Del the Funky Homosapien, who wrote the lyrics and recorded the original vocals for the track, has never performed it live with Gorillaz (although the song is a staple of his solo shows), but has revealed he is fully open to doing so given the opportunity. In fact, according to Gorillaz-Unofficial, Del was set to join Gorillaz for the upcoming fall tour but was cut.

Del himself weighed in on the matter in a post on his Facebook page, even encouraging fans to guilt-trip Gorillaz into keeping him on:

i been getting a lot of hits about me and the up coming us and uk Gorillaz tours. as of right now we are no longer going to be on the tour due to budget issues. it is out of our control at this point so if you really want to see Del on tour with them, hit them directly and let them know YOU WANT DEL! thanks for all the support! i got the best fans around no doubt

How does Damon Albarn resist that?

Evidently, Del has provoked a response, because someone from Gorillaz-Unofficial created a Facebook group (Del is an honorary admin) Monday petitioning Gorillaz to take him on tour.

Furthermore, fans have created a group for Miho Hatori, ex-Cibo Matto vocalist and original voice for Noodle. Hatori contributed vocals to the aforementioned “19-2000″, along with “5/4″ and “Re-Hash” on the debut album. According to Gorillaz-Unofficial, Hatori told a user, “Yeah, I am willing to do that. I love those songs very much. But it really depends on Damon’s decision… Maybe if Gorillaz fans make some noise, he might consider…”.

When other guests are absent from the Gorillaz tour, you expect it to be because they are busy or in another country — not because Albarn can’t be bothered to amend the setlist.

Still, even if Del and Miho can’t be a part of the tour, fans hope for at least some one-offs. The Hatori group pleads for Gorillaz to “at least” have her at the October 8th show in her hometown of New York, while Del hints at a possible appearance in his hometown of Oakland on the 30th.

Gorillaz 2010 Tour Dates:
10/03 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
10/05 – Wallingford, CT @ Oakdale Theatre
10/06 – Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena
10/08 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
10/10 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
10/11 – Fairfax, VA @ Patriot Center
10/13 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
10/14 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
10/16 – Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion
10/17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
10/19 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
10/20 – Dallas, TX @ Verizon Theatre
10/22 – Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center
10/24 – Denver, CO @ Wells Fargo Theatre
10/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
10/27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gibson Amphitheatre
10/30 – Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
11/02 – Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
11/03 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
11/11 – Dublin, IE @ O2 Arena
11/12 – Manchester, UK @ Evening News Arena
11/14 – London, UK @ O2 Arena
11/15 – Amsterdam, NL @ Heineken Music Hall
11/17 – Birmingham, UK @ NIA
11/18 – Brighton, UK @ Centre
11/21 – Berlin, DE @ Velodrom
11/22  – Antwerp, BE @ Lotto
11/23 – Paris, FR @ Zenith
12/06 – Perth, AU @ Burswood Dome
12/08 – Adelaide, AU @ Entertainment Centre
12/11 – Melbourne, AU @ Rod Laver
12/16 – Sydney, AU @ Entertainment Centre
12/19 – Brisbane, AU @ Entertainment Centre
12/21 – Auckland, NZ @ Vector Arena

And if you’re simply too impatient for this “official release,” Del’s got the first two installments of his “Leak Pack” up for download right now. The news is a bit confusing, but to clear things up here are some incoherent ramblings from the man himself. Per Jambase:

It’s going to be sometime before any sensation captures people’s interest on a whole again like hip-hop did. I could be wrong, but I’m letting people know they need to mess with me in the meantime. People are jaded that’s all, and I don’t blame them – things come to the head, places switching – it’s a crazy trip!

Yep. Makes perfect sense on this end! Additionally, Del will make his way around parts of the US with an accompanying tour. Yeah. All this is happening so fast. Anyways, here’s his video about the “package” and a long list of tour dates follows.

Del tha Funkee Homosapien 2009 Tour Dates:
04/08 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Brew
04/09 – Pomona, CA @ Glass House
04/10 – San Diego, CA @ Canes
04/11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Marquee
04/12 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
04/13 – Flagstaff, AZ @ Green Room
04/14 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
04/16 – San Antonio, TX @ Warehouse Live
04/17 – Dallas, TX @ Granada
04/18 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Outside
04/20 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
04/22 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theater
04/24 – Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theater
04/25 – Wilmington, NC @ Soapbox
04/28 – Boston, MA @ Middle East
04/29 – New York, NY @ BB Kings
05/01 – Baltimore, MD @ Goucher College
05/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Utilitarian Church
05/05 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
05/06 – Columbus, OH @ Skullys (late show)
05/07 – Lexington, KY @ Dame
05/08 – Chicago, IL @ Reggies
05/09 – Madison, WI @ High Noon
05/11 – Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
05/12 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
05/14 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
05/15 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird
05/16 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
05/18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge

With each new year, Austin City Limits continually strives to redefine just how much bigger and how much better a music festival can be. Quality matching quantity is key, and if the seventh annual edition of ACL proved anything, it once again showed that the Texas based extravaganza is in a class of its own when to comes this. The tens of thousands of tourists who joined the residents of Austin for a weekend of chilled beer, loud music, and of course, the blazing sun, would ultimately witness a festival that no adjective could accurately describe. After all, words like “huge,” “mammoth,” and “ginormous” don’t even begin to capture the scene that was ACL 7. But hey, we’ll give a try…

Early acts lacked name recognition but captured the essence of Austin completely. Beginning the day in the confines of a shaded tent, The Jones Family Singers energized the early arrivers with Southern charm thanks to their fun and engaging gospel songs. Survivors of Hurricane Ike, the east Texans were humanizing and charismatic, inviting festival-goers of all backgrounds to stand up, dance, sing, and praise God with them.

On opposing stages soon thereafter, it was a battle of locals. Funk-soul musician Dan Dyer and Sound and the Jury contest winners The Steps fought for the local crowd in addition to introducing its music to all of the out-of-towners. Dyer, a Lenny Kravitz protégé, gave off a similar vibe, while the barely legal Steps (yet ACL repeaters) filled the Dell Stage with its classic-sounding pop rock.

The weather was nice. Light breezes and cloud coverage were more than welcome as the temperature was bound to reach the mid 90’s. But the briskness was relieving, as was the light early day schedule. Down in the VIP Grove, free alcoholic beverages, as well as refreshing ones like Sweet Leaf and Vitamin Water, accompanied the catered lunch of assorted sandwiches. For those in need of a necessary break, The Dell Dome offered computer access and fun activities such as a custom t-shirt print station.

But the Dell Stage was just getting started. An hour later, Yeasayer kicked off the with a good dose of indie weirdness and healthy, catchy melodies. Using a fretless bass, the notes moved the music from smooth wave to thundering crests. The group experimented with melding sounds, reminiscent of Genesis with Black Moth Super Rainbow, while vocalist Chris Keating worked more as a technician, manipulating and layering his voice into separate melodies.

Vampire Weekend played to a huge, anxious crowd over on the AMD Stage. The buzz backlash didn’t seem apparent as they played its jangly, precious pop tunes almost perfectly for the audience present. No risks were taken with the arrangements, so it made for a solid, yet uninspired set. It was peculiar that the stellar violin solo was missing from “Ladies of Cambridge”, yet a full orchestra was brought on later in the set.

Immediately following Vampire Weekend,  Del Tha Funky Homosapien graced the AT&T Blueroom Stage and played played a set which mixed old and new material, as well as cuts from his other projects. “Virus” from Deltron 3030 played early on, and he closed with a rendition of the Gorillaz tune, “Clint Eastwood”, which he happened to contribute too.

Over in the WaMu tent, the one-two indie punch of M. Ward and Jenny Lewis saw plenty of adoring fans sticking around once the former was completed. M. Ward’s husky voice echoed in the confines of the shade as his backing band complimented him superbly with beautiful solos.

But Jenny Lewis is a star. Decked in a flattering outfit and giant sunglasses, she began the set with an energetic performance of “Jack Killed Mom”, before pleasing fans with stellar renditions of several songs off her newest release, Acid Tongue. However, she did scale back some, and her album with the Watson Twins was well-represented, as she cut tracks from Rabbit Fur Coat beautifully. To top it all off, Johnathan Rice did Elvis Costello justice by singing his part from “Carpetbaggers”.

Hot Chip provided the electro-rock dance explosion for the day as people threw glitter all over their fellow crowd members and danced to the pulsating beats.

As the afternoon progressed, so did the desire for food and drinks. Twenty of the best local restaurants, ranging from Salt Lick BBQ to the health-conscious Pureheart, gave festival-goers the opportunity to try a wide variety of affordable meals. Alcohol was reasonably-priced too, as a 12 ounce can of Heineken, Bud Light and Lonestar cost four dollars (and subsequently, a 24 ounce was eight).

First of the weekend’s big musical legends, David Byrne utilized the size of the stage by incorporating back up dancers and singers into the performance. The music was largely from the latest record with Brian Eno and came across as purely just that. In an effort to please his oldest fans, he closed off the set with a few Talking Heads tracks such as “Life During War Time” and “Once in a Lifetime”.

