Eddie Vedder cancels Jazz Fest appearance.... who will replace???...

(nola.com) -Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder has canceled his scheduled appearance at the 2012 New Orleans Jazz Fest. He has postponed the rest of his 15-city ukulele tour to the fall, in order to recover from temporary nerve damage in his right arm that resulted from a back injury sustained earlier this year.  Read More

Feel like getting your ass kicked? Alabama Shakes at One-Eyed Jack's in New Orleans...

(nola.livemusicblog.com) - The early portion of the set was highlighted by moments of pure and syrupy band syncopation (see “On Your Way“) that would be contrasted by a raw and uproarious latter half to the show. The band kept things straight-laced on the first leg, working within the confines of a few familiar blues and gospel arrangements rooted in the soil of the Southland – moaningly slow at times and fiery trudging and room-filling when the tempo picks up. These more familiar sounds were highlighted on the band’s insta-famous EP and were later traded for some interesting hybrid compositions – including a couple Dick Dale-meets-Carl Perkins surf-a-billy tunes that stood out from the whole set. The brief set blew by in a blink, but not before silver-tongued lead singer Brittany Howard took full command of the room, stomping around the stage and gaining the house’s full and utmost attention, while asking with a beggar’s emphasis: “I hope you really love me/And I hope you like me too”.

It’s hard to conceive of a more impassioned and rawer talent out there than Howard, and at this point in her career, she is still brimming over with newfangled enthusiasm to the recent onslaught of support the band is experiencing. The well-deserved comparisons to Janis Joplin are unavoidable and neither an insult to Joplin nor a statement on any lack of originality for Howard. The bespectacled Shakes’ front woman finessed her way down the dark end of the street on “You Ain’t Alone” with a bell-clear high scream before bellowing out the signature throaty rasps made famous by the legendary dynamo Joplin on “Hold On”. Read More

The Night Tripper

Dr John Revamped by James McKinley (NY Times)

FOR decades Dr. John, the New Orleans pianist and songwriter, has stubbornly inhabited the psychedelic voodoo stage persona he created in the late 1960s. He still walks around with an African staff adorned with totems, bones, an alligator tooth, a vial full of a friend’s ashes and a juju bag.

But at 71, when many musicians might be cashing in on nostalgia tours or eyeing retirement, Dr. John appears to be stepping outside of that persona, both personally and professionally. He has an ambitious new album, “Locked Down” (Nonesuch), a collaboration with Dan Auerbach, the singer and guitarist from the popular blues-rock duo the Black Keys. And this weekend he begins a three-week residency at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, a series of nine concerts intended to celebrate his contribution to American music over six decades.

Mr. Auerbach, 33, said one of his goals in producing the album was to persuade Dr. John to let his mask slip and to create songs about Mac Rebennack, his real self. “Sometimes, when you are a character, I think it can be draining emotionally and personally,” Mr. Auerbach said during an interview in the East Village. “And Mac as a human has so much to say and so many real-life experiences. I wanted the music of Dr. John and the lyrical content of Mac Rebennack.”  Dr. John said Mr. Auerbach had created a rough-edged sound during 17 intense days of recording in Nashville last fall. “He pushed and pulled me in some ways that made something different happen,” Dr. John said. “He’s an aware little cat.” Read More

Black Keys in New Orleans today...

The Black Keys @ NCAA Big Dance Concert Series, Woldenberg Park NOLA - 3/31/12 || Photo by Wesley Hodges

Ruthie Foster guests with the Allman Brothers at Beacon Theatre in NYC last week...

Give National Cleavage Day your support!...

Thursday question: Do you like your women with or without whiskey? Jes askin'....

Love these guys!

The Cubes are here, the Cubes are here!...

The New Orleans Jazz Fest scheduling cubes for 2012 have finally arrived!

Fri Apr 27
Sat Apr 28
Sun Apr 29
Thu May 3
Fri May 4
Sat May 5
Sun May 6

A difficult choice looms at the close of our first day, Thursday, May 3rd:  Eddie Vedder (Acura Stage), Florence + the Machine (Gentilly Stage), Esperanza Spaulding (Congo Square Stage), James Cotton Superharp Band (Blues Tent), The Iguanas (Fais Do-Do Stage)!

Just another Manic Monday...

Received a text pic on Saturday night from the Iron Horse Music Hall, where the Andersons were taking in James Hunter.  In response to my query about the show, Sharie pens "Good, but no Mollena.  Played the early show, so had to end and get the crowd out, so just a quick little encore.  Music and voice were really good."  Johnnykmusic is a big fan of the English soul singer.

Meanwhile, over in RI, Shelby Lynne was getting rave reviews of her performance at the Narrows Center in Fall River.  The Patriot Ledger's Jay Miller writes, "....but Lynne's encore was absolutely amazing, as she did a gorgeous a capella version of Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" that had the audience transfixed. (As most fans probably know, Lynne did an album of all Springfield songs in 2008, "Just a Little Lovin'".) And there's a pleasing kind of summing up quality to the ballad "Iced Tea" which ended the night, with another 300 people no doubt a little bit stunned at how much of Shelby Lynne's soul they'd been invited to see, and how much it had touched all of theirs."   Rumor has it that she peered out into the audience and commented to no one in particular, "I don't suppose Peter M drove down for the show tonight."

