Win two tickets to The Roots Family Picnic.

Next Saturday is the 3rd Annual Roots Family Picnic in Philly!  This all-star Vampire Weekend will feature The Legendary Roots Crew along with hip-hop greats Method Man, Ghostface & Raekwon as well as Africa's best Baja + The Dry Eye Crew from Sierra Leone, West Africa and Nneka from Nigeria. 
Baja + The Dry Eye Crew are giving away tickets:
Read Below:
SHOW US YOUR DRY EYE

We thought it would be nice to share the love with our friends, so we went ahead and got two extra tickets for the Roots Picnic on June 5 in Philadelphia,  where Bajah + the Dry Eye Crew will be playing alongside The Roots, Nneka, The Very Best, Vampire Weekend, Method Man, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and a whole lot more.

We didn't know how to choose who to give the tickets to, so we made a funny little contest and hope you'll join. All you have to do is upload a photo of yourself doing the legendary Dry Eye sign to our facebook page (www.facebook.com/planetbajah) or tweet it at us (@planetbajah, #dryeye), and a mysterious panel will be pick the best one.

We even got Snoop Dog, Damian Marley, Jeffrey Wright, Dame Dash, Hugh Jackman, and a whole slew of others to show you how.

Anyway, we hope to see you there!

The Smaller SummerStage free shows are pretty cool next week in Brooklyn...

SummerStage Music

Roy Ayers with DJ Jon Quick
When: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Betsy Head Memorial Playground

Though he has gained renown for his funky, soulful and jazzy compositions, Roy Ayers’ signature sound is the vibraphone, incorporated into virtually all elements of his music. With hits such as ‘Brother Green’ and ‘Everybody Loves the Sunshine’, Ayers set the stage for modern R&B artists over the course of his forty plus year career with his innovative use of synthesizers and modern production techniques. Widely considered to be one of the most sampled artists of all time, Ayers’ music continues to engage and inspire audiences of all ages.
Talent can be defined in a myriad of ways. It can be an innate gift or a learned proficiency, but occasionally it’s a potent mixture of both. This is definitely the case with DJ Jon Quick aka the Turntable Superhero. With active residencies at The Cabanas (Maritime Hotel) on Tuesdays, Moca on Wednesdays, Taj Afterwork on Thursdays and The Vault on Saturdays, he is one of NYC’s most notable DJs. His mixes have been featured on Sirius Satellite Radio, Kiss FM and Music Choice. He has also done underground remixes for the rapper K-OS and Bad Boy vocalist, Cheri Dennis. Named one of the 2009 NYC most influential tastemaker/DJ by Kinetix Marketing and for Hennessy Black, the newest brand from by Hennessy, DJ Jon Quick was just featured on NYC’s Fox-5 TV’s Good Day New York and is arguably one of the fastest rising DJ’s created a blueprint for others to follow.

MORE

Share This

 

---

SummerStage Music

Doug E. Fresh and DJ Dee Wiz
When: Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Herbert Von King Park

Doug E. Fresh, one of the originators of the human beat box, is one of the early heralds of the global hip hop movement.

Part of the NYC Revolutions series
Doug E. Fresh is one of the originators of the human beat box (vocally simulating the sound of drums and other musical instruments) as an instrument in hip-hop. Best known for the two-sided, multi-platinum hits “The Show” and “La Di Da Di,” his groundbreaking success in the 1980s heralded the global popularity of hip-hop. Fresh has embraced hip-hop activism and used his voice to speak out against a variety of social ills. Along the way, he has nurtured rising talent, including the likes of Slick Rick, P. Diddy, Biz Markie and numerous newcomers during his stint as host (and unofficial mentor) of It’s Showtime at the Apollo. Join “The Human Beat Box” as he teams up with mixtape master DJ Dee Wiz for an unforgettable journey into the history and future of hip-hop.

info@SummerStage.org

(212) 360-2777

MORE

Share This

SummerStage Dance

Akim Funk Buddha's Flying Boom Box and Organic Magnetics & AfroFunk Hip Hop Dance Class
When: Friday, June 4, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Herbert Von King Park

To attend the AfroFunk Hip Hop dance class, please come right at 7 p.m. and experience Akim Funk Buddha's holistic approach to hip hop as he incorporates elements of Body Popping & waving to tradition Zulu dance sensibilities. The class will be taught using Afro beat, Funk and Hip Hop classics. This class is open to everyone of all ages and skill levels
Akim Funk Buddha creates borderless performance art, fusing sounds and movements. An avid world traveler and self-described old-school B-boy MC, he is known for his holistic approach to hip-hop, drawing from a full spectrum of cultural traditions and artistic disciplines. The Flying Boom Box is a story about a young hip-hop artist who by chance discovers that by manipulating the electric-magnetic field of sound waves from his tape deck, he can navigate himself to various countries and time periods. The program features 10 musicians and styles of dance ranging from South African gum boot, Japanese and Balinese traditional to the urban styles of break dancing, body popping, vogue and the hottest new re-emerging dance called “Waaking” (think the ’70s as seen on Soul Train).
Organic Magnetics is a theater arts laboratory that binds creativity and sustainability, inspiring collaboration across cultures and art forms. Director Maija Garcia fuses a contemporary style inspired by Afro-Latin rhythms, with yoga, martial arts and theater dynamics. The company integrates movement, sound, visual art and design to produce site-specific performances, installations and workshops. Organic Magnetics transforms the creative process into urban folklore for the future. The company will perform YaYa Dreams, A Future, a kaleidoscopic experience of the modern world as viewed through the eyes of a child who dares to imagine his future. Through a series of visions and soundscapes, with live music composed and performed by Monk and Hamilton, YaYa forges a way into alternate realms by interacting with the people, places and possibilities that come to life in his dreams.

