Latest news with #GreatAmericanMusicHall
CBS News
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Afrobeat heir Seun Kuti brings fiery show back to San Francisco
The son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, Seun Kuti brings his father's longtime band Egypt 80 to San Francisco to headline the Great American Music Hall Saturday. As the pioneer of a musical style that would eventually be known as Afrobeat, Nigerian musician and political firebrand Fela Kuti emerged in the early '70s as one of the most important figures in African music. While he spent much of the '60s producing a jazzy style of highlife (an uptempo style that first surfaced in Ghana) with his group Koola Lobitos, a stay in Los Angeles near the end of the decade led Kuti to radically change his music and politics. Activated by the revolutionary stance of the Black Panthers and the propulsive funk sound of James Brown, Kuti returned to Nigeria, renamed his band Africa '70 and began to focus on social and political messages. Recording fiery, hard-grooving salvos indicting the corrupt government and military leaders working with corporations to exploit Africa, Kuti rose to become not only a force on the growing world music scene but a political force in his native country. Despite intense government persecution that culminated with an attack on his compound that left Kuti's mother dead, the musician would maintain his rebellious stance throughout his career until his death from AIDS in 1997. Kuti's music would inspire legions of imitators and a hit Broadway musical, but his legacy has largely been carried on by his two sons, Femi and Seun Kuti. Younger brother Seun was already performing onstage with Fela as a member of his latter era group Egypt '80 before he even entered his teens. He took over leadership of the band -- which featured a number of players with a history dating back to the Africa '70s days -- when he was 14 after Fela died. While the group toured regularly, it would be another decade before Seun Kuti would record his first album in 2008, That debut effort, entitled Many Things , was produced by Martin Meissonnier, who had already worked with Fela on two albums. Where his brother Femi would introduce elements of hip hop and electronic music into his modernized style of Afrobeat, Seun would hew closer to his father's sound and politics. His follow up albums -- From Africa With Fury: Rise in 2011 and A Long Way To the Beginning three years later -- would both be hailed for their righteous political lyrics and kinetic energy. In 2018, he released his album Black Times , which features guest appearances from legendary San Francisco guitarist Carlos Santana (who contributes an incendiary guitar solo on the title track) and noted jazz keyboardist Robert Glasper. The acclaimed effort shows the that the current political climate has only intensified the artist's commitment to writing revolutionary protest songs. Live, the younger Kuti continues to uphold his father's tradition of putting on sweat-drenched marathon stage performances. A year before the COVID-19 pandemic put Kuti's busy touring schedule on a lengthy hiatus, he recorded the live-in-studio effort Night Dreamer that features fiery takes on some of his more recent original tunes. More recently, Kuti appeared on "When We Move" -- a Common song that also featured the Roots rapper Black Thought -- and in 2022 released live recordings of a pair of new songs tracked at Clout Studios. His collaborations with hip-hop artists have continued since then. He joined forces with Roots MC Black Thought in the EP African Dreams and teamed with Talib Kweli and MadLib on the song "Nat Turner" for their album Liberation 2 . More recently, he collaborated on Janelle Monae's Album Of the Year Grammy nominee The Age of Pleasure with the singles "Float" and "Knows Better." Late last year, Kuti released his latest collection of new material entitled Heavier Yet (Lays The Crownless Head) , which included the single "Dey" featuring Damian Marley as well as "Emi Aluta," a collaboration with Zambian singer/rapper Sampa the Great. The artist recently released a new remix of the song "Stand Well Well" with a guest verse from De La Soul rapper Pos. He brings Africa 80 back to San Francisco for a show Saturday night at the Great American Music Hall with Baltimore-based Nigerian-American vocalist Lily Ogé warming up the crowd. Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 Saturday, April 12, 8 p.m. $35-$45 Great American Music Hall
CBS News
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Local soul all-stars Marc & the Casuals salute girl groups at Great American