The Black Keys will play at the Coke Zero Countdown as part of the Big Dance Concert Series at the Final Four. The event will be held on Saturday, March 31st in New Orleans and is free. Come on down to Woldenberg Park in the French Quarter at 11 am!

It started with a whisper...

The song from the Buick Verano commercial has been popping into my head a lot these days, so I decided to find it - it's Everybody Talks by Neon Trees:

The song 1983 from Neon Trees' performance on Live At Daryl's House:

Wild Weekend? Congratulations....

After almost two years, traded in my Droid for an iPhone.  Does anyone know how to paste video to Facebook (actually, to Blogger)?  Hoping to be more efficient posting to johnnykmusic at Jazz Fest this year.

Kal David (Fabulous Rhinestones) has an eight o'clock show at the Watertown's Red Door Cafe on Sunday night at the EXACT moment that the Joe Krown Trio featuring Walter Wolfman Washington and Russell Batiste hits the stage at Cafe Nine in New Haven.  Here is a Fabulous Rhinestones live performance (circa 1974) audio from tape recording (probably WHCN) from outdoor concert at Pope Park in Hartford, CT around summer of 1974. Harvey Brooks on bass, Kal David on lead guitar, Marty Grebb on keyboards and Jack Scarangella on drums.

Hey, that's Spandau Ballet, man! (don't be so pretentious, I hear you singing along in the car)...

Top 'O the Mornin' to Youse (and a word to the wise: anyone within 100 miles of a certain JR on St. Paddy's Day, please take the proper precautions)....

Not only did Lamb lie down on Broadway last week, he did it again last night in Louisville...

Huskies bow (wow) out meekly to finish sad season.  Keith and Vinsanity must look long and hard in the mirror about their fan performances this year.  At least I don't have Mizzou or THE DUKIES going to the final four!  Do you feel like I Do?


The Boss gives the keynote address at SXSW:

Recommendation from G n Y - Alabama Shakes...

Who are these guys? 
(americansongwriter.com)- The Alabama Shakes are four musicians from North Alabama who grew up together in a small town fifteen miles from the Tennessee state line. They formed a rock and roll band after high school, and started playing together two evenings a week after their day jobs finished. Without each other – four parts constituting a greater sum as a whole – they may never have found that musical alchemy.  By the fall of 2011, they’d opened a few shows for Drive-By Truckers, and fans outside of the state began taking notice of their simple, heartfelt soul music. Across the pond, publications like NME and The Guardian were raving about them. At New York’s CMJ Music Marathon in October, they blew away the music industry and media, and went on to sign record deals with ATO and Rough Trade for their debut album, Boys & Girls, which they’d recorded nearly a year before. Jack White just tapped them to launch a singles series for Third Man Records.  Read More

Big East out, Black Keys in to World's Greatest Arena...

(NY Times)-Primordial equals durable for the Black Keys, a two-man band — Patrick Carney on drums, and Dan Auerbach on guitar and vocals — originally from Akron, Ohio, and recently transplanted to Nashville. Visuals aside, their concert on Monday night could easily have taken place in 1973. It was a set full of stomping drumbeats and distorted guitar riffs carrying mostly declarations of woman trouble and other mental distress.  The songs were blues-rock, garage-rock, borderline psychedelia and loud pop, mostly harking back to the 1960s; the most recent musical reference, with brawny guitar tones and upper-register backing vocals, was the T. Rex of “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” and “Jeepster.” Yet the Black Keys weren’t playing some blues bar for a handful of nostalgic baby boomers or a classic-rock radio station’s office party. This was a sold-out Madison Square Garden, with a general-admission floor crowd clamoring toward the stage and an audience full of girls eager to dance and scream.  Read More

Time Out New York's #10 NYC song...

CHELSEA HOTEL NO. 2 (Leonard Cohen)
Famously, Leonard Cohen introduced this song live with a reference to Janis Joplin, implying the song was written about she and Cohen's short affair in the Hotel Chelsea. Despite Cohen's later apology for this statement, it has forever colored the rich, fissured narrative of the song. Unlike many writers who turn poems into songs, Cohen considers them entirely separate, but this is certainly one of his more poetic songs. Just listen to his emphatic voice hushing the music that seems to play only as a background for his baritone as he tells the story of a tender, too brief romance. Hotel Chelsea,that gritty soul of New York's bohemian artists, is the setting of "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" and it is evoked in all its messy beauty, from the unmade bed to the limousines waiting in the street.  Read More

I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel, 
you were talking so brave and so sweet, 
giving me head on the unmade bed, 
while the limousines wait in the street. 
Those were the reasons and that was New York, 
we were running for the money and the flesh. 
And that was called love for the workers in song 
probably still is for those of them left.

Spring Back!...

Are we all ready to fill out our Sprockets?

On Chris D's recommendation, I've been listening to Austin's Band of Heathens lately.   On March 3rd, they played at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans (got to get back there this year); here's a concert review from Live Music Blog Nola and a clip (below) from the show of Look at Miss Ohio, a Gillian Welch song.  Band of Heathens will be in NYC on Friday, March 30 at the Hiro Ballroom:

Huskies out, but not down...

