What's better than getting a little sexy? Getting sexy for free at noon in the middle of Metrotech, BAM is guessing. That theory will be put to the test once again at the 2012 R&B Festival at Metrotech Commons, the annual, completely free and open to the public series going down throughout the summer. Kicking off on June 7th with a performance from the legendary Larry Graham and Graham Central Station, the party goes down every Thursday at noon until middle August and features appearances from Aloe Blacc, Fishbone, Blitz the Ambassador, The Orchestre Poly-Rythmo, Shemekia Copeland and NRBQ, Ky-Mani Marley, and more. Full shcedule is below.

The Orchestre Poly-Rythmo also play Central Park Summerstage while they're in town.

Aloe Blacc's appearance is one of THREE scheduled for NYC, including another free show at Lincoln Center on August 12th. He'll also be on hand to celebrate the late, great Curtis Mayfield on July 20th.

All Aloe Blacc dates, some video and the R&B Festival schedule, below....

Continue reading "2012 BAM R&B Fest schedule (free daytime shows in Brooklyn) (Fishbone, Aloe Blacc, Larry Graham, and more)"

Looking for lunchtime plans? As previously posted:

Swamp Dogg will play a free show in Brooklyn from noon-2pm at Metrotech on July 14th [TODAY], part of the ongoing BAM R&B Festival. He'll then hightail it up to Johnny D's in Somerville, MA for a show later that night, but he returns Brooklyn to play the early show at Southpaw the following night (7/15). Tickets are still available. The Revelations (featuring Tre Williams), who backed Swamp at City Winery, are also listed on the Park Slope bill (though the Metrotech show doesn't mention them).

More info in our previous post.

"If your dog sleeps on the sofa, shits on the rug, pisses on the drapes, chews up your slippers, humos your mother-in-law's leg, jumps on your new clothes, and licks your face, he's never gotten out of character. You understand what he did, you curse him while making allowances for him, but your love for him never diminishes. Commencing in 1970, I sung about sex, niggers, love, rednecks, war, peace, dead flies, home wreckers, Sly Stone, my daughters, politics, revolution, amd blood transfusions (just to name a few), and never got out of character" - [Swamp Dogg]

The statement is a great testament to Swamp Dogg's eclecticism. That grows even clearer with one viewing of the art in his discography, the above pictured "Rat On!" included.

In 2010 Swamp Dogg, aka Jerry Williams, Jr., (born 12 July 1942), played his first NYC show in over a decade ("His last local appearance had taken place at Coney Island High, an East Village rock club that closed in July 1999"). According to New York Rocker:

Swamp Dogg killed. His set was a triumph.

The unknowing and unsuspecting among us were converted for life and sent forth into the night, frothing at the mouth and babbling in tongues of ecstasy. The true believers, your faithful scribe among them, were lifted to Soul Heaven on a pair of golden fried chicken wings (with choice of grits, black-eyed peas, or collard greens).

Swamp Dogg (lead vocals and electric piano) was backed capably and sympathetically by The Revelations of Brooklyn NY. I believe the personnel for this gig was Wes Mingus (guitar), Borahm Lee (keyboards), Josh Werner (bass) and Gintas Janusonis (drums) plus a three-man horn section.

If you missed it, July 2011 brings four more chances to catch the "the soul genius that time forgot." Two of those East Coast shows are in NYC, and one is even free.

Swamp Dogg will play a free show in Brooklyn from noon-2pm at Metrotech on July 14th, part of the ongoing BAM R&B Festival (which hosts the Port-au-Prince-based band RAM today, July 7th). He'll then hightail it up to Johnny D's in Somerville, MA for a show later that night, but he returns Brooklyn to play the early show at Southpaw the following night (7/15). Tickets are still available. The Revelations (featuring Tre Williams), who backed Swamp at City Winery, are also listed on the Park Slope bill (though the Metrotech show doesn't mention them).

All tour dates and some video below.

Continue reading "Swamp Dogg is coming (four east coast dates, 2 NYC shows)"

BAM presents the 17th annual R&B Festival at MetroTech. The festival is a free outdoor concert series featuring shows every Thursday from noon-2 PM, June 2 through August 4 at MetroTech Commons in Brooklyn. Awesome if you work right there. The fest kicks off this Thursday (6/2) with George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic. Full lineup below.

