Repost for My Space from 2 summers ago-Christian Serpas and Ghost Town at Ruby's Roadhouse

Christian Serpas and Ghost Town At Ruby's

Dan was sleeping on the couch at 7:00 Saturday night. He just can't hang with me on a Saturday night when he golfs on Saturday morning. I have a long time sulk going on about his Golf playing because it is always more important than my wants. It leaves me either watching him sleep on the couch all Saturday night or I can go out with friends. Problem is, at our age, no one wants to go out on a Saturday night to see music but me, so I find myself off into clubs alone.

That usually presents few problems but it does limit where I will go. For instance, I just won't go to The Marigny alone. Hammond is close but there is only two music clubs-one with too much cigarette smoke for me and the other a trendy College bar with high cover  charges for bands. Tommy's Pizza Parlor has Patrick Catania and Chris Zimmer there on Thursdays. They are wonderful to go watch, but alas, they are sandwiched in between the bar and a table section making it awkward to position oneself to listen.

That leaves Ruby's. It is a 30 minute drive away in Mandeville, La. It is a funky down to earth bar with a great sound system, a patio for smokers, and a staff that does not put up with nonsense from patrons. I feel safe there and usually have a great time.
So, Saturday Dan slipped off to go play golf and by 7:30 was cutting z's on the sofa. I was about as stir crazy as could be. I left in time to arrive there at 9:30 To see Christian Serpas and Ghost Town. The band was hanging around with friends cutting up and enjoying themselves. They are a very uplifting group of guys.

The show was solid and fun. I especially like their selection of covers of Rockabilly and vintage Country sprinkled with a few special songs on the verge of what I would call Folk music. ("Kocking on Heaven's Door," written by Bob Dylan.) They do a killer version of Bobby Fuller's "I fought the Law." George Neyrey made his guitar sound like a steel pedal guitar on this one somehow.
They performed "Little Sister," a song made famous by Elvis - written originally by Jerome "Doc" Pomus and Mort Shuman, members of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame. This night, Christian sang it less stylized and with less of a nasal tone than  he has in the past. I like the new way a lot better.

A few Johnny Cash covers, a few Buck Owens songs later, they did a couple of songs Christian wrote. My favorite is "Read them and weep." George Neyrey plays very sweet guitar licks on this song and they are his own......Christian's lyrics are wonderful. I love the way he writes songs. He always tells a sweet story. If it was up to me, I would like them to do a whole set of songs Christian wrote. "Nothing ain't worth nothin" was especially touching to me that night.

I think my favorite cover they do is "Brand New Cadillac," a tune written by Vince Taylor, recorded in 1958. (covered by the Clash in the 1970's.) Somewhere in my vinyl  records I had a LP of Vince Taylor with a cover written in French. I think my cousin  has it now, over in Mandeville. I got it at Record Ron's in the French Quarter in the 70's when I saw the cover picturing a girl in a 50's style party dress hanging on leather clad Vince. Very campy stuff. I never even played it - had no turntable at the time and my cousin "stole" it from me when she was visiting. She claimed she would put it on cassette for me. I am still waiting. 

They ended the night playing "Sleepwalk," a tune written by Santo and Johnny Farina. It was originally recorded in 1958. I am very familiar with this song as it is the favorite song that Paul Lil' Buck Sinegal loves to open and close his gigs with. Now, after hearing both guitar players play this song, it is hard for me to chose who does it better: Lil' Buck  or George Neyrey, Lil' Buck  or George Neyrey, Lil' Buck  or George Neyrey, ????? IT is a toss up to me. How either of them can make a guitar sound like a pedal steel guitar - I don't know. And, Paul Lil' Buck Sinegal is a legend, so that should tell you a thing or two about George Neyrey's ability. Behind all of this is two other solid wonderful performers that provide a foundation for Ghost Town: Brent Roser on Bass and Jeff Oteri on drums. Jeff is a driving force  in Ghost Town. Brent is solid and fun to watch. 

