Big Chief

March 5th, 2008 by Pete

The Meters.
Dr. John.
Professor @#!% Longhair.
Earl King.
‘Nuff said.

Posted in New Orleans, Video | No Comments »

festivals and subdudes

February 25th, 2008 by Pete

If I had my way, I’d hit all of the big festivals.. the Coachellas, the Bonnaroos, the Lollapaloozas, etc. But add the tricky dynamic of wife and kids (not to mention a shitty economy), and a guy like me has to choose his battles festivals. So 2008 is shaping up to look exactly like 2007, which works just fine for me.

I’ll be hitting two festies, a local and a biggie. The local is Scottsdale’s 5th Annual McDowell Mountain Music Festival , coming April 25th & 26th. Not too shabby of a lineup: Gov’t Mule, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, the subdudes, the John Butler Trio, Blues Traveler, the Wailers, and JJ Grey & Mofro.

And nationally, I’ll once again be attending the Austin City Limits Music Festival, for the second year in a row. It takes place September 26-28, so too early for lineup announcements - but they never disappoint. Can’t wait!

At last year’s McDowell Mountain Festival, my highlight was the Crescent City’s own Neville Brothers. This year, the subdudes will be representing New Orleans. A nice laid back mix of soul, rock, and cajun influences, lead singer Tommy Malone and the boys have been shredding up the stages on and off since 1987. Their very first gig was an impromptu one at Tipitina’s - a great place to be born.

My favorite tune of theirs comes from a mid 90’s album of theirs, Annunciation. “Save Me” is beautiful and heartfelt - a tune that I always return to.

the subdudes - Save Me (mp3)

Links: the subdudes official site | myspace | on foxytunes - You guys & gals should check out FoxyTunes if you haven’t already - cool widgets to different music sites, and a controller for your music player built into your browser (Firefox on the Mac).

Buy:

Posted in New Orleans, Rock | 1 Comment »

Happy Fat Tuesday

February 5th, 2008 by Pete

How did Mardi Gras sneak up on us so quickly? Happy Fat Tuesday to all. Check out Home of the Groove for some quality New Orleans flavor. Let the beads fly…

And you can watch all the folks party down in the French Quarter from the comfort (and saddening solitude) of your office chair by checking out this Live Cam from Bourbon St.

Beausoleil - Cochon de Lait (mp3)

BUY

Posted in New Orleans | 1 Comment »

Kermit Ruffins Cooks!

May 25th, 2007 by Pete

A fixture in the New Orleans music scene, both pre and post-Katrina, is Kermit Ruffins. Every Thursday night, a club in the Bywater section of town - Vaughan’s - becomes Kermit’s place. The fact of the matter is that every Thursday, Kermit cooks. And I’m speaking literally and figuratively. Sure, Kermit cooks on stage with his band, the Barbecue Swingers. But when he’s not on stage, Kermit’s cooking outside - off the back of his red pickup truck. He sets up his barbecue, and grills it up for anyone who’s hungry. How cool is that?

Kermit Ruffins is a trumpet player, and started off as an original member of the Rebirth Brass Band. He and his high school buddy Phillip Frazier co-founded the group in 1982. Ten years later, he formed the Barbecue Swingers. Not surprisingly, Kermit’s biggest influence is another pretty decent New Orleans trumpet player: Louis Armstrong.

A few weeks ago, a reader friend of mine, Cove, was nice enough to have Kermit sign his new CD for me at one of his Vaughan’s gigs. Many thanks, Cove. I’ll be back to the Big Easy for next year’s Jazz Fest, God willing, and you will certainly be seeing me scarfing down some quality Kermit Ruffins barbecue outside of Vaughan’s on a Thursday night!

Kermit’s new CD, Live at Vaughan’s, comes highly recommended. It’s bursting at the seams with that New Orleans flavor: the great music, the rich atmosphere, the boisterousness. Support Kermit and pick one up today…

Kermit Ruffins - Hide the Reefer (mp3)

BUY his new CD, Live at Vaughan’s: on Amazon | at the Louisiana Music Factory | on iTunes

Check out his Basin Street Records profile.

Posted in New Orleans | 1 Comment »

Neville Brothers live at the Vienna Jazz Festival

May 11th, 2007 by Pete

I had the good fortune to see the Neville Brothers a couple of weekends ago here in Arizona. That same weekend, Jazz Fest was kicking off in New Orleans. The Neville Brothers were once staples of the Jazz Fest scene, but this was the second consecutive year that they were no-shows. Some have attributed it to Aaron Neville’s asthma. He allegedly says that the climate aggravates it.

