Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-State Coalition

It was the daily grind and I was headed home at about 2:45 in the afternoon after a hellish day of dealing with teenagers who were ready for summer vacation to "be here already." I was driving back up the Alluvial terrace of the old Mississippi River towards Ponchatoula over the edge of the Manchac Swamp up onto higher ground when I heard IT! WWOZ was on the car stereo and I was about to doze asleep at the wheel and a honky tonk piano and a voice caught my attention. It was Jimbo Mathus  singing a  song in his Delta drawl, " There's too much water, under the bridge." I was knocked out! I sat back up straight and tried to focus so I would not fall asleep at the wheel, a problem I seem to have at that time of day for some reason. I was familiar with Mathus. He had been a member of the Squirrel Nut Zippers. But this stuff was different. It was roots oriented and had a familiar feel to it. 

 I had twenty  minutes left on the commute home and the DJ was interviewing Jimbo. He was talking about what influences guided his creativity. It was something about being in a musical family and growing up in Mississippi. They went on to play  some cuts off of "Confederate Buddha," his latest CD. There were some astonishing twin lead guitar licks, a lively honky tonk piano and some solid, hard core influences that could be heard from The Delta all the way to Georgia. The Allman Brothers came to mind at first. Maybe some North Mississippi Hill Country Blues and just some greasy slide guitar to cement it all together with enough of traditional blues to make it gell just right.

I entered the house and  asked Dan to check the Ogden Museum music show listings. I told him I thought I recalled that Jimbo was going to be at The Ogden at 6:00 down in NOLA that evening. He looked at the schedule online while I went and stretched out on the bed for 15 minutes. I was feeling very exhausted for some reason and I really was not up to it. But I kept hearing in my head that honky tonk piano. Dan came back to the bedroom and told me we had a road trip to make! Jimbo was performing at 6:00 at  The Ogden Museum!

We drove on down to NOLA in anticipation. We got to The Ogden a bit early and there were a lot of patrons there going in for a cocktail party reception on the third floor. They were not letting in regular members until right at 6:00. So we went for a walk to get a cool drink a block away. By the time we returned we were able to get in and get a seat right up front.

The show came on and it turned out to be a big disappointment, not because of the show itself, but because the noise from the party above drowned out a lot of  the sound from Jimbo  Mathus and guitar player Matt Pierce. The whole band was not there. I was aching for the whole band, The Tri-State Coalition. I was aching for the piano. But, together they put on a solid show and they held an interview which was interesting. Jimbo talked about the musical influences of his mother and father. His whole family spent a lot of time making music at home throughout his childhood.

Towards the end of the show, the noise was extremely loud from up above. I found myself getting angry about it. The fact remained that his whole band would be at DBA across town at 10:00 that night intrigued me. But, that would mean hanging around town from 8 - 10:00 and getting back to Ponchatoula around 2:00 am. and I had to work the next day.  I was feeling wrung out and very exhausted. I told Dan I did not think I could do it. We went back to Ponchatoula  vowing to see Jimbo with the whole band as soon as we could.
Jimbo has one of the best stage presences I have ever seen. It was as if he emoted the fact that to perform for others is his entire existence. I admire that in a performer.

I prepared for bed and realized I had not taken my thyroid meds for THREE DAYS. I don't know how or why I skipped them, but I had not done so. That explained why I felt so poorly.

So, doing some research before bed, I found out that he was playing the Baton Rouge Blues Festival soon. That was something on the music calendar already because we had heard that Carol Fran and Tabby Thomas were going to be there.  Talk around Louisiana was that they had both suffered strokes, but would be performing anyway.

On May 7th, we headed off to Baton Rouge around 10:00 am. I was drenched in sunscreen yet I was expecting to get a bad sunburn anyway.  Dan and picked up Larry and we set off to the festival. We brought our our lawn chairs in the trunk. On the ride over, Dan and Larry talked about all sorts of trivia. They get bogged down into details of recordings, dates, who's who on records, producers, mixers, equipment, etc. I absorb some of it, research a bit of it, but I am more fascinated with the stage business. Recordings are nice, but for me it is all about the LIVE performance.

