by Ryan Barkan

The Darkness played a Superbowl commercial

Another Super Bowl, another year where the Cowboys didn't win, and another year of music-filled commercials. The Patriots entered the field to "Crazy Train" by English metal god Ozzy Osbourne (who is currently having a feud of his own with an old bandmate). The Giants entered to "Written in the Stars" by English rapper Tinie Tempah.

Did you catch that map of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the Samsung commercial for their Galaxy (with stylus!)? You know, the one that had a sweet use of The Darkness jam "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"? Yeah, it was there and showed a close up of Berry and N. 1st in Google Maps. Did I mention they also have a stylus? The Darkness are currently in NYC, played Irving Plaza on Superbowl eve and do so again tonight (2/6). Watch the ad which stars the band's Justin Hawkins, below.

My personal favorite music-based commercial of Super Bowl XLVI goes to the Mr. Sandman-induced dream sequence in a new Kia commercial that featured two great music choices.

The spot starts with the Chordettes' "Mr. Sandman" for the first few seconds of the commercial. That song makes way for something completely different, like Motley Crüe. The band actually shows up and plays inside the race track-themed dream of the alpha male hero. He drives the track to impress Adrianna Lima while the Crüe shred on "Kickstart My Heart". Watch "A Dream Car For Real Life" below.

In the "did I just hear Megafaun in a commercial" category, Megafaun wins one for the little guys and gets a song used in a new Toyota ad. The band's song "Hope You Know" sounds super good as the soundtrack to a story-esque spot for the Camry model. Watch it below.

Also of significant note was another brand-infused OK GO music video. The band collaborated with Chevrolet to make a commercial/music video for the song "Needing/Getting", off the 2010 album Of The Blue Colour Of the Sky. The band is filmed strapped inside a Chevy Sonic, singing and utilizing both the car and a strategically placed course sprinkled with over 1100 instruments that more or less sound like the studio version of the song. The set up is meticulous, as is the band's ability to show up in a paid advertisement in an easily-digestible, yet very memorable way.

My single most favorite lyric placed in a Super Bowl commercial goes to the lines I know it must be killing time / unknowingly mine. Audi tries to end the whole Vampire craze with its 2012 game day commercial featuring Echo & The Bunnymen's "Killing Moon." Watch below.

continued below...

Continue reading "music & commercials of Super Bowl XLVI (Darkness, Motley Crue, Megafaun, Art Brut, OK Go, Echo & the Bunnymen, Madonna & more)"

Arcade Fire @ Obama Staff Ball (more by Bao Nguyen)

A list of celebrities, reportedly created by Obama's campaign, sent out on December 5, and acquired by the Tennessean (PDF HERE), is being passed around the internet. The list, heavily populated with people who we already know support Obama, is supposedly a wishlist of people the Obama administration hopes to get public support from again in this upcoming election. Among the names on the list: Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, Wilco Regina Spektor, Janelle Monae, The Roots, Jay-Z, will.i.am, Jessica Alba, Laila Ali, Marc Anthony, India.Arie, Sara Bareilles, Jigga, Chelsea Clinton, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell, Fergie, America Ferrera, Jamie Foxx, Whoopi Goldberg, Al Green, Josh Groban, Neil Patrick Harris, Anne Hathaway, Jack Johnson, the Jonas Brothers, Jewel, Mila Kunis, Blake Lively, Ricky Martin, "Glee" star Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Chris Pine, B.o.B, the Band Perry, Train, and Kate Walsh.

Speaking of Regina Spektor, who has played the White House, she has a benefit show coming up at Lincoln Center in NYC and is playing some shows with Tom Petty including one in Austin. All of her dates are listed below.

Speaking of Wilco, they're currently out on the road with White Denim who played a warm-up show at Hotel Vegas in Austin before leaving. All Wilco dates are listed below.

Speaking of Obama, he delivers a State of The Union speech this Tuesday.

Speaking of politicians, Stephen Colbert was spotted singing along at the Jeff Mangum show at BAM on Saturday night.

