James Brown

Clyde Stubblefield, the "Funky Drummer," on Playing With James Brown and Getting Sampled By Hip-Hop Greats

There's a special show going down at Mezzanine this Saturday, Nov. 3, for the opening of S.F. Funk Fest: It's a mini-reunion of sorts for the musicians who used to play with soul godfather James Brown. Headlining is Fred Wesley, legendary trombonist, and joining him onstage will be drummers Jabo Sta ... More >>

Friends of Nicki?: Five Black Musicians Who Supported Republicans

You've probably already heard about Nicki Minaj's Mitt Romney-related lyrics, in which she claimed she was going to vote for the Republican presidential candidate. So, did she mean it? Was she being ironic? Is this a publicity stunt? The only thing we know for sure is that the online furor over this ... More >>

Fourth of July: Five Excellent Pro-America Songs to Soundtrack Your Party Today

Happy Fourth, everybody! As we all know, patriotism in this fine land of ours often sounds frickin' terrible when presented in song form. But feeling happy to be American doesn't -- we repeat, doesn't -- have to involve Toby Keith. Or Keith Urban. Or, well, anyone named Keith actually. Here then, ar ... More >>

Celebrate James Brown's Birthday at These Two S.F. Parties

The next two weekends in San Francisco feature parties in tribute to the late James Brown, who would have turned 79 on May 3. The entertainer had a long history performing for multiple generations in the Bay Area, perhaps most frequently at San Carlos' legendary (and now defunct) Circle Star Center, ... More >>

Queer the Room

African-Amazing

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Tonight: Lyrics Born and Live Band Play a Tribute to James Brown and Curtis Mayfield

At Yoshi's tonight, with some serious funk.​ Last-minute change to your Saturday night schedule? This evening, Bay Area hip-hop extraordinaire and surprisingly capable singer* Lyrics Born plays a tribute to James Brown and Curtis Mayfield at Yoshi's S.F. For this show, called "Continuum," he'l ... More >>

Saturday Night: De La Soul Celebrates Saturdays, Old Age at Yoshi's

Tamara PalmerDe La Soul at Yoshi's.​De La Soul April 2, 2011 @ Yoshi's SF Better than: Spending Saturday with people who do not have an awesome song called "(A Roller Skating Jam Named) Saturdays." De La Soul posted up at Yoshi's this past Friday and Saturday, performing two short sets eac ... More >>

Five Great Reissues from Last Year That You Haven't Heard Yet

2010 continued 2009's heavy schedule of reissues, with release of spruced-up editions of Exile on Main St. and the Apple Records catalog being flogged as mainstream news items. Geezer rockers of course take this as definitive proof that today's music sucks. Premature post-postmods like Patton Oswal ... More >>

Lonely holiday: Grillade finds soul in a Christmas song

Afrika Bambaataa on the Origins of Hip-hop, the Perfect Beat, and His Most Treasured Record

Afrika Bambaataa​For those who haven't heard of Afrika Bambaataa, the Godfather of hip-hop, his resume looks something like this: 1969-1971: Warlord, Black Spades, Bronx River Houses, Bronx NY. Responsibilities included: Tagging turf; crossing enemy lines to forge relationships with other gangs ... More >>

Benefit Concert: Afrofunk and Pancakes for Pakistan!

James Brown lives on in the spirit of Sila Mutungi and the Afrofunk Experience​Now that we're done stuffing our faces with garlic fries and hot dogs for the World Series, it's time to start stuffing our faces for world peace -- or at least, world improvement. On November 19th and 20th, Club Dine I ... More >>

Bradford Cox Says 'Janelle Monae is the New Bowie'

There's still plenty of juice left in the "Janelle Monae is the new [amazing artist here]" meme -- Lady Gaga comparisons are so earlier-this-week -- and lotsa big names that have yet to weigh in on which of their androgynous musical heroes the Atlanta songstress most closely resembles.  Enter D ... More >>

Make It Funky

Cheat Sheet for Cassettes to Care About in 2010

​Toro y Moi Chazwick Bundick's brand of chillwave is less grandiose than Washed Out and less distinguished than Neon Indian but makes better-suited cassette listening with more minimal dance grooves than nostalgia-evoking 80s chintz effects. You can even dance (grind?) to "You Hid" sober. ​N ... More >>

The Ferocious Few Get Off the Streets

​Drawn together by a shared loved of rock, soul, and country's most dynamic voices (James Brown, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan), The Ferocious Few decided to take its stripped-down bluesy rock to the streets. Literally. "Our very first show was on the corner of O'Farrell and Powell," says singer-guitaris ... More >>

Weekend Planner: Metaphors and Maple Syrup at Farmerbrown's Sunday Soul Brunch

b b./YelpSunday service.​From James Brown's "Mother Popcorn" to Louis Armstrong's "Potato Head Blues," food -- for its own sake and as a metaphor for, you know, something else -- has always been a preoccupation of soulful music. For the fair price of $15, you can have both on this (and every S ... More >>

Documenting an epic concert in Zaire, Soul Power puts on quite a show

Doggy Bag: Today's Odds and Ends

Our favorite morsels from the food blogs and beyond. Blowing smoke: Bay Area Bites' Andrew Simmons is ripped for a smackdown. He's blogged an earnest, sweaty argument for good barbecue, along the way bitch-slapping writers he considers terminally clueless (big ouch to Chron's Amanda Gold). But one ... More >>

RU Sirius Releases New Book on Drugs and Music

  Rudy Rucker Yes, He Is: RU SiriusEccentric oddball and author RU Sirius --best known as onetime Editor of cyberpunk bible Mondo 2000-- has just released a new book, "Everybody Must Get Stoned: Rock Stars on Drugs." Sirius calls the book, which details the drug-induced exploits o ... More >>

Track of the Day: Black Joe Lewis

The new breed of fiery soul singers isn't exclusively female. For example, give a listen to Austin's Black Joe Lewis, a young man who takes his cues from James Brown and Lightnin' Hopkins to produce some raw, sweaty, rockin' soul music. He doesn't mind swearing up a storm in some organ-driven funk ( ... More >>

SF Weekly Music Awards Nominee: Uni and her Ukelele

Rolling Stones in '68

Maceo Parker and the WDR Big Band

Roots and Grooves (Heads Up International)

2 Percent Jazz, 98 Percent Funky Stuff

Rare Sly Stone, Soul Music Film Clips at SF Public Library

Seventies funk icon Darondo talks limos, ladies, and his Bay Area legacy

Superbad: Soundtrack Way Funkier Than First Thought

Bitter:Sweet, Oliver Future, FreekBass -- ASD's Live Music PIcks for Wednesday, August 8

SF Weekly Previews Jazz Fest of North Beach

Goodbye to the Godfather

RIP James Brown

Mixtape Shmixtape

In which we review Yay Area mixtapes of the day

Department of What the Fuck?

James Brown is the Godfather of Soul. Also: hot pants.

V/A

World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love's a Real Thing

Sunburned Hand of the Man

Rare Wood

OK Then

Funk Soul Brothers

Harold Ray doesn't exist. But he and his band are one of S.F.'s best live acts.

Best Jukebox

The Ha-Ra

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

Dap-Dippin' With ...

Various Artists

James Brown's Funky People, Volume 3 (Polydor)

A Not-So-Quiet Library

Thanks to the sound library, background music is coming to the forefront

Various Artists

Schoolhouse Funk: Stage Bands, Lab Bands, and a Toast to the Boogie! (Cali-Tex)

Soul Rebels

B-Side Players

Hear This

Eddie Moore Jazz Festival

Night + Day

Into the Groovy

Hear This

Recordings