The Roots (Band)

Music Fests Like Coachella Drive Concert Sales to New Heights

How Music Festivals Keep The Music Industry Afloat

This week's New Times cover story examines the music industry's only 21st-century success story: The incredible boom in live music in general and festivals in particular. Since you might still be in the throes of a Coachella hangover--or maybe you're getting ready to camp out at That Damn Show Sat ... More >>

McDowell Mountain Music Festival 2013 (VIDEO)

Are you still sleeping off the hangover you picked up at the 10th annual McDowell Mountain Music Festival? In case you somehow missed it, MMMF 3013 brought some great acts to Phoenix. We're still tapping our feet every time we hear a song by The Roots or The Shins and we've got our fingers crossed t ... More >>

10 Things We Learned at McDowell Mountain Music Festival 2013

This weekend McDowell Mountain Music Festival celebrated its 10-year anniversary in style, at a new primo location of Margret T. Hance Park, with good beer from Deschutes, and with awesome bands like The Shins, The Roots, Balkan Beat Box, Les Claypool, and more. You can catch up on our reviews, in ... More >>

Dr. Dog and Les Claypool's Duo de Twang, McDowell Mountain Music Festival, 3/24/13

Dr. Dog, Les Claypool's Duo de Twang, and More @ McDowell Mountain Music Festival at Margret T. Hance Park|3/24/13The last day of a music festival is always an exercise in mixed feelings. The majority of the crowd is exhausted, sunburned, and dehydrated, but through it all, watching the headlining b ... More >>

The Roots, McDowell Mountain Music Festival, 3/23/13

The Roots @ McDowell Mountain Music Festival at Margret T. Hance Park|3/23/13About an hour into their dominating set, the legendary Roots crew pulled out a trick few other bands could get away with: Drummer Questlove and percussionist Frank Knuckles did a drum solo. An extended one. It's always been ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Shows in Phoenix This Weekend

Who's excited for the Instagram pictures Questlove is going to post of Phoenix this weekend? I sure am. The Roots will be in town on Saturday, March 23, to play as part of McDowell Mountain Music Festival, plus, Questo will be dropping a DJ set at Bar Smith afterward. That's sure to yield some good ... More >>

Roots Drummer Questlove's Instagram Feed Is the Internet's Best

Questlove of The Roots Is So Much Better at Instagram Than You

Of all the stupid things we do with our phones, Instagram might be the worst. Not only has the app falsely convinced us all we're professional photographers, but it's done something even worse: It's encouraged our worst vainglorious tendencies. No one is Amaro-toning his or her real life. There are ... More >>

Les Claypool: Eccentric Bassist Would Rather Be Fishing

If Primus bassist Les Claypool had a bumper sticker on his car, it would most likely read: "I'd rather be fishing." As much as Claypool likes to create strange and esoteric music, he also loves heading out on the water and zoning out. See also: -Les Claypool's Duo de Twang and Deer Tick Added to ... More >>

McDowell Mountain Music Festival 2013 Announces Local Lineup Featuring Kongos, Fayuca, and More

McDowell Mountain Music Festival's 2013 lineup, featuring The Shins, The Roots, Deer Tick, Les Claypool's Duo de Twang, and more, has expanded to include a host of local Phoenix-based acts. The weekend festival will now Kongos, Mergence, Banana Gun, Fayuca, The Veragroove, Yellow Minute, Decker, and ... More >>

The Shins and Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes Added to the Expanding McDowell Mountain Music Festival Lineup

The quickly expanding lineup of McDowell Mountain Music Festival 2013 has added two more big names to the roster: The Shins and Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes. The 2013 installment of the festival is looking to have the most impressive lineup in MMMF history, as The Shins and Sharpe join Th ... More >>

Musiq Soulchild @ Celebrity Theatre

Les Claypool's Duo de Twang and Deer Tick Added to McDowell Mountain Music Festival 2013

Do you hear that? Off in the distance? It's the sound of a bass guitar being slapped. Furiously slapped. That's kinda what Les Claypool (Primus, Oysterhead, Frog Brigade) does, and I'm betting that's what he'll be doing with his Duo de Twang (Claypol plus MIRV) on Sunday, March 24. The act has been ... More >>

Top Five Phoenix Music Stories of the Week

The news waits for no one -- at least that's what we read somewhere -- so it's perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of our biggest stories f ... More >>

McDowell Mountain Music Festival 2013: The Roots, Dr. Dog, Heartless Bastards; New Location

