Photo by Colin Athens

Says The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne of the band’s first release in 2012: “Sound construction piece featuring Lips, Erykah Badu, Siri, and Biz Markie backwards. It’s called ‘Now I Understand’ It’s funny and will be available on SoundCloud for one week only!!! Life is beautiful. Music gets you high.” Glad to see nothing has changed.

Hat tip to Psych Explorations of the Future Heart for the heads up.

Last night, J-Fal (or, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) put together the best party any child’s parents could ask for: Erykah Badu, Biz Markie, Bootsy Collins, The Roots, and Yo Gabba Gabba! all performed together on stage, debuting a new song, “We’re Gonna Party Today”. Although George Clinton didn’t surface, there was plenty of old-school funk to be had, which led to one bold lesson: Great grooves make great friends. The best part, however, comes around 2:30 when Black Thought chimes in – what a bad ass. Once again, how is this not Emmy award-winning material?

If there’s anything that makes Late Night With Jimmy Fallon stand out, it’s the music. Heck, this week alone the show’s had performances from Robyn and Jónsi. But more than that, music permeates the show in a way unlike any other late-night offering, like Fallon’s collabo with Justin Timberlake on the “History of Rap”. Of course, making that gem look like the enitrety of the musical booking on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno is the glee-inducing creative storm of Jeff Goldblum, Biz Markie, and Fallon doing their rendition of Markie’s seminal “Just A Friend” (via Late Night‘s blog.)

As it turns out, the actor from The Fly can actually play piano. Goldblum’s deadpan delivery of the song’s intro is made only more wonderful with those absurdly large glasses he’s got covering 90% of his face. Things only get more surreal as The Roots kick out the jam and the whole thing is topped off with a clearly giddy Fallon, a bizarro, on-top-of-his-game Markie, and a rather lively studio audience. Sure, Conan O’Brien might be the talk of the late-night circuit for weeks to come, but Jimmy Fallon still delivers. Team Falo, yo.

According to USA Today, the game’s primary mode of play will see players doing their best to duplicate the flow from a tracklist that will eventually include 40 songs. Already announced for the game are the likes of Tupac, Lil Wayne, Wu Tang Clan, Outkast, Slick Rick, and more; enjoy the partial artist list and songs below.

Other game modes include Battle mode, which pits you and a home in a head-to-head lyrical throwdown, and a Freestyle mode, where you’ve gotta bust out a few lines of your own. If you’re in the mode for sharing, you can upload clips to the Rapstar community. That way, the whole world will know that you know all the words to Salt N Pepa’s “Push It”.

The game will include a wired microphone and will retail for $69.99 for the PS3 and XBox 360 and $59.99 for the Wii. Def Jam Rapstar hits stores on October 5th.

Def Jam Rapstar Partial Tracklist:
01. 2 Pac – “I Get Around”
02. 50 Cent – “I Get Money”
03. Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg – “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang”
04. Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx – “Gold Digger”
05. Lil’ Wayne – “A Milli”
06. Notorius B.I.G. – “Juicy”
07. Slick Rick – “Children’s Story”
08. T.I. featuring Rihanna – “Live Your Life”
09. Wu Tang Clan – “C.R.E.A.M.”
10. Young Jeezy featuring Kanye West – “Put On”
11. Biz Markie – “Just A Friend”
12. Drake – “Best I Ever Had”
13. Ice Cube – “It Was A Good Day”
14. Outkast – “So Fresh & So Clean”
15. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – “TROY”
16. Redman & Method Man – “Da Rockwilder”
17. Salt N Pepa – “Push It”

Each performance may include favorites like “There’s a Party in My Tummy” or a remix of Chromeo’s  ”Nice and Clean”, but a long list of live guest appearances will keep expectations high for each new city. According to the Yo Gabba Gabba! website, each show will feature Biz Markie’s beat-box tutorial and a different guest artist, so fans can never be sure what to expect. Said guest artists have not yet been announced, but previous appearances by Snoop Dog, The Roots, Cold War Kids, and Sarah Silverman keep the possibilities wide-open for this tour’s live shows. Is there a Thurston Moore noise-rock tutorial in Yo Gabba Gabba’s future? Probably not, but a fan can dream.

This fall’s tour kicks off August 27 at Bethel, New York, and will make 60 stops, including five-shows at Radio City Music Hall, before concluding in early December.  Each date will have multiple shows, past shows taking place at 1 and 5 p.m. Tickets are currently only available for American Express members, while the Internet pre-sale begins June 2nd on Ticketmaster. The general sale begins June 5, but by that time expect a vast majority of tickets to be sold. One dollar from each ticket will go to support Habitat for Humanity. View the complete list of dates below.