We got there before the big acts were up. A High School Blues band was playing when we arrived. They were good considering their age and situation. (Since I am posting about Jimbo Mathus at this point, I am going to skip information about the other bands that were at the Festival with the exception of Carol Fran and Tabby Thomas.)

Eric Carlton

Jimbo Mahtus

When Jimbo Mathus came on the stage, the shade had creeped forward up to the front rail. I got up from my lawn chair to rail hug to take photos and possibly get in the shade a bit. Jimbo kicked of the show and he rocked us and performed  with conviction.

I was mesmerized by the whole show. The twin guitar riffs on "Jimmy the Kid,"  the drawl in Jimbo's voice when he sings  "Cling to the roots," and the honky tonk piano, and Jimbo's harmonica riffs,  all mesh together, highlighting the influences of Southern Rock, Mississippi Hill Country Blues, and traditional Blues as known on the Delta.

Highlights of that set, for me was the twin guitar riffs and Jimbo singing a sad "she done me wrong song" with lyrics that said "You tore out my heart" with such conviction, one was sure that he had  definitely suffered lost love before.  The song "Cling to the roots," which is about the disasters that can befall anyone living in the Mississippi Delta hit home hit home with me, having gone through several floods and many hurricanes in my lifetime.
The song   "Days of High Cotton," hint that life goes in and out of fortune, in an out of social injustices. One can imagine Jimbo hanging around with some of the Kimbrough family members discussing racial oppression of the early 1900's. Heavy stuff.

After their set, Dan and I wandered down into some shade and met up with drummer  and keyboard player Eric Carlton. We had a nice chat and Eric told us about a festival in Mississippi coming up named "Hamstock."  Dan and I vowed that we would try to make it up to Jackson for that. It was fun to speak to the band members like that.
 

Jimbo Mathus

Blues Legend Tabby Thomas

After Jimbo Mathus left, we got to see Carol Fran and Tabby Thomas backed up by Henry Butler on piano, and Chad  Willis on Bass. I don't know the names of the rest of the band members, but it was wonderful stuff. It was a treat to see that their health was not going to stop their wonderful performance. I was mesmerized by Miss Carol! She still has "it." She had the crowd mesmerized!

Blues Maven Carol Fran

Bass player Chad Willis,  and an  unknown to me harp player

So, later that month, Dan and I went up to Jackson Mississippi  to "Hamstock," a festival to raise money for a handicapped playground for children in need. It was a family affair. There was a barbecue competition and the barbecue feast was delicious. It turned out that the temperature outdoors was hovering over the 100 degree mark. I thought I was going to be miserable, but there was a strong breeze about and we fortified ourselves with several bottles of ice cold water. The barbecue people were winding down and pulling out just when the music was being cranked out so the crowd was small. We  had  our chairs up close to the band and it was a wonderful show. Jimbo was up right after dusk and gave us an awesome show. Those twin guitar licks knocked me out again. AND the piano! I don't want  you to think the whole show is filled with twin guitar, but it shows up now and again just to whet my appetite. I think it is all about Jimbo's drawl,  and the Blues influence that makes it all worth while. The music has a groove and feel to it that feels right.

Eric Carlton

Justin Shaw

Matt Pierce

Jimbo Mathus

We got to meet The Bailey Brothers, a band that performed before Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-State Coalition.  I was impressed by their performance. I went over to find them after take down to get a CD. As I paid them for the purchase and got them to autograph it, they mentioned that Jimbo had produced it. We stayed there for about 15 minutes chit chatting with them.

Before the performance, Jimbo was hanging around selling CD's with a statue of Buddha on the table. He was inviting people to rub Buddha's head. That confused me. I always thought it was lucky to rub his belly, not his head I told Jimbo that I had enjoyed the performance at The Baton Rouge Blues Festival. He said, "Man, it was extremely hot up there. How about the Carol Fran Lady? WOW!"  I agreed that she was awesome. I said, "Thank you for the performance."  He said, "You are welcome!"  I went away so he could sell CD's.

Ever since these festivals, The Bailey Brothers and Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-state Coalition 's CD's have been on my rotation stack in my CD player.

Patty McGehee

Next: A post about  The Bailey Brothers, the band  that has a new album produced  by Jimbo Mathis.