Shabazz stat line courtesy of Tom L (with sarcasm): FG 5-17  TO-5 A-3  Shabazz!!!!  But that's okay, the Huskies are dancing.

Great Mardi Gras dinner featuring Abita beers at Anthony Jack's Wood-fired Grill Thursday night (Barry will rot in Hell for having it during Lent), causing us to miss the return engagement of the Dex Romweber Duo at Cafe Nine.  Also missing Ruthie Foster's gig tonight at the City Winery in NYC.  Great place!

However, Bruuuuuuuce at the Apollo Theater Friday night (NY Times story):

photo stolen from Questlove of the Roots

Time Out New York's listing of top 100 New York songs...

SHABAZZ!!!!!  Bro's Jim & Paul at the World's Greatest Arena in NYC all week for the Big East tourney.  Hope they are not up to Lexington, 125.    

Time Out New York 100 Best
One fundamental rule—a song had to be specifically and explicitly about some aspect of NYC, be it good, bad or ugly—led to some startling omissions: Whither Patti Smith, Blondie and Talking Heads? Weeks of heated deliberation and occasionally heartbreaking cuts followed as we parsed lyrics and contexts; even seeming no-brainers like “Positively 4th Street” got voted off the island as we pondered relative merits to wrestle out a ranking.

100. XTC, “Statue of Liberty” (1978)
99 Charles Hamilton, “Brooklyn Girls” (2008)
98 Le Tigre, “My My Metrocard” (1999)
97 The Insect Trust, “The Eyes of a New York Woman” (1970)
96 Phil Ochs, “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends” (1967)
95 The Moldy Peaches, “NYC’s Like a Graveyard” (2001)
94 Jerry Orbach/Original Broadway Cast (42nd Street), “The Lullaby of Broadway” (1980)
93 Phosphorescent, “The Mermaid Parade” (2010)
92 Judge, “New York Crew” (1988)
91 Tom Waits, “Union Square” (1985)
90 Unsane, “D Train” (2005)
89 Genesis, “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” (1974)
88 The Crystals, “Uptown” (1962)
87 Original Broadway Cast (Rent), “La Vie Boheme” (1994)
86 Fred Neil, “Bleecker & MacDougal” (1965)
85 Al Kooper, “New York City (You’re a Woman)” (1971)
84 Grandmaster D.S.T., “The Home of Hip-Hop” (1985)
83 Kid Creole and the Coconuts, “Dario (Can You Get Me Into Studio 54)” (1979)
82 Death Cab for Cutie, “Coney Island” (2001)
81 Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, “Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman” (1968)
80 Paul Simon, “American Tune” (1973)
79 3rd Bass, “Brooklyn–Queens” (1989)
78 Bobby Short, “I Happen to Like New York” (1973)
77 The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, “Fairytale of New York” (1987)
76 The Dictators, “Avenue A” (2001)
75 The Trammps, “The Night the Lights Went Out” (1977)
74 Dion, “King of the New York Streets” (1989)
73 Shelley Plimpton and the Original Broadway Cast (Hair), “Frank Mills” (1968)
72 U2, “Angel of Harlem” (1988)
71 Fear, “New York’s All Right If You Like Saxophones” (1982)
70 The National, “Daughters of the Soho Riots” (2005)
69 Billy Joel, “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)” (1976)
68 Sting, “Englishman in New York” (1987)
67 The Ramones, “53rd & 3rd” (1976)
66 Barry Manilow, “New York City Rhythm” (1975)
65 Glenn Miller, “Pennsylvania 6-5000” (1940)
64 Village People, “Fire Island” (1977)
63 Suzanne Vega, “Anniversary” (2007)
62 Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz, “Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)” (1998)
61 Gil Scott-Heron, “New York Is Killing Me” (2010)
60 Run-D.M.C., “Christmas in Hollis” (1987)
59 Steely Dan, “Daddy Don’t Live in That New York City No More” (1975)
58 Kool G Rap and DJ Polo, “Streets of New York” (1990)
57 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, “New York City Serenade” (1973)
56 Laura Nyro, “New York Tendaberry” (1969)
55 Nina Hagen, “New York/N.Y.” (1983)
54 Boogie Down Productions, “South Bronx” (1986)
53 MC Shan and Marley Marl, “The Bridge” (1986)
52 The Magnetic Fields, “The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side” (1999)
51 Andrew W.K., “I Love NYC” (2001)
50 Bill Withers, “Harlem” (1971)
49 Odyssey, “Native New Yorker” (1977)
48 Jay-Z with the Notorious B.I.G., “Brooklyn’s Finest” (1996)
47 Jeffrey and Jack Lewis, “Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror” (2005)
46 Tom Browne, “Funkin’ for Jamaica (N.Y.)” (1980)
45 Ace Frehley, “New York Groove” (1978)
44 Bob & Earl, “Harlem Shuffle” (1963)
43 Original studio cast (On the Town), “New York, New York” (1960)
42 Interpol, “NYC” (2002)
41 Nat King Cole, “Harlem Blues” (1958)
40 Alice Cooper, “Big Apple Dreamin’ (Hippo)” (1973)
39 The Rolling Stones, “Shattered” (1978)
38 The Avett Brothers, “I and Love and You” (2009)
37 Bruce Springsteen, “The Rising” (2002)
36 The Strokes, “New York City Cops” (2001)
35 The Bee Gees, “Stayin’ Alive” (1977)
34 Tom Waits, “Downtown Train” (1985)
33 Bob Dylan, “Talkin’ New York” (1962)
32 Ella Fitzgerald, “Manhattan” (1957)
31 James Cagney, “Give My Regards to Broadway” (1942)
30 Bobby Womack, “Across 110th Street” (1972)
29 Jennifer Lopez, “Jenny from the Block” (2002)
28 Suzanne Vega, “Tom’s Diner” (1987)
27 Simon & Garfunkel, “The Only Living Boy in New York” (1970)
26 Elton John, “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” (1972)
25 Stevie Wonder, “Living for the City” (1973)
24 Ryan Adams, “My Blue Manhattan” (2004)
23 Lou Reed, “Halloween Parade” (1989)
22 New York Dolls, “Subway Train” (1973)
21 Nas, “N.Y. State of Mind” (1994)
20 The Ramones, “Rockaway Beach” (1977)
19 Billy Joel, “New York State of Mind” (1976)
18 Vampire Weekend, “M79” (2008)
17 Simon & Garfunkel, “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” (1966)
16 Joni Mitchell, “Chelsea Morning” (1969)
15 LL Cool J, “Doin’ It” (1996)
14 George Benson, “On Broadway” (1978)
13 The Velvet Underground, “I’m Waiting for the Man” (1967)
12 Duke Ellington Orchestra, “Take the ‘A’ Train” (1941)
11 Wu-Tang Clan, “C.R.E.A.M.” (1993)
10 Leonard Cohen, “Chelsea Hotel No. 2” (1974)
09 Ryan Adams, “New York, New York” (2001)
08 Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, “The Message” (1982)
07 Leonard Bernstein with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, “Rhapsody in Blue” (1959)
06 Lou Reed, “Walk on the Wild Side” (1972)
05 Billie Holiday, “Autumn in New York” (1952)
04 LCD Soundsystem, “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down” (2007)
03 Beastie Boys, “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” (1986)
02 Frank Sinatra, “Theme from New York, New York” (1980)
01 Jay-Z with Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind” (2009)

