soul

"Booker is always adding new tour dates, check his website's section (here) for details :)"
  Karen

Booker T. Tour Dates, New Album with Neil Young

Published April 8th, 2009 by Karen

In the 1960s, Memphis’s Stax Records was probably the best record label in the world and organist Booker T. Jones was leading the world’s best house band, the M.G.s .

When Booker T. and the MGs weren’t backing up performers like Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Albert King, Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, The Staple Singers and Wilson Pickett, they were a formidable outfit on their own, releasing albums throughout the ’60s and ’70s and inspiring legions of imitators.

Almost 47 years later, Booker T. is making a comeback, and we hope the current generation of over-processed under-talented R&B players and songwriters takes notice of what actual talent sounds like.

Booker’s new album, Potato Hole, hits stores 4/21-but if you pre-order before then, you’ll get a signed copy. Details, here. The album features an all-star backing band, including guitarist Neil Young(!). We’re very curious to hear what Young comes up with and how his often experimental guitar style stacks up next to this rock/soul legend.

Making this even more awesome is news that the MGs will join Booker at some of his upcoming tour dates.
Other shows feature the Drive By Truckers and Bettye LaVette.

Complete Booker T. tour dates, after the jump. Continue reading »

Apollo Celebrates Its 75th Anniversary

Published April 7th, 2009 by Wendy
The Apollo Theater
Creative Commons License photo credit: Brymo

Harlem, New York’s legendary Apollo Theater will celebrate its 75th Anniversary this year by inducting music impresario Quincy Jones and singer Patti LaBelle into its Hall of Fame, according to an Associated Press report.

The gala ceremony is scheduled to take place on June 8, according to the report, and will be marked by performances from actor/comedian Jamie Foxx, singers Mariah Carey and Anita Baker, and the R&B group O’Jays.

The Apollo also will present its arts and humanitarian award to Bill Cosby and his wife, Camille. Previous recipients have included Denzel Washington and his wife, Pauletta, and Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee. The award is named after Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis.

The Apollo Theater dates back to the mid-1800s, when it was founded as a dance hall and ballroom by former Civil War General Edward Ferrero.

Temptations to Sing National Anthem at NCCA Championship

Published April 5th, 2009 by Wendy
The Temps
Creative Commons License photo credit: evanosherow

The legendary Motown group, The Temptations, have been tapped to sing the National Anthem at tomorrow night’s national college basketball championship game held at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, according to an Associated Press story.

The Grammy-winning group, which recorded such hits as “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” will feature original member Otis Williams, according to the report. NCAA Senior Vice President Greg Shaheen told The Detroit News it’s “a special treat … for everyone who traveled to Detroit for this year’s NCAA championship game.”

The Detroit-born Motown record label is marking its 50th anniversary this year.

"[...] NYC. Thank Goodness! TOUR: Best Reunion EVER: 2009 Oblivians, Gories Tour Dates and Videos MUSIC: Free King Khan & the Shrines Mp3 [...]"
  REVIEW: Lemons by Ty Segall Destroys Boring Indie Rock | Music Vixen Blog

Free King Khan & the Shrines mp3, Tour Dates

Published April 2nd, 2009 by Karen
turla protects her deck
Creative Commons License photo credit: pheezy

Poor ol’ Thursday, it’s always better than Wednesday, but never quite as good as Friday (unless it’s a three-day weekend).

This Thursday seems a little better than usual though, thanks to some free rock’n'roll courtesy of King Khan & the Shrines.

The sprawling, sort-of-Berlin-based, super-group is embarking on another endless tour of the US and Canada and to celebrate they are passing around a free “Land of the Freak” mp3.

King Khan and the Shrines-“Land of the Freak”

Fans of vintage garage-rock, Sun Ra, Black Lips, P-Funk and ’60s Stax-style soul would be wise to catch the band live. The group’s 2007 disc, What Is?!, is getting a deluxe re-release treatment from Vice Records, but really, this is a live band, so go see them if you can.

Complete tour dates, after the jump.

Continue reading »

Ronettes Singer Dead at 67. RIP Awesome Beehive Hairdos.

Published February 13th, 2009 by Karen

Flickr photo by dotpolkaIn the 1960s, Ronnie Spector and her singing group, the Ronettes, became the most famous example of controversial producer Phil Spector’s groundbreaking wall-of-sound recording techniques.

The group rose to fame thanks to unforgettable songs such as “The Best Part of Breakin’ Up,” “I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine” and “Be My Baby.”

Many groups imitated the band’s sound, and Spector’s recording techniques, but none could match the magic of that group.