Michael Juan Nunez and The American Electric June 18th, 2011 at The Blue Moon Saloon

By Patty McGehee:

Dan and I drove all the way out to the outskirts of Lafayette and by chance passed by Hamilton's Place, a famous Juke Joint of times gone by. I never went to Hamilton's Place, but Michael Juan Nunez has written a cool song about it. Clifton Chenier played many gigs there. Juan's song and video are very cool, indeed. Dan and I made a turn around so I could take photos. I took some and then he took a shot of me in front.We were wasting time before going to see Juan at The Blue Moon. We had some time to kill after eating out for dinner.

The front of the building faces the highway and these days there is a subdivision across the street from it. I understand that during its heyday, it was in the woods. Louisiana Life Magazine published a really neat article about it a couple of years ago and I was interested in it

At the end of "Water and Steel" Juan is about to snap 

After taking photos,
we went off on a little
shopping spree and wound up at The Blue Moon right in time for the show. It was  a hot night and we sweated a lot, but it was worth it.

Chad is working up a sweat

On "The Main Line" on " Pocket Full of Jesus"

The show was hard core Blues with Juan focused on slide techniques. Dudley played the  drums with a lot of "extras." He tapped here, pinged there, and he put emphasis on one of Juan's licks while Chad held down the bottom.  It was delightful. Juan ended the show with  his psychedelic slide techniques that he creates by loosening  the strings and fiddling around with a beer bottle slide. It is fun stuff. Most of the songs were original, filled in with well chosen covers of interesting Blues. Highlights of the night were Juan's "I Don't mind Gettin'  and  "Pocket Full of Jesus," a satire about a crooked television evangelist.

Juan gets heavy on "When the Levee Breaks."

On the way back to Ponchatoula, we had to go through a DWI check point on Louisiana Avenue in Lafayette. That was very intimidating and scary even though Dan does not drink at all. The officer seemed menacing and it was weird   to have 20 officers standing along side the road watching a as you go through an s curve obstacle course. Having a flashlight shined in one's eyes for no just cause is really rude. I was a nervous wreck. I had a sense that they would just jump in the car and manhandle me if I made one weird move. I was scared of them, for some reason, even though we were not breaking the law. It put a damper on a great night.

I know they do that a lot in Lafayette, but it was no fun for us, even though we do not drink and drive at all.

Juan, Patty, and Chad after the show.

End of an Era: The Radiators and Fish Head Music make a last stand By Patty McGehee

All photos by Patty McGehee except the last one:

One cool Sunday night in the winter we drove  over to Lafayette to go to The Blue Moon Saloon to see The Radiators play one of the last shows that they were ever going to perform. They had been in the news and giving interviews telling the public that they were disbanding after all these years. Dan and I had been following them from way back when. We followed the musicians in their various groups BEFORE they had formed The Radiatiors. (Gosh, Dan  and I are getting old!)

On the long ride over we talked about our love of following the band members during their various incarnations:

Dan recalled following  them when they were The Dogs.  I don't recall The Dogs, but I followed  Dustwoofie around during my senior year of high school (1972) because my then boyfriend Phillip Richardson was in the band with Dave Malone.

I have vivid memories of Dustwoofie playing just before a concert at Tulane University to open for Chuck Berry. I was able to stand right in front of Chuck Berry and if I had wanted to, I could have reached forward and touched him because there was no stage. The band was set up at floor level against a wall.

I remember being impressed that Phillip was so talented. He was playing a steel pedal guitar in that band. He was a very good drummer as I recall and he played piano around his house just to please his mother. He had a sort of music studio set up in the above ground basement in his parents Old Metairie home. There was a drum kit, guitars, the steel pedal set up, and a kick ass stereo system down there.

Lots of jam sessions were held there. It is a great probability that Dave Malone was one of the musicians that jammed there.  I have no recollection of any of the names of the people now except one.  That is acoustic  guitar player/vocalist Garland Ogden. I got to know him very well because he was the boyfriend of my favorite friend, Wanda. Phillip went off to Austin Texas in 1973 to study music.  I lost track of him over the years. I believe I saw I him on Austin City Limits one time playing the  steel guitar backing up a woman vocalist. Garland is a policeman  these days.

