The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band

Ronnie Dobbs · 11-21-08, 05:25 AM

Nov 18 2008 2:28 PM EST
The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band On 'Late Night'?
Drummer/leader ?uestlove says group will always perform live, but might abandon large-scale touring.
By Jocelyn Vena

Over the weekend, a video interview popped up on the Internet in which Roots drummer/leader ?uestlove announced that the long-running group will be retiring from large-scale touring and taking on a new gig as Jimmy Fallon's house band when he takes over NBC's "Late Night" from Conan O'Brien in 2009.

?uest must've said something that someone found objectionable: That interview has been removed from YouTube and apparently everywhere else.

However, we did manage to find a transcript on one blog, which reportedly took it from the Roots' official site, OkayPlayer.com.

In the interview, ?uestlove put the announcement in perspective, saying that the group will not be retiring from playing live, but from long, large-scale tours.

"Yeah, it's hard to make this announcement 'cause it's not like we wanted to pull the heartstrings on some 'This is our last tour' [statement], 'cause we will forever do gigs," he said. "I see the possible chance of this being a 'bigger' move ... but on the real? I don't know if I want to be 40, on the road and single no more. And with the kids my group has now getting older ... it's harder for the guys to leave more than it was when the kids were 2 and 3. And I can't even start to go on that path till a woman takes me seriously. And ain't no one taking a man serious who is in his own home for only three months out the year. I been in my crib since 2006 and I still ain't unpacked everything yet."

To facilitate that, he said smaller-scale tours are the course the band will probably take. "I mean, people east of Chicago shouldn't fear [that they'll never see the group], and I'm certain that on weekends we could trek to an occasional Seattle or [San] Diego," he said. "But obviously Europe and abroad could miss out."

Later on in the interview, ?uest talked about his excitement over the Fallon gig. "I'mma love my new home at 30 Rock [NBC's headquarters]," he said. "Two visits and I'm already on a first-name basis with the 'SNL' cats."

While ?uestlove and reps for the group's label, Island Def Jam, had not responded to MTV News' requests for comment — and a rep for NBC said, "Nothing to confirm at this time" — a label rep reportedly confirmed the report to the Philadelphia Daily News, saying the group will join Fallon on the show in June. The paper also reported that Fallon and the group recently taped "something" at Philly nightclub Kung Fu Necktie.

The long-running Philadelphia group, which released its first album in 1993 and was one of the first groups to pair rappers with a live band, enjoys a popularity and influence not necessarily reflected by its one major hit, 1999's collaboration with Erykah Badu, "You Got Me." The Roots have toured and worked with a wide range of musicians, including backing Jay-Z at his "Unplugged" concert in 2001 and Reasonable Doubt anniversary show in 2006, touring with the Dave Matthews Band and other jam bands, and collaborating with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump. ?uestlove in particular has worked with an enormous variety of artists — most prominently Badu, Common and D'Angelo — serving as musical director for the Jay-Z concerts (including his 2003 "Fade to Black" show) as well as "The Dave Chappelle Show."

DJLinus · 11-21-08, 08:16 AM

While I'm happy that they'll get the national exposure that they so deserve, this is sad news. The Roots are one of the best live bands that I've ever seen and one of the few that I've paid to see multiple times. You always know that you're going to get a great show with them.

Richmond's close enough to NYC that I hope we get the occasional gig from them. But it's not like they came here all that often, anyway.

sauce07 · 11-21-08, 10:09 AM

I'm sad but this is a great fit.

Hixx · 11-21-08, 01:03 PM

meh, musicians always say stuff like this and then realize they miss playing shows and most importantly the cash that a popular touring act generates by doing full tours.

Goat3001 · 11-21-08, 01:15 PM

I think this works for the Roots. ?uestlove is hilarious so he'll be good on the show. Hopefully the Roots will drown out all the suck that Jimmy Fallon is dishing out.

On the other side, I've never been a big Roots fan. They played at my school once and I went and its still the best live show I've ever seen. Those guys really know how to rock the house. Too bad they won't be doing that anymore but I'm sure they'll eventually go on tour again.

asianxcore · 11-21-08, 01:18 PM

Wow, that sucks. The Roots are one of my favorite bands.

My girlfriend and I finally got to see them on the tour they are currently on with Gym Class Heroes/Estelle.

Never thought that might be the last time I'd ever see them live.

They should just keep playing bits of "Phrenology" and "Things Fall Apart" whenever Fallon attempts to be funny.

auto · 11-21-08, 03:02 PM

I almost saw them on this tour. Damn. I think this is a really bad idea. Hopefully the show gets cancelled quick since Jimmy Fallon is the suck anyhow.

Thrush · 11-23-08, 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goat3001

I think this works for the Roots. ?uestlove is hilarious so he'll be good on the show. Hopefully the Roots will drown out all the suck that Jimmy Fallon is dishing out.

