photos by Tim Griffin

Femi Kuti & The Positive Force @ The Moody Theater

The Femi Kuti & The Positive Force 2011 North American tour is still underway and is now on the West Coast until the tour's final show in Seattle on May 15th. Along the way they hit Highline Ballroom & Music Hall of Wiliamsburg in April and the new ACL Moody Theater in Austin on May 6th...

"Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater is a state-of-the-art, 2,700 + person capacity live music venue that will also serve as the new home of the KLRU-TV produced PBS program Austin City Limits, the longest running music series in American television history. The venue will host 60-100 concerts a year, in addition to the nights the Austin City Limits show will tape. Commitment to green building standards qualify us to apply for LEED® certification, the highest standard for sustainable development."

Fela's two most successful Afrobeat-playing sons are Femi and Seun. Seun even now leads Fela's old band Egypt 80. As you might have noticed in this summer's Celebrate Brooklyn lineup, Seun has a show (shows) coming up too. The free Brooklyn one happening at the Prospect Park Bandshell is listed like this:

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 7:00 P.M.
SEUN KUTI & EGYPT 80 | FAAJI AGBA

The yearlong celebration of Nigeria's 50th anniversary of independence that began last October continues here with a generation-bridging concert. Fronting his father Fela's legendary band, Seun Kuti is the living embodiment of afro-pop. Faaji Agba's lineup of Afrobeat pioneers--including Fatai Rolling Dollar, Chief Seni Tejuoso and Prince 'Eji' Oyewole of the Afro-Skittles Band--makes them Nigeria's answer to the Buena Vista Social Club: a supergroup of veteran musicians who are re-popularizing faaji grooves, agidigbo blues, juju and other styles of Nigerian roots. Travel support provided by Arik Air.

A full Seun North American tour will be announced soon, but in the meantime, all known Seun & Femi dates, and more Femi pics, below...

Continue reading "Femi Kuti tour continues (Austin pics), Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 playing shows this summer (Prospect Park & other dates)"

photos by Andrew St. Clair

Femi @ MHOW

Chicago Sun-Times: You're always discussed in relation to your father's musical legacy. What does that mean to you? What was his musical legacy?

Femi Kuti: It's one that started within our family, creating a music that was unique. Folks in Lagos and Africa can identify. It's very homely for us. It's like funk is to America, or rock. It's a distillation of the native sounds made into something a wider audience can appreciate...

Chicago Sun-Times Is it a burden to carry your father's legacy?

Femi Kuti: No, because I understand what I am doing. I enjoy doing the music myself. People want to know about him and I'm obliged to answer. I love my father. Some people are not close to their parents, they grow up and don't want to be identified with them. It's not a problem for me.

Femi is out on tour supporting his new album 'Africa for Africa.'

More pictures from Music Hall of Williamsburg and some recent video of both bands in action, including video from Highline Ballroom, below.

Continue reading "Femi Kuti played Highline Ballroom & then Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Lord Huron (pics & video)"

Lord Huron @ Bowery Ballroom during CMJ (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Femi Kuti's current North American tour hits Highline Ballroom in NYC tonight (4/26). Tickets are still on sale and you'll get an opening set by producer/dj Nutritious.

Tickets are also still on sale for the Femi show happening Wednesday (4/27) at Music Hall of Williamsburg which now includes an opening set by Lord Huron who the LA Times has said "occasionally recalls Fleet Foxes, 'At Dawn'-era My Morning Jacket and Panda Bear." Lord just finished a string of dates with The Rural Alberta Advantage.

The Lord Huron Brooklyn/Femi show was previously listed as a day off on Lord's tour schedule which also includes a headlining show at Mercury Lounge on Thursday (4/28). Tickets are still on sale for that NYC show which will get you opening sets by North Highlands, The Wilderness of Manitoba, and Spanish Prisoners.

All tour dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Femi Kuti is here, Lord Huron added to Brooklyn show (on tour now) --- updated 2011 dates"

DOWNLOAD: Femi Kuti - Dem Bobo (MP3)

Femi Kuti @ Lincoln Center (more by Chris La Putt)

Afrobeat royalty will majestically parade through North America in April/May, as Femi Kuti & The Positive Force will hit the road for a string of dates. NYC hits the jackpot with a double-dose: Apr 26 at Highline Ballroom and Apr 27 at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets just went on sale for both (at the links)

Femi Kuti released his latest LP, Africa for Africa, late last year overseas via Wrasse Records. It gets a U.S. release on April 12 via Knitting Factory Records who have also been responsible for a series of new Fela releases. Download the first single above.

