Neworleansmusicians.net

Raise The Dead IV

2010-02-12T05:05:00.000-06:00

It has been one year since Raise the Dead Festival plagued our dark streets. The sheer punishing volumes bellowed through the filth of back allies. The stage was covered in broken glass, circle pits , and fist fights. A line up revived legendary bands that summed up the power and history of a underground scene that only we can deliver.

This is the 4th year for Raise The Dead Festival. Its return offers a different theme from the previous efforts. This show will be a punk rock dedicated event, showcasing reunions from The Sluts & The Dirtys. With Disappointed Parents tearing up the stage first, it will no doubt be a beer soaked prodigy of destruction; a audio massacre of large proportions. This isn't some pop punk fashion friendly radio bullshit that you find at Hot Topic. This is the genuine article, true force of angst ridden expression, born in the streets and in your face like a crooked cop on meth.

The Dirtys, who's set will offer some experimental visuals, vocal trade offs, the possibility of physical violence, and other debauchery, according to musician (and Dirtys member) Donovan Punch. Donovan is releasing many of his projects on Philip H. Anselmos Housecore Records, most of which can be heard on last years double disc sampler album.

The Sluts, A loud, up front and controversial punk group that formed in the 80's are reuniting once more to taunt and invite the audience to tear down. The Sluts made a big impact in the early days of New Orleans Hardcore, lead singer Dee Slut once auditioned to be the new Black Flag vocalist when Dez switched to playing guitar. The 12 inches of Sluts LP recorded in 1982 and can be heard at www.paranoizenola.com

This year will include local horror film team Terror Optics who's horrific blood quenching cast and crew will treat spectators to a special screening of Goregasm. A new film by Terror optics featuring the return of the infamous Cock Face Killer! You may remember Cock Face as lyrically immortalized in a song by the local gore punk band "The Pallbearers". As you prepare for the show, please show up early so that you can also see the wickedly spiritual and astral enchanting Moonhoar, belly dancing that will indulge the hypnotic and entertain the living or the dead.

Hosting this years Raise the Dead Festival is the Hi-Ho Lounge, A venue that continues to support our scene by booking many underground shows. Be sure to tip your bar tender because this staff helps gets killer shows like this going.
Every year RTD is brought to you by Nola Underground, a team of people dedicated to promoting and strengthening the hardcore/Metal underground scene of New Orleans. Their passion and dedicated work can be seen on the official website www.nolaunderground.com. Merch and donations can be made to this group via the web site to help support the group and offer some help to keep the underground alive and well, whether in concert, zines, forums etc. After all, when it comes down to it, the only thing that can help music thrive is the fans who appreciate and care for the art. Thanks to everyone in the NOLA scene I have had the privilege of meeting and/or worked with, I look forward to meeting more of you upon my return to the city this year. It is opportunities like these that inspire me to continue writing about the best music scene on the planet! The NOLA Underground! May 2010 bring us much great music and good times.

GO SAINTS!!!

Ryan McKern for neworleansmusicians.net

For more information on this show and New Orleans metal bands, please follow the links below:

http://www.terroroptics.com/
http://www.paranoizenola.com
http://www.nolaunderground.com
http://www.myspace.com/raisethedeadfest
http://www.myspace.com/moonhoar
http://www.myspace.com/dirtysnola
http://www.thehousecorerecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/DISAPpointed-PARents/

Julia Lashae

2009-12-31T05:05:00.001-06:00

"so many things I would have done,
but the clouds got in my way."

HEARING IT sung around her home as a child, Julia Lashae knew only these lines from Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now," and didn't realize there was any more to it.

"I always thought it was such a sad song," she recalls. It wasn't until Julia grew older that she finally heard the rest of the lyrics, and realized that its meaning was far less dour than she had thought as a child--instead of a wistful lament to a defeatist resignation that some things may simply be out of reach, "Both Sides Now" could actually be about breaking through those clouds that can keep us from taking risk, whatever they may be, to arrive somewhere new.

Perhaps it's fitting, then, that "Both Sides Now" opens Lashae's newest album, Eadem Mutato Resurgo. She initially broke into the New Orleans scene with Johnny and the Swingin' Demons at the height of the 1990's neo-swing craze, through raucous shows at the both-now-defunct Whirlaway Lounge and SwingTown on Bourbon Street. In 2003, however, seeking something new, LaShae set off on her own to release her first solo album, Introducing..., her take on a set of traditional jazz standards and arrangements. She quickly made a name for herself as a smooth, engaging jazz vocalist, performing heavily around town in the album's wake. Fans of Introducing... and the more standard tunes LaShae has performed for years in New Orleans may find her latest record a bit surprising, however.

Eadem Mutato Resurgo is a rich collection of both songs and stories that does include a couple standards ("Old Devil Moon," "Scotch and Soda"), but places them in context with the work of such diverse songwriters as Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, Paul Simon, Irving Berlin, Paul McCartney, and Noel Gallagher (remember the last time they all went out for a beer together?), as well as LaShae herself, who includes an original ("Curly Brown Hair") on record for the first time.

Known already for her rich vocal work, LaShae wanted to showcase an often overlooked dimension of songs performed in the jazz world: the lyrics themselves.

"I wanted to pay tribute to my favorite songwriters," LaShae explains, "people who tell good stories... [and] write really beautiful and interesting lyrics."

The arrangements chosen on the album lend a discreet resonance to the original songwriting, mostly remaining simple enough in texture to let LaShae's voice shine through but rich enough in subtle accents to keep the listener hooked. Invoking inventive jazz pianist Brad Mehldau's arrangement of "Still Crazy After All These Years," George Benson's soft, funky take on "Here, There, and Everywhere," and a modern Latin interpretation of Irving Berlin's "What'll I Do," LaShae and co-producer Mike Esneault weave together a diverse set of influences with the work of these iconic songwriters to create a fun, engaging backdrop for LaShae's soft and sincere declamation.

The highlight, however, may perhaps be the lone original LaShae includes on the album, "Curly Brown Hair." If Eadem Mutato Resurgo as a whole is an homage to her favorite songwriters, then "Curly Brown Hair" is a tribute to them all encapsulated into one song. Strong, figurative imagery sits on top of a minor, sparse piano line that seems to loll back and forth with a start-and-stop motion not unlike the movement of the water described in the lyrics, and this is paired with a soaring, catchy hook of a chorus that could easily have come from Joni Mitchell herself. LaShae says she is planning on including more originals on future projects, and if this song is any indication, then this is a development to be cheered, as she has definitely absorbed much from the talented songwriters she showcases on this record.

All in all, Lashae says of Eadem Mutato Resurgo that "I made it for me." Though fans of her previous, more traditional work may be taken slightly aback by the new directions taken on the record, close listens will reveal LaShae's voice as silky and engaging as ever--it just appears on a new sort of canvas, one that should win her fans from both traditional and modern jazz circles alike. But no matter what direction LaShae has taken or where she may go, be it a new musical direction or further into a burgeoning film career, one thing is for certain-- if she has a vision for something new, clouds are certainly not going to stand in her way.

Julia LaShae’s music is available in-store and also online through CDBaby.com, ITunes, and Amazon.com. You can learn more at www.myspace.com/julialashae.

Written by Parker Hobson
For Neworleansmusicians.net

Goatwhore Performing at the New Orleans House Of Shock

2009-10-24T06:30:00.000-05:00

In the chilling winds of Autumn, the death of the seasons, a crisp eerie wind passes over the gold coast. Tourism in New Orleans picks up for the celebration of All Hallows Eve. With the French Quarter flying the ghoulish décor high, and the costumed dead and undead alike roaming the night filled streets, a frightening backdrop is set for this the perfect of holidays. But away from the witch parades of Jackson Square and masquerades on Decatur, lies a sixteen year old annual tradition of New Orleans, one that sends thousands into horrific hysteria.

The House of Shock was started in 1993 by Jay Gracienette, Steve Joseph, and Down front man Philip Anselmo. Ross Karpelman, a local musician, plays the part of the H.O.S. mascot and leader, “Lord Belial”. Jay Gracienette, is also a local musician who has played in multiple bands in the Nola metal scene. In their spare time, the connoisseurs of fear dug graves in a backyard and had fun scaring and sharing the thrill and terror. Their obsession with horror movies, music and other spooky Halloween attractions would start a ongoing celebration that most H.O.S. staff now call family. The crowds grew each year, and now in 2009, after three changes in location, the House of Shock is bigger then ever. It has been featured in the Top 10 haunted house attractions in America, second only to The 13th Gate Haunted House in Baton Rouge.

What makes the House Of Shock a must see is the entire experience you get before and after entering the attraction. With suspension act Pain Tribe performing on stage in front of the H.O.S., the full bar, live bands, a freak show by Reverend B. Dangerous, and so much more, the experience is like no other. Mr. Dangerous’ act includes drilling, hammering, and stapling objects into his face! There is also food available provided by the appropriately titled Hells Kitchen, and a live act pre-show featuring Lord Belial (Owner Ross) and Larry Breaux. It is a rock show packed into a five minute satanic frenzy. Each year the pre-show theme is changed, and in the 2008 season the crew put together a skit playing on the Presidential Election that ended with Lord Belial becoming President of the United States, leading the country to do his evil bidding. With help from their freak show cast of three hundred and visual tech wizard Freddie Bufford, the House of Shock has received praise from Rolling Stone Magazine, Local News, protestors of all kinds, and was featured in a segment on Fuse TV.

This Halloween, local black metal band Goatwhore will be playing at the House Of Shock, fans can expect to be scared senseless by the macabre of the H.O.S., then see some brutal, loud and abrasive metal. Prepare yourselves for a combination that is a match made in hell. Because in this setting, heaven has no place.

Goatwhore, formed in 1997 by guitarist Sammy Duet (Ex- Crowbar, Acid Bath), spread their devastation and mayhem through the metal scene by touring relentlessly and recording albums with blast beat battery and a funeral cult atmosphere. Singer Ben Falgoust delivers his guttural shrieks and growls, backed by drummer Zack Simmons (Nachtmystium), and bassist Nathan Bergeron. Supporting their new release “Carving Out the Eyes of God”, the band continues to deliver the dark and unnerving. Their influences range from Venom to Celtic Frost, and even Judas Priest. Goatwhore shows no signs of stopping or slowing down, intending to bring their message to the masses in one head banging circle pit. Following two tours across the country, and preceding their Halloween performance, Goatwhore will also be supporting local southern hardcore blues legends EyeHateGod in Baltimore, Maryland on Oct. 23rd.

So this Halloween, skip the latest Saw movie flop at your movie theater, forget the costume contest at the local bar (which will no doubt end in terrible 80’s dance music, vomit and unforgivable karaoke), and join the damned, the blood thirsty, the maniacal, the Thrill seekers, and the place where outcasts and psychos alike are welcomed, House of Shock.

There is no turning back now. The army of lord Belial commands you!

I am Ryan McKern for neworleansmusicians.net

For more information on the House of Shock and Goatwhore please follow these links:

www.houseofshock.com
http://www.twitter.com/houseofshock
http://www.youtube.com/user/HouseOfShockNOLA
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=74181502631

www.myspace.com/goatwhore

Webb's Bywater Music

2009-08-18T15:45:00.000-05:00

In the heart of New Orleans, just across the way from Mid-City, follow the dark road across the railroad tracks. Past the Marigny, the Creole cottages, Po-boy shops and local bars, you find yourself in the Bywater, an area of Nola that many tourists don’t see, or even know of.
Artists, musicians, poets, students, or residents who have lived their entire lives in this neighborhood make up this unique and culturally strong side of town.

If you are local, or out of town and happen to find yourself off the beaten path, let me tell you of a new shop that is as important to the musical scene of New Orleans as the diverse talent that roams the venues in the twilight hour. Magazine Street is one of the few places that offers an independent music shop today. With thousands of diverse musicians that make up the population of the Crescent City, few outlets for gear or repairs have been available to the public since Katrina. Webb’s Bywater Music has been open just a short amount of time, but has already received attention from local musicians and people all over Louisiana. Stopping by this indie style shop, one can feast there eyes upon vintage Strats, custom bass models and other quality gear that is often sought out. The store is founded by local musician and underground notable Paul Webb, who can be seen pummeling audiences with the notorious hardcore doom devastation band Hawg Jaw, previously featured here on N.O.M. Paul also lends his bass and lead guitar talents to local instrumental favorite, Spickle and the 3 piece rock outfit Mountain of Wizard. A supporter of the New Orleans music scene, Paul took his vision of a music shop and made it his reality. Pushing the need and focus to deliver a music shop for everyone, he managed to accomplish this without the look and feel of a typical corporate retail chain store. This is a customer service courtesy that makes anyone who walks in the door feel like they are in good hands. This is exactly the positive addition that our city needs, a store for the people by the people. Paul Webb is an inspiration to all in the city and beyond who wish to give their creative vision a strong and accomplished outlet. This is yet another testament proving that producing a passionate dream can be a reality with the right mind set and hard work.

Webb’s Bywater Music: 3217 Burgundy, NOLA 70117
Hours are 12:00pm – 6:00pm Monday – Sunday
Contact them by phone at 504-232-5512.

