by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Bibi Tanga - "Be Africa" (Dave Sitek Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Little Dragon - Blinking Pigs (MP3)

Little Dragon @ Le Poisson Rouge in 2009 (more by Matthew Taplinger)

Little Dragon announced an early 2011 US tour promoting the release of their upcoming third full length album. The tour makes two stops in New York at Music Hall of Williamsburg on January 20 and Bowery Ballroom on January 21. Tickets are on sale. No openers mentioned yet.

Little Dragon are currently on an international tour (Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand) supporting the Gorillaz, whose most recent album Plastic Beach features Little Dragon on two tracks; "Empire Ants" and "To Binge." LD vocalist Yukimi Nagano also performs both songs live with the band (you may have seen her do it at MSG or on Letterman).

Speaking of Gorillaz, Damon Albarn has announced not only an upcoming Gorillaz album, but two other albums as well. According to an interview with Stuff, Albarn has plans for a second album by The Good, The Bad, & The Queen, and for an album by a new band he's a part of. The new band features Tony Allen (also of The Good, The Bad, & The Queen), Flea, and some of Albarn's "favourite African musicians will be involved also."

Stuff also asked Albarn if Blur, who released a DVD documentary this year, have any plans for a world tour or new album. Albarn responded, "There won't be another world tour for me - for anything - for five to six years; it would seem unlikely. I have a young daughter and it's just not feasible, it's too long away from home. This has been great, but it's too much after a while and so, no, there won't be any tours for me for a while, I should think."

Albarn has also been recording a new Gorillaz album on tour with his iPad. He told NME "I've made it on an iPad - I hope I'll be making the first record on an iPad," he said. "I fell in love with my iPad as soon as I got it, so I've made a completely different kind of record." Albarn wants to release the album "before Christmas."

Gorillaz recorded a new single "Doncamatic" with British R&B singer Daley which will be officially released on November 22 in three formats. The CD version also includes a Joker remix of the song, the iTunes EP adds the third track "Album Mix Tape," and the 7 inch single is "Doncamatic" with the Paul Harris remix of "Empire Ants" on side B. All three formats are currently available for pre-order. There's also a video for the song. You can watch it below.

Little Dragon also recently collaborated with Dave Sitek on one of the tracks off this year's Maximum Balloon release. Sitek more recently remixed the track "Be Africa" by France's Bibi Tanga . It has nothing to do with anything really, but it's being offered as a free download, so grab that mp3 above.

The Gorillaz video and all tour dates below...

Continue reading "new Damon Albarn albums & a Gorillaz video, his iPad, Little Dragon tour dates & Dave Sitek too"

words & photos by Benjamin Lozovsky

"What we bring is heritage," said a gracious Tony Allen Tuesday night at the Oval in Stuyvesant Town. "Thank you for tripping with us."

Quite a few attendees of the free concert, part of the Music on The Oval performance series and the first of three shows Allen is/was playing in the NYC area, had probably not experienced much or any of the heritage of which Allen spoke.

Fela Kuti's longtime drummer and according to Brian Eno, "perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived," played to a munchkin-filled audience that had about as many temper tantrums (but far less chair throwing) as the canceled Drake/Hanson Seaport show that nearly turned into a riot the day before. But age or cultural backgrounds didn't matter as the father of afro-beat percussion illuminated his contributions to the music and cultural landscape to a sea of dads and a new generation of eager ears.

Even as age 70, Allen was effortless in his drumming, launching into understated fills and precise syncopation all while singing lead. A self taught drummer steeped in both western and African percussion, his jazz influences were obvious, categorized by a technical ability and suaveness that has yet to be matched within the Afrobeat genre.

After playing another free show at Metrotech in Brooklyn today (happening as this is being posted), Allen brings his Afrobeat Orchestra to Le Poisson Rouge tonight for a slightly older crowd. Janka Nabay is also on the bill of the show that doesn't get started until 11:30pm (6/17). Tickets are still available.

More pictures from Stuy Town below...

Continue reading "Tony Allen played Stuy Town (pics), plays LPR late tonight"

The previously mentioned BV-co-presented Fela! cast party/album release show is happening at Brooklyn Bowl on June 7th. DJ Questlove, Fela drummer Tony Allen (who also has another show coming up), OP!, Dhundee and cast members from the show will be in the house for the free event. There will even be an invocation, libation, and performance by Yoruban priest Baba Ola Jagun.

The Fela! show continues on Broadway and we have another two tickets to giveaway for that. Details below. The album is the original Broadway cast recording, and can be streamed HERE (it's officially out on June 8th via Knitting Factory Records).

The flyer for the Brooklyn Bowl event with more information and video spotlights on the show's 11 Tony nominations, the soundtrack tracklist, and the contest details, below...

Continue reading "Fela! Broadway Cast Recording release party & album stream (and a chance to win tix to the Broadway show)"

Music on the Oval w/ Kaki King in '09 (more by Tim Griffin)

Music on the Oval, another free series of NYC shows, happens this summer every Wednesday night from June 16-July 21 at Stuyvesant Town Oval. The shows are at 7pm with a 6pm warm-up DJ set, and are located between 16th and 18th Sts and Avenues A & B (entrance off First Ave and 16th St).

Acts this year include Delorean (the poppy Barcelona dance band with lots of shows this summer), reggae band Easy Star All-Stars (who play every year), soul and funk from Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens and Tony Allen (both at Metrotech Commons/BAM Rhythm & Blues Fest afternoon series too), Juana Molina (who's also appearing at Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, and downtown guitar fixture Marc Ribot with his band Los Cubanos Postizos (Marc plays the Stone Thursday, May 6th, with May's co-curator Henry Kaiser - one of the sets includes John Zorn).

The full Stuy Town schedule is below...

Continue reading "free shows in Stuy Town - Music on the Oval's 2010 schedule (includes Delorean, Marc Ribot & more) "

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"