Continue reading "Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, Wilco Regina Spektor & others on Obama wishlist"

"Paul Simon, Lee Scratch Perry and Jimmy Cliff play blinding sets at Glastonbury Saga stage. All over 70 Tony Benn oldest at 95 !" - James Osborn

"Best thing musically I saw at Glastonbury was probably SBTRKT on the Friday night ...quality stuff." - Joshua Saunders

Glastonbury 2011 (via Glastonbury.fm)

Glastonbury Festival took place in Worthy Farm in Pilton, England this past weekend. Tons of artists from all different backgrounds played the festival. The festival featured guest appearances, secret sets, and other interesting occurrences. Here are a few of the highlights.

Headliner Beyonce played a hits-heavy set with some pretty interesting cover song choices (King of Leon's "Sex on Fire," Etta James' "At Last"). But more even more interestingly, Tricky joined her on stage for a pretty inexplicable guest appearance on "Baby Boy." The trip-hop pioneer took a mic and uttered some sparse vocals as Beyonce and her backup singers belted the song. Video of the performance is below.

Speaking of things related to Massive Attack and Glastonbury, UK DJ Nick Warren, who would regularly DJ for Massive Attack in the '90s, said "My Highlight of Glastonbury Festival was James Blake live." James's set included the track "CMYK" off the 2010 EP of the same name in addition to tracks off his 2011 self-titled album. Some might say James's set was even explosive:

James Blake at Glastonbury

Festival attendees who were not part of the 75,000 watching Beyonce may have ended up at The Streets' set which took place at the same time. The show was apparently one of the Mike Skinner's last, who recently announced a breakup. Unfortunately, The Streets recently cancelled a trip NYC, but maybe they'll reschedule before saying their final goodbye. Video of The Streets' Glastonbury performance below.

This year's secret shows included UK Glastonbury vets Pulp and Radiohead.

It was Pulp's fourth Glastonbury appearance but their first for nine years and as they came on stage, frontman Jarvis Cocker told the crowd: 'We couldn't think of anything to get you so we brought the sunshine.'
After their set, which included some of their biggest hits including Disco 2000 and Common People, he added: 'Thanks Glastonbury, obviously it's been a very important place for us. When we played in '95 things took off for us and we went in a strange orbit around the earth, and now we're back home in one piece.' [Daily Mail]

Radiohead brought Portishead drummer Clive Deamer as a guest to play with Philip Selway. Their setlist was almost entirely made up of The King of Limbs and In Rainbows tracks, and recent non-album material, except for Amnesiac's "I Might Be Wrong." They also surprised fans of their earlier work by playing "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" as an encore. Video of "The Daily Mail" and "Bloom" and setlist below.

Cee Lo, unlike at Coachella, showed up on time for his set, which included a mix of his own material and Gnarls Barkley stuff. He also covered Black Sabbath twice. Big Boi got lost in London, but also ended up showing on time for his set. Like Cee Lo, he still embraces past projects and included a good amount of Outkast material. Big Boi-collaborator Janelle Monae played the festival too. Video of her performance of "Tightrope" below. Catch her and Cee Lo (but not Big Boi) for free at Afro-Punk in August.

Battles brought Matias Aguayo on stage to sing "Ice Cream," the song he recorded lead vocals for on their recently released Gloss Drop. Video below.

British folk/jazz legends Pentangle, who reunited in 2008 but have not been very busy since then, played the festival. Their lineup includes Bert Jansch who is currently a Drag City-recording artist and released The Black Swan on the label in 2006, over 30 years after Pentangle originally broke up. Lauren Laverne of BBC 6 interviewed the band. They talked about the resurgence of folk music and how Bert is a fan of Fleet Foxes (who also played Glastonbury). Video of the interview below.

SBTRKT at Glastonbury 2011 via facebook

SBTRKT, who visits NYC for the first time in July, played a live set (pictured above). His Young Turks labelmate Jamie xx (of The xx) played a set too. Jamie's "Far Nearer" single is on sale now. Pressings are limited. Check out a soundcloud stream of the track below.

