Category Archives: other
Bonnaroo 2011 to feature reunited Meters backing Dr. John – NOLA.com
Published: Tuesday, February 15, 2011, 11:47 AM Updated: Tuesday, February 15, 2011, 1:13 PM
The original Meters are slated to reunite for the first time in almost five years at the 10th anniversary Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee in June. The Meters will back Dr. John on a complete performance of his 1974 album “Desitively Bonnaroo,” from which the festival takes its name. The Meters were the studio band behind Dr. John on that original recording.
The Meters – keyboardist Art Neville, guitarist Leo Nocentelli, bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer Zigaboo Modeliste – have reunited only intermittently since they laid down the foundation for New Orleans funk in the late 1960s and ‘70s. The most recent reunion ended in 2006 with Neville, for one, expressing doubt that they would ever reform again.
“I didn’t think it would happen after the last escapade,” Nocentelli said of this latest reunion. “But something that’s worthwhile, we should be able to not throw it aside. If it’s still alive and you still feel it, learn from what you did. I’m looking forward to some longevity.”
The original Meters disbanded in 1979 amid business and personal turmoil; variations appeared sporadically. In 1989, Neville, Porter and Nocentelli hired drummer Russell Batiste Jr. and resurrected the Meters name. After Nocentelli’s departure in 1994, they continued as the Funky Meters with former Neville Brothers guitarist Brian Stoltz.
The original Meters put aside their differences to reunite for a single show – and large paycheck – in San Francisco in 2000. In 2005, they came together again to perform at New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell. That show went well, and was followed by other concerts. A new generation of music fans already knew their riffs and rhythms via jam band tributes and scores of samples on rap records. The reunited band played for much larger audiences and fees than the Funky Meters.
But by 2007, the reunion had run out of steam. When one bandmember couldn’t make himself available for a proposed gig at that year’s Bonnaroo, the reunion appeared to have run its course.
However, the principals of Superfly, the New Orleans-founded firm that co-produces Bonnaroo, were determined to land the Meters this year. During their run in the mid-2000s, the reunited Meters performed at other Superfly-produced festivals. Thus, the musicians were well-acquainted with how the Superfly principals operate, and vice versa. Superfly approached the four Meters individually with a proposal for the 2011 Bonnaroo.
“I’m pleased with the way they’re handling it,” Nocentelli said of Superfly. “On a business level, we’re not a group any more. To be a group, you have to think alike. We’re four businessmen with different opinions. You put that in a group context, it doesn’t work. The group thing comes when we’re on stage playing music.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t be dealt with. You have to deal with us on an individual basis. That’s the only way you can have any success.”
The 10th annual Bonnaroo is June 9 – 12. Most of the tens of thousands attendees camp on the 700-acre site in Manchester, Tenn., 60 miles south of Nashville. The final Bonnaroo 2011 lineup will total over 125 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days.
Tickets for the event will go on sale Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 11 a.m. CST exclusively at bonnaroo.com.
Confirmed acts include Eminem, Arcade Fire, Widespread Panic, The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket and Lil’ Wayne, String Cheese Incident, Robert Plant & Band of Joy, Mumford & Sons, The Strokes, The Decemberists, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Florence + the Machine, Girl Talk, Primus, Big Boi, Gregg Allman, Robyn, Deerhunter, Sleigh Bells, Amos Lee, Opeth, Del McCoury and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Wanda Jackson, The Walkmen and an exclusive festival performance by Buffalo Springfield featuring Richie Furay, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Rick Rosas and Joe Vitale.
Music writer Keith Spera can be reached at kspera@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3470.
Continue reading here: Bonnaroo 2011 to feature reunited Meters backing Dr. John – NOLA.com
Philadelphia Phillies: Armed and Dangerous, But Will They Bring The Lumber? – Bleacher Report
Cliff Lee shocked the baseball world when he returned to the Phillies in the offseason.
Drew Hallowell/Getty Images
The buzz around Philadelphia is palpable, and rightfully so. The Philadelphia Phillies are about to enter into one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory, bringing four aces to the table that are looking to make history. The Phillies brought back the one man whose departure brought as much anger and disappointment to the City of Brotherly Love since, the now loathed, J.D. Drew refused to sign with the Phillies after they made him the second overall pick in the 1997 draft. That one man is Clifton Phifer Lee, but you can call him Cliff.
