culture vulture

so being in the music worship sector, i find myself often suggesting music to people. this is a joy for me, yet it takes away from my music exploring time. plus, i tend to be more thorough than most people want their inbox to be. a nice solution could be a blog form of what's what imho. it's all random and as it comes to me, so flip through it when you need something new (links are colored text).


shelby lynn's album "suit yourself." a quickly thrown together album that somehow shines so quaintly beautiful. simple can be beautiful, and this album is proof. the music is marginally simple fun that lets shelby tell her stories in smooth rhythym. a few stand out lyrics in "iced tea;" "you're the cornbread and iced tea of life." a former country star now playing acoustic and sitting back reflecting and laughing about most of it.

further digging into her musical catalogue brings one of the best versions of "rainy night in georgia" to light. it puts you on her porch and completely changes any listeners mood to pensive.

around this time i discovered shelby, i became infatuated with "emerge" from fischer-spooner. i can't really explain this particular infatuation other than it's one of the most dynamic electronic songs out there; a big overall crescendo with lots of peaks and valleys. it's a fun one to wake up to, which ajm, kd and tmo might attest to. or not.

my most recent musical affair has been with theresa andersson. she's a swede residing in new orleans putting down the best female soul tracks today. the youtube stuff of her in her kitchen is an immediate hook that makes you sit up and is the best introduction to her, but this link has the best sound and video quality. she's a non-alcoholic janice joplin with strong instrumentation skills who's at first slightly gimmicky with the looping one woman show, but has so much talent to back it up, it's absolutely unbelievable live. better live than recorded, but the recorded bits are just fine, too.

the rebirth brass band. the voice of new orleans until recently, this group transends genres and energy levels. live shows are always a party that goes on and on. at one time they had the most popular song on the radio in new orleans on the rock station, the jazz station, the pop station and the hip hop station; "do whatcha wanna." it's a good place to start on the long road to understanding why new orleans is a musical mecca.

i should prolly follow up the rbb with new sound of new orleans brass; the soul rebels. they are very young but have brought latin poly rhythyms to that scene which is infectious and mesmerizing. their live show is a bit too hip hop for me, but they're super young still. some people want to see the hot 8 brass band in that spot, and they're worth mentioning.

back to singer songwriters, i feel few can touch langhorne slim. he's raw, energetic and passionate. his voice has a sweet honesty to it and his guitar has a powerful voice. a confident soul with great dynamics on several of his tracks, he's one to watch. "diamonds and gold," "restless" and "hummingbird" are all legendary tracks.

while i'm thinking of singer songwriters, consider bon iver. bon iver is much more mellow, a fact that automatically puts them into the category of a group i'll never see in concert. nonetheless, their studio cuts are ethereal lyric beams of transcendent beauty over simple music. i see them as "i still don't know what he's saying and i don't care" music. in almost the exact same category are blind pilot. out of portland oregon they bring a simpleness to the lyrics and a subtle complexity to the music.

someone a bit more familiar and famous is andrew bird. i've found andrew leading somewhat of a parallel life to david byrne in that he is musically at ease in many different genres, offers dynamic song construction nearly every time, consistently brilliant lyrics and an overall sweetness to the songs that makes me smile. he first achieved fame playing with the squrrel nut zippers, who are an act of their own, albeit clearly missing andrew. he's also plays just about any instrument you put in front of him. live shows are unmissable.

speaking unmissable live shows, i have to mention tom waits. any album, any hour, and just about any song. actually i found the last couple albums getting progressively less accessable, but there are still some gems in them. the best lyricist and song writer of our time. and a great sense of humor and humility. he's desert island material that i can't say enough about.

in the legend category in van morrison. often overlooked due to the success of "moondance" and "brown eyed girl" (which was originally "brown skinned girl") he throws gobs of lush vocal talent into nearly every album. no one can sing the voice inflections he does. try it - nearly impossible. a few great albums are "his band and the street choir," "down the road," "new york sessions '67," and "astral weeks." some of the best music on earth there.

neil diamond. check his recent stuff, too ("delirious love"). the old stuff is what you hear at karaoke and is what i was raised on, and if even if you don't like neil, go back and listen to "cracklin rosie." it's about a bottle of wine.