I first saw The Rhapsodizers at Luigi's Pizza Parlor out near UNO on weekends when I went down to NOLA from Hammond where I was attending school at SLU. I was fascinated by Becky Kury, their Bass player. I started to look for their shows just to see Becky. I recall some shows at The Dream Palace. I went there with various dates, being more interested in the band than the boys I convinced to take me. Becky was so fascinating to watch.  When Dan and I got together, we went to see The Rhapsodizers at The Red Lion Tavern  in Hammond, La and at a "ain't dere no more" place in Abita Springs, La.  named "The Barn." It was close by where The Abita Brew Pub is now, as I recall. I was stunned and very unhappy to learn of Becky's death. She died of complications of her asthma. I walked around for about a week in shock. She was so alive and vibrant on  stage I could not imagine her being gone.

Four years after Dan and I got together, we moved to NOLA, got married,  and we spent a lot of time running around at The Maple Leaf, Tipitina's, The Dream Palace, and Jimmy's. By that time, The Rhapsodizers had disbanded and among lots of other performers, we saw The Radiators play a lot of gigs. Of course, we attended MOM'S Ball, also.This was the time of our lives when Dan and I seemed to dance together a lot and I have a lot of memories of us dancing to The Radiators. We were officially called "Fish heads " by our friends and of course were well versed in "The Laws Of The fish  philosophy:" Big fish eats little fish, so the little fish better run away or outsmart the big fish...... We spent Mardi Gras at The Dream Palace watching the band and all of the crazy goings on that went along with Mardi Gras back in those days.

Back to the show at The Blue Moon:
It was a very low key show for the Rad's that night. It was like being at a private party since The Blue Moon was filled up with only about 75 people.  The air was a bit damp and I found myself get very cold as the night went on. The band spent a lot of time hanging around  eating Jambalaya that was cooked in the kitchen. The show was sponsored by "Let's make it totally clear" and Dave Egan sneaked me out a bowl of it to to eat because I was starving.

Michael Juan Nunez

Dege Legg

 

Opening up for The Radiators was my good friend Michael Juan Nunez. He was  paired up for this gig with Dege Legg. They played an acoustic set that was astonishingly good. Right after they finished playing, Juan was headed out the door. I tried to get  him to stay, but he claimed that Sunday night at his home was special family time for Sunday dinner and he would not miss it for anything. His wife and girls were waiting dinner on him.

Catch Dege's latest news at  http://degeleggnews.blogspot.com/         
Catch Michael Juan Nunez at   http://www.michaeljuannunez.bandzoogle.com/fr_tae.cfm           

Talking with Frank:

We got to talk a while with Frank Bua about the band's breakup. He was sad that it was happening, but he assured us that he was not about to put up HIS drum sticks and he had every intention of forming some new venture as time passed, but at that point in time, he was unsure as to what that project would be. He said that Ed was just unable to continue. It was too exhausting for him at this point. I asked him to see that they played the song "Red dress." He said, "No way that's gonna happen. Ed hates to play that song." I said, "Well, then  that is a shame 'cause everyone LOVES it." He gave me a hug and then asked us to come visit his restaurant in Mandeville, La. "Man, I have the best food there. Ya'll come eat over there soon." He went on describing the menu and Dan promised to go one day soon.

Camille Boudoin and Dave Malon, Reggie Scanlan on Bass

Dave Malone and Frank Bua on drums

The Radiatiors put on a show that was probably the shortest Rads show ever played, but it was tight and clean. Dave did not seem to be enjoying it much. Frank smiled all night long. I especially loved when they played Dave's song,  "I don't speak Love," and "Where was you at?"  "Screwloose," was my favorite song of the night.  I did not leave disappointed. I had to work the next day so as soon as they stopped playing we had to get in the car and run for it.

