New Orleans Musicians for Obama
April 30th, 2012
Generations Hall in New Orleans, LA

Instruments A Comin’
May 1st, 2012
Tipitina’s in New Orleans, LA

©2012 Jim Brock Photography/www.eyeonthemusic.com

Full Galleries:

Jazzfest Weekend 1, New Orleans Musicians for Obama, Instruments A Comin’, Jazzfest Weekend 2

Some weeks have passed, but this year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was one of the strongest in the event’s 43 years. It is a musical and cultural experience so rich, the flavor lasts year round, even a lifetime. With 12 stages and tents, there is no event on the planet with as broad a musical palette for 7 days in one place. Two rock stages, a blues tent, jazz tent, gospel tent, world music/soul stage, Cajun and zydeco stage, brass band stage, traditional jazz tent, a smaller showcase stage, an interview area and a kids tent. All fueled by some of the best grub anywhere and a showcase for cultural crafts and arts the world over.

Soul Rebels Brass Band at the Congo Square Stage

From The Revivalists passionate opening Gentilly set to the final moments of Springsteen’s plaintive reading of Saints, the first weekend of Jazzfest 2012 was an abundance of special moments.  Yes, the draws were the Acura headliners. Petty and Bruce delivered deep satisfying sets (from what I was able to catch), and Springsteen’s presence was a rallying cry of celebration and reflection. A reminder of how New Orleans has healed since his epic 2006 post-Katrina Seeger Sessions appearance, and how far there is still to go. Even The Beach Boys brought their game, judging by the smiles and sing alongs from a nice size Acura crowd. But, hey, did you check out Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 at Congo Square?  The four generations of players from 9 to 90+ that filled the Fais Do Do on Saturday for Savoy Music Center Cajun Jam? How about Bon Iver’s stirring (and unexpected) connection with the Jazzfest crowd? Gary Clark, Jr. absolutely tearing down the Blues Tent opposite the Boss with Texas blues that left teeth marks? Not to mention the Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars and Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen showing Tom Petty how it’s done in New Orleans. Sure until self-cloning is an app, we all pang for what we missed. Weekend 1 proved, yet again, no matter where you are at the Fest, it’s exactly where you should be.

Ed Williams and George Gekas of the Revivalists, Gentilly Stage

Mike Love of the Beach Boys on the Acura Stage

Savoy Music Center of Eunice Saturday Jam, Fais Do-Do Stage

Irma Thomas in the Gospel Tent

Anders Osborne and Johnny Vidacovich, Voice of the Wetlands AllStars, Acura Stage

Gary Clark, Jr. in the Blues Tent

Al Green on the Congo Square Stage

The days between were not too shabby. Instruments A’ Comin’ on Monday night at Tip’s and New Orleans Musicians for Obama at Generations Hall on Tuesday had my head spinning (in a good way). IAC was loaded this year, as always. The sight/sounds of the best young brass in town marching along a closed Napoleon Ave. is breathtaking, and Shorty, Galactic, Honey Island Swamp Band and a cast of thousands made for a very satisfying 4:30 AM bedtime. Tuesday night’s “ObamaFest” had some unfortunate ticketing glitches, but once inside Generations Hall, there was a little bit of everything with two stages, multiple bars and a great relaxed vibe. The mostly Meters mini-set with Dr. John was locked down and tight, the highlight of the night by far.

Trombone Shorty at Instruments A Comin’

Leo Nocentelli, George Porter, Jr. and Charles Neville Meter Up at ObamaFest

The second weekend of the Fest boasted one of the richest lineups in year. While the Foos and The Eagles were not in the cards for me (my closest encounter was fighting the 65,000 Eagles fans for the exit), the Gentilly Stage and the Blues Tent pulled me like magnets. Thursday can never be a bad day. The crowds are lighter and headliners undemanding. It’s easy to roam, chill and eat. Like a bonus day. Flow Tribe completely entertained, Glen Hansard sang/played his heart out with a 6-string that makes Willie Nelson’s “Trigger” look new. Honey Island Swamp Band’s “Bayou Americana” keeps getting better. George Porter, Jr. and his Runnin’ Pardners were totally in the groove. Regina Carter’s Reverse Thread was magical and Florence Welch had me completely under her spell. Only at Jazzfest could Florence + the Machine be counterpointed with the earthy grit of James Cotton’s blowing in the Blues Tent. If that’s a down day at the Fest, give me more.

Glen Hansard on the Acura Stage

Esperanza Spalding on the Congo Square Stage

Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine, casts a spell from the Gentilly Stage

James Cotton in the Blues Tent

Friday was a highlight. Grace Potter’s scorching stage presence was topped by the Nocturnals go for broke delivery. Hornsby’s long overdue Fest debut was juicy and this Bruce was loving every minute of it, especially when joined by dem ‘bones (Mssrs. Klein, Mullins and Hicks of Bonerama). Rodrigo y Gabriela’s metal rooted world nylon string mash up was mesmerizing. Zac Brown showed why he is a festival circuit favorite, and so much more than a solid country rock comer.

Grace Potter in office attire, Acura Stage

Bruce Hornsby is all eyes from the Gentilly Stage

Mark Mullins of Bonerama, Gentilly Stage

Rodrigo y Gabriela channeling their inner Metallica, Gentilly Stage

Zac Brown having too good a time from the Acura Stage

Saturday brought a rollicking (and rocking tight) Allen Toussaint set. Anders Osborne, fresh from the release of “Black Eye Galaxy” dug deep and raw, then vulnerable. Dropping the guitar and backed by strings, “Higher Ground” was simply beautiful. John Boutte brought the house down with a triumphant Jazz Tent performance and running between My Morning Jacket, Herbie Hancock and the Warren Haynes Band (with Dr. John) sums up why there is nothing like Jazzfest. The Haynes Band especially shined in the slot originally scheduled for Levon Helm (Levon’s spirit was all over the Fest, whether it was Hornsby covering “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” or Mavis Staples bringing the crowd to tears in the Gospel Tent with “The Weight”).

