Today, the hip-hop world is stunned by the news that Prodigy, one half of influential 90’s New York duo Mobb Deep, has passed away. Prodigy, born Albert Johnson, died in a Las Vegas earlier today. According to a statement from his publicist, he was hospitalized “a few days ago in Vegas after a Mobb Deep performance for complications caused by a sickle cell anemia crisis. As most of his fans know, Prodigy battled the disease since birth.”Known for their shocking lyrical and sonic depictions of gangland urban culture in New York and the imagery of drugs and guns featured prominently in their album artwork, Mobb Deep became controversial yet influential figures in the hardcore gangsta rap scene during the mid ’90’s. At the time of his death, Prodigy and his Mobb Deep cohort Havoc had been on the road with the traveling Art of Rap festival, and were coming off a performance featuring Ice-T, KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Wu Tang Clan’s Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, Onyx, and more. As of now, there is no word on how the tour will continue without Prodigy. The next date for the traveling festival is scheduled for June 30th at New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ.Members of the Nth Power Go Hip-Hop With Mobb Deep & Jay-Z Covers [Photos/Video]The news of Prodigy’s passing was first publicized when fellow New York rap pioneer Nas posted about the late MC on his Instagram page earlier today with the caption “QB RIP King P. Prodigy 4 Ever.” Rest East, Prodigy…there still ain’t no such thing as halfway crooks.[via TMZ][Cover photo via Billboard] While we wait for more information about Prodigy’s untimely death to arise, we’ll be bumping Mobb Deep and remembering the massive influence he and Havoc had on the rise of East Coast hip-hop’s golden age.
To honor their 20th anniversary, Umphrey’s McGee will hit New York City for a three-night run at the Beacon Theatre from January 19th through 21st, 2018. For the second night of the run, on January 20th, vinyl impresario and longtime friend of the band, Wyllys, will play an official Umphrey’s McGee after-party at The Cutting Room.Before becoming a DJ, Wyllys cut his chops as a crew member for Umphrey’s McGee, touring with the band for years across the country and overseas. It comes as no surprise that he would want to pay his respects to the band that gave him his start in the best way he knows how: a down and dirty, disco-drenched late night party. While Wyllys is known for his exclusively-vinyl DJ sets, his live band shows are another level. He typically recruits an impressive array of musicians to improvise live over his disco beats—the result is typically a fun, funky, and infectious sound.Umphrey’s McGee Announces Intimate Storytellers Show In NYCFor this edition of his live band Wyllys has put together The Will To Live, featuring an all-star cast of local New York players. Rob Compa from Dopapod will lead the charge on guitar, while Mike “Maz” Maher from Snarky Puppy will lay down his impressive trumpet skills. Those familiar with Wyllys’ NY Hustler Ensemble will recognize three alumni: former Trey Anastasio Band & New York Hieroglyphics man Peter Apfelbaum will be on percussion for the evening, while guitarist Chris Cartelli from Newton Crosby and keyboardist Zac Lasher from U-Melt will round out the all-star cast.Wyllys And The Will To Live will take the stage at The Cutting Room shortly after Umphrey’s finishes their show uptown and is sure to keep the crowd grooving deep into the night. Wyllys always has plenty of tricks up his sleeves, and you never know who might show up to perform when he is spinning! Tickets to this show are on-sale NOW at this link. See below for more information.[graphic design by Jimmy Rector @ Accepted Perspective]– SHOW INFO –Show: Live For Live Music Presents: An Official Umphrey’s McGee After-Party with Wyllys & The Will To Live featuring members of Dopapod, Snarky Puppy, & More.When: Saturday, January 20thVenue: The Cutting Room – 44 E 32nd St, New York, NY 10010Price: $18.00 adv / $20 dos (purchase tickets here)Doors 11:00 PM / Show: 1:00 AMEnter To Win A Pair Of Tickets Below!<span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”></span>