Harvard into the Big Dance!

Things are just super Tuesday!

Huskies score easy win at Big East in NYC, while co-ed scores repeatedly in Stonehill College dorm room...


What does Stonehill College alum and former Westie Punk Gussy P have to say about THIS?

Lindsay Blankmeyer, a former student at Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts, is suing the school over the sexual behaviors of her roommate, claiming that the college did nothing to help her.  Blankmeyer claims in her lawsuit that her roommate, Laura, would have sex with her boyfriend while she was in the room and sleeping.  “The roommate was having online and actual sex right in front of her,” Blankmeyer’s complaint states. She also claims that Laura would engage in “sexually inappropriate video chatting when Lindsay was in the room.”  Because Blankmeyer alleges her mental health deteriorated while she was in that situation and the school did nothing to help her resolve it, she is suing the college for $150,000.  Read More

New Jack White...

Sunday morning trail mix...

Nuevo Boogaloo (The Iguanas) Nuevo Boogaloo
Out in the Woods (Leon Russell) Carney
Born Under a Bad Sign (Albert King) Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues
Back on Top (Van Morrison) Back on Top
What's the Matter Baby (Timi Yuro) Classic 60's Hits
Poison Moon (Elvis Costello) My Aim Is True
One Track Memory (Rosie Flores) A Honky Tonk Reprise
Rocket In My Pocket (Lou Ann Barton) Read My Lips
Turn That Heartbeat Over Again (Steely Dan) Can't Buy a Thrill
Poet (Sly & the Family Stone) The Essential....
Autumn Leaves (Rickie Lee Jones) Naked Songs
Perfidia (Linda Ronstadt) Mambo Kings
Take It Easy (The Animals) The Complete Animals
It's Raining (Lou Ann Barton) Read My Lips
I'm So Excited (John Lee Hooker) 20 Great Hits
It's the Same Old Song (Four Tops) The Big Chill
Lover To Love (Florence + the Machine) Ceremonials

Keith & Vinsanity blow big lead AGAIN, but Shabazz saves the day for Jimmy C!..

MIA - Has anyone seen Jeremy Lamb?  Seriously, I think somebody ambushed him on one of his tepid crossovers.  I was listening to how the Cameron Crazies stand for the entire game as a show of support for their team.  It's kind of sad that we have one UConn fan like that, who has stood for the entire season, yet no one noticed (that he was standing).  I noticed, Keith.

Troubadour Chris D stopped in yesterday on his way to NYC to catch alma mater Harvard Crimson play at Columbia (they won in OT).  Chris recommends Band of Heathens' Live at Antones.  Put it into the car listening rotation.

QU Bobcats (really Braves) back in Brooklyn tomorrow at noon to take on top-seeded LIU Blackbirds (singing in the dead of night) in NEC semi-finals.  I want to go, but lazy-ass Gene Z #3 doesn't want to.

Fortune Cookie message from last night's Chinese delivery:  "Your ear for music is becoming more finely tuned." 

The Sawtelles - Tonite 9pm elm bar w/ Furors & Rope, opening/pinch hitting for Mold Monkeys who had to cancel due to illness.

Discussion of new Bruce in NY Times...

