World's Fair

From the vaults of Daptone Records comes a collection of unreleased tracks from the infamous Budos Band.

DOWNLOAD/STREAM “THE PROPOSITION” here

Fans may be familiar with two songs previously released and universally recognized as “Budos classics.” “The Proposition,” a hit single released on 7-inch by Daptone Records, incorporates the style, now known worldwide as Budos swing, responsible for drawing so many a listener onto the sweaty dancefloor, and “Mas O Menos,” included on the band’s smash album, The Budos Band II, exemplifies the group’s feel for soul with its infectious bass, tightly intertwined guitar and organ, and soaring horns. The remaining tracks, however, all never-before-released cuts also recorded between The Budos Band I and II sessions, are a fascinating glimpse into the group’s evolution as musicians and recording artists.

The Budos Band EP, which has already gotten love from Soul-Sides, BrooklynVegan, Planet Mag and AOL Spinner, to name a few, is a must-have for Budos and Daptone fans alike. It stands as a vital account of the band’s movement between musical styles and records a singular moment in the group’s existence. It will indeed stand the test of time and remain a bedrock of Budos lore.

The Budos Band EP tracklisting:
1. Hidden Hand
2. Mas O Menos
3. The Proposition
4. Ephra
5. Nobody’s Bulletproof
6. Smoke Gets In
7. Bonus Track

Pick up the album (in vinyl, mp3, or CD form) here.
DOWNLOAD “The Proposition” here

No Budos Band experience is complete without a live show. If you’re any where near the surrounding areas in the next couple of months, make sure to check them out!

UPCOMING BUDOS BAND TOUR DATES
Jul 24 New York, NY @ Central Park Summer Stage (w/Bettye LaVette)
Jul 28 Buffalo, NY @ University at Buffalo South Campus
Aug 11 New York, NY @ City Winery
Aug 13 Washington, DC @ Black Cat
Aug 14 Asheville, NC @ Harvest Records 5 Year Anniversary

Artist: The Budos Band
Album: The Budos Band EP
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: June 23, 2009
mp3: “The Proposition”
 
 
CONNECT: World’s Fair | MySpace | Website

It was a another big day for Daptone yesterday! Still riding high from the Naomi Shelton release a couple of weeks ago (and the Budos Band release in a couple of weeks), the Bushwick label had more good news to share yesterday! First, Sharon Jones was on Tavis Smiley, and then Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queen’s “Trouble In My Way” was KCRW’s Top Tune. Budos Band also kicked off the annual Stuy Town Music in the Oval series with a great show last night, too.

Watch a clip where Sharon talks about meeting James Brown for the first time below, and listen to a stream of Naomi’s song below.

 
 
 
STREAM “Trouble In My Way” here
 
 
Budos’s new one, Budos Band EP, is out on vinyl and digitally on June 23.

As mentioned by Gothamist, Limewire, Sentamentalist, and Prefix, among others, Budos Band is inaugurating this year’s Music on the Oval series. Next Wednesday, June 10, the Staten Island 11-piece will play on Stuy Town’s lawn, with opening help from the excellent DJ Honeydripper.

(Photo by Jacob Blickenstaff)

Budos, who are about to release The Budos Band EP (out June 23 on Daptone), were recently in Canada, where they talked to Toronto’s Eye Weekly. You can read the full interview with bandleader and tenor saxophonist Jared Tankel here.

If you can’t make the show next week, have no fear, the band has more dates throughout the summer, including one very special one on July 24, opening up for Bettye LaVette at Central Park’s SummerStage.

UPCOMING BUDOS BAND TOUR DATES
Jun 10 Brooklyn, NY @ Music on the Oval (Stuy Town)
Jul 24 New York, NY @ Central Park Summer Stage (w/Bettye LaVette)
Jul 28 Buffalo, NY @ University at Buffalo South Campus
Aug 11 New York, NY @ City Winery

Artist: The Budos Band
Album: The Budos Band EP
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: June 23, 2009
 
 
 
CONNECT: World’s Fair | MySpace | Website

From the vaults of Daptone Records comes a collection of unreleased tracks from the infamous Budos Band. Recorded after The Budos Band I sessions, but before those for the second full-length, this EP is a fascinating glimpse into the group’s evolution as musicians and recording artists.

Listeners may be familiar with two songs previously released and universally recognized as “Budos classics.” “The Proposition,” a hit single released on 7-inch by Daptone Records, incorporates the style, now known worldwide as Budos swing, responsible for drawing so many a listener onto the sweaty dancefloor. “Mas O Menos,” included on the band’s smash album, The Budos Band II, exemplifies the group’s feel for soul with its infectious bass, tightly intertwined guitar and organ, and soaring horns.

“Smoke Gets In,” created on the anniversary of the six hundred sixty-sixth rotation of the Budonian lunar calendar, finds the band returning to its dusty roots, and it is both sonically and literally otherworldly. The psycho-tropic venom found on The Budos Band II may have originated in this very session. Is this actually happening or are your ears melting?