Continue reading "BAM R&B Festival at Metrotech 2011 lineup (free summer shows, Thursdays at noon)"

Naomi Shelton celebrating Brooklyn in 2009 (more by Fresh Bread)

BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival brings free afternoon shows to the MetroTech Commons (corner of Flatbush and Myrtle Aves) on Thursdays June 3-August 5 (noon-2pm). The performers this year include Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens, Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen, Malian guitarist Vieux Farka Touré (who played LPR in April), Bernie Worrell's SociaLybrium (fronted by the Parliament-Funkadelic and Talking Heads keyboardist), Mykal Rose of Black Uhuru, bassist Victor Wooten and more.

The full schedule, with directions, is below...

Continue reading "BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival at MetroTech - 2010 schedule of free Brooklyn shows that happen Thursdays at noon"

If you showed up to Metrotech at noon today, you probably noticed that Rokia Traoré wasn't there. In fact, her entire U.S. tour was cancelled this time around. Zap Mama played the free afternoon show today instead, and Meshell Ndegeocello takes her place at Friday night's free Lincoln Center Out of Doors show (8/7).

Rokia Traoré @ LPR in February (more by Lori Baily)

Allen Toussaint @ New Orleans Jazz Fest 2009 (more by Graeme Flegenheimer)


The 15th-annual BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival will take place every Thursday at noon from June 4th to August 6th at Brooklyn's MetroTech Commoms. The previously-announced festival kicks off today (June 4th) with funk band Lakeside (of "Fantastic Voyage" fame).

One festival highlight -- previously listed as "A New Orleans R&B legend, to be announced," -- will be Allen Toussaint on Thursday, June 11th. Toussaint recently played six nights at the Village Vanguard.

Rokia Traoré, pictured above, closes the fest on August 6th.

Full schedule and directions to the venue, which is on corner of Flatbush and Myrtle Avenues, below...

Continue reading "BAM R&B Festival at MetroTech kicks off (shows Thursday at noon) - now w/ Allen Toussaint on the schedule "

photos by Lori Baily

Pitchfork: As the daughter of a diplomat, you must have traveled a lot. How does that experience inform your music?

Rokia Traoré: My father was not able to get all the vinyl he used to listen to with me. He couldn't travel as he did it because of his profession as a diplomatic career. The fact of playing an instrument and singing... that I can try to make my dream of singing and becoming a professional musician come true is linked probably to the fact that I traveled a lot, which gave me an open mind and an ability to push my limits. Probably, traveling so early changed my personality and gave me this ability today to do the music I do and to think in a certain way that everything can be possible. You just have to try before thinking that you can't.

Rokia Traoré last visited NYC in February. She played Le Poisson Rouge, and we have some pictures from that show in this post.

Rokia will next be here in August. On August 7th she plays the Damrosch Park Bandshell as part of the Lincoln Center Out Of Doors festival, and one day earlier she'll play a free lunch-time show at Metrotech in Brooklyn. The 2009 "BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival" lineup also includes Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and "A New Orleans R&B legend, to be announced". Full Metrotech lineup, and more Rokia tour dates and pictures, below...

Continue reading "2009 BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival @ MetroTech - lineup includes Rokia Traoré (who played LPR - pics) "

Orchestra Baobab is a Senegalese Afro-Cuban, Son, and Pachanga band. Organized in 1970, as a multi-ethnic, multi-national club band, Orchestre Baobab adapted the then current craze for Cuban Music (growing out of the Congolese Soukous style) in West Africa to Wolof Griot culture and the Mandinga musical traditions of the Casamance. One of the dominant African bands of the 1970s, they were overshadowed in the 1980s and broke up, only to reform in 2001 after interest in their recordings grew in Europe. [Wikipedia]

Orchestra Baobab play two shows in NYC this week. Both of them are free! The first one is Wednesday afternoon in Rockefeller Park. The second one is Thursday at Metrotech in Brooklyn at noon. All dates below...

Continue reading "Orchestra Baobab - 2008 Tour Dates (2 free NYC shows)"

Orchestra Baobab

"2008 BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival at MetroTech Jump Starts a Summer of Soul Featuring Music Superstars Oleta Adams, Meshell Ndegeocello, The Skatalites, Alice Smith, Orchestra Baobab, Phoebe Snow, Lionel Loueke with Somi, Otis Clay and Ryan Shaw, Leela James, and Richie Havens with Marcus Carl Franklin"....

Continue reading "2008 BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival at MetroTech "