EXCLUSIVE CONTEST: Win tickets to Michael Arnone's 23rd Annual Crawfish Fest

For the 5th consecutive year, I'm pleased to offer an exclusive ticket giveaway in connection with Michael Arnone's annual NolaFunky Crawfish Fest.


This year, we're offering multiple pairs of tickets good for either Saturday or Sunday.


Just follow the directions below for your chance to win...

In order to win, email nolafunk at hotmail dot com with: your name, email, and your pick for best-ever set at a past Crawfish Fest. 

If you've never been, then what act are you most excited for this year?

I'll be picking a winner at random and will send email confirmation to the winner only.

Sussex County Fairgrounds 37 Plains Road, Augusta, NJ [map] 12:00 PM (doors 10:00 AM) | All Ages | $35 - $600

Upcoming: Grayson Capps @ Sullivan Hall this Thursday

GRAYSON CAPPS & THE LOST CAUSE MINSTRELS
+ special guest DJ Davis from Treme
Thursday, October 6 @ Sullivan Hall

Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars this Thursday @ Hiro Ballroom

Voice of the Wetlands Allstars: Tab Benoit, Anders Osborne, Cyril Neville, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux , Jumpin' Johnny Sansone, Waylon Thibodeaux & more

VOICE OF THE WETLANDS ALL-STARS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THEIR FIRST WESTERN U.S. TOUR WITH RAVING REVIEWS AND SOLD OUT SHOWS FROM BOULDER, CO TO SAN DIEGO, CA, AND UP THROUGH SEATTLE, WA. TAB BENOIT, CYRIL NEVILLE, ANDERS OSBORNE, JOHNNY VIDACOVICH, BIG CHIEF MONK BOUDREAUX, JOHNNY SANSONE AND WAYLON THIBODEAUX EMBARKED ON A 16-DATE TOUR IN TWENTY-ONE DAYS TAKING THEIR MUSIC AND MESSAGE OUTSIDE OF LOUISIANA.


THE ALL-STARS' PHYSICAL, DEMANDING PERFORMANCE PRESENTED A POWERFUL BLEND OF SOULFUL BLUES, NEW ORLEANS FUNK, HOODOO RHYTHMS, CAJUN ZYDECO, AND GRITTY ROCK. AUDIENCES EXPERIENCED A SHOW ONLY PREVIOUSLY SEEN AT THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ AND HERITAGE FESTIVAL.


LEAD BY VOW FOUNDER, TAB BENOIT, THE VOW ALL-STARS ACHIEVED MUSICAL SUCCESS, AS WELL AS GAINED NATIONAL SUPPORT AND ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS OF LOUISIANA'S WETLANDS. BENOIT'S WORDS AND THE ALL-STARS' MUSIC INFLUENCED AUDIENCES IN ALL SIXTEEN MARKETS. PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF LOUISIANA WERE MOTIVATED TO CARE AND TAKE ACTION FOR A DOMESTIC CRISIS THAT ULTIMATELY AFFECTS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY - ENVIRONMENTALLY, ECONOMICALLY, AND CULTURALLY. WHILE THE VOW ALL-STARS ARE MUSICIANS BY TRADE, THEY HAVE BECOME THE AMBASSADROS OF LOUISIANA'S FIGHT TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE A NATIONAL TREASURE AND A VITAL PART OF THE U.S.

Other upcoming NolaFunky shows...

More Pictures from Export NOLA

photos by Dino Perrucci

Matt Perrine & Alex McMurray - The Bitter End, NYC 1/7/11

Amanda Shaw & Walter "Wolfman" Washington - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11



Joe Krown Trio - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11


Russell Batiste - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11


Tin Men - The Bitter End, NYC 1/7/11


Honey Island Swamp Band w/Washboard Chaz - The Bitter End, NYC 1/7/11


Maurice Brown - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11


Khris Royal - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11


Amanda Shaw - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11


Grayson Capps - The Bitter End, NYC 1/7/11


Jamie McLean Band - The Bitter End, NYC 1/7/11


Mia Borders - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/7/11


Henry Butler - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/9/11



Henry Butler - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/9/11




Sasha Masakowski - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/9/11


DJ Logic & Maurice Brown - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/12/11