After announcing their first scheduled dates of 2018 late last year, Seattle-native indie-folk outfit Fleet Foxes have announced several newly added shows along the tour. In addition to sets at high profile festivlass like Coachella, Shaky Knees and Boston Calling, the tour will take them to both coasts and virtually everywhere in between from early March through the end of May, followed by a Toronto date in July.Watch the new tour date announcement video posted to Fleet Foxes Facebook page earlier today:For further information about Fleet Foxes’ upcoming Spring 2018 tour, or to purchase tickets to any of the nearly 20 upcoming performances, head on over to the Fleet Foxes website today.Fleet Foxes Spring 2018 Tour Dates:^ – Denotes Newly Added Date03/01/18 – Tampa, FL @ The Ritz Ybor03/02/18 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre03/03/18 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues Orlando03/04/18 – Miami, FL @ The Fillmore at Jackie Gleason Theatre03/06/18 – North Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Performing Arts^03/07/18 Wed Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte03/09/18 – Jackson, MS @ Thalia Mara Hall03/10/18 – Memphis, TN @ Cannon Center for the Performing Arts03/11/18 – Mobile, AL @ Soul Kitchen03/12/18 – New Orleans, LA @ Orpheum Theatre^04/10/18 Tue Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theatre^04/11/18 Wed Sacramento, CA @ Crest Theatre^04/18/18 Wed San Luis Obispo, CA @ Madonna Expo Center^04/20/18 Fri Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre^05/03/18 Thu Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheatre^05/07/18 Mon Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center^05/08/18 Tue San Antonio, TX @The Tobin Center for The Performing Arts^05/10/18 Thu El Paso, TX @ Abraham Chavez Theatre^05/12/18 Sat Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater^05/14/18 Mon Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom^05/15/18 Tue St Louis, MO @ Peabody Opera House^05/17/18 Thu Pittsburgh, PA @ Benedum Center for the Performing Arts^05/18/18 Fri Washington, DC @ Anthem^05/19/18 Sat Columbus, OH @ Express Live05/21/18 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium^05/23/18 Wed Louisville, KY @ Iroquois Amphitheatre^05/24/18 Thu Indianapolis, IN @ The Murat Theatre^05/26/18 Sat South Burlington, VT @ The Green at The Shelburne Museum^07/24/18 Tue Toronto, ON @ Sony Centre for the Performing Arts[Cover photo via Kyle Johnson for the New York Times]
Today, Element Music Festival announced that it will host three nights of Lotus in addition to multiple performances by Spafford, Particle, Genetics, Yak Attack, and Naryan Padmanabha in 2018. Element Music Festival is scheduled to take place from July 26th through 29th at Snug Lake Amphitheatre in Princeton, British Columbia.Element Music Festival Sees 6 Sets Of SCI, Reunion Of Garaj Mahal, And Oteil Burbridge Sit-Ins [Audio/Photos]Last year’s festival saw multiple nights by The String Cheese Incident in addition to the highly anticipated reunion of Garaj Mahal and appearances by Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge. While the festival has noted that it will announce other artists in the coming months, it seems surprising that The String Cheese Incident may not return to Element Music Festival this year.Last year, during an interview with Live For Live Music, Michael Kang noted that Cheese had hoped to turn Element Music Festival into another one of their multi-day musical “experiences,” much like Suwanee Hulaween or Electric Forest. As Kang explained:Element is run by our hardest core BC fans, so they have the same intentions that we do. It’s going to be a work in progress because we don’t play up there that often and they have to pull together their fanbase to make it all happen. It’s gonna be something that we can hopefully put into our repertoire and continue to do with our family up there.For more information about and ticketing for Element Music Festival, you can head over to the event’s website here.[Cover photo by Jake Sherman Photography via Element Music Festival Facebook page]
Over the weekend, Ween headed to the Pacific Northwest, performing their final two shows of the summer at Troutdale, Oregon’s McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater on Friday and Saturday. Marking the band’s debut at the venue, the five-piece pulled out all the stops, offering up rarities and a debut during their two-night stand. On Friday, the major highlight was the live debut of “The Rift”, off 2005’s Shinola Vol. 1 but that dates back to the recording sessions for 1992’s Chocolate And Cheese. On Saturday, the big surprises of the evening were a cover of Metallica‘s “Enter Sandman”, marking the first time the cover had been performed by the band since August 31st, 2001 or a gap of 367 shows, and an encore of just Gene Ween and Dean Ween, including a bust-out of “Puffy Cloud”, which hadn’t been performed since October of 2004 or a gap of 254 shows.On Friday night, in addition to the live debut of “The Rift”, the group offered up a number of their most well-known tunes—”Piss Up A Rope”, “Buckingham Green”, “Take Me Away”,”Bananas And Blow” (which featured a tease of The Doobie Brothers‘ “Long Train Runnin’”, and others—in addition to more rare tracks, with “Albino Sunburned Girl” being performed for the sixth time since its bust-out in Las Vegas in early 2017 (69 total plays), “Wayne’s Pet Youngin” being performed for the tenth time since Ween’s return shows in Broomfield in 2016 (36 total plays), and “Seconds” being performed for the tenth time since 2017 after it was busted out for the first time since 2002 (28 total plays).