Brooklyn native Pop Smoke, was killed in Los Angeles early Wednesday morning according to a report from Rolling Stone. A representative from the Los Angeles Police department confirmed that they responded to a 911 call around 4:30 this morning to find Pop Smoke shot. Pop Smoke was rushed to an area hospital were upon arrival he was pronounced dead, he was only 20.
Even though several people were questioned at the scene, no arrests have been made as of early Wednesday morning. Up to six people are sought in connection with his death, police said. The nearly 3,000-square-foot home on which the alleged home robbery took place is a rental property reportedly owned by Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave, daughter of John Mellencamp and star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Pop Smoke’s death comes after his new mixtape, Meet the Woo 2, made its debut at number eight in the Rolling Stone albums charts. Meet the Woo 2 was released earlier this month and was a accumulation of collaborations from this past summer with other trending rappers such as Travis Scott, Lil Tjay and Calboy. The mixtape was received well by fans, with already 37 million streams.
Born as Bashar Jackson in Brooklyn, New York, Pop Smoke was living the dream as he went from a unknown artists to the next-up in a span of months. Last year in April he released a hypnotic song titled “Welcome to the Party”. He quickly earned a major label deal with Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records. The hit has since had 80 million streams and an official remix with superstar Nicki Minaj. Minaj took to Instagram earlier to give her condolences on Pop Smoke’s early demise.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8wKzSGnCP0/
The rapper’s rise to fame has been scattered with hardships since last October. Rolling Stone had reported that Pop Smoke and a slew of other local rappers were scheduled perform at the New York festival Rolling Loud but were demanded by police to be removed from the lineup in a letter that “if these individuals are allowed to perform, there will be a higher risk of violence.” He was also arrested in January after allegedly transporting a Rolls Royce, worth $375,000, from California to New York.
We will continue to update as the story develops.
Pop Smoke performs “Welcome to the Party” in LIC Queens
The American jazz trio The Bad Plus confirmed their 2020 spring tour following the release of their second album, ACTIVATE INFINITY, which was released in October of 2019. The spring tour will include a multi-show residency at Village Vanguard in New York City for six consecutive days.
The tour will begin on March 19th in Kenosha, WI at the Bedford Concert Hall and will wrap up on April 12th in Washington, DC at the Blues Alley. The tour will include multi- show residencies not only in New York City but also in Oakland, CA and Washington, D.C. as well. The New York City residency is taking place at the Village Vanguard on March 24th through the 29th. The Oakland, CA residency will take place at Yoshi’s on April 3rd and 4th. Washington’s residency will take place at the Blues Alley on April 10th through the 12th.
The Bad Plus is made up of bassist Reid Anderson, drummer Dave King, and pianist Orrin Evans, hailing from Minneapolis, MN. Their newest album ACTIVATE INFINITY was produced by The Bad Plus themselves and engineered and mixed by Andy Taub at NYC’s Brooklyn Recording back in May of 2019.
For more information on The Bad Plus and their 2020 spring tour visit their website.
The Bad Plus 2020 Spring Tour dates:
March 19th – Kenosha, WI – Bedford Concert Hall
March 21st – Hartford, CT – The Bushnell Performing Arts Center
March 22nd – Rockport, MA – Rockport Music-Shalin Liu Performance Center
March 24th – New York, NY – Village Vanguard (8:30 pm & 10:30 pm)
March 25th – New York, NY – Village Vanguard (8:30 pm & 10:30 pm)
March 26th – New York, NY – Village Vanguard (8:30 pm & 10:30 pm)
March 27th – New York, NY – Village Vanguard (8:30 pm & 10:30 pm)
March 28th – New York, NY – Village Vanguard (8:30 pm & 10:30 pm)
March 29th – New York, NY – Village Vanguard (8:30 pm & 10:30 pm)
March 31st – Seattle, WA – Triple Door
April 1st – Seattle, WA – Triple Door
April 2nd – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre
April 3rd – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s (8:00 pm & 10:00 pm)
April 4th – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s (7:30 pm & 9:30 pm)
April 9th – Morgantown, WV – Lyell B. Clay Concert
April 10th – Washington, DC – Blues Alley (8:00 pm & 10:00 pm)
April 11th – Washington, DC – Blues Alley (8:00 pm & 10:00 pm)
April 12th – Washington, DC – Blues Alley (8:00 pm & 10:00 pm)
Oh Sees, the California band known for incorporating a wide range of rock genres, have announced a run of fall North American tour dates, with a two night stop at New York City’s Webster Hall in September. Among the genres that make up their unique sound are 60’s garage rock, pychedelic rock, punk, noise rock, art punk, and ’80s post-punk.
