What’s sure to be the most exciting news this week: Parliament has surprise-released an album entitled ‘Medicaid Fraud Dogg‘ – their first LP of new music since 1980’s ‘Trombipulation‘. The wait was certainly worth it, as the album is jam-packed with 23 tracks of activist funk. While some may worry of an outdated sound, Parliament pair their classic funks with today’s issues in a successful attempt at staying relevant. As the title suggests, many of the songs are healthcare-protest anthems (and pure protests in general) disguised underneath groovy bass and brass layers, such as ‘Medicaided Creep‘ and ‘Insurance Man‘. In January, George Clinton & co. (Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis, Greg Thomas, and Benny Cowan are back for this full-length) put out ‘I’m Gon Make U Sick O’Me‘ featuring rap legend Scarface.
You’ll be able to catch them live at Mountain Jam, Lockn’, and the Different Sounds Festival among other dates, prior to George Clinton’s retirement from touring which he’s previously announced will take place in 2019; telling Billboard magazine: “This has been coming a long time. Anyone who has been to the shows over the past couple of years has noticed that I’ve been out front less and less. Truth be told, it’s never really been about me. It’s always been about the music and the band. That’s the real P-Funk legacy. They’ll still be funkin’ long after I stop.” You can stream ‘Medicaid Fraud Dogg‘ in full and take a glance at the string of upcoming tour dates down below.
Parliament tour dates:
5/25 – The Music Box – San Diego, CA
5/26 – The Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
5/27 – Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
6/28 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
6/02 – Nelsonville Music Festival – Nelsonville, OH
6/08 – The Roundhouse – London, United Kingdom
6/20 – Kelvingrove Bandstand – Glasgow, United Kingdom
6/21 – Laugardalur – Reykjavik, Iceland
6/22 – Rockefeller – Oslo, Norway
6/23 – Posten – Odense C, Denmark
6/26 – Vorstin – Hilversum, Netherlands
6/27 – Luxor – Arnhem, Netherlands
6/28 – Paradiso Grote Zaal – Amsterdam, Netherlands
6/29 – Different Sounds Festival – Lublin, Poland
6/30 – Couleur Cafe Festival – Brussels, Belgium
7/01 – Love Supreme Festival – Lewes, United Kingdom
7/03 – Casino de Paris – Paris, France
7/06 – Rock City – Nottingham, United Kingdom
7/07 – Manchester Academy 1 – Manchester, United Kingdom
7/08 – The Roundhouse – London, United Kingdom
7/12 – The Clyde Theatre – Fort Wayne, IN
7/13 – Bell’s Eccentric Cafe – Kalamazoo, MI
7/17 – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
7/21 – Packard Music Hall – Warren, OH
8/01 – The Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA
8/04 – The Cabot – Beverly, MA
8/10 – The Tarheel – Jacksonville, NC
8/23 – Infinity Downs Farm – Arrington, VA
8/24 – Infinity Downs Farm – Arrington, V
Sarah Medeiros