More from last night:


John Gros - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/12/11


Henry Butler & John Gros - Sullivan Hall, NYC 1/12/11

In Pictures: Export NOLA @ Sullivan Hall / Bitter End

photos by Greg Aiello

Tin Men @ The Bitter End



Grayson Capps @ The Bitter End



Sasha Masakowski & Musical Playground @ The Bitter End



Amanda Shaw @ Sullivan Hall



Jamie McLean Band @ Sullivan Hall



Honey Island Swamp Band @ Sullivan Hall



Mia Borders @ Sullivan Hall



Walter 'Wolfman' Washington, Russell Batiste & Joe Krown @ Sullivan Hall



Khris Royal's Crescent Jam @ Sullivan Hall

Upcoming: 3rd Annual Export NOLA @ Sullivan Hall / Bitter End

3rd Annual Export NOLA feat. Joe Krown Trio: Joe Krown, Walter "Wolfman" Washington & Russell Batiste, Jr., The Iguanas, Tin Men, Amanda Shaw, Grayson Capps & many more!

We are pleased to announce the 3rd Annual Export NOLA: Experience the Music of New Orleans. The shows will take place at Sullivan Hall and The Bitter End on Friday January 7 and Sullivan Hall Saturday January 9.

Friday January 7^th

3rd Annual Export NOLA : Experience New Orleans Music
At Sullivan Hall & The Bitter End
(1 pass good for both venues!)

Joe Krown Trio: Joe Krown, Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Russell Batiste
Honey Island Swamp Band
Grayson Capps
Mia Borders

The Iguanas
Jamie McLean Band
Sasha Masakowski & Musical Playground
Tin Men
Khris Royal's Crescent Jam

$20 Advance/ $25 Door (1 pass good for both venues)

Sunday January 9^th

3rd Annual Export NOLA : Experience New Orleans Music

(at Sullivan Hall)

Henry Butler
MoBettaBrown & Soul'd U Out: featuring Maurice Brown
Rosie Ledet
Mia Borders
Sasha Masakowski & Musical Playground
Luke Winslow-King

Upcoming: Grayson Capps @ Living Room (Friday)

GRAYSON CAPPS is playing a FREE solo acoustic show this FRIDAY night (11/27) at THE LIVING ROOM. In our estimation, he's one of the finest Southern singer/songwriter/storyteller/troubadours of our time. Grayson doesn't get up to NYC often so come on out while the opportunity to hear him is at hand. Plus there's bound to be a jar of moonshine somewhere in the room that might get passed your way if you're lucky.

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GRAYSON CAPPS
A Free Solo Acoustic Performance
Friday, November 27 | 10PM
@ The Living Room | New York, NY

NolaFunk Lagniappe

Dr. John: Iko Iko

Sugar Boy and the Cane Cutters recorded this song in the early 1950s, with Professor Longhair holding down the piano chair. But Dr. John staked his own claim to ownership of "Iko Iko" at the Van Nuys session for his 1972 release Dr. John's Gumbo, where he delivered a modern-day classic of New Orleans music. The good doctor brings out all of the contradictions submerged in this style of performance. "Iko Iko" is loose and tight at the same time, on the beat and off, hot and cool—and, most important of all, has "Party" written all over it with a capital P. But before you get out on the dance floor, check out the ingredients here—in particular the drum part, which demonstrates how an old-school march beat can morph into a tasty funk groove. You don't really need to know what "Iko Iko" means to enjoy it, but a grad student could spend a month deciphering the Creole patois and the song's various significations. The tune was originally recorded under the name "Jock-A-Mo"— which means jester. A "spy dog" is a lookout. Marraine is a godmother, etc. But even the composer claims he was just imitating phrases he had picked up from Mardi Gras Indians, and didn't really know what they meant. He thought it was some sort of victory chant. Works for me. Next time you come up on the winning side—in the office football pool, with pocket aces in a hand of Texas hold 'em, with a lottery ticket from the convenience store—try it out: Jockomo feena nay.