Led by guitarist/vocalist John Dwyer, whose guitar sound and brutally powerful way of playing are instantly identifiable, the band went through a series of changes that led them from clanging lo-fi garage experimentalism on albums like their 2007 debut Sucks Blood, to weirdo psych-pop on 2011’s Castlemania and almost-slick garage punk on 2014’s Drop.
Oh Sees will also play an upcoming charity concert on May 9 at the 1720 Warehouse in Los Angeles, to benefit The Elizabeth House & East LA Women’s Center. Tickets are on sale here. All dates are listed on the Oh Sees’ website.
Oh Sees UK + EU Tour:
05-15 – Birmingham – The Crossing
05-16 – Manchester – Albert Hall
05 -17– Glasgow – Barrowlands
05-18 – Dublin – Button Factory
05-19 – Dublin – Button Factory
05-21 – Bristol – SWX
05-22 – London – Electric Ballroom – Late Show
05-23 – London – Electric Ballroom – Early Show
07-05 – Lyon, France – transbordeur
07-07 – Ljubljana, Slovenia – Kino siska
07-08th – Zagreb, Croatia – Vintage industrial bar .
07-09 – Budapest, Hungary – Bankito Festival
07-11 – Erfurt, Germany – Stone from the underground
07-12 – Gierle, Belgium – Sjock festival
07-14th – Berlin, Germany – Festaal Kreuzberg
07-15 – Dusseldorf, Germany – Zakk
07-16 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
07-17 – Leuwarden, Netherlands – Welcome to the village
07-18 – Paris, France – Cabaret Sauvage
Oh Sees North American Tour:
Tue 09-01 – San Francisco, CA – August Hall *
Wed 09-02 – San Francisco, CA – August Hall *
Fri 09-04 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom *
Sat 09-05 – Seattle, WA – Neumos *
Sun 09-06 – Seattle, WA – Neumos *
Fri 09-11 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall *
Sat 09-12 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall *
Sun 09-13 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom *
Mon 09-14 – Toronto, Canada – Danforth Music Hall *
As part of Rockwood Music Hall’s 15th year anniversary, New York’s own Anna Rose will be having a show on Tuesday, February 18. She will also be sharing songs from her critically acclaimed album, The Light Between.
While you wait for the show, also make sure to check out her newly released music video with soulful rock-filled lyrics in “Broken Is Beautiful,” which also features two important women in her life.
Anna Rose will be performing at the Rockwood Music Hall on February 19.
“The video for ‘Broken Is Beautiful’ is very special to
me because it features two of the most important women in my life – my mom and
sister,” Rose said in a statement. “To have them be a part of telling
this story and to film it in a place that holds so many memories feels
incredibly cathartic. As women, I think we often fight these silent battles
within ourselves: the magic we inherently possess that drives us towards our
passions versus the societal markers that we are held up against. At any age,
that internal struggle can become a deep well of insecurity and I’m so grateful
to have my family help tell this story. Beyond that, having my dear friend and
collaborator Shruti direct and produce only adds to the magic, as she and I
have so much trust between us after years of working together.”
Frontman of Strangefolk and Assembly of Dust Reid Genauer will have some ‘Folks’ join him for a trio of shows this weekend in the Northeast. Bringing together a blend of musical genetics, crazy fingers and interpersonal chemistry, featured Folks include Jason Crosby (Assembly of Dust, Phil Lesh and Friends), Scott Law (Phil Lesh and Friends), Elliott Peck (Midnight North), Dave Diamond (Assembly of Dust), John Leccese (Assembly of Dust).