“The Rift”[Video: monihampton]Full Show Video[Video: Tim Bartell]Setlist: Ween | McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater | Troutdale, OR | 8/17/2018Set: The HIV Song, The Golden Eel, The Rift, Object, Take Me Away, Transdermal Celebration, I Gots a Weasel, The Stallion pt 1, Wayne’s Pet Youngin, I Can’t Put My Finger on It, How High Can You Fly?, Frank, Albino Sunburned Girl, Piss Up a Rope, Chocolate Town, Buckingham Green, Mister Would You Please Help My Pony?, Seconds, Touch My Tooter, Japanese Cowboy, Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down), Happy Colored Marbles, Back to Basom, Mutilated Lips, Bananas and Blow, Your PartyEncore: Ocean Man, Don’t Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy), Homo RainbowOn Saturday night, in addition to more classic fare like “Voodoo Lady”, “Roses Are Free”, and “The Mollusk”, the band surprised the audience with two bust-outs across the evening. First was a cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”, marking the first time the song had been played since August 31st, 2001. The band used the tune to sandwich “You Fucked Up”, with Ween hitting a reprise of “Enter Sandman” after their take on the track off 1986’s The Crucial Squeegie Lip. Another highlight of the night was the band’s encore, with Gener and Deaner performing the night’s three-song encore as a duo. After opening with “Squelch The Weasel”, Gene and Dean offered up a bust-out of “Puffy Cloud”, marking its first play since 2004, before ending the show and the run in full with a performance of “Birthday Boy”.“Enter Sandman”[Video: monihampton]Full Show Video[Video: Tim Bartell]Setlist: Ween | McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheater | Troutdale, OR | 8/18/2018Set: Captain Fantasy, Nan, She Fucks Me, The Grobe, Boy’s Club, Voodoo Lady, With My Own Bare Hands, The Stallion pt 3, Springtheme, It’s Gonna Be a Long Night, Puerto Rican Power, Licking the Palm For Guava> Mushroom Festival in Hell, Ice Castles> A Tear For Eddie, Zoloft> Pandy Fackler, Roses Are Free, Tried and True, I Don’t Want It, Enter Sandman> You Fucked Up> Enter Sandman (reprise), Kim Smoltz, Demon Sweat, The MolluskEncore: Squelch the Weasel, Puffy Cloud, Birthday Boy
On Friday, September 7th, music icon Paul McCartney released his seventeenth studio album, Egypt Station, marking the first new album from The Beatles‘ singer/songwriter/guitarist in five years, via Capitol Records. To celebrate the occasion, McCartney performed a “secret” show at New York City’s Grand Central Terminal on Friday night, with the full concert live-streamed for free via YouTube.Per Rolling Stone, around 200 folks made it into the secret performance, which took place in Vanderbilt Hall, including a mix of fans and celebrity attendees including Meryl Streep, Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Jimmy Fallon, and Jon Bon Jovi.While the show was meant to serve as a special launch party for Egypt Station, Paul McCartney and company were not shy about giving fans plenty of older fare. In fact, the former Beatle only performed three songs off the new album—”Who Cares”, “Come On To Me”, and “Fuh You”—instead sticking with older material to round out the setlist. With fewer ballads than a traditional McCartney show, Paul was in a great mood, running through fan-favorites from across his career—including the first U.S. performance of “From Me To You” since 1964.You can watch the full concert for yourself below, and you can read Rolling Stone‘s first-hand account of the show here.Paul McCartney – Live From NYC – Full Video [Video: PAUL McCARTNEY]Setlist: Paul McCartney | Grand Central Terminal | New York, NY | 9/7/2018Set: “A Hard Day’s Night”, “Hi, Hi, Hi”, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “Letting Go”, “I’ve Got a Feeling”, “Come on to Me”, “My Valentine”, “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five”, “From Me to You”^, “Love Me Do”, “FourFiveSeconds”, “Blackbird”, “Dance Tonight”, “Who Cares”, “I Saw Her Standing There”, “Fuh You”, “Back in the U.S.S.R.”, “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”, “Birthday”, “Lady Madonna”, “Let It Be”, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)”, “Helter Skelter”, “Golden Slumbers”, “Carry That Weight”, “The End”^first U.S. performance since 1964
