14 Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird Bar

Lettuce - Bloomington

Lettuce 10/20/14 Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird Bar
Part 1 of 2: The New Reel (new song), By Any Shmeeans Necessary > Expensive Shit [Fela Kuti cover with bassline from Asiko by Tony Allen] > Shmeeans, Squadlive, Fly

Lettuce 10/20/14 Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird Bar
Part 2 of 2: Chief (new song), He Made A Woman Out Of Me [Bobbie Gentry cover] (with Alecia Chakour), What Do I Have To Do To Prove My Love To You [Marva Whitney cover] (with Alecia Chakour), The Sun (with Alecia Chakour) (new song), Phyllis (new song), Flu

Lettuce
October 20, 2014
Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird Bar

Sony ECM-MS908C stereo mic > Canon XA20 (LPCM audio) > Vegas Pro 12.0 > WAV > CD Wave Editor (tracking) > FLAC

AUDIO DOWNLOAD: FLAC TORRENT or LIVE MUSIC ARCHIVE

01. “Big Anthem” (new song)
02. Fly
03. Yakatori (new song)
04. new intro > Monorail 3000 > Blast Off
05. Squadlive
06. He Made A Woman Out Of Me [Bobbie Gentry cover] (with Alecia Chakour)
07. What Do I Have To Do To Prove My Love To You [Marva Whitney cover] (with Alecia Chakour)
08. The Sun (with Alecia Chakour) (new song)
09. Lettsanity
10. Phyllis (new song)
11. Chief (new song)
12. Flu
13. new intro > Madison Square
Encore:
14. “The New Reel” (new song)
15. By Any Shmeeans Necessary > Expensive Shit [Fela Kuti cover with bassline from Asiko by Tony Allen] > Shmeeans

Seun Kuti – The Funk It Interview

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Bloomington, Indiana @ The Bluebird

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 blazed through southern Indiana on their current tour of the United States, stopping at the 250 capacity Bluebird Nightclub last Friday. Their act was in top form, performing their entire new album, A Long Way To The Beginning, as well as the Fela Kuti composition V.I.P. (Vagabonds In Power).

I sat down with Seun after the show to discuss the current state of afrobeat music, walking in his father’s footsteps with the Egypt 80 band, and working with Robert Glasper on the new album. Check out the video interview, plus a few songs and a 16 minute monologue/rant right here on Funk It…

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 – The Funk It Interview 9/12/14 Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Bloomington, Indiana @ The Bluebird

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 1 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
IMF (International Mother Fuckers)

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 2 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Seun speaks

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 3 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Black Woman

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 4 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Black Woman (continued)

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 5 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Higher Consciousness (second half), Kalakuta Boy

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Part 6 of 6) Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Kalakuta Boy (continued)

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - Bloomington, Indiana @ The Bluebird

Seun Kuti - The Funk It Interview

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I also had the pleasure of catching original afrobeat drummer and pioneer Tony Allen perform with the Chicago Afrobeat Project a few weeks ago in Chicago at a small club. I only caught the first 25 minutes before I had to high tail it to the Navy Pier to get on the Spirit of Chicago yacht with Talib Kweli and a conglomerate of funk superstars for the Fiyawrapper Battleship (but that’s a story for another day and blog post).

Tony Allen with Chicago Afrobeat Project

It appears that Tony Allen has recorded a full album with the Chicago Afrobeat Project for release next year and I was able to catch several of these new songs through my video lens…

Chicago Afrobeat Project with Tony Allen (Part 1 of 3)
8/30/2014 Chicago, IL @ Double Door

Chicago Afrobeat Project with Tony Allen (Part 2 of 3)
8/30/2014 Chicago, IL @ Double Door

Chicago Afrobeat Project with Tony Allen (Part 3 of 3)
8/30/2014 Chicago, IL @ Double Door

Tony Allen with Chicago Afrobeat Project

Orgone’s never-ending tour lights up The Bishop Bar in Bloomington, IN, May 30, 2012

Orgone lit the stage on fire Wednesday, May 30th at the Bishop Bar in Bloomington, IN. Having made a stop in the city during their fall 2011 tour, the crowd was filled with many dedicated Orgone fans as well as newly converted funk fanatics. A full set of old hits and new jams left the crowd in a sweaty, melted, synergistic state of funk.

With a new album coming out in a few months, the group’s energy and groove are as tight as ever. This hard touring band will be covering the country this summer with a jam-packed set of dates. Check their schedule and hit up a show for a real taste of Cali fever.

Check out the videos below, and the full SBD audio download here.

Orgone
May 30, 2012 Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop Bar
Rock Me Again & Again & Again (Lyn Collins cover), Strike (Union cover), Sabi:

Orgone
May 30, 2012 Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop Bar
Cynthy-Ruth (Black Merda cover), Lovemaker:

Check out past Funk It features on Orgone: here and here.

Also, if you’re wondering, Fanny Franklin, Orgone’s previous singer, has released an album of her own and I highly recommend it: http://soundcloud.com/fannyfranklin.

And finally, a bonus video:
Orgone with guest artist at large Jonathan Lloyd (trombone)
November 11, 2011 Bear Creek Music & Arts Festival
Cali Fever, Break In The Road (Betty Harris cover), Rock Me Again & Again & Again (Lyn Collins cover):

And, another bonus video:
Orgone
June 23, 2012 Cleveland, OH @ The Grop Shop
It’s Serious ( Cameo cover) (inc. tease of The Clash‘s The Magnificent Seven):