The Roots With John Legend, Sting & Others At Earth Day Climate Rally In Washington DC

via The Washington Post

Sting, Mavis Staples, the Roots -- some big stars came to Washington to perform at Sunday's (April 25) Earth Day Climate Rally on the National Mall. But there was one unexpected surprise guest. Ladies and gentlemen, the sun!

It punched holes through the overcast early in the day -- a welcome change for an annual concert that's been particularly soggy in recent years. Last year's event was gray and drippy, and 2008's concert was thunderstormed out before the Roots, who were headlining, could even walk onstage.

Mother Nature must have gotten the memo that this year's awareness-raising, free-admission concert, organized by the Earth Day Network, marked the 40th anniversary of the environmentalist event. Tens of thousands gathered on the grounds between the Capitol and the Washington Monument to hear activists, celebrities and Congress-folk speak about the importance of renewable energy, green jobs and shrinking carbon footprints.

Oh, and there was some music, too. The Roots, the great hip-hop group that recently, finally earned household-name status as the house band on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," made a triumphant return to the Mall, scheduled to back performances from Sting, John Legend and a slew of others.



Sting was one of many of Sunday's high-profile performers.

They took the stage late in the afternoon, propelled by Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson's firecracker drumming and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter's dexterous rhymes. But their set ended rather unceremoniously when the sound system blew out.



Once organizers resuscitated the P.A., the Roots returned with Staples, the great soul-gospel singer, in tow. After that came Fall Out Boy singer Patrick Stump, who crooned Bobby Womack's "If You Think You're Lonely Now." As surprising as this transformation from emo-dude to blue-eyed soulman: Stump has slimmed down into quite the trim Fall Out Man.

Up next, micro-performances from the inimitable Booker T, the intolerable Joss Stone and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead -- the Roots playing it cool throughout.

Read the rest of the article here:
Washington Post - Earth Day's moment in the sun

Photo links from the Earth Day Climate Rally concert with Sting, The Roots, John Legend, Jimmy Cliff and others in Washington D.C.:
Washington Post
Getty Images
Wire Image
Film Magic
Rex Features
WENN Photo

more fan shot video below.









(video courtesy of Run In DC & godieinhell2)

Digiwaxx Media Partners with Solar One to Produce CitySol Festival and Solar Heat Mixtape inspried by Eco-friendly music festival

Sounds like a great event for a great cause...

(via press release)
New York, NY (July 8, 2009)--Digiwaxx Media has collaborated with Solar One for the second consecutive year with its NYC Sustainability Festival taking place Friday June 10th through Sunday June 12th at Stuyvesant Cove Park located on 23rd Street and the FDR Service Road East in New York City. As co-curator of the main event, the live music day on Saturday, June 11th, Digiwaxx has secured the urban acts that will be performing during the concert as well as created the free Solar Heat mixtape produced by 106 & Park DJ battle champion, Get Live. The mixtape will primarily be available online for download as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional physical CD's and a conscious effort to conserve materials. The fully solar powered event will take place from 12 Noon to 10pm with a long list of acts that will include Dead Prez, O'Neal McKnight and a special surprise guest DJ.

Digiwaxx Media, a premier music marketing and urban lifestyle company that specializes in urban talent and digital distribution to DJs, originally joined forces with Solar One to help to further the marketing techniques that are used to reach an urban audience. As part of this partnership Digiwaxx's role consists of securing talent for the show, marketing the event to urban networks as well as compiling a mixtape that features artists such as Mike Posner, J. Cole, Ryan Leslie and Melanie Fiona. "There are a lot of hip-hop artists who care about positive causes such as saving the environment. Digiwaxx is proud to offer a concrete and fun way for them to get involved and spread the message to our communities," says Digiwaxx founder and CEO Corey "CL" Llewellyn.

The CitySol Concert will be fully powered by photovoltaic panels on Solar One's nearby roof. To insure that the act is carbon neutral, all waste will be properly recycled. This is groundbreaking compared to comparative music performances that usually waste roughly 600 light bulbs, 200,000 napkins and nearly 500,000 plastic cups every year, yielding 500-1,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

In addition to booking Dead Prez, one of the most internationally renowned and politically charged groups of present day hip-hop, Digiwaxx has also booked Universal Records newcomer O'Neal McKnight who has received overwhelming buzz for his astounding affiliations and accomplishments. With Digiwaxx's database of over 35,000 DJs worldwide that includes some of most renowned radio and celebrity DJs at their disposal, the surprise DJ is sure to be a hit. With Urban Go Green on board as a sponsor and the Queen Afua Wellness Institute on hand to provide raw vegan food, the festival will be a great experience for everyone attending.

The entire CitySol festival will include activities, installations, and exhibits for the whole weekend of July 11th-July 12th. Music acts will perform under a solar tent by Eco-Pioneer, who will also be providing site design with solar tents, a tiki lounge and a bar and bike area. Installation art and exhibits will be created in -MORE- a Habitat for Artists—a temporary recycled-and-recyclable art studio where Habitat creator Simon Draper (and other artists of his choosing) will create pieces to display during the festival. Additional activities include Sunday's Kids of All Ages Day where attendees can create their very own generator with the Madagascar Institute as well as take part in open eco-pet fashion show and access the Biobus Mobile Science Lab.

For more information on these events including the scheduled line up please visit www.CitySol.org/2009.

Solar Heat Mixtape Vol. 2 download here