Johnnykmusic:  Disappointed by Bruce's Grammys performance, which consisted of a plodding, overbearing, oversimplified anthem railing against those rich and right, I don't hold out hope of loving Springsteen's Wrecking Ball.  The Jons Pareles/Caramanica review it below:

The New York Times’s pop critics Jon Pareles and Jon Caramanica discuss Bruce Springsteen’s album “Wrecking Ball,” to be released Tuesday by Columbia. 

JON PARELES Jon, if good intentions were all that mattered, Bruce Springsteen’s “Wrecking Ball” would be a shoo-in for album of the year — which is, not coincidentally, an election year. “Wrecking Ball” is Springsteen’s latest manifesto in support of the workingman, and his direct blast at fat cats and banksters who derailed the economy. It’s sincere, ambitious and angry, which can lead to mixed outcomes. It also — which may be a surprise on an album billed as a broadside — holds some of Springsteen’s most elaborate studio concoctions since “Born to Run.” 

JON CARAMANICA But, Jon, I too was born in the U.S.A., a country with a Constitution that guarantees the freedom of interpretation! We can talk about the intention of the author all day long — and certainly Bruce’s boomer army will do just that — but the text is far more ambiguous, and in plenty of places on this album, just outright flat.  I agree, it’s energizing to hear the type of ambitious arrangements that he’d largely abandoned when he retreated into rural bard mode. And the chill of hearing the booming sax solo on “Land of Hope and Dreams” drove me to the liner notes to confirm that, yes, it was Clarence Clemons. And “We Take Care of Our Own,” my lyrical bête noire, has the hardest-working music on the album.  Read More

Email from the boys of Low Cut Connie...

Fans and friends...we've got a lot of things brewing over here.  The most exciting of which is that next month we're going into the studio to make a NEW RECORD.  This one is gonna smash it outta the park....so just brace yer pretty selves.  The new songs are killer-diller.

If you are anywhere in the New York City region, we're doin a hot little gig next Saturday night (3/10) at the Living Room, with an afterparty to follow.  We're hittin' Gainesville, Florida the following Friday... then we got a big show in Philly in early May, and a Cinco de Mayo show/party we're throwing in Spanish Harlem.

We're gonna be hittin the road in June, July, and August in advance of the record release in September...so we hope to come to your town!!

In the new press column, we've got a big article coming out in Magnet magazine next week, and we've recently had major features in the Philadelphia Inquirer, NY Times, Time Out NY, etc.  OH and last week, Dave Marsh, the legendary music critic and Springsteen biographer, interviewed Adam and called Low Cut Connie... "the most important American band to come along in years".  Whoa...maybe overstated, but hey we'll take it!

Thanks for all the love and support and mutual titillation you've shown us over the last year... stay tuned, stay involved with us...and get ready for a great year for Connie fans.

Love,  the boys in LCC

The Blackeyed Peas...

AJ tried to bunt.  Gumbo didn't; he just tried to walk.  

Let's get it started...

Newport Folk Festival announces line-up ...

LEAP!...

Huskies suck again in the clutch; Davie Jones dies.

But there's always Kristen Wiig:

If it is Tuesday, this must be Providence..

MUST-WIN for the UConn Huskies tonight in the inappropriately-named Dunkin' Donuts Center (there is no center in a Dunkin' Donut)... They never have an easy time there.

Good warmup for Jazz Fest with Anthony Jack's Mardi Gras dinner next Thursday, complete with Abita Beer.  Barry will probably rot in Hell for doing this during Lent, but that's his problem.  I'm good. Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya    That same night, the Dex Romweber Duo returns to Cafe Nine in New Haven.

JR (the artist formerly known as Johnny Gumbo) rips Jazz Fest...

This morning brought howling winds following yesterday's (when all my troubles seemed so far away) surprise snowfall.  It also brought an email of blistering criticism towards the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival:

Piano Shirt Friday shirt

Sorry, JK. Just looked through the line-ups and days and think the first weekend has the second one beat by a long shot. But it also seems they continue to get farther and farther away from the real stuff...the real JazzFest music... cajun, blues, honky tonk, and jazz. Guess you have to play to the masses and get the “pop”. Bring in the dollars. Will be interested to hear your take on the music. Guess I’ll become one of those dis-enfranchised critics. - JR

1st Weekend- Fri Sat Sun
2nd Weekend- Thu Fri Sat Sun

Hey, JR, how are things in the Great NorthLeft?  Since I have always respected your taste in music, your pointed opinions about this year's schedule and the state of Jazz Fest in general bear notice.  Your point about 1st weekend versus 2nd may have some merit.  Let's look at the matchups, noting that weekend two has a four-day to three-day built-in advantage:

• Headliners- Beach Boys, Bon Iver, Tom Petty, Feist, Trombone Shorty, Springsteen, John Mayer vs. Eddie Vedder, Florence + the Machine, Zac Brown, Grace Potter, the Eagles, My Morning Jacket, Foo Fighters, Neville Brothers, Bonnie Raitt.  I suppose I would agree with you here.  The Beach Boys reunion would have some nostalgic/historical interest, though their performance at the Grammys was disappointing; I'd be very interested in Bon Iver because I haven't 'gotten' them/him yet; Tom Petty would be a solid set; Leslie Feist would be fantastic; Shorty is always great; I've become a bit bored by Springsteen (and he did nothing at the Grammys to change my opinion); we saw John Mayer (very good) a few years ago.  Overall, I'd give it a B.  So, compare those with Eddie Vedder acoustic (okay, but Pearl Jam was great a couple years ago); I'm a big fan of Florence + the Machine; I can take or leave Zak Brown; Grace Potter is worth a look; the Eagles could be very good (or possibly just old and boring); I have no interest in Foo Fighters or My Morning Jacket; the Nevilles are the Nevilles (and that's a good thing) and I love Bonnie.  I'd give it a C.  The big disappointment was not getting the Black Keys for either weekend (especially since Dan Auerbach just finished a new album produced by Dr. John).