Lee joins an already stout rotation consisting of Roy “Doc” Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels. The four of them have combined for three Cy Young Awards, three postseason awards, and an astounding 20-8 record in the postseason. Pitching Coach Rich Dubee goes right towards the top of the “Easiest Jobs in the World” list. We all know the statistics. We have all seen the numbers. If they all can stay healthy, they have the potential to be the greatest rotations in the history of baseball.
For the first time in a long time, pitching isn’t the biggest concern for the Phillies. With the quality of arms that they have in the rotation, let’s not forget that Joe Blanton is no slouch either, the three-time defending NL East Champs should not need to score a ton of runs to win their fourth division title in a row.
This is a team that has been known as one of the best hitting teams in the league over the past few years, but their dominance at the plate has declined as of late. Granted, injuries played a major role in that, seeing as how the Phillies’ opening day lineup only played together a handful of times throughout the course of the 2010 season. However, that’s just an excuse, and excuses are one thing that this team does not make.
So, when looking at this lineup for the 2011 season, there are a few things that need to happen if the Phillies want to hoist the World Series trophy, as many are expecting them to do. First, and it is a daunting task, is replacing the production of Jayson Werth. With the Phillies doling out much of their allocated offseason budget to sign Lee, there was not enough left to replace Werth, as he left to sign a lucrative deal with the Washington Nationals. While Werth did hit a measly .186 with runners in scoring position last season, he also amassed 63 homers and 184 runs batted in during his two years as a full-time starter. Obviously, players who put up those types of numbers do not grow on trees.
They Phillies are acting like they are not going to rely on phenom Domonic Brown to step right in and hit the ground running, and that is the right way to go. The expectations are undoubtedly through the roof for Brown, but he did have his struggles after being called up last season. However, it would be unwise to project Brown to be spark plug for a lineup that has lost a lot of pop, only because that is a lot of pressure to put on a kid who has barely gotten his feet wet at the highest level. Hitting coach Greg Gross has been working with Brown to fix some of the kinks in his swing, and it will be interesting to see how he responds. If Brown happens to make the roster out of spring training, he will likely platoon with Ben Francisco until he proves he is ready to carry the full load.
There are two other players that will need to carry some of the burden left by Werth’s departure. The first is shortstop Jimmy Rollins. Rollins had his worst season as a professional in 2010, and dealt with nagging injuries that limited him to just 88 games. Everyone knows what an effective and healthy Rollins does for the rest of the lineup, so it is vital that he have a bounce-back year. The other player is coming off a career year, and that is Phillies’ catcher Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz. Chooch set career highs in hits, runs batted in, total bases, and batting average in 2010, but the Phillies will need him to take it one step further this season. In a lineup that lacks pop from the right side, Chooch becomes an even more valuable asset to this team. While no one expects him to start bombing the ball out of Citizens Bank Park, he can still progress at the plate, and make valuable contributions in key situations.
There is no doubt that the Philadelphia Phillies are armed for another run at a championship, but they will need more consistency from their hitters if they want to reign supreme again. While their lineup is still extremely formidable, it would be a waste of exceptional talent (and a lot of money) in the rotation if this team peters out in 2011 when it matters the most.
Continue reading here: Philadelphia Phillies: Armed and Dangerous, But Will They Bring The Lumber? – Bleacher Report
Bonnaroo 2011: Arcade Fire, Strokes, Eminem & More
Bonnaroo, the massive annual summer music festival in Manchester, Tennessee, has unveiled the lineup for its 10th anniversary event, and boy, oh boy, it’s a doozy: Grammy kings Arcade Fire, the Strokes, Eminem, Lil Wayne, My Morning Jacket, Big Boi, Mumford & Sons, and two of SPIN’s three Artists of the Year — the Black Keys and Florence + the Machine — are all scheduled to rock the four-day party, from June 9-12.
Click here to see SPIN’s full Bonnaroo 2010 coverage.
And they’re just a grain in the sandcastle, man. The bill also features this year’s only festival appearance from Neil Young’s reunited first band, Buffalo Springfield, plus sets from (deep breath…) Robyn, Girl Talk, Gogol Bordello, the Walkmen, Matt & Kim, Wavves, Best Coast, Sleigh Bells, Explosions in the Sky, Iron & Wine, Deerhunter, Beirut, the Sword, the Drums, the Black Angels, School of Seven Bells, Atmosphere, Scissor Sisters, Wiz Khalifa, and Cold War Kids.