I am Ryan McKern for neworleansmusicians.net

For more information on this store and related topics
Please follow the links below:

http://www.myspace.com/bywatermusicstore
http://www.myspace.com/pwtheband
http://www.myspace.com/hawgjaw
http://www.myspace.com/spickle
http://www.myspace.com/mountainofwizard
http://www.myspace.com/pwebb72

France Welcomes Nola Metal Bands to Hellfest 2009

2009-07-01T11:54:00.003-05:00

Clisson, France is probably best known historically for the revolt in Vendee’ in 1792. Since then, the town and castle were rebuilt in the early part of the 19th century. Today, it holds the annual 3-day outdoor metal music festival known as Hellfest; an event that takes the concert experience and expands the senses with 3 stages of ear splitting mayhem.
The 2009 festival showcased headliners such as Black Sabbath, Manowar, The Misfits, Killing Joke, Motley Crue and Machine Head, just to name a few. But what got America’s attention, and the rest of the world, was the booking of some of New Orleans finest in Underground metal.

On Friday June 19th, on a warm summers day in France, among the black dressed, beer sipping, pierced metal fans, was an energy and anticipation which could be felt all the way to the vineyards of Bordeaux (A place I hope to retire one day. Although I’m not a religious man, the wine is something of divine creation!) The first of our Nola brothers to shatter the fields of international metal was innovators of southern grindcore, Soilent Green. Those who know the Nola scene are schooled in this bands history. So I wont elaborate on the past. To the rest of you, lets just say these guys were among the biggest bands in the 80’s scene. They arose like a petrified corpse floating up from the Pontchartrain River. The band’s career has continued to influence the music industry throughout the years. Soilent Green took the stage early in the day at the Terrorizer Tent, the 3rd stage of Hellfest. The response was great, and it was truly a rare treat for fans because Soilent Green rarely plays international festivals, seldom touring in that part of Europe. Their blend of brutal blast beats, southern riffs and Ben Falgoust's ferocious stage presence set the bar for bands that day. Crowd surfing and pits erupted.

Later that day, on the 2nd main stage, the legendary EyeHateGod pummeled the crowd with blaring feedback, deep kick drum rattles, and confederate flags draped over the massive amplification of guitarist jimmy Bower’s rig.
If Soilent Green was a rare and exciting adventure for the festival, then these guys certainly did not disappoint.
This may have been EHG’s first over sea’s show in 5 years!

Everyone was moving with the fathers of sludge, clapping, head banging, circle pits, and even singing along!
Even Down front man Philip H. Anselmo joined the boys for a song, cigarette in hand, and strumming the down tuned riffs that make EHG’s rhythm of dysfunction sound like the call of a funeral march on cheap whiskey and pills.
Mike Williams’ humor also played a prompt role, as he is one of the best front men around. I have been a fan of this band for many, many years. And it was great to see that no matter where, or what size the crowd, these guys always make it feel like an EyeHateGod show. Unforgiving, driving, and dangerous, that’s how Southern Blues Hardcore should be!
Also performing the second day of the festival was Outlaw Order, a hardcore meets doom outfit that consists of EHG band members minus Jimmy Bower. Outlaw Order has received great success from there latest album, Dragging Down the Enforcer. Seeing their first performance in France ever, 00% has been Playing numerous shows in the Louisiana, Texas, and Southern area. This band is another representation of the sounds of the streets, and can be likened to a pissed off riot cop on Mardi Gras.

Rounding out the day was headliner, and undisputed New Orleans heavy weight champion, Down. It’s no surprise that Down had landed a slot at this year’s festival. Their successful 3rd album, Over the Under, supporting Metallica on there 2008 tour, putting in work and playing shows all over the world secured their spot on the bill with ease. Down has made New Orleans a house hold name for many metal fans who were not aware of our city’s potential in the genre. And the look on everyone’s face when they hit the stage could be described as awestruck.

What was truly amazing to see was this band playing among their own heroes, bands like doom metal pioneers Saint Vitus and Pentagram, Cathedral and of course the mighty Black Sabbath (which is to be referred to as Heaven and Hell, for legal reasons).

These are bands that have no doubt influenced the sounds of the NOLA scene, and the world.
Songs like Lifer, New Orleans is a Dying Whore and
Bury Me in Smoke got the crowd in an uproar.
Down is one of those bands that show true perfection with a live show; from Kirk’s riff assault, Rex’s groove and deep bass growl, to Pepper Keenan’s blues/metal solo’s, Jimmy Bowers ability to smoke all most any drummer (his
sense of rhythm with the kit is undeniable), and Phil’s charisma and powerful and melodic vocals, the combination is a phenomenal must see. Down has made the metal of the Crescent City the sound for the world to enjoy. With thousands singing along to the song Stone the Crow, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that this band delivers, every time, anytime.

Maybe it’s the French culture that brought forth the French connection and the Creole /Cajun culture this day,
But no matter who you are, or where you are from, the true stars that shined that day were those from New Orleans, Louisiana. As a resident, I am happy to see any of our bands reach the success they deserve, and teach the world what we have to offer.

I’m Ryan McKern for neworleansmusicians.net

For more information on these bands, and more
on the New Orleans underground scene, please follow these links.

http://www.hellfest.fr/web08/accueil.php?langue=english
www.nolaunderground.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2icVcZIGaQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EucAnpRaZr8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LVLvjQ0xCM
http://www,myspace.com/outlaworder
http://www.myspace.com/eyehategod
http://www.myspace.com/soilentgreen
www.down-nola.com
www.thehousecorerecords.com

2009-06-03T20:19:00.004-05:00

This Sunday, be sure to check out the all ages Sonntag Blitz event! Hosted by Nolaparty.com, the Midcity shindig will headline with Rage Against the Machine tribute band Know Your Enemy. Opening acts include Felix, Meadow Flow, Luke Starkiller and Sole Pursuit. Adding to the evenings flavor will be art and jewelry for sale by Pseudo Logos, Junk Medals and others. Face painting, outdoor bar-b-que and traditional German eats abound will be available along with a full bar for those of age. The party starts at noon, and will be held at The Deutchses Haus at 200 S. Galvez St. in Midcity. You can get discount tickets in advance at Nolaparty.com, or pay $10 at the door. Kids and adults alike will be able to get out and support local artists through the efforts of Nolaparty.com and the Sonntag Blitz all ages local art and music festival.

Richie Rocker, Those Scalar Waves & Donna Jane

2009-06-03T20:14:00.000-05:00

The Bengal II Lounge in Metairie played host to three live acts on Wednesday the 27th as part of a weekly “Original Music Wednesdays” series. Neworleansmusicians.net was in attendance to hear the latest set from the Richie Rocker Band. This show was a special one for the band for several reasons. The band’s drummer, Chad (a.k.a. Rocky) would be parting ways the Richie Rocker Band to nourish his fledgling project, Streetlight Confession. And one of the opening bands, Those Scalar Waves, was an offshoot started by the Richie Rocker Bands’ former guitarist, Eddie Hebert. “I tell you, it makes me feel good to have inspired them to push forward into their musical careers”, said Richie on former members’ present pursuits. Breathing new life into band, Adam Hains came on board brandishing his own style of electric and acoustic guitar, as well as keys. “He really adds a whole new dimension to the music, sort of the way it was intended”, said Richie. After sharing drinks and laughs with Richie and the band, the lights dimmed and the opening act commenced.

Donna Jane took the stage on lead vocal and keys backed by (aptly named) short notice. Ms. James was a last minute addition to the line up, but definitely brought her own spice to the gumbo. She reminded me of the entertainers one sees bar hopping late nights in the Quarter. The bass, guitar and drums backing her that night was Short Notice. The four manifested themselves with a 70’s style of rock and roll with a hint of New Orleans rhythm and blues. They were a perfect opener, warming up a receptive crowd of both fans and musicians. “Bad Girl”, a highlight of their set, was reminiscent of the Rolling Stones in their heyday. I could have done without the manual echo created by repetition backing away from the microphone (get some effects processors!).

Next up was Eddie Hebert’s Those Scalar Waves. During the night I was introduced to a man known only as “Danny the Redneck”. Hailing from the woods of Folsom, Danny was kind enough to give us his expert opinion on the evening’s entertainment. “The first band, not really my style. Now this band here, this band rocks; which reminds me of a story. I got the bright idea to go down to Bourbon Street one night. That’s what rednecks do when the want to go get shit faced and fight. Later that night, around 2:30 a.m., I was coming across the Causway in my ’79 Camaro. The draw bridge began to raise and I floored it. Now I caught air, which is what rednecks live for, and I made it to the other side. I made it all the way to the last crossover by the time the cops caught up to me. Now it was cold outside see, but the inside of my car was warm. As soon as I got out the car and that cold air hit me, I passed out at the cops feet. Luckily, we were from the same neck of the woods and I was eventually released later that same night. Now see son, that rocks, much like this band here.” We couldn’t agree more! The dynamics and versatility of this band was definitely its strong point. Lead vocals were provided by both the guitarist and the bassist for different songs. At one point, the guitarist donned a bass and the bassist swapped his instrument for an electronic mandolin. The power chords in Second Look and the tempo change ups in Mistakes were evidence that this band brought a new style to the table. Pushing the envelope is important, when the rock/ metal scene in New Orleans is struggling for its piece of the national spotlight. Adding to the uniqueness of their set was Marc Hebert of the Chee Weez, sitting in for his brother on drums that night.

Finishing the line up was headliner Richie Rocker Band. Green lights reflected against the red button down and Chuck Taylors on Richie and the rest of the suit clad band, as Danny the Redneck was kind enough to point out the nice ass on the girl walking past the stage. As their set began, you could really get a feel for who Richie was through the performance of the whole band. A positive attitude, a syncopated jam and a cohesive sound immediately engaged the crowd. This is rock the house party music, this is fat movie theme music, this is point of view triumph music. Danny the Redneck nodded his head and said “They’ve got the energy of Rush, with a whole ‘nuther sound, and I just like it.” I could hear the wide appeal of Smashing Pumkins, as this music could be enjoyed throughout generations and genres. Chris Anderson really came through with his vocals on Invincible, and his own excitement could be seen as he jumped off the drum riser closing the song. Just then, Richie announced that he had just discovered a new button, after which a technical difficulty ensued. So he started playing Sweet Home Alabama replacing the lyrics with “we’re wasting time while we’re fixin’ something”, merging into “wanna be a balla, shot calla” and “love is what I got”. I couldn’t stop laughing! Following the technically difficult comedy, the band rounded out their set with a dedication song to saucy ladies, followed by a poignant song, In Your Shoes, sung by bassist Chris Anderson.

The band really had fun on stage that night, and the energy was conveyed onto the crowd. If your neck is ever stiff and your frown just won’t turn, well, upside down, you should really treat yourself to a show Richie Rocker style. They’re really not part of a scene at all. Rather, they are an entity onto themselves. Originality, camaraderie, melody, and humor combine to form a rockin’ good time. Be sure to stop by their site, as well as the other local bands reviewed here, and pick up a CD or a show date. After all, you won’t find the sounds of New Orleans anywhere else on earth. This is David Trahan for Neworleansmusicians.net saying, SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!!!

Richie Rocker Band: myspace.com/richierockermusic

Those Scalar Waves: myspace.com/thescalarwave

Donna Jane: myspace.com/donnajane69

Streetlight Confession: myspace.com/beatprogression

The Bengal II Lounge: myspace.com/thebengal2

A Hanging, Haarp, and Mountain of Wizard CD release party

2009-05-05T14:31:00.001-05:00

A Hanging, Haarp, and Mountain Of Wizard CD Release Show
May 15th @ The Hi-Ho Lounge, New Orleans LA

Like a police siren ringing in the rat infested streets of the lower 9th, the New Orleans underground music scene is an ever expanding demographic. The music is an assault to the senses. It is powerful, relentless, and it puts the swagger into a scene charged by the products of its environment. This year has given some major opportunities to a few of Nola’s finest. For instance, bands such as A Hanging got to play a show with the legendary Saint Vitus. A Hanging had only started playing live in 2007, and metal giants Saint Vitus only performed in the U.S. once in 2003 (coincidently in the Crescent City on April 11th @ One Eyed Jacks). Since then, A Hanging has grabbed fans from all over the United States, and extended their reach to other continents. Seeing this band play live, or hearing the album, the reason why is clear. They incorporate the best of old school hardcore; the fast but solid groove along side hammering guitars. Found in bands like Exhorder and Slayer, their rivaling style is rounded off with terrorizing vocals, punching like a jailed pit bull. A Hanging also got a nice review from Decibel Magazine on there new album “Food For Rats”, which was recorded and produced by the band.

Formed in the aftermath of Katrina in late 2005, Haarp has been knocking holes in the city with their down tuned, doom infused, crafted brand of metal. Since their formation, this band has been working the scene, playing gigs almost weekly. Chances are, every time you got a flyer in New Orleans for an upcoming show, Haarp was a part of it. When this band plugged in and the guys rang into the first distorted crunch, it was possible that the roof of the club might collapse from the force of sound. They recently signed with Phil Anselmo’s Housecore Records, a fantastic record label concentrating on the needs to put out original music, and focus on giving back control to the artists. I spoke with their guitarist Grant recently, who said the Housecore release is tentatively scheduled for July of 2009. Haarp, as well as A Hanging, will be featured on the up and coming documentary entitled Slow Southern Steel, which is a showcase of southern metal & sludge from across the southern U.S. The film had a huge focus on New Orleans. Fans of The Melvins, Morbid Angel, and Buzzoven, should check out this band.

Also on board for this event is Mountain of Wizard, featuring Paul Webb ( Spickle, Hawg Jaw). Accompanied by Aaron, and Bennett Bartley, this trio produces a unique and refreshing dose of pure Rock n’ Roll. Not much is known of the origins of this mystic crew, but here is a small cryptic message from the band’s website.

“ We will only be on this earth for a short time. Soon, two colleagues shall embark on a quest for further enlightenment. We may be seeking a speaker of spells whose finger controls Ivory.”