Glen Hansard of The Swell Season has seen an explosion in his reputation as an emotional performer who demands your every attention. But he and Marketa Irglova just didn’t command the stage. They looked beautiful up there as the sky darkened, and they sounded lovely, but technical complications forced Irglova off stage for a bit and they never really got going.

Following the quiet sounds of songs from the movie Once on the Blueroom field, The Mars Volta was the complete opposite, delivering a loud and energized set. Seven songs, including the 2006 single “Viscera Eyes” and several songs from the January release, The Bedlam in Goliath, stretched into lengthy rock epics. Guitarist Omar Rodriguez, multi-instrumentalist Adrian Terrazas-Gonzalez  and drummer Thomas Pridgen kept the sound fresh with their outrageous solos, and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala was his usual acrobatic and charismatic self. It was a great way to end the night and head out to Chuy’s for a late night meal.

Saturday, August 30th

At first arrival, Bumbershoot can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, as it’s spread over 74 acres and has an attendance of roughly 50,000 each day. But once you settle in and realize that it will take time to get to the various stages and events, you’ll relax and have an amazing time.

Opening up Saturday’s events, Rock-a-Billy artist Nick Vigarino added a jazz twist to his country sound by having a tenor saxaphone. As if to keep the sound consistent, Neko Case and Lucinda Williams maintained the alt-country sound. Unfortunately, many missed Case’s first song or two because security had yet to let people in for the performance. Not sure what was the problem, but the line moved quickly once it started. Case was fantastic as always playing mostly songs from her past album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood; however, she managed to pull out a few new songs that will be on a future release. Whereas Case was very soothing, Williams was more rockin’ in her country-tinged, blues rock.  She played some new songs, which at times were corny (e.g. “Real Love”), but you can’t help but love her voice and instrumentation, especially for a woman of 55. Both Case and Williams’ new albums will be something to look forward to in the near future.

Local, listener-funded, radio station KEXP puts on several intimate shows each day in a secret location, with no more than 200 people admitted. The first was with Nada Surf. Unfortunately, bassist Daniel Lorca was injured, so he was replaced by Ozma bassist Jose Galvez, who did a fine job in Lorca’s absence. They played seven songs, all acoustic with Ira Elliot on the Cajon, a box-like drum that the musician sits on and hits with his palms. The highlight of the show was the boys playing “Amateur” from The Proximity Effect, a song that rarely shows up on their setlists. If you enjoy indie rock, this is a band you need to know.

As mentioned above, Bumbershoot is not all about the music. One of the few other events that took place at the festival was a comedy show, simply titled, “The MySpace Show.” This side show consisted of six comedians doing improv comedy on two real MySpace pages from random audience members. It was fun once things started rolling, though it did take awhile to find a few audience members who had their pages not set to private.

After the comedy show, and over at the KEXP Lounge, !!! (Chk, Chk, Chk) were billed to let us dance our asses off. Unfortunately, it was in a seated venue, so it was mostly head bobbing, but in any other setting it would have been a great dance party.  Despite this, the show was unreal, and !!! sounded great with some fantastic stage presence. If you’re into bands like Ghostland Observatory and The Ting Tings, you should check out !!!.

Finally, it was time for the best one-two punch of the festival: Band of Horses followed by Beck. Although some may disagree, Band of Horses is one of the best, if not the best, live indie rock act out today. Not only did they perform well, but most of the set list was culled from their first two releases, plus two new songs to boot, one of which featured the harmonica and the other a melodica, best described as a woodwind keyboard.

Beck closed out the day with a killer “greatest hits” set. He started with “Loser” and continued through his catalogue. The only album they didn’t play from was Mutations, which was a bummer because it’s such a great album. However, the band did play “Nicotine and Gravy” off of Midnight Vultures, which was awesome. When he played “Hell Yes” and “Black Tambourine”, all five members of his band played 808 drum machines. Despite the amazing set list, the show did sound and feel a bit different. On the Guero/The Information tour, the slinky frontman kept himself busy with an elaborate puppet show, complete with dancers. Only this time, there was just a backing band, some large spot lights and a big screen made up of hundreds of bulbs. It was very minimalist, which is why it was so surprising that his sound was much less polished. It was almost grunge, actually. Nevertheless, you have to appreciate Beck for changing it up all the time. The guy is definitely a genius and should never be missed when he appears at a venue near you.

