As he releases his first studio album in seven years, Femi Kuti has confirmed a US tour that will see the Afrobeat legend play venues from coast to coast in January 2009.

Femi’s album, ‘Day By Day’, is released November 18, 2008, and will be the first release from the new Downtown Records imprint Mercer Street Records. Femi launched back onto the public stage this fall when he was featured on emerging artist and label mate, Brett Dennen’s hit, “Make You Crazy.”

Femi Kuti on amazon.com

Femi Kuti on amazon.co.uk

Not content to merely follow in the footsteps of his famous father, Fela Kuti, Femi continues to expand his musical palette with his latest studio release, ‘Day By Day’, a hybrid of Afro-pop, jazz and urban influences.

Femi is world renowned as a gifted songwriter and performer who continues to push the boundaries of Afrobeat rather than resting on his legacy. He has toured America with alt-rock band Jane’s Addiction, sang on Rachid Taha’s ‘Made In Medina’ album and reached out to the American hip-hop community connecting with artists such as Mos Def, D’Angelo, Nile Rodgers, Erykah Badu and the Roots.

Femi Kuti’s January 2009 Day By Day Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

January 7 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
January 8 New York, NY Webster Hall
January 9 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
January 10 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
January 11 New York, NY GlobalFEST @ Webster Hall
January 14 Montreal, QC Club Soda
January 15 Toronto, ON The Opera House
January 16 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre
January 17 Chicago, IL Metro
January 19 Boulder, CO The Boulder Theatre
January 22 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
January 23 West Hollywood, CA House of Blues
January 24 San Diego, CA House of Blues

For more tour details, visit:

Femi Kuti MySpace

With a Top Ten album debut, a Top Ten radio single and a run of sold-out club shows, singer/songwriter Brett Dennen announces plans for a Hope For The Hopeless headlining tour that will stretch from January 2009 into the spring (see dates below).

Hope for the Hopeless on amazon.com

The tour will hit major venues across the country including two nights in Brett’s hometown of San Francisco (The Fillmore) and two nights in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles (House of Blues LA). Tickets go on sale Saturday, November 22, 2008.

Brett Dennen’s ‘Hope For The Hopeless’ debuted as the #4 Independent Album, the #6 Digital Album and entered at #41 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. The first single, “Make You Crazy,” is a Top Ten hit at tastemaker AAA stations across the country and features Nigerian Afro-beat legend, Femi Kuti.

Brett will perform “Make You Crazy” on “Good Morning America Weekend” November 15. The video for the song co-starring actress and fan Mandy Moore is featured on AOL Music sites and can be seen across the web.

Rolling Stone named Dennen one of their “Artists to Watch in 2008″ and said “his third disc suggests he may soon give Dave Matthews a run for his tour grosses.” John Mayer, Michael Franti and Jason Mraz are outspoken advocates for Brett. His songs have been featured in episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scrubs” and “House” among others. NPR, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, and The Washington Post are among the publications that have spotlighted his narrative-rich lyrics and distinctive voice.

Brett Dennen 2009 Hope For The Hopeless Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

January 16 Orlando, FL The Social
January 17 Ft. Lauderdale, FL The Culture Room
January 18 Tampa, FL State Theatre
January 21 New Orleans, LA Parish
January 22 Houston, TX Warehouse Live Studio
January 23 Austin, TX La Zona Rosa
January 24 Dallas, TX The Loft
January 26 Birmingham, AL WorkPlay Theatre
January 27 Knoxville, TN The Square Room
January 29 Nashville, TN Exit/In
January 30 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
January 31 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre

February 2 Columbia, SC Headliners
February 3 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel
February 5 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle
February 6 Falls Church, VA State Theatre
February 7 Towson, MD Recher Theatre
February 8 Northampton, MA Pearl Street
February 10 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
February 11 New York, NY Webster Hall
February 13 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
February 14 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
February 15 Montreal QC Cabaret du Musee Juste Pour Rire
February 16 Toronto, ON The Mod Club Theatre
February 18 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
February 19 Traverse City, MI City Opera house
February 20 Columbus, OH The Basement
February 21 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom
February 23 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theatre
February 24 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
February 26 Chicago, IL Park West
February 27 Indianapolis, IN Music Mill
February 28 Madison, WI Majestic Theater

March 2 Louisville, KY Headliners
March 3 St. Louis, MO Duck Room
March 4 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
March 5 Des Moines, IA People’s Court
March 12 Vancouver, BC The Plaza
March 13 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
March 14 Seattle, WA Showbox at the Market
March 16 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
March 17 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
March 19 Reno, NV Grand Sierra Theatre
March 20 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
March 21 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
March 22 Sacramento, CA Boardwalk
March 24 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues
March 25 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues
March 27 San Diego, CA House of Blues
March 28 Phoenix, AZ Clubhouse
March 29 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
March 30 Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Brewing Company

April 1 Aspen, CO Belly Up
April 2 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
April 3 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
April 4 Salt Lake City, UT Murray Theatre

Erin McCarley supporting January 16 through January 31
Angus and Julia Stone supporting March 12 through April 4 except in Reno, NV

Brett Dennen Official Website
MySpace

Grammy-nominated artist Matisyahu announces his third annual Festival of Light shows in New York City this December.

The eight-show series includes dates in Manhattan and Brooklyn for a total of four shows in each borough, featuring special guests each night, including Brett Dennen, Easy Star All-Stars, Assembly of Dust, Asher Roth, The Leevees, Little Jackie, U Melt and a special surprise DJ soon to be announced.

The festival begins December 21, 2008, the first night of Chanukah, and concludes December 30. Festival of Light marks the final leg of Matisyahu’s extensive fall tour, which coincides with the release of his upcoming EP, ‘Shattered’ (Epic Records, October 21). The four-song EP features tracks from his new full-length album, ‘Light’ (due out in early 2009).

Matisyahu on amazon.com

Matisyahu on amazon.co.uk

Previous Festival of Light shows have included special guests Tim Reynolds, Blues Traveler and The Wailers. This year Matisyahu will kick off the Third Annual Festival of Lights show at Webster Hall in Manhattan on December 21 with a very special guest DJ set.

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Brett Dennen will open the final festival show on December 30 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, playing a solo set. The Levees (featuring Adam Gardner of Guster), U-Melt, Assembly of Dust and Easy Star All-Stars performing songs from “Radiodread” and “Dub Side of the Moon” will also join Matisyahu on stage during the holiday festival.

Tickets for Festival of Light shows went on sale to the general public on October 17. Tickets may be purchased either through no fee box offices at the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan and the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn or at Ticketmaster.com.

Festival of Light 2008 Schedule:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

December 21 Webster Hall w/ DJ set by TBA New York, NY
December 22 Webster Hall w/ The Leevees New York, NY
December 23 Webster Hall w/ U Melt New York, NY
December 25 Webster Hall w/ Easy Star All-Stars New York, NY
December 27 Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Asher Roth Brooklyn, NY
December 28 Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Assembly of Dust Brooklyn, NY
December 29 Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Little Jackie Brooklyn, NY
December 30 Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Brett Dennen Brooklyn, NY

Matisyahu Official Website

I’ve been enjoying Brett Dennen’s new “Make You Crazy” track from his upcoming release ‘Hope for the Hopeless’ out October 21, 2008. The song features the legendary Femi Kuti.

Luckily for me and all of you, the track is available right here as a FREE download!!

Download “Make You Crazy” MP3

Watch the video of Brett performing “Make You Crazy” on NYC NPR station WFUV:

Brett Dennen – Hope for the Hopeless (Dig) on amazon.com

For more music and information, go to:

Brett Dennen Official Website
MySpace

Singer/songwriter Brett Dennen’s October release ‘Hope For The Hopeless’ on Dualtone Music Group/Downtown Music will be followed by a pared-down mini-tour sponsored by organic drink-maker Guayaki Yerba Mate.