info@SummerStage.org

(212) 360-2777

MORE

Share This

 

---

SummerStage Music

Living Colour, Ebony Bones!, Pillow Theory and CX KiDTRONiK
When: Saturday, June 5, 2010 at 3:00PM
Where: Central Park/Mainstage

Classic BRC legends Living Colour usher in a new generation of African-American rock stars.

Living Colour last graced SummerStage in 2001, staging their first reunion concert to a packed house. Now Vernon Reid, Will Calhoun, Corey Glover and Doug Wimbish return to Central Park, to celebrate their own 25th anniversary- of the Black Rock Coalition, the not-for-profit artist collective co-founded by Vernon Reid. The band rose to stardom in 1988 with their breakout album Vivid, featuring the Grammy Award-winning smash hit and MTV staple, “Cult of Personality.” In 2009, the band released their fifth studio album, The Chair and the Doorway, to critical success, with Rolling Stone declaring it, “Living Colour’s most focused record since their 1988 debut.”
Ebony Bones! (a.k.a. Ebony Thomas) is a London-born, autodidact singer/songwriter/ producer/actress with a penchant for punk-meets-funk style and an extravagant eye for fashion. Ebony’s music has been described as reminiscent of “the aggressively proto-feminist dance music of Grace Jones and X-Ray Spex” by the Chicago Tribune. Bones’ self-released single, “We Know All About U” (recorded out of her apartment using bottles, woks and pans as percussive instruments) debuted as the “Hottest Record In the World Today” on BBC’s Radio 1, going on to become the most played single by an unsigned artist on that popular UK station.
Described by the Washington Post as “soul meets screamo,” Pillow Theory is a NYC-based quartet whose live shows are a roiling, genre-defying blend of metal, punk, free jazz and pop.
DJ CX KiDTRONiK has a reputation for putting on energetic, over-the-top shows featuring his signature live drum machine, freestyle synthesizer, and video game bleeps and blips. He has worked with a large range of co-conspirators including Antipop Consortium, Saul Williams, Trent Reznor, Kanye West and, more recently took his KraKSTRAVAGANZA Band on the road with Girl Talk, Zion I and The Grouch on The City of Dope Tour.
The Black Rock Coalition, founded in 1985 by Vernon Reid, Greg Tate and Konda Mason, is now launching into its 25th year of being the nation’s only nonprofit organization fully dedicated to finding, creating and cultivating opportunities for alternative musical artists of color. Member-driven, volunteer-run, and completely in it for the love, the BRC has and will continue to exert its influence in support and praise of the true innovators of rock and roll–past, present, and future.

info@SummerStage.org

(212) 360-2777

MORE

Share This

 

---

SummerStage Dance

Peniel Guerrier Dance and Julio Jean Haitian American Dance Theater Present a Tribute to Haiti
When: Saturday, June 5, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Herbert Von King Park

Julio Jean Haitian American Dance Theater is a highly acclaimed dance company dedicated to the sharing Haiti's dance culture with the world. Internationally recognized Haitian dance company, Peniel Guerrier Dance utilizes an intoxicating mix of traditional drums and rhythms to propel the spirit of Haitian dance.

To attend the Yanavalou Haitian Folkloric Dance class, please come right at 7 p.m. and join us onstage as Master Teacher Peniel Guerrier leads you through the traditional moves of his homeland. This class is open to everyone of all ages and skill levels.
Peniel Guerrier Dance is one of the most prestigious dance companies in Haiti and well known throughout the Caribbean and United States for its traditional dance performances and use of drums. Under the artistic direction of Peniel Guerrier, Peniel Guerrier Dance performs Afro-Haitian folkloric dance with traditional rhythms, and showcases the unique cultural heritage of this country.
Julio Jean Haitian American Dance Theater was created in 2000, and is universally known for its deeply moving and soulful productions. Julio Jean was one of the first Haitian dance artists to bring the spirit of her homeland to a wide audience in the US. Each production is a breathtaking composite of authentic Haitian rhythms, folklore, symbolism and singing on a canvas of modern American dance. Join this groundbreaking dance company as they premiere a selection from the original dance play, 7.0 by Julio Jean. It is an exuberant journey into the world of mysticism, history, art and culture of Haiti culminating in the tragic event in January 2010: the 7.0 quake. A requiem and inspiration to future generations of Haitians to unite and remember the creative potential and spirituality that lives in Haitian dance.
Haiti Cultural Exchange is a nonprofit organization established to develop, present and promote the culture of Haiti and its people. The organization seeks to raise awareness of social issues and foster cultural understanding and appreciation through programs in the arts, education and public affairs.

info@SummerStage.org

(212) 360-2777

MORE

Share This

 

---

SummerStage Music

Pupy y Los Que Son Son and Jose Conde: A Tribute to Fania Records
When: Sunday, June 6, 2010 at 3:00PM
Where: Central Park/Mainstage

Cuba es Libre with a rare live set from songo icons Pupy y Los Que Son Son, pan-latin grooves from Jose Conde and an all-star DJ celebration of NY salsa.

