NolaFunk Lagniappe

Walter "Wolfman" Washington and the Roadmasters, Maple Leaf, 1/2/09

With 2009 just getting under way, I thought that I’d devote my first show of the year to catching my favorite act of 2008, Walter “Wolfman” Washington. Whether he’s rolling with his band, the Roadmasters, or knocking around with his friends, Joe Krown and Russell Batiste, there’s absolutely no comparison to the Wolfman’s tight, funky rhythm & blues.

Home of the Groove's 2008 YEAR END CD REVIEWS

As you can see, I've been taking a brief break from music posting here on da blog, but not from my behind the scenes vinyl pursuits. Stay tuned for more from the HOTG archives, coming real soon as Carnival season fires up. But, now, once again (may be the last time, I don't know) I come to you with a stack of CDs by my side. It's time for my annual list of some of the mainly Crescent City music in the digital domain I bought this year. With a few exceptions, the funk quotient is high on all. I do this list mainly to give props and support to the local musicians who still are putting out exceptional music - since most of the rest of the year, we groove to the drums of distant decades, focusing on records long past their prime. Most of these CDs came out in '08, although a few are '07 vintage - still recent. . . in geezer-time. You may note that the majority were independently released by the bands themselves, which is commendable, since record companies are part of the problem - but availability can be limited. It's up to you to dig down and support New Orleans and Louisiana musicians and help insure their survival. Make the effort, invest in as many of their CDs or downloads as you can. Experience the artists live whenever you get a chance. You'll reap the rewards.

Rotary Downs To Play Cannes!

Rotary Downs

You know that proud feeling when one of your own "makes good"? We're riding that vibe with word that Rotary Downs will perform a showcase at MIDEM, the world's largest music conference, which takes place in Cannes, France!

Allen Toussaint to perform his greatest hits with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra

During the New Orleans Songwriters Festival's culminating concert Dec. 6 at the House of Blues, Allen Toussaint sat alone at the piano and teased "Southern Nights" into a 10-minute, stream-of-consciousness narrative of childhood trips to the country.

Irma Thomas, Kermit Ruffins and more shined along with the newly reopened Mahalia Jackson Theater

New Orleans music does not require the dank air of a nightclub or the muddy fields of the Fair Grounds to thrive. On Thursday night it translated just fine in the tony environs of the glittering, newly refurbished Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts.

Good News From New Orleans!

Regular readers will be familiar with FMC's efforts to help New Orleans musicians, like our annual Artist Activism Camp and benefit concert, where artists from around the country come together to discuss best practices for advocacy and play a show to help NOLA musicians still struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

One such musician, Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, just got great news. As of December 29, the New Orleans R&B and Mardis Gras legend has brand new digs, courtesy Habitat for Humanity. Al lost everything in Katrina, including his longtime dwelling in the Lower Ninth Ward. Now he can finally come home. This was a long time coming, and represents the hard work and generous support of individuals and groups like Sweet Home New Orleans — a non-profit that helps Big Easy artists get back to their neighborhoods and communities.

Download A Song, Help Build A Home In New Orleans

I know there are plenty of you out there who may have forgotten that the city of New Orleans still needs your help and the good people of New Orleans still need homes. One man who has not forgotten is Josh Charles.

Josh was in the process of making New Orleans his home when Katrina devastated that great city. He was forced to get on one of the last buses out of the city and into Houston. A brilliant piano player who has studied and played with Dr. John, Wynton Marsalis and The Meters, Charles was scheduled to hit the recording studio the day after Katrina roared through town, claiming lives and flooding homes and businesses. Three months after the storm, Josh made that return trip to begin his scheduled recording with Dr. John's band and found people displaced, heartbroken, and hungry. Troubled by images that will never leave him, he wrote "Healing Time"

Savor the sound of the Crescent City

New Orleans without music? That's like Venice without canals -- and just as hard to imagine. Music weaves New Orleans' past with its present, and the infinite jazz variations -- from the ethereal warble of classic Dixieland to the tuba-powered street funk of brass bands -- serve as a soundtrack to this storied city.

New Orleans music sounds sweeter today, and here's why: In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, few were certain the streets would resound as they once did.

It's not that clubs flooded and venues were wiped out -- many were on high ground and survived just fine -- but the rising waters took out much of the city's affordable housing and its tourism industry. That uncertain future made it unclear whether pass-the-hat musicians and hardworking club regulars would be able to regain their footing in the city.

But several groups took the lead to ensure that musicians would still have a home in New Orleans. Locally revered nightclub Tipitina's earmarks its proceeds to help musicians return to town and to put musical instruments back into the flooded schools.

Funkify Your Life Part 1: Eric Lindell/Bonerama, Tipitina's

Sometimes there’s just no fighting it. Funk – it slips up on you. Its power is mind absorbing and its pulse, body moving, and sometimes your being just craves it. At that point, there’s no escape; you ease into the groove, yielding yourself and your psyche to the rhythm. Recently, I felt a bit funk depraved. And there’s no excuse for that in New Orleans. So, I set out on a funk fueled weekend and caught some of the Crescent City’s finest: Eric Lindell, Bonerama, The Trio (featuring Johnny Vidacovich, George Porter Jr., John Gros, and special guest Kirk Joseph), and PBS (Porter Batiste Stoltz).

Funkify Your Life Part 2: PBS/The Trio, Howlin' Wolf,

When it comes to funk, it comes in waves. And when it hits you, you ride it out. So that’s just what I did. After, diving into the best Bonerama and Eric Lindell had to offer, I was ready to ride the weekend out at the Howlin’ Wolf with the avant-garde grooves of The Trio and the power-funk jams of PBS.

The Trio, anchored by bassist George Porter Jr. and drummer Johnny Vidacovich and supplemented by an open invitation to a number their fellow brothers-in-arms, is at its core a group dedicated to the soul of improvisation. Both institutions in their own rights, longtime compatriots Porter and Vidacovich are dedicated to upholding the spirit of the city they call home. Over the years, the have laid it down in the streets of the Crescent City like few before them, and today, their presence is as strong as ever. When they get together, all conventions are set aside; they converse without inhibition, musically exploring the grooves that unite them.