His Holiness Ed Volker Preaches The Law Of The Fish at The Blue Moon Saloon

At Lafayette Square

Wednesday at The Square:

Later on in the Spring, at Wednesday At The Square, they put on an incredible show. It was a cool, rainy day and most people shunned WATS because they thought it was going to rain. It sprinkled a tiny bit but not enough to stop the show. We arrived early to put up some chairs. After being there for a short time, I realized I had under dressed and I was flat out cold. I was wearing flip flops, and a tank shirt.  I went back to the car and was happy to find that there was pair of socks and  my Aspen Crocs in the trunk along with a shawl and an extra shirt  I had left in there from the weekend before. Once I was dressed a bit warmer, I went back to find that a crowd of minimal size had come. It was a wonderful performance with the highlight that they performed "Red Dress." The crowd went wild screaming and jumping up and down. Of course, I was rail  hugging up front for a while screaming along with the die hards! We were with friends that we had met up with and we really enjoyed the afternoon.

The Rad's at Jazz Fest:

Later on in the Spring, people kept asking me if I was going to The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. I had been shunning it for years due to the fact that I just can't take hours in the heat and sun. I kept telling everyone, "No. I am not going." Well, to make a long story short, an old friend provided a close friend of mine with two tickets and a invitation to dinner with him after the last day of Jazz Fest. So, since it was supposed to be the last time the Rads played Jazz Fest I said, "Yes." Off we went to Jazz Fest and I don't regret it after all, but I did have to plan our strategy to not get heat stroke.

We survived the day by going to see most of the music that day in the Blues Tent.(I will blog about that later.) We left the tent in time to catch the close out show featuring The Radiators and we were amazed to find that we could actually walk up and rail hug up to the area for Brass Pass ticket holders.  We were as far up front as one can get without Brass Passes! The crowd was very excited and friendly.

The highlights of the show was the appearance of guest performers that enhanced the Rads prowess. Michael Doucet was playing  fiddle when they played  Dylan's "You ain't going Nowhere."  I was floored! It just kept getting better and better. Warren Haynes came up. Then a Conga player, who's name I don't know (Someone clue me in here!) and then the horn section from Bonerama.

Dave Malone  with Bonerama

Ed Volker

Warren Haynes, Camille Boudoin  and Dave Malone

Warren Haynes

I think the best thing they did that day was "Never let your fire go out," or maybe "River Run." But it knocked me out when they played "I like it like that," an old tune co written by Chris Kenner  and Fats Domino. Of people of a certain age, raised on New Orleans music, that songs speaks to the memory of the birth of Rock N Roll, NOLA style. The day was ending and my friend was weary and exhausted. So we slipped off to go eat our rendevous dinner At The Port Of Call with the man who gifted us the tickets.  The day's music was  ringing in our ears. I phoned Dan  while waiting for the entree's to arrive. I gushed to him about the show. He said he was cool as a cumber "lying on the sofa."
It was a wonderful day and I am glad I survived the heat and the sun to witness the goodbye, for me,  of special musical friends. The Last Watusi show was sold out and I did not have tickets, so this was My farewell. Goodbye, gentleman. It has been a fascinating time. You hold the top place in my memory banks as the best party band in my time.

Patty and Lana

Michael Juan Nunez and the American Electric Text and photos by Patty McGehee

One of my favorite bands to see is spearheaded by Michael Juan Nunez. He has Dudley Fruge on drums, and Chad Willis on Bass. Juan hails out of Erath, Louisiana. He is a devoted family man, but don't let that fact make you think he can't ROCK it hard as nails.

Juan plays a mean slide guitar and writes wonderful songs. He has payed his dues touring with Zachary Richard and others. The first time I can remember seeing him he was sitting in with Roddie Romero and the Hub City Allstars, a band that I follow around a lot. Juan caught my attention big time that day. I kept trying to remember where/when I had seen him play before but I could not put a finger on a specific place. After meeting Juan in person, (See previous blogs where I explain that ) Dan and I spent all last year and the first few months of 2011 following MJN everywhere: Biloxi, Hattiesberg, Gulfport, and Ocean Springs Miss., Abbeyville, Baton Rouge, Scott, and Lafayette, La.



                                                                               

View of the Sales Barn Interior: Note the cattle arena is under the stage .

My favorite show of the bunch was the Christmas show at The Richard Sales Barn, Abbeyville, La. also known as Bayou Legendaire. The Sale Barn is a converted cattle sale barn which has a amphitheater  like setting of wooden seats in the half round which creates a cozy intimate setting. It is very hard for me to describe this place. It is a "must go to see in person" venue. It is run by a non profit organization determined to maintain the music of Louisiana and the Sale Barn as  an historic building preserving the history of cattle as intertwined in Cajun culture.

