Bonnaroo 2010 Lineup

This festival Consistently comes up with the best lineup every year, reaching out to different fanbase and keeping it real to their jamband roots. It's like Superfuly reads my mind every year, but that makes sense because we are all on the same level in this.

Kings of Leon

Dave Mathews Band Stevie Wonder

Jay-Z

Tenacious D

Weezer

The Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs perform “Dark Side of the Moon”

The Dead Weather

Damian Marley and Nas

Phoenix

Norah Jones

Michael Franti and Spearhead

John Fogerty

Regina Spektor

Jimmy Cliff

LCD Soundsystem

The Avett Brothers

Thievery Corporation

Rise Against

Tori Amos

The National

Zac Brown Band

Les Claypool

John Prine

The Black Keys

Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers

Jeff Beck

Dropkick Murphys

She & Him

Against Me!

Deadmau5

Daryl Hall & Chromeo

Jamey Johnson

Clutch

Bassnectar

Kid Cudi

The Disco Biscuits

Kris Kristofferson

Medeski Martin & Wood

The xx

GWAR

Dan Deacon Ensemble

Tinariwen

Wale

Baaba Maal

The Melvins

The Gaslight Anthem

Miike Snow

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Dr. Dog

They Might Be Giants

Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile

Isis

Blitzen Trapper

Blues Traveler

Miranda Lambert

Calexico

Gary Chardonnay

OK Go

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

Martin Sexton

Lotus

Baroness

Dave Rawlings Machine

Mayer Hawthorne and the County

Japandroids

Jay Electronica

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

Ingrid Michaelson

The Dodos

Manchester Orchestra

The Temper Trap

Cross Canadian Ragweed

Big Sam's Funky Nation

Carolina Chocolate Drops

NEEDTOBREATHE

Tokyo Police Club

The Entrance Band

Local Natives

Brandi Carlile

Mumford & Sons

Rebelution

Diane Birch

Monte Montgomery

Julia Nunes

The Postelles

Lucero

Here We Go Magic

Hot Rize

Neon Indian

B.O.B

More Artists to Be Announced!

USPS Auditions/Jam

USPS Union Street Preservation Society will be holding a weekly jam/audition, for new players we're. come joint us! to contact us use the contact form in the "about" link on this page.

Afroskull To Obscurity and Beyond

I met the guitar player to Afrokskull Joe Scatassa, on a shuttle bus for Bonnaroo 2005 staff. This was when I was first getting into music and was completely enthusiastic with everyone I met. Turns out he was one of the original web designers for Superfly productions back in their New Orleans days, and we had a conversation about photoshop and vectors. This was back when I knew much less about the field and I was kind of playing like I knew more than I did. He said he would send me a copy of Photoshop CS3 and I would send him a glass bowl with a skull. He sent it but it never worked because there was no key. (was not as good with keygens back then). I still have the glass skull I made him but never stuck it on the the bowl, to this day that is starting me in my face as something I have to do. The band Afroskull is Sick and since then I have come to write about many many different funk bands. I feel full circle about reprinting this stellar jambands.com review and possibly reviewing the album for Jambase or doing a show for them.

Published: 2010/02/08
by Randy Ray

Afroskull

To Obscurity and Beyond

New York via N’awlins with a whole lotta Detroit street smarts thrown in for good measure, Afroskull re-emerges with a new lineup but an old and reliable hold on da funk. Perhaps, being inspired by the eternal wandering spirit of New Orleans can have a lasting impact on any hard rock jazz fusion outfit, but the ‘Skull sounds positively re-born on their latest without too much of a change in their oddly unique blend
of soul and jam.

To Obscurity and Beyond opens with a car engine revving up, before heading out onto the city streets with a confident focus on the end in sight: “ya gots ta make it funky.” The ‘Skull CD features a universal grasp of hip shakin’ nuance and beat without becoming complacent within the various rhythmic structures, an oft-felt complaint about many funk outfits, and certainly something these cats have taken some
time to study.

Truth. This ain’t your drunk older brother’s New Yorkleans band. Anchored by original members Joe Scatassa on guitar and production and Jason Isaac on drums and percussion, and bolstered by a stellar horn section, Matt Iselin on keyboards, Dan Asher on bass, and Seth Moutal on percussion, there is a consistently accelerating arc ‘n pace, which seems to circumvent the myth that funk can only be.well, funky, and not rockin’. To groove is human, but to groove and rock is devilishly divine.

Everywhere, there is no dip in the band’s ability to push your ass onto the dance floor. Straight-up rock is pushed within a groove pocket (“Spyplane”), blues is explored from the grit underneath the surface (“Waste Management”), languid laziness is sidestepped with a fire-y sunset texture (“Me and My TV”), a lovely and patient narcotic sophistication is pondered and abandoned (“Dance of the Wild Koba”), a guitar riff offers temporary relief before the horn section supplements with a tethered call-and-response (“The Curse”), ambient jazz shimmers with a welcome freshness before another cool riff slaps some sense (“Redemption”), Zappa-like soul yelps and kicks with a cantankerous mood and features vocals by Michael Taylor from MoJEAUX Band (“Everything”), and speed funk shoots the ancient clock off the wall (“Zero Hour”).

The ‘Skull journey ends on To Obscurity and Beyond with the most exploratory piece on a CD which defies mundane genrefication and tepid classification. Appropriately enough, it is called “Escape from Rome,” and it neither appears ready to settle on a new destination, nor concerned with really understanding what the hell just happened. Some times in life, one just needs to hop in the damn car and take off. With the latest from Afroskull along for the ride, at least the tunes will kick it further on up the road.

Union Street Preservation Society in Park Slope

Here is our Performance at Open Source Gallery Brooklyn, with Brooklyn's folk, roots, old time torch bearers.