• The New Orleans standard bearers- This group of Nola musicians perform almost every year, are always great, and there is an effort made to keep them fresh by mixing them with each other and with visiting musicians.  Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Eric Lindell, the Iguanas, Amanda Shaw, Theresa Andersson, Tab Benoit, Sonny Landreth, Marcia Ball, Terrence Blanchard, Galactic, etc. are tremendous.  It's a push (with an A), because you can't lose.

• Looking forward to see-  Texas Tornados (Doug Sahm's old band), Chuck Leavell w/ Bonnie Bramlett, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Janelle Monae vs. Esperanza Spaulding, Mavis Staples, Levon Helm, Steve Earle, Malone Brothers (potential for some great guests), Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings.  Although I'd love to see Carolina Chocolate Drops and Janelle Monae, I've got to give the edge to 2nd weekend here (LOVE Esperanza Spaulding). 

Which brings us to your issue with the state of the current New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the eternal cry of "you're selling out the old fans who made you." My less-than-humble perspective (despite this year being only my 8th Jazz Fest) is that the BIG FESTIVAL business is extremely competitive, and there is an absolute requirement to know your product and your customer.  Being one of the oldest festivals does not guarantee future success, and, when compared with Coachella, Bonnaroo (taken from the Dr. John album Desitively Bonnaroo), SXSW, it can be viewed as a negative by younger patrons.  What makes Jazz Fest unique is its setting, New Orleans- the music, the food, the culture.  Jazz Fest started out many years ago as a copycat of the Newport Jazz Festival.  When did it sell out?  When, after its infant years in the city proper, it tried to get bigger by luring people from outside Louisiana and moving to the Fair Grounds?  Screams of selling out were heard then. Around 2004, like it or not, Jazz Fest was in financial trouble and was forced to change or disappear.  National acts became an important part of the mix.  The purists were disgusted, the soul of the festival had been compromised.

Reality check: we don't live in a vacuum.  It's crazy to think that many of the outside acts that play Jazz Fest have not been influenced by the musical heritage of New Orleans, and, equally important, it's narrow-minded (and wrong) to think that the opposite has not occurred!  As for the scurge of 'pop'ular music infiltrating the Fest, there is bad, good, even great pop music, evidenced by New Orleans' own Fats Domino, Lee Dorsey, Dixie Cups, etc.  Somewhere in my old vinyl collection there is a frayed Sonny & Cher album cover with a picture of a young session piano player named Mac Rebennack on the back.  Hell, Dr. John lives in Connecticut for Christ sakes and Allen Toussaint spends great periods of time in NYC.  It can be a win-win.  I love hearing the reverence for New Orleans from the visiting artists; love having Trombone Shorty show up in a Kid Rock set or Allen Toussaint and Irma Thomas drop in on Paul Simon.  And some the best shows I've seen were outsiders (example: the Ike Turner show in the Blues Tent).

But even if you hate the outsiders, where else but New Orleans can you stop in for the best stuffed chicken wings and Bloody Marys for pre-Fest lunch at Emeril's Nola (where, if you eat at the bar, I've heard you need not tip) or have a heart stopping Lucky Dog with ALL the fixings on Bourbon Street at 3am, or kick a couple of Pool Hall Studs' asses at pool, causing them to whine for the next five years (the very best)?  And where else can you annually avoid running into the lovely (well, maybe not REAL lovely) and talented Scarlett O'Hara and her watermelon hat, toast a few with the Mark, Lisa and their New Jersey crew, and have a great Monday night getaway dinner with our old pals, the Shoe Ladies (complete with Entourage).

The defense rests.

So Mitt Romney's wife tools around in a coupla Caddys ....

Honey, I just wonder what you do there in the back 

of your pink Cadillac?

I love you for your pink Cadillac
Crushed velvet seats
Riding in the back
Oozing down the street
Waving to the girls
Feeling out of sight
Spending all my money
On a Saturday night
Honey I just wonder what you do there in back
Of your pink Cadillac
Pink Cadillac

Cadillac Man (The Jesters)
Cadillac Song (Reckless Red)
Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache (Robert Gordon)

Dion with the Del Satins at Joe's Pub in NYC...

It's Fat Tuesday y'all!...

Live From Daryl's House - Allen Stone...

Linsanity Sunday...

Chip's Unnamed Local Band Show

New episode airs TONIGHT at midnight on WCCT (your CW affiliate, channel 11 or 20 on your cable system) - featuring the Suicide Dolls, the Sawtelles and The Can Kickers!