Remembering Buster Holmes' Kitchen

I awakened a little while ago and brewed coffee and chicory and cut a couple slices of French bed for breakfast and had a memory flash: I was back in Buster Holmes' kitchen in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. I was sitting  at the counter in his kitchen eating red beans and rice. On the side was two pieces of French bread spread with real butter. I had a small glass of iced tea. Mr. Buster was watching me eat. I had just paid him seventy five cents for the plate of food and the tea. If I had wanted just water, my tab would have been 45 cents. It was hot in there. Not every place in the Quarter had air condition in those days, and certainly there was none in the kitchen.

"He asked me, "Hey Lil' Blondie. Are you a runaway?"

"Naw," I told him. "My daddy is working  for Mac McConnel down on Bourbon street." Buster sighed in relief.  He was used to seeing teenage  runaways in the Quarter and he had a big heart.

It was 1969 and I was 15 years old.

Buster  had a towel over his shoulder and he was cutting up onions and bell peppers. He had  a huge pile of them he was throwing into a large bowl. There were no food processors in those days. Cooking was laborious.  I remember going there quite often to eat, not because it was good, nor because it was cheap. I went to watch Buster and his staff cook. I found it fascinating to watch him prepare fish and fry it. I guess, I learned how to fry fish by watching Buster. He had pork chops in a pan and GOD THEY SMELLED FABULOUS!

Through a screen door (my memory sees a screen door!)  one could see the inside of the restaurant. It was not fancy, just clean and respectful. It had a nice comforting, homey feeling.  There were photos on the walls of local musicians and celebrities. That is where you went to get the fancy, more complicated Creole fare that Buster could cook up. Oysters, fried Trout dinners, and all sorts of Creole delicacies were on the menu. Turnip greens, Pork chops, soul food, Buster cooked  it all. Buster was famous for his cooking.  

But, back in the kitchen was where the action was. I loved to sit at his counter and watch him cook.When some black street performers (tap dancers) came in to eat, he shooed them all the way over to the other end of the counter. I was surprised he did that. I guessed he was afraid that the tap dancers might get out of line and I would  go back and tell daddy that I had to sit next to black street people. Buster had a great sense about running a business and  making sure he was managing his customers. But, that is what was  intriguing to me about Buster's. EVERYONE was welcome to eat in the kitchen. Sitting next to black  tap dancers from the street had an appeal to me. It was exotic. It was not THE WHITE BREAD SIDE OF LIFE. So, to hang out in Buster's kitchen, the only qualification was, you had to be hungry and at least half the people in your group had enough money to pay.

I went back to Buster's kitchen counter many times. I wish I could go back there now. If  I recall right, it was on the corner of Orleans and Burgundy street. My recollection is beans and rice was 45 cents. I have read articles that a say people paid 25 cents and a penny tax. Well, not in 1969, but maybe earlier in time that may have been true.

I am including a link to a wonderful blog that has a lot more info about Buster Holmes' and the characters  that went there. It was close to Cosimo Matassa's recording studio (J and M Studios) and may famous people went there. It is a hundred more fascinating than my remembrances, but to me, these are dear memories of a man that could not let the little people of New Orleans go hungry, if only they had a quarter..............................

RIP Buster Holmes                 1905 - 1995

OOXX
Patty McGehee


http://peroldaeus-musicandart.blogspot.com/2010/02/busters-by-per-oldus.html

The Musicians worth--according to Frenchman Street.......by Patty McGehee

Summer is going to wind down in a few weeks. It has been slow for Dan and I concerning going to see live music for several reasons. The biggest reason is the entrance into the world of out new granddaughter, Patricia June Wilson. She weighed in at 4 pounds 6 ounces and is  tiny and fragile. She is also very healthy and cute.

So, in between waiting  for the baby to come and doing household projects, I had a lot of time to think. One night in July we went down to Frenchmen Street in NOLA and walked around checking out the scene out there. While the amount of quality music emanating out of the clubs was impressive, there was a lot of garbage on the streets for a Saturday night. I began asking myself, "Why don't club owners do something about the garbage piling up?"  I know that on Bourbon street, the business owners wash down their sidewalks themselves every morning. It looks like the business owners on Frenchmen street have no clue about keeping things clean  down there. Look, I am not a big Bourbon Street Fan. Since I am basically not into drinking huge quantities of libations, I don't really enjoy going there. Hanging out with scores of drunks is disgusting to me. The only time I have been there in the  past 25 years is when I had out of state guests that HAD TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT. In fact, I had to do that with a visiting guest in April. One thing I noticed in comparison to the two locations is, at the start of the early evening, Bourbon Street is a lot cleaner. As the night comes on, well........I am not so sure because I don't  go there late at night.