Today, Hidden Track passed along a link on the Time-Picayune site regarding the Funky Meters return to New Orleans (Art Neville, the eldest brother, is a member of both the Meters and the Neville Brothers). The article also mentions the continued absence of the Neville Brothers in New Orleans. The criticism catches fire in the comments section. Some of the residents of New Orleans apparently harbor some serious resentment toward the Nevilles, accusing Art of bashing post-Katrina New Orleans, and going as far as calling them traitors and exploiters of their home town.

I don’t know the guys personally, but I find it hard to believe that the Nevilles have anything but love for their home town of New Orleans. Aaron just buried his wife of 50 years there in January, for crying out loud. On this their thirtieth anniversary, I’m sure the Nevilles will be planning a triumphant return to the Big Easy.

But it was interesting to see any negativity directed toward the Nevilles, especially from their home town folks. I would think their lifetime of devotion and dedication to the city would set that issue straight.

So let’s go back to last summer’s Vienna Jazz Festival, and take in a great sounding set by the Brothers.

The Neville Brothers
July 7th, 2006
Vienna Jazz Festival, Austria

1. Can’t Stop the Funk
2. Fever
3. Besame Mucho
4. A Change is Gonna Come
5. Bird on a Wire
6. Please Don’t Leave Me
7. Talkin’ Bout New Orleans
8. Foxy Lady
9. Big Chief
10. Louisiana 1927

1. Tell It Like It Is
2. Charlie
3. Yellow Moon
4. Shake Your Tamborine
5. Amazing Grace
6. Neville-ism

Posted in New Orleans | 4 Comments »

Odds and Ends

May 9th, 2007 by Pete

N’Awlins: Check out these amazing photos from the just wrapped-up Jazz Fest in New Orleans, which I plan to attend next year for the very first time. Who’s in? Hidden Track has the hot pics here. Photos courtesy of Danfun. Great fargin’ photos, Dan!

This is what it’s like in the Dream Factory: For some old school Prince goodness, head over to Gonzo’s place for a trip to The Dream Factory.

Ain’t that a bitch: Need more of a Prince fix? Head over to Horse Latitudes for a cool remix of “Bob George”.

Jefitoblog’s Latest Bootleg City: Jefito’s keepin’ it real with some classic ‘77 Van Halen. The real Van Halen!

Save Internet Radio: New Orleans musicians unite to keep internet radio alive.

Charlie Rose Interviews Online: Over 4,000 hours of quality Charlie Rose interviews are archived in video format online, including this hour long interview with the Boss.

Posted in Miscellaneous, New Orleans, Prince, The Boss, Video | 1 Comment »

Aaron Neville at the McDowell Mountain Music Festival

April 28th, 2007 by Pete

Aaron Neville, originally uploaded by ick1999.

It was a loooong, satisfying day yesterday at the McDowell Mountain Music Festival. My wife and I rolled up at about 1:30, right when the music kicked off. We made it until about 9:30, partly into Ratdog’s set. Unfortunately, Mr. Migraine decided to make an appearance and made my wife’s later evening an unpleasant one.

But the whole day can be be summed up in five simple words: Tell It Like It Is. Yep, the highlight for me was seeing Mr. Aaron Neville sing his 1966 classic. It was one of the most exhilarating and special live music moments of my entire life. I stood at the front of the stage and took it all in. And my Canon SD630 was there too to capture most of the song. I had it bumped down to low resolution, so the video and audio quality isn’t great, but this is what I got to experience.

At the end of the song, you’ll hear some yahoo scream “Yeeahh! - - baby!! - - I LOVE it!!”. Uh, yeah, that was me.

To see all of my photos from the festival, check out my Flickr photoset of the day.

Posted in New Orleans, Video | 12 Comments »

McDowell Mountain Profile: The Neville Brothers

April 25th, 2007 by Pete

Photo by Beate Sandor

Now we’re getting to the really fun part. I’m excited as hell to say that I’m gonna see the Neville Brothers on Friday! As I mentioned in another post, I saw them at a cool festival in May 1996 called Laguna Seca Daze at the Laguna Seca Race track in Monterey, California (a festival that also included a “Being There”-era Wilco). I remember a really amazing moment as they were playing a version of the Dead’s “Fire on the Mountain” as the sun was setting (nope, not “Fire on the Bayou”). There were rolling green hills behind the stage, and around the bend on a distant hill road came a red fire truck with lights on and the faint sound of the siren. Amazing imagery (pfffffffssstt - pass it on!). Mindblowing dude!