Show some love for the city's underground in heavy music. Just recently, the first award ever handed down for heavy music was given to Zebra in this year’s New Orleans Music awards. Congrats guys, and keep the scene sick! You can catch Haarp, A Hanging, and Mountain Of Wizard at 8 p.m. at the Hi-Ho Lounge on May 15th. I’m Ryan McKern for neworleansmusicians.net

For More information on these bands and other New Orleans related sites, Please follow the links below:

www.thehousecorerecords.com
www.myspace.com/haarpnola
www.myspace.com/ahanging
www.myspace.com/moutainofwizard
www.nolaunderground.com
www.myspace.com/hiholounge
www.myspace.com/hawgjaw

Slide Hampton, Bonerama & More!!!

2009-03-07T11:58:00.002-06:00

Press published by Neworleansmusicians.net
Courtesy of New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation

City Park Botanical Gardens in New Orleans begins their Sunset Sunday series with art, food and music

2009-03-06T19:19:00.000-06:00

CITY PARK BOTANICAL GARDENS SHOW KICKS OFF WITH
JOHN BOUTTE’ AND PAUL SANCHEZ ON MARCH 15
(NEW ORLEANS)
On Sunday, March 15, 2009, from 4 to 7 PM, the City Park Botanical Gardens in New Orleans begins
their Sunset Sunday series with art, food and music. The first concert of the season features artists
that are currently working with Threadhead Records, the non‐profit record label that has been
helping local artists make new records and keep the music flowing in New Orleans.
Opening the late afternoon/early evening show will be John Boutte' and Paul Sanchez performing
material from their upcoming Threadhead Records release, “Stew Called New Orleans.” Boutte’ and
Sanchez will be joined by Leroy Jones on trumpet and Todd Duke on guitar. (An mp3 of the title cut
from the album and a jpg of the album cover are attached to this press release.)
After a short break, Paul Sanchez and The Rolling Road Show will take the stage. The Rolling Road
Show for the March 15th performance will be:
• Susan Cowsill‐acoustic guitar, vocals
• Shamarr Allen‐trumpet, vocals
• Alex McMurray‐electric guitar, vocals
• Mary Lasseigne‐bass guitar, vocals
• Russ Broussard‐drums, vocals
The band will be performing songs from “Exit to Mystery Street,” Paul Sanchez's 08' widely
acclaimed and award winning release. In addition, The Rolling Road Show will feature songs from
upcoming 09' Threadhead Records releases by Susan Cowsill, Alex McMurray and Shamarr Allen.
In the words of Paul Sanchez, “The sense of community on stage, the sharing of the spotlight, energy
and music is what Threadhead Records sees and loves about New Orleans. Come out to the show,
share in the experience, be a Threadhead.”
About Threadhead Records: Threadhead Records is an unprecedented non‐profit record company
formed out of the love for New Orleans, its music, and its musicians. Its mission is to help New
Orleans musicians who were victims of the flooding that occurred from the failed levees, which took
place in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. To this day, most of the musicians in New Orleans are still
attempting to rebuild their lives.
Each CD project is funded by the fans themselves and is paid back by the musicians with an
additional 10 percent charitable return to the New Orleans Musicians Clinic. The musicians own
their own work; Threadhead Records does not sign artists nor are they involved in creative
decisions or ownership of songs. THR exists solely to help musicians get their CDs made. No more,
no less. Threadhead Records is helping to rebuild New Orleans, one song at a time.
# # #

Eyehategod, Haarp & Blower Motor

2009-03-04T14:58:00.002-06:00

On Friday, February 20th, Neworleansmusicians.net went out to The Bar in Fat City to check out headliner Eyehategod, with Blowermotor and Haarp. After a drink and a shot, I began making my way through the crowd. As I was soaking in my surroundings, it was cool to see people wearing Eyehategod, Soilent Green, and other local bands’ shirts. Typically, what you will find at these shows is that the crowd is supportive; not just because they came out that night for a show. They are ‘supportive’ because these are the same fans that own the T-shirts and CDs, that follow the progression of each member, and flip them off while they’re on stage to let them know they care. Tats, keychains, mohawks, and shaved heads all stood at attention as the first band began their set. Hailing from the land of cows and nothing, a.k.a. Gonzales, La, Blowermotor’s slow methodical twangs seduced the heads in the crowd as drummer Ben Fridge’s blood red kick pulsed on stage. Singer Joel Cangiolosi’s brow creased tight like his dreads as he screamed into the microphone. I thought they played a good set, and told Joel when we met later. Their style introduces itself, then pauses while the lead guitar tells you what’s about to happen. What follows is the reason why you can’t stop banging your head. Speeding things up a bit, their last song, Speed Freak, was a definite crowd pleaser. Bassist Slimm threw out the same note in a fashion that could only be compared to the sound of a big block at idle. As Joel choked down the neck of his guitar, all paused, then BAM! The song took off quicker than Emeril Lagasse’s career! This song was aptly named and well received.

Next up was Haarp, from New Orleans. You may recall that they put out an EP with fellow metal heads Thou, out of Baton Rouge. As it turns out, they are also about to release a full length album through Housecore Records. From bald heads to shaggy beards, the five members graced the stage. Slow southern drawled licks rang out, and screams from the crowd could be heard in anticipation. At 11 pm, the head count through the door was 100 and growing, and vocalist Shaun aurally assaulted every last one of them! This guy has such a deep, intense scream that I was just waiting for his head to explode! Profound, subterranean power chords reigned down on us, bringing us all “from shit to roses”. Dispersed rhythmic tempo change ups speckled bouts of slow tempo ballads that would definitely have to look up just to see sludgecore. Grant and Jason, on guitar, lashed out with precision backed by Ryan (Bass) and Keith (Drums). These guys aren’t playing around. This is as serious as it gets!

Last but not least was Eyehategod, the center piece for this evening’s feast. Intense feed back rang out as the band surveyed the crowd, taunting us. Drummer Joey Lacaze hit the kick just once to see it for himself. And sure enough, fists were in the air with furious anticipation. A few long guitar twangs rang, then “Take As Needed For Pain” pressed the troops. Guitar power chords ripped like saws through the air placing each person in the crowd on the same planar vibration. The mob began to agitate like a swarm of bees, and a pit erupted in what was now a wall to wall packed house. Throughout their performance, we were thrown through a rage of tempo changes and one could see that the masses finally found what they were looking for. And who knew it, but crowd surfing was still alive and well in Fat City! The zombie on stage called himself Mike Williams, and cursed the crowd for having to perform after a day of drinking. He was even kind enough to say hi to the posers belting out, “what’s up you Hot Topic mother fuckers?!” One could call this kin to smacking the hive with a stick! They gave a great performance and really had the crowd’s energy in the palm of their hand.

Now if y’all have been paying attention, you saw our press release for this band’s 20th anniversary show at One Eyed Jacks last year. That’s right, this band is over 20 years strong and still harassing the ear drums of people across the lobe! People came from all over the U.S., Canada, and even the U.K. to see Eyehategod tear it up with Crowbar and Hellkontroll that night. As metal fans native to New Orleans, we should be proud of these guys. And that goes for the bands mentioned previously in this article. A T-shirt, a CD, or a hoodie might not seem like much to us. But to them it’s everything. You’re not only contributing funds to future efforts, you’re advertising our independent musicians. This is what Neworleansmusicians.net means every time we say, print, and distribute these words “SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MUSIC SCENE!!!” So check out the links below, and practice what we preach!

Special Note: The second edition of lead singer Mike
Williams’ book, " Cancer as a Social Activity", was re-released on
Phil Anselmo’s Housecore Records website. It’s a collage of poems and entries
that deal with Mikes life, the darkness of the streets, the abuse of drugs,
politics and more. Its really a good read for anyone who enjoys Mikes lyrics.

www.thehousecorerecords.com

www.myspace.com/eyehategod

www.myspace.com/blowermotor

www.myspace.com/haarpnola

www.myspace.com/thebarrocks

www.myspace.com/thouband

Article by David Trahan for Neworleansmusicians.net

Ode To Andy Rooney

2009-03-04T14:58:00.001-06:00

Ode to Andy Rooney

This one’s dedicated to Shasslock, my rite-aid. Hey,
bands have band-aids, why can’t writers?

“Did you ever wonder why”, always commenced the little tid bits of insight from such an unsightly old man. (I always wished someone would Flo-Bee his eye brows.) At first, I was provoked into thought by what seemed to be wise words and ponders. But gradually, I got older, wiser, and he got more diluted and bitchy. He rattled on about things that he felt didn’t make sense; which could fill volumes, believe me! But instead of honoring him by picking apart his every notion, I’d rather do a Rooney-ish rant of my own on the nonsensical occurrences in my life for ’08. So, without further adieu, and with no apparent warrant, here goes…....

You may have read of my not-so-private experience with a
lady on the other end of a 1-900 line. It was published by
Neworleansmusicians.net, which consequently, is the only entity in a tri-state area that will agree to publish any of my works. I was left home alone to my vices, and a bout of “stiffness” lead me to seek out some aural relief. And as it turned out, Candy, the assumedly delicious figure on the other end of the phone, was pushing 300 pounds and aspiring to be a breeder. Yes, ’08 was the year the sexy phone escort bubble burst for me.

Yet another little intellectual stepping stone for me in
’08 was my run in with a dubious spammer (are there any other types?). I received word from an alleged British small business owner that my services were needed. Apparently, he was doing so well financially that he wanted to expand to the U.S. and chose ME as his American partner! I quickly explained to him that I was
enthralled, but I had to decline. I told him how dishonest I was, how I stole windshield wipers from a little old lady’s car (and I don’t even own a car). I stressed that I didn’t want to tarnish his obviously stellar reputation. He countered with the fact that I could effectively turn my life around if I would open this bank account and complete “legitimate transactions” for him. I responded by thanking him and God for this incredible opportunity, and explained how it came just in time to help me pay for my terminally ill (and non-existent) daughter’s expensive blood transfusions. . . And that mother f*#%er STILL tried to scam me!! Shots go out to the scum on the web these days.
Yes, the internet became evil to me in ’08.

Next on my list of bow tie wonder why’s is Bob Odom. Yes, Bob Odom the Commissioner of Agriculture. You might recognize his name from stickers on gas pumps. I found myself in Metairie one day pumping gas during rush hour. I put the little pump kick stand in place and walked away to smoke a cigarette. After I finished smoking, I began walking back to the car. I heard the distinct sound of a water fall as I neared. I found the pump, still in the gas hole, spewing gas everywhere. I shut it off and went to tell the cashier. She said she knew it spilled over, but declined
to inform me of such a significant fact. Long story short, I write Commissioner Bob about my experience. Three months later I get a letter saying they checked the pump’s calibration and it was accurate… ACCURATELY SPEWING GAS EVERYWHERE!
About a month later I read where a man spilled gas on himself from a faulty pump and went on to collect a six figure settlement (see also: insult to injury).

I could go on but, in the interest of my liver, I do
believe it’s High Life time here at the Oval Office. I thought that such a humorous, reflective contribution deserved some degree of commercial acceptance in the form of traditional sponsorship. But I could find no company to agree to purchase said sponsorship, or even acknowledge me as a writer. So I inserted my own. “On
behalf of all you cutters out there, we here at N.O.M. would like to thank Treet Razors for years of service. A special thanks also goes out to the makers of cinder blocks. Without them, the mob would be lost. And finally, much love to the TV show ‘Cold Case Files’. For what criminal can feel confident without watching a few episodes of that class-in-session format?” And so kiddies, with that I do believe I will duck off, into the sauce, in excess at all costs. This is Lingo Starr from Neworleansmusicians.net saying, “Did you ever wonder why”?

Myspace.com/lingostarr
Myspace.com/neworleansbands

Eyehategod, Haarp, and Blower Motor

2009-03-04T14:56:00.000-06:00

"Like a broken memory, battered dream, a hangover fueled by social outbreak and self
abusive poetry from the streets."

Eyehategod has remained underground kings of the New Orleans scene for more than 20 years now. With over 5 releases, world tours stretching from Europe to Japan, break ups, reunions, multiple side projects and arrests, this band still brings the dirty hardcore blues from the rat infested streets into the bars. They never hold back a punch in feedback horror and doom ecstasy.

The filming for Slow Southern Steel focused on southern metal acts in the U.S. Their stops included Texas, Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia, among others. Chris Terry was recently interviewed by the gambit weekly where he had this to say about the New Orleans scene, "It is such an influence on the scene, Eyehategod, obviously. It was New Orleans who really hooked it up and infected the underground with such a cool sound. To me, the New Orleans sound is what really helped to give birth to the sound I'm trying to capture in the movie."

Critically claimed as "Sludge" or Sludgecore", this sound can now be heard in many bands not only in the south but around the U.S. and the world. Down tuned, slowed down, and heavy with the slippery guitar sound.

In the early 80's guitarist Brian Patton explained that Eyehategod was hated in
the scene, due to their slow styling and outrageous, live shows. When bands
like Exhorder and Graveyard Rodeo where kings of the metal/punk circuit, EHG, definitely must have seemed like a band from
another planet.

In the years to come this sound would eventually be known as the signature
style of New Orleans Metal to the rest of the world. With the growing success of Nola home town band Down, which features member of EHG Jimmy Bower, Eyehategod plays shows when Bower is back from tours and obligations with Down. Many of the Nola musicians play in multiple bands with each other, which only proves the family vibe and history that these bands have together.

