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"

Of Montreal & Janelle Monae @ MHOW (more by Tim Griffin)

Of Montreal just had an exciting weekend. Jon Brion (who they have collaborated with) opened for them at the Fox Theatre in Oakland on Friday (7/24). Then they (and Dengue Fever) opened for Grace Jones at Hollywood Bowl on Sunday (7/26)...

"Kevin Barnes, the Georges Bataille-reading, polyamorous frontman, turned in a focused performance with an occasional feisty edge. Though the Athens, Ga., band is a keen, aesthetic fit with Jones, its circus-like hysterics and verbose lyrics didn't seem to capture the audience, who seemed mostly unfamiliar with the band and impatient for the main act." [LA Times]

Janelle Monae's next NYC show is with Erykah Badu on Governors Island.

Grace Jones's next NYC show is this Thursday at Hammerstein Ballroom. No opener that I know of at that one. Tickets are still on sale.

Of Montreal's new video for "Mingusings", some videos from Hollywood Bowl, and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal played w/ Grace Jones, playing Terminal 5"

photos by Tim Griffin

"The other day I attended the Afro-Punk Festival at the BAM skate park. I had the pleasures of seeing Janelle Monae and Saul Williams. There were also cats skating [and biking] around and doing tricks. All around there was just a good ol' merry vibe and I had fun for the short time I was there." [Phantastictful?]

Continue reading "Janelle Monae played the Afro Punk Festival w/ Saul Williams (pics), playing Governors Island w/ Erykah Badu"

Janelle Monae @ MHOW in April (more by Tim Griffin)

This summer Afro-Punk, BAMcinematek and Toyota will present the 5th annual Afro-Punk Festival, taking place July 3rd - July 8th, 2009 in the heart of Brooklyn, NY. The festival is the definitive destination for the global Afro-Punk community and audiences yearning to experience true AP culture!

Schedule and more info, below...

Continue reading "Afro-Punk - 2009 Brooklyn festival dates & lineup (Janelle Monae, Living Colour, Earl Greyhound, Saul Williams...) "

photos by Tim Griffin

Just finished performing David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" with Of Montreal for the encore!!!!! F$$$ing amazing experience. Rock n' Roll!!! - Janelle Monae

Janelle Monae and The Ladybug Transistor opened for Of Montreal on Friday (4/17). It was the headliner's 3rd of three shows in a row at Music Hall of Williamsburg (and their fourth at the same venue is less than 6 months). As you can see from the quote above, and the pictures and video below, Janelle also joined Of Montreal on stage during the encore...

Continue reading "Of Montreal & Janelle Monae @ MHOW (4/2009) - pics, video"

photos by Tim Griffin

"...next was janelle monae ... i wasn't sure what to expect from her, though i'd heard rave reviews of her for the past few months, so i figured she couldn't be bad. little did i know, she would be flippin BRILLIANT! she's got pipes for days, and she's totally adorable, and shit, she can dance! i basically wanted to be her.
ugh, so awesome." [imaginary moustache]

Continue reading "Janelle Monae @ MHOW in Brooklyn, NYC - pics"

Of Montreal @ Music Hall of Wiliamsburg - Apr 16, 2009 (jen c)

"So I walked into tonight's show at Music Hall of Williamsburg waving a white flag, and anxious for a the live freak show that is Of Montreal. And what a freak show it is. Last time I saw them was at Bowery several years ago. At that show, lead singer Kevin Barnes walked on stage in a full white wedding dress. My friend Lauren told me the first time she saw them he entered the stage on a white horse. So long as he didn't walk out dressed as a Blooming Onion (a kangaroo would've been ok), it should be a good show." [100 Bands in 100 Days]

A video from Wednesday's show below...

Continue reading "Of Montreal @ MHOW - 2 down, 1 to go (tonight)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Of Montreal - First Time High (Reconstructionist Remix of "An Eluardian Instance") (MP3)

Janelle Monae @ Irving Plaza, 2008 (she opened for Gnarls Barkley) (by Bao Nguyen)

Janelle Monae has an upswept hairdo that's part R&B pompadour, part Mohawk, and perfectly strategic. For most of an afternoon [SXSW] party set at Peckerheads, a club with nonexistent sightlines, the crest was the only part of the petite singer visible from 10 yards away -- a shame, since she has some sharp dance moves.

But her voice was vivid as she belted socially conscious neo-soul songs, rapped about feeling like a stepchild and an outcast (she has worked with OutKast) and crooned a melismatic version of the ballad "Smile." And for her finale, after singing about apathy that turns people into the "walking dead," she gave everyone a chance to see her: fearlessly jumping into the crowd and surfing it from front to back to front. [NY Times]

Of Montreal has other shows scheduled too. That includes a stop at Sasquatch. All dates are listed below. The track above is from the band's Jon Brion Remix EP, which came out on Polyvinyl in January.

This June, Janelle Monae will kick it up a notch (exposure-wise) when she opens several dates for the newly reformed No Doubt, who have a nearly-three-month tour planned. The band brings Monae along when it plays NYC-area shows at PNC Bank Arts Center on June 26th and the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on June 27th (all dates below). No Doubt is also at work on a new, sixth album - their first in nine years, due in 2010 (in case you were wondering).

Other bands opening on the No Doubt tour include Paramore, The Sounds, and Bedouin Soundclash.

Of Montreal videos, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Janelle Monae opening for Of Montreal and.. No Doubt (dates)"

Amadou & Mariam @ All Points West 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

The contest to guess the lineup of this year's All Point West festival continues. I honestly don't even know the lineup yet - I'll be receiving it right before I post it at 7am Monday morning.

Will Coldplay be on the lineup? A lot of people seem convinced based on the band's current tour schedule (which you can see in its entirety below). If they are playing the fest, well, that will be weird.

UPDATE: yes, Coldplay are in fact playing the festival

Amadou and Mariam played All Points West last year, are touring the US with Coldplay in July, and have some headlining dates scheduled in June (including a show at Webster Hall on June 8th). The Mali duo was also just added to this year's Bonnaroo lineup.

Also recently added to Bonnaroo (music and comedy): Public Enemy, Ani Difranco, the Itals and Wailing Souls, Murs, Shadows Fall, High on Fire, Janelle Monáe, Pretty Lights, Tony Rice, Passion Pit, Hockey, White Rabbits, Jimmy Fallon, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, John Oliver, Rob Riggle, Rory Albanese, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, Aziz Ansari, Kristen Schaal, Arj Barker, Todd Barry, Nick Thune, Wayne Federman, Nick Kroll, Kurt Braunholer, Amy Schumer, Kumail Nanjiani and Pete Holmes. Full Bonnaroo (June 11 - 14 in Manchester, Tennessee) lineup below...

Continue reading "Coldplay, All Points West, Amadou & Mariam & Bonnaroo"

As previously noted, Q-Tip and the Cool Kids are going on a "2K Sports Bounce Tour" together. That includes a performance at NYC's Nokia Theatre on December 2nd with openers The Knux and Pacific Division. Tickets are on sale.

Pac Div and (special guest) Q-Tip also recently shared a (Busta Rhymes) bill at the Knitting Factory in NYC. The Cool Kids/Q-Tip tour kicks off in San Francisco tonight (11/13). All dates below...

Continue reading "Q-Tip & The Cool Kids - 2008 (2K Sports Bounce) Tour Dates"