On Tuesday night, some big names gathered at the Village Recording Studios to honor to icon, three-time Grammy winner Nile Rodgers.
Among those were Flea, Weird Al Yankovic, Verdine White, DJ Cassidy, and the man himself Aloe Blacc. Inside the studios, Nile Rodgers told charming stories of the past and even sang a few songs. The vibe was amazing as musicians from two decades ago merged with the youth. That is music at its best. This evening marked The Producers & Engineers Wing of The Recording Academy’s eight annual Grammy event. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences President Neil Portnow presented Nile with his award. In 2014, the hit single, “Le Freak” by Rogers’ group Chic was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame.
Read highlights from the red carpet below:
Verdine White
What do you think the next platform is for music sharing?
I think we’ll see what Jay Z does with what he just did the other day. He just bought a new streaming service. I think it should do well. I think they’ll all merge together eventually. Because they’re going to all be playing the same music.
Is there any new music in the works for you?
We’re in the middle of doing some stuff right now. We were so busy in 2014, so now we’re planning 2015.
Weird Al
How do you maintain this energy after all these years?
I eat nothing but broccoli.
Up and coming tour, what can we expect?
It’s going to be a lot of the greatest hits, a lot of stuff from the last album. A few surprises here and there. It’s a very theatrical show. A ton of costume changes and film clips and video bits on a big LED screen. All with the same band I had since the beginning of time. Its a rocking show. We try to give as much production value as we possibly can.
How do you keep that tight niche band together after all these years?
I’m very lucky. I met them in the early 80′s. And I’m happy to say that they’re some of the best musicians in the world and they’re also cool guys and we’re still great friends. We never had the Behind The Music kind of fall out. We still just enjoy hanging out with each other.
Next couple albums what can we expect?
Not going to be doing anymore albums. Mandatory Fun. I fulfilled my contract. It’s better for me to release singles as soon as I think of them.
How do you feel about music streaming services right now?
I’m not afraid of it. I understand that the industry is always changing. The old models are going away and the new models are coming into existence. You just have to flow with the zeitgeist with where the industry is heading.
