Will Mannie Fresh Reunite With Lil Wayne At Bonaroo?

In preparation for the Bonnaroo music festival beginning today in Manchester, Tennessee, legendary hip hop producer and longtime Cash Money Record collaborator Mannie Fresh has been pegged to craft a hip hop remix of the festival’s official theme song.

The theme song, “Bonnaroo (Feel The Magic),” was written by longtime bluegrass musician Del McCoury and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. A story retold by Preservation Hall member Ben Jaffe said that McCoury got the idea to pen the song in a band partnership while stranded in a snowstorm during a joint tour between McCoury’s group and the Preservation Hall band.

The news of Mannie Fresh providing an update to the feel-good original should be thrilling to fans of the producer who gained fame as the in-house producer for New Orleans indie powerhouse Cash Money Records in the 90s. Mannie has also found some notoriety as a rapper alongside Cash Money label boss Brian “Birdman” Williams as part of the Big Tymers duo, of which the pair has released five albums.

Citing money issues in 2005, Fresh moved on from the Cash Money confines and began work as an artist and producer for Def Jam South. His second and currently most recent solo album Return Of The Ballin’ was released in 2009 and featured southern rap greats Rick Ross and Lil Jon on one track.

Rumors are rumbling about that Mannie Fresh will be in attendance at Bonnaroo which makes for an interesting scenario since former label mate Lil Wayne is one of the headlining rap acts of the festival along with Eminem and other big names. Could a possible reunion between YMCMB and Mannie Fresh be on the horizon this weekend?

The Bonnaroo festival begins today (June 9) and ends on Sunday (June

Iconic Buffalo Springfield Stampedes Into Bonnaroo

Richie Furay knows a little something about miracles in his new career as a preacher.

A Buffalo Springfield reunion may not strictly qualify as a one. But like most folks he'd written off the possibility when the band famously flamed out in 1968, ending a short but incandescent run that would ripple through music for decades to come.

"People have asked me did I think The Buffalo Springfield would ever get back together again, and my answer was a short, 'Never, it's not gonna happen,'" Furay said in a phone interview last Saturday before the band's soundcheck in Los Angeles. "That old saying, 'Never say never,' is true."

The surviving members of the California quintet — Furay, Stephen Stills and Neil Young — will make their only festival appearance this year on Saturday at Bonnaroo, serving as a focal point for an event heavy on bands influenced by the folk- and country-rock pioneers.

Young first broached the idea of a reunion in a song, "Buffalo Springfield Again" from 2000's "Silver & Gold," and finally reached out personally last year to invite Furay and Stills to join him at his annual Bridge School benefit concert in October.

 

Fans cheered the reunion and, more importantly, the band enjoyed it. Over the years their relationships sometimes bore the lingering strain of that 1960s breakup. But not this time. Things were so much fun, they made plans for a six-date mini-tour in California to warm up for Bonnaroo and have since announced a fall tour.

There's a harmony these days that didn't exist during the band's revolving-door run from 1966-68.

"Nobody's looking for a career move or anything," Furay said. "This isn't a career move. This is just a bunch of guys who played music together 40 years ago having fun, readdressing the music that we played, and there's no agendas. ... Man, it's so much more relaxed and I am going to speak for Neil and for Stephen, we're just having fun. There's no reason to be doing this if everyone isn't having fun and everyone's having fun. We knew that back at the Bridge School. It was like stepping back in time."

And it's an exciting time to revisit. Buffalo Springfield held together just long enough to record one album together, one album apart and enough leftovers for a third.

In these few dozen tracks is a large portion of the DNA for today's thriving folk- and country-rock scenes. Buffalo Springfield alongside groups like The Byrds helped meld sounds no one really thought belonged together at the time. Folk purists felt rock 'n' roll was abusive, and rock purists didn't want to fluff up their music. And the country guys had no idea what to make of it all.

Buffalo Springfield — which originally included bassist Bruce Palmer and drummer Dewey Martin, who have both passed away — had just one big hit in its short run, but its commercial success was inverse to its influence. Tension in the band between Young and Stills and legal problems for Palmer led to the band's split. Young and Stills went on to success as solo artists and together in Crosby, Stills, Nash & (sometimes) Young. Furay formed the influential country-rock band Poco with latter-day Springfield member Jim Messina before forming the nondenominational Calvary Chapel in Bloomfield, Colo.

Buzz grows as arrival of this year's Bonnaroo nears

As summer is beginning to heat up so is the hype over the lineup for this year's Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn.
Kicking off on Thursday, June 9, with gates to the campgrounds opening the night before on Wednesday, June 8, this year's festival contains one of the most varied lineups in the festival's history.
Ranging from famous hip-hop acts such as Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne, Eminem and Big Boi to electronic artists such as Bassnectar and Pretty Lights, this year's lineup is friendly to fans of all genres.
The famous band from the 1960's, Buffalo Springfield, is headlining this year with this performance being an essential stop on the group's first tour since 1969.
Bonnaroo veterans, Widespread Panic are headlining this year, and with rumors spreading about the band taking an indefinite hiatus after the end of this year, they are bound to put an epic end to their legacy.
With tickets selling out at an alarmingly fast rate this year, Bonnaroo's patrons are sure to consist of a wide range of festival-goers, including fans of the notorious group of N.Y.C. bad boys, and The Strokes, who released their most recent album on April 22.
These bands listed above are only a few of the tasty musical treats that this year's Bonnaroo has in store for those who make the trek.