When The Compound Grill closed in April, 2012, it set the future of the McDowell Mountain Music Festival, which had taken place there since 2010, in uncertain light. See also: Compound Grill Closes See also: All New Times McDowell Mountain Music Festival Coverage Of course, the festival (winner o ... More >>

Top Phoenix Music Stories of the Week

The news waits for no one -- at least that's what we read somewhere -- so it's perfectly understandable that you, the reader, might have missed out on a musical tidbit, breaking news about your favorite venue, or one of our rants. So enjoy this digest-style sampling of some of our biggest stories f ... More >>

Miniature Tigers Cover The Beatles, Play With The Roots, and Uh, Do the Theme From Friends On New Mixtape

See also: Miniature Tigers Paint a Sensual Scene With Mia Pharaoh See also: Miniature Tigers' Charlie Brand: "We Wanted To Have This Warm, Beautiful Feeling To The Album" If you're anything like me, you've been sitting around going, "Man, when is Miniature Tigers going to follow up Mia Pharaoh, the ... More >>

Rootsy Callings

Top Five Late Night Music Moments of 2011

Welcome to another installment of Up on the Sun's 2011 Review. We've been counting down our favorite songs, shows, national and local releases of 2011. This installment takes a look at 2011's most memorable moments in late night television. Enjoy!​ Television occasionally has some special moments ... More >>

What's Selling: Hoodlums Top 10 Selling Albums of the Week

​Want to know what new release discs and platters are moving across the Valley at local record stores? We've got you covered with another installment of What's Selling. If top selling lists and viral videos are any indicators of trend setting, don't be surprised if there's an outbreak of hip ... More >>

Tumblr of the Week: Breaking Infinity

http://breakinginfinity.tumblr.com/​We love bringing you tight tracks from local artists, so this week we're bringing you Breaking Infinity, a blog run by hip-hop/rap artist Jaron Ikner, aka Black One.You can even get yourself some fresh new music for free just by going to the site.More on wh ... More >>

Ben Kenney of Incubus Talks If Not Now, When?, Pranks, and the Band's Proudest Accomplishment

​Incubus has been a longtime favorite band for alternative rock fans. Now in their twentieth year together, Incubus released their seventh studio album this summer, entitled If Not Now, When?. Multi-instrumentalist and bassist Ben Kenney, former member of The Roots, joined the band in 2003 an ... More >>

The Highly Influential (and Mostly Unknown) Hip-Hop Past of She Wants Revenge

Scott DudelsonJustin Warfield​On hip-hop supergroup The Roots' 2002 album, Phrenology, there's a track called "WAOK (Ay) Roll Call," wherein the band gives shout-outs to 230 of their favorite and most influential music artists, including Grandmaster Flash and Common. At the very end of this illus ... More >>

Roots Down

Deep Roots

Lupe Fiasco at Mesa Amphitheatre Last Night

hile using a band for a live hip hop show is no longer unorthodox -- The Roots, Lil Wayne, Atmosphere have all done it -- Lupe's show was unique. The Roots jam. Atmosphere's tour band jams. Lupe's band rocked.

The Roots Featured in Project Next Movement: A Collaboration Between Sol Exposure and Dumperfoo Sponsored by OKAYPLAYER

​ Music photography can often be a static thing. You've no doubt seen the promo shots: bands scowling, arms crossed in front of a brick wall, that one guy staring away from the camera in a real meaningful way. But occasionally something happens in the middle between the visual and the audible that ... More >>

L.A.'s Open Mike Eagle Discusses Indie Rap's Mostly White Audience

Odds 'n' Sods: Helmet, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Charlatans, Small Black, and more

​It's amazing how much music is released in a year. I've listened to nearly 270 records in their entirety this year, yet I still have a huge stack of unlistened CDs on my desk, several unlistened digital downloads in my iTunes, and a lengthy list of high-profile stuff I never got a chance to h ... More >>

Yo Gabba Gabba! Co-creator Christian Jacobs Talks Yo Gabba Gabba!, Weezer, and Devo

Yo Gabba Gabba! co-creator Christian Jacobs with Brobee​ As the parent of two toddlers, I've seen every episode of the popular kids TV show Yo Gabba Gabba! a minimum of five or six times. While being forced to sit through the same episodes of certain children's television programs is torture th ... More >>

The Roots and Miniature Tigers at American Junkie Last Night

Shawn AndersonBlack Thought of The Roots​ The Roots & Miniature Tigers American Junkie November 20, 2010 Okay, let's go ahead and get this out of the way first: In terms of who would win in a true, neutral-turf battle of the bands between The Roots and the Miniature Tigers, there is really l ... More >>

