Video: Junip Live @ Irving Plaza...

Profile - Junip (Irving Plaza 11/24) from Big Ass Lens on Vimeo.

Take a Shot of Crown Royale in Ann Arbor...

Crown Royale (Buff 1 & DJ Rhettmatic) will play The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor on December 9th.

From their site:
Crown Royale, the group which pairs veteran Michigan emcee Buff1 with World Famous Beat Junkie DJ Rhettmatic made perfect sense from the start. The brainchild of DJ Haircut (aka Mayer Hawthorne) and A-Side Worldwide’s own Jackson Perry, the pairing came to fruition after they were approached with an idea and discovered there was a mutual respect and admiration for each other’s work.

Rhettmatic, a forefather of today‘s burgeoning LA hip-hop scene, is a founding member of the Beat Junkie DJ crew, the DJ for hip-hop group The Visionaries, and an award-winning turntablist – having performed in numerous competitions across the globe and with upper-echelon artists such as J Dilla, Cypress Hill and Talib Kweli. Buff1, recently highlighted as a part of URB Magazine’s “NEXT 100,” brings two critically acclaimed full-length LPs to the table in 2008’s Pure and 2009’s There’s Only One, and has stacked up more than a decade of recording, international touring and honing “show stopping” stage skills both as a solo artist and with seven-man hip-hop arsenal Athletic Mic League (AML).

Two parts mixed from distant points on the map, Crown Royale is an MC/DJ combination blended so well it’s a wonder they haven’t been working together all along.

Sonically smooth. Shaken and stirred into rhythmic intoxication – Crown Royale stays in the mind like a hangover you weren’t expecting but never want to leave.

Video: John Legend & The Roots Cover "Wake Up"...

The Pogues to Play Royal Oak...

The Pogues have officially announced a short US East Coast/Midwest tour that will start off in Chicago on March 3rd and end on St Patrick’s Day/March 17th (or St. James Cagney Day according to the Pogues) in New York City. They will play Royal Oak Music Theatre on March 4th.

Tickets for the tour goes on sale to the general public on November 26th or 27th.

3/3 Chicago (Congress Theater)
3/4 Detroit (Royal Oak Music Theater)
3/7 Baltimore (Rams Head Live)
3/8 Washington DC (9:30 Club)
3/9 Washington DC (9:30 Club)
3/11 Boston (House of Blues)
3/12 Boston (House of Blues)
3/15 New York (Terminal 5)
3/16 New York (Terminal 5)
3/17 New York (Terminal 5)

Visit www.pogues.com for more details.

Video: G. Love "Fixin' to Die" Album Trailer...

Robert Plant's Band of Joy to Play Ann Arbor...

Robert Plant takes his Band of Joy on the road for a 15-date North American tour in January and February. On January 21st, the Led Zep frontman will bring his latest project to Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Based upon past performances, don't be surprised if you hear a few rearranged Zeppelin tunes in the setlist. Ticket info. is not yet available.

The upcoming dates will begin in Asheville, NC on January 18th. The tour is scheduled to end near where it began, with a pair of dates in Nashville on February 8th and 9th. Backing Plant will be the same group that played with him on the record: Patty Griffin, vocals; Darrell Scott, multi-instrumentalist/vocals; Byron House, bass/vocals; Marco Giovino, drums and percussion/vocals; and co-producer Buddy Miller, guitar/vocals. The North Mississippi All Stars Duo will open for the group on all dates.

January:
18 Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
19 Pittsburgh, PA - Peterson Events Center (University of Pittsburgh)
21 Ann Arbor, MI - Hill Auditorium
22 Toronto, ONT - Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
25 Boston, MA House of Blues
26 Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre
28 Mashantucket, CT -MGM Grand Theater at MGM Grand at Foxwoods
29 New York, NY - Beacon Theatre

February:
1 Washington, DC DAR - Constitution Hall
2 Raleigh, NC Raleigh - Memorial Auditorium
4 North Charleston, SC - North Charleston Performing Arts Center
5 Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
7 Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
8 and 9 Nashville, TN - War Memorial Auditorium

Decemberists Winter Tour Includes Royal Oak...