Allen Toussaint and his technicolor dream coat

John Boutte gets down to the Treme in the Jazz Tent

Patrick Hallahan and Joseph Lastie, Jr. keeping time with My Morning Jacket, Gentilly Stage

Herbie Hancock in the Jazz Tent

Warren Haynes and Terence Higgins in the Blues Tent

By the time Sunday rolls around, you tell yourself the tank is more than half full, not running down fast. You believe the flight home is just a scheduling mistake, not a cruel joke. Then Galactic overpowers the Acura crowd. Glen David Andrews brings out that red horn and everyone rises a few inches off the ground. You go to church with the entire Boutte clan. David Sanborn and Joey DeFrancesco seize the Jazz Tent crowd before the final coming together to honor 50 years of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, with guests that celebrate all that is New Orleans music. Go shake it with Sharon Jones and her Dap Kings before the reality sets in that there are only 355 more sleeps to Jazzfest 2013. Now that’s a life. Thank you Quint Davis and every human who make Jazzfest possible.

Corey Henry and Stanton Moore, Galactic, Acura Stage

Glen David Andrews can’t hear you, with Paul Sanchez in the Blues Tent

Derrick Shezbie of the Rebirth Brass Band, and Ben Jaffe, Preservation Hall Turns 50 at the Gentilly Stage

Bonnie Raitt joins the Preservation Hall party

Sharon Jones, nasty and loving it in the Blues Tent

Left to right, Alex McMurray, Paul Sanchez, and Arsene DeLay at the Gentilly Baptist Church, New Orleans, March 2012.

I’m kind of jealous of the way music is such an ingrained part of New Orleans life. I love listening to music, playing music, and just experiencing music. Unfortunately, I think that for a lot of Americans, music is a very passive listening only experience. New Orleans certainly doesn’t follow this idea. People are expected to get up and move and be a part of the music. I fell in love with the music culture in New Orleans.

In the months leading up to the trip, we listened to our regular song of the day in class. I enjoyed these songs, but they felt somewhat disjointed. From Big Freedia to the Wild Magnolias, to Louis Armstrong, to Louis Moreau Gottschalk — it was all interesting and I enjoyed the somewhat new sounds, but it was very abstract.

Once in New Orleans, I began to see, hear and understand how it all fit together in one place. We heard Paul Sanchez sing about the city, about its struggles and its love for life. His voice, paired with fantastic guitar reminded me a little of folk singers up north. The themes he sang and spoke about reminded me that we were far from there. He’s been a part of a musical adaptation of the book Nine Lives, and a song telling the story of Orleans parish coroner Frank Minyard repeats the line “Where are the bodies?” – a bit shocking, startling and very effective in its message. He was accompanied by Arsene DeLay, whose voice was incredible beyond words. It was sweet and smooth, yet at the same time striking and powerful. The concert made for a fantastic evening for the first full day in the city.

Brass band performing on Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, March 2012, Madelyn Ball.

We found that the clubs on Bourbon Street played popular dance music that spread far beyond the walls of the buildings and saturated the humid air. It was loud and it was crazy, but that seems to be the New Orleans way. The clubs nearby on Frenchmen Street host more authentic New Orleans music. It was there that I experienced my first live brass band. New Orleans musicians put a cool in brass that I didn’t know existed. The sound was less like playing an instrument and more like singing through the instrument. There was nothing refined, and everything exciting and soulful. I loved it. The part that I’m the most amazed by though is the ability of these musicians to memorize and improvise — there was even a student from Indiana University who seamlessly jumped in and played with the band for the night. The sound shot out of their instruments and filled the room. The energy was amazing and I couldn’t sit still. It was a really wonderful night — I felt like I was really experiencing New Orleans.

Dr. Michael White Quartet,Xavier University, New Orleans, March 2012

Later in the week, we went to see Dr. Michael White and his quartet play traditional New Orleans jazz at Xavier University of Louisiana. The band consisted of jazz clarinet, trumpet, banjo, and bass and all four players were incredibly talented musicians. They played a number of songs, and spoke about the development of jazz before each one. The history and evolution was so interesting and made each tune all the more interesting to me. The band was tighter and the sound more refined but without sounding flat or repetitive. They improvised together, and I was in awe with their skill. My favorite was when the trumpet player Gregg Stafford  sang “Basin Street Blues” in his raspy yet smooth voice, adding things about our group and that very night. I loved it.

Crowd listeing to brass band, Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, March 2012

We experienced each ‘sub-genre’ of New Orleans music in its place in New Orleans and it all began to make sense. The people in New Orleans are of such diverse backgrounds and cultures and the music is likewise. I know that during my week in New Orleans, I only experienced a small portion of all the music there is. It pulled me in and, now that I’m hooked, I’ll be able to explore more New Orleans music and better appreciate it. Dr. John next to Galactic won’t seem quite so strange anymore, but rather pieces of the whole New Orleans picture.

-Maddie Ball-

Bumper stickers at the House of Dance and Feathers, Lower Ninth Ward, March 2012, Taylor Frarie

It was our last night in the city; the air was warm and the city was alive. Despite the fact that it was around one in the morning the city was showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. It was then, as we were heading back to the van, that Shanti asked me what my favorite part of New Orleans had been. I thought about it, and gave her my honest answer: “I don’t know.”  I asked her the same question and she told me it was the spirit of rebirth that the city embodied.

I digested this and realized how perfect of an answer it was. I was even a little embarrassed that it did not come to my mind. When she had asked me I thought of obvious things like the food, the craziness, and the music. I know these are all a major part of the city, but when it comes down to it, none of that would be there if it weren’t for the strong inner spirit that the people of New Orleans have.

Levee along the Industrial Canal, Lower Ninth Ward, March 2012, Taylor Frarie

Thinking about it brought me back to the Lower Ninth Ward where we had visited on Sunday, our first day there. I just remember standing there when we learned about the destruction and how all the houses we were seeing would have been completely submerged in water. I tried to take it in, to fathom the magnitude of the damage and horror, but I just could not. It was surreal, like none of it had happened. But I know it did.  Even when we saw where the levee broke, it still didn’t quite hit me, and I don’t think it ever will. No one can imagine such an event unless it happens to them, the rest of us just have to try to do what we can to help. And people did try to help, just as residents tried to help each other.

Today the Lower Ninth Ward, even though it has a long way to go, is looking infinitely better. I remember long-time resident Ronald Lewis telling us that one of the things that made him happiest was the sight of children playing in the street in front of his house.  This hit me and I thought it was a beautiful way to describe it. It meant that life was truly coming back to his home and neighborhood. At first, I was surprised to learn that not all of the efforts into helping the Lower Ninth were fully appreciated. For instance, the modern and energy-efficient homes built by Brad Pitt’s “Make it Right” Foundation. But now I understand that many residents just wanted help getting back to their old lives, they didn’t want everything to change. They just needed some support to get back on their feet.

