As the curtain falls on 2015, it might be hard to remember any albums released this year besides Adele's record-breaking, generation-uniting, triple-platinum-and-counting 25. But there was so much more to hear. Kendrick Lamar's Molotov-cocktail-tossing hip-hop, D'Angelo’s razor-sharp R&B and Kamasi Washington's restorative jazz all made major statements, feeling like three crucial dispatches from the #BlackLivesMatter protests under three black-and-white covers.
It appears as if Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser are readying a comeback as MGMT. A message on the band’s Twitter account noted that “2016 is the year MGMT re-dominates your mind hole.” Read more @ jambands.com
On Halloween, moe. presented a Star Wars themed show that saw the group put a special twist on some of their originals. Along with interspersing clips from various Star Wars films an jamming on the iconic John Williams score, the band turned some of their originals into Star Wars tunes, including “Shoot First” into “Han Shot First,” “St. Augustine” into “Senator Palpatine,” “Moth” into “Hoth” and others. Read more @ jambands.com
In Search of... is the debut album released by N.E.R.D. The group originally released it in Europe in 2001, where Kelis' Neptunes-produced album Wanderland, was better received. Similarly to Kelis' early work, the original version of In Search of... juxtaposes hip-hop and rock influences and styles. In 2002, the album was re-released worldwide with the electronic production backing replaced by backing provided by 1960s-style power pop band Spymob, giving the new version of the album more of a rock-oriented sound. The skits and the intro were also dropped, significantly shortening the play length. Read more @ Wikipedia
Randall Bramblett and The Mega-Blasters horn section will once again sit in with Widespread Panic on New Years Eve. The Georgia jamband icons confirmed the news on their Facebook page earlier this week. Widespread Panic will close the year at Atlanta, GA’s Fox Theatre from December 29-31. The stretch of shows is their first proper headlining shows at the intimate Fox since their 25th anniversary celebration in early 2011. Read more @ jambands.com