Today, The String Cheese Incident has released their latest single, “Gone Crooked”, from their experimental Sound Lab. Led by SCI bassist Keith Moseley, the song was co-written with Rayland Baxter and Nick Bockrath (Cage The Elephant).Given the broad range of sounds across The String Cheese Incident’s latest Sound Lab releases, “Gone Crooked” has more of a country, folky feel to it, as Moseley digs deep into his bluegrass roots with some impressive vocal work.Keith Moseley shared these insights on the new song, stating:“Gone Crooked” is a fun little song penned in Nashville with my new pals Rayland Baxter and Nick Bockrath. After listening to a few of the rough mixes from Rayland’s new album “Wide Awake,” I was all in on working with him. That album has become one of my favorite releases of the year. Nick plays guitar on Rayland’s record, and I am also a fan of his work with Cage the Elephant.The writing process with Rayland was fun and exciting. He is quick and witty, a keen observer of the human condition. The first time I met him, he apologized for being late and explained that he couldn’t get in the front door of the studio and had to come around back. Within a few minutes, our guitars and notebooks were out and the first notes were taking shape. Rayland sang a line about the front door, we started to fire lyrics back and forth, and that’s how “Gone Crooked” came to life.Upon returning to the SCI Lab and listening to the rough demo, we decided to give the song a real minimalist treatment. The track is mostly just me on vocals and upright bass, Kang on resonator guitar, Kyle on piano, and Jason on the cardboard box (cajón). Our sound engineer Dros did a great job with the production and mixing and I feel like the track has a great vibe. We hope you enjoy it!You can listen to the new single below:The String Cheese Incident – “Gone Crooked”[Video: The String Cheese Incident]Up next for the String Cheese Incident is a brief fall run, with stops at Hulaween, Philadelphia, and Worcester, MA. For ticketing and more information on the band’s upcoming tour dates, head to SCI’s website here.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe has announced an upcoming 2019 winter tour, as well as a fresh batch of shows to round out 2018. The recently announced tour is also accompanied by a new album announcement, as Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe plans to release its first new studio album in over 5 years, Gnomes & Badgers, this upcoming February.KDTU features the sensational saxophonist/flutist/vocalist Karl Denson, as well as his long-standing six-piece band which includes guitarist DJ Williams, drummer Zak Najor, bassist Chris Stillwell, keyboardist David Veith, trumpeter Chris Littlefield and slide/lap steel guitarist Seth Freeman. Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe will be joined by Blackberry Smoke, Swatkins and the Positive Agenda, Southern Avenue, Andy Frasco & The UN, and Luthi as opening suport acts on select dates during their upcoming tour.Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe will play a two-night Mid-Atlantic run, with shows at Annapolis, MD’s Rams Head Onstage on December 5th, followed by a performance at Philadelphia, PA’s Fillmore on December 6th. KDTU then plays a one-off Colorado show at Snowmass’s Bud Light HiFi Concert Series, before beginning a short run of his annual birthday bash shows, including one night only at the Belly Up in Denson’s hometown of San Diego, followed by two nights at San Francisco’s Fillmore on December 28th and 29th. Karl Denson and company will wrap up 2018 with a two-night New Year’s Eve celebration at Portland, OR’s Revolution Hall.Following the new year, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe will play a string of shows in Florida, with stops in Orlando (1/10); Ponte Vedra Beach (1/11); Tampa (1/12); and Miami (1/14); before embarking on Jam Cruise out of the Port of Miami. After returning from Jam Cruise, KDTU will continue their tour in the southeast, with shows in Athens, GA (1/22); Wilmington, NC (1/23); Charleston, SC (1/24); Atlanta, GA (1/25); before closing the tour at Asheville, NC’s Salvage Station on January 26th.For ticketing and more information on Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe’s upcoming tour dates, head to their website here.Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe Winter Tour Dates:12/5 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head Onstage (Evening with)12/6 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore ^12/15 – Snowmass, CO – Bud Light HiFi Concert Series12/27 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up *12/28 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore *12/29 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore *12/30 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall ^^12/31 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall ^^1/10 – Orlando, FL – Plaza Live1/11 – Ponte Vedra Beach, FL – Ponte Vedra Concert Hall1/12 – Tampa, FL – Orpheum1/14 – Miami, FL – Blackbird Ordinary (Official Jam Cruise pre-party)1/15-21 – Miami, FL – Jam Cruise1/22 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theater **1/23 – Wilmington, NC – Brooklyn Arts Center ^^^1/24 – Charleston, SC – Pour House ^^^1/25 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West ^^^1/26 – Asheville, NC – Salvage Station ***^ w/ Blackberry Smoke* KD’s Annual Birthday Bash^^ Swatkins and the Positive Agenda** w/ Southern Avenue^^^ w/ Andy Frasco & The UN*** w/ LuthiView All Tour Dates