Cover of Dan Baum's "Nine Lives"

Although foundation support is mostly a good thing; I can see where the mixed feelings are coming from.  I think these feelings are embodied through a song written by Paul Sanchez for a musical based on the Dan Baum’s book “Nine Lives.” Ronald Lewis’s story is one of the nine. The chorus of that song states: “We were fine in the Lower Nine.” These words are drawn straight from Baum’s interview with Lewis. The song reflects Lewis’s exuberant pride in his neighborhood and helped me to further understand the feelings held by him and his neighbors.

As I walked down the streets of New Orleans for the last time, these were my thoughts. As music played and people laughed and danced and stumbled all around me, I knew that the city was once again a place of high spirits despite the tragedy and devastation that it had faced.  It took me some time, but I finally saw and realized that the spirit of rebirth was alive and well in New Orleans and I watched as it pulsed through the city. And maybe, I thought, this is my favorite thing too.

–Taylor Frarie–

Ronald Lewis and the House of Dance and Fathers, March 2012

For the first time, the entire group went into New Orleans. And heading from Slidell, we logically, and by planning, went from east to west. First stop was the Lower Ninth Ward, arguably the part of the City hardest hit by the flooding after Hurricane Katrina.

We began our visit at 1317 Tupelo Street, home of Ronald Lewis and his backyard museum, the House of Dance and Feathers. I first met him last summer, but I got to know him several years ago in Dan Baum’s wonderful book, Nine Lives. Ronald’s voice, as relayed by Baum, captured me, and before they read the book, I wanted my students to meet Ronald and hear him and his wisdom in person.

Students with Ronald Lewis, March 2012.

Ronald was heading off to speak at a onference at Tulane, but he took the time to talk about his lifetime in the Lower Ninth, the Mardi Gras Indian and second line traditions, and his collection which represents both. The students were mesmerized, both by his experience and his knowledge. And his warmth. It was a great introduction to the Lower Ninth before heading over to the levee along the Industrial Canal, where the worst damage occurred. It is always sobering, but it was heartening to see slow, steady, and sustainable progress in a place where an entire neighborhood was swept from the face of the Earth.

Students with parade loot, March 2012. Photo by Cora Lehet.

After our informal tour, we parted ways, the students to get a bead fix at the Metairie St. Patrick’s Day Parade and me, to go to the Keep N It Real Social Aid and Pleasure Club second line in Mid City. The students had a ball tastefully collecting beads and throws from marchers at the parade in Metairie. And they caught cabbages, carrots, potatoes and onions thrown from the two level parade trucks — it is not a parade for the inattentive. It would be interesting to get a total weight of the beads they brought back and I heard a couple complaining of sore necks resulting from wearing so many beads. Needless to say: a good time was had by all.

I joined Kyle and his friends for the second line, which started at Bayou St. John and Orleans Avenue. In keeping with the Nine Lives theme of the day, the To Be Continued Brass Band played behind the dancers. Their formation, under the direction of band director Wilbert Rawlins, Jr., was also chronicled in the book; a story, which to me, created some of the most moving parts of the book. So, here they were, the driving for for the throng which pointed itself towards Treme. And one which would not stop dancing, drinking, and eating until several miles and hours later. We followed for a couple of miles before taking

Second Line parade with TBC Brass Band, Mid City, March 2012

the car to catch up with them as they entered Treme. Highlight: the band and marchers version of  ”A Closer Walk with Thee” that segued into “I’ll Fly Away.” Priceless.

We went into the City to listen to some great music and great musicians on Frenchmen Street, before polishing off three pounds of boiled crawfish. But the day was not over.

We reunited with the sunburnt and bead weary students at the Gentilly Baptist Church for a concert by singer, songwriter, guitarist Paul Sanchez. We were there as guests of Tom Brink and UNH Intervarsity, who are staying working in Gentilly. And it was fun for us to see and visit with friends and former students in a place far distant from Durham, NH.

Left to right: Alex McMurray, Paul Sanchez, and Arsene DeLay, Gentilly Baptist Church, March 2012.

And in keeping with the theme for the day, Sanchez has spent the last three years collaborating on writing a musical based on the book, Nine Lives. Alongside guitarist Alex McMurray and singer Arsene DeLay, niece of singer John Boutte, they would highlight and draw together our collective experiences.

For an hour and half, they brought tired students to their feet. Had them dancing. Singing. Sanchez opened with Arlo Guthrie’s “City of New Orleans” and later played one of my favorites, “At the Foot of Canal Street,” written in collaboration with John Boutte. My favorite part, however, were selections from the musical, including “Fine in the Lower Nine,” written in the voice of native son Ronald Lewis, and “It Could Have Been Worse,” which DeLay used to bring down the house. And it would not be the first time.

At about 9:30 p.m., the concert and singing and dancing and socializing wound down. What a day. The students still needed a beignet fix. I opted for a shower and some quiet time and instead headed back to Slidell. And when it was time to get up this morning, I was very happy I did.

Reader beware: these daily posts during spring break are often done on the run, usually in a McDonald’s. I generally don’t have the time to review or edit them as I might usually, and the chances that I’ll go back and catch things is limited. In advance, let me apologize for typos (especially this year since I am using a netbook) and missing words. It goes with the territory, but if I can, I ‘d rather post as often as time allows, albeit imperfectly.

In Dan Baum’s book, Nine Lives, this scene takes place as the city is flooding.

Joann, who started life as John, has her bar, Kajun’s Pub, up and running.  Since Joann has spent a lifetime feeling like she didn’t belong and looking for people to accept her, she has made Kajun’s a haven for the castouts of New Orleans.  White, black, gay, straight, biker, gutter punk, all are welcome at Joann’s.  In fact her only rule in the bar, as Joann herself told me, is “Be nice or get the fuck out.”

Colman and I wrote this as a rock song and Matt Perrine arranged it as such.  It’s a solid backing track with Eric Bolivar on drums, Shane Theriot on guitar, John Gros on Hammond B-3 organ and Matt Perrine on bass, all of them cutting loose on a rock track and having a little fun with it.