Another UK post-dubstepper Jamie Woon played the festival. 3AM writes, "During my bum breaks, I caught Jamie Woon's set and it was fantastic. I've heard a lot about this chap, but haven't listened to his stuff before. Sitting in the middle of a field with a pounding head and cider was the perfect way to be introduced to Jamie's chilled but strong, powerful tunes."

Speaking of dubstep crossover, UK singer Katy B brought her dubstep-leaning pop to Glastonbury as well. She plays a private show in NYC tonight (6/27). It will be her first.

Little Dragon wowed the crowd, according to VH1 anyway:

For the UK at least, this performance of their new song "Ritual Union" is a real coming-out party for the band, who absolutely deserve to be heard on a much wider scale. It's really difficult to make smooth music work in the middle of the day at a big outdoor festival, but Little Dragon pulls it off in style.

UK anti-folkie Emmy the Great covered The Pixies' classic "Where Is My Mind" with help from Tim Wheeler of the punky brit-poppers Ash. Full setlist below.

On a more negative note,

A senior member of David Cameron's Tory constituency has been found dead in a portable toilet at the Glastonbury festival.

Christopher Shale, the chairman of West Oxfordshire Conservative Association, suffered a heart attack, sources believe.

His body was found in a portable toilet in the backstage area, where many celebrities and performers stay.

A story in the Mail on Sunday contained leaked sections of a strategy document Shale had drafted for David Cameron, in which he said the party can be perceived as "crass" and "always on the take".

Avon and Somerset police confirmed that the body of a man in his mid-50s had been found in the backstage area. A woman was seen being comforted by officers.

His body was found at 8.45am. An area between the Pyramid stage and the Other stage has been cordoned off. [Guardian]

Videos, soundcloud streams, setlists, and other stuff below...

Continue reading "Glastonbury 2011 happened (highlights, video, setlists, Tricky, SBTRKT, Radiohead, Pulp, Beyonce, Janelle Monae & more)"

photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

Robyn @ Bonnaroo

Robyn played Bonnaroo this past weekend, where she spoke to MTV News about her current tourmate... Katy Perry. After initially avoiding the question of whether or not she is a fan of Katy Perry's, she told MTV at Bonnaroo:

"I think that girls are always expected to have opinions about each other, and maybe I don't have an opinion about some things, you know? That doesn't mean I have a bad opinion or a good opinion, it's just that, at that point, I never met her," Robyn said. "I didn't know much about her album that was out, and it was hard for me to have an opinion, and that's all. There's some songs that she's made that I think [are] amazing: the pre-chorus in 'Teenage Dream,' I wish I had wrote that. So, it's all good."

The day after the NJ show, Robyn plays a free show at Terminal 5. No, not that Terminal 5. She's playing the Jet Blue one inside JFK Airport on 6/20. Like Jet Blue shows at JFK Airport in the past, the show will be for contest winners and people who happen to be catching a plane.

And speaking of indie-leaning, major label-signed, future Scandinavian female pop stars that are playing in NYC this week and opening shows for Katy Perry (yuck), Oh Land is playing a Northside Festival show at Brooklyn Bowl on Friday (6/17) with Rye Rye and Deluka. Doors are at 10:30pm, and Oh Land headlines the show at 1am. Tickets are on sale..

Hopefully Oh Land has a chance to rest after the late show, because she's also playing the NYC Pride Rally in Central Park the next day, Saturday, June 18th, 2011, 3:00 - 6:00 PM. Oh Land opens for Katy Perry in California in August, after her tour with Sia that brings her to Webster Hall this summer.

Janelle Monae, Marina & The Diamonds, and Jessie J are also opening dates on Katy's current tour.

Rye Rye (also on the bill of the Oh Land show at Brooklyn Bowl) just released a new video starring... Robyn! Titled "Never Will Be Mine", the track is basically Rye Rye rapping along with Robyn who is singing her 2005 hit song "Be Mine". Check out that video, along with more pictures from Robyn's set at Bonnaroo, a video of Oh Land playing Craig Ferguson recently, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Robyn played Bonnaroo (pics), stars in Rye Rye video, playing JFK Airport & shows with Katy Perry (just like Oh Land)"

Janelle Monae @ Terminal 5 (more by Matthew Eisman)

As performing with Prince and a Grammy performance have recently shown, Janelle Monae is definitely moving upward. It wouldn't be surprising if Of Montreal, who she has opened for on tour in the past, eventually open for her. That won't be happening any time in the near future though, as Janelle will head out on tour with Bruno Mars in May, who she recently performed with at the Grammys.