Genauer is excited for the potential of these shows, saying of the lineup, “Elliott Peck and I have had some glittery moments singing together in the past, mainly because she’s fantastic and can pluck a harmony out of the ether. So in addition to face-melting fungus rock, I’m looking forward to doing a few songs broken down with Elliott singing, Jason playing Violin and Scott Law playing mandolin. Any way you cut it expect to have fun because that’s what we are expecting.”
Also coming this week is Extended Release, a live album of selected performances from Reid Genauer & Folks 2019 tour dates features a series of line-ups and venues. Included in the release are tracks recorded at Brooklyn Bowl, The Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA) and Jerry Jam Festival (NH). Extended Release will be available on all major music platforms February 21, 2020.
A key member of the jam scene and beyond for more than 2 decades, Genauer’s songwriting follows in the tradition of influences including Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia, Willie Nelson and Paul Simon. The New York Times has described him as “a path between Woodstock and Nashville, with detours to Burlington and Bonnaroo.”
Rome Ramirez, lead singer and guitarist from Sublime with Rome and Duddy, vocalist and guitarist of Dirty Heads, have joined together to form the duo Rome & Duddy. They have announced a winter 2020 tour called ‘The Friends and Family Tour,’ set to kick off in Albuquerque, New Mexico February 26. Among the 15 stops will be a performance at the Showroom at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona on March 14. Opening for them on select dates will be Micah Brown, vocalist and guitarist of the sunshine reggae group Iration.
In celebration of the tour, the duo released their version of the Van Morrison song “And It Stoned Me” on Valentine’s Day to give the fans a taste of what is to come on.
Rome & Duddy’s newly released single “And It Stoned Me”
For the intimate and acoustic show, fans will not only hear raw versions of previously recorded material, including fan-favorites from Sublime with Rome and Dirty Heads, but also material that has spawned from the Rome & Duddy project.
After Rome and Dirty Heads released “Lay Me Down” in 2008 the Rome & Duddy project was born. “Lay Me Down” went on the make history as it reached #1 on Billboard’s Rock Songs Chart, the first time a song from a independent label would hold this spot. It remained on the alternative charts for 11 weeks and earned a gold record RIAA certification.
The Dirty Heads with Rome “Lay Me Down”
“The friends and family tour is to celebrate me and Duddy knowing each other for over 10 years. We both got our starts performing with the acoustic guitar and our voice. That’s it. We just wanted to get together and bring it to the fans. Really broken down and will play some new stuff we have cooking up. Hopefully, we’ll be able to expand on this and bring other singers from bands who may want to come out on the road and do this every year with us,” comments Rome.
Tickets are on sale now with entry VIP packages to include early entry to the show, exclusive show t-shirts, posters, and up-graded VIP packages will also include meet and greets with Rome and Duddy, and collectible VIP laminate. VIP packages are on-sale now, available here.
ROME & DUDDY TOUR DATES
Feb. 26 – Sister Bar – Albuquerque, NM
Feb. 28 – Voodoo Lounge – Kansas City, MO
Feb. 29 – Tower Theatre – Oklahoma City, OK
March 2 – Pub Station – Billings, MT*
March 3 – Fargo Theatre – Fargo, ND*
March 6 – Palace Theatre – Greensburg, PA*
March 8 – The VETS – Providence, RI*
March 10 – Rams Head Live – Annapolis, MD*
March 12 – Cabot – Beverly, MA*
March 13 – Bergen PAC – Englewood, NJ*
March 14 – Showroom at Turning Stone Resort & Casino – Verona, NY*
Andy Frasco and the UN brought their Royal Rumble tour circus to the Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday night, in the form of a high energy, wrestling themed showdown with co-headliner Big Something. Comedian Kyle Ayers doubled as the opening act and MC for the antics. The sold out crowd enjoyed the ruckus that ensued, as well as the jams.
Kyle Ayers kicked off the festivities with an unusual opening set of comedy directed at jam band fans. Shortly thereafter, Big Something descended upon the stage, delivering jam rock with a Southern and alt-rock flavor, along with extremely high energy. Members of Andy Frasco and the UN joined this party dressed in wrestling masks for a notable cover of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” At one point, Frasco dove onto Ayers, forcing him to wear a neck brace for the rest of the show. Big Something also performed the nineties throwback “Gangster’s Paradise” by Coolio.