alright, enough of the famous jackoffs. let's see, who's super obscure? ahhh! helios jive. hollywood based funk group with a spanish twist. mix a great unknown beat artist, a giant of a multi instrumentalist and a female mexican bassist and waaala! helios jive. despite only playing a handful of gigs, i feel confident in their eventual rise to fame. or at least to a few more great albums.

lynn collins. obscure to a degree but famous by association, she wrote a few of james brown's hits. hearing her versions and other tracks is like looking into the studio before james did a cut which is a great snapshot of that era. she also opened his shows for several years and i think had one of his children. she's a bit hard to find but worth the digging.

speaking of james brown, i recently discovered his "live at the apollo" album. i've been familiar with his music for years, but when i first heard this i felt like i grew a new musical appendage. as for live recordings and performances, it's hard to top this one.

i'm getting off track from the undiscovered....let's see...meschiya lake! you can only find her stuff on youtube unless you go down to the french quarter and buy a disc from her personally. and actually, she just bought a plane tix to europe, so here's a link to "up a lazy river." she used to be nurse nasty in traveling circus (hence the eyebrow tatoos) and has a most unexpected strong voice. great song selection and always sits in with different super talented groups.

giant panda guerilla dub squad. authentic roots reggae from a bunch of white kids from upstate ny. so good they are loved in jamaica. the studio album is weak, but check out the free download of the aggie theater show from fort collins, co. rock solid good vibes.

shawn lee's ping pong circus. i haven't been high in 6 years, but recently i had two simultaneous major throat infections that required heavy antibiotics and heavy steriods. the steriods ended up giving me an extreme euphoric high and for 6 days i levitated above my bed with the french doors of my beach house open to the sun and breezes with shawn lee blaring on repeat. despite the ideal conditions for ethereal music, shawn lee also stands up to sobriety. his "miles of styles" album defies a balance between jazz and a soulful slumber; a real joy.

on that steriod trip, i also discovered greyboy. i don't think he's the same as greyboy allstars, but i could be wrong. check out his "15 years of west coast cool" album for more loungy soul. pretty solid album that makes me want another heavy infection. btw, only about 3% of the population have a euphoric reaction to steriods. too bad for them i say.

i'm going to move out of this strict music list to include some movies, don't worry though, they are documentaries based on music. first up, "young @ heart." and yeah, they spell it with the symbol, not the word "at." it's one of the best movies i've ever seen or will ever see. you can watch it with your grandpa and your children, too. i still cry when i watch it, but i also still sing along and laugh til i fart. legendary documentary about a chorus aged 70 or more in massachusettes. they sing a lot of songs you wouldn't expect and go through a lot of things you would expect in ways that soften the hardest of hearts. don't rent it, buy it. seriously, you'll just end up renting it so much. the music's pretty funny and touching after seeing the movie, although doesn't stand on it's own. visuals are needed. go see them if you live near there and can.

next up is "life. support. music." a fantastic documentary about jason kreigler after he has a brain hemorrhage. it follows his subsequent recovery. music is astonishing after seeing the movie, and ok on it's own. this one's a bit harder to find, but worth the search.

how's your news. another documentary that's a pretty good movie with great music. digging into their mytube and youspace stuff is rewarding. watch the movie first then check the interwebs. try not to cry when ronnie meets chad everett in the dvd extras, it's impossible. tears of joy are the weirdest things, but my most sought after emotion. they have a new show on mtv that i haven't seen, but i am hopeful that it remains true to their vision. oddly they're produced by trey parker and matt stone, who keep a very even keeled polite tone throughout. who knew they could be softies? i guess it does have a big laugh factor to it as well....

on a completely different tangent is hasil adkins; psychobilly on crack. i like energy and hasil must have ate nothing but meth. i also like quirky and he was assuredly raised in a closet with few friends. he's not for everyone, but if you like to dance around chaotically from time to time to songs that are bewildering unto themselves, hasil's your man. "she said"

"my babe" by little walter. i first heard this song in hogs n heifers in las vegas. it's a great bar with better bartenders only 'cause they know their music. it's in the midst of a wicked ghetto, but the mayor hangs out there so it can't be too bad, right? the shot are kool aid, so stick with beer there. anywho, walter has a gem in this song. rythym and blues from when radio was new. big chicago sound. sweet message. music to fall in love to. is in every authentuc blues bar's jukebox in america.