Spector’s famous wall of sound got a little quieter on February 11, 2009 with the passing of Ronnie’s sister, 67-year-old Ronettes singer Estelle Bennett. Estelle was Continue reading »

Know Your Beehives? Winehouse VS clones Duffy, Adele, Estelle

Published January 15th, 2009 by Karen

Ok, so over the past year or so there has been a sudden retro R&B revival in the UK.
R&B is good, but ‘60s R&B is great, so this new turn of events is good news for fans of Stax and Motown.

Sure, we all recognize the trainwreck known as Amy Winehouse, but what about the inevitable round of imitators that have popped up in her beehived shadow?

Today we’re breaking it down and doing our best to figure out the difference between Wino clones Duffy, Adele and Estelle. Maybe you can help us sort this mess out. Continue reading »

Amy Winehouse Divorce Settlement Bigger than Madonna’s? Free Amy Winehouse music

Published January 12th, 2009 by Karen

Tabloids are buzzing with news of Amy Winehouse’s impending divorce. The 25-year-old singer and her husband of less than two years are reportedly heading to untie the knot.

News of the divorce isn’t nearly as surprising as the news of the burn-out wedding was.

The troubled couple had only been married briefly before Blake Fielder-Civil landed behind bars on a stack of charges nearly as big and unruly as Winehouse’s beehive wig. Now that he’s free, he’s filing for divorce based on allegations of infidelity. Continue reading »

"Aretha Franklin sucks ass she is just a fat pic of shit that can't sing. Meat Loaf should have been in the top five and to say she is better that Elvis..."
  Ryan

Aretha Tops Elvis? Another Reason Rolling Stone Sucks

Published November 12th, 2008 by Karen

In the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone set to be released on Friday, the magazine is publishing a list of the top 100 singers of the rock era.

The most shocking aspect of this survey is that the King of Rock’n’Roll, Elvis Presley, has been dethrowned. That’s insane! Who is better than Elvis?!

Well, apparently Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles who scored the number one and number two spots, respectively, with Elvis ranking third.

While the list is sure to be obnoxious and off balance, as most stories in Rolling Stone are, the only consolation is that the skewed nature of this poll makes perfect sense once it’s revealed that the people voting on this list included an array of  (mostly lame) music stars such as James Hetfield (Metallica), David Crosby and James Blunt (seriously).

Do you agree that Aretha is better than Elvis?
Who would you declare the greatest rock singer ever?
Leave a comment and tell us!

Amy Winehouse, Courtney Love, Britney Spears Nude, Dead or Reality Show?

Published July 2nd, 2008 by Karen

Just as people will always slow down to gawk at traffic accidents, people will always enjoy watching celebrities (and non-celebrities) crash and burn in a horrible downward spiral.

This alone explains the success of all reality shows—and tabloid headlines (that’s probably why you clicked on this article, right?)—people want to watch other people fail miserably, destroy their lives and get tangled in controversy because it makes them feel better to know that someone out there is more messed up than they are.

With that in mind, you can’t help but wonder how long it will be before VH1 or some other group of bottom-feeders wrangle all of today’s hottest, most screwed up singing stars into a camera filled house/reality show under the guise of rehab.

Since all of these stars are often referred to by the media as “trainwrecks,” perhaps the show could take place on a train. We’ll call it Train Wrecks. Or maybe Crazy Train—but only if we can get Ozzy Osbourne to be the host and perform his 1980 hit “Crazy Train” mp3 as the theme song.

Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears, heck, maybe even Lindsay Lohan (she did have a hit album afterall), could all pile into a train and spend time talking about their problems, resisting the temptations of the club car’s open bar. Along the way, the train could stop in various towns where the girls could do good deeds or lecture kids on the dangers of drugs or something equally heartwarming.

And now, for a quick look at the contestants:

Winehouse made a name for herself with soulful retro-pop songs such as “Rehab,” mp3 but has quickly deteriorated into a skeleton-esque shell of her former self, having recently been hospitalized after collapsing from what her father told the media was emphysema induced by smoking crack and cigarettes. Classy.

Spears has a list of woes too long to tackle, but highlights include shaving her head, being hospitalized for an extended time and shaving her head. Not to mention a “comeback” appearance on a horrible sitcom.

Lohan’s been in and out of rehab, posing nude for mags, failing miserably in movie theaters and taunting paparazzi with the notion of a lesbian relationship with DJ Samantha Ronson (whose brother is Mark Ronson, the ultra-hip producer behind Winehouse’s Grammy-winning album, Back to Black free mp3 downloads).

Hmm…I was kidding at first, but actually, this show just might work. Throw in the currently anorexic looking Courtney Love as the den mother/train conductor offering guidance to the girls, and this show is sure to be a hit.

Now, if a network actually comes out with Crazy Train I want a cut of it!