After setbreak, Andy Frasco and the UN descended upon the stage once again, this time with even crazier stage antics. Known for stage diving, Frasco went for a ride early on in the set, and sported a bottle of Jameson throughout the night. Frasco was not without support from talented guests, as guitarists Dave Brandwein of Turkuaz and Brandon Niederauer took the stage for an electric cover of “Burning Down the House” by the Talking Heads. They also played their newly released track “Keep On Keepin’ On,” which was well received by the crowd.
The night was not complete without a stage diving race to drive the lane and dunk a basketball into the hoop setup within the crowd. Ayers refereed this challenge, while standing on top of Frasco’s piano. Frasco pulled off the victory while wearing his Wilt Chamberlain Lakers jersey.
The show was highly entertaining, and included some tasty blues, funk and rock-n-roll jams. This circus is back on the road this week in NY State, performing at the Buffalo Iron Works in Buffalo, NY on Tuesday, Feb 18th. Visit their tour page for more details.
JamFam Music & Arts Festival has just released the initial lineup for the 2020 festival slated to take place at Waterloo Village from July 24-26 in Stanhope, NJ. Headlining the festival is New Riders of the Purple Sage and Melvin Seals and JGB. The New Riders of the Purple Sage will be celebrating 50 years together with a special show dedicated to the band’s pedal steel guitar player who recently passed away.
New Riders of the Purple Sage perform “Up Against the Wall Redneck” Live
Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Northwester New Jersey, JamFam Music & Arts Festival is a two day camping event that creates a haven of continuous music taking place. Waterloo Village has played host to stellar performances since the 80s including Phish, Bob Dylan and the 1994 Woodstock.
“Our goal was to ignite the hallowed grounds of Waterloo and create a new beginning for this iconic venue while keeping the area spotless. The JamFam Music & Arts Festival will feature a ‘Leave No Footprint’ commitment to eco-conscious partying and music with an aim to protect the beautiful and lush landscape and environment.”
Founder & Producer, Michael Kestin (As stated in a press release)
Available now are a limited number of 2-Day Early Bird Passes and VIP Packages. Once the full daily schedules are announced single day passes will become available. Tickets are available at theJamFam website.
Melvin Seals and JGB perform live at Jerry Jam 2017 “That’s What Love Will Make You Do”
Whirling dervish Andy Frasco has announced his upcoming LP Keep On Keepin’ On will be due out in April on SideOneDummy Records. With a therapeutic helping of rock ‘n roll with pop and Americana roots influence, the album is a powerful musical snapshot of what’s going on with Andy, his band and his fans. A special “Wellness” video trailer for the album has been released, geared towards encouraging fans not to suppress feelings that may be uncomfortable to talk about, and share the good as well as bad things in life.
“We all have things that make us who we are. Some things are just uncomfortable to talk about, so we tend to suppress those feelings because we don’t want our friends and social media followers to look at us as weak. It’s time to speak up about not just the good things in our life but the bad as well. This is who I am.”
“We’re going through a mental health crisis right now,” says Andy Frasco. “Loneliness, depression, suicide, it’s all on the rise. When you’re struggling in the moment, it can feel like you’re the only one, but that’s just not the truth. I wanted to make a record to remind you that you’re not alone.”
The title track combines soul, funk and pop, and empowers the listener through a danceable and catchy track focusing on overcoming negative thoughts and embracing love. Honest, thought-provoking and rhythmically infectious, Frasco’s upcoming project has important conversations while showcasing his talent as a songwriter and performer.
Produced by Widespread Panic’s Dave Schools and by former AWOLNATION keyboardist Kenny Carkeet, the LP finds Frasco digging deeper than he’s ever dug before, fusing ecstatic rock and soul with infectious pop and funk as he grapples with the kind of demons he’s spent the better part of his adult life running from. The songs here are blunt in their honesty and unsparing in their self-examination, but they remain, at their core, works of great hope and promise. They’re the work of a man who’s been through the darkest part of the night and, now that dawn is finally breaking, is ready to share his story.
“Making this record helped me accept that I needed therapy in my life,” Frasco explains. “I always used to think I was too proud or too strong to have a therapist, but I realized that was all bullshit. I’m not always the fun, wild guy people see onstage, and it felt like time to talk about who I really am.”