The Decemberists have announced a Winter Tour. They will be playing Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak, Michigan on February 2nd, 2011.

Tour Dates:
1/25 Beacon Theatre, New York, NY*
1/28 House of Blues, Boston, MA*
1/29 House of Blues, Boston, MA*
1/31 Olympia De Montreal, Montreal, Canada*
2/, Sound Academy, Toronto, Canada*
2/2 Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI*
2/4 Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL*
2/5 Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee, WI#
2/6 State Theatre, Minneapolis, MN#
2/7 Uptown Theatre, Kansas City, MO#
2/9 Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO#
2/10 Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO#
2/12 The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA#
2/13 House of Blues-San Diego, San Diego, CA#
2/14 Fox Theater, Oakland, CA#
2/18 Paramount Ballroom, Seattle, WA#
2/19 Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR#

* with Wye Oak
# with Mountain Man

All Good in the Hood...

For the past three years, the Hood Internet have been chewing up the indie, pop, rap and R&B landscapes and spitting out pure fire. Like laptop-armed alchemists, they draw from their expansive interest in the many faces of modern music and re-imagine songs for mass public consumption through www.thehoodinternet.com.

The Hood Internet will be playing the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, Michigan on January 15th.

The Hood Internet - Love Messes (Justin Timberlake x Post Honeymoon) by hoodinternet

Video: Black Dub Tiny Desk Concert (NPR)...

Black Dub will be performing at the Magic Stick in Detroit, Michigan on Monday, November 22nd.

Black Dub is the latest project from acclaimed musician and producer Daniel Lanois, a legendary guitarist and composer who has produced seminal albums for U2, Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, Willie Nelson and Neil Young. Lanois is what historians like to call a musician’s musician.

In Lanois’ own words . . .
Black Dub is essentially a three-piece band with a high level of musicianship. We don’t operate on a technological grid. Nor are we tied to a page of fixed notes. Our songs are fluid. Often recorded live. One take. No overdubs. It’s a very old fashioned idea really.

I think that might be why we get such a strong response on YouTube. Each video we create is a live musical performance shot with a hand-held camera seen through the eyes of one individual. No cuts. No edits. It’s clear that people still have an appetite for something honest and authentic with real musicians playing live. In these sad times of prepackaged music, people yearn to experience something soulful, heartfelt, something meaningful. As simple as it sounds, real music is a rare commodity these days.

Our first CD is very real - kind of a rock thing, steeped in the Jamaican culture of dub, which I love. On a good day, I see myself carrying the torch of [famed Jamaican producer] Lee Scratch Perry. I wrote this music from a dub perspective, which I believe is very soulful.

What do I mean by soul? Soul music is a music that needs to exist, for the right reasons, beyond business preconceptions – natural reasons that resonate deep inside. I think this band has it. Whether we’re playing at a club or in the studio, at our best, there is something breathless and spontaneous going on here.

www.blackdub.net
www.facebook.com/blackdub
www.myspace.com/blackdubmusic
www.youtube.com/blackdubvevo

Martin Sexton To Play Royal Oak...

Singer Songwriter Martin Sexton returns to the Midwest with a show scheduled for the Royal Oak Music Theater in Royal, Oak, Michigan on January 27th.

Martin is also scheduled to play the Theatre Within 30th Annual John Lennon Tribute on Friday, November 12th at 8pm at the Beacon Theatre.

The tribute will benefit Playing For Change Foundation. This concert is a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of artists who will come together to celebrate the life, music and creative spirit of John Lennon. The all-star lineup of performers span nearly four generations, ranging from legendary music icons Jackson Browne, Patti Smith and Cyndi Lauper to acclaimed artists, Aimee Mann, Keb' Mo', Joan Osborne, Martin Sexton, Shelby Lynne, Taj Mahal, Meshell Ndegeocello, Alejandro Escovedo, Playing For Change, The Kennedys, Vusi Mahlasela, Rich Pagano of the Fab Faux, YouTube sensation Chris Bliss, Wendy Osserman Dance and the Tribute's co-creator and MAD Magazine Senior Editor, Joe Raiola.