PDENOLAX music options

To anyone attending the PDENOLAX trip, here are a few live music options I've looked into.

A few other good sources:

WWOX live music calendar
Offbeat magazine's live music search

Any night

Preservation Hall is open 7 nights a week – doors at 8, music at 8:15 done by 11 -- $10 a person

Thursday night

Opening Night at Howlin' Wolf Northsore (across Lake Ponchatrain in Mandeville) featuring George Porter Jr. (The Meters), Russell Batiste (PBS,Funky Meters), Mark Mullins (Bonerama), John Gros (Papa Grows Funk) and June Yamagishi (Papa Grows Funk) plus opening set with Russell Batiste and Friends – $30 open bar – 45 min drive from the Quarter

Soul Rebels Brass Band at Le Bon Temps Roule, on Magazine St., Uptown , 11 p.m.

Kermit Ruffins (considered the reincarnation of Louis Armstrong) at Vaughan’s Lounge in the Bywater – 8:30 p.m. – A taxi is highly recommended and we'll need to call ahead to confirm.

Colin Lake (solo, lap slide blues guitar player) at d.b.a. on Frenchman street in Faubourg Marigny – free show – 7 p.m.

E.O.E. – (think Dispatch, O.A.R. – reggae, funk, hip-hop) – at d.b.a. – 10 p.m.

Treme Brass Band at Preservation Hall at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday -- $10

Steel Pulse – reggae – HOB, $34

Lil Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers (zydeco) - Mid City Lanes Rock n Bowl - S. Carrollton Ave. in Mid-City - 8:30 p.m., $10

Friday night

Trombone Shorty (second line funk, jazz, hip-hop) at the Southern Repertory Theater for $??

Tab Benoit (blues guitar) playing Ruby’s Roadhouse across the Lake in Mandeville -- $2 beers, $3 wells

Rebirth Brass Band playing Howlin' Wolf Northsore in Mandeville on Friday 11:30 p.m.

Joe Krown, Walter Wolfman Washington and Russell Batiste (R&B, blues, soul) -- at Le Bon Temps Roule on Magazine St., Uptown -- 11 p.m.

NOLA Jazz Vipers (traditional jazz/swing - think Ellington, Satchmo, Basie, Holiday) – Spotted Cat, 623 Frenchman St., 10 p.m.

Steel Pulse – reggae – HOB, $34

Saturday night

Rebirth Brass Band playing Saturday at Howlin' Wolf Northsore in Mandeville at 9:00 p.m. -- $12 -- 45 min drive across Lake P

EOTO, Gravity A (breakbeat, electronica, drum/bass, trip hop) – Blue Nile, 532 Frenchman, 11 p.m.

Anders Osborne (rock, blues) - Mid City Lanes Rock n Bowl - S. Carrollton Ave. in Mid-City - 9:30 p.m., $10

Little Freddie King (blues) - at d.b.a. on Frenchman street in Faubourg Marigny – $5 – 7 p.m.

U2 'Get On Your Boots' live at Grammy 2009
Uploaded by miracledrugdealer

Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Three years ago, I offered this New Orleans playlist. Now, as I prepare to rekindle my love affair with the City That Bush Forgot during the PDENOLA X trip, I offer part deux.

You can stream some of these on the imeem playlist at the bottom of this page.


Anders Osborne - Back on Dumaine
The Band - Down South in New Orleans
Better Than Ezra - WWOZ
Big Sam's Funky Nation - Bah-Duey-Duey
Bo Dollis & The Wild Magnolias - Tipitina
Bonerama - Whipping Post
Buckwheat Zydeco - Soul Serenade
Buckwheat Zydeco - What You Gonna Do?
Buckwheat Zydeco - Cryin' in the Streets
Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Just a Closer Walk with Thee
Dirty Dozen Brass Band - My Feet Can't Fail Me Now
Dr. John - Iko Iko
Eddie Bo - Hook and Sling
Galactic & DJ Z-Trip - Bounce Baby
Grateful Dead - Iko Iko
Hot 8 Brass Band - Let Me Do My Thing
Jelly Roll Morton - I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say
The Knux - Cappuccino
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra & Randy Newman - Louisiana 1927
The Meters - Hey Pocky A-way
The Meters - Funky Miracle
The Meters - Fire On The Bayou
Papa Grows Funk - Pass It!
Paul Simon - That Was Your Mother
Professor Longhair - Big Chief
Professor Longhair - Go to the Mardi Gras
Rebirth Brass Band - (I Feel Like) Bustin' Loose
Robert Parker - Barefootin'
Tab Benoit - Fever for the Bayou
Tab Benoit - Jambalaya
Tab Benoit - Crawfishin'

Devil horns or shoulder roll?

I had two experiences last week that have me thinking a lot about music, race and our American culture.

Last week, I went to the Obama campaign office in downtown Cleveland to pick up two free tickets to a Jay-Z concert to be held this week at Quicken Loans Arena. The show is sponsored by the Obama campaign and hosted by LeBron James.

Out of about 150 people standing in line, there were maybe 10 white people. As I have at various points in my life since high school, I found myself suddenly conscious of my skin color. Not in response to any odd looks from other people in line, but probably just because being white in a place like Ohio generally allows you to feel comfortable. You look around and see lots of other people who look like you. When you suddenly feel like a minority, it gets your attention and makes you more self-aware.

I understand that this experience is not unique. Entire books and films have been made on the topic. While I'm not often forced to consider these issues, each time I do, I am reminded that black people in many parts of America feel this way all of the time.

A few days later, I was at an Ohio State University tail gate party in Columbus. Not your typical college tailgate, though. Sponsored by a few businesses - so some college students but also the thirtysomething crowd and quite a few older businesspeople in their 40s and 50s. This particular crowd was predominantly white, with only a handful of black people in attendance.

As the party was getting going, the music was what somewhat you'd expect from this sort of crowd at a college tailgate party - AC/DC, Danzig, Motley Crue, etc.

An hour passed. The next CD in the changer was a DJ mix of more hard rock/heavy metal mixed over techno/dance beats. Kinda cheesy, but you see where I'm going?

Yep - the next CD in the changer was was a mix of popular hip-hop.

While all of this is going on in the background, the crowd keeps growing in size and blood alcohol content. Early on, the vibe was more devil horns than shoulder roll. But gradually, the overwhelmingly white, oldish crowd started paying attention to the music -- bobbing their heads and dancing.

I was reminded of this classic Chappelle's Show skit.



So, why does this inevitably happen at so many parties I go to? Why don't so many white people appreciate hip-hop when they're sober? Why would they rather listen to country or metal until they're good and juiced up?

I know this line of questions isn't new or groundbreaking. You might say, "It's simple. Hip-hop is danceable. Metal is not. Danceable music feels pretty good to you when you've been drinking for several hours and your inhibitions are starting to melt away."

Sure, but I guess my larger questions are:

1. Why does it take hip-hop and alcohol to get whites and blacks together? Is this the only thing we have in common that we're willing to recognize publicly?
   
2. Is the growing predominance of hip-hop in popular culture a precursor to improved relations between blacks and whites in Generation Y?
   
3. What is the hip-hop community's response to the idea that younger whites are consumers of hip-hop culture?
   
4. Should Obama have Snoop Dogg play his inauguration, drawing young whites and blacks together as Dave Chappelle shouts, "It's a celebration, bitches?"

I'm just playin with that last question, but I'm genuinely interested in your thoughts here.

Editor's note: Thanks to Ryan, who patiently talked through some of this with me over a beer at the tailgate.

Hooray Beer!

I saw this commercial tonight. I've always found it funny.