"sweet dogs" by trolle seibenhaar. oh lordy what a tune, sweet message, thick beats and a delicious voice over it all.

the subdudes. colorado meets wisconson and new orleans. the drummer can do a full sounding drum roll around the kit on just a tambourine, so this is all he brings to a show. but it's not gimmicky - he's subtle and fun as the best drummers are. everyone in the band sings and amazingly well at that. sweet harmonies, good messages, and dancable stuff. great live or in studio. kind old guy stuff i guess, but quality nonetheless.

animal collective. let's talk ethereal new sounds. out of baltimore, they may sound baltimore confused, but the message is clear; we are young, visionary and focused in a dreamy way. captures a wild spirit that is oddly identifiable yet completely new. another group that i have no idea what they saying nor do i care; must be some great music going on. there is and it's power is in it's intense dynamics.

speaking of ethereal, another dreamy group to pound it's way into the collective music nerd conscious are fleet foxes. not the best live, but a great studio band that makes me yearn for a long drive with at least an hour to kill. they're akin to the beach boys reincarnate without electricity. worthy of a brief love affair.

bill withers. bill's a standard that you probably didn't know you knew already. check out his "live at carnegie hall" album; legendary. gaurantees a sing along. harlem/cold baloney is a fist full of sugar.

this is a good place to stop for now - it's late....tbc.......

nawlin's jazz fest and the tambourine lady

music is my religion, and new orleans has become a mecca for me. from the meters to the undiscovered talent playing for change on royal street, it's music is as rich and comforting as it's ettouffee, chichory coffee and beignets all in one humidity soaked moment. the last two weeks in april are a constant celebration of this natural musical resource under the misleading title of "the new orlean's jazz fest."

when i think of the term "jazz," i think of either the extremely white and stuffy pop side or i think of the pompous and aloof side. my views are probably skewed on this subject because, as my mother tells it, i was conceived the night of a barry manilow concert and i grew up in a town where jazz fest meant a guy on a synth guitar working the crowd was the highlight of the night. the bottom line here; there is a jazz stage at n.o. jazz fest, but it's 1 of 12, and it's off in the corner closest to the nearly mandatory public transportation (almost 100,000 people attend every day for 7 days over 2 weeks). this year's was the fest's 40th anniversary, and quint davis, who has produced all 40 of them, describes it best as "the world's biggest backyard bbq." he must be a humble guy b/c it also has over 400 acts ranging from bob dylan, etta james, and neil young to every zydeco and brass band in the world. and a gospel tent. and a blues tent. and it's all high quality wether it's a big act or small act. and at night, the gracious folks that live in new orleans and make you feel like family, invite all 400 of the musicians on offers they don't refuse to sit in and play in the numerous small clubs and bars around town. it's my mecca.

before i left this year i had an incredibly aggresive gantt chart on who was playing where and how to make it all happen. it was ludicrous and unrealistic, but i was prepared to offer a musical suggestion at a moments notice to my traveling companion and girlfriend, vannessa.

the first night we were there, my favorite band, the rebirth brass band, were playing at a local haunt of their's; the howlin' wolf. they were opened up by two other up and coming brass bands, so i presumed this to be the best show we'd see that week. the rebirth reinvented brass music (hence their name), have brought "parading" music to the national spotlight and are the darlings of new orleans. at one point they had the most popular song on every radio station in town; the rock station, the blues station, the jazz station, the hip hop station and the pop station. the best part is that the chart topper was the same song for every station; "do what ya wanna." they've inspired a legion of young brass bands that being a musician is a viable way of life, and it's fun to see that being manifested today. last year a close up shot of their tuba player graced the official fest poster. they routinely draw 20,000 people to their stage when they play the fest. we were going to see them with about 150 other people in a little bar where they would be more relaxed and wild. and it was a great show. at that moment, i felt that the trip had reached a musical pinnacle.

the following day was the first official day of the fest. after the previous night, most of the acts paled in comparison, with the exception of the gospel tent. and in particular a curious addition or freelance tambourine woman kept stealing our hearts and the show with her enthusiasm. dancing while playing the tambourine is an art unto itself, but dancing wildly and playing the tambourine and all day long is a feat i can't really begin to describe. perhaps some video would do better justice to rosalie washington, the woman known as "tambourine lady." that link is a nice introduction to rosalie, albeit very sanitized. here's a more authentic one of her sitting in with cowboy mouth. suffice to say, she kept up the pace all day friday, playing with whoever would let her steal the spotlight. and after watching her all day, we were exhausted and skipped the late night club scene.