Of course, comparing the type of music between the two streets, well, Frenchmen Street wins hands down. There is more variety and more of what I call, "THE REAL DEAL" down there. Frenchmen Street is one of the places where the creative spirit lives in NOLA. Now, I don't want to insult some of the  other venues that I respect, so I am going to make a shout out right here about my other favorite places in the NOLA area that are showing righteous music.  I don't want to hurt any feelings. This list is not going to be in any particular order, so if your venue  is listed last, it means nothing:
Mid City Lanes Rock N Bowl
The Maple Leaf
Old Point Bar

Deckbar on Jefferson Highway
Chickie Wah Wah
The Kerry Irish Pub
The Republic
Howling Wolf
The Rivershack
The Beach House in Metairie has some good shows every now and then
Monkey Hill
The Bon Ton Roule Bar on Magazine Street
Tipitina's uptown
Vaughn's
House of Blues
Ruby's Roadhouse in Mandeville
The Beach House in Mandeville (Formerly Lucy's)
One Eyed Jacks
Louisiana Music Factory in house shows Saturday afternoons


Now, the reason I am  writing this is that I found Frenchmen Street too dirty to be pleasant. It did not help my opinion when a member of band that was performing on the street began yelling at me when I took a photo of them. I had planned on writing a blog about how good they were and post their photo, but when the young woman  began yelling at me to pay up in tips for taking photos, I told her, "NO WAY! Tip you after this  rudeness? I don't know at this point if any of the photos I have taken in this dark light are of any use, and since I do not profit off my photos, I would not pay you for them. Are you  a musician or a model?"  I sauntered off pissed.  She and a few other people followed behind me yelling at me , "Who the Fuck do you think you are stealing our images..and Pay up, bitch. Fuck you thief  ..." I kept my back to them. It was a bit frightening. The incident made me very angry.  How insolent!

Now, I am a seasoned veteran of traversing the street in NOLA at night, and that was sickening to me. But, I began to talk that night to another street person displaying and selling artwork on the street. I was impressed with his pen and ink drawings. Since I am an art teacher and artist myself, I was interested in his work. One of the things I was interested in was how was the money flow for the artists. I told him about the incident with the musicians up the street. He said, "Please don't be too hard on her or judgmental. Everyone here is scratching out a living. Most of us are basically starving. Here you are in nice clothes and being older like you are, she just saw you as a person who could afford to give and she was frustrated."  I went on to explain that I was financially stable, but not necessarily solvent enough to shell out big bucks for street musicians.(Earlier in the night, I had paid two cover charges at the club named DBA, paid a tip to a band and had no more cash to spend at that point. I had bought a coke and two bottles of water. I was financially done for the night. The tab was approximately 25 bucks. And, I still needed to pay for the parking lot yet, which turned out to be 14 dollars.Gasoline from my home north of the lake to NOLA had cost me approximately 18 dollars.Earlier in the night we had cups of coffee at Envie on Decatur Street. This meant that my foray to Frenchman Street totaled in cost of about  sixty bucks)   Plus,  I was well acquainted with many street musicians who had made their living on the street performing and I had NEVER witnessed any of them yelling at a person who possibly might tip them.

So, I began to wonder, how much money do musicians make on Frenchmen street? Why did the young street musicians feel they had the right to verbally abuse a person on the street who stopped for half of a song and snapped two photos? I repeat: I snapped two photos on a dark street and did not even  listen to a whole song, much less, a set of their music, yet the young woman began to verbally attack me for money AND follow me down the street for a half a block bullying me.I know a lot of people in my age bracket that would NEVER return to Frenchman Street if that happened to them.

It is food  for thought and I am still thinking.........

Looking in the window of The Apple Barrel on Frenchman Street

Next: What do musicians get paid for  on Frenchman Street vs Bourbon Street

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