The tour, which they're calling the 'Hooligans in Wondaland' tour, kicks off at NYC's Roseland Ballroom on May 4 with opener Plan B (who like Arcade Fire, recently took home a Brit, and not long ago played a sold out show at Bowery Ballroom). Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10am.

All tour dates, poster, and video below...

Continue reading "Janelle Monae touring w/ Bruno Mars & Plan B (dates)"

Cee-Lo @ Sundance 2011

Cee-Lo Green, who made a surprise appearance at 'Bing Bar' at Sundance on 1/23, will open for Prince at Madison Square Garden on February 7th. That's six days before he performs on the Grammys along with Eminem, Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, Justin Bieber, Miranda Lambert, Katy Perry, Muse, B.o.B, Usher, Bruno Mars, Jaden Smith and Janelle Monae who also recently opened for Prince.

In March Cee-Lo heads to Europe for some shows after a rumored appearance at SXSW.

Check out the trailer for "Bodies", Cee-Lo's new "motion picture by Mikael Colombu Films," starring Kerry Washington, Karl Lagerfeld, and Janelle Monae, below...

Continue reading "Cee-Lo played Sundance, opening 4 Prince, playing Grammys"

Prince & Janelle Monae @ Madison Square Garden - 12/29/10 (pic by Jake Rocks Off)

Like he did on 12/18, Prince played Madison Square Garden on 12/29, but this time with help from Mint Condition, Janelle Monae and special guest Cyndi Lauper (though not Sheila E again despite an announcement by MSG that she would be there). Full setlist, a video and a few more pictures below...

Continue reading "Prince played MSG again - Cyndi Lauper joined him, as did Janelle Monae (12/29 setlist)"

As previously mentioned, Cassandra Wilson announced she would be playing with Prince on 12/15 only, and it was unclear if Janelle Monae would actually be at more than one show. She won't...

Prince has announced his guests for the first four dates of his highly anticipated "Welcome 2 America" performances. Joining him for his first performance on December 15th at the Izod Center will be jazz bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding and R&B artist Lalah Hathaway. Also at Izod, Prince will be joined by Grammy winning jazz performer Cassandra Wilson and funk saxophonist Maceo Parker on December 17th. For the first performance at Madison Square Garden on December 18th, comedian Sinbad and famed bassist Larry Graham and his band Graham Central Station. That night only, Sheila E will join Prince on stage. On December 29th at MSG, fans will be treated to Twin City legends Mint Condition and recent double-Grammy nominee Janelle Monae.

Due to overwhelming demand, Prince recently announced an additional date at Madison Square Garden on January 18th, the guests for this show have yet to be announced.

Continue reading "Prince MSG & Izod Center show opener & special guest info (Sheila E @ MSG included)"

Janelle Monae @ Terminal 5 (more by Matthew Eisman)

With the dates announced for Prince's Welcome 2 America Tour, one of the touring acts, Janelle Monáe, spoke to MTV News about hitting the road with the legendary musician. To sum it up, she's pretty stoked to tour with someone as iconic as Prince.

"Well, I'm excited. We're great friends," Monáe told MTV News on Monday at the Glamour Women of the Year event in New York City. "I'm honored that he had chosen me to be a part of the tour."

Monáe may be somewhat of a rookie compared to Prince, but long before stardom came her way, touring with him was on her to-do list.

"It's definitely one of the things that I wanted to do in my career, is tour with him," she shared. "And it just means a lot that he's a mentor to me and he loves the stuff that we're doing and he's going to help out every way he can to make the show phenomenal."

So, will fans see some collaborations between Monáe and Prince? "We may [collaborate], we may," she teased, adding that she doesn't have a favorite Prince song. "And when that happens, I'll be sure to let you guys know." [MTV News]

Tickets for the recently added Prince show at MSG go on sale at noon.