I don't know of anything on heaven or earth that can overwhelm the amount of suck that Fallon produces.

I predict a repeat of the Branford Marsalis/Leno deal. Where Marsalis eventually wised up and said "what the fuck am I doing here playing second fiddle to an Ass clown with less talent than I have in my Big Toenail?!".

NoirFan · 11-23-08, 10:21 AM

At least ?uestlove won't have to brush up on his rimshots.

DJLinus · 02-19-09, 07:15 PM

I thought that this was a bit interesting:

Quote:

NBC will no longer pay for published music: That means, the only thing that the Roots can play are original songs. "We have to write 200 new songs, which will probably last about a year," he says. "We've written about 55 so far."

http://www.rollingstone.com/blogs/sm...he-roots-2.php

I wonder how much NBC has been paying for publishing. On one hand, it'll be great to get a bunch of new music from them. On the other, I kinda wanted to hear their take on other people's stuff on a regular basis.

And I'm really jealous of all you NYC folks:

Quote:

The Roots are taking residency at Highline Ballroom in NYC, their new hometown. Entitled "The Jam", tickets are on sale for shows on March 5, March 19, March 23, March 31, April 14, April 21, May 4, May 13, May 18, May 26, June 2, June 10, June 16, and June 23. That's a lot of performances. And they each only cost $10. I'm also told there will be lots of varying special guests.

But that's not all: Questlove also has a residency of his own, entitled 'the fANtastic', at (Le) Poisson Rouge. That "will take place every Thursday night beginning March 26, 2009 at 11PM through May 28, 2009. Special guests to be announced weekly." Tickets are slightly more expensive than the full Roots show. You can buy them for March 26 HERE.

For more Questlove, you can hear him talk, TONIGHT, 2/11 @ 7pm, at 92YTribeca with Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg.

AND: The Roots will appear at Carnegie Hall on March 16th. The show is entitled "Ask Your Mama! Music by Laura Karpman, on a text by Langston Hughes", and The Roots are one of many on this one's lineup. Tickets for that are at CarnegieHall.com.

Wait, it's not over yet: The Roots are opening for the Dave Matthews Band at Madison Square Garden on April 14th, and then at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ one day after that.

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archive...fallons_h.html

The Bus · 02-20-09, 10:45 AM

I definitely want to see them in NYC. I count a concert that I saw them play in a basketball court in a gym as one of my all-time favorites, even if the acoustics were shit. I was 5 feet from the group.

sauce07 · 02-20-09, 10:49 AM

The Roots are gonna have to write a lot of 15 second songs. Sucks that they can't play other peoples songs, I guess it doesn't matter too much in the end.

Suprmallet · 02-20-09, 05:54 PM

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. The idea that for millions of people The Roots will only be known in association with Jimmy Fallon sickens me.

mcfly · 02-21-09, 03:42 AM

I thought The Roots have been pretty popular with a lot of people since ?uestlove was on Chappelle's Show way back when.

DJLinus · 02-23-09, 08:54 AM

BTW, Questlove is on Twitter and he tweets - a lot. He does a bunch from the Fallon rehearsals. I'd expect him to do it during the tapings, too.

http://twitter.com/qoolquest

DJLinus · 03-03-09, 09:23 AM

It was weird seeing them in the role of talk show house band, but I thought that they did a great job. I hope they're thrown a bone every once and a while and get to perform a full song on air.

I miss Hub. And Rahzel and Scratch, for that matter.

Kory · 03-03-09, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suprmallet

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. The idea that for millions of people The Roots will only be known in association with Jimmy Fallon sickens me.

I feel the same way.

Robot Rock · 03-03-09, 09:35 AM

Definitely, the best house band EVER.

db27 · 03-03-09, 09:55 AM

I was lucky enough to catch the test show on Feb 25th for Late night with JF. It was the fourth test show, and seeing the Roots play a private show was awesome. The play a ton during the taping, but of course not a lot makes it onto the show. Very cool experience.

NoirFan · 03-03-09, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suprmallet

The idea that for millions of people The Roots will only be known in association with Jimmy Fallon sickens me.

More like hundreds of thousands.

Suprmallet · 03-03-09, 08:41 PM

Ha, you're probably right.

NiCK Crush · 03-07-09, 01:30 AM

Roots are opening up for Dave Matthews Band at MSG in April.