At the Christmas show, Juan surprised us all by introducing a song to us about "this guy that really had a reason to have the Blues....." Then the band launched into one of the most hard core blues riffs  I have ever heard live...but...but....wait... SURPRISE! It was "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!" The song kicked off right at the moment Juan's wife, mother, and two daughters were walking in the place and the look on their faces was priceless.

He had kept that song secret from them as a surprise. It was fun to be a witness of his family's reaction to that moment.The feeling that I remember feeling the most is that at that point I felt like I was in the very best place I could ever be in that moment of time. Dan and I were cozy and relaxed, the show was great.

There were many memorable moments during our forays into the night to catch Juan. One of my overall favorite nights was a heavy Blues set performed inside at The Shed in Ocean Springs. Normally, the music there is performed outside, but the weather was cold so they set up inside.
Juan let a child play with the guitar at the end of the show, helping him get the feel of the slide. 

Dudley Fruge is a treasure. His style of drumming is all about the "details," the nuances that he eeks out of the kit. A ping here, a tap there, brushwork..... a backbeat when needed...

Voice of The Wetlands "Guitar Fight" with Josh Garrett

Voice of The Wetlands, Houma, La.

Gulfport with Drew Landry

Excellent Bassist - Chad Willis at Antlers. Lafayette, La.

MJN at Antlers Lafayette, La.

On the "Mainline"  during "Pocket Full of Jesus" - Michael Juan Nunez

Michael Juan Nunez

Chad Willis plays his heart out 

NJN at The Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, La. 

Another was the night we saw Juan at Somewhere's Else Lounge. No one was there that night except the staff, three other people, and us, but Juan, Chad, and Dudley played it as if they were in front of an arena. That show was extremely powerful and two of Juan's songs from that night stand out in my memory: "Rusted Blade" and "Pocket Full of Jesus."

Michael Juan Nunez and The American Electric was a major act during Festival International 2011. I was not there, however.  Plans changed at the last minute and we went elsewhere. After all, Lafayette is 90 minutes away and there were so many choices to make during festival season. I felt like a traitor....

I do believe it is a toss up for me to decide which of his songs I like the best, "Pocket Full of Jesus," "Rusted Blade," "Punks like You," or "Don't mind Gettin." I LOVE them all...There link to their  website so you may be able to catch one of their shows. http://www.michaeljuannunez.com


Patty McGehee

Kevin Sekhani at The House Of Blues Foundation Room, NOLA Dec.10th, 2010

I was looking at Facebook and Kevin sent out a message that he had some comp tickets for the show so I sent him a message. He put Dan and I on the list.

This was last minute, so we hurried up and got dressed and we were out the door at 8:45 headed to NOLA. We got to the Quarter about 9:05. As we were headed to One Canal Place to park, we got to see Chad Willis walking down the street with his Bass. We had seen Chad the night before at another concert with Juan Nunez, so it was a little surprise for us. Of course, we knew that these musicians all work together a lot. I was interested in hearing Chad play a different type of music.

Kevin Sekhani photo by Patty McGehee

Esther and Kevin photo by Patty McGehee

This was my first time going to the Foundation Room. It is a private club.  The decor is lavish, to say the least and The House Of Blues has spared no expense on this place. The area for the band set up is in front of the fireplace mantle. There are wonderful sofas to sit on. There are wall paintings, elaborate carved coffered ceilings, and nude statues in decorated niches  at the entrances to the rest rooms. The floor coverings in certain areas appeared to be real Persian rugs. I peeked into the dining room and it was lovely. I recognised several Saints players eating in the private dining nooks. Dan made a comment about them needing to be ready to play on Sunday and it was really a late night for them to be out.

Chad Willis photo by Patty McGehee

After looking all around,  we greeted the band and visited before the show. I teased Chad that I was "stalking" him because I had been to the last five shows he had played. We made small talk and Kevin explained that because the crowd was the "in and out" type, he would repeat his important songs when he saw waves of new people enter the club. The sets were not arranged concert style, but as background music to the happenings at the bar.

