Jam Central Station 2.06.10: Femi Kuti

Posted by Jeff Modzelewski on 02.06.2010

The son of a legend and a pioneer in his own right, Femi Kuti has helped bring Afrobeat music to a much wider global audience



Welcome back for another edition of Jam Central Station everyone. We've got a pretty massive column to get through this week, with a ton of news (although not the festival information I was looking for), a slew of great videos, and, of course, an awesome Headliner. I'm pretty shocked I was able to get through everything this week, since I'm also at a conference for work. Too bad that I miss the freezing Ohio weather (including an office with no heat) to head to Orlando for a few days. It's a tough life. Enough about that, let's take a Jam Central Station look at Femi Kuti!






African singer and multi-instrumentalist Femi Kuti may not be well known by mainstream music fans, but he has over 3 decades of experience under his belt. The Nigerian musician and Afrobeat pioneer's career started when Kuti was a teenager and continues to this day. The son of another Afrobeat legend, Femi Kuti has brought his unique sound and positive message to audiences around the world.

To understand Femi Kuti's work, it's important to first understand his father's music. Fela Kuti began playing music in the 50's, and was one of the first artists to fuse African rhythms with Western jazz. Fela and his band first toured the U.S. in the late 60's, and Fela was heavily influenced by the American Black Panther movement. Fela's music was politically scathing, and Fela often directed his political unrest towards the ruling government. This led to Fela often being attacked and arrested for trumped up charges. One government attack on Fela's commune, which was called the Kalakuta Republic, resulted in Fela being severely beaten, his complex (including his recording studio and master tapes) were destroyed, and his mother was thrown out of a window, which resulted in her death.

Despite constant government harassment, Fela continued espousing his socialist and pro-African unity views. He ran for President of Nigeria as head of a party he created, but was kept off of the ballot by the government. He was an outspoken critic of apartheid, the Nigerian government, and the Western governments that supported what he saw as African oppression. He released dozens of albums over more than 20 years, and supported organizations such as Amnesty International. Fela Kuti passed away in 1997 do to complications from AIDS, which he refused treatment for. Over a million people attended his funeral in Nigeria, where he is still revered as a national hero by many.



Femi Kuti's early years were spent in London and then Lagos. Femi's parents divorced when he was young, and Femi lived with his mother until age 15. At that time, Femi went moved in with Fela and quickly joined his band. Femi was able to gain experience as part of his father's band, Egypt 80, and became a standout musician himself. Femi's first breakout performance came in 1985 at the Hollywod Bowl. Fela was arrested at the airport in Nigeria. Femi fronted Fela's extensive band for the performance, and soon began making a name for himself apart from his father. As the 80's came to a close, Fela began recording and playing less and less. Femi formed the band Positive Force and began a music career of his own, separate from his legendary father.

Femi's band followed the roadmap that his father had laid out, but Femi modernized Fela's sound significantly. While Fela's sound was more jazz-oriented, and his songs would often stretch 30 minutes and beyond, Femi tightened up the sound and added more modern elements of hip-hop and soul music. This allowed Femi to bring the Afrobeat music to a new audience, one that his father had not been able to reach. This ability to put Afrobeat music into a format that was more palatable to casual fans helped Femi launch a career separate from his father.

Femi Kuti and Positive Force started out by recording and touring primarily in Africa and Europe. While Femi's following fell short of the adoration his father achieved, Femi Kuti and Positive Force won a strong following of their own in the late 80's and early 90's through a rigorous tour schedule. Fans of Fela appreciated Femi's attempt to continue his father's work, while people new to the Afrobeat sound were more likely to be drawn to Femi's shorter songs as opposed to his father's drawn-out compositions.

Femi Kuti and Postive Force's first two albums were recorded and released primarily overseas, without U.S. distribution. No Cause for Alarm was released in 1989 on Polygram Nigeria, and M.Y.O.B. was released in 1991. Femi focused on building his African fan base and blatantly used his popularity in Europe to fund his work in Africa. Femi said in interviews that he felt that he could be most productive by making his money in Europe and then returning to Africa to do the work he felt needed to be done. A third self-titled album was released in 1995 but again failed to be the international breakthrough album that Femi craved.



This opportunity finally came to Femi in 1997. Femi was signed to MCA records in the U.S., thus guaranteeing international distribution for his next album. Tragedy also struck Femi that year, as both his father and his sister passed away within months of each other. MCA took this tragedy as an opportunity to re-release most of Fela's catalog in the U.S., and thus paved the way for Femi's American debut. 1998's Shoki Shoki was the breakthrough that Femi had been hoping for. This well received album propelled Femi Kuti and Positive Force into the role of a major player on the international music scene and the rightful heir to his father's Afrobeat mantle.

After consistent touring, Femi returned to the studio for 2001's Fight to Win. The album continued Femi's efforts to modernize the Afrobeat sound by including well-known rappers like Common and Mos Def. The album also included the touching song "97," an attempt to look back at the difficult time he and his family went through between the death of his father and sister. The album found an audience in the American and European club scene as well as in Femi's native Africa.