Tickets became available September 18 for the intimate tour which starts in Portland, OR on November 3, 2008 and wraps at New York City’s Canal Room November 18. Please see below for a full list of dates. The mini-tour is a return to the smaller venues Brett began playing just five years ago; Dennen and his full band are preparing a larger headlining tour for early 2009.

The tour celebrates the release of Brett’s third album ‘Hope For The Hopeless’ out October 21, 2008. Fans can pre-order through www.brettdennen.net beginning September 15 and the first 200 fans to order will receive an autographed album and a chance to win a Martin acoustic guitar hand-painted by Brett.

Billboard wrote that “Dennen is just as in demand as a solo performer [as a supporting act].” This summer, while on the road with John Mayer, USA Today listed Brett among three artists worth arriving early for stating, “these opening acts are the talent before the star storm.”

Brett’s audiences have consistently doubled in size with each return to a city. Adding fuel to the fire is Hope For The Hopeless’ first single, “Make You Crazy” featuring Afro-Beat king Femi Kuti. It is an infectious, uptempo song already playing on tastemaker stations across the U.S.

‘Hope For The Hopeless’ features an increasingly electric take on Brett’s narrative-rich songs and pop, folk, rock and Afro-Caribbean sounds. The album was recorded at the Village Recorder Studios in Los Angeles with multi-platinum producer John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band). Brett cites inspiration ranging from Fela Kuti’s Expensive Shit/Ransome Kuti, to Joni Mitchell’s Court And Spark, to The Rolling Stone’s Exile On Main St.

Brett Dennen 2008 Mini Tour Sponsored by Guayaki Yerba Mate:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

November 3 Portland, OR Doug Fir
November 5 Seattle, WA Triple Door
November 6 San Francisco, CA The Independent
November 7 Los Angeles, CA Hotel Cafe
November 8 Los Angeles, CA Hotel Cafe
November 10 Denver, CO Walnut Room
November 11 Austin, TX The Continental Club
November 13 Chicago, IL Schubas
November 14 Annapolis, MD Ramshead Onstage
November 15 Philadelphia, PA Tin Angel
November 16 Boston, MA Passim
November 18 New York, NY Canal Room

BIO

Brett Dennen’s break-through 2006 release, ‘So Much More’, prompted Rolling Stone to name him one of their “Artists to Watch in 2008.” He has performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Call with Carson Daly and NPR.

The Washington Post called him “a folk rock revelation” and Entertainment Weekly enthused, “He’s a big talent with a fresh face and an old soul.”

John Mayer, Michael Franti and Jason Mraz are outspoken advocates and Brett’s songs have been featured in episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs and House, among others.

Brett joined Mayer’s 2008 Summer Tour, prompting USA Today to affirm him one of the summer’s “opening acts worth arriving early for.” He recently co-headlined a theater tour with Mason Jennings and has also toured with the John Butler Trio, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Ben Folds.

The 6′ 4″ former camp counselor from Northern California seems an unlikely front man – with his long red hair, trademark headband and guitar held high on his frame he nonetheless radiates confidence and ease in his own skin. His smooth sound is in stark contrast to his persona and the combination of wit and sentiment amount to a captivating performance. As the audience grows, Brett remains the folky, soulful, witty and insightful artist that first captured hearts in California coffee houses five years ago.

Much like the theme of Brett’s new album, Guayaki Yerba Mate is providing ‘Hope for the Hopeless’ as it relates to the plight of the rainforest of South America and its native people.

Brett is an avid supporter of Guayaki Yerba Mate’s mission to protect the rainforest and proud to be featured on the label of the award-winning Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate Drinks distributed throughout the U.S. Learn more at: Guayaki Official Website.

Brett Dennen Official Website
MySpace