As a former member of the internationally acclaimed Los Van Van, Cuban pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader César Pedroso has proven his talents. Now, touring under his nickname 'Pupy' Pedroso has set about taking the planet by storm. Along with his group, Los Que Son Son, Pedroso is a trailblazing representative of the relatively young style of Timba music. Pupy y Los Que Son Son’ s SummerStage appearance marks a major highlight of their first US tour.
Singer, songwriter, and producer Jose Conde is celebrated for his recordings with the Cuba-centric band Ola Fresca, which deviate from traditional Cuban music forms through a liberal juxtaposition and fusion of rhythms and the playful use of language. The Brooklyn-based, Miami-raised son of Cuban immigrants, Conde has reached a large audience by being featured in numerous recent compilations. Tonight marks the official unveiling of music from his upcoming solo 2010 release with his funky new pan-Latin powerhouse of a band, the nu Latin Groove.
NYC native and world-renowned DJ Bobbito Garcia is the Creative Chief at Project 2050, an ideas and solutions shop. The former Bounce Magazine Editor In Chief is also the critically acclaimed author of Where’d You Get Those? NYC’s Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987 and has a new CD compilation out titled Connection .
DJ Laylo’s unrelenting commitment to good music and rocking the crowd has earned her a reputation as one of NYC’s foremost turntablists. Born in Puerto Rico to Dominican parents, her musical selection reflects her NY upbringing: hip-hop, soul, salsa, house, merengue, reggae, and Afrobeat.
Born and raised in the culture of hip-hop, DJ SAKE-1 has been looking for the perfect beat since 1989. A founding member of California’s (((Local 1200))) Sound System, DJ SAKE-1 has utilized a combination of advanced science and Bay Area hustle to genetically alter the hip-hop idiom into a 360 degree circle of soul.

info@SummerStage.org

(212) 360-2777

MORE

Share This

Free Concerts in NYC have Begun! Check out Jay Electronica - June 1st

SummerStage Music 

Jay Electronica

When: Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at 7:00PM
Where: Red Hook Park

With unconventional style and a unique combination of clever lyrics and deep musical cuts, Jay Electronica has been breathing new life into rap from the streets up.

Part of the NYC Revolutions series
With unconventional style and a unique combination of clever lyrics and deep musical cuts, Jay Electronica has been breathing new life into rap from the streets up. Jay is best known for his creative use of film soundtracks as a bed for his abstract rhymes. Jay’s most recent “Just Blaze” produced single, “Exhibit C,” has garnered heavy rotation on major radio stations, the streets and online, quickly landing in the iTunes hip-hop top ten.

info@SummerStage.org

(212) 360-2777

LESS

Essence Music Festival : Features Janet Jackson and Mary J. Blige

Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, and Mary J. Blige at the 2010 EMF

05.06.2010 – r New Orleans- July 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.

As ESSENCE celebrates its 40th anniversary, this year’s ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL(EMF) is presenting three female headliners who are icons emblematic of the ESSENCE brand. Each night of the Fourth of July weekend-long celebration in New Orleans will conclude with a headlining performance from these powerful women: Janet Jackson (Friday, July 2), Alicia Keys (Saturday, July 3) and Mary J. Blige (Sunday, July 4). This year’s multi-generational list of performers also features some of today's greatest African-American artists and also honors the local music of New Orleans (full night-by-night line-up is below).

LINE-UP:
The 2010 ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL night-by-night line-up (as of 5/6) is as follows
Friday, July 2

• Main stage: Janet Jackson, Charlie Wilson, Raphael Saadiq, Monica
• Superlounges: Chrisette Michele, Irma Thomas, Arrested Development, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Mary Mary, Irvin Mayfield & the NOJO, WAR, Little Freddie King.

Saturday, July 3

• Main stage: Alicia Keys, Gladys Knight, LL Cool J, Keri Hilson.
• Superlounges: Laura Izibor, Sam & Ruby, De La Soul, Kermit Ruffins & the BBQ Swingers, Mint Condition, Leo Jackson & Melody Clouds, Joe, Rebirth Brass Band

Sunday, July 4

• Main stage: Earth Wind & Fire, Mary J Blige, Jill Scott, Trey Songz.
• Superlounges: Estelle, Hot 8 Brass Band, Lalah Hathaway, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Ruben Studdard, Shamarr Allen and The Underdawgs, Melanie Fiona, PJ Morton Band, Soul Rebels Brass Band.