11-21-08, 05:25 AM	#1
Ronnie Dobbs DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 2,621	The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band Nov 18 2008 2:28 PM EST The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band On 'Late Night'? Drummer/leader ?uestlove says group will always perform live, but might abandon large-scale touring. By Jocelyn Vena Over the weekend, a video interview popped up on the Internet in which Roots drummer/leader ?uestlove announced that the long-running group will be retiring from large-scale touring and taking on a new gig as Jimmy Fallon's house band when he takes over NBC's "Late Night" from Conan O'Brien in 2009. ?uest must've said something that someone found objectionable: That interview has been removed from YouTube and apparently everywhere else. However, we did manage to find a transcript on one blog, which reportedly took it from the Roots' official site, OkayPlayer.com. In the interview, ?uestlove put the announcement in perspective, saying that the group will not be retiring from playing live, but from long, large-scale tours. "Yeah, it's hard to make this announcement 'cause it's not like we wanted to pull the heartstrings on some 'This is our last tour' [statement], 'cause we will forever do gigs," he said. "I see the possible chance of this being a 'bigger' move ... but on the real? I don't know if I want to be 40, on the road and single no more. And with the kids my group has now getting older ... it's harder for the guys to leave more than it was when the kids were 2 and 3. And I can't even start to go on that path till a woman takes me seriously. And ain't no one taking a man serious who is in his own home for only three months out the year. I been in my crib since 2006 and I still ain't unpacked everything yet." To facilitate that, he said smaller-scale tours are the course the band will probably take. "I mean, people east of Chicago shouldn't fear [that they'll never see the group], and I'm certain that on weekends we could trek to an occasional Seattle or [San] Diego," he said. "But obviously Europe and abroad could miss out." Later on in the interview, ?uest talked about his excitement over the Fallon gig. "I'mma love my new home at 30 Rock [NBC's headquarters]," he said. "Two visits and I'm already on a first-name basis with the 'SNL' cats." While ?uestlove and reps for the group's label, Island Def Jam, had not responded to MTV News' requests for comment — and a rep for NBC said, "Nothing to confirm at this time" — a label rep reportedly confirmed the report to the Philadelphia Daily News, saying the group will join Fallon on the show in June. The paper also reported that Fallon and the group recently taped "something" at Philly nightclub Kung Fu Necktie. The long-running Philadelphia group, which released its first album in 1993 and was one of the first groups to pair rappers with a live band, enjoys a popularity and influence not necessarily reflected by its one major hit, 1999's collaboration with Erykah Badu, "You Got Me." The Roots have toured and worked with a wide range of musicians, including backing Jay-Z at his "Unplugged" concert in 2001 and Reasonable Doubt anniversary show in 2006, touring with the Dave Matthews Band and other jam bands, and collaborating with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump. ?uestlove in particular has worked with an enormous variety of artists — most prominently Badu, Common and D'Angelo — serving as musical director for the Jay-Z concerts (including his 2003 "Fade to Black" show) as well as "The Dave Chappelle Show."

11-21-08, 08:16 AM	#2
DJLinus DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: May 2000 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 6,362	While I'm happy that they'll get the national exposure that they so deserve, this is sad news. The Roots are one of the best live bands that I've ever seen and one of the few that I've paid to see multiple times. You always know that you're going to get a great show with them. Richmond's close enough to NYC that I hope we get the occasional gig from them. But it's not like they came here all that often, anyway. __________________ "Food snobs believe that anything created in Europe is inherently superior to the American-made equivalent. Allow me to explode that fallacy with these words: the 1983 Renault Alliance." - Michael J. Nelson Not that you care... My Countdown Counting down to: Winter Olympics 223 days 3 hours 47 minutes

11-21-08, 10:09 AM	#3
sauce07 DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Oak Hill, VA Posts: 1,726	I'm sad but this is a great fit. __________________ I'm cool, live with it PSN - sauce07 Wii - 5690-8135-6143-5486 DVD Aficionado My Countdown Counting down to: Phish @ Merriweather Post Pavilion 42 days 2 hours 47 minutes

11-21-08, 01:03 PM	#4
Hixx Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 213	meh, musicians always say stuff like this and then realize they miss playing shows and most importantly the cash that a popular touring act generates by doing full tours. __________________ Home Theater Guru www.aperionaudio.com

11-21-08, 01:15 PM	#5
Goat3001 DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 7,637	I think this works for the Roots. ?uestlove is hilarious so he'll be good on the show. Hopefully the Roots will drown out all the suck that Jimmy Fallon is dishing out. On the other side, I've never been a big Roots fan. They played at my school once and I went and its still the best live show I've ever seen. Those guys really know how to rock the house. Too bad they won't be doing that anymore but I'm sure they'll eventually go on tour again. __________________ My Countdown Counting down to: Lost: Final Season Premiere 220 days 16 hours 47 minutes

11-21-08, 01:18 PM	#6
asianxcore DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Bay Area, California Posts: 5,116	Wow, that sucks. The Roots are one of my favorite bands. My girlfriend and I finally got to see them on the tour they are currently on with Gym Class Heroes/Estelle. Never thought that might be the last time I'd ever see them live. They should just keep playing bits of "Phrenology" and "Things Fall Apart" whenever Fallon attempts to be funny. __________________ R.I.P DVDSpot My Video Game Collection!