And in slightly related news, being picked to play with Prince isn't the only thing Lalah Hathaway and Janelle Monàe have in common. They're both also, like Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, on the For Colored Girls soundtrack.

Janelle and Esperanza Spalding also have at least one prior connection. They, along with Patti Labelle and Alicia Keys, paid tribute to Prince on the 2010 BET Awards. Video of that and the full For Colored Girls soundtrack tracklisting below...

Continue reading "Janelle Monae paid tribute to Prince & happy to be playing with him (MSG tickets on sale)"

And the nominees for "Album of the Year" are:

* The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
* Recovery by Eminem
* Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
* The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga
* Teenage Dream by Katy Perry

Also funny: Mumford & Sons are up for Best New Artist against Justin Bieber (and Drake, Florence & The Machine, and Esperanza Spalding)

Robyn is up for Best Dance Recording against Lady Gaga (and Goldfrapp, La Roux, and Rihanna).

Arcade Fire are also nominated for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals against Muse, Kings of Leon, The Black Keys, and... Jeff Beck & Joss Stone.

The Black Keys also landed in the "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" along with... Dave Matthews.

The Black Keys and Mumford & Sons and Kings of Leon and Muse are also all in the "Best Rock Song" category.

"Best Alternative Album" category:

* The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
* Infinite Arms by Band Of Horses
* Brothers by The Black Keys
* Broken Bells by Broken Bells
* Contra by Vampire Weekend

Other names that got nominated: Cee-Lo, Janelle Monae, Big Boi, John Legend & The Roots, Jay-Z, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Flight of the Conchords, Devendra Banhart (for "Best Recording Package"), Oh No Ono (ditto), Anais Mitchell (ditto), Danger Mouse, Gorillaz, and Carol Burnett. Full list at the Grammys site.

Prince on stage @ the Apollo, October 14, 2010 (Stephen Hill)

Today, Prince headed to Harlem to the iconic Apollo Theater to announce he would be serving as Master of Ceremonies for a new concert series called 'Welcome To America,' which will be kicking off this December.

Though he was mum on details like dates and tour stops, the 52 year-old singer/songwriter told the crowd that 'Welcome to America' will showcase some of his favorite artists including Maceo Parker, Janelle Monae, Mint Condition, Esperanza Spalding, Cassandra Wilson, Lalah Hathaway and Sheila E.

The Minnesota native also confirmed that he and the New Power Generation would also perform nightly alongside featured acts.

"If you've been to one of my shows, then you know what time it is," the usually media shy artist joked. "You need to come early and come often because every time we play it's always something new. I got a lot of hits. Bring friends, bring children, and bring foot spray because it's gonna be funky."

"I didn't want to talk too much but how many have seen 'Waiting for Superman,' " he asked before bringing out Harlem Children's Zone head Geoffrey Canada who also spoke briefly about how grateful he is Prince chose Harlem as the venue to announce the series.

Prince will play a special guitar for the duration of the concert series and then auction off the guitar for the benefit of Harlem Children's Zone. [Prince.org]

photos by Matthew Eisman

"As the set progressed Mr. Barnes sometimes set clowning aside. Although he sang "Casualty of You" in a gold lamé robe and a miterlike headpiece, it was a bitter piano dirge. He performed most of his set-closer, "The Past Is a Grotesque Animal," without the dancers, as its relentless drumbeat and tense tremolo violin led him toward desperate incantation. And then, for encores, came three songs from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" -- another way to wrap anxieties in gleaming pop.