San Francisco's all-star R&B revue Marc & the Casuals pay tribute to girl groups with this dance party at the Great American Music Hall Friday night. Ably setting backsides in motion for the past decade, the group has earned a solid reputation as one of San Francisco's premiere party-starting outfit. Led by session veteran and keyboard/trumpet player Marc Capelle, his core wrecking crew of Bay Area luminaries has featured such talented musicians as guitarist Bart Davenport (a solo artist who has also fronted Honeycut and the Loved Ones) and his Persephone's Bees partner guitarist Tom Ayers, drummer Todd Roper (Chuck Prophet, Cake), and onetime Dwarves bass player Pete Straus. Augmented by a full horn section and additional auxiliary players -- among them Capelle's own son Evan on percussion -- the group backs a rotating who's who of local guest vocalists through marathon sets that range from deep soul and funk covers to revamped rock classics. While the performances of this live R&B jukebox have become more rare in recent years as Capelle focused on his soundtrack-focused project the Red Room Orchestra -- which not surprisingly features many of the same players -- Marc & the Casuals still re-emerge for shows periodically. The group served as the house band for the Make-Out Room's annual Holiday Craptacular fundraising food drive in 2018 and 2019. During the pandemic shutdown, Capelle appeared regularly at the Chapel's attached restaurant Curio, leading small groups featuring his main foil Ayers on guitar at the spot's outdoor patio. For this special show paying tribute to girl groups, Marc & the Casuals provide hard-grooving support for a line-up of singers that will include Meryl Press (Citay, Hope Sandoval), Karina Denike (Dance Hall Crashers, NOFX, The Cottontails), Lydia Walker (who leads her own band Lydia and the Projects as well as singing with This Train Don't Stop and the Big Blu Soul Revue) and Adrianne DeLanda (Extra Classic). The band will feature Ayres, Straus, longtime RRO collaborator Alyson Baker (Dirty Ghosts) on guitar and powerhouse drummer Michael Urbano (Todd Rundgren, John Hiatt, Smash Mouth, Cake). For this show at the Great American Music Hall Friday night, Capelle and company are joined by rock n' soul heroes Harold Ray and East Side Dynamite. Fronted by kinetic singer Jason Morgan -- who previously wielded the mic with similarly minded punk/R&B crew Harold Ray Live in Concert and early Bob Seger tribute band Total BS, in addition to frequently appearing with Capelle's bands -- the group features a number of seasoned scene veterans and Mission District ringers including drummer Tom Galbraith (Mensclub, Field Trip, Portable Madness), his trombone-playing brother Jim (also in Field Trip) and guitarist Brian Mello (The Morning Line, The Bellyachers and current hard rock/metal cover band Thunderbleed aka Blind Vengeance). The band delivers sweaty, swaggering takes on '60s soul classics and raw rock chestnuts that have been regularly filling dance floors on both sides of the Bay for a number of years. The group has been a regular go-to support act for a number of local performers including Marc and the Casuals (who Morgan frequently sings with) and Kelley Stoltz. Morgan also recently filled the sizeable shoes of the late Flamin' Groovies singer and solo artist Roy Loney, fronting a reunited version of Loney's band the Phantom Movers that featured three of the late '70s band's surviving members. DJ Lead Teddy spins R&B classics and obscure dance-floor fillers before and between sets by the live band. Marc & the Casuals with Harold Ray and East Side Dynamite Friday, April 11, 8 p.m. $25 Great American Music Hall
CBS News
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
32nd annual Noise Pop Festival takes over San Francisco
Celebrating its 32nd year, the annual Noise Pop Festival kicks off Thursday with a packed schedule of local and national indie-rock acts that runs through March 2. A San Francisco institution ever since it began as one night of loud, tuneful local bands back in 1993, the festival has expanded this year to ten days of music, film and art featuring some of the most respected names in independent music. While the focus remains on the cutting edge of indie rock, the eclectic festival also features modern R&B, global grooves and even avant-garde electronic music. Noise Pop will also be returning to unusual venues with multiple events at Grace Cathedral and Mission District art space Gray Area. While the festival officially commences on Feb. 20 with the annual NightLife kickoff party at the Academy of Sciences featuring a DJ set from modern-funk maestro DāM-FunK