Bonnaroo Band of the Day: Main Stage Roundup, Part 4

Just like last year and the year before, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with every single band on Bonnaroo‘s impressive 2014 lineup. We started from the bottom and have been working our way up, paying special attention to the smaller and lesser known acts on this year’s bill with daily, dedicated Bonnaroo Band of the Day and Bonnaroo Club Stage Band of the Day posts. Now that ‘Roo is fast approaching, and we’ve made our way through the fest’s entire undercard, we’ll be spending our last couple of weeks making sure you’re up to date on the festival’s headliners, this time in the form of group posts. Keep reading for your Bonnaroo Band of the Day: Main Stage Roundup…

TEDESCHI TRUCKS BAND

Saturday | What Stage | 3:30pm

Every now and then, a musician comes along that blows everyone out of the water. These incredibly gifted individuals, often labelled prodigies, integrate complex technical and emotional motifs into their music in a way that seems so natural, it’s almost eerie. Slide guitarist Derek Trucks of the Tedeschi Trucks Band would most certainly fall into this category. While he had never picked up a guitar until age nine, by the time he was twenty, Trucks had already become an official member of the Allman Brothers, and played with the likes of Bob Dylan and Buddy Guy. Meanwhile, female vocalist Susan Tedeschi also was establishing a name for herself, playing in groups since the age of 13. In 1999, Tedeschi’s act would open for the Allman Brothers, where she and Derek met. They eventually fell in love, got married, and formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band, with a number of other fantastic musicians. Both Trucks and Tedeschi have won numerous Grammys, and, to this daym the Tedeschi Trucks Band are considered one of the strongest forces in blues music. Check out some tracks below to experience them for yourself, and remember that this band will both be playing a standalone set Saturday afternoon and curating one of the super jams. [JS]

LISTEN | “Part of Me”

WATCH | “Midnight in Harlem” (Live at Red Rocks 2012)

CONNECT | Site | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify

BROKEN BELLS

Sunday | Which Stage | 6:15pm

Formed in 2009, supergroup Broken Bells is comprised of acclaimed producer Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, The Black Keys, Gorrillaz, U2) and The Shins’ James Mercer. An indie pop group more experimental and eclectic than The Shins and more straightforward than most of Danger Mouse’s personal musical ventures, Broken Bells exploded onto the scene with their stellar 2010 self-titled album, then solidified their superstar status with this year’s After the Disco, nabbing their highest chart successes to date. Quickly connecting with fans and critics alike, Broken Bells have, in their few short years of activity and in between focusing on their main projects, managed to become festival staples, have made numerous television appearances, and even landed a Grammy nomination. Their live show (which incorporates extra musicians) is as seasoned and polished as you would expect from two such accomplished musicians, so count on this to be one of Bonaroo’s best bets. [PO]

LISTEN | “Holding on for Life”

WATCH | “The High Road” (Official Music Video)

CONNECT | Site | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify

CHROMEO

Saturday | Which Stage | 7:30pm

Saturday night is always the biggest party of them all at Bonnaroo. Festival organizing friends parade about in costume, local press friends have usually given into the party, and we all know that there is one more all-nighter in our future. This is why Chromeo may be the most perfectly placed act at all of Bonnaroo this year. The electro-funk Canadian duo have dubbed themselves as “the only successful Arab/Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture,” but, political tensions aside, these guys are also staples for all the WASPs that frequent clubs in cities across the globe. Leaning heavily on disco influences, it’s almost like a trip back to the by-gone cocaine days of Studio 54, but it’s more like today’s EDM craze traveled back in time to tap into some Kool & The Gang. Needless to say, this is a far healthier way to pump you up for Saturday night that any drug or energy drink. Let the music move ya. [MH]

LISTEN | “Lost On The Way Home” ft. Solange

WATCH | “Jealous (I Ain’t With It)” (Official Music Video)

CONNECT | Site | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify

MS. LAURYN HILL

Saturday | That Tent | 8:45pm

More than once, Ms. Lauryn Hill has been branded “the funkiest woman alive.” It’s a bold claim, we know, but, in all likelihood, it’s pretty true. After her stint as a founding member of the Fugees (who, by the way, are one of No Country’s favorite rap artists of all time; check ’em out!), Hill graduated into a successful solo career with the release of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Utilizing her equally impressive abilities to both rap and sing, Hill touches on a number of a hot cultural and personal issues, including her pregnancy and the end of the Fugees. In fact, during the last decade, that’s somewhat become Lauryn Hill’s “thing.” She’s a musician, sure, but she’s become more than that: she’s a social activist now. Of course, that doesn’t mean she can’t still rock it up on the stage. Her soulful, honest delivery is truly something witness, and we definitely recommend taking the time to check out this fantastic artist. [JS]

LISTEN | “Consumerism”

WATCH | “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” (Official Music Video)

CONNECT | Site | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify

ZEDD

Russian-born, German-raised Grammy Award-winning electro house producer and DJ Zedd exploded last year with the release of two singles: “Clarity” (for which he won that aforementioned Grammy), featuring Foxes, and “Stay the Night,” featuring Paramore’s Hayley Williams. Both songs appear on his 2012 full-length debut, also called Clarity, which took some time to land stateside, but when it did, ended up as one of the most praised EDM releases of 2013. At just 24 years old, Zedd has already become one of the most in-demand producers and performers in electronic music, earning him spots on a plethora of major festivals, along with a buzzed-about world tour. Drawing influences from house, dubstep, progressive house, classical, and complextro, Zedd is one of the most pop-savvy, crossover accessible, and easy to process EDM artists around, and a great gateway for ‘Roo-goers looking to get that electronic fix. [PO]

LISTEN | “Stay the Night” ft. Hayley Williams of Paramore