The background harmonies which Matt arranged were sung by Debbie Davis, Tara Brewer and Arséne deLay and were as beautiful as all of the backing tracks on the record.  By now the three women had become their own support group and comedy troupe.  Thank goodness I had Susan Cowsill in on a different session to sing her harmonies or we would all still be in the studio laughing.

I wanted some male voices on the track to add a little weight so I got my brother, John Sanchez, and dear, trusty Shoeless.  Both of these guys would show up and wait for hours if the schedule had gotten out of whack, sing in tune in just a couple of passes and wouldn’t take money.   They were invaluable to me in fleshing out harmonies that I could not have afforded to pay for and wouldn’t have at all without their help.

Along with these folks, the background singers had something extra special on this track.  A voice that Matt did not arrange, a voice I did not arrange.  It is a voice that can not be arranged by anyone but the voices within herself.  We had the voice of Susan Cowsill. I had wanted Susan on the record as a featured singer.  She and I traded emails a few times about availability and each time she was out of town for Cowsills gigs or gigs with her own band.  We were missing each other by a day or, in one instance, by a few hours.  Finally, it was down to the last few days of recording and she finally had some time in her schedule to record.

I had been listening to Joann and though I liked the harmonies Matt and I had added with our singers, I thought they needed a lift of some kind.  Susan has sung on six records of mine and always comes up with amazing harmonies that no one else I work with would come up with.  Movements, suspended chords that drop into place and resolve in ways that make the heart melt and the ears joyful.  The process is simple enough.  I send her the track in advance so she can let the music run around inside her head.  She toys with melodic ideas for a couple of days and comes to the studio with anywhere from ten to thirty different directions to go and voices to choose from, each of them more breathtakingly unique than the one before.  It is quite something to witness if you are a fan, brilliant to watch if you are a singer.  Her singing is, in a word, inspirational.  She added harmonies until she, not I, was satisfied.  Creating a first line that moved around the basic harmonies we had laid down, the first line of movement seeming bare and almost out of place until she began to harmonize with her own voice, a slightly different movement that slid off of and back to the first harmony.  I smiled, listened and watched her create something so subtle that maybe only other singers notice how much that movement in a background harmony adds, but it does.  I’m glad her voice is a part of Nine Lives.  There is only one Susan Cowsill.

There are two featured characters on the track besides Joann.

The voice of “Mitch”, a customer at the bar, is sung by my very good friend, Craig “Craigory” Klein.  Craig is someone else that Matt and I very much wanted on the record.   Matt wanted him on trombone and I was hoping to have him sing.  As it turns out, like many musicians we had wanted to use, Craig was booked solid and became someone else I kept missing by a day.   Bonerama was slammed and was out of town for most of the recording of the basic tracks.  This kept Craig from playing as much trombone as Matt would have liked.   I finally got him because I booked the Bonerama horns for a session and since I had Craig there I asked if he had time to sing a line in this song.  Craig had helped me get my life started again after the flood and it means a lot to me that his voice is on this song of survival.   When I hear his gentle, heavy New Orleans accent singing the lines, “If I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die here. Not dodging the National Guardsmen.” I smile, not a happy smile, a smile of remembering that this voice was a quiet hero to a lot of folks after the flood.  I am truly honored to have Craig Klein on Nine Lives.

The second featured voice is “Phoebe” who is sung by a friend from my early sad-poet-boy songwriter days living in New York: Michelle Shocked.   Michelle and I met in the 80′s when we were both living in New York and playing in the East Village.  There was no money to be made but the air was electric with creativity.  Performance artists, poets and songwriters, we all hung out together.  We watched each other perform and influenced each other a little in life and in music.  Michelle has always thrown herself at the world with her music and politics.  I admire her in so many ways for the career she has made for herself but mostly I admire her for what I have always admired her for:  Her songs.  Michelle Shocked is one of the best songwriters I ever heard, honest lyrics that alternate between leaving me laughing, leaving me breathless or both in the same song.  She is the brave little sister who had to leave home but always comes back around to say hello.  Armed with just a guitar, her songs and her stories she has traveled the world many times over.   Playing her songs, spinning tales, she has lived every troubadours dream.

Michelle happened to be passing through town and offered to sing.  I told her about this song, Joann’s “hero” song.  It was a natural match.  I think she was too pressed for time to meet Joann but I know that Michelle, who has spent a lifetime standing up for people, would dig Joann and Joann, who likes a fighter, would dig her.  I’ll introduce them one day.

Michelle sang this in just a couple of passes.  What was truly astounding to everyone in the room was how she adjusted, not just her phrasing but the emotions of each take.  Changing, in very subtle ways, the emotion of the moment with an inflection or slight alteration in the volume of her singing.  Friends who had come to watch the session teared up on the second take which I knew would be a keeper though like most great singers, Michelle pushed herself a little further until she met her own standard for the session and with a quick hug was out the door and off to Dr. John’s birthday party.

Some time back, I had introduced Michelle to Bethany Bultman who runs the New Orleans Musicians Clinic.  Michelle is always looking to put her name and work behind a cause in the towns she plays around the country and I thought she and Bethany would connect.  Bethany is a very impressive woman, she is strong, works incredibly hard for the NOMC and at the bottom of it all is a real fan of the music which is why she loves the musicians so much.  As I turned back to the console and watched Michelle skip out of the doors of Piety to hang with Mac I thought,  “Well, it’s a fair trade. Michelle gets to go to Dr. John’s birthday party and I get the voice of Michelle Shocked on Nine Lives. Everybody wins.”  I got back to work.

The voice of Joann was again sung by Michael Cerveris and there is not enough I can say about what a brilliant talent, wonderful friend and truly humble fellow Michael is.

He did his first pass on the song and his voice was just knock-you-down gorgeous and his control was a thing of beauty.  Colman came up to me after the take, a little nervous, and said it sounded great musically but that Michael was singing it too tough, being too much of a man.  He said that Joann had spent a lifetime becoming a woman and that even in this moment, protecting her customers from the elements with a shotgun in her hands, Joann would have remained a woman and not become John again.  He asked me to talked to Michael, worrying how Michael would take it.  He needn’t have worried.  I explained it to Michael just as Colman had put it to me, that in this moment of crisis Joann would, more than ever, defiantly remain Joann.  The actor in him got it instantly, (They don’t give out Tony Awards to just anyone in New York), and he was excited about making the adjustments.  Again, when you watch someone work who is not just great but absolutely brilliant at what they do, it is an unforgettable experience.  The adjustments were not major, just very subtle shifts, in emphasis, in phrasing, in nuanced ways that suggest that this moment is her defining moment.  She stands up for her bar, her customers and herself as a strong, powerful woman and Michael brings that spirit to life in the song.