Mike Williams, Joey Lacaze, Brian Patton and Gary Mader from EHG can be seen
along side Pat Bruder (Crowbar) tearing it up in Outlaw Order, a hardcore meets
doom band gaining a lot of exposure with the release of there new album Dragging Down the Enforcer.

Eyehategod is booked to play Hellfest in France this year, along side a few other New Orleans bands as well. It seems the world will get its dose of Eyehategod this year, and an anxious crowd awaits.

On Feb 20th Eyehategod are headlining at The bar in Metairie, Louisiana, a place that makes very very good drinks!

( I fell asleep outside the club last time I was there... eh hmm.)

Along side our boys are Haarp, recently signed to Phil Anselmo's Housecore Records, and Blower Motor, a great rock band from Gonzales, Louisiana.

Come on out and show some love this Madeira's with Eyehategod, and as always, " take as needed for pain."

-Ryan McKern

for New Orleans musicians.net

For more information on these bands please follow the links below:

myspace.com/eyehategod
myspace.com/haarpnola
myspace.com/blowermotor
myspace.com/outlaworder

www.myspace.com/thebarrocks

www.nolaunderground.com

Outlaw Order CD Release Party

2009-03-04T14:55:00.000-06:00

The night was humid, with as light calming breeze. The moon was full, illuminating the sky, painting the setting for a night in the quarter. Amid the dark empty streets approached the banter of cheering voices and horns of a jazz band blaring from Jackson Square. The Zulu floats all stood towering over the crowd, dancing. Mardi Gras beads and drinks could be seen from a mile away. Shuffling past the gathering we approached One Eyed Jacks, the site of tonight’s entertainment. Fans gathered outside the venue, talking while sipping beers and inhaling cigarette smoke. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood, calm but in lively spirit. With shirts supporting the scene and beyond intact, bands like Graveyard Rodeo, Arson Anthem, Black Flag, Burzum and many more were scattered through out the crowd proving once again the diversity that Outlaw Order and the other bands draw.

Punks & metal heads alike lured inside the venue when opening band Face First hit the stage. Face First is a local favorite band, and after seeing there set, there isn’t a doubt in anyone’s eye as to why. There ferocity is captured when pummeling the audience with old school hardcore riffs and vocals, matched with heavy percussion.
The room became a who’s who in the Nola underground. Pepper Keenan showed up,and I raised my drink for a cheers with him. Following that I saw members of The Pallbearers in the pit stirring up chaos. Jimmy Bower was hanging out with fans and band members enjoying the punk rock that was being slammed out onstage. Even Phil Anselmo could be seen in the balcony above nodding his head in approval.

Face First seemed to blend the stylings of Discharge, D.R.I., and early thrash metal. After the first set, I stepped back to the bar. One Eyed Jacks makes some of the best drinks in town,and the bartenders are always courteous and have smiles on there faces. Up next was Memphis shredder, Evil Army. This band has made quite a dent in the metal community in this past year; they work hard and it shows. Recently signed with Phil Anselmo’s Housecore Records, it’s only a matter of time until this best kept secret in the underground achieves international acclaim. Firing into Edge of Destruction,from there self titled release, Evil Army brings all of the elements we love of early thrash and make it there own. Rob Evil delivered every solo and lyrical grunt to perfection and the band is very tight live. Fans of early Metallica, Slayer,and Bathory will enjoy this band.
They are so young, and they can blow away a lot of other bands trying to imitate this particular style that they play. Fans going to see Nola’s own Down this year will get a chance to see Evil Army, as they are slated to be the tour’s opener. Be ready to head bang until it hurts!

Finally, the main event... Outlaw Order took the stage with Joey Lacaze making most of the wise cracks for the evening, taunting the audience with his hatred for Guitar Hero and Rock Band.He blurted out obscenities as he stated that some kid is going to go home, upload their songs to rock band, and play the game, verses actually learning a real instrument. The band hammered out tracks from there new album, Dragging Down the Enforcer, on Seasons Mist, a French label who signed the band last year. As mentioned in my review of the Raise the Dead Festival, this band shows a lot of promise. They have endured criticism claiming that they sound too much like Eyehategod.But the band members play what they like, and don’t give a damn about what people think. Personally, I feel the members helped define and influence the style of New Orleans metal. So why shouldn’t that be represented in their other projects? This band offers the slow, toned down groves, as well as the hardcore element and grind. Brian Patton is amazing to watch live, as he has a stillness. He doesn’t even seem to watch himself on the frets; his fingers just move and make the notes happen. Mike Williams never stopped moving onstage and broke the mic stand a couple times,screaming “Fuck the NOPD” as a circle pit erupted on the floor of One Eyed Jacks. Pat Bruder (of Crowbar) was back on board for this show, and did an excellent job. Gary could be seen on the side of the stage rounding out the devastation.

By the end of the set, people could be seen throwing change and dollar bills to the band as they shouted at us once again to “Give us money”. By the end of the show, everyone exchanged hand shakes, hugs, drinks and laughs. Then as quickly as the night began, it ended in the Louisiana fog. One quick drink at 13 in the Marigny, and I was off to Baton Rouge. On my mind, without a doubt, was one of the best shows I have been to.

I’m Ryan McKern,
For Neworleansmusicians.net

For more information on these bands and other events in the city please checkout:

www.nolaunderground. com
myspace.com/facefirstignorantassholes
myspace. com/evilarmy
myspace. com/outlaworder

For The Wait

2009-03-04T14:47:00.000-06:00

"For the Wait" is currently on tour. NewOrleansMusicians.net sat down with the band in late November to discuss their latest album, Separation.

Note: For The Wait performs live on January 16, 2009 in Baton Rouge at Clicks Billiard's (9pm) and in New Orleans at The Hangar on January 30, 2009 (8pm).

"We don't do what we do for popularity or recognition. We do this because it is who we are. The music we create is far greater than the individual."(from For the Wait's myspace page). This independent spirit is clearly reflected in their approach to creating music and is embodied in their most recent album 'Separation.'

NOM: So can you describe some of your early influences and how those shaped the development of your present album?

FTW: Our main influences include Tool and early Alice in Chains. But when we started with this record we left all of that at the door. We decided to be experimental without being too far out there. We wanted to strip ourselves of other songs that we had heard or that we had liked and just come into what was a natural sound for us."

NOM: What about the creative process of the band--how did your songs on this album develop?

FTW: "Anyone of us might start the creative process. It could be Fitz who might come in with a rip, or Justin might come in with a beat and I [Richard]might put a vocal on top of that, or it might be vice-versa all depending on the situation. Sometimes we would start off in the middle of the song and write from the middle to the end and then we write the beginning of it. We don't like to start naming parts [for a particular member to develop], everyone puts on what thinks should be in the song right there at that time.

NOM: How does this album differ from 'The Joy of Misfortune', your first album?

FTW: People are gonna hear a lot of change, a lot of growth in 'Separation.' We were really creative on [this album] and we just roll the dice on some the songs. We took some really loose concepts and started working with that-sometimes till 12, 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning. There are songs where we didn't stress big changes [from our previous album] and others where we tried to do something we'd never done before. Before this album we weren't sure exactly what we were doing. You know, being a young band we just threw songs together [on our first album]. We didn't really make an album we just recorded songs and put them together. This time we went with a group concept, an album concept. We also stay as metaphoric as possible. A lot of stuff you can't listen to it [the first time] and go 'I know what he's talking about.' You have a listen to it a few times to get your own interpretation of what it means. And approaching our music that way wasn't easy at first but once we got into the groove of it, it turned out that everyone just stopped questioning it. And we ended up with ten songs that we all love.

NOM: What about plans for future records?

FTW: Our master plan is to change every record. We have to grow as artists and can't base what we do on people's reaction [to what we've done before].

NOM: Is there one song your pushing as a single right now?

FTW: Yea, "Transition"

NOM: How has being in New Orleans influenced your music?

FTW: Its created a kind of dirty, dark accent to our music.

NOM: How has being in New Orleans influenced your view of the music scene here?

FTW: Its kind of hard to get noticed with so much going on here. A big problem in this city is that you have a lot of bar owners but you don't necessarily have music people that want to bring in new music. You know, they want recognized figures that will draw crowds. Here, you are either a"metal" band or a "cover" band. There really isn't much in-between. And you know, its very surprising that B97 is also more willing to help out than local rock stations. Its like rock stations won't play our music but B97 will play it.

NOM: Is there any particular area of the U.S. that you want to put your mark on?

FTW: The midwest, Chicago

NOM: Where can people find out more about the band and hear some of the album?

FTW: We get a lot of hits on myspace (http://myspace.com/forthewait). We have music, a tour schedule, and ways for people to connect with the band.

Article written by Jeremy Kerr and beyondpolaroid.com

For Neworleansmusicians.net

Acid Head

2009-03-04T14:45:00.001-06:00

It's time to sit back and turn up the volume on another LP review.The opening track, Take No Shit, throws power chord riffs into a mid tempo grind, bringing me back to the days of early Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and The Cows. With the fuzz overdrive of the guitars muffled through tube amps, the vocals hit a low, rock fashion. I even heard a little Hetfield influence in the choppy notes, and scratchy and melodic verses.

The 2nd track, Bleed, definitely sounds like something from the Jar of Flies sessions. A beautifully recorded song, it's tight and shows true structure. This is the type of structure that would be suitable for mainstream. The vocals are much less forced on this track, and the singers find a great balance with the key of the song. To my surprise, a beautiful synth breakdown appears with filtersweeps, arpreggiated noise and samples, before going back into a well played ( and not over flashy) guitar solo. This seems to be the strong point in the band's sound; it is acoustic but heavy and everyone seems to be comfortable in their surroundings. And it brings out the talent of each member. You can tell they are feeding off of each others groove.

The third track, Peace, takes the sound in an entirely different direction from the previous sounds. The song jumps into a melancholy bass and guitar delay. It's almost as if Joy Division and The Cure teemed up with Corrosion of Conformity, and used intense psychedelic vocal effects. Next up was They Come From No Where. It's a dream like serenade, showcasing synth string sounds, the echo of a choir, guitar effects and a gallop of a rhythm. Everpresent, and Lead, are other examples of why I love this bands ability to write dark and atmospheric songs. They nail it each time, and do so sincerely.

Lead spirals from Spanish classical to haunting rhythms found rarely in bands with the exception of Opeth. The vocals on Lead are full of reverb and sound warm over the guitar and orchestral sounds. And the vocalist captures a line that pulls the listener in, talking of life; lives running out. The song then displays a flute, or some sort of native American sounding wind instrument, for a solo. This may have been recorded with their synth, but sounds organic enough to go with the song's flow.

Virtual Demigod is a programmed drum number. The vocal octaves make their appearance again. The guitar tone changes into more of a Judas Priestguitar solos. The screams are perhaps less prominent then they should be to get the full feel of the nightmarish potential of the song. The ladder part of the CD seems to follow the post-electro experimental rock jam. As a first time listener, I feel the tracks mentioned above are my favorite and the direction I would love to see the band move into. Unfortunately, I could not find any web links for the band, so if anyone has them, send them our way so we may post.

-Cheers-

Written by Ryan McKern

for Neworleansmusicians.net

Free Agents Brass Band

2009-03-04T14:44:00.004-06:00

Neworleansmusicians.net caught up with band manager Terrance King, member of Under The Bridge Management Group, and got the inside scoop on the origin and direction of New Orleans' own Free Agents Brass Band. The band was actually the brain child of Ellis Joseph, the band leader, who founded the group back in September of '05. Joseph had evacuated to Atlanta during Hurricane Katrina, but still managed to maintain contact with several musicians in the area from New Orleans. Many people were calling him looking for gigs. "The people wanted to hear that sound. They were calling him looking for a band. He didn't have a band, but he knew he had several guys in the city that were looking for work. He put those guys together to make this gig and that gig. And he finally said… You know what, we need to start something", said King. Musicians that play for hire are commonly referred to as 'free agents'. So it was only fitting that he named the band Free Agents Brass Band. They continued playing gigs around Atlanta and eventually made it back to New Orleans by February '06.

Three of the original members went their own way, 5 original members stayed, and 4 new members came on board. A lot of these guys have played in Rebirth Brass Band, The Hot 8 Brass Band, Little Rascals Brass Band, and the Little Stooges Brass Band. So their sound is essentially a culmination of that brass band sound that only comes from New Orleans. How they got started, coupled with their aim to address local community issues, is why King feels the Free Agents Brass Band sets themselves apart from the rest. With song titles like "Stop The Violence" and "Made It Through That Water", the bands message definitely hits close to home.

With eight members and a manager, it's not easy living off of gigs alone. "We're not eating as much as we would like to, but we're grateful. You can catch us every Sunday at the Chocolate Bar, Friday 636 Restaurant in Gretna, we're still playing weddings and family reunions. But we're trying to take this thing world wide. This music is positive and you can't resist it", explained King. But the band still manages to expand their audience while playing for a cause. They recently performed in Brazil and will be performing at the Geneva Festival in Switzerland this year on April 23^rd. And the band was recently featured in "Trouble the Water", winner of several awards including best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival 2008. An interesting fact, the main character in the film, Kimberly Rivers Roberts, is actually a New Orleans native and fellow evacuee. You can see the trailer, find screenings, and even help take action at the link below.