Greg Walls photo by Patty McGehee

We had to sit sharing a seat for part of the night until a group moved from a sofa and then we had primo seats right up front facing the band. It was like sitting in a comfortable living room. I was awed at how wonderful it all was. Kevin's band was made up of Kevin singing and on guitar, Chad Willis on Double Bass, Esther Tyree on fiddle, and Greg Walls on drums.

The music was very good, Americana style roots style music. Kevin had spent quite a number of years in Austin and the songs reflected that but that Lafayette roots style music rared its head up in the music. It was a very pleasing. To hear Esther's traditional Cajun style of fiddle right in the middle of the Austin sound made it unique. Chad is just about the best bass player I have heard in ages. He was awesome and Greg's drums were just powerful enough and did not over power the acoustic instruments.

Kevin's  song "Oil Field Tan" was wonderful. My favorite song of the night was "Wrong Direction." It has an emotional feel that seeps in your psyche. It got played a couple of times that night because of the changing crowd.

Esther and Chad did an intense jam at one point with emphasis on the fiddle. Esther shined. Kevin's voice has built in  heartfelt conviction: He writes all of this stuff. Impressive.

During a break, Greg Walls came over and talked to us about all of the projects he works on, including those with his other band, The Canes. It was good to get to know Greg a little better.


We left out the at night a bit shy of the end of the show. I was out of energy and had to throw in the towel. Dan drove us back to Ponchatoula. I laid back in my seat and drifted off to sleep.  I kept hearing that song "Wrong Direction" over and over in my head.

Since then, Kevin has been very popular in Lafayette and The Times of Acadiana  just published an article about his return to Lafayette from living in Austin. If you can, get out and catch one of his shows soon.

Patty McGehee

Michael Juan Nunez and Drew Landry-Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette La. 2/11/11

Michael Juan Nunez and Drew Landry

Written by Patty McGehee

Jonno, Juan, and Drew - photo by Patty McGehee

Dan, Larry, and I drove over to Lafayette Friday night to go to the Blue Moon to see Michael Juan Nunez and Drew Landry perform. In spite that it was a freezing cold night, about 100 people showed up to fill up the back porch.  The Blue Moon Saloon management had two butane heaters out there, but they barely made a dent in the chill.  

The three of us thought we were dressed warm enough, but since we rarely get below freezing temperatures here in South Louisiana, we were not prepared for the temperature as it dropped below freezing as midnight approached. I had on three layers and boots. It did no good. I got very cold in spite of this.

Patsy Grace and Jonno Frishberg took the stage first. It was hard to hear the performance because Patsy’s voice was not miked up very well and the crowd was not ready for a folk song type of performance at that point. I felt badly for her because the audience was too wound up to give her the quiet she needed to get her song across. After a few minutes the sound man upped the vocals and it made it easier to hear her beautiful voice.  It was bad circumstances. I was unable to take photos at that point because the digital camera had not cooled off to the temperature outside yet. Patsy did not introduce herself until she was almost finished. Later that night I asked her if she was scheduled to perform again sometime soon somewhere. She said, “No.” I think someone should have gone up before she started and introduced her. That would have been the polite thing to do.

Patty and  Drew  - photo by Dan McGehee

Drew Landry got up and sang two 

songs by himself. Drew writes songs 

with profound lyrics that have a 

deep connection to the soul of 

Louisiana. I am very much 

impressed by his writing abilities. 

Drew Landry - photo by Patty McGehee

After he was warmed up, it was wonderful to hear him play with a full band. Michael Juan Nunez was on lead, Chad Willis on bass, Jermaine Prejean on drums, and Jonno on fiddle. This set was fun to watch because Drew was excited and very happy to be on stage backed up by such talented friends. He played the song that he recorded with Dr. John about the oil spill. My favorite song was “Ninety Proof.” Drew gave me a copy of a CD with that song on it awhile back. I have wanted to hear a live performance of that song ever since. I was not disappointed.