Along the way, Femi continued to embrace much of his father's political point of view. While Femi shied away from some of his father's more radical viewpoints such as polygamy and marijuana use, he spoke emphatically about the need for African independence and democratic representation in the government. He formed the group Movement Against Second Slavery in order to promote African culture and continued to take shots at Nigeria's dictatorship. While Femi's viewpoints were less inflammatory than those of his father, he has never hesitated to speak up.

After his breakthrough in the late 90's and early 00's, Femi took some significant time away from the studio. A variety of labels that he had worked with released compilation albums of Femi's work, and in 2004 he released Africa Shrine, a live album. The album was followed by his first DVD, 2005's Live at The Shrine. While these albums did help Femi maintain his fanbase, there was no real new material for them to enjoy. This changed when Femi finally returned to the studio for 2008's Day by Day. With his newest album, Femi continued the Kuti tradition of calling out politicians for corruption and lifting up the plight of the African poor. The album also moved between traditional heavily jazz-influenced Afrobeat and the more modern sound that he helped pioneer.

As I mentioned earlier, Femi's work has gone beyond just music. He rebuilt the African Shrine in the past decade, and the venue has been host to numerous concerts and events of all different styles. "Shrine" is a fitting name for the venue, as it acts as a shrine for both Afrobeat music and the legacy of Fela. He has continued to expand the legacy of his father while bringing Afrobeat music to an even wider audience worldwide. The work of both Fela and Femi Kuti has spawned a whole generation of Afrobeat musicians across the globe. Femi is taking that work to heart by including his 12 year old son as a saxophone player in Positive Force. It appears that Femi is poised to continue expanding the reach of Afrobeat music for years to come.
























Bonnaroo announces announcement!

Yes, I was hoping that we would have a Bonnaroo lineup announcement this week, but sadly that was not to be. Instead, we have an announcement of the announcement! This Tuesday, February 9, there will be a "virtual event," with the lineup being released throughout the course of the day. The entire lineup will be released at the end of the day. Hopefully they invested in some new servers over at Bonnaroo's website, since I think that they're gonna be swamped for the announcement.

The Flaming Lips to perform Dark Side of the Moon at Bonnaroo

We don't have to wait until next week for our first Bonnaroo announcement, however. The Flaming Lips will play their entire version of the infamous Dark Side of the Moon during a late night slot on Friday night at Bonnaroo. They'll be performing two sets. The first will be a set of their own music, and the second will be Dark Side. Any chance we'll get The Wall at some point during the weekend as well? We'll find out on Tuesday…

The String Cheese Incident announces 2010 Incidents

The String Cheese Incident announced their 2010 plans. Fans who had been hoping for an extensive string of "Incidents" were left wanting, but the band did announce two multi-day events for this summer. The band will play three shows at Red Rocks in Colorado on July 23-35, and will also host a four-day multi-band event from July 29-August 1 at Horning's Hideout in North Plaines, OR. These are the first shows for the band in 3 years, not counting last year's absolutely amazing Rothbury show. More dates are expected (or at least strongly hoped for), so hopefully we'll have more SCI news in the coming weeks.

Summer Camp announces more artists

This year's Summer Camp is starting to shape up with another round of artist announcements. Recent confirmations include STS9, Victor Wooten, Pretty Lights, ALO, Hot Buttered Rum, That 1 Guy, Zach Deputy, The Macpodz, and many others. Other confirmed acts include moe., Umphrey's McGee, Keller Williams, Gov't Mule, Yonder Mountain String Band, Backyard Tire Fire, and EOTO. If you're a fan of moe. and UM, this is a good enough lineup to get you there!

Nateva Festival announces initial lineup!

While Rothbury may be gone this year, there is still a festival for folks over 4th of July weekend. The Nateva Festival will take place July 2-4 in Oxford, Maine. The festival will focus on jam bands as well as a mix of country, bluegrass, folk, reggae, classic rock, and other genres. The first two acts confirmed for the festival are The Flaming Lips and the Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi Band. Tickets are on sale now!

Widespread Panic announces spring dates

Widespread Panic is staying busy, as usual. The band announced a number of dates for shows this spring. This leg of the tour will run March through May, and will get the band ready for any summer festival performances they may have.

March 25 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues 

March 26 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues

March 27 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues

April 16 Live Oak, FL Wanne Music Festival

April 17 Live Oak, FL Wanne Music Festival

April 20 Washington, DC Warner Theatre

April 21 Washington, DC Warner Theatre

April 23 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amphitheatre 

April 24 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amphitheatre 

April 26 Richmond, VA The National

April 27 Richmond, VA The National

April 29 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 

May 1 Tulsa, OK Bok Center 

May 4 Chattanooga, TN Memorial Auditorium

May 5 Greenville, SC Bi-Lo Center 

May 7 Orange Beach, AL The Wharf

May 8 Orange Beach, AL The Wharf

Jack Johnson readying new album, tour

Singer-songwriter-surfer Jack Johnson will be releasing his next album on June 1. Johnson recorded the album in Hawaii and is currently finishing it up. Johnson will be touring starting in April.