So where do you even start with the Nevilles? They are an institution in their hometown of New Orleans. Brothers Ivan, Aaron, Cyril, Art and Charles released their first record as the Neville Brothers in 1977 (self-titled). The brothers were active prior to that. Most notably, Art was a founding member of soul/funk pioneers the Meters. For a full bio, check out their site. So thirty years later, here they are still going strong, touring as ambassadors for their suffering city. As New Orleans Jazz Fest kicks off this weekend, I’ll have the honor of catching the Nevilles here in my home, Arizona. I consider myself very privileged.

The Neville Brothers - Yellow Moon (mp3) - live in KBCO studios, Boulder

• Pick up some Neville Brothers albums.
• Check out a sweet video of the Nevilles performing “Tell It Like Is” with guests Greg Allman and Bonnie Raitt.

Previous MMMF Profiles: Gelatinous Groove | 2 Tone Lizard Kings | Tea Leaf Green | Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

Posted in New Orleans | 1 Comment »

It’s Fat Tuesday

February 20th, 2007 by Pete

James Gandolfini in the Bacchus parade

So me lady and I went to see the Dirty Dozen Brass Band on Sunday night. Amazing performance! Treat yourself the next time these guys make it to your town. A highlight for me was a version of the gospel standard “I’ll Fly Away” which morphed into the tail end of - get this - “Purple Rain!” I tell you, the purple guy follows me everywhere. They picked it up at the part where they sing “ooooooh-ohhhh”(you know, where Prince has everyone wave their arms from side to side). The only other place I was more shocked to hear “Purple Rain” was when Phish pulled it out at the Hayden Square Ampitheater in Tempe back in ol’ ninety-five (complete with a Jon Fishman vacuum solo).

Back to the DDBB, four out of the seven members have been there since day one way back in 1977. I was digging the Sousaphone, which sounded a helluva lot like a bass guitar at times (and which took the place of the bass guitar) . Really cool sound. And the four guys up front - Revert Andrews on trombone, Efrem Towns on trumpet (one charismatic motherhumper), Kevin Harris on tenor sax, and my wife’s favorite, Roger Lewis on low down baritone sax (the world needs more baritone sax). It’s quite an experience to see and feel a New Orleans brass band in person. All of those great brass instruments working as one, but so unique and distinct at the same time. What an assault on the senses!

Another first for me was the crowd we shared the performance with. I would guess 80% of the audience was over the age of 65. I guess they were all donors to the Performing Arts Center, and people who buy tickets for the entire concert season. But rest assured, by the time they wrapped up the show with “My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now”, everyone’s butt was off their seat, with or without a cane or walker… Respect to my elders!! Good times were had.

So happy Fat Tuesday to all. Right now, they’re getting down and dirty on Bourbon Street. There’s a live webcam going where you can view all of the debauchery of Bourbon St. from the comfort of your computer chair. I checked in around 6pm, and there was already a young lady exchanging boob-age for beads. So you’re bound to get some quality entertainment throughout the evening.

So crank up some Mardi Gras music, grab a drink, and join the armchair revelers…

Snooks Eaglin: Mardi Gras Mambo (mp3) - from Country Boy Down in New Orleans

Charmaine Neville: Second Line (mp3) - from New Orleans Playground

Professor Longhair: Go to the Mardi Gras (mp3) - from Go To the Mardi Gras

• Web Cams, live video, and Mardi Gras coverage galore at NOLA.com.
• The Bourbon Street Web Cam for you voyeurs out there.

Posted in New Orleans | 1 Comment »

Mardi Gras in the Desert and the Upcoming Spector-acle

February 16th, 2007 by Pete

One of the very best things about life as a working adult is the three day weekend, and we are upon one again. Props to Abe and George for this President’s Day Weekend!

Ho Na Nae! So Mardi Gras has gone and snuck up on us again, and my wife and I will be celebrating Arizona style by checking out the Dirty Dozen Brass Band over in Scottsdale this weekend. I cannot wait!!

This is always a great time of year to check out Home of the Groove. Dan has cooked up a great post of NOLA Mardi Gras funk courtesy of the Wild Magnolias. Go check out the song “Ho Na Nae”. Of course if you’re ever in need of some New Orleans flavor, Dan serves it up all year long.

The Phil Spectacle: By no means do I take pleasure in the pain and suffering associated with the poor woman who was murdered at Phil Spector’s mansion in 2003. But I read today that the Spector murder trial will be televised, and you can bet it will be great. I can’t begin to fathom the amount of wack job awesomeness that will be broadcast over the airwaves for the weeks (or months) of the trial. I mean, is it possible for the murder trial of this man not to contain at least some entertaining moments?

Precisely.

Check out this clip from End of the Century, where the Ramones discuss Phil, including the time he held them hostage at his home.

Posted in Miscellaneous, New Orleans | 1 Comment »