11-21-08, 03:02 PM	#7
auto DVD Talk Ultimate Edition Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Ypsilanti, MI Posts: 4,771	I almost saw them on this tour. Damn. I think this is a really bad idea. Hopefully the show gets cancelled quick since Jimmy Fallon is the suck anyhow. __________________ Send us your coordinates, I'll send a Saint Bernard

11-23-08, 10:21 AM	#9
NoirFan DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 7,123	At least ?uestlove won't have to brush up on his rimshots. __________________ Watch Edgar G. Ulmer's Noir Classic Detour Cinema

02-20-09, 10:45 AM	#11
The Bus DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Delaware Posts: 34,541	Re: The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band I definitely want to see them in NYC. I count a concert that I saw them play in a basketball court in a gym as one of my all-time favorites, even if the acoustics were shit. I was 5 feet from the group. __________________ XBL/PSN/Steam: Chiwotweiler \| hd dvdaf \| My Favorite Movies: 2002 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09 "Essentially, any body issues you may have can be solved with cocaine or steroids, depending on your goals." - Goat3001 \| "I didn't think my first post on this board would be about dog fucking and pedophilia but I guess you have to start somewhere." - GeekGirl

02-20-09, 10:49 AM	#12
sauce07 DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Oak Hill, VA Posts: 1,726	Re: The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band The Roots are gonna have to write a lot of 15 second songs. Sucks that they can't play other peoples songs, I guess it doesn't matter too much in the end. __________________ I'm cool, live with it PSN - sauce07 Wii - 5690-8135-6143-5486 DVD Aficionado My Countdown Counting down to: Phish @ Merriweather Post Pavilion 42 days 2 hours 47 minutes

02-20-09, 05:54 PM	#13
Suprmallet Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: USS Enterprise Posts: 19,561	Re: The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. The idea that for millions of people The Roots will only be known in association with Jimmy Fallon sickens me. __________________ BWG: "I think all of you who are calling Kirsten Dunst unattractive need to post pictures of your wives/girlfriends for the rest of us to judge." Mazje: "Ha! The joke's on you! We don't have wives or girlfriends!"

02-21-09, 03:42 AM	#14
mcfly DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: California Posts: 3,987	Re: The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band I thought The Roots have been pretty popular with a lot of people since ?uestlove was on Chappelle's Show way back when. __________________ My Homer is not a communist. He may be a liar, a pig, an idiot and a communist, but he is not a porn star!

02-23-09, 08:54 AM	#15
DJLinus DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: May 2000 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 6,362	Re: The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band BTW, Questlove is on Twitter and he tweets - a lot. He does a bunch from the Fallon rehearsals. I'd expect him to do it during the tapings, too. http://twitter.com/qoolquest __________________ "Food snobs believe that anything created in Europe is inherently superior to the American-made equivalent. Allow me to explode that fallacy with these words: the 1983 Renault Alliance." - Michael J. Nelson Not that you care... My Countdown Counting down to: Winter Olympics 223 days 3 hours 47 minutes

03-03-09, 09:23 AM	#16
DJLinus DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: May 2000 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 6,362	Re: The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band It was weird seeing them in the role of talk show house band, but I thought that they did a great job. I hope they're thrown a bone every once and a while and get to perform a full song on air. I miss Hub. And Rahzel and Scratch, for that matter. __________________ "Food snobs believe that anything created in Europe is inherently superior to the American-made equivalent. Allow me to explode that fallacy with these words: the 1983 Renault Alliance." - Michael J. Nelson Not that you care... My Countdown Counting down to: Winter Olympics 223 days 3 hours 47 minutes

03-03-09, 09:35 AM	#18
Robot Rock Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Inland Empire, CA Posts: 99	Re: The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band Definitely, the best house band EVER.

03-03-09, 09:55 AM	#19
db27 DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: Astoria, NY Posts: 5,256	Re: The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band I was lucky enough to catch the test show on Feb 25th for Late night with JF. It was the fourth test show, and seeing the Roots play a private show was awesome. The play a ton during the taping, but of course not a lot makes it onto the show. Very cool experience. __________________ my wii friend code: 3366 6996 8528 5761

03-03-09, 08:41 PM	#21
Suprmallet Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: USS Enterprise Posts: 19,561	Re: The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band Ha, you're probably right. __________________ BWG: "I think all of you who are calling Kirsten Dunst unattractive need to post pictures of your wives/girlfriends for the rest of us to judge." Mazje: "Ha! The joke's on you! We don't have wives or girlfriends!"

03-07-09, 01:30 AM	#22
NiCK Crush DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 2,603	Re: The Roots To Stop Touring, Become Jimmy Fallon's House Band Roots are opening up for Dave Matthews Band at MSG in April.