LESS MONEY FOR ROCK STARS
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s decision to cut funding for police escorts for the Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs parades is shocking. Mr. Wali Ra’oof’s statement that “if we would have just had 10,000 [more] people to show up on that first Thursday” of Jazz Fest rings hollow. It should come as a surprise to no one that the addition of the new first Thursday did not meet expectations mainly because it was not announced until December 2002. Jazz Fest remains one of the best music festivals and one of the best bargains to be had (though it is out of the price range of many local New Orleanians). Jazz Fest also has its problems, but genuine lack of money is not one of them. The Foundation has confused its priorities. I say less money for huge rock star guarantees and more for the preservation of jazz and its heritage. How ya gonna clap?
—Patrick Easter, former and future NOLA resident, Washington, DC
A REAL ROCK ISSUE
Look-y-here, I understand that in order to fuel tourism, which keeps the city alive, it’s important to perpetuate the image of New Orleans as being a mecca for blues, jazz, funk and other styles that are more closely tied to the history of the city. And with the aforementioned genres there’s always a group of people from a few of the local aristocratic musical families to represent this. Furthermore, considering that OffBeat is the most widely circulated representative of arts and music in the city, it just seems to me that a wider scope of the New Orleans music scene should exist say to include, uh I don’t know… maybe ROCK as well!?
Let’s look at this for a second. Eyehategod toured more extensively and sold more albums than Papa Grows Funk. Suplecs’ recent tour with Clutch had them playing to crowds as big as a Neville Brothers concert. After playing in the city for over a decade the members of Soilent Green experienced a nearly fatal van wreck leaving vocalist Ben Falgoust in a wheel chair for months (luckily he’s made a comeback and is now playing shows with both Soilent Green and his second band Goatwhore). Surely these stories are newsworthy, huh?
Three-quarters of the members of Spickle have played in Hawg Jaw, Hawg Jaw has shared its members with Eyehategod, as has Suplecs. Hostile Apostile has a member in Soilent Green, and Outlaw Order has members of Eyehategod, Soilent Green and Hawg Jaw. Some of the bigger bands like Pantera, Crowbar, and C.O.C., have joined up in bands like Superjoint Ritual and Down. A lot of these bands are part of a lineage (be it through shared members or direct inspiration) which is tied to older bands like Graveyard Rodeo, Exhorder, and the Slugs (who in the ’80s frequented clubs like the VFW and the American Legion Hall).
In August of ’93 James Hall was on the cover of OffBeat, July 2003 had Clint Maedgen, and somewhere in between those ten lonely years there was even a five-page story on the history of local rock mentioning the Normals, the Cold, Lump and the Royal Pendletons (if I remember correctly). Will it be another ten years?
Maybe instead of the usual St. Rock column we should dedicate an issueto these bands, and others, who have been sweatin’ and starvin’ in this city. What might I be doing about this situation you ask? Well, I’ve been working on a documentary for the past two years covering a few of the previously mentioned bands along with others presently playing in the city. Also covered are a percentage of bands which fell by the wayside and existed in completely different scenes. So, if you need someone to get the ball rolling on the lock rock musical/family tree and provide some real characters and their unique stories, I am willing to do the research.
—Jody Smith, New Orleans, LA
DIXIE BEER & HAMMOND ORGAN
Thank you so much John Swenson’s great article/interview about my new CD, Deep Down Under (in the Bywater) in the September issue. I am very thankful. I get more press in Europe and Canada than I do at home so it is very gratifying when a fine publication like OffBeat gives me an entire column. Usually it’s the opposite of the lyrics to “Home on the Range”—“and never was heard an encouraging word…” I must admit that in my cynical old age I was harboring suspicions that only advertisers could get that kind of mention. I apologize for even thinking such a thing. With my fixer upper barge board Piety Street abode, I haven’t been able to afford to run any ads for quite some time. I have to go into debt to buy harmonicas!
I do want to apologize for saying (as John quoted me quite correctly) that certain Ninth Ward neighbors of mine don’t come to d.b.a. because the drinks are a little steep. Well, I ran into Tom [Thayer], d.b.a.’s manager, and he wasn’t perturbed a bit about the mention but he did inform me that d.b.a. does have Dixie beer for only $2.50 That’s a good deal especially when you add that they have a house Hammond organ, the room sounds and looks great AND there is no cover charge. How ya like me now?
—Andy J Forest, New Orleans, LA
MORE BEATLE BOB
In response to your letter [Beatle Bob] stop all your ass kissing to get a “free” subscription to OffBeat with those words about how great New Orleans and the Jazz Fest is. As far as Cowboy Mouth goes, their new CD blows the big one, just like their last five or six did. The thousands of their fans flippin’ out at the Jazz Fest to their music just shows you what beer and bad taste in music will do for ya! (Guess you were one of them by your letter). Get back to me when you or Cowboy Mouth get on the cover of Rolling Stone.Until then—shut up! Or go join your pal Ernie K-Doe.
—Rick Williams, New Orleans, LA
Regarding OffBeat letter column September 2003: You tell ’em Beatle Bob; yeah, yeah, yeah!!
—Donald R. Smith, Lancaster, NY
PASS THE CREAM
Regarding best blues recording. Cream? Please.
—Spencer Livingston, New Orleans, LA
THE BIG RAINY
Small world… We recently attended Seattle’s music/arts festival over Labor Day holiday and sat on the lawn next to a local Seattleite who also is a subscriber to your fine publication. Keep up the good work on music in “the big easy”—we enjoy it also here in “the big rainy.”
—David Berg, Seabeck, WA
RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
Although we normally do not publish anonymous letters, the following dispatch, postmarked New Orleans, was deemed highly entertaining.
This story happen August 17, on a Sunday. Talk about being at the right place, at the right time. Local blues man Joe “Survival” Caruso was on his way to his gig at the Lounge Lizards on Decatur Street. As he walked pass House of Blues, two fellows came out of the artist entrance. One fellow spoke out, “Hey Joe, man I enjoyed your music the other night.” The other fellow who didn’t know Joe asked, “Do you have your guitar with you, can you do a single by yourself for forty minutes?” “Yes,” said Joe. “Good,” said the fellow, “’Cause the opening act didn’t show, and you’re going to open for Hootie and the Blowfish, right now.”
When Joe walked out on the H.O.B. stage to tune his guitar and check the vocal mic, the audience cheered, with amps cranked and his Strat screaming to the tune of “Red House Blues.” But when he started to play “Hey Joe,” lead singer Hootie came out and joined in the vocals. The audience went wild. Then the lead guitar player for the Blowfish joined in with his guitar. The two guitarists played well together, trading licks and solos back and forth. When the 40 minutes was up everyone was pleased with the performance. Joe “Survival” Caruso was in the right place at the right time.