Named for the goddess said to have bestowed powers upon the knights of old Budonia, “Ephra” juxtaposes rollicking guitars with haunting horns and pervasive highlife rhythms. The existence of such complexity within a seemingly simple tune is the truest metaphor for the Budonian knight himself.

“Nobody’s Bulletproof” references the ever-evolving relationship of the Budos Band with their ancestors and predecessors. The stabbing horns and break-neck percussive pace hearken back to the band’s Afrobeat roots. The near-militaristic cadence is a constant reminder that no one is safe from the scorpion’s sting. As the greater warrior has said, “The sword cometh and hath not yet purged the depths of thine soul.”

The Budos Band EP is a must-have for Budos and Daptone fans alike. It stands as a vital account of the band’s movement between musical styles and records a singular moment in the group’s existence. It will indeed stand the test of time and remain a bedrock of Budos lore.

The Budos Band EP tracklisting:
1. Hidden Hand
2. Mas O Menos
3. The Proposition
4. Ephra
5. Nobody’s Bulletproof
6. Smoke Gets In
7. Bonus Track

In case you missed it the first time around, check out the video for “Origin of Man” (off The Budos Band II) below.

The Budos Band recently finished up a West Coast tour, but have dates planned for this summer, so there’s plenty of opportunity to see them live!

Apr 30 Brooklyn, NY @ Europa (Clusterfunk Party)
May 02 Princeton, NJ @ Terrace Club
May 23 Toronto, ON @ Over The Top Festival
May 24 Hamilton, ON @ Pepperjack Cafe
May 30 Cambridge, MA @ TT The Bear’s
Jun 10 Brooklyn, NY @ Music on the Oval (Stuy Town)
July 24 New York, NY @ Central Park Summer Stage (w/Bettye LaVette)
July 28 Buffalo, NY @ University at Buffalo South Campus
Aug 11 New York, NY @ City Winery

Artist: The Budos Band
Album: The Budos Band EP
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: June 23, 2009
 
 
 
 

The Budos Band might not have been able to play Miami earlier this year after Langerado was sadly canceled, but Floridians have another chance to see the Staten Island Afrofunk allstars today at the Heineken Transatlantic Festival tonight! They’ll then be heading over to New Orleans to open up for none other than Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings at the House of Blues on Saturday, April 25.

Also on the 25, the a cappella gospel trio the Como Mamas will be making their way down from Como, Mississippi to perform at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Their set is from 12-12:45pm, a perfect way to start the weekend off. The Mamas will also be singing at Domino Sound Record Shack later that evening.

Finally, on Sunday, April 26, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings will be helping to close out the first weekend of the festival with a performance in the blues tent from 5:30 to 7pm.

 
 
Budos Band Summer Dates
Apr 24 Miami Beach, FL @ Heineken Transatlantic Festival/strong>
Apr 25 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues (Opening for Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings)
Apr 30 Brooklyn, NY @ Europa (Clusterfunk party)
May 02 Princeton, NJ @ Terrace Club
May 23 Toronto, ON @ Over The Top Festival
May 24 Hamilton, ON @ Pepperjack Cafe
May 30 Cambridge, MA @ TT The Bear’s
Jun 10 Brooklyn, NY @ Music on the Oval (Stuy Town)
Jul 24 New York, NY @ Central Park SummerStage
July 28 Buffalo, NY @ University of Buffalo South Campus

COMO MAMAS LIVE!!!
Apr 24 New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (12-12:45pm)
Apr 24 New Orleans, LA @ Domino Sound Record Shack (free in-store performance at 6pm)

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Apr 25 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
Apr 26 New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
May 03 New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall (Dark Was The Night Live Benefit Concert)
May 06 Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
May 07 Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Live
May 08 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
May 09 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
May 17 Dana Point, CA @ Doheny Blues Festival
May 23 North Adams, MA @ Mass MoCA
Jun 13 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
Jun 14 Chicago, IL @ Grant Park (Chicago Blues Festival)
Jun 25 Ann Arbor, MI @ Ann Arbor Summer Festival
Jul 03 New Orleans, LA @ Essence Music Festival
Jul 25 Detroit Lakes, MN @ 10,000 Lakes Festival

If you live in New York or anywhere nearby, you know that Budos Band, the afro-funk branch of the Daptone Records family, put on a pretty damn good show.

(Photo by Jacob Blickenstaff)

Last week they played Manhattan’s (Le) Poisson Rouge, and the band will be sticking around its homebase for the next couple of weeks (including a gig in Philly opening for um, Maceo Parker), but in early April they’re heading west for what is very literally, their spring break (many of the Budos Band teach during the day).

So Seattle, Bellingham, Santa Cruz, Vancouver, San Francisco, Portland and LA, count your lucky stars: Budos Band is on its way!