Another disappointing UConn fan effort by Keith 'n Vinnie...

Why not a Vin Big Face?

These guys are just not getting the job done.  Blame Jeremy, Shabbbbbbazzzzz, Olex, etc. all you want, but the real reason for the Huskies' colossal collapse is the very poor performance up in the stands by KNV.  In an ill-advised move, Vin tried to rally the team, then down just four, during a timeout by shouting down to start singing RESPECT.  Respectful of the storied laxman alum, the players tried, but none of the Huskies could spell it right, so Ryan Boatright decided to talk some SHIT instead and wound up with a technical (which they also couldn't spell).  Game over.  With four games to go in the regular season, there is not much time left.  How about you STEP IT UP!

Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins...

Johnny GreatNorthLeft rants on The Answer:
(Exclusive email sent from resort condo while on holiday in Mexico) I luv reading these stories of these NBA cockheads who blow tons of money 'cause they ain't got no smarts to begin with. Why do we emulate them when all they can do is put a round ball in a round cylinder? Sorry, just needed to vent a little about the lost priorities in our world. OK, I feel better now! 

JK comment- I think it's because you can't put a square ball into a round cylinder, but I could be mistaken.  And it's nice to see you have not lost your compassion for your fellow man, JR. 

Dos Equis- The Most Interesting Man in the World:
"He's been entangled in love triangles, pentagons and hexagons."

Be my Valentine...

Valentine's Day playlist:
Chances Are (Johnny Mathis)
At Last (Etta James)
Love Make a Fool of Me (Al Anderson)
Girl In a T-Shirt (ZZ Top)
Love Slave (Leon Russell)
Love Is a Losing Game (Amy Winehouse)
Brown-eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
Paradise By the Dashboard Light (Meatloaf)
I Wanna Thank You, Baby (Delbert McClinton)
Stardust (Hoagy Carmichael)
Bring It On Home to Me (Sam Cooke)
Blessed (Lucinda Williams)
Lovely Rita, Meter Maid (The Beatles)
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Bob Dylan)
Howlin' For You (The Black Keys)
My Girl (Otis Redding)
Groovy Kind of Love (Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders)
Passionate Kisses (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
Baby, Let Me Take You Home (The Animals)
Is That You In the Blue? (Dex Romweber Duo)
I Feel the Same (Bonnie Raitt)


In a related love note, rumor has it that JR has gone vegan:

The Grammys...

Patti Scialfa?...lol

I thought LL Cool J was an actor?... The Boss opens up with a pedestrian new song. C'mon, Bruce, come up with a new E Street Shuffle or something...... What's the over/under on Whitney tributes?  She kind of stole the "dead person of the year" thing from Amy and Etta..... Bonnie & Alicia Keys' Sunday Kind of Love tribute to Etta James was nicely understated.... Chris Brown singing????..... Beached Boys looked like zombies; was hoping for some magic; bad song choice, should have gone with simple, uptempo with some energy....  John Lennon must be turning in his grave listening to Macca do these old songs (props for Joe Walsh and Diana Krall though)... Hey, I like Bruno Mars (some nice James Brown moves).... Heartfelt ovation for Adele after performing Rolling In the Deep.  Great voice.  She doesn't have Amy Winehouse's edge and phrasing, but she's got plenty of soul (and she's alive)... Tribute to Glen Campbell (who toured as part of the Beach Boys back in the 60s) included Allen Toussaint's Southern Nights; and Glen was great... Bon Iver????  Who would have guessed?  Cool... Tony Bennett, is he still alive, hard to tell .....Hey, is that guy up there droning on about some bullshit the guy from CPTV????.... Now rolling the dead guys.... Well done, Jennifer Hudson, you didn't try to knock it out of the park.... shout outs to Don Cornelius and Gil Scott-Heron... Adele wins every award.... McCartney redeems himself with the finale.... And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make....  good night  (New Yorker view)

Keith & Vin again fail to spur the Huskies, this time losing to the 'Cuse...

Saturday was opening night for Head Rush at Bleachers in Bristol.  Could an SNL guest appearance be next for this buzzed-about band?

Yes, I will attend the Grammys tonight.  Putting on bow tie for red carpet appearance.  Since The Reet can't go, I will be accompanied by Lana Del Ray (to help give her damaged ego a boost).

Pool Hall Studs in Cabo with Mark from Jersey, cooking up plans for this year's Jazz Fest.  And my so-called connections got me nowhere in trying to get a six-o'clock dinner reservation at AJ's on Valentine's Day.  Four o'clock!!!!

R.I.P. Whitney. (New Yorker)  story  I Wanna Dance With Somebody

New Low Cut Connie in the works, but when will they play up here at Cafe Nine?...

Authentic, ambitious rock-and-roll blues.  Low Cut Connie made its mark on the critics

(Philadelphia Inquirer)  With several successes under its belt, Low Cut Connie plans a grand agenda for 2012. Along with Weiner's impending July nuptials, LCC is recording its second album, Call Me Sylvia, for September release. Among the titles are "Boozophilia," "Guns and Knives," "No More Wet T-shirt Contests" ("a protest song," Finnemore said), and "You Got Everything." After that, Low Cut Connie wants to tour on a cruise ship and get in shape with a strict boxing regime.  "We are going to achieve all of our goals this year because that's what the Connies do," Weiner said. "We take care of business."  Read More

February Sawtelles...