Photo: Ellison White moe. kicked off their nine-date winter tour in Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday night, which acts as the final stretch of shows for the jam band in 2018. Their performance at Charleston Music Hall was their first concert in over a month since playing The Fillmore Philadelphia back on October 27th, and also took place almost one year to the day since bassist Rob Derhak announced that he was cancer-free last November. To celebrate the start of their tour and a year’s worth of health for Mr. Derhak, the rock band from Buffalo gave fans in Charleston a 15-song performance over two sets and an encore for what appears to be a strong final push as the year begins to come to a close.moe. opened the night with “White Lightning Turpentine” from their No Guts, No Glory LP before going right into “Happy Hour Hero”. The first set continued with “Angel” and “Captain America”, with the latter going right into “Puebla” and ultimately transitioning into “CalifornIA” and “32 Things” to close out the first set.The second half of the night began and ended with songs from 2012’s What Happened To The LA LA’s as they returned to the stage with “Haze” before going right into “Where Does The Time Go?”. “Not Coming Down” came next followed by a quick rest before then closed out the set with one long second half marathon of “LL3”, “Tubing The River Styx”, and “The Pit” before finally closing out with “Downward Facing Dog”.moe. would return to the stage for a nearly 15-minute performance of “Rebubula”, which remains a late-set favorite for fans of the veteran jam band. Photos from Wednesday night’s show in Charleston can be seen in the gallery below.moe. will continue their end-of-the-year tour tonight (Thursday) with a show at The Plaza Live in Orlando, Florida. In addition to launching their final tour of 2018, the band also announced recently that they’ll be returning to Red Rocks Amphitheatre next May and June for two nights of music with support from Mike Gordon and White Denim. Tickets for the two spring 2019 shows go on sale to the general public starting tomorrow at 10 am MT and can be purchased by clicking here.Setlist: moe. | Charleston Music Hall | Charleston, SC | 11/28/2018Set One: White Lightning Turpentine > Happy Hour Hero, Angel, Captain America >(nh) Puebla > CalifornIA > 32 ThingsSet Two: Haze > Where Does The Time Go?, Not Coming Down > Skrunk, LL3 >(nh) Tubing The River Styx > The Pit > Downward Facing DogEncore: Rebubula Load remaining images
Duane Betts & The Pistoleers recently made a live appearance for Jam In The Van, performing at the roving recording studio’s headquarters in Los Angeles. Duane Betts, the son of former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts, has quite the impressive array of musical endeavors, as he also performs with his father, the Devon Allman Project, and the newly formed Allman Betts Band.EXCLUSIVE: Devon Allman & Duane Betts Discuss “The Allman Betts Band”, Upcoming Album & TourPresented by Lagunitas Brewing Company, the quintet worked through “Taking Time” and “Downtown Runaround”, the first two tracks off of the band’s 2018 debut studio EP, Sketches of American Music. The band then offered up a take on one of their live staples and unreleased tunes, “Juliette”.Watch Duane Betts & The Pistoleers’ Jam In The Van performance below:Duane Betts & The Pistoleers – “Taking Time”[Video: Jam In The Van]Duane Betts & The Pistoleers – “Downtown Runaround”[Video: Jam In The Van]Duane Betts & The Pistoleers – “Juliette”[Video: Jam In The Van]Along with Betts and Devon Allman, the newly formed Allman Betts Band will also include Berry Oakley Jr. (son of original Allman Brothers Band bassist Berry Oakley), slide guitarist Johnny Stachela, and Devon Allman Project percussionists R. Scott Bryan (Sheryl Crow) and John Lum.Before the launch of the Allman Betts Band in March, you can find Devon and Duane on tour through late February as The Devon Allman Project with Betts on board as a special guest. Ticket links and information for those shows can be found here.