with local DJ/producers 3kelves and Yuka Yu, Noise Pop is also co-presenting a tribute to visionary director David Lynch featuring the Red Room Orchestra at the Great American Music Hall Wednesday night in partnership with the SF Sketchfest. Thursday events also include a concert by sludgy alt-metal duo Pagoto led by L.A. Witch guitarist Ellie English who play the Kilowatt with San Francisco headbangers Theya, local heavy trio Highwinds featuring Kyle Gibson (The Fresh & Onlys) and LA-based "dungeon metal" band Forest Lawn. On Friday, the festival ramps up with San Francisco indie synth-pop artist Geographer led by musician Mike Deni performing his breakout album Animal Shapes at August Hall, German electronic producer Parra for Cuva taking over Grey Area in the Mission for a sold-out immersive multi-media show, veteran psychobilly guitarist the Reverend Horton Heat who headlines the Great American Music Hall with support from gritty blues rocker Black Joe Lewis and fiery Tex-Mex ska/punk band Piñata Protest (a triple-threat tour that also stops in Santa Cruz, Healdsburg and Sacramento), and the first of two nights at the Kilowatt with power-pop icon Paul Collins, who will perform favorites by the Nerves (the LA trio he played drums for with future Plimsouls songwriter and current Bay Area Peter Case) and the Beat. On Saturday, the action continues with SF legends the Flamin' Groovies playing at the 4 Star Theater with Sacramento garage-rock greats Th' Losin Streaks and NYC post-hardcore band Les Savy Fav delivering songs from their first album in over a decade at the Great American Music Hall, while Sunday features a highly anticipated sold-out performance by indie-rock chameleon St. Vincent at Grace Cathedral and a sold-out show by acclaimed noise-rock group Chatpile, also at the Great American. Other upcoming performers of note the second week of programing include hip-hop maverick Early Sweatshirt, a sold-out show by Irish folk-rock group Lankum, Death Cab for Cutie/The Postal Service principal Ben Gibbard, influential and heavily sampled British funk outfit Cymande and the first San Francisco appearances by reunited Austin-based dream-pop band the American Analog Set in 20 years . More details about Noise Pop's full schedule of events, tickets and festival badges can be found at
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Peter Bjorn and John Announce 'Writer's Block Album Tour'
The post Peter Bjorn and John Announce 'Writer's Block Album Tour' appeared first on Consequence. Peter Bjorn and John have announced their Spring 2025 'Writer's Block Album Tour' celebrating the 19th anniversary of their breakthrough project of the same name. Marking their first stateside shows in six years, the tour will begin on May 9th in San Francisco, and feature stops in cities like Chicago, New York City, and Washington, DC. Along the way, Peter Bjorn and John will also appear at Just Like Heaven festival. See the full schedule below. Get Peter Bjorn and John Tickets Here Tickets will be available on Friday, January 31st at 10:00 a.m. via Ticketmaster and the band's website. One of the most influential albums of the 2000s, Writer's Block featured the standout track 'Young Folks,' which received placement on Gossip Girl and How I Met Your Mother. In addition, rappers Kanye West, Drake, and Azealia Banks all sampled songs from the LP. Pick up your copy here. Peter Bjorn and John's most recent album, Endless Dream, was released in 2020. Peter Bjorn and John 2025 Tour Dates: 05/09 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall 05/10 – Pasadena, CA @ Just Like Heaven 05/13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge 05/14 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird 05/16 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line 05/17 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall 05/19 – Toronto, ON @ Great Hall 05/21 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza 05/22 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair 05/23 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat Peter Bjorn and John Announce 'Writer's Block Album Tour' Eddie Fu Popular Posts Paul Reubens Comes Out as Gay in Posthumous Documentary Billy Corgan and Bill Burr Address Whether They're Half-Brothers in Surprise Meeting Tom Morello: Rage Against the Machine Were Locked Down by Secret Service After SNL Performance Nine Inch Nails Announce 2025 "Peel It Back World Tour" DJ Unk, "Walk It Out" Rapper, Dead at 42 Björk Says Spotify Is the "Worst Thing That Has Happened to Musicians" Subscribe to Consequence's email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.