The Roots Drummer Questlove Talks Soundclash and the Miniature Tigers

Questlove​ In terms of pitting two bands to face off against each other in a battle of the bands it seems like a pretty uneven match up between the well established funk hip-hop group The Roots and Brooklyn's Miniature Tigers.Of course, both groups have their advantages and disadvantages. Miniat ... More >>

The Roots, Miniature Tigers, Johnny Rawls, Djentrification, and Other Weekend Events

The Roots are scheduled to perform at American Junkie in Scottsdale on Saturday during the Red Bull Soundclash.​Who'd win in a fight between local legends Miniature Tigers and the hip-hop icons of The Roots? Although its feels like we're making a Sophie's Choice between our two favorite children ... More >>

New Album From the Strokes on Its Way to Being Complete

​The Strokes have finally finished a long awaited album, according to SPIN.While the mixing and mastering still has yet to be done, the recording process itself has been completed.After working out their differences and deciding to go forth with making a new album, they worked with Beck and White ... More >>

Matt & Kim: Sidewalks

​Artist: Matt & KimTitle: SidewalksRelease date: November 2Label: FaderI suppose I should mention up front that I didn't like Tears for Fears in 1985 and I still don't 25 years later, even in a nostalgic sense. So it stands to reason that I have little use for Matt & Kim in 2010.It's not t ... More >>

Miniature Tigers Finally Face The Roots in Red Bull-Sponsored Rock Battle

​In a case of "why?" and "how did this even come about?," (editors note: to sell energy drinks) once Phoenix-based indie rockers Miniature Tigers will face Philadelphia legends The Roots in a turn-based, Red Bull-sponsored rock battle November 20 in Scottsdale.The whole thing is going down at Amer ... More >>

John Legend and the Roots: Wake Up!

​The joyous craziness that was September 14 has, regretfully, passed us by. Worry not, however, as the albums that were released just a week ago will live forever so as long they are still being listened to somewhere.September 21, then, has a tough act to follow, but that's not to say that it does ... More >>

YouTube Begins Live Streaming Trial

​YouTube has announced it's in a testing period for live streaming, according to TechCrunch.Today and tomorrow only, YouTube will partner with a group of companies to make a live broadcast schedule. Unfortunately the feature will be removed from the site once the trial is over, so be sure not to m ... More >>

John Legend and The Roots Perform at the Miss Universe Pageant?

As Idolator points out, John Legend and The Roots are typically known for their socially conscious music. So it was a bit surprising to hear that Legend performed the music for the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant. The performance featured the skinny girls in heels performing choreography that was more li ... More >>

Nothing Not New: Podcast #8

​Music editor Martin Cizmar and I are back with another podcast, in which we discuss the overratedness of The Gaslight Anthem, the bleak Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse collaboration, my failed attempt at concert promoting, the return of Crowded House, and a bunch of other stuff that you didn't even rea ... More >>

The Roots: How I Got Over

​There may not be a track released the rest of the year that has an ounce of the substance and effortless polish of "Dear God 2.0" off of How I got Over -- the long-awaited new album from The Roots.The song employs a genius guest vocal from Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Monsters of Folk fame ... More >>

Your Guide to Navigating Blogger-Created Genre Names

​ "What the fuck is chillwave?????" Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast tweeted back in April, when MTVU blogger Lindsay Hood described her band as "chillwave," after dismissing genres like "lo-fi," "glo-fi" and "Gorillavsbearcore" in her blurb advancing the video for the band's single "When I'm Wi ... More >>

Valley Bands Performing at South by Southwest

Christopher Cross Plays "Ride Like The Wind" on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

As per Jimmy Fallon's request, Christopher Cross played his debut 1980 single "Ride Like The Wind" with the Roots​ Last week on his show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, host Jimmy Fallon mentioned that he came down with a sore throat over his weekend and spent most of it listening to his iPod, whic ... More >>

New Late Night TV Battles a Boon For Music Lovers

The Late Show, Tonight Show and Late Night all have impressive music acts this next weekFirst, let me just get it out there: I watch a bunch of TV. I love it, and though I know it deadens my intellectual abilities, I'm not quitting. So, take it from a junkie, late night TV -- with the recent additio ... More >>

Wu in the Family

Björk

Medulla
(Elektra)

Vision ?uest

Six degrees of ?uestlove

The Roots

The Tipping Point
(Geffen)