Femi was recently filmed for a "Take Away Show." You can watch him perform the new disc's title track and another song, with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Femi Kuti's "Africa for Africa" coming to North America (MP3, Take Away Shows & 2011 Tour Dates)"

photos by Chris La Putt

"Magic was in the air outdoors at Lincoln Centre when the Fela cast joined Femi Kuti on stage" - Steven Hall

Femi Kuti and the Positive Force headlined Monday night's Midsummer Night Swing show at Damrosch Park. Associate choreographer of FELA! the musical, Maija Garcia, was scheduled to give the dance lessons that come before the show, but she couldn't make it so actual FELA! cast members did the job instead. More pictures from the whole night, below...

Continue reading "Femi Kuti & Fela! cast members helped people dance @ Lincoln Center (pics) "

Femi Kuti

tonight in NYC
* Whiplash @ UCB
* Datus @ Pianos
* Chicha Libre @ Barbes
* Zola Jesus @ Other Music
* Jim Campilongo @ the Living Room
* grids, white suns, pollution @ Death by Audio
* Sir Richard Bishop @ Zebulon
* Natalie Merchant @ The Wellmont Theater
* Femi Kuti and the Positive Force @ Damrosch Park
* Iron Maiden, Dream Theater @ Madison Square Garden
* Lucy Wainwright Roche, Rich Bennett, Dan Shuman @ Union Hall
* Follower, Light Asylum, Asa Ransom, These Are Powers @ The Cameo
* David Karsten Daniels, Fight the Big Bull, The Lisps @ (le) Poisson Rouge
* George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, The Ohio Players @ Wingate Field
* Blind Boys of Alabama w/ Yo La Tengo, Jim James, Lambchop, more @ Lincoln Center
* Les Bicyclettes Blanches, MINKS, Blissed Out, The Beach Arabs @ Knitting Factory Brooklyn

Half-sun Manhattanhenge tonight.

Tonight's Knitting Factory show is being broadcast by Newtown Radio, and features sets by Les Bicyclettes Blanches, Blissed Out, Beach Arabs, and Minks.

The lineup at Whiplash tonight includes Wyatt Cenac (The Daily Show), Myq Kaplan (Last Comic Standing), & Katie Crown (Comedy Central).

The Blow played Joe's Pub on Friday.

Zola Jesus, who plays Other Music tonight, and opens for Wolf Parade at Terminal 5 on Tuesday, played the South Street Seaport Friday. A video from their set below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Monday?"

Midsummer Night Swing 2009 @ Lincoln Center (more by Gabi Porter,)

Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing Festival will be happening at Damrosch Park (W 62nd St b/w Columbus and Amsterdam Aves) from June 29th to July 17th. The shows run every night Tuesday-Saturday, with the exception of Tuesday, July 13th. That's because Femi Kuti's previously mentioned Monday, July 12th NYC show will be at Damrosch Park and part of the festival. Other styles they'll be hosting include salsa, swing, disco, tango and bhangra.

Tickets to all the shows are on sale. Six-night and season-long passes are on sale too.

Pictures from last year's Chubby Checker show are here. The full schedule is below...

Continue reading "Lincoln Center's 2010 Midsummer Night Swing schedule "

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Fela Kuti - Water No Get Enemy (MP3)

Fela!, the musical based on the Afrobeat pioneer's songs and life, has been running on Broadway since November - this upcoming November it'll be expanding to London's National Theatre - with its two Broadway leads (who alternate nights now) splitting US and UK duties.

The show is more of a concert with a story than a typical Broadway experience. It's a worthwhile night (if a bit expensive, though you can usually find discount tickets), and it goes without saying that the music is superbly performed by the house band, comprised of mostly Antibalas members. Though it's seated, prepare to get up and dance: the strongly encouraged crowd participation is one of the show's more unique aspects (check it out in the video below).

Fela Kuti's complex and often controversial views (on politics, women, AIDS) are condensed for the purposes of the show, but the amount of drugs, sex and politics included is still considerable. And it's hard to argue with New York mag's assertion that "if you don't spend a portion of Fela! staring at the amazing asses onstage, you're just not doing your job." The show has also raised a larger debate about authenticity and representation with regard to Fela and his music. A big feature in the Voice last fall discussed some of those issues at the start of the Broadway run (the show tightened up considerably from its Off Broadway version). Another more recently written good read is Afrobeat blog's response to the claim of one Times critic that the show is culturally insensitive..