FRI 10th: typhoon thai, main st middletown, 6p. byob

SAT 11th: J drums w/ Zoo Front at the Willi Co-Op 91 Valley Street, Willimantic, Ct. 06226 for it's 32nd b'day bash. music starts at 11:30, ZF @ 3p.

FRI 17th: javapalooza, main st m'town, 7:30-9:30p

SAT 18th: neverending books, state street new haven. 7p. various acts.

SUN 19th: P drums w/Pete Brunelli on guitar at the outer space, 6p. free.
if you have facebook go to our page, j.p.sawtelles, which has a coupla fliers for various events we're playing.

Quick trip to Barnes & Noble to spend my Xmas gift card...

Soul Journey (Gillian Welch)
Let It Burn (Ruthie Foster)
Go-Go Boots (Drive-By Truckers)
The Big Chill- Deluxe Edition (Various Artists)

It's a bit disheartening to browse at what passes for record stores these days. No depth at all.  I'm generally not a 'those were the days' kind of guy, but I do miss wasting time in a good record store.  On Dave H's recommendation, I was looking for the new J.D. Souther, but no luck.  No Pistol Annies, either.

Gold on the Ceiling...

The Black Keys - Gold On The Ceiling - Music - More Music Videos

Just another manic Monday...

Jersey Giants nip Hartford Patriots.  Gisele tells Brady to stop whining.  Cleveland Browns have been installed as the early favorite to win next year's Super Bowl, but the question is:  Which washed up singer/group will be picked to play (actually just act) at halftime?  Early favorites:  Cher and Neil Diamond.

The Sawtelles at Typhoon Restaurant on Main Street in Middletown on Friday at 6:30pm (BYOB).

It's put up or shut up, whatcha got?...

Beantown vs. The Big Apple!

Okay, you rabid (and very lucky, both should have lost) NY Football Giants/ New England Patriots fans, who wins the battle of the minutiae?

•  The Pats moved to nowhere Foxborough from Boston, but the Giants left NYC to play in the swamps of Jersey.  Which is the more egregious?   Penalty points on the Pats for blowing smoke up our governor's ass and teasing him with a possible move to Hartford.
• Yankee Stadium vs. Fenway Park?   The new Yankee Stadium is much better than the 70's-style remake of the original, but you've got to give the edge to a true original (even though actually watching a game there can be painful).  Penalty points against Boston for allowing that old clubhouse guy to Sandusky young boys for so long.
• TD Garden vs. The World's Most Famous Arena?  No contest once the C's left crappy old, but venerable Boston Garden (where I once scored 3 KEY points in a prelim-to-Celtics game) for its slick new digs. Extra points to NYC for bringing the Nets to Brooklyn.
• MA senator JFK vs. NY carpetbagger senator RFK?  I guess we should really ask Marilyn Monroe.
• Ted Williams vs. Mickey Mantle?   It wouldn't be fair to bring out Jeet.  Oh wait - Jeter vs Bobby Orr?
• Boston Strangler vs. Son of Sam?  Spike Lee vs. Ben Affleck?  Do the right thing.
• Who got more - Joe Willie or Brady?  Penalty points on Broadway Joe for the Suzy Kolber thing. Penalty points on Brady for being a whiner.
• Dirty Water (The Standells) vs. Empire State of Mind (Jay-Z and Alicia Keys)?  The Ramones vs. Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers?
• Manhattan clam chowder vs. New England clam chowda?  I never warmed up to the red stuff.
• Knickerbocker beer vs. Samuel Adams Boston lager?  Do they even brew Knickerbocker anymore (they sure don't brew a good basketball Knick anymore)
• Hudson River vs. the Charles?  The Bronx vs. Southie?

2012 Jazz Fest Poster...

Porch Song: A Portrait of Trombone Shorty
By Terrance Osborne
A rising Troy (Trombone Shorty) Andrews graced the 2009 Congo Square poster. An emerging Terrance Osborne created two other prized Congo Square posters (2007 Philip Frazier; 2010 Uncle Lionel Batiste). The Congo Square poster project showcases promising artists deserving of wider exposure, while the classic Jazz Fest poster features established artists. The two talents twinned on this year’s Jazz Fest poster ascended from “promising” to “established” so rapidly that their accomplishments demanded timely recognition. We think the result was worth not waiting for.  Read More

Signing off: We wish you love, peace and soul!...

(ABC News)- Don Cornelius, the man who created Soul Train, was reportedly found dead Wednesday morning at his Los Angeles home.  Police sources tell TMZ.com that Cornelius appears to have taken his own life; sources say he died from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  He was 75.  Cornelius created "Soul Train" and hosted the show in national syndication from 1971 to 1993.  It was the first real venue on American TV for soul music, and as the show's writer and producer, as well as host, Cornelius played a vital role in bringing stars like James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Michael Jackson to a wider audience.  Some have described the show as "a black American Bandstand," though Cornelius was not a fan of that comparison.  As the host, he was known for the catchphrase with which he closed each episode: "I'm Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!"

"Soul Train," which ceased airing in 2006, also spun off the Soul Train Music Awards and the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.   Its most famous theme song, "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)," by MFSB became a massive pop hit in 1974.