Frasco is also in the midst of his Spring Tour, supporting Big Something, Umphrey’s McGee and Twiddle, as well as standalone shows. Catch him in Ithaca on February 11, Brooklyn February 15 and Buffalo February 18. Full tour dates are below.
Andy Frasco and the U.N. Spring Tour
2/05 – 1904 Music Hall – Jacksonville, FL (with Big Something)
2/06 – The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC (with Big Something)
2/07 – The Charleston Pour House – Charleston, SC (with Big Something)
2/08 – Neighborhood Theatre – Charlotte, NC (with Big Something)
2/09 – The Broadberry – Richmond, VA (with Big Something)
2/11 – The Haunt – Ithaca, NY (with Big Something)
2/12 – The Rex Theater – Pittsburgh, PA (with Big Something)
2/13 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC (with Big Something)
2/14 – Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA (with Big Something)
2/15 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY (with Big Something)
2/18 – Buffalo Iron Works – Buffalo, NY (with Big Something)
2/19 – The Magic Bag – Ferndale, MI (with Big Something)
2/20 – Woodlands Tavern – Columbus, OH (with Big Something)
2/21 – The Stache – Grand Rapids, MI (with Big Something)
2/22 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
2/25 – Neurolux – Boise, ID
2/26 – Midtown Ballroom – Bend, OR (supporting Umphrey’s McGee)
2/27 – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR (supporting Umphrey’s McGee)
2/28 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR (supporting Umphrey’s McGee)
2/29 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA (supporting Umphrey’s McGee)
3/03 – Humboldt Brews – Arcata, CA
3/04 – The Saint – Reno, NV
3/05 – Crazy Horse Saloon – Nevada City, CA
3/06 – Lost on Main – Chico, CA
3/07 – The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA (supporting Twiddle)
3/19 – Schmiggity’s – Steamboat Springs, CO
3/20 – Boogie at The Broadmoor – Colorado Springs, CO
3/21 – Agave – Avon, CO
4/18 – Bluebird Theater – Denver, CO
4/20 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO
4/24 – Sweetwater 420 Festival – Atlanta, GA
4/25 – Winstons – San Diego, CA
5/22 – Summer Camp Music Festival – Chillicothe, IL
5/23 – Summer Camp Music Festival – Chillicothe, IL
5/24 – Summer Camp Music Festival – Chillicothe, IL
6/07 – Backwoods at Mulberry Mountain – Ozark, AR
6/11 – Bonnaroo – Manchester, TN
7/04 – Peach Music Festival – Scranton, PA
July 2 – July 5 – High Sierra Music Festival – Quincy, CA
Rapper, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s highly anticipated, third solo effort has finally arrived. It’s backed by two singles: “Reply,” featuring Lil Uzi Vert and “King of My City,” as well as a snippet of “Guitar Song.” The Bronx native is looking to impress after having his album release date pushed back on several occasions because of leaked records. He shared the album’s artwork on his Instagram account on February 5 and confirmed the Valentine’s Day release on February 10.
His last album, Hoodie SZN, was his first project to debut at number 1 on Billboard 200, producing four charting singles, the most successful of which was the guitar laden “Look Back At It.” Overall, the crooner/emcee looks to capture the city’s attention, with a return to what had gained him a loyal following throughout the five boroughs.
Although Hoodie SZN was commercially successful, some felt he had strayed away from the tear-jerking records that first gained him notoriety. Such as, “D.T.B.,” from his debut mixtape Artist, hence the latest project’s title. With an ever-growing staple of New York City rappers (Pop Smoke, Fivio Foreign, Sheff G) bringing notoriety back to hip hop’s birthplace, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is looking to leave a lasting impression, and lay claim to his throne as the latest king of New York rap.
He’ll need this project to be the one to do so, as this might be the last time we hear from A Boogie for a while. The “Drowning,” rapper took to Instagram to say, “This might be my last project for a while,” he revealed. “I wanna take a break from music after Artist 2.0 tour is over. There’s a lot of things I want to do in life and it’s just moving too fast for me to focus on everything at once. But I will never let my fans down. When you need me most, I’ll be there.”