There are plenty up-and-coming SPIN faves, too, including Chicago garage-rock outfit Smith Westerns, Ohio alt-country singer-songwriter (and Dan Auerbach’s protégé) Jessica Lea Mayfield, and sultry 22-year-old Brit crooner Clare Maguire.
And Bonnaroo wouldn’t be Bonnaroo without a few jam bands, and this year the fest satiates that jones with Widespread Panic and String Cheese Incident.
Some special sets celebrating Bonnaroo’s 10th anniversary are also being planned. Dr. John and the Original Meters will make a rare appearance to play their 1974 album Desitively Bonnaroo — the source of the festival’s name — and John will also appear with Auerbach in a superjam set. Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz, meanwhile, will curate a special venue dubbed “Global Gypsy Punk Revue.” Expect lots of dancing like this.
And, in another sweet salutation to the fest’s anniversary, Ben & Jerry’s “Bonnaroo Buzz” flavor will be made available in supermarkets nationwide after making its debut in 2010 at the festival and in the ice cream maker’s retail stores.
Tickets will go onsale Feb. 19 via bonnaroo.com.
On a scale of one to 10, how awesome is Bonnaroo’s lineup? Have a look at the full bill below, then sound off in the comment section.
Bonnaroo Lineup:
Eminem, Arcade Fire, Widespread Panic, the Black Keys, Buffalo Springfield, My Morning Jacket, Lil Wayne, String Cheese Incident, Robert Plant & Band of Joy, Mumford & Sons, the Strokes, the Decemberists, Ray Lamontagne, Bassnectar, Iron & Wine, Girl Talk, Primus, Dr. John and the Original Meters, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Pretty Lights, Florence + the Machine, SuperJam with Dan Auerbach and Dr. John, Explosions in the Sky, STS9, Gogol Bordello, Beirut, Big Boi, Scissor Sisters, Gregg Allman, Ratatat, Global Gypsy Punk Revue curated by Eugene Hütz
Robyn, Warren Haynes Band, Deerhunter, Opeth, Atmosphere, Old Crow Medicine Show, Bootsy Collins & the Funk University, Wiz Khalifa, Matt & Kim, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, The Del McCoury Band & the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Mavis Staples, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Chiddy Bang, Jovanotti, Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, Loretta Lynn, Cold War Kids, the Walkmen, Devotchka, Wanda Jackson, Neon Trees, Portugal. The Man, Sleigh Bells, Amos Lee, Best Coast, Dãm-Funk & Master Blazter, the Sword, the Drums, the Black Angels, School of Seven Bells, J. Cole, Nicole Atkins & the Black Sea
Wavves, !!!, Junip, Freelance Whales, Justin Townes Earle, Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses, Deer Tick, Band of Skulls, Sharon Van Etten, Abigail Washburn, Omar Souleyman, Twin Shadow, Kylesa, Man Man, the Low Anthem, Alberta Cross, Railroad Earth, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Smith Westerns, the Head and the Heart, Karen Elson, Beats Antique, 22-20s, Phosphorescent, Clare Maguire, Hayes Carll
Continue reading here: Bonnaroo 2011: Arcade Fire, Strokes, Eminem & More
Bonnaroo 2011 lineup
Eminem
Fresh off their stunning win at the Grammys, Montreal rockers Arcade Fire have scored another coup: They’ll be headlining the 10th annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Also on tap for this year’s ‘Roo: Grammy snub Eminem (he received 10 nominations this year, but only won twice) and the Black Keys, who actually beat Arcade Fire in the Best Alternative Album category.
The 2011 edition of Bonnaroo will take place June 9-12 in, as always, Manchester, Tenn. Other highlights in this year’s lineup include the recently reunited Buffalo Springfield, featuring Stephen Stills and Neil Young; Souithern rockers My Morning Jacket and Widespread Panic; Robert Plant, returning to Manchester with his latest project, Band of Joy; rappers Big Boi and Lil Wayne; mashup artist Girl Talk; and Primus, making their first Bonnaroo appearance since 2004. To see the complete lineup, click through the gallery. And to get even more excited about Bonnaroo, check out Metromix Nashville’s coverage of Bonnaroo 2010.
Continue reading here: Bonnaroo 2011 lineup
