (via)

The day before their collaboration Distant Relatives hit the shelves, Nas and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley looked more like brothers on stage, as they performed at a record release party at Highline Ballroom Monday night (5/17). Representing the gritty consciousness of their respective solo work, both displayed a smooth intensity as they plowed through a long set of new cuts off the joint album as well as classics from their respective repertoires.

The New York MC and dancehall star connected Queens and Jamaica via Africa on their current effort, tapping into a mutual fascination with their ancestry. From breezy "feel good music" (as Nas said during the show) to battle calls, their varied approach on the new album made an already wide palette of hip hop and reggae even more unexpected live. Behind a nine-piece band and the strangely sensual gyrations of a flag-waving Rasta, the raspy singsong delivery of Marley meshed perfectly with Nas' buttery flow. It all culminated with a rendition of the most powerful song of the night, as they lowered the volume of a fixated crowd to whispers when they performed new track "Patience" (built around a heavenly Amadou and Mariam sample). Grab that track above.

Nas & Damian go on a larger tour this summer. It hits Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn. More pictures from the Highline show, and some videos, below...

Continue reading "Nas & Damian Marley played Highline Ballroom - pics & video "

by BBG

Common at Terminal Five (more by Eric Townsend)

Its a doubleheader for the hip hop fan in you! Common will play Highline Ballroom THIS SATURDAY for an early show at 8PM (tickets are on sale for $50), with Busta Rhymes headlining a separate show at the same venue at 11PM. Tickets for Busta are $20 on the day of the show, and you can RSVP to info@4kent.com.

Speaking of big bang MCs (no pun intended) at Highline Ballroom, Nas will team up with Damian Marley for a show on May 17th. Tickets go on sale at noon FRIDAY/TOMORROW (5/7). The duo's new album, Distant Relatives, is due on May 18th and they are schedukled to play the Williamsburg Waterfront on 7/31,

Catch Clipse at Highline Ballroom tonight (5/6).

Full Common and Nas/Damian Marley tour dates and some videos are below...

Continue reading "Damian Marley & Nas add Highline show, Common & Busta too"

Freddie Gibbs @ SXSW (more by Andrew Frisicano)

Roc Nation signee J. Cole's Tuesday (3/30) show at SOB's had a few special appearances (not Jay-Z).

Surprise guests Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek joined Cole on stage for "Just to Get By," but the highlight of the night was when Cole brought out Young Gunz rapper Young Chris. "We don't wear the same chain, but, I gotta give respects to those that came before me, from Beanie to Young Gunz," J. Cole told the audience before bringing out the former Roc-A-Fella artist, who was received with shouts of excitement from the throng of people. [Billboard]

Last night (3/31), K'Naan & Wale's show at Irving Plaza featured a surprise appearance by Nas and Damian Marley, who performed their album's first single "As We Enter" (Nas and K'naan did "NY State of Mind" too). Videos are below. Nas & Damian Marley's tour this summer includes a show at Williamsburg Waterfront.

At Highline Ballroom last night (3/31), Freddie Gibbs and others from XXL's Freshman Class performed. Cam'ron wasn't quite a special guest - his appearance as the headliner was announced the day before.

One of the more hyped Freshmen, thanks to his imposing style and intelligent rhyming, Indiana's Freddie Gibbs represents a bit of a stylistic change from the other performers. Everything about him--from his physical appearance to his deep, gritty vocals--commands respect. The turning point in his set came when he took his shirt off and upped his intensity (the crowd went crazy).

Donnis was probably the biggest surprise of the night. Besides his smooth, succinct Southern delivery, he brought out two surprise guests of note--Brit soul sensation Estelle and the up-and-coming Ryan Leslie. Estelle, with her scintillating vocals, came out for a quick verse on a new Donnis single, while Leslie played the keys for the track "Gone." [Time Out NY]

Doug E. Fresh also made an appearance before Cam'ron's set. A bunch of videos below...

Continue reading "J. Cole, K'naan, Freddie Gibbs, Cam'ron & others played guest-filled shows w/ Nas, Damian Marley, Talib Kweli, Hi-Tek, more"

Nas @ Emo's during SXSW 2010 (spazyaz)

...Nasty Nasir Jones and Damien "Jr Gong" Marley - pursuing a blend of hip-hop and dancehall that started on the "Road to Zion" recorded for Marley's Welcome to Jamrock - made the most of their abbreviated set [at Emo's/SXSW on Wed. March 17th]. "I want to dedicate this to my brothers who are locked up unjustly," said Nas, before launching into his early freestyle "One Love."

This segued naturally into Bob reggae classic "One Love (One Heart)" with Damien stepping into his father's footsteps over a recorded sample courtesy of DJ Green Hornet. Snippets of "Rock Steady" and "Exodus" were also performed in a thrilling combination of styles. [Houston Press]

Nas & Damian Marley's "Distant Relatives Tour" will travel North America and Europe this summer in support of their album of the same name, set to come out May 18th on Universal Republic. Singer Nneka will be opening.

They play one of the non-free shows at the Williamsburg Waterfront this summer, on Saturday, July 31st. Tickets go on Internet Presale today (Thursday) at 10am (password = RELATIVES) and general sale Friday, April 2nd at noon.

The other show set for the new series of pay shows at the Waterfront is Faith No More on July 5th. More TBA.

Videos (including one from their Emo's gig), all tour dates and the new album cover art are below...

Continue reading "Nas & Damian Marley releasing an album, touring (dates), playing Williamsburg Waterfront (presale)"

After a hectic day of updating the constantly updating Bonnaroo lineup page, the entire thing has been announced. Gwar, Norah Jones, and the rest of the lineup below...

Continue reading "the complete 2010 Bonnaroo lineup (Stevie Wonder, The Melvins, Kings of Leon, Isis, Local Natives & many more) "