Of Montreal shared the bill, and the stage, with Janelle Monáe; she sings on "False Priest," and Of Montreal appears on her album, "The ArchAndroid" (Wondaland Arts Society/Bad Boy/Atlantic). Ms. Monáe has a bright voice with more than a hint of Michael Jackson in it, and she shares Of Montreal's fondness for funk, soul and new wave, for science fiction and for overstuffing songs. Her set zoomed through styles and ideas -- rock and soul, swing and Hendrixy psychedelia, futurism and romance. She went high-stepping through them all like a vaudeville trouper, complete with black-and-white saddle shoes to show off footwork ready for Broadway." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Of Montreal & Janelle Monae played Terminal 5 again (twice) - pics, setlist & video of the Michael Jackson medley"

photos by Vincent Cornelli

"You ready for some Grateful Dead action after this?" asked singer Julian Casablancas early in the Stokes set, referring to Furthur, the band led by the Dead's Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, already in progress at the eastern edge of the polo field. The uncertain response suggested fans were staying put - just as others were for Furthur. The Strokes sounded exceptionally muscular in the park's expansive setting. Fabrizio Moretti contributed heavy beats to "Vision of Division" and "Reptilia," as Casablancas eased his vocals from deadpan to excited and back again. "This is It" slowly built to a sing-along as Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi created an intricate overlap of guitars. "I remember playing these songs in front of four people," Casablancas said, looking out on the tens of thousands of fans. "It's really surreal." Even, apparently, after all the year's of the band's success. -[Rolling Stone]

"...At about 5:50 PM, one of the day's best acts appeared at the Outside Lands Festival.

The music was thumping, adrenaline pumping, the sun shining, and many in the crowd -- tapping into a singular energy -- could hold back no longer. They put their inhibitions aside and let themselves be drawn to the beats blasting from the Twin Peaks Stage. Some ran, jumped and moved like they never had before, heading toward a common purpose.

Of course, I'm referring to the bum rush of fans that managed to scramble past the guards and bust down part of the fence along John F. Kennedy Drive, allowing scores of people to hustle in before the riot control guards on horsies and the rent-a-guard dudes in orange t-shirts could stop the inflow." - [San Francisco Chronicle]

Videos of the incident, with the rest of our pictures from the 2010 Outside Lands Festival, below...

Continue reading "more pics from Outside Lands (where fans crashed through a fence to get in) (videos of that too) "

Tickets are on sale at noon for the Of Montreal/Janelle Monae shows at Terminal 5 which are part of a much bigger tour. All dates, now announced, below...

Continue reading "updated Of Montreal & Janelle Monae tour dates (tix on sale)"

DOWNLOAD: Of Montreal - Coquet Coquette (MP3)

Of Montreal @ Highline Ballroom in January (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

False Priest, the forthcoming record by increasingly glammy and theatrical Of Montreal, will be their tenth album. It's due September 14th through their label Polyvinyl. The record's first single, "Coquet Coquette," above. A second track, "Hydra Fancies," which will also be part of The Believer's Music Issue, has also turned up online.

The album, co-produced by Kevin Barnes and Jon Brion, features contributions by indie/pop crossovers Janelle Monáe and Solange Knowles. Both have been known to perform with Of Montreal at the band's gigs (at Terminal 5 even). And there's good odds the band will jam with Janelle, the confirmed opener, at their brand-new Terminal 5 dates on Friday, September 17th and Saturday, September 18th. Tickets go on AmEx presale Wednesday at 11am. General sale starts Friday at noon. Who knows, maybe Susan Sarandon will even show up to spank people again.

All tour dates, appropriately weird album art and tracklist are below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal announce new album (MP3s, cover art, tracklist), more NYC shows w/ Janelle Monae (dates)"

Big Boi's solo debut album, out July 6th via Def Jam/Purple Ribbon, is streaming now at MySpace (which means occasionally it will pause until you figure out which window/tab you have it open in and click the annoying ad). Full tracklist with list of guests below...

Continue reading "Big Boi's Sir Lucious Left Foot out soon, streaming in full "

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"

Erykah Badu @ Good Units in March (more by Ryan Muir)

In case you're wondering why Erykah Badu didn't play Roseland Tuesday night, it's because that show and others on her upcoming tour were rescheduled. The new date for Roseland is June 7th, where she'll play with Janelle Monae and ?uestlove. Tickets were still on sale yesterday, but currently not on sale at all.... which might be because Ticketmaster is confused about the date change (yesterday it said "day of show price"). Janelle Monae travels with Erykah for a good part of that tour, all the dates of which are posted below.