saturday brought some better quality acts to the fest; rebirth bb, erykah badu, etc and we fully embraced the incredible food there. instead of normal fair grounds food, the food at the fest are token dishes from local favorite restaurants. i would proably still go and eat there even if the music was horrible. and once again, a day in the sun wondering from stage to stage and following parades around (see photog above of the little dudes from the lower 9th ward parade) wore us out. no post jazz fest clubs again.

sunday was vanessa's birthday which meant she was in charge, which meant taking it easy and relaxing. we strolled jackson square and royal street listening to buskers and i fell in love with meschiya lake's voice, whose authentic 1920's stylings made me an easy target. she's a royal street regular and sings with the cyclowns and loose marbles. here she is with loose marbles at the preservation hall singing "make me a pallet on the floor." another good shot of her is "when i get low i get high," especially the close of the song. a little chaotic on the sound but the overall message comes through is again with loose marbles, who sometimes are joined by a dancing couple.

after a brief stint at jazz fest to catch just one group vanessa wanted to see, we ate at a nearby bistro and then joined a street party led by four 16 or 17 year old brass musicians that hadn't ever played a show before. this led to a great energy from their group and despite only knowing a few songs by the rebirth, they stretched them out and played as long as the hat they passed kept getting filled.

monday was recovery - it had been four days of excessive music, food, humudity, sun and walking. i geocached in the morning while vanessa slept in and we lazily strolled the quarter midday. we were scheduled to fly out at 6 am the following morning and there was one more show that night that looked interesting, so we paced ourselves.

the show was a benefit for tipitina's, a local big club that the rebirth and many other bands grew up in and continue to play. the club offers youths in the area internships and guidance, which was the focus of the benefit that night. all the local big names were on hand, and unbeknownst to me, they don't get to play together much, and were there to show each other up.

the evening started with several area local marching bands outside. it's easy to see how many kids want to grow up and be like the rebirth - the talent is apparent even in large groups. afterwards, the show went inside and the rebirth took the stage. i assumed that their set was the height of the nights entertainment, but we decided to stick around afterwards anyway.

the next group galactic has made a big name for themselves nationally although they delivered a set straight from an album and probably the weakest of the night. the group to follow surprised everyone by topping the rebirth with several local country stars led by the female version of jack white on bass, annie clements.

following clements and co the meters performed. the meters played the first jazz fest 40 years ago and invented the genre of funk. they taught me to dance and james brown how to accentuate the first beat in 4/4 time - the root of a funk rhythm. they are still on top of their game and play out frequently - usually headlining a day at the fest, too. seeing them at tip's was beyond spiritual for me and when they were done i openly wondered about and pittied the group to follow. but somehow one of the up and coming brass bands, the soul rebels, brought a latin flavor to the stage along with their horns and did just that.

to see the meters usurped was exciting to be part of, and when big sam followed by bringing out theresa anderson, i testified. theresa is about to become nationally well known, not just because she's a gimmicky one woman show (everything's looped through petals at her feet) but she has more than enough moxie and raw talent to back it up. here she is doing her thing in her kitchen, where her last album was recorded. check out her version of a bob marley cover, too. loads of talent here and absolutely stunned everyone in the room that night.

there were still two more groups to play and i already felt at peace with dieing due to the heavenly quality of live music i had seen that night when trombone shorty took the stage. he proceeded to work everyone up into a frenzy, especially when at 2:30 am he led his band off stage and into the crowd (still playing) and brought a special guest up on stage. i'll let the amatuer video i shot of it tell that part of the story.



jeez, i still cry watching that. on the ride from the club to the airport we were dumbstruck by what we had seen; of the hundreds of shows i've been to, i've never been part of a concert so incredibly joyous with as much talent intimately arranged on one stage in one night.

after the show we hung out with the tambourine lady for a bit (which i was very happy about - witness the picture). as she dug around in her car for a 8.5" x 11" glossy photograph i was buying from her, i realized her car was filled with broken tambourines. only in new orleans, only in new orleans....