ROOTS ROCKERS Master wordsmith Elvis Costello funks up with musical magicians the Roots By Russell Hall Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson knows how to bide his time. Nearly five years ago, the Roots’ drummer and bandleader met for the first time with talk show host Jimmy Fallon to discuss potential musical guests for Fallon’s new late night TV show. As newly hired music director—with the Roots as house band—Questlove listened intently as Fallon... 

   MAY  THE BAMBOOZLE  Headliners: Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Blink-182, Skrillex, Brand New, the Gaslight Anthem, All American Rejects, Jimmy Eat World, Incubus, Mac Miller Where: Asbury Park, N.J. When: May 18-20 Website: thebamboozle.com Promoted as the largest beach-based music festival in the U.S., the 10th annual Bamboozle offers more than 100 acts. This year the sounds will continue well into the night, as the lineup has expanded to include... 

The Roots Questlove talks about making dark, gritty hip-hop in “the happiest place on earth.” Make no mistake, the average modern person has a very full to-do list from day to day. But does yours look anything like Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s? Today he’s driving from his native Philadelphia to New York City, where he’s due to help put on a pair of Jay-Z performances at Carnegie Hall. That’s just a side project, of course—his main... 

THE ROOTS Undun [Def Jam] The latest from hip-hop’s hippest band is a concept album that tells the fictional—although all too believable—story of Redford Stephens, a low-level street hustler who makes all the wrong choices on his way to an early end. That’s not giving anything away: The Roots tell this story in reverse, rewinding Stephens’ life through songs carefully constructed to avoid glorifying his brief and unfortunate time in the... 

NOV 2010 COVER STORY: JOHN LEGEND & THE ROOTS FEATURES: MILES TO GO, WHOLE NEW WORLD MUSICIAN: JOE SATRIANI, RICHARD THOMPSON PRODUCER: DAVE STEWART Q&A’s: LINKIN PARK, LIZ PHAIR, NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, HUEY LEWIS, JASON BONHAM SPOTLIGHT: PHIL COLLINS, SUGARLAND, TRICKY, SHAWN MULLINS, BAD BOOKS, DAR WILLIAMS, AARON NEVILLE WHO’S NEXT: MATT WHITE, SECRET SISTERS, LAUREN PRITCHARD INDIE SCENE: PETER HIMMELMAN BEHIND THE CLASSICS:...