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]

Though not much is really known about these shows, Prince did promise the following list of openers/collaborators when he first announced: Maceo Parker, Janelle Monae, Mint Condition, Esperanza Spalding, Cassandra Wilson, Lalah Hathaway and Sheila E. Cassandra Wilson released a statement that was slightly more specific than Janelle. She said that she, herself, Cassandra, "will be joining Prince on stage at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ on December 17th." Maybe Janelle will be at all the shows, or only one too? Prince did say the shows would be different each night.

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)"

The Budos Band in Prospect Park (more by David Andrako)

The Budos Band celebrated the release of their new LP The Budos Band III at Southpaw last week (9/18), and now will wreck Bowery Ballroom on December 3rd. Tickets go on sale AmEx presale today at noon, and then general sale Friday at noon.

Its easy to tell that a heavy influence on the sound of The Budos Band is Nigerian legend and subject of a Broadway musical, Fela Kuti. In recent weeks, FELA! has taken both a big step forward and a huge step back; R&B legend Patti Labelle recenlty joined the cast of the acclaimed musical, but unfortunately the show will close during the first week in 2011. Boo.

If you haven't seen the show yet, you should. If you can't afford it, then take note: you can get a taste when members of the cast play a FREE show at Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 1 on October 4th. Patti won't be there, but FELA! star Sahr Ngaujah will be, alongside the FELA! house band (which includes members of Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra). The show kicks off at 6:30 P.M. More details can be found at the St. Ann's Warehouse site.

In related news, the non-profit Hip-Hop Theater Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a gala at Urban Zen Center at the Stephan Weiss Studio (711 Greenwich Street NYC) on on 9/27:

From 7-8pm VIP guests will be able to enjoy a rooftop reception before general admission. Doors will officially open at 8:30pm, followed by performances from Pulitzer finalist Eisa Davis and Tony Award winning poet Lemon Anderson. A presentation honoring playwright and poet Ntozake Shange and graffiti pioneer artist Enrique PARTONE Torres will then ensue. Sahr Ngaujah of FELA! on Broadway will host the special evening with music provided by DJ Rich Medina.

Tickets are $100 for general admission with $250 for VIP for a rooftop reception & reserved seating. For more ticket information please email info@hhtf.org or call 718.407.4282

The Budos Band recently performed live for KEXP in Seattle. Video below...

Continue reading "a free Fela! show, the Budos Band @ Bowery, Patti Labelle on Broadway (but not for much longer) "

The 26th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series performances are held Monday nights 7:30 pm at Wingate Field, entrances on Brooklyn Avenue (Rutland Road and Winthrop Street.)

2008, Wingate Field, Brooklyn, NY
July 14 - sweet summer soul w/ The O'Jays and The Manhattans with Gerald Alston & Blue Lovett
July 21 - "mystery night" - "a legend performs in Brooklyn"
July 28 - annual gospel night w/ Mary Mary, Tye Tribbett and Greater Anointing, and Ricky Dillard & New Generation
Aug 04 - an evening w/ Erykah Badu
Aug 11 - Jill Scott & Estelle
Aug 18 - Caribbean night w/ Beres Hammond, The Mighty Sparrow, and Bunji Garlin & Asylum
Aug 25 - an evening with Patti LaBelle

These FREE shows are in Brooklyn, NY (map below).

Lauryn Hill played Wingate Field last summer.

Jill Scott is playing Summerstage one day later. Estelle recently played Highline Ballroom.

Erykah Badu recently played Radio City Music Hall. All Erykah tour dates below.....

Continue reading "2008 Martin Luther King concert series lineup (Erykah Badu)"