The support is strong within the families of brass bands in New Orleans. "Just being in cahoots with other brass bands has given us a lot of work. We get work from Hot 8, and we get work from Rebirth. These guys are busy and this music is in demand. So we pay homage to these guys, they're like our big brothers. When they're over booked, they slide us gigs. We meet a lot of people just being in those circles". Keeping the money where it belongs, King turned to Piety Street Recording in the heart of New Orleans to complete their latest album, "Made It Through That Water". But since New Orleans lacks a major CD duplication company, he went with Oasis Disc Manufacturing with locations in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and New York. (Insert rant about how we need more music industry related businesses here!)

Currently, you can purchase Free Agents Brass Band CDs on their Myspace page, as well as at Louisiana Music Factory, Mushroom Records, Nothing But fire Records, Peaches Records, Record Check on Bayou Road, and at gigs. "We're looking for a big distribution deal. We'd love to get a national distribution deal though. If you read this article and that's your business, give me a call", added King. The band is eager to gain the interest and participation of the local community. They've obtained approval so that students can get college credits for music and management working with the band. And they are always looking for more street team members to distribute their t-shirts, stickers, and fliers. You can catch their music on 106.7, Q93, and WWOZ. Be sure and call the station to request songs currently in rotation like "Victory is Mine", and "Made it Through That Water". Those requests are what keep these bands on the air waves. And please take advantage of the links below. Special thanks goes out to T King for taking the time to meet with N.O.M.!

Free Agents Brass Band

www.myspace.com/freeagentsbrassband

The Bridge Management Group

Terrance King, managing member

freeagentsbrassband@yahoo.com

504-812-7322

www.myspace.com/thebridgemanagementgroup

Trouble the Water

www.troublethewaterfilm.com

Rebirth Brass Band

www.myspace.com/rebirthbrassband

Da Truth Brass Band,

www.myspace.com/datruthbrassband1

The Hot 8 Brass Band

www.myspace.com/hot8brassband

Soul Rebels Brass Band

www.myspace.com/soulrebelsbrassband

Piety Recording Studios

www.pietystreet.com/

Oasis CD Duplicators

www.oasisCD.com

Written by: David Trahan for Neworleansmusicians.net

ohGr

2009-03-04T14:44:00.003-06:00

.........................

   This October marked the release of Devils In My Details,
the new solo album by Skinny Puppy front man and co-creator Ohgr.
This release follows the 2003 Industrial Grind stomping album
Sunnypsyop, which I feel had a influence on the direction
of Skinny Puppy's 2004 album and come back tour. This album
is intriguing and a bit of a departure from the theatrical
madman's previous efforts. The album treads into familiar
ground with the opening snare drum fire track Shhh, but then
pulls the listener further and deeper into the dark magnetic
vibrations of Ohgr's macabre poetry as it progresses.

.. ..

Do not expect another dance goth masterpiece. This album
stands on its own with many synth distorted manipulations,
perhaps in respect to Otto Von Shirach, who seemed to have a
influence on Skinny Puppy as a supporting act on the last two
tours.

.. ..

Demented time signatures and hallow samples, as found in
Feelin Chicken, offer just a glimpse into the layering of sounds
and circus dementia in Whitevan, which begs the question of
how will this be presented to us live? Fans familiar with
Puppy's theatrical horror spectacles and projected light frenzy,
will read reviews of this tour saying the live show holds true to
Oghr's previous concerts and offers an individual artistic glare of deviance.

.. ..

As always, ....New Orleans.... can not wait to see what’s now in
store for us on Ohgr's latest creation of sinister mindscapes. Be
there ready to scream, dance and lose yourself!

Article
by: Ryan McKern for Neworleansmusicians.net

myspace. com/ryan_mckern

Photographs
by: Alas Vera for Neworleansmusicians.net

myspace.com/veraellen1

People On The Side

2009-03-04T14:44:00.001-06:00

People On The Side

Album Review: People on the Side

Opening track, Ready, offers strong electro build ups reminiscent of punk synth dance legends The Faint. Then an attack of guitar rhythms puncture the beat and the singer delivers a quiet but luring verse, while the chorus builds back into a rock stomp. All of this is equipped with a shouting style somewhere between Slipknot and Mr. Bungle's distortion.

The band's delivery of kilter bridges and samples in between the song structure does hold the attention of the listener at all times. After my first initial reaction of the song, it took me into a more untagged direction; a la Dog Fashion Disco meets Prog metal.

The second track, Undone, layers a head banging beat very well, mixed with filter sweeps. It seems the band has the potential to draw fans of bands like System Of A Down or Faith No More. But they could also appeal to a more dance oriented rock crowd who might seek after sounds of KMFDM & Mindless Self Indulgence.

The one thing this band lacks is not its talent to tear down, but rather add more emotion and substance to the melodic and down tempo verses of the albums core. But the singer does a great job juggling the aggression and tone. The album is definitely a solid first release. And more importantly, their concept is original to the New Orleans and Louisiana scene.

Mary dig dirt, the 3rd track on this album, delivered a funk fueled rock jam,
but lacked the metallic spasms that were so addictive in the opening tracks.
This band is tight, and does show a obvious connection between the musicians. As a point of constructive criticism, I would advise the band to focus on there strongest asset, which is the mathcore time signature heaviness and keyboard interject.

The melodic points are intriguing but seem to not possess as much soul as when the band is in the fire and hashing out pure metal obscure bliss.

Article by: Ryan McKern for Neworleansmusicians.net

myspace. com/ryan_mckern

Gulfcoast Hardcore Fest

2009-03-04T14:43:00.001-06:00

Neworleansmusicians.net recently got a chance to sit with Seth from Light's Bane Booking. We learned about the state of the hardcore scene in NOLA, and about his next festival. The Gulfcoast Hardcore Fest will be happening at Dragon's Den on November 29^th at 2pm. Tickets are only three dollars and, at the time of this interview, fifteen bands were confirmed to play! Seth has booked dozens of bands over the years, and has strived to make sure that they get paid and fans get the most for their money. "I try to avoid venues that want a cut of the door because they're usually unfair. And the more money you charge at the door for independent unknown bands, the less people have to spend on band merchandise, food, or drinks." In speaking with Seth, one could easily pick up on his passion for the music scene.

He spoke of lasting friendships built around music, and packed houses that encourage people to get to know one another. Small venues have never been something that Seth has shied away from in the past. "Being so tightly packed together is what makes punk shows, punk shows. You want to be up close to the bands that you like. You want to be up close to the speakers so that you can really hear the noise that's ripping your ears to shreds. You want to be close to the people you know and like because you want to dance with them. You want to mosh together, or shout lyrics together". Light's Bane is known for creating intimate, intense atmospheres that cater to the local scene. Seth feels the music that comes from Louisiana, no matter the genre, contains a sound unique to this area. And it is because of this inimitable quality that musicians, promoters, and fans have stuck together through the hardest. "Even after Katrina, when there was basically nothing happening anywhere around here, there were gutted out house shows with generators happening at least weekly. There were people contacting people from out of town, planning, because some band members weren't coming back. Afterward, there were a lot of really rocky starts and early ends. But since then, so much has just changed and adapted to re-establish the south as a solid music community."

Seth knew there was not much money to be made booking hard core bands. But complimentary to his love of this music was his knowledge of the scene. "In fact, hard core, punk, and metal shows do the absolute worst for the venues' profit margins. And the people that come don't necessarily drink alcohol, they don't necessarily get floored like some college kids might in a group outing. These are people that go to shows all the time and are constantly putting their money into the music community. And their pockets are spread thin, but they're consistent." Clearly, fans don't go unnoticed by Light's Bane Booking, and many could be considered as friends. Oddly enough, fickle crowds have been an obstacle for Seth, as well as any promoter. A show last month on a Tuesday might pack the house, while a Wednesday or Thursday show next month may draw few. But through the years, Light's Bane Booking has stood fast, drawing inspiration from crowds and handfuls alike. As a fan, Seth can tell you how he feels about small shows. "Some of the best shows I've been to have been in peoples' kitchens, or living rooms, and there's no space at all. There's hardly space to stand in the rooms. Most people get stuck in the kitchens or in the backyards and hallways. And most people are ok with it because there's something really awesome going on that they're a part of, regardless of how uncomfortable it is."

He still maintains that the more popular, more commercialized punk shows lack a certain quality that has nothing to do with the size of the crowd. The interaction of the band with the fans, and the dedication of those fans, is what makes or breaks a show. "They are people that come to every show; own every shirt the band's put out, own the 7 inches, the demos, the CD-Rs, the cassette tapes, the twelve inches, fliers, patches, stickers, and buttons and everything they can get their hands on. Some of us that have been able to keep the old stuff cherish these things more than maybe the latest Green Day CD that comes out." Light's Bane Booking is not a commercial venture. It is not in this business to make money. After all these years, he's just now posting an e-mail address. Light's Bane Booking is a group of fans that are in the streets, and at shows, sticking together. This is the truest representation of the phrase "support your local music scene". And with a three dollar cover for fifteen plus bands, you can't help but support their efforts. Listed below are links to some, if not all, of the bands playing on the 29^th. Also listed are some of the contributors to this show, and the hard core scene in general. So check out the bands, show love as a fan, and come mosh with the best of your local indie hard core speaker slayers!

~~BANDS~~BANDS~~BANDS~~BANDS~~BANDS~~

A Hanging (La) Idiot Icon (FL)
Myspace.com/ahanging Myspace.com/esndpunk

We Need To Talk (La) Legion (AL)
Myspace.com/wntt Myspace.com/legionbham

Justin Bailey (La) Severe Discomfort (AL)
Myspace.com/justinbailey Myspace.com/severediscomfort

We Are The Living (La) Bloated Carcass (AL)
Myspace.com/theliving Myspace.com/bloatedcarcass

Party Time (La) Werewolf Casey (MS)
Myspace.com/partytimepricks Myspace.com/werewolfcasey

Reclaim Life (La) Mordechai (MS)
Myspace.com/toreclaimlife Myspace.com/mordechaisound

Hangtime (La) A Fist Full Of Fingers (MS)
Myspace.com/hangtimehc Myspace.com/affof

The Fun Boys
Myspace.com/thefunboyshc

Below are the links for people that have had a hand in this show, and in the local hard core scene.

Light's Bane Booking Carson Slovak
Myspace.com/lightsbanebooking Myspace.com/Century

Russel Moran Bryan Funck
Evolve.adesso@yahoo.com flyerstorm@yahoo.com

Matt Fogherty
Myspace.com/Sisera

~ ~ ~ Publications ~ ~ ~

Six Ten Split

Magazine covering a lot of underground N.O. ska, punk, metal, jazz, etc.

Found at Big Top off of St. Charles

Paranoize- magazine containing interviews with local bands, reviews of various extreme genres, show listing, etc. Check out paranoizenola.com

Article by Dopamine for Neworleansmusicians.net

Raise The Dead III

2009-03-04T14:42:00.001-06:00

This year marked the 3rd installment of the successful New Orleans
hardcore/ metal Raise The Dead Fest. Founded in 2007 by
members of Nolaunderground.com, the group forum contributors posted entries of bands that they used to love to go see before Katrina at the VFW Hall on Franklin. This is the same venue which hosted many legendary shows from Nola Hardcore founders such as Graveyard Rodeo, Exhorder, Shell Shock and Crawlspace. Nolaunderground.com is the encyclopedia guide to New Orleans' underground music past and present. It features bios, media clips, concert calendars, and information on up and coming bands.

The past two Raise The Dead Festivals focused around the reunions of legendary bands who help found the Nola sound as it is known in the metal communities around the world. January featured the bands Floodgate and Skab. The festival also benefited the NOMHRF which raised money for instruments to be given to artists who lost their creative tools in the hurricane. The RTD II featured Graveyard Rodeo whose original line-up had not performed in 10 years. Also giving fans in the Lake Charles La. a punk hardcore onslaught was Choke, who hasn't performed in 17 years. But on top the third installment of RTD.

This night brought a whole new line up to the stage, featuring side projects and showing the versatile nature of the scene. Opening tonight's madness was Pain Tribe, New Orleans' sunken circus.
Pain Tribe also brought there visual terror to the RTD fest last year,
drawing in the cultural phenomenon with suspension, chain pulling, and pulsing industrial noise. The atmosphere was set for the dark theatrics in store. The first musical performance of the evening was the New Orleans instrumental rock trio Hostile Apostle. This was a musical collaboration featuring members of Soilent Green, Hawg Jaw and Rustler.
Matt Williams fired off the first drum roll into this monstrous rock jam session. Scott Crochet hit heavy low bass notes to compliment the progressive guitar styling of Justin Giardina. Keeping a rattling doom tempo feel, the band played a strong set. While most were drawn into the sounds, others waited it out in the bar and outside the
venue until the next group hit the stage.

Ritual Killer is New Orleans' black metal, or as they may say "an
experiment in musical terrorism". Which ever label you may give them,
Ritual Killer is a reminder to those who feel the extreme music has all but lost its blasphemy and creative fires. In 1999, drummer Zak Nolan gave recorded drum tracks to Sammy Duet. The unholy seed was planted and in 2004, rehearsals began with the addition of vocalist Jordan Barlow and bassist James Harvey. The rhythms were unloaded like gunshots as the guitar hammered through the guttural screams. Ritual Killer is a band reminiscent to the early 90's black metal scene, with brutality serving as its ambiance.

As I cleared myself from the front of the stage, I noticed that the Howlin' Wolf was a full house, consisting of fans and other local musicians such as Quintron, Ben Falgoust (Goatwhore, Soilent Green) and Pat Bruders (Crowbar). Everyone was drinking beer, cutting up, and having a great time.