April 1 Tyagarah, Australia— Byron Bay Bluesfest
April 3 Tyagarah, Australia—Byron Bay Bluesfest
April 23-24 Honolulu, HI—Kokua Festival 2010
June 16 Berlin, Germany—Tempodrom
June 18 Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany—Southside Festival
June 19 Scheessel, Germany—Hurricane Festival
June 21 Amsterdam, Netherlands—Heineken Music Hall
June 23 Paris, France—Zenith (Paris)
June 26 Cornwall, England—Eden Sessions
June 27 Somerset, England—Glastonbury Festival
June 29 Cardiff, Wales—Cardiff International Arena
June 30 London, England—O2 Arena
July 2 Werchter, Belgium—Rock Werchter Festival
July 4 Roskilde, Denmark—Roskilde Festival

Dave Matthews Band releases Haiti Relief Project EP

The Dave Matthews Band have released an EP available for download on their website. Haiti Relief Project is available as a digital download for $5 at www.dmblive.com. A limited edition t-shirt featuring the cover art is available as well. All proceeds go towards relief for Haiti. The EP contains five live tracks, including a great 2004 version of the relatively rare song "Cry Freedom" and a 2007 version of "Butterfly."

moe. adds acts to Snow.down, postpones Throe.down

moe., who are currently on an "anniversary tour" added more bands to their Snow.down lineup. The event will take place March 26-28 at Killington Resort and Rutland's Spartan Arena in Vermont. Assembly of Dust, Leroy Justice, Lynch and Moonalice have been added to the event.

The band also postponed their tropical Throe.down event to January 5-9, 2011. The band stated that, due to the earthquake in Haiti, tickets to the event in the Dominican Republic (which shares an island with Haiti) have slowed significantly and that the band "did not feel comfortable" throwing a party on the other side of the island.

Lineup for Hookahville XXXIII announced

One of the longest-running festivals, ekoostik hookah's Hookahville, will take place once again over Memorial Day weekend at Legend Valley in Thornville, OH. The lineup features two nights of ekoostik hookah as well as two sets of Gov't Mule, two sets of Michael Franti and Spearhead, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Zac Deputy, and many others to be announced. Tickets are available right now at Hookahville.com for the amazing price of $75 Get 'em before the discounted tickets sell out!

Medeski, Martin, and Wood announce Camp MMW

Want to learn to play jazz fusion like Medeski, Martin, and Wood? Of course you do! You can have your chance at Camp MMW, a 6-day event that will run from August 1-6 at New York's Full Moon Resort in the Catskill Mountains. The band will provide lessons, seminars, workshops, and performances. A pretty sweet deal, in my opinion. Space is limited, so reserve your spot!

Shpongle announces US shows

Schpongle will be taking their act back to the states for a series of shows this spring. These will be full band performances, not just DJ sets. The band just released their latest effort The Ineffible Mysteries of Shpongle. If you're a fan, check them out, because you never know when he'll be back stateside.

April 13 Charleston, SC—Charleston Pour House

April 14 Athens, GA—New Earth Music Hall 

April 15 Knoxville, TN—The Vallarium

April 16 Nashville, TN—Limelight 

April 17 New York, NY—The Fillmore 

April 20 Lawrence, KS—The Granada

April 21 Lincoln, NB—Bourbon Theater

April 22 Fort Collins, CO—Aggie Theater

April 23-24 Boulder, CO—The Fox Theatre

April 28 Los Angeles, CA—The Roxy Theatre

April 29 Arcata, CA—Arcata Theatre and Lounge

April 30 San Francisco, CA—The Regency Ballroom

May 1 Austin, TX—La Zona Rosa

May 2 Dallas, TX—Trees

May 5 Minneapolis, MN—Pantages Theater

May 6 Chicago, IL—Kinetic Playground

May 7 Portland, OR—Crystal Ballroom

May 8 Seattle, WA—Showbox



So, I did watch the Grammy's on Sunday (you can check out my Grammy report here), and I have to make a small comment. I am obviously pissed that the Dave Matthews Band lost Album of the Year to Taylor Swift. Nothing against Swift, I'm sure she's a nice girl and all, but I just don't see how she wins this award. First off, her talent level is very questionable. When she did the duet portion of her performance she simply couldn't hold a candle to Stevie Nicks. "Rhiannon" is a tough song, sure, but Swift couldn't pull it off. Second, after the tragedy that DMB has gone through over the past year and a half, they will never release an album as important to the band as Big Whiskey. It's not their best album, but it is the most important album in their history. It's very disappointing that the Grammy's would give that award to what will likely be a flavor of the month artist.

Thanks again for sticking around this week. Hope you enjoyed it. I also hope that you're somewhere close enough to check out some String Cheese Incident. I'm still mourning the fact that there's no shows close enough for me to get to. Maybe that'll change (Bonnaroo anyone?). Ok, enough of that. Anyways, enjoy the Super Bowl, I'll see you next week, and, until then, Jam On!