Information on discount tickets can be found here.

A big implicit part of the show is the continuing Afrobeat revival outside of it. Around NYC, Antibalas and its associated acts have been central to that. Those groups, that include Amayo's Fu-Arkist-Ra and Ocote Soul Sounds, play sporadically around town. One of them, Stuart Bogie, sax player for Fela! and Antibalas, and his band Superhuman Happiness performed last night at Union Pool, for a show with Nomo, In Tall Buildings and Natalie Bell.

Off stage, Knitting Factory Records is in the process of reissuing Fela's catalog, and it'll be releasing an original cast recording of the Broadway show on June 8th, the tracklist of which is below. Their first Fela disc was a best-of compilation, which came out last fall - a track from that is above.

There's also a Record Store Day-only 10-inch EP of Kuti's "My Lady Frustration" and "Wayo" on the A-side and "Lover" + "Eko" which you should at least be able to find at Sound Fix.

Outside of those Brooklyn-centric Fela-influenced acts, there are also two of Fela's sons, Femi (who toured North America last summer) and Seun, who lead their own bands. Femi Kuti and the Positive Force will be back in the US for a tour this July - that includes a July 12th show at New York's City Center. Ticket info TBA.

Videos of Fela! the musical and Fela the performer, cast CD tracklist, and all Femi tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Fela! still on Broadway & going to London, the soundtrack & actual Fela CDs coming soon, Femi Kuti touring this summer"

photos by Jen Mazer

Happy Holidays! I take on more than I can handle. That results in a lot of unposted content. In the name of catching up, while also taking it easy during this final week of the year, here's some of that lost material.

ModernGhana: Afrobeat musician, Femi Anikulapo-Kuti speaks with ADEOLA BALOGUN about his recent nomination for a Grammy and sundry issues. How does it feel like to be nominated in the Grammy awards?

Femi: I am so glad. It shows that I have been working very hard outside Nigeria. The fact that the Nigerian music industry has failed me does not mean that the rest of the world has done the same thing. I signed a contract six months ago for the same album to be released here in Nigeria, but the records company has not released it. It is the problem that I have been having in my career. It shows that the music industry in Nigeria still has a very long way to go.

When do you think the company will release your album?

Femi: I do not know. The album was released in America in January. It was released in Europe in November last year and the rest of the world has been dancing to it. The Grammy is not about Nigeria. It is an American award. So it is the American establishment that is nominating me for the award.

Continue reading "Femi Kuti @ Irving Plaza in NYC - pics "

Beast @ CMJ 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Lady Gaga was nominated five times. Considering her rocket to fame over the last year, many were expecting more for her. But at least the contests are going to be really interesting: Beyoncé, [Taylor] Swift and Lady Gaga are going head to head in three of the most important categories: album, record and song of the year. Will one of them sweep, or will the lady vote be split?

One of the usual complaints about the Grammys is that it over-rewards older, established, familiar acts at the expense of newer, fresher ones. MGMT, the Brooklyn synth-rock duo, was nominated for best new artist, a big coup although not unexpected. But some of the shoulda-been names that have been circulated and Tweeted: Grizzly Bear, another acclaimed Brooklyn group; Regina Spektor, a young New York songwriter who started in the underground and has found some mainstream popularity; Diane Birch, a young soul-style singer, just the revivalist type the Grammys usually adore; and the Decemberists, an alt-folk-rock band from Portland, Ore., that released an ambitious concept album this year. [NY Times]

One surprise (for me anyway) came this year in the video category. Montreal's Beast were nominated for "Mr. Hurricane". That video with a list of some of the other nominees, below...

Continue reading "Beast's 'Mr. Hurricane' video & other 2009 Grammy nominees "

photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

"It took Patricia Mudnich and Joshua Garcia two weeks, driving their RV about 3,100 miles in a winding route from Santa Cruz, Calif., to arrive at the Rothbury music festival in West Michigan.

Cool weather and a short wait in line after the campground opened Thursday morning didn't faze them in the least. The diehard fans of The String Cheese Incident -- the popular jam band which plays its only reunion show of the summer at the second-year festival Friday -- were all smiles.

"The lineup was so impressive, we could not turn it down," said Mudnich, 41, a high school English teacher who estimated the couple spent more than $2,100 on the long trip, including festival tickets, gasoline and side trips to tourist spots such as Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore. "I used to go to these festivals all the time, but now I can only fit it into the summer."