On June 26th, Erykah will be back in NYC to open for Maxwell at MSG (one of two shows he plays at the venue). Tickets are still on sale for that.

Her tour is in support of her new record New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh). All dates (which also include some Lilith Fair dates) are below...

Continue reading "Erykah Badu & Janelle Monae - rescheduled 2010 Tour Dates "

Erykah Badu @ Good Units in March (more by Ryan Muir)

Erykah Badu is going on tour in May, June, July, and August...

Named after the closing track of her latest "New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh," Erykah Badu has announced the dates for her 2010 North American tour, "Out My Mind, Just In Time." The trek will make stops at amphitheaters and concert halls beginning May 22 at Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore, MD, and wrapping up on June 24 at The Pearl Concert Theater in Las Vegas, NV.

Badu will be joined by N.E.R.D., Bilal, Janelle Monae and The Roots drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson.
In addition to "Out My Mind, Just In Time," Badu will also perform during this summer's Lollapalooza festival, Lilith Fair as well as be featured as a special guest at Maxwell's upcoming concerts at Phillips Arena in Atlanta on June 11 and Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 26. [Billboard]

Continue reading "Erykah Badu - 2010 Tour Dates (Roseland on sale)"

Lilith Fair, which has been dormant since 1999, will reform this year for a North American tour this summer. Exact dates and venues are forthcoming, but the ongoing list of confirmed acts is impressive (though they won't all play every city). The lineup currently includes Beth Orton, Cat Power, Emmylou Harris, Erykah Badu, the Gossip, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Heart, Indigo Girls, Janelle Monae, Ke$ha, La Roux, Lights, Loretta Lynn, Mary J. Blige, Metric, Miranda Lambert, Norah Jones, Rosie Thomas, Sarah McLachlan, Serena Ryder, Sheryl Crow, Tara MacLean, Tegan and Sara.

New York City is one of the tour's confirmed stops. The rest of those and the fest's so-far lineup are below...

Continue reading "Lilith Fair 2010 (Cat Power, Norah Jones, Tegan & Sara, Janelle Monae, Metric, Grace Potter, Gossip, Erykah Badu, Beth Orton, Sia, many more)"

DOWNLOAD: James Husband - A Grave in the Gravel (MP3)

Of Montreal @ Lollapalooza 2009 (more by Paul Birman)

The anticipated new of Montreal album may or may not be complete. Kevin Barnes says it all depends on how some upcoming sessions with Jon Brion work out. Barnes, who's always worked at home, alone, will meet up with Brion in early spring to work on the 16 songs that will likely make the new record. "If I wasn't going to go out there with Jon then they'd basically be done. They could be done. If I go out there with Jon and we both decide it's not working or whatever, I'll still have an album. And if I go out there and figure this is really great, then I'll have a different album," he says. Either way, the album won't be Skeletal Lamping over again. Barnes says the band is using this break to rethink their live performances, and have made an album that accommodates that. His plans are ambitious: he'd like to get rid of of Montreal's pre-recorded backing tracks, and round out the band line-up to ten or so musicians. "We're going to try to do something closer to the kind of bands that Curtis Mayfield or Stevie Wonder had in the '70s," says Barnes. [Stereogum]

More importantly, Of Montreal is launching a last minute tour in Baltimore on January 25th. They hit NYC's Highline Ballroom the very next day (1/26). Tickets go on sale at noon. All dates are with James Husband "which features longtime of Montreal band members Husband, alongside Dottie Alexander, and Davey Pierce". All dates below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal working on new album, touring w/ James Husband, playing Highline Ballroom THIS MONTH"

photos by Chris La Putt

Indie darlings Matt & Kim kicked off the show -- which celebrates the year's best music as determined by MTVu's college-centric audience -- with an energetic performance of their breakout single "Lessons Learned." Later, the duo returned to accept their Best Video Woodie award.

"We've had one heck of a year," said Matt Johnson, before counterpart Kim Schifino leapt into the crowd.