Of course, there is his singing.  Control that has taken a lifetime to learn make singing, for Michael, appear to be as easy as breathing is for most people.  He did an improv on the line “I’m glad I’m not John anymore” hanging the line “anymore” out for an extra couple of beats which made him miss his entrance to the next line.  We stopped the take and Michael apologized.  “Are you kidding me?”  I asked, “I’m only letting you catch your breath.  I am definitely using that line.”  He finished singing and headed to the control room for a listen.  By the time he walked in the control room, the engineer Wes Fontenot had taken the gorgeous hang over line and slid it into a spot near the end of the song where I thought it might give a dramatic lift to the final line.  It sounded like Michael had simply repeated the last line for emphasis.  He smiled and said he was glad I could use his mistake.  I laughed and told him if my mistakes were that beautiful, I would make an entire album of them.  With a voice like Michael Cerveris, even the “mistakes” can make your heart skip a beat and my heart skips, dances and soars when I hear Michael sing the song, JoAnn.

~ Paul Sanchez – August 2, 2011

the new ink on my left forearm - my Katrina tat. Thanks to Jason @ Electric Ladyland!

This past weekend, I took two friends to New Orleans, and as a whole  it is forever on my top list as one of my favorite NOLA experiences.

• Jazz Fest: Glen David Andrews is my religion. I saw him twice this weekend – once at Jazz Fest, and later at DBA. Both experiences are unparalleled, and I’m pretty sure my friends and I made it into some national media shots during the jazz fest show. I’ll search around.  Amanda Shaw and Trombone Shorty hopped on stage with him, followed by Irvin. The Radiators’ last Fest appearance – amazing show, but of course even more amazing because Camile’s a friend (I worked for his wife for several years). Kid Rock & Cowboy Mouth – both excellent. Preservation Hall Jazz Band – Seeger jumped on stage with them and there was a second line throughout the tent. What else can I say? Saw Mardi Gras Indians (incl. Bo Dollis Jr. – Wild Magnolias), saw an amazing Haitian arts/voodoo ceremony, Jesse McBride, Ellis & Jason Marsalis, and a bit of NOJO…
• Friday night: Big Freedia‘s CD Release Party w/ Katey Red, Sissy Nobby, & more.. amazing Bounce show w/ amazing friends.
• Saturday night: G-String Orchestra, Slow Danger Brass Band, Zydepunks. All amazing.
• Sunday night (post-jazz fest): lots of Frenchmen wandering & random musical artists
• Monday night: Threadhead Records party w/ Paul Sanchez & new solo artists from the Radiators… Glen David Andrews later on.. then Karaoke @ Checkpoint Charlies..

Needless to say, it was an action-packed weekend without much sleep and not a single day of getting in before 4am. Throw in a new tattoo, a trip the aquarium (penguins!!), lots of amazing food, perhaps a wee bit of absinthe & St. Germaine, watching the Kentucky Derby, a wind ensemble concert, lunch with an ex professor, lots of hugs from previous colleagues/professors/students, a few small parades, a pretty nifty job offer, picking up my last diploma, watching a string quartet  of 12-yr-olds on a street corner, and about a million laughs… time well spent. My soul is rejuvenated for a bit.  Now to plan for this monster drum workshop at Bonnaroo…

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• New Orleans Jazz Fest after hours (cnn.com)
• Jazz Fest not just a musical feast (pbpulse.com)

City Park was clamoring with activity – football practice on one field, a well attended track meet on another, some huge event across from Storyland and, of course, Threadhead Thursday , so parking was tough to find. We drove in slow circles listening to the concert through our open windows.

Ensemble Fatien was still onstage when we finally arrived. I was glad not to have missed Seguenon Kone doing his signature spinning with his unwieldy wooden xylophone-type instrument. Margie Perez was all sunny smiles and high energy despite a cymbal-related injury to her foot. Having seen Ensemble Fatien nearly half a dozen times, I can say that their energetic, hip shaking music and charismatic performances never disappoint.

Next up was the New Orleans Nightcrawlers. Founded in ’94 by pianist Tom McDermott, trumpet player Kevin Clark and sousaphonist Matt Perrine, it’s basically an all-star band playing complicated riffs. Fronted by 3 guys on sax, 2 on trombone and a single trumpet, this is one “horny” band. I particularly liked a retelling of Little Liza Jane called Funky Liza.

I finally had the privilege of meeting Chris Joseph, the founder of Threadhead Records, who works from L.A. but keeps NOLA in his heart. He introduced me to Colman DeKay, another longtime resident of L.A. and the co-writer of 9 Lives, a musical retelling of the novel by Dan Baum centering on the lives of 9 New Orleanians between Hurricane Betsy (1965) and Katrina (2005). The 2 CD set holds over 100 musicians (even Mayor Mitch Landrieu sings on it) and is produced by Mystery Street Records, an offshoot of Threadhead. There will be a live show May 4th at Le Petit Theatre featuring an all-star line up from the CDs.

It was a great day for meeting new friends, hugging one I’d never met in person and I even ran into Reid Wick, guitarist for the Bucktown Allstars, who I’d so enjoyed last year at Wednesday on the Square.

Next up was Alex McMurray Band, but we’re hoping to see them in this next music-packed week as Jazz Fest started today! Shamarr Allen & The Underdawgs were set to follow and we’d been lucky enough to see them at French Quarter Fest. Paul Sanchez & The Rolling Road Show were also on the playbill but… the Hornets were playing game 6 of the playoff series against the L.A. Lakers so we ducked out to cheer our Bees on.

The Hornets did what they could, but their amazing season came to an end. Congratulations to them all for getting so far and to our city for coming together to keep them here.

And the Saints seemed to have had a heck of a day at the draft collecting both California defensive end Cameron Jordan and  Alabama running back and 2009 Heisman Trophy winner, Mark Ingram. Who Dat! Both recruits are sons of NFL veterans and we’re lucky to have them, though it looks like it’s the end of our rocky love story with 2005 Heisman Trophy winner, running back
Reggie Bush. I fear change and hate goodbyes but we can’t afford Bush so I wish Reggie well wherever he ends up.