For devoted rock fans flocking this week to the remote Double JJ Ranch from far-flung places across the United States and beyond, Rothbury has become THE summer destination.

Drawing an estimated 30,000-plus people again this year, many of the festival's devotees have logged impressive road and air miles to see their favorite bands -- from The Dead to STS9 -- with clusters of enthusiastic, colorfully adorned fans making the journey from Vermont, Florida, Texas, Nevada, Colorado and all points between in everything from compact cars and pickups to dilapidated Volkwagen vans and old school buses." [Mlive.com]

Continue reading "pictures from the 2009 Rothbury Festival (NSFW)"

Two nights in a row at Irving Plaza and a free show in Brooklyn over the summer did seem like a lot, so it's not too surprising that...

"Due To Scheduling Issues, Femi Kuti Regretfully Has Canceled The Wednesday, June 3rd Performance At The Fillmore New York @ Irving Plaza. The June 4th Performance Is Still Scheduled. All Tickets For The Cancelled Show Will Be Honored For The June 4th Performance"

Opening for Femi at that lone Irving Plaza show is BLK JKS, who just played Sasquatch and who have no lack of NYC shows scheduled in a short time themselves (though they too now have one less). Catch them tonight, May 27th, at the Bell House in Brooklyn. The Present and Popo are also on the bill.

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: BLK JKS - "Lakeside"(MP3)

BLK JKS @ SXSW 2009 (maju646)

South Africa's BLK JKS have four NYC area shows scheduled for May/June. The first comes Wednesday, May 27th to the Bell House in Brooklyn. Tickets are on sale now.

The next is Tuesday, June 2nd at NYC's Knitting Factory, as part of that space's AfroBeat Festival. Tickets go on sale for the show Wednesday, May 6th at noon. Baja is also on the bill.

BLKS JKS then open for Femi Kuti at two Knitting Factory-presents nights at Irving Plaza on June 3rd and 4th. Tickets, including two-night passes, are still on sale for that show. Femi Kuti, it was also just officially announced, is playing a free show in Prospect Park this summer.

Earlier this year, BLK JKS played at least five SXSW shows. Those were preceeded by a pair NYC gigs - I caught one on March 14th at Santos, where the quartet's jam-heavy set stacked up layers of improv rock riffs over loose dub bass and frantic drums. Drummer Tshepang Ramoba made the band's frequent time signature changes and transitions seem second nature. Vocals and guitars were loaded mostly with echo and effects and added texture to the swaying grooves. Live, BLK JKS' dub plus angular rock approach reminded me at time of the Pilfers, not least in the subtle phrasing of vocalist Lindani Buthelazi.

Three SXSW videos of the band, with all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "BLK JKS - 2009 Tour Dates (Bell House, KF, Irving Plaza) "

A performing arts program of BRIC Arts | Media | Bklyn, Celebrate Brooklyn! is one of New York City's longest running, free, outdoor performing arts festivals. Launched in 1979, as a catalyst for a Brooklyn performing arts scene and to bring people back into Prospect Park after years of neglect, Celebrate Brooklyn has been an anchor in the park's revitalization and has become one of the city's foremost summer cultural attractions. Over the course of its history Celebrate Brooklyn has presented over 1,700 artists and ensembles reflective of the borough's diversity, ranging from internationally acclaimed performers to emerging, cutting-edge artists. All Celebrate Brooklyn performances are free. The festival attracts upwards of 250,000 attendees from across New York City to the Prospect Park Bandshell each summer.

Continue reading "Celebrate Brooklyn! 2009 Prospect Park concert schedule "

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Femi Kuti - Eh Oh (MP3)

Femi Kuti, son of legendary Nigerian musician Fela and Afrobeat institution in his own right, is coming to New York this summer. His last set of NYC dates, scheduled for January '09, were canceled, with the rest of his tour, because of illness.

Femi and the Positive Force visit the Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza for two Knitting Factory-presented nights on Wednesday, June 3rd and Thursday, June 4th. Tickets, including two-night passes, are on sale now at LiveNation.com. If you miss them, we suspect Femi might also be back later in the summer.

Other scheduled Femi gigs include Bonnaroo and opening dates for the Dave Matthews Band (an honor shared this spring/summer with The Roots, The Hold Steady, The Avett Brothers and others).