Next up was Flesh Parade, the misfits of Cajun grindcore mayhem. Singer Scott Leger, guitarist Rene Perez, drummer Todd Capiton and bassist
Julien Fried were welcomed by cheers and applause as they arose from an ear splitting distorted rapture of high pitch screams and shredding guitar. The pit erupted into a circle of thrash induced chaos, elbows and fists scraped flesh and concrete as the momentum of the band never let down. At one point in the set, a man in the crowd shouted "none of us deserve to see this band, not even the band themselves!" Flesh Parade is in the studio now recording a new album which is tentatively
due out in January 2009.

A raunchy joke and a mic stand thrown to the ground by Mike Williams, must have indicated that Outlaw Order were getting ready to deliver their audio assault to the audience with their metal brand of political corruption. In support of their November release, Dragging Down The Enforcer, New Orleans' Outlaw Order wasted no time getting the floor into a frenzy. Mike Williams vocal onslaught was as aggressive as his onstage antics. Band members Brian Patton (Soilent Green, Eyehategod) Gary Mader (Hawg Jaw, EHG), Joey Lacaze (EHG), and Jeff (Spickle) played to perfection on this performance, being one of few the city has seen of this band. Mike went on to jokingly say "You all are in awe of how fucking great this band is, aren't you?." The front of the stage quickly became a receptacle for broken glass and flying cups of alcohol, as the band members thrashed and moved dodging incoming beer bottles. Outlaw Order has also been dubbed, in pure comedic fashion, as
EyehateJimmy. The band members formed this group while drummer Jimmy Bower chose a different path fulfilling drum duties with Swamp Rock legends Down. Outlaw Order shows traces of southern hardcore blues riffs that are familiar in works like Take As Needed For Pain and Dopesick, but the band goes beyond there roots and sheds light on other influences. Brian Patton could be heard playing intricate solos over the double bass beats that put the songs into a Cro-mags or Discharge type of area. These musicians showed, in full force, their ability to play and love the music they create. Every snarl bellowed through the Howlin' Wolf as the band went into attack mode. As the house
lights went up, we all checked each other for bloody wounds. Musicians in all bands, as well as the many fans who came out this night, shook hands, hugged and raised a toast to the performers. Fans of the hardcore elite, as well as doom, grind, swamp and black metal were
all raising the flags high at a night that truly captured the intensity and complexity of some of the greatest in the underground.

For more information on these bands, including Mp3's, Tour Dates &
Bio's
Please follow the links below.

http://www.nolaunderground.com/
http://www.myspace.com/atonepaintribe
http://www.myspace.com/hostile_apostle
http://www.ritualkiller.com/
http://www.myspace.com/fleshparade
http://www.myspace.com/outlaworder

Article by: Ryan McKern for Neworleansmusicians.net

myspace. com/ryan_mckern

Photographs by: Alas Vera for Neworleansmusicians.net

myspace.com/veraellen1

VooDoo Festival, part 1 of 2

2009-03-04T14:32:00.002-06:00

The Tenth Ritual proves the voodoo spell is still pure and loud in the
Crescent City. With multiple stages of music accompanied by bands ranging from jazz, to hip hop, to noise pop, to rock, Voodoo Fest is a diverse music experience with something for everyone. Located in City Park under a vast array of weeping willow trees, clear skies, yard long daiquiris and a sea of music fans, I was painted into the portrait of this audio indulgent gumbo.

After a brief security check point at the gates, I rushed into the Bingo tent to check out the Zydepunks. It was announced onstage by the MC as "the best zydeco punk band on the planet." The Zydepunks draw a large crowd and have built a reputation not only in the local underground, but also in the national & international eye. They have
shared the stage with Los Angeles pub crawlers Flogging Molly & ska sensations Citizen Fish. The 'Punks also kept busy touring the
United States, Europe, and Belgium prisons within the last 3 years. The crowded Bingo tent irrupted into a Cajun dance hall, as members Denise (violin, vocals), Juan (Accordion, fiddle, Vocals), Joe (drums, vocals), Scott (Bass, Vocals) and Eve (Accordion, Melodica, Vocals) charged the stage. In support of their October 21st release, Finisteree, the Zydepunks showcased their world to the festival audience. Irish stomps and folk intensity delivered with songs of evacuation, Slavic melodies and zydeco slam covered in 3 languages.

I pulled myself from the pit and headed over to the NooMoon
stages, which happened to be my favorite spot of the entire festival.
NooMoon's experience, Land of NOD, is an artistic venture which brings
painters, poets, writers, dancers, musicians and performers of the underground direct in front without a warning. In the background of these two stages, art displayed draped over fences, glass welders, costumed mystics and gypsy dancing can be found. This is a community brought forward by the love of the craft, bringing together the Marigny/ Bywater, Jackson Square, and the surrounding neighborhoods that make New Orleans such a beautiful place of which to be a part. And let's not forget they brought the best in out of town acts to New Orleans too.

On the second stage that afternoon, in your face, and throwing politically correct rock out the window was Mad Mike and his band.
Mad Mike, "the hippie bum" as he is dubbed, has a quote on his
Myspace page and it goes as follows: "He's a post-punk pre-apocalyptic
slacker Buddha!" I can not think of a better way to sum up this persona. I first got my taste of the mad one at Checkpoint Charlie's one quiet Monday night having beers. This venue was the first to book my own band when I moved to New Orleans. A few songs that stood out were the ones where he poked fun of "animal relations", and a song dedicated to his sexual desires of Mrs. Bush. Mad Mike kept the crowd nodding and laughing, re-assuring all of us how fun expression is. And what the hell, its just music! Mike ended his set with his classic motif, "I love the devil" and screamed "vote Obama" to the sun bathed crowd.

Next on the main NooMoon stage was "The White Bitch", a reputable and
sometimes solo electro R&B rock band. This day, however, he was accompanied by his band of New Orleans bohemians, including the notorious Ray Bong, delivering ambient noise twisted through filters and knobs. The songs ranged in influence from such artists as Dinosaur Jr, and Shudder To Think, with very strong Prince overtones.
High pitched vocal ranges and R&B grooves, with Sonic Youth chunky guitar solos drenched in feedback and delayed effects, really sounded good. Also added to the group's potent mojo was a Moog synth from which the singer would ferociously attack bass lines. The group led the voyage on the sexy dance excursion while taking moments to dive into psychedelic jam sessions. The group is currently supporting their new album Prey Drive.

Ray Bong's set, the Psychedelic Guru & President of the United States
of Bonnaroo, noise toy guitar techno, and onstage whip-it inhalation,
marked with Hunter S. Thompson's spoken word imagery, seemed all to appropriate for Voodoo Fest and at the same time managed to puzzle a few on lookers in the process.

Next in line this afternoon was one of my favorite bands of the entire
festival, the one and only Hurray For The Riff Raff. Formed in the summer of 2007, they could be described as an eruption of arrangement, profound and unbound, like a Waltz through the darkness of a humid bayou dream. D.i.y. folk with the beautifully played accordion, banjo, upright bass & auto harp, were, to quote the tenth ritual, "the perfect soundtrack to your southern gothic romance, a junebug serenade." This was my first experience in seeing this band play live, and one that I will never forget, along with the fans who camped out in front, dressed in Fedora hats, tattered suit jackets, and cabernet striped stockings. The only disappointment was the technical difficulties by the sound board creating a lack of volume. But the inspired danced on!

I took some time after this set to see the art of Kelly Israel.
Those who have ventured down Decatur and Frenchman may be familiar with the beautifully decorated 1981 Cadillac Hearse, displayed under the haunting trees of city park, with the mosaic mediums and skulls wound in a morbidly enticing delight.

I ventured off the beaten path to the Bingo Parlor, where the screeches of a Theremin rang from the circus tent. The Marshal amps screamed distorted harmonies from a black and white flying V guitar. Greeted by face paint, trapeze, destruction, and terror, this could only be
the creepy stage antics of The New Orleans Bingo Show! This multimedia
experience displayed old black and white film, clowns, circus acts, bingo games, and its ringmaster, Clint Maedgen's soaring vocals.
The crowd was loving the darkness of this twisted sideshow spectacle.
For those who are seekers of thrill and life's oddities of art, I encourage all to check out this jazz organ sinister musical.

As the sun began to set over the horizon, I made my way back to NooMoon. Acoustic blues performer, My GraveYard Jaw, took to the stage, showing attitude is still personality in this solo gritty folk universe. Stix Duh Clown, a.k.a My GraveYard Jaw, made his start in a true pioneer's story of heartache, travel, and wisdom. In the beginning, as a clown for The End of the World Circus, and later acting as a clown for the New Orleans Bingo Show, Stix begun writing music and performing these songs in his train hopping days. He strummed passionate southern ensembles, keeping the rhythm with a suitcase bass drum, and adding accents to the beat while the other foot hit a tambourine. Mr. Clown had a CD release party at the infamous Saint bar in Nola's uptown area. Located on 961 St. Mary street, and once owned by Sean Yseult (White Zombie, Rock City Morgue), the Saint is now under new management with Defend New Orleans founder Jac at the helm. It remains a local hot spot for the Louisiana music scene. The first day showcased many great acts, but unfortunately I could not witness them all. I made my way with our photographer to see the Colorado act Devotchka. There will be more to come on this thrilling event, with Saturday's debauchery.

Please follow the links below for more information on these bands and events including tour dates and mp3's.
www.zydepunks.com
www.myspace.com/madmikethehippiebum
www.myspace.com/thecreamywhitebitch
myspace. com/raybong
www.myspace.com/hurrayfortheriffraff
www.theneworleansbingoshow.com
www.myspace.com/stixduhclown ( my graveyard jaw)
www.noomoonlandofnod.com

Article by: Ryan McKern for Neworleansmusicians.net

myspace. com/ryan_mckern

Photographs by: Alas Vera for Neworleansmusicians.net

myspace.com/veraellen1

VooDoo Festival, part 2 of 2

2009-03-04T14:32:00.001-06:00

VooDoo Fest., Saturday 10/25/08

And so began day two of the finest Music festival in New Orleans, just behind Jazz Fest of course. My first show was a burlesque revue with a modern twist, our local variety showcase of Fleur De Tease. The Bingo tent audience was soon seduced by the song and dance numbers of the cast. Artistic director and performer Trixie Minx brought a classic and sexy appeal with a bath time themed program, while other numbers included poker themes, space girls and a balloon tease. All of this had the crowd applauding at every shake and twist. Many attendees were busy seeing New Orleans hip hop star Lil' Wayne perform on the Voodoo Stage, clearing out a lot of room around the other stages. The Reverend Horton Heat was a favorite among the crowd, playing the Southern Comfort stage and hammering out psychobilly classics such as Indigo Friends, Calling in Twisted, and Martini Time. He also covered Black Sabbath's Paranoid as Jimbo jumped onto the upright bass and brought down the house.

Back in the land of NOD, I watched a performance by Detroit's Industrial Rock Group CyberTrybe. Founded in 1995 as a studio project, Cybertrybe has won awards in the Detroit music scene going from a two man midi show to a full out band. The sounds that roared from the p.a. were similar in context to their influences, Nine Inch Nails and Ministry, but offered more of a singer/song writer structure instead of an industrial/ metal angst. This dynamic was made all the more relevant with the female vocalist Angela. The Trybe drew a large circle of spectators who gathered to head bang and loose themselves to the music.
Headliners on the NooMoon stage were the legendary Fishbone
Angelo and company who brought their skank fusion (Sly Stone meets Led Zeppelin) to the biggest crowd of the L.O.D. stage this year. Band members were happy to see the New Orleans crowd and even jumped off stage and into the party.

Sunday 10/26/08

The sun shined down once again on the final day of Voodoo Fest. Though feeling the strains of the trips back and forth over a long weekend, exhaustion was dismissed when I walked into the world of Noomoon. Once again, greeted by dancers, people camped out watching their favorite bands and a carnival like entourage, dressed in costumes ranging from pirates to dominatrix to wicked circus acts. The bizarre parade wrapped through the stages and disappeared before I could even contemplate my surroundings; a Hunter S. Thompson vision of some sort. I staggered to the stage as the roar of fuzz distortion rang from amplifiers. New Orleans' own Hands Of Nero showed signs of Stoner Rock, with a 3 guitar attack and metal grooves. The rugged rhythms and melodic vocals carried well with the crowd. Their influences seeped through now and again but this band didn't chase any one particular sound, and the moods of the music could change within a minute. This kept this act an exciting one to watch, and the on stage banter and head banging also set the par for a rock band who knew how to get things done. Balls out and no apologies, it was a refreshing change of pace from some of Saturday's main stage acts. Mars Volta, a previous act who desperately forced a Zeppelin like sound with a punk rock swagger, reached an end result that was transparent. Instead of being music messiahs, they were self indulgent and just faced each other, building their egos the entire set.

The Recognition, from Birmingham, Alabama, started out in a basement
in 2006. Now, playing shows across the country and securing a slot at this year's Voodoo Fest, these four lads brought their brand of southern post punk noise to New Orleans. The music had the hooks synched in from chugging harmonies, reminiscent of bands like Operation Ivy. But it offered something of a larger spectrum; guitar solos, break downs and progressive drum beats rounded out this band. Their presence could get the crowd in a circle pit, but also capture the fusions of new wave and garage rock from the 60's.

Next up was Detroit's Sista Otis. With her debut in 2004, she frequented New Orleans within the past winter playing often at Apple Barrel and Café Negril. Sista Otis really brought her brand of soul to Voodoo Fest this year. She had a combination of sounds including acoustic, street folk, and gospel. Her passion projected from the p.a. and brought many to the front of the stage as she performed her shout out to the 'Big Easy' with her song Southern Bell. Southern Bell is a testament of her love for Nola told over the course of a night bar hoping in the Quarter with friends.