And my giant backyard magnolia tree is in bloom bearing dozens of floppy white flowers that bruise in the wind. Enjoy a couple photos as well as my Spring wreath.

It was upsetting to see all the random and unnecessary violence people endured and to hear the teenage radical rant about living with the National Guard. I know it makes for good TV to focus on the dramatic and the city certainly had more than its fair share at the time, but there were a few things they left out. First, Jazz Fest went on as planned that year. The music lived on in more than just a symbolic way. Jazz Fest is big business and business was good despite all the hell. Nearly 350,000 people attended the festival which amounts to 50,000 less than the year before but the festival was also shorter in 2006. Attendance has been increasing since, surpassing 400,000 in 2009.

Far more noteworthy was the Saints – Falcons game in October, just before the premiere episode of Treme is to have taken place. In their first game in the newly re-roofed Superdome after it housed thousands of stranded citizens during the storm, new team member Drew Brees passed for 191 yards bringing home a 23-3 win. It was rookie coach Sean Payton’s first season and third straight win (no losses). Even Falcons coach Jim Mora Jr. appreciated what the win did for the city. Like the Hornets almost being lost to the city this year due in part to the BP gusher’s impact on locals wealthy enough to own a team, the Saints had almost left the city after Katrina but returned to the Dome to remake the building’s history. Yes, Khandi Alexander’s Ladonna mentions that year’s first round draft choice Reggie Bush, but the episode took place in November during the most successful season in the history of the franchise. They went on to the NFC Championship for the first time.

I say all this not to pick on a show that has clearly endeavored to represent this city accurately and with heart, but because they can’t cover every story and I wouldn’t want to neglect the story of how tied this city’s rebirth is to the rebirth of the Saints. The city unites for many things. Mardi Gras is an excellent example of a citywide event. But I was here for the Saints Super Bowl win and I can say that I’ve never witnessed nor been privileged enough to be a part of something as solidifying as the city’s love for the Saints. I can only imagine what it was like to see the team born anew and the Dome refurbished and celebrate victory after victory after surviving the Katrina debacle. I hope the show represents the city cloaked in black and gold and hooked to TV’s, spirits high with a team’s rebirth leading the way for the city’s.

The episode’s music was wonderful with a little something for everyone including jazz, rap and even bounce. Last season, I was still so new to the sound of this city. Some of the songs were as familiar as the lullabies my mother sang me but some were downright foreign to me. When I attended French Quarter Fest this year, I noticed that I knew the words to dozens of local hits. Watching Treme last year, I recognized Kermit Ruffins, Dr. John and other more famous faces but this year, I knew most of the musicians and bands on sight having attended many of their shows.

I recognized Tommy Malone from day 2 of FQFest. I’ve seen Bonerama (named for their many trombones) several times including day 1 of FQFest, last year’s Oyster Festival and FQFest 2010. I saw Galactic at the last Wednesday at the Square last year and have since claimed one of their songs as a favorite. Baby Boyz Brass Band played the corner of Bourbon and Canal when I moved here and have since paraded with Krewe de Vieux, played this year’s FQFest (though I didn’t catch them), and are scheduled to play Jazz Fest.

As a side note, in the episode, Baby Boyz played in front of Muriel’s on Jackson Square, a favorite restaurant of mine since first moving here. I ate there last weekend with friends from Connecticut and we all had our fill of lump crab meat, tender white fish and insanely good bread pudding. I’d already fallen in love with the lunch menu, waited in extra long lines at FQFest 2 years running to get the crawfish goat cheeses crepes, but I’d yet to sample the supper menu. The prix fixe menu was a great deal with amazing 3 course meals for $31.95.

Last but not least, John Boutte, who was featured several times on the episode and originated The Treme Song, was one of the many wonderful artists to play last year’s free concert, Threadhead Thursday. His voice is as gentle and bold as his smile. Seeing him got me excited for this year’s Threadhead Thursday which leads the way for Jazz Fest. This Thursday, the beautiful Botanical Gardens of City Park will once again host many of the talented musicians who record on the post-Katrina rebuilding label, Threadhead Records. From 6pm to 11pm, Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs, Paul Sanchez & the Rolling Road Show, The New Orleans Nightcrawlers, The Alex McMurray Band and Ensemble Fatien will all play surrounded by the beauty and fragrance of the lush flowers – for FREE! Watching Treme is fun but living in the city it tries so hard and so well to replicate and illuminate is like heaven on Earth.

The official HBO press release:

It’s more than a year since Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. The national spotlight on the Crescent City has dimmed, and residents are finding it harder than ever to rebuild their lives. Some have become expatriates in distant cities. The insurance checks that never arrived for homeowners were followed by the bureaucratic nightmare that was the Road Home program, and a land-grab is underway as developers and disaster capitalists press their advantage. Crime and drug use are up, and corruption and graft are endemic, with civic institutions unable to counter any of it.

photo courtesy of HBO

And yet the culture of New Orleans somehow endures.

While the spirit is alive in New Orleans, its residents are still dealing with loss – of homes, jobs and loved ones. In the wake of her brother’s death, Ladonna (Khandi Alexander) helps her mother move out of her old home and upriver to Baton Rouge, while worrying about the increasingly dangerous conditions in the neighborhood. Toni Bernette (Melissa Leo, recent Oscar®-winner for “The Fighter”) helps her daughter, Sofia (India Ennenga), cope with Creighton’s death, while still assisting others in finding answers for their own losses. And Albert Lambreaux (Clarke Peters) is forced out of his temporary residence and must make ends meet with a meager insurance check.

In addition, New Orleans civil servants now have to contend with the shocking rise of crime, coupled with the mysterious loss of funds essential to the restoration of the city. Lieutenant Terry Colson (David Morse) is caught in the crossfire, dealing with the current crime wave and still trying to sort out the truth in the wreckage of the past.

photo courtesy of HBO

TREME’s musicians are trying to survive as well, with mixed results. Antoine Batiste (Wendell Pierce) maintains the lifestyle of a musician, despite persistent challenges from his girlfriend Desiree and a lack of funds, and entertains the idea of leading his own band. Yet as the New Orleans school system comes back to life, he also finds himself drawn to the very place where the city’s musical culture begins.