Femi's last record was Day By Day, which came out in November '08 on Downtown Records imprint Mercer Street Records. June 3rd will be his first North American show since its release.

All tour dates and videos of Femi live, and recording and discussing his latest record below...

Continue reading "Femi Kuti - 2009 Tour Dates (2 nights @ Irving Plaza), MP3"

Crystal Castles @ MHOW - New Years Eve (more by Ryan Muir)

Al Green @ the Wellmont Theater - Nov 2008 (more by Eric M Townsend)

Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the initial lineup for the 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The eighth annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 11 - 14 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. Every year Bonnaroo seeks to make history by offering unique and exclusive performances by rock's greatest legends as well as its most significant newcomers. A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2009 lineup will total over 120 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days. Tickets go on sale exclusively through www.bonnaroo.com on Saturday, February 7 at 12:00 PM Eastern.

Coachella announced their initial lineup less than a week earlier.

Metallica played Bonnaroo in 2008. Metallica played NY & NJ this past weekend.

Full (initial) 2009 Bonnaroo lineup below...

Continue reading "Bonnaroo announces initial 2009 lineup (Bruce Springsteen, Phish, Beastie Boys, NIN, Wilco, Animal Collective...)"

"We regret to announce that due to illness, Femi Kuti's January US and Canadian tour has been cancelled in its entirety. Ticket holders should seek refunds from the place of purchase. A comprehensive US and Canadian Summer tour will be announced shortly."

"Due to illness, Afrobeat legend Femi Kuti has postponed the first leg of his U.S. tour in support of his new album Day By Day. Set to kick off on January 7th in Boston, MA, the tour will now commence on January 14th in Montreal, QC with the scheduled Boston, New York, Washington DC, and Philadelphia shows postponed to a later date. Watch this space for announcements regarding the rescheduling of these east coast shows."

Continue reading "Femi Kuti postpones some tour dates (including NYC)"

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Planned Parenthood benefit Regina Spektor is playing at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Crystal Castles New Years Eve show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Blonde Redhead New Years Eve show at Terminal 5.

"Great seats" were released this week for My Morning Jacket at MSG on New Years Eve.

Tickets are still on sale for the show A Place to Bury Strangers are playing at Mercury Lounge on New Years Eve.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the upcoming Devotchka show @ Webster Hall

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for Femi Kuti's headlining show at Webster Hall and don't forget he's playing GlobalFest too.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the show The Sword are are playing at Bowery Ballroom.

Tickets are still on sale (@ noon) for the show School of Seven Bells are playing at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets also are now/still on sale for NYC shows by Steve Winwood, Richard Cheese, BB King & Buddy Guy, Kings of Leon, Stella, Electric Six & Local H, and Bishop Allen.

On the eve the release of his first studio album in seven years, Femi Kuti has confirmed a U.S. tour that will see the Afrobeat legend play venues from coast to coast in January 2009.

Femi's forthcoming album, Day By Day, is set for release November 18 and will be the first release from the new Downtown Records imprint Mercer Street Records. Femi launched back onto the public stage this fall when he was featured on emerging artist and label mate, Brett Dennen's hit, "Make You Crazy."

Not content to merely follow in the footsteps of his famous father, Fela Kuti, Femi continues to expand his musical palette with his latest studio release, Day By Day, a hybrid of Afro-pop, jazz and urban influences. Femi is world renowned as a gifted songwriter and performer who continues to push the boundaries of Afrobeat rather than resting on his legacy. He has toured America with alt-rock band Jane's Addiction, sang on Rachid Taha's Made In Medina album and reached out to the American hip-hop community connecting with artists such as Mos Def, D'Angelo, Nile Rodgers, Erykah Badu and the Roots.

For the sixth year, this leading showcase for international sounds keeps a foot in the door of cultural exchange, giving dozens of musicians access to the national stage. The event takes place on January 11, 2009 on three stages at the newly remodeled Webster Hall in New York City. With just one ticket, festival-goers can see thirteen acts in one night, representing diverse global styles, from groundbreaking hybrids to little-known traditions, and in three unique settings under the same roof.

Line-up to feature Calypso Rose, Chicha Libre, Femi Kuti & the Positive Force, Hot 8 Brass Band, Kailash Kher's Kailasa, L&O, La Troba Kung-fú, Marcio Local, Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, Shanbehzadeh Ensemble, Tanya Tagaq, and Watcha Clan.

Continue reading "Femi Kuti - 2009 Tour Dates (Webster Hallx2, GlobalFEST)"