Next on the smaller stage in the land of NOD was Manwitch. The all girl line up, which made there debut in Mardi Gras Parades rocking out rolling down St. Charles Ave, brought their power with full force. The stage show even featured a little girl playing tambourine, and stage dancers decked out in all black uniforms. Manwitch put on a great live show, and a few members even donned the attire for Halloween. Sue Ford kept the flying V guitar strumming as she belted out the set. The band members complimented each other on their ability to play strong as a unit. Next door in the Bingo tent, I was just in time to see the swamp tech noise abilities of New Orleans' Quintron joined on stage by maracas player & puppet master Miss Pussycat. Quintron got the Bingo tent dancing with his car front grill decked keyboard stand, drum loops & organ melodies. Mr. Q showed his showmanship abilities while wearing his one piece cobra suit as he shouted, "Chalmette in the house!" Quintron remains to be one of the underground's most important musicians and innovators. You never knew what to expect next. From AL, to Chicago, to New Orleans, Quintron had his CD release party this Halloween at One Eyed Jacks before heading back out on tour throughout the country.

Closing the night for me was a set from Why Are We Building Such A Big
Ship. With members from Hurray For The Riff Raff playing percussion,
upright bass, French horns and accordion, this was Waltz on speed, lovely ballads of nautical romance in full punk swing. This was also one of the highlights for me during this festival, the sound was perfectly mixed so that each instrument could be heard as well as the backing vocals. Couples danced by the side of the stage.

As the sun set on Fest-ville minds, we were treated to a fire
dance/theatrical dance from Sirena Serpentina; a fire dancing
women's showcase featuring themes of snake charming and angels and demons. I can not wait for next year as I loose myself into the void of NooMoon!

For more information please see the links below.

www.fleurdetease.com/
www.cybertrybe.com
www.myspace.com/handsofnero
www.myspace.com/therecognition
www.myspace.com/manwitch
www.myspace.com/mrquintron
www.myspace.com/whyarewebuildingsuchabigship
www.myspace.com/sistaotisandthewhollyrollers
www.sirenaserpentina.com
www.myspace.com/illusionfields
www.noomoonlandofnod.com

Article by: Ryan McKern for Neworleansmusicians.net

myspace. com/ryan_mckern

Photographs by: Alas Vera for Neworleansmusicians.net

myspace.com/veraellen1

Dax Riggs with special guest, Brother Dege

2009-03-04T14:31:00.001-06:00

Upon arriving at the venue, I suddenly remembered why Chelsea's
in Baton Rouge is among the top spots in town. From the back entrance over looking the pool table, to the art gallery decor of the front cafe, it paints a picture of local flavor, spiced with music enthusiast of all ages. A blue lit stage and the sounds of clattering beer bottles serenaded the room. I grabbed my table next to the side of the stage where I noticed Dax Riggs drinking beers and talking with friends. He wore dark aviator sunglasses which paired with his black jacket. And he seemed to blend in, mysteriously enough, even though his charisma gave his identity away. As the cigarette smoke cleared and cuisine disappeared, the opening act, Brother Dege, hypnotized the audience with his Dobro Swamp Blues.

Brother Dege was solo this night, but has been accredited with collaborating on bayou rhythmic scores in his other bands Santeria and Black Bayou Construktion. Each slide lead and rhythm strung hit the heart and soul, a tribute and innovation of early railroad & delta blues pioneers. Dege was very interactive and knew how to work the crowd, often holding up his drink to a toast, and encouraging us to do the same.

The set progressed like a lit flame to a blazing fire. His song writing is hauntingly beautiful, powerful, and intellectual. The Brother Dege used a stomp box creating a rockabilly kick drum sound and manipulated guitar loops and reverse feedback through his Line 6 Guitar processor. This added an almost psychedelic influence, and the set ended with The Battle of New Orleans. As intense as the title suggested, the song dealt lyrically with the Katrina after math and its brutal realities. Beating out percussion's on his guitar, brother Dege's epic got the crowd into a roar of applause.

With only a short pause for a monitor sound check, Dax took to the stage around midnight. With his glasses still intact, he opened the set with a cover song from Fred Neal, one of Dax's influences, which also seemed to stump the crowd. The second in line was Night is the Notion, from 2007's critically acclaimed release We Only Sing For Blood or Love. Chelsea's was filled with fans singing word for word. Some of the crowd even sat on the stage making a bit of a obstacle for the artist to move around.

Mr. Rigg's played a few covers through out the set which included numbers from The Grateful Dead and Ray Charles. But Dax, unfortunately, did not play his version of the Misfits horror punk classic Skulls. Crowd favorites included Demon Tied To a Chair In My Brain, Living Is Suicide, and the sing along anthem Radiation Blues. This was an acoustic set but it had every bit of energy as in a full on rock show. Dax hits every song with enthusiasm and vocal perfection. I had the opportunity to see Dax earlier this summer at a sold out show in New Orleans. One similarity between the two shows was the diversity of the crowd to which he appealed. Tracing back to his roots as vocalist for legendary Nola metal heroes Acid Bath, to his later band, Dead Boy And The Elephant Man, the crowd ranged from metal heads, Folk fans, Indie rockers, and beyond. The music has dimension and depth, and this is very relevant to the turn out at his concerts. The set ended a little over a hour later with a cover from Van Morrison, a tune which Dax has never played live. He went on to tell a great story before going into the song, stating that he went to see Mr. Morrison play live, and in a silent part of the set he screamed to him and said, "the baby Jesus of white soul!", which Dax went on to say was a complement. Van Morrison replied to our local musician by saying to him "Fuck off". I'm Ryan McKern, please check the links below to support these artists and find more information on when they are playing next.

-Cheers-
(Brother Dege)
http://www.myspace.com/degelegg
http://www.degelegg.com/

( Dax Rigg's)
http://www.myspace.com/daxriggs

Article by: Ryan McKern for Neworleansmusicians.net
myspace. com/ryan_mckern

Photographs by: Vera Alen for Neworleansmusicians.net
myspace.com/veraellen1

Opeth, High On Fire, & Baroness at House of Blues!!!

2009-03-04T14:30:00.000-06:00

    

Saturday night in the French Quarter, among the crowds that swagger
through the streets in a staggering haze, was a music line up of
some of today's most innovative and progressive metal bands. The
anticipation was thick inside the House Of Blues, where Stockholm's
own Opeth were to play to a near sold out crowd in New Orleans.
Opening that night's force of audio brutality, was Savannah Georgia's
founded band Baroness. In support of there 2007 release Red Album,
this group delivered a sharp set! This band blended the attitude and
artistic accents that forged a sound of heavy vocals, rhythmic
distortion and post punk melodies. The Audience received them
positively. They left us all craving more after they blazed through
their set in a hypnotic jam. I saw great things to come in this bands
future.

Next to storm the stage was Oakland California thrashers High On Fire.
This band has gained a fair amount of attention in the underground scene,
and they have frequented the New Orleans area in the last year. With
amps cranked, this band crashed the stage in a thunderous march. This
power trio consists of Matt Pike, from the doom group (Sleep) on guitars
& vocals, Des Kensel on drums, and Jeff Matz on Bass. In support of their
album Death Is This Communion, released 09/18/2008 on Relapse Records,
the band played fiercely and got the crowd into a frenzy as Matt screamed
"New Orleans is my favorite city!" The band's sound drew from their
influences such as Motorhead, Celtic Frost, and Slayer, and gave it their
own dose of volume induced terror. While using a 9-string guitar tuned
to drop c, the solos rounded out the crushing bass, reminiscent of Toni
Iommi and Jimi Hendrix. Matt was quoted as saying that Jazz influenced him
to improvise his solo's. The band was all in unison when hammering out each
riff & scream.

Next, the back drop for Opeth presented itself on the stage. The roar of the
crowd was immense and I knew that the energy was about to be raised even
higher.  Members Mikael Akerfeldt (guitars, vocals) Martin Mendez (Bass), Per
Wiberg (keyboards), Martin Axenrot (Drums) and Fredrik Akesson (Guitars)
walked out on to the House of Blues stage to their signature intro blaring
through the P.A. Each member was decked out in the new tour t-shirts. Opeth
opened the set with the track Heir Apparent, the epic song from there new
album Watershed. Opeth's approach to music is refreshing, mystic and rebellious
against critics' attempts to define them. This is not your average
Death/Black/Prog or thrash band! While Opeth encompasses all of these styles in
one shape or another, the overall achievement made by this band is a collective
landscape of sounds that could range from 1970's rock, to Psychedelic 60's, to
the first wave of black metal. Compositions orchestrated over the power of double
bass beats, such as those by Norweigan legends Darkthrone, are prime examples.

Opeth's charisma also plays a vital role in their stage show. They are true masters
of their craft and never gave less than 100% from the start of the show until the
finish; head banging, moving about the stage, and briefly smiling as drummer Martin
would nail every time signature change to sheer perfection. Opeth's set showcased
their catalog of heavy melodic masterpieces such as The Grand Conjuration, (from the
2005 album Ghost Reveries) and other eerie classics such as Demon of the Fall and
Hope Leaves (from the folk influenced Damnation, released 2003).

Mikael's crowd conversations were another highlight of the evening. He has a very
polite tone and can get a roar from a thousand people by asking quietly. He said
that Opeth loved NOLA, and they would have to come back. We also found out the boys
had the next day off and were planning to visit some bars in the French Quarter.
The set ended with an encore, The Drapery Falls, from the Blackwater Park album.
I had been waiting to see Opeth for years. And whether it was their first or 20^th
time, it seemed as though all were mesmerized. While the guys did not even seem
to break a sweat the entire night, they were giving many metal bands a run for
there money. As the sounds from the Marshall amps faded into the night, we wondered
how much partying would be had by the band on Decatur.

For more information on these bands please see the links below:

myspace.com/yourbaroness

myspace.com/highonfireslays

www.highonfire.net

myspace.com/opeth

www.opeth.com

Article by: Ryan McKern

myspace. com/ryan_mckern

Photographs by: Vera Ellen

myspace.com/veraellen1

Synnack -vs- Torrent Vaccine Feat. Zero Order and DJs Vendetta and Saturnine of Corrosion!

2009-03-04T14:29:00.000-06:00

                      
              ZERO ORDER                                                           CORROSION

The Hi-Ho lounge was dim lit on this full moon canvassed, dark New Orleans night. The pulsating bass of electro shock dance rattled beyond the walls of the club and into the murky night. Only the police sirens and screaming traffic could compete with the modulations & synth manipulations that lied within the Hi-ho lounge on St. Claude. I arrived to see the majority of the Baton Rouge/ New Orleans Industrial scene. Making my rounds and picking up a drink, I had only moments to spare before opener "Zero Order" took the stage.
With a arsenal of two laptops and an M-audio controller and synth,the two men took stage and began composing there sinister genius to blare rampant among the crowd. Trance distorted beats boomed from the p.a. with enough structure to dance too, but was organic and drew you closer. Each noise, scratch, tweak and filter was layered like a jack hammer over each time signature. The two stared fierce at their equipment, taking direction over whichsounds to pulverize next. Their set ended as strong as the tempo that led the first song, never breaking for silence, and delivering a powerful sonic blast.
Next was another duo, "Synnack vs. Torrent Vaccine". Showmanship definitely came into play for their set. A Roland mixer decked out with a Theramin style sensor triggered the depth of an effect over the music. Ever present were beer tub laptop holders, and synth controllers. Think of a world when IDM, EBM, Power Noise, beer swilling & stage dry humping co-existed; this was all that and more. The guys were definitely feeling there music, in between the sweep filters,knob twisting, fist pumping and gyrating. They screamed for crowd participation in between every song, never loosing energy and stage presence.
It gave a fun energy to the show and kept all of us head banging, dancing and hungry for more. At one point, one of the members called zero order onstage to take over effects and mixing duties while he got another drink from the bar, used the restroom, and screamed for joy at the side of the stage for an encore. The unity and stripped down raw emotion for this show is what made it stand out from other laptop DJ/ power noise gigs. This was all about fun, not who could out program the other, who had the most up to date gear, the most keyboards that could fit on 10 tiers. It was about enjoying the art of noise, dance, manipulations, and having a blast while doing it.

Fans of Terrorfakt, Caustic, Corrosion and industrial in general should check out these acts.

myspace.com/thezeroorder

myspace.com/synnack

www.synnack.com

myspace.com/torrentvaccine

www.torrentvaccine.com

Article by: Ryan McKern

myspace.com/ryan_mckern

Photographs by: Vera Ellen

myspace.com/veraellen1

Konfidenze, the Definition of an Emcee

2009-03-04T14:28:00.000-06:00

Fresh up out a sophomore effort with sights set on his coming project, Konfidenze is hungry. His latest testament to the rap game, 'Quantum Leap' has been devoured by fans at shows, in the streets, and on the internet. And this was just the announcement of his solo career. 'Garage Band', a 25 track CD penned by Konfo and former NOLA resident Picasso, reached from Louisiana to Florida and all the way to New York. Hitting closer to home, he's been performing at venues such as Tipitina's, Tarantula Arms, Keystones, LSU, and Bottom Line, along with various venues in Slidell and Baton Rouge. As for his main focus, emphasis has been placed on spreading the music rather than making a profit. "Every performance, we try and get a CD to everybody. If we can't sell them at first, we give 'em away. If you don't want to pay for it, just hit us up on Myspace and we'll send it to your e-mail. We want you to hear it", said Konfo. Under the promotional wing of Chosen Enterprise, 'Lyrics of the South' will be debuting this fall. It will be a collaborative effort between TNC and Konfidenze. G Child Productions and Urban Noize Productions will play a part in the coming project.