Meanwhile, Annie Tee’s (Lucia Micarelli) profile is on the rise, while she continues her relationship with DJ Davis McAlary (Steve Zahn), who now has fresh musical ambitions of his own. On the other hand, Annie’s ex-boyfriend Sonny (Michiel Huisman) – though presented with a genuine opportunity – must first contend with his own demons. Meanwhile, renowned trumpeter Delmond Lambreaux (Rob Brown) has been joined in New York by chef Janette Desautel (Kim Dickens), both pursuing their careers there, but feeling the tug of their native culture.

“We are following the actual timeline of post-Katrina New Orleans as a means of understanding what happened – and what didn’t happen – when an American city suffered a near-death experience,” says David Simon. “In doing so, we’re trying to address ourselves to what the American experiment has become and what possibilities remain for us.

“We are an urban people now. How we live together – and of what we are capable or incapable of achieving as an urban people is going to define our future,” he adds. “New Orleans and its recent history speaks to that.”

David Morse (“The Hurt Locker”; HBO’s “John Adams”) and India Ennenga, both featured in the first season of TREME, become series regulars, along with new cast member Jon Seda (the upcoming “Larry Crowne”; HBO’s “The Pacific”), playing Nelson Hildago, who arrives fresh from Dallas to avail himself of the unique opportunities that New Orleans could offer some in the wake of Katrina.

photo courtesy of HBO

The returning ensemble cast of TREME includes: Wendell Pierce (HBO’s “The Wire,” the HBO documentary “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts”); Khandi Alexander (“CSI: Miami,” HBO’s Emmy®-winning “The Corner”); Clarke Peters (“Damages,” HBO’s “The Wire” and “The Corner”); Rob Brown (“Stop-Loss,” “Finding Forrester”); Steve Zahn (“A Perfect Getaway,” “Sunshine Cleaning”); Kim Dickens (HBO’s “Deadwood”); Melissa Leo (Oscar® winner for “The Fighter”; Oscar® nominee for “Frozen River”); Lucia Micarelli; and Michiel Huisman (“The Young Victoria”).

National and Louisiana-based musical performers featured in the second season of TREME include Dr. John, Juvenile, John Hiatt, Lucia Micarelli, Steve Earle, Shawn Colvin, the subdudes, the Radiators, Henry Butler, Wanda Rouzan, Cyril Neville, Christian Scott, Donald Harrison Jr., Ron Carter, Kermit Ruffins, Rebirth Brass Band, Galactic, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Hot 8 Brass Band, Leroy Jones, John Boutte, Paul Sanchez, Glen David Andrews, Susan Cowsill, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Steve Riley, Katey Red, Big Freedia, Sissy Nobby, Ingrid Lucia, Mem Shannon, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, Tom McDermott, George Porter, Evan Christopher and members of the Pineleaf Boys and Redstick Ramblers, among many others.

photo courtesy of HBO

In addition to Simon and Overmyer, Nina K. Noble also serves as an executive producer. Anthony Hemingway is the supervising producer. In addition to Simon and Overmyer, the writing staff includes consulting producer George Pelecanos and executive producer (episodes 11-13) James Yoshimura, as well as New Orleans-based writers Tom Piazza, Lolis Eric Elie and Mari Kornhauser. Noted food writer and author Anthony Bourdain (“Kitchen Confidential”) also joins the writing staff this season.

The first season of TREME was Emmy® -nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Agnieszka Holland, “Do You Know What It Means (Pilot)”) and for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics (Steve Earle, “This City”). In addition, the series was nominated for Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television, or other Visual Media and Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (Steve Earle, “This City”).

TREME was created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer; executive producers, David Simon, Nina K. Noble, Eric Overmyer, Carolyn Strauss; executive producer (episodes 11-13), James Yoshimura; supervising producer, Anthony Hemingway; directors, Brad Anderson, Rob Bailey, Adam Davidson, Roxann Dawson, Ernest Dickerson, Anthony Hemingway, Agnieszka Holland, Simon Cellan Jones, Tim Robbins, Alex Zakrzewski; writers, Lolis Eric Elie, Mari Kornhauser, Eric Overmyer, George Pelecanos, Tom Piazza, David Simon, James Yoshimura, Anthony Bourdain.

Club Promoter for hire

Resume:
Club Sound (Quit as bar manager)
Babylon (Top Club in SLC) Fired, then tried to take babylon to RAGE #majorfail and lost litigation with the Pierpont.
Club RAGE (#majorfail) 2008
Club Sound (#majorfail) Present

Everything he touches seems to turn to stone. Dispite his reputation for being the worst promoter in Utah, it has been reported to Salty that he is now trying to take Dave and Eric’s position at Babylon. Not cool.
We are sorry Paul, we love you to death, but try to do something other than promote clubs. It just isn’t working. I hate to make fun of you, but my whole staff is over club wars. Seriously.

 

Jack and the Beanstalk character for hire

Resume:

“Fi-fi-fo-fum” (1987- present)
Girl wants an the blood of an Englishman! (1987-present)

jk passion :p love you. good luck @ the pageant!

Resume:
His parents own apple.
He is an rising movie star, check him out in theaters!
His mom is an FBI agent.
He recently vacationed in Paris, France.
He has lawyers.

With all the money this kid has he would make a wonder philanthropist!

Police Officer for Hire

Resume:
Lost two consecutive twink offs against his bffs.
Helps promote for pure.
Excellent at beating down naughty boys with his disco stick.
 Updated:
100% coke binge comedown free

Looking for late night shifts for extra income! He will guard your back entrances for an extra fee!

Less than two weeks to go ’til Xmas. What presents do we have in store for y’all between now and then? Stay tuned.

Today, a couple of tunes from white trash cowboys, The Saddle Tramps, which feature two of our favorite activities. One’s a truckin’ song, and the other is a dysfunctional family Holiday drinkin’ tune. That just about sums this little ole site pretty well, doesn’t it?

Bonus Re-posts today continue our survey of some of our favorite Xmas drinking songs from years past. The Dalhart Imperials, The Hot Rods, The Iguanas, and Paul Sanchez bring Santa’s whiskey and chaser this time around.