Yeah, You Right: Kirk Joseph

This week's guest is sousaphonist extraordinaire and Dirty Dozen Brass Band co-founder Kirk Joseph. The 7th Ward native helped establish the modern brass band sound in New Orleans and pushed the boundaries of playing big brass. His band, Backyard Groove, plays all over town at clubs like Le Bon Temps Roulé and d.b.a.

Q: Crystal or Louisiana Hot Sauce?
A: Crystal.

Q: Zapp’s or Tater Tots?
A: With a meal, Tater Tots. But for a snack, gimme Zapp's.

It took a lot of effort for trumpeters Jeremy Davenport and Kermit Ruffins to make 'Mr. New Orleans' sound so effortless

Jazz trumpeter and vocalist Jeremy Davenport recently released "We'll Dance 'Til Dawn," his first studio album in more than a decade, on Basin Street Records. Reviews have praised the album's seemingly effortless grace and polished sense of style.

But the behind-the-scenes story of its creation is not as tidy.

Video: Jeremy Davenport and Kermit Ruffins record a song

Dave Bartholomew: My Ding-a-Ling

Dave Bartholomew ranks among the most important individuals in the history of New Orleans music, but his name never became widely known among the general public, and most of his influence was exerted behind the scenes. He was a songwriter, talent scout, arranger and general man-about-town, whose greatest successes came via his partnership with Fats Domino, which resulted in some 40 hit songs. Yet Bartholomew also recorded his own material, as he demonstrates on this 1952 track. "My Ding-a-Ling" became a huge hit, but for another rock legend—Chuck Berry, in this instance, who brought it to the top of the charts in 1972. In fact, this was the only number one hit in Berry's career. Bartholomew might have grumbled that he deserved the big success, but he would only be foolin' himself. In 1972, many deejays refused to play Berry's version because of its thinly-disguised double meaning, and there are still lots of oldies stations that won't touch it even today. And Berry (unlike Bartholomew) added the explanation that he was simply singing about "silver bells upon a string"—a clarification that did little to stop the calls for censorship. So Bartholomew could hardly have had high expectations back in '52, when it was little short of a miracle that this tune was even recorded.

Grayson Capps and the Stumpknockers - 8.9.09 - Live at the World Cafe

NOMRF ReDefines 8/29 on the 4th Katrina Anniversary

It's almost impossible to think about the city of New Orleans without its trademark and historical music community. The New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund, Inc. has provided housing, furniture, transportation, instruments and anything else it can to assist those still struggling to rebuild their lives post Katrina. The New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund, Inc., a grass roots certified 501c(3) non-profit was founded in Internet cafes and FEMA rooms by musician Jeff Beninato and his wife Karen and is supported by volunteer graphic designers, publicists, video producers and friends of New Orleans music including Wilco, REM, Dr John and Ian Hunter.




Jango Song Of The Day-Robert Parker

The 1966 top ten hit Barefootin' was New Orleans R & B singer Robert Parker's only chart hit. So thechnically he's a one hit wonder but he's been a fixture in the New Orleans music scene since the late 40s and was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame in 2007. He was born Oct. 14, 1930 in New Orleans. He started out as a sax player for Professor Longhair and played on his 1949 hit Mardi Gras In New Orleans. He played sessions in the 50s with Fats Domino, Dave Bartholomew, Ernie K-Doe, Irma Thomas and many others. He signed as a solo act with Ace Records in 1958. In 1959, he had some regional success with the instrumental All Night Long on Ron Records. But Parker's big break came when he signed with Wardell Quezerque's Nola label in 1965. Barefootin' was the first single and it reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966. Parker recorded some more singles and an album but was unable to repeat the success of Barefootin'. All his recordings with Nola are on this comp. Parker was actually more popular in England and toured there in the late 60s. He recorded for Shelby Singleton's SSS International in 1969 but other than a rerecording of Barefootin' in 1984 for the Charly label, he hasn't recorded in years though he continues to perform regularly in New Orleans clubs. Robert Parker was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame in 2007 and here's his performance of Barefootin' at his induction ceremony.

Allen Toussaint rides new wave of inspiration







Live Music Dominates New Orleans Nightlife




Live NolaFunk NYC Download:

Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk from Celebrate Brooklyn @ Prospect
Park 7/30/09

Un