Yo Gabba Gabba – 2010 Tour Dates
08/27 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods
08/28 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
08/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center for the Performing Arts
08/31 – Gilford, NH @ Meadowbrook US Cellular Pavilio
09/02 – Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
09/03 – Buffalo, NY @ Artpark
09/04 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
09/05 – Montreal, QC @ Place des Arts
09/08 – Edmonton, AL @ Northern Jubilee
09/09 – Calgary, AL @ Southern Jubilee
09/11 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
09/12 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
09/14 – Regina, SK @ Brandt Centre
09/15 – Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre Theatre
09/18 – London, ON @ John Labatt Centre
09/19 – Ottawa, ON @ Scotiabank Place
09/21 – Rochester, NY @ Auditorium Theatre
09/22 – Burlington, VT @ Flynn Theatre
09/24 – Portland, ME @ Merrill Auditorium
09/25 – Boston, MA @ Wang Theatre
09/26 – Boston, MA @ Wang Theatre
09/28 – Providence, RI @ Providence PAC
09/29 – Wallingford, CT @ Oakdale Theatre
09/30 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Benedum Center for the Performing Arts
10/02 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/03 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
10/05 – Hershey, PA @ Hershey Theater
10/06 – Cleveland, OH @ State Theatre at PlayhouseSquare
10/08 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
10/09 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
10/10 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
10/11 – Louisville, KY @ The Palace Theatre
10/13 – Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre
10/15 -Richmond, VA @ Landmark Theater
10/16 – Greensboro, NC @ War Memorial Auditorium
10/17 – Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium
10/19 - Chattanooga, TN @ Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium
10/20 - Huntsville, AL @ Von Braun Center
10/21 - Nashville, TN @ Jackson Hall – Tennessee PAC
10/23 - Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
10/24 - Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
10/27 - Jacksonville, FL @ Moran Theatre at Times Union Center
10/29 - Kissimmee, FL @ Silver Spurs Arena
10/30 - Tampa, FL St. @ Pete Times Forum
10/31 - Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
11/02 - Columbia, SC @ Township Auditorium
11/03 - Knoxville, TN @ Tennessee Theatre
11/05 - Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
11/06 - Kansas City, MO @ The Midland
11/07 - Denver, CO @ 1st Bank Center
11/09 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The E Center
11/12 - Spokane, WA @ INB Performing Arts Center
11/13 - Seattle, WA @ Tacoma Dome
11/14 -Portland, OR @ Memorial Coliseum
11/15 - Eugene, OR @ Hult Center
11/18 - Sacramento, CA @ Memorial Auditorium
11/20 - San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/21 - San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
11/26 - Los Angeles, CA @ Nokia Theater
11/27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Nokia Theater
11/28 - San Diego, CA @ San Diego Sports Arena
12/04 - Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theater
12/05 - Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theater
12/07 – El Paso, TX @ Abraham Chavez Theater
12/09 – San Antonio, TX @ Freeman Coliseum
12/10 – Houston, TX @ Hobby Center
12/11 – Austin, TX @ Cedar Park Center
12/12 – Dallas, TX Dr @ Pepper Arena

The TV show, which routinely features the likes of The Shins, The Roots, and Chromeo performing kid friendly numbers, is going on tour with several live multimedia events. Not only will DJ Lance Rock host, but the show will feature Biz Markie’s Beat of the Day, plus the Aquabats, whose frontman, Christian Jacobs (the Bat Commander), is the co-creator of the show. The first live event is March 13th in Minneapolis, MN, with seven stops in total. The tour winds down on March 21st in St. Louis, MO. But if you can’t catch the act there, there’s always the production’s stop at the 2010 Coachella. For more info on that little concert, head here .

Thankfully, most shows have two showtimes, with one usually in the early afternoon and the other around 5 p.m.; not too late for the kiddies or the unemployed. You can get more info on the tour at their official live site.

“Yo Gabba Gabba Live: There’s A Party In My City!” Tour Dates:
03/13 – Minneapolis, MN @ U.S. Bank Theater
03/14 – Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
03/16 – Toronto, ON @ Elgin Theatre
03/17 – Toronto, ON @ Elgin Theatre
03/19 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Embassy Theatre
03/20 – Cincinnati, OH @ Aronoff Center for the Arts
03/21 – St. Louis, MO @ Fox Theater

On October 20th, the awesomely titled Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome! will be released via Filter Recordings. Like the televisions series itself, the album’s tracklist, which consists of 21 selections, will sport positive, kid-friendly contributions from many indie heroes, including Of Montreal, I’m From Barcelona, The Roots, Chromeo, Mark Kozelek, and The Shins. Hell, even Biz Markie will make an appearance.

The album will also be available as a deluxe edition featuring bonus songs. It will be supported by the Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE: There’s A Party In My City tour, which will hit Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago during the months of November and December.

Now, go wash your hands…

Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome! Tracklist:
01. Yo Gabba Gabba! – Theme
02. Yo Gabba Gabba! – Party in My Tummy
03. The Shins – It’s Okay, Try Again
04. Yo Gabba Gabba! – I Like to Dance
05. Money Mark – Robo Dancing
06. Yo Gabba Gabba! – Get the Sillies Out
07. Biz Markie – Biz’s Beat of the Day #1
08. Chromeo – Nice ‘N’ Clean
09. Yo Gabba Gabba! – Try It, You’ll Like It
10. The Roots – Lovely, Love My Family
11. Yo Gabba Gabba! – Don’t Be Afraid
12. I’m From Barcelona – Just Because It’s Different Doesn’t Mean Scary
13. Yo Gabba Gabba! – Bubbles
14. Of Montreal – Brush Bursh Brush
15. Yo Gabba Gabba! – Nice & Easy
16. The Little Ones – Hey, Won’t Somebody Come and Play
17. Weird Science – Go Crazy Remix
18. Yo Dazzlers – You Can’t Always Get What You Want
19. Mark Kozelek- Bedtime Lullaby
20. Yo Gabba Gabba! – Goodbye Song
21. Yo Gabba Gabba! – Closing Theme