Santa’s Got 18 Wheels and a Six Pack

The Saddle Tramps: Christmas Behind The Wheel (mp3)

The Saddle Tramps: For Christ’s Sake It’s Christmas (mp3)

Bonus Boozy Stocking Stuffer Re-Posts Part 3

Dalhart Imperials: Old Man Spivey’s Egg Nogg (mp3)

The Hot Rods: Santa’s Too Drunk To Drive (mp3)

Paul Sanchez: Drunk This Christmas (mp3)

The Iguanas: Reindeer’n'Whiskey (mp3)

Please consider dropping some change into those red buckets with the bell ringer this Christmas season.

Less than two weeks to go ’til Xmas. What presents do we have in store for y’all between now and then? Stay tuned.

Today, a couple of tunes from white trash cowboys, The Saddle Tramps, which feature two of our favorite activities. One’s a truckin’ song, and the other is a dysfunctional family Holiday drinkin’ tune. That just about sums this little ole site pretty well, doesn’t it?

Bonus Re-posts today continue our survey of some of our favorite Xmas drinking songs from years past. The Dalhart Imperials, The Hot Rods, The Iguanas, and Paul Sanchez bring Santa’s whiskey and chaser this time around.

Santa’s Got 18 Wheels and a Six Pack

The Saddle Tramps: Christmas Behind The Wheel (mp3)

The Saddle Tramps: For Christ’s Sake It’s Christmas (mp3)

Bonus Boozy Stocking Stuffer Re-Posts Part 3

Dalhart Imperials: Old Man Spivey’s Egg Nogg (mp3)

The Hot Rods: Santa’s Too Drunk To Drive (mp3)

Paul Sanchez: Drunk This Christmas (mp3)

The Iguanas: Reindeer’n'Whiskey (mp3)

Please consider dropping some change into those red buckets with the bell ringer this Christmas season.

Tom Hanks “gives one of the towering screen performances of all time” (New York Post) as Chuck Noland, a FedEx systems engineer whose ruled-by-the-clock existence abruptly ends when a harrowing plane crash leaves him isolated on a remote island. As Chuck

Cast Away is a good movie that wants to be much better. While director Robert Zemeckis’s earlier film Contact achieved a kind of mainstream spiritual significance, Cast Away falls just short of that goal. That may explain why the film’s most emotionally powerful scene involves the loss of an inanimate object, even as it presents a heart-rending dilemma in its very human final act.

It’s three movies in one, beginning when punctuality-obsessed Federal Express systems engineer Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) departs on Christmas Eve to escort an ill-fated flight of FedEx packages. Following a mid-Pacific plane crash, movie number two chronicles Chuck’s four-year survival on a remote island, totally alone save for a Wilson volleyball (aptly named “Wilson”) that becomes Chuck’s closest “friend.” Movie number three leads up to Chuck’s rescue and an awkward encounter with his ex-girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt, in a thankless role), for whom Chuck has seemingly risen from the grave.

It’s fascinating to witness Chuck’s emerging survival skills, and Hanks’s remarkable physical transformation is matched by his finely tuned performance. With slow, rhythmic camera moves and brilliant use of sound, Zemeckis wisely avoids the postcard prettiness of The Black Stallion and The Blue Lagoon to emphasize the harshness of Chuck’s ascetic solitude, and this stylistic restraint allows Cast Away to resonate more than one might expect. Even the final scene–which feels like a crowd-pleasing compromise–offers hope without shoving it down our throats. You may not feel the emotional rush that you’re meant to feel, but Cast Away remains a respectable effort. –Jeff Shannon Cast Away is a good movie that wants to be much better. While director Robert Zemeckis’s earlier film Contact achieved a kind of mainstream spiritual significance, Cast Away falls just short of that goal. That may explain why the film’s most emotionally powerful scene involves the loss of an inanimate object, even as it presents a heart-rending dilemma in its very human final act.

It’s three movies in one, beginning when punctuality-obsessed Federal Express systems engineer Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) departs on Christmas Eve to escort an ill-fated flight of FedEx packages. Following a mid-Pacific plane crash, movie number two chronicles Chuck’s four-year survival on a remote island, totally alone save for a Wilson volleyball (aptly named “Wilson”) that becomes Chuck’s closest “friend.” Movie number three leads up to Chuck’s rescue and an awkward encounter with his ex-girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt, in a thankless role), for whom Chuck has seemingly risen from the grave.

It’s fascinating to witness Chuck’s emerging survival skills, and Hanks’s remarkable physical transformation is matched by his finely tuned performance. With slow, rhythmic camera moves and brilliant use of sound, Zemeckis wisely avoids the postcard prettiness of The Black Stallion and The Blue Lagoon to emphasize the harshness of Chuck’s ascetic solitude, and this stylistic restraint allows Cast Away to resonate more than one might expect. Even the final scene–which feels like a crowd-pleasing compromise–offers hope without shoving it down our throats. You may not feel the emotional rush that you’re meant to feel, but Cast Away remains a respectable effort. –Jeff Shannon

Cast Away (Widescreen Edition) is available at Amazon for $9.99. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

Want to get some other Format / Binding / Version? You can search for them from here

Other Products of Interest

• Independence Day (Five Star Collection)
• I, Robot (Widescreen Edition)
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Widescreen Edition)
• I Am Legend (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition with Digital Copy)
• The Day After Tomorrow (Widescreen Edition)

Now, THAT’S someone working to exact real change!

Way to go, Paul!

I always forget how much I love them. I let little thins stand in my way sometimes, which is stupid. But then I decide to introduce someone to the band and I remember it’s like a crack addiction. You get over it, but you always relapse and it’s a long road from there. Not negative, but it’s all consuming. I will pretty much bet you money I won’t be listening to much else for a few weeks. And the worst part about this, I realized a while ago that I don’t have Voodoo Shop, their most recent album. That made me sad because I desperately wanted to hear a song called “The Avenue” and I can’t. Altho it might be on the desktop. I don’t recall.

Okay, okay, I’m going to stop going on about a band you’ve probably never heard of and will not understand the passion for until you experience it yourself. They’re amazing and if you ever get the chance go see them. It will be the BEST live show of your life. I promise. If it’s not, I will personally refund the money you spent on the ticket. And if it was free, I’ll buy you a beer. Swear to god. And yeah, I’ll keep my word. Yall have a good night. I’m gonna go try to find that album.