At Behind the Setlist, we talk to artists to get the stories about the songs they play live. Most artists are known best for their recordings, but they love to ...
In this episode we talk to Kevin Mercer, otherwise known as Posdnuos, or Pos, from the hip hop group De La Soul. The group continues touring and making music after more than three decades, and they have continued after the death of David Jolicoeur, known as Trugoy the Dove, in 2023. De La Soul’s 1989 debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, was a breakthrough at the time and stands today as a hip hop classic for its positivity, intelligence and sample-heavy production that borrowed from Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, Bo Diddly and the Steve Miller Band.
The conversation centered around the group's Jan. 17, 2025 concert at Lincoln Center in Manhattan but also touched on the group's longevity, connecting with younger generations, continuing after Trugoy's death, musical influences and the recent slew of De La Soul reissues.
Links:
De La Soul home page
De La Soul tour dates
Jay Gilbert @ Label Logic
Glenn Peoples @ Billboard
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40:37
David Gray
British singer-songwriter David Gray joins Billboard's Behind the Setlist podcast for a song-by-song walk-through of his February 14, 2025 set at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. The 23-song set featured a number of songs from his latest album, Dear Life, and went all the way back to his 1993 debut album, A Century Ends. Gray talks about how a cover of Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough" made it into his sets, the importance of avoiding routine performances, and how he creates an authentic connection with the audience.
Behind the Setlist is co-hosted by Jay Gilbert from Label Logic and Glenn Peoples from Billboard.
Links
David Gray home page
David Gray tour dates
Jay Gilbert @ Label Logic
Glenn Peoples @ Billboard
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54:00
Jasen Rauch (of Breaking Benjamin)
Jasen Rauch of Breaking Benjamin joined Billboard's Behind the Setlist podcast for a wide-ranging interview about the band's touring life, its loyal fan base, picking songs for Breaking Benjamin concerts, the challenge of developing new rock acts in 2025, and the band's transition away from Hollywood Records.
The group's latest song, "Awake," was licensed by the band through BMG, and Rauch says the band's upcoming album will also be released through BMG. "From our perspective, creatively, it allows us to make sure that we're okay signing off with some things," he says of the deal with BMG, "whether it be the timeline of how long it's taking us to create—because it's been a while since we put an album out, and that's that's all on us and our choice."
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37:37
Tarriona "Tank" Ball (of Tank and the Bangas)
Fresh off a Grammy win for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, Tarriona "Tank" Ball of the New Orleans group Tank and the Bangas joined Billboard's Behind the Setlist to talk about that Grammy win, the stories behind some of the album's songs, her excitement for performing at the upcoming New Orleans Jazz Festival and how her music got its mix of soul, R&B, hip hop and poetry. If you’ve ever felt disappointed by the sameness of music, if you fail to be surprised by the music fed to you on streaming services, you should give Tank and the Bangas a listen.
We didn't use our usual recording setup for this episode because Jay was unable to join the interview, so please excuse's Glenn's less-than-pristine audio quality.
Links:
Tank and the Bangas home page
Tank and the Bangas tour dates
Jay Gilbert @ Label Logic
Glenn Peoples @ Billboard
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26:56
Nick Wheeler (of The All-American Rejects)
Nick Wheeler of The All-American Rejects talks to Behind the Setlist about hitting it big in the '00s, the slowdown in the '10s and the band's return to meaningful touring in the '20s (and their performance at the 2022 When We Were Young festival that got the ball rolling). The band recently released a cover of the 1997 Harvey Danger song "Flagpole Sitta" through independent Spin Records and, Wheeler says, is currently plotting more recorded music. Listen and learn about Wheeler's love of fine coffee and the time the band recorded a Beach Boys cover song that was never released.
Links
The All-American Rejects home page
The All-American Rejects tour dates
Jay Gilbert @ Label Logic
Glenn Peoples @ Billboard
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
At Behind the Setlist, we talk to artists to get the stories about the songs they play live. Most artists are known best for their recordings, but they love to be on stage. That's where the music feels at home. That's where they connect with the audience. How do they pick the songs to take the audience on a journey? Why do they cover other artists' songs? How many new songs can an artist fit into a 16-song set when people want to hear the classics? We find out.
Hosted by Glenn Peoples (Billboard) and Jay Gilbert (Label Logic).
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