Assembling his army, Konfo has begun to get the message out to unconquered territories while maintaining a stronghold in present markets. He has his sights set on areas surrounding NOLA, and states neighboring the beloved boot. Baton Rouge, Destrehan, and Lafayette are already hearing his music on the radio. His sound has even found its way to the airwaves as far as North Carolina and Virginia. But now he's seeking to spread his word throughout the gulf south. CDs, radio spins, and downloads aren't his only munitions. 'Quantum Leap' merchandise and Urban Noize t-shirts are spreading like viral marketing. And he's not stepping down from his point of command. "…I'm not the type of person to be like hey I want this on the radio. I want the people to decide." Konfo builds his namesake from experiences with the crowd, as well as key executives in the music industry. "I went to Dreammegaconference a while back at The Venue and spoke with Angie Howard from Koch Records. And she was telling me to just grind, grind, grind. Pretty much since that day, I've been taking it real serious", recalls the lyricist. His strategies have also included the ever crucial crossover appeal that many rappers hope to achieve. "I've been collabing with a band called Echo Theory. Pretty much after that I started getting hooked up with places that only wanted bands. They didn't really search for Hip Hop, so I would go in there and do my set with live instruments."

With two CDs to his credit, merchandise, performances to crowds of different genres, several producers and markets across the U.S., Konfidenze is building more than his namesake. He's building a legacy. And Neworleansmusicians.net will be there to chronicle every step. Hey Konfo, any shout outs? "Shout out to G Child Productions. Shout out to Jimmy the DJ, he got me on the Gangsta Gumbo Tour and on Gangsta Gumbo 1 and 2. Shout out to "Urban Noize", "Chosen Enterprises","The Cincinnati Monster",and Matt fom "Big Boot Radio". Shout out to my homie David at Neworleansmusicians.net, Chee and KT from Chosen Enterprises and my homie Geramie Pierce, who takes care of all my media and promotion.... This is real music, check it out. I'm the definition of an emcee."

~~LINKS~~~~LINKS~~~~LINKS~~~~LINKS~~~~LINKS~~~~LINKS~~~~LINKS~~

Myspace.com/konfomusik

Myspace.com/urbannoize

Myspace.com/gchildproductions

Myspace.com/tncboyz

Soundclick.com/konfidenze

Dreammegaconference.com

Project Independent Tour

2009-03-04T14:27:00.000-06:00

The Project Independent 2008 Showcase Tour will hit New Orleans at The Hangar on October 19th. The tour began in York, Pennsylvania on Friday, August 29th, 2008 and will conclude in Baltimore, MD on Sunday, November 2nd. The tour was founded on the idea that metal and punk genres, over the years, have been the red headed step-children of indie music. And their main focus is to lift bands in these genres up above that stigma while providing them with the tools and exposure needed to succeed. This nationwide indie parade will consist of more than 55 shows in 66 days, will cover 33 different states, and will feature the best underground metal artists from each of the 50+ markets. This year's featured independent band, Ninetail, will headline each date accompanied by indies from each area. Neworleansmusicians.net caught up with Jeff Totten, CEO of Project Independent, and learned about the tour's foundation, focus, and future.

JT: First of all they need exposure, obviously. Everybody knows that, and that's not just a want, it's a necessity. You need to be able to get out and expose yourself, and with gas prices they way they are, touring becomes more and more difficult, especially for bands that are just trying to survive from one town to the next. So obviously promotional touring is important. Printing costs for fliers and posters to promote yourself across the country is expensive. So we incur those costs and do distribution. And bands need gear and what not. We have a slew of excellent sponsors; Sonar Drums, Schecter Guitars, the list goes on and on. These companies consistently donate their time, efforts, and product to make this program what it is. And again, what we do is take these relationships, bill it as Project Independent, and give them right back to the artists.

NOM: This tour has grown over the years, and even plans to expand to Europe. Being such a large entity, I'm sure many of our readers will question where your priorities lie; with the business or the artist.

JT: Yes, this is the biggest tour. This is the third year we've done this. We do have more featured artists that are already on our roster. Ninetail is our current featured artist for this tour. We used to be a twice a year program, in the Fall and the Spring. But it just got too expensive to operate that way. And obviously, the more costs we incurred in the operation of this program, the less we were able to turn around and give to the artists. So it's very important to me that we look at everything and find ways to save money while creating more revenue for the artist. I understand that it takes a tri-pod of people to make this work; venues & promoters, artists, and your fans. And if you kick any one of those legs out on this tri-pod it's going to fall flat on its face. Sometimes pleasing all of those people can be an impossible task. So if I have to prioritize, I will always do what is in the best interest of the artist, period.

NOM: Definitely. I've had to do the same thing from the business standpoint on web sites because there's so many out there. And rather than just promote my own, I've had to remember to adhere to the idea that I'm here to promote the artists. So why not promote all of these different websites as resources for the artist. They'll come in droves for assistance, and they're really the life's blood of N.O.M. to begin with.

JT: Right, well what is Project Independent to be honest man? When I started this, I just wanted to do something positive for the metal community. I've always been involved in this from a very young age, as an artist. I was thrown into a hostile environment at a very young age. And, as rough as it was, I learned a lot from it. I just wanted to create a positive environment with opportunity for the metal industry. I wanted to lay a foundation. And hey, even if all we threw up was a tee-pee, so be it. But I wanted that foundation to be strong enough to be able to sustain a sky scraper. And where it goes from here, I don't know man. I mean, this program has gone through numerous changes, all of which I believe are for the positive. And these changes have come about in conversation with the bands, promoters, venues, and people in the media such as your self. As long as it can be one, band powered, and two, financed, lets do it. Let's try it and see what happens. This is a creative industry.

NOM: Yeah, I think formatting is the enemy, because I've dealt with it on radio. And if it wasn't for format, more independent artists would be in rotation right now. There wouldn't be such a thing as a rotation; it would be more free form. It's hard to deal with a pre made format. Let me ask, how have you been coming in contact with different promoters? Obviously, you've been doing some advertising. You'll be down here at the Hangar on October 19th. So, for instance, how did you come in contact with Shane from Noise Factor Records, and book the Hangar?

JT: Actually, we just posted bulletins and people like Shane contacted me. Like I said, I'm pretty open-minded. Now, I'm still kind of teetering with things. Right now, with the exception of maybe a dozen of these shows that have been taken on by promoters such as Shane, I'm basically going out and finding venues. And I line up the bands that perform there. I like that to a degree because it takes the x-factor, the promoter, out of it. And I hate saying that because I don't want to belittle promoters. But I'm going to be really honest with you man. Of all the promoters I've run across, a very small percentage of them have lived up to my expectations. Now those that do, I praise highly. I still offer promoters the opportunity to do this because this can be a very lucrative program from a promoter's standpoint.

NOM: You see that a lot down here. Everybody is an entrepreneur, everybody is in it for self, and everybody is a "promoter". Our scene definitely lacks some unity. Now, this is not a battle of the bands per se, it's more a showcase. But it is a competition in so much as where Level Nine Entertainment chooses one particular group that you promote. Take Ninetail for instance, how did they get to be the tour's featured artist?

JT: I guess it is, of sorts, in comparison to other battles of the bands. But what we really try to get out there is camaraderie. Listen man, yeah, you're sort of in a competition with this band that you're playing with tonight. But, you know what, life is competition, especially in this capitalistic society. Do we really need to harp on what it is? Is it a battle? Yeah, it's a battle. More so, this is an opportunity, a showcase. It's a chance for the best bands in an area to get together under one roof, show their shit, and pump up their local music community. Show that, hey man, New Orleans metal is alive and kickin'. There's a great audience for it. And use this opportunity to network with some other bands and possibly put together a bad ass show.

NOM: Tell us about Level Nine's selective process, and the prizes at stake.

JT: Well, again, at the 57 showcases you mentioned, the bands are there to perform in front of our A&Rs. So, we don't necessarily select one band from each showcase. We select the bands that we feel is ready to go to the next level. If you have a ten band showcase and only one band is worth a shit, then one band advances. If you have a four band showcase and three bands are just bad ass, then three bands advance. Those bands go into a voting pool held on our website and it becomes a popularity contest. At that point we have 70-100 bands that we have endorsed. We hold three rounds of voting during the month of December. Each round is ten days long. Everybody that has been selected by our A&R department participates in the first round. And we advance the top twenty five to the second. We reset the voter counters there, and one more time after the second round is over, and the top ten are chosen. Then we announce the winner on January first. That band has six months to get us the master and art work for an eight panel staked CD tray layout. They get $5,000 cash, $50,000 in gear from our sponsors, and are featured on next year's tour.

NOM: Ninetail, the '08 tour's featured artist, has a CD out now that is sold along with a compilation CD. The 18 track disc is contributed to by previous Project Independent artists, as well as artists that will be voted on this year. You can find all Project Independent CDs at the link below. SUPPORT INDEPENDENT ARTISTS!!!

~~~LINKS~~~~LINKS~~~~LINKS~~~~LINKS~~~~LINKS~~~~LINKS~~~

www.myspace.com/level_nine_entertainment

www.projectindependent.net

myspace.com/thehangarnola

myspace.com/noisefactorrecords

J. Simple’s "You Welcome vol. 1"

2009-03-04T14:17:00.000-06:00

Neworleansmusicians.net was able to get a hard copy of Johnny Simple's latest release "You Welcome vol. 1" before it hit shelves. And we're here to let you know the skinny on his latest effort. Due to editing for length, we won't be able to tell you about every track. But I trust you'll want to go find out for yourselves just what's streaming through our ears right now. The album starts off with an intro, just under two minutes, laid over Van Halen's "Right Now". This was an interesting choice, but it works and it is fitting. He moves on to track two, "Representin' the Crescent". Now for those of you who don't know, this song has already become a New Orleans underground hit. It's an anthem to New Orleans, talking about clubs that don't close, Mardi Gras, Bayou Classic, the Saints, the Hornets, Hurricane Katrina, etc. He even goes so far as to say "Johnny's an original like New Orleans Daquoris".

Moving along, we get to my personal favorite, "Behind the Music". There's a soulful sample reverbed and smooth. The song talks about how he progressed over time; "No dough, no airplay, black ballin folks in your own city… I'm used to it. Now you see, behind the music". He doesn't stick to the metronome like 3-6 Mafia. He talks to you like a story teller. But not in the ill-fated Silkk the Shocker style. This song is followed by a skit and takes us to "Blame It on the Rain".

Now this song sounds like New Orleans all over, reppin' our famous city. The accomplished producer Crack takes the mic on the 2^nd verse. The hook was compliments of Rasheed out of Atlanta. Interesting fact: Rasheed was Akon's barber back in the gap and through him, the offer surfaced to have Akon on a track for another one of J. Simple's CDs. Simple, not knowing of the successes that lied ahead for Akon, passed on the opportunity. Regret, this is Johnny Simple. Johnny Simple, this is regret. How ya doin, nice to meet ya!

After "Blame it On the Rain" comes "Defense". This work was penned in reference to people running their mouths about the artist. It was made to sound like a school band, with the cheering section saying 'defense!". A heavy tuba weighs in the back ground. New Orleans is big on marching bands and this further solidifies Simple's decent into New Orleans representation. In this track, a guest appearance is made by Rizzle from New Orleans East.

"Bottom Boys", another solid New Orleans underground hit, is scheduled to be the second single after "Representin' the Crescent". The hook sings out "City slickin' rollin' 24's". This song captures the essence of stuntin' in New Orleans. "Don't worry about the check cuz we all gon shine". Skipping through a few tracks, we find ourselves at "Step Your Game Up". This song had the stomp and clap with a synth shaker, like Clipse's "Grindin", produced by the Neptunes. Describing him self, "shorts cargo, the color is camo" made me laugh because he had just stopped by to show me his new BMW 745i and he was wearing just that! J. Dawg the Menace and DJ Precise, formally of Big Boy Productions (past works: Mystical, Partners in Crime, etc) are credited with production on this track. Cruising through, we pass "yeah Buddy", a track that was produced while hanging out in the studio with New Orleans own Gutta from Squad Up and Soulja Slim. And it takes us to the outro with a beat supplied by Impulss. One track we were lucky enough to score was a track chopped and screwed by DJ White Mike from SUC. You'll have to scour the internet for that one!

All in all, this was a great CD. I'd like to hear a few break downs though; a spot where they remix the whole song in what's called 'the bridge' and then take us back to the song. I can say this though. It's nice when I hear an album that doesn't use conventional track styles and is clearly from the South. Another thing I'd like to see in the future is J. Simple on a track that is not clearly a rap staple. I want to see him push the envelope with producers. Typically, you find artists doing that more for street mix tapes, and it's been rumored that one is in the works for Simple. Thanks to Jus-Five Productions for getting us an advanced copy. Fans can check out iTunes and CD Baby for theirs. So, until next time, 'thanks for coming out, good night, and God bless'!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS LINKS~ ~ ~ ~ ~

www.johnnysimple.com

J.Simple: http://www.myspace.com/johnnysimple

Jus-Five: http://www.myspace.com/jus5productions

DJ 5 Grand: http://www.myspace.com/jusfive

Rizzle: http://www.myspace.com/hottrizzle

Lyric: http://www.myspace.com/jasonlyric504

Impulss: http://www.myspace.com/impulss

BUY THE CD NOW!!! http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=59922556&blogID=416584711