Full dates below, but here’s a little taste of what’s to come:

 
BUDOS BAND TOUR DATES
Mar 13 Philadelphia, PA @ TLA (opening for Maceo Parker)
Mar 14 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
Mar 20 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
Apr 09 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Apr 10 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Apr 11 Vancouver, BC @ Richards on Richards
Apr 12 Base of Blackcomb, BC @ G.L.C. (Garibaldi Lift Company), Whistler Village
Apr 13 Bellingham, WA @ The Nightlight
Apr 14 Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley
Apr 15 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Apr 16 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
Apr 24 Miami Beach, FL @ Heineken Transatlantic Festival
May 02 Princeton, NJ @ Terrace Club

Although the chance to see Budos Band at Langerado is sadly no more, the Staten-Island-based Afrofunk ensemble’s shows in the tri-state area are still on! On February 26, they’ll be at one of New York’s best new venues, (Le) Poisson Rouge, alongside Chin Chin, and March finds them in Brooklyn, Hoboken, and Princeton.

Full info below!
But check out the video to “Volcano Song” (from Budos Band I) first.

BUDOS BAND TOUR DATES
Feb 26 New York, NY @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
Mar 14 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool (as part of Voodoo Funk)
Mar 20 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwells
May 02 Princeton, NJ @ Terrace Club

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings — with labelmates Menahan Street Band — as openers, just finished up a short, and very successful, run of the Midwest and are now back home in Brooklyn before heading out west in January (and back in New York for Valentine’s Day…).

The band started their run in Minneapolis (Culture Bully reviewed it), then headed south, stopping first in Madison (her debut performance there), Chicago (where hometown legend Syl Johnson made a surprise appearance), and St. Louis before heading to Bloomington, IN to finish up the tour.

Present at all these shows was none other than Charles Bradley, who, besides gracing two Menahan Street Band songs with his vocals, sang a rousing duet of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” with Ms. Jones.

If you haven’t had a chance to see him yet (he was also at Daptone’s successful Obama fundraiser back in October), Charles will be singing with MSB at their December 20 show at Brooklyn’s Southpaw.

Also coming up next week is the one-and-only Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens, who will be taking a break from their regular Friday-night Fat Cat reign to play with Budos Band (who played a knockout free show at BAMcafe Live last Saturday night) at Mercury Lounge on December 19.

Budos Band/Naomi Shelton Tour Dates
Dec 19 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge

Menahan Street Band Tour Dates
Dec 20 Brooklyn, NY @ Southpaw

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Tour Dates
Jan 23 San Diego, CA @ 4th and B
Jan 25 Los Angeles, CA @ Nokia Theatre
Jan 28 San Francisco, CA @ Warfield theatre
Jan 30 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
Jan 31 Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
Feb 13 New York, NY @ Nokia Live Theatre
Feb 14 New York, NY @ Nokia Live Theatre

DOWNLOAD Menahan Street Band — “Make the Road by Walking”

Budos Band — “Chicago Falcon” [DOWNLOAD]

Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens — “What Have You Done” [LINK TO STREAM]

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings — “100 Days, 100 Nights”

If you live in New York and you haven’t yet seen Budos Band, now is certainly the time to go. What better way to distract yourself from the impending winter than by listening (and hopefully dancing) to some badass Afrobeat rhythms and grooves. The band will be playing tomorrow night, Thursday November 13, at SOB’s. It is indubitably going to be a lot of fun.

If you can’t make tomorrow, not a problem. The band is playing a free show at the BAM Cafe on December 6, and they’re going to be at Mercury Lounge the 19th of that month. Seriously, check them out.

Here’s a video for “Origin of Man” to get you in the mood…

 
BUDOS BAND NYC WINTER DATES
Nov 13 New York, NY @ SOB’s
Dec 06 Brooklyn, NY @ BAM Cafe
Dec 19 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge

Artist: The Budos Band
Album: The Budos Band II
Label: Daptone Records
Street Date: August 7th, 2007
Formats: CD, vinyl, mp3

Come join the Daptone Family next Thursday for a very special event. The Budos Band, Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens plus some very special guests from the Daptone Stable, as well as DJs Honeydripper, TNT and Neal Sugarman, will all be adding their efforts to the fundraiser, whose proceeds all go to the Barack Obama campaign. Give your money to something that really matters. It will be a great night of dancing, drinking and supporting change that this country needs.

Tickets can be purchased at the Southpaw site, or directly from barackobama.com.

Thursday, October 23
Southpaw
8pm doors
Tickets purchased in advance are a $20 donation
Tickets purchased day of show are a $25 donation
125 Fifth Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11217

In other Daptone news, Menahan Street Band’s official record release party for Make the Road by Walking is tonight at Southpaw (free beer courtesy of Heineken from 8-9, with Phenomenal Handclap Band opening the festivities) and Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens continue their Friday-night Fat Cat reign this week and next (and next and next and next). It’s only three bucks, and it’ll change your life.

Also check out the new Daptone podcast. Subscribe and download to the latest, from DJ Finewine, here.