Additional performers included veteran alt-rockers Death Cab for Cutie, who rocked the audience with its "New Moon" soundtrack single "Meet Me on the Equinox," as well as Passion Pit, the Dead Weather and Clipse, who were joined onstage by fellow rappers Cam'ron and Rick Ross.

Presenter highlights came from Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz and pop prankserts 3OH!3. Wentz rolled onto the stage holding a red Solo cup, while 3OH!3 gave a nod to Lady Gaga by dressing in her various VMA outfits. Asher Roth, will.i.am, and surprise guest Cyndi Lauper also presented awards. [Billboard]

The Dead Weather also played a show one day before the Woodies in Brooklyn. The Woodies air December 4th at 10pm. More pictures from the event (11/18 at Roseland Ballroom in NYC), below...

Continue reading "2009 mtvU Woodie Awards @ Roseland - pics (Passion Pit, Dead Weather, Matt & Kim, Clipse, Death Cab, more) "

photos by Chris La Putt

Kevin Barnes & Janelle Monae

Of Montreal followed their Wednesday night fashion week show at Santos with a Friday night public show at Terminal 5 in NYC (9/18). Joining them, as opener and on stage, was the always-photogenic and robotic, Janelle Monáe.

"...what a lot of people are missing about Monáe is that she puts the art of performing above all else, politics be dammed. Even finishing her follow-up record--Metropolis Suites II and III, due out in January--is of less concern than getting onstage and acting it all out....

...Not surprisingly, the Kansas City prodigy grew up studying dance and theater, which led to a stint pursuing both disciplines at New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She became bored quickly with life in New York, however, and eventually moved to Atlanta, where she's currently based.

There she began crafting the character Cindi Mayweather, the Alpha Platinum 9000 android who's the heroine of Metropolis Suite I...

...Her friend Kevin Barnes, lead singer of the indie band Of Montreal, guests on the new album, as does OutKast. And Monáe hints at the possibility that Gwen Stefani could be on the record as well. Monáe toured with No Doubt earlier this year and bonded with the polystylistic blonde superstar. "[Stefani] gave me great energy and I felt inspired around her," says Monáe." [Seattle Weekly]

Continue reading "Of Montreal & Janelle Monáe played Terminal 5 (pics & setlist), Kevin Barnes & others guest on Janelle's new album "

photos by Vincent Cornelli

Of Montreal played a Thrillist fashion week party at Santos Party House on Wednesday night (9/16). Tonight (9/18) they return to the NYC stage with a big show at Terminal 5 where Janelle Monae will once again open for them like she did at Music Hall of Williamsburg three nights in a row. Tickets should be available at the door. More fun pictures from Santos below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal pics from Fashion Weak show @ Santos +++++++ show tonight/Friday @ Terminal 5 w/ Janelle Monae"

photos by Chris La Putt

"Last night, the 38-year-old R&B oddity known as Erykah Badu performed on the 225-year-old New York oddity known as Governors Island. Both the artist (herself an island) and the island (itself art) brought to the show singular quirks and diva auras. The performer wore a top hat, the venue sand." [Time Out]

"Glad we came out here. Perfect day for this outdoor performance featuring Erykah Badu and Janelle Monae. We definitely recommend Governers island for all of you folks that want to snuggle up to a little bit of earth. It's a great escape and just a short ride on the water taxi from South Ferry. Make the trip." [Shermani Exchange]

"Here is the deal though. Badu live is an amazing thing. She is also sort of in her own world. That can be great. Or as one person Tweeted last night, "I love Erykah, but every song doesn't have to be the 10+ minute extra extended version, lol." There is a problem simultaneously with the venue--you need to take a boat to Governors Island, which is just down below the tip of Manhattan, and so you are trapped there, and if it is getting kind of late for you, you can't just sneak out, and so people were leaving in droves--and with Badu, who can roam off into five or six minutes of random effects-laden vocalizing. She took that show way down a few times. Which, since a lot of people were smoking a lot of pot, was probably pretty good for them!" [The Awl]

More pictures from the show, and a bunch of videos, below...

Continue reading "Erykah Badu & Janelle Monae @ the Beach on Governors Island in NYC - pics & videos"