Sunday, August 31st

For some reason, Sunday was not nearly as jam packed with bands as Saturday or Sunday. Nonetheless, there were some great acts. Kicking off the proverbial sabbath, Lushy brought somewhat of a surf rock sound, only there were some undertones of jazz, too. Even with such a unique sound, it’s hard to hold the concertgoer’s attention when there’s also a vert ramp at the show. Yes, a vert ramp. With a combination of skaters and BMX bikers, the sight was pretty awe inspiring.

Following the vert ramp, there was a “Post-it Note Reading.” This was interesting, to say the least. At the reading, animation was drawn on Post-it notes, using a Sharpie, while a corresponding story was read. These light-hearted, humorous stories were a pleasant surprise. Following this, Dale Watson played his own unique style of Rock-a-billy, comparable to Johnny Cash. The only problem? The Whigs were starting up. The Whigs is a band with a fun, garage rock sound. Fun show aside, they’re a band you like, but not one that’s particularly memorable.

If Band of Horses and Beck were the best one-two punch of the festival, The Black Keys and Stone Temple Pilots (above, center) were a close second.  With crunch and huge riffs, The Black Keys’ bluesy rock is amazing, and it’s hard to believe that so much sound comes from only two guys on drums and guitar. Given Scott Weiland’s tumultuous past, you never know what to expect from 90′s rock outfit, Stone Temple Pilots; however, it turned out to be a rocking show. Thirty minutes past their scheduled set time, a tour bus drove right up to the stage and within minutes they were in front of thousands, blowing away any doubt that they could still rock. Hit after hit they rocked through a set which included a jazzy cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song” on the outro of “Creep” and a plugged-in version of “Sour Girl.” It was one of the best arena rock shows in recent memory… and it wasn’t even in an arena.

Monday, September 1st

The last day was the weakest of the three days, but still a great time. Local teen sensation Vince Mira started off the work week. Mira’s only claim to fame stems from a sound that’s uncannily like Johnny Cash. Saturday’s Dale Watson sounded like Johnny Cash too, but Vince Mira is Johnny Cash. It’s a bit eerie. This 15 year old, backed by The Roy Kay Trio, played mostly Cash’s hits, but also squeezed in a few of his own that were actually not bad. He may never be able to move beyond great impersonator, but there is no doubt he will always have an audience.

Keeping the local band theme going, Head Like a Kite, an electronic/new wave/rock group, were up next. Fronted by a guy who looked like a Jonas Brother, the band held a lil’ Flaming Lips flare, with some creatures dancing on the stage that looked all too much like the sugary candy, Nerds. It will be interesting to see how these young guys fare in the Seattle music market. Following shortly after was the much anticipated Israeli band, Monotonix. These guys put on a show similar to Gogol Bordello and they did not disappoint, even despite a very short set. It was very crowd heavy too, as you could not see them because they were not on the stage, but instead playing on the floor with the crowd surrounding them. All the while, lead singer Yomtov was continually crowd surfing both with and without a garbage can. Yes, he got inside a garbage can and was hoisted on top of the crowd. The guitar player then got in on the action and crowd surfed, too. Mind you, he was still playing all the while. After two, dirty garage rock songs an announcer came on stage and said that the show was being shut down. No explanation, but a reasonable guess would be due to safety. The crowd was not happy and began booing and flipping the poor guy off. Luckily, singer Yomtov came to his rescue and talked the crowd down. One can only imagine a full set by these guys, if it ever happens.

Bumbershoot this year, if you had not noticed, was full of 90′s acts and The Offspring were no exception. Like Stone Temple Pilots and Beck, they played a hits with a smattering of songs off of their new album Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace. As always, the band was fun to see and sounded great. The same can’t be said for the next act, X Levitation Cult, which was essentially a singer-songwriter who could neither sing nor write songs very well. 

Bumbershoot is known for its diverse acts, but also for its diversity, and Cheb I Sabbah & 1002 Nights featuring Riffat Sultana is a great example of that. They consisted of a DJ, two percussionists, a singer (Riffat Sultana), a belly dancer and occasionally a Middle Eastern guitar. It was an interesting mix that was a entertaining, especially if one managed to snag a cold beer. Del tha Funky Homosapien sounded good, but Superchunk sounded excellent. Superchunk was probably one of the best surprises at the festival. They rocked hard with their brand of early 90′s indie rock, which still sounds contemporary. It was a good choice as Death Cab for Cutie came next, closing out the festival with a solid set. Now that they are a successful veteran band, it would be great to see them venture out a little and be more playful. Not much, just if they could add a cover or two, or play a song deep from its catalogue. You know, one that no one has heard live in years. Preferences aside, the Seattle indie group played well, predictable, but well. With a weekend like this was, it’s hard to complain.