Becca - photo by Patty McGehee

Drew sang “Would You Carry My Cross” accompanied by his mother, Becca Begnaud. She was beaming and very happy to be singing with her son. Becca and Drew sing harmony very well together and that was a treat. This is an especially well written, touching song. Drew’s dog, a Rhodesian Ridgeback named  Jackson was up on stage, getting into the action by stepping on Juan’s pedals, eating ice, and just snooping around. He finally went to sleep on top of Chad’s jacket right in the middle of all that music.

When writing his songs, Drew taps into the culture and traditions of native Louisiana, past and present. The next two songs he performed exemplified that experience. “Grobec,” the song also known by some fans as “The Game Warden’s song,” is haunting and forceful. It tells the story of a stubborn old timer that refuses to respect the importance of wild game conservation and lives to regret it. I really LOVE IT.

Juan and Drew - photo by Patty McGehee

The second song is about cock fighting. I think the lyrics go, “You can’t make a living with a chicken on a chain.” As I have mentioned before, cock fighting is part of my family history. I am not proud of it, but it “was what it was.”  The lyrics of  this song (written by a Mr. Richard) do not glorify it, either. It is about the sad fact that life fortunes and livelihoods were caught up in the ins and outs of gambling at the expense of the lives of chickens in a very inhumane manner. (Cockfighting was made illegal in Louisiana on August 15^th, 2008.)

Drew,  Jackson, the dog,  and Chad - photo by Patty McGehee

Drew Landry - photo by Patty McGehee

Jermaine Prejean - photo by Patty McGehee

The crowd was wound up and really into the performance, while taking turns huddled up to the butane heater. I found it impossible to get up under the heater because there were so many people there. I got progressively colder and colder as time went on.

Drew ended the set with a song named “The Family Farm” and stepped down to let Michael Juan Nunez set up for his part of the show. Juan’s show had the same lineup except for Joe Gary (Hawley Joseph Gary III) on drums. This was because Dudley Fruge is on a cruse with Roddie Romero and The Hub City Allstars. At first I was disappointed to see Dudley gone, but Joe made up for the disappointment when he kicked ass on several of the songs.  

Michael Juan Nunez - photo by Patty McGehee  

Juan’s set was very clean. He played quite a few songs: “Water and Steel,” “My Cadillac,” and “Bulldog Bite.”  His slide playing is impressive. 

Jonno was hanging in there adding a bit of psychedelic fiddle.Juan got the crowd wound up during "Pocket Full of Jesus,”  yelling into his “Mainline” telephone/microphone. The crowd loved it!

MJN on the Mainline - by Patty McGehee

Michael Juan Nunez - photo by Patty McGehee

Chad Willis -photo by Patty McGehee

In my opinion, the two best songs of the night were “Don’t Mind Gettin,’ and “Rusted Blade.” During “Rusted Blade,” Chad took out a bow to use on the double Bass and Jonno made these wicked noises with the fiddle that made that song just a might bit more sinister than it already is. It was amazing.  

Jonno Frishberg and Michael Juan Nunez - photo by Patty McGehee

  

After Juan’s set, Drew came back to do an encore of sorts. He began to play the crowd pleasers, like “Mid South,” a song about wrestling that requires audience participation. Everyone there knew when and what to sing. Almost at the end of the  the night, he played a funny off color song just for his sister, who was in the audience. It was hilarious.  The final song was the Bobby Charles Guidry tribute song, "He ain't worrin' no more."

As soon as the music ended, the people left abruptly. Usually after a show at The Blue Moon, people mill around and visit but it was below freezing and most people were miserably cold. I had an urge to high tail it to the car myself, but not before telling Juan goodbye. He was freezing cold and exhausted at this point. He hugged me and shook hands with Dan and Larry. After a few exchanges of pleasantries, it was apparent that he needed to just pack up and get out of the cold. We bowed out, telling him and Drew we would see them on March 11^th at Bourque’s Social club.

I tried to drive back, but while driving over the Atachafalaya Basin, I realized I was too tired to drive. Once off the bridge, I let Dan take over the wheel. I got in back and drifted off to sleep while the three of us were plotting out next trip to see Juan at Bourque’s on March 11^th. I slept all the way back home. It was a very good night and I think somewhere around Baton Rouge, I began to get the feeling back into my frozen feet.

Joe Gary on drums way in the back - photo by Patty McGehee