Ninety nine and a half won't do.....

Here's some teaser footage from the yet to be released film "By And By: New Orleans Gospel At The Crossroads".

I feel really bad about this, but I somehow missed the film's Kickstarter campaign this past spring. I can't imagine how that happened. I've been keeping an eye on this project for a couple of years now. Such a shame that they didn't make their goal. A double shame that I didn't promote it here....'cause I certainly would've/should've.

Anyway, it looks to be a great film. Hopefully it'll be finished soon.

James Williams Sr. [guitar, vocals] is the last original member of the Crownseekers, but that doesn't mean the present line up is somehow inferior, 'cause it ain't.

Probably just a stylistic thing, but I'm seriously wondering if Mr. Williams didn't play/sing on the record I posted yesterday? I found info online that says he auditioned for the Southern Bells in the early sixties, but not whether he was ever a member. This would have been before the formation of the Crownseekers in 1965.

If anyone has more info, please pass it on.

Hope ya'll enjoy. It's a killer clip.

Dance while you can....

I doubt you'll see this clip posted anywhere else, but I think Unc would approve.

Looking sharp, dancing with the ladies, drinking Miller High Life. Notice the watch worn on the hand, not the wrist. That's whatcha call style darlin'.

Folks have been celebrating Lionel Batiste Sr.'s life for more than a week now, including a second line parade last Saturday.

The procession is tomorrow. It will undoubtedly be huge.

[Update: unfortunately we had a lot of rain yesterday.......which always includes some flooding. The second line parade was re-scheduled for Monday]

Kiss......

I'm having equipment trouble. My amplifier problem [I've fried four since I started the blog] has been solved, but in the mean time [sure enough] my scanner has died.

I should be 100% by Saturday afternoon.

In the meantime, here are a few clips for your enjoyment.

....................................................................................................

Consider this post a mash note.

It's no secret [in some circles] that Frankie Vasquez is the shit. One of my present life goals is to either dance with the man for like maybe 15 seconds or alternatively give him a big smooch. Lets hope he doesn't have me arrested should the occasion arise.

Actually, you might consider this a mash-note to virtually the entire discography of older afro-cuban based music.

To say that the musicians in these clips are top-notch is such a major understatement. Most deserve a biographical notation of their own. But ya know, I'd rather just get on with it.

Go Buy Records!!!

I like to think every day is Record Store Day around here, but of course tomorrow there are a bunch of special events going on around the country. So, ya'll be good boys and girls and go support your local independent vinyl [and Cd] merchants. Right?

Here's several unrelated clips celebrating a few of the shops I patronize in New Orleans and Austin [some more than others, but I've def bought records in all].

Fyi, the fourth clip would only load if I included it as part of a play list, so you may need to manually stop the player unless you want to watch the rest of the clips.

It's not that great of clip but I wanted to be sure and include something on Breakaway Records, a great shop that only opened a few months before I moved back home. Fans of the now-defunct blog, Second Line Social, may remember Gabe the owner. Even though I don't get to the shop very often [like twice since I moved], I still end up with a fair bit of Breakaway's stock through trades with a friend.

Treasure....

Many thanks to Marc, who in the comments of the last post pointed out the existence of rare footage of Hop Wilson and Lee Semien in this film [at 6:11]. But that's not all, 'cause ya see "On The Road Again" is stuffed with outrageously good one-of-a-kind performances from beginning to end, some of which I'm sure you've seen as lower quality clips on youtube.

Anyway, I personally had never seen the movie in it's entirety, and if you haven't either, then you owe it to yourself to take a look.

OTRA from J. Sprig on Vimeo.

tired of waiting....

I swear, I dreamed of this the other night.

A 3D printed record.

Many thanks to Boing Boing for giving me a glimpse of the future of record collecting. Let me know when I can print out a copy of Howlin' Wolf's, unreleased at the time, 5 minute and 40 second long recording of "Tired Of Crying"......preferably on a deep groove 12in 45.

Talk like love.....

Over a million views? In this case, I'd be very surprised if there were less.

Last night I dreamed....again

While I'm at it...here's Lady Ponce from Cameroon. I only wish I could shake like this...and believe me, I ain't bad at it.

Last night I dreamed....

Oh yeah....the fabulous Queen Slizer.

The Music Box

Here's a few clips associated with what was by far and away my favorite music concert/experience of the year. The Music Box was beautiful on a hundred different levels, but most of all it was just plain fun.

The Dithyrambalina site has a lot of information, nice pictures, and also links to recordings made of each of the three performances. Unfortunately, those recordings do not really capture the experience. Truly one of those times ya just had to be there.

Happy New Year Ya'll.....

Moans...

It occurs to me that folks may not know what I mean by "moaning" hymns. It's a very old style. Surprising that it even still exists.

God's got it...

Old style [essentially pre-gospel] church singing from a Faith with very deep roots. Don't presume it's continued existence isn't a complicated phenomena. Shoot, these folks aren't even protestants. Their conception of "God's Grace" sees to that.

I'm absolutely not trying to be flip, in fact I'm doing my best to show heartfelt respect for a True Church. If anyone is responsible for carrying the old "moaning" hymn and call and response praise songs into the next century, it'll be these folks. Respect where respect is due.

Deep down inside...

Too bad I've already posted both Irma Thomas' "It's Raining" and Lee Dorsey's "Rain Rain Go Away", either would be perfect for today. I suppose I could hunt up my copy of Gentleman June Gardner's "It's Gonna Rain" but I'm feeling lazy today.

At least the rain's put out the marsh fires that blanketed the city with smoke earlier in the week. That was just plain weird. [Correction: the fires aren't out yet, which is surprising given the amount of rain we've had. According to the "WeatherBug" system: 11 inches at one of the in-town stations, 15 inches in Metairie, close to 17 inches on the West Bank, about 9 inches at the Lakefront Airport, etc....]

This tune's been out for a good while....I really meant to post these videos earlier. That's of course Irma Thomas singing on the first clip. The second's a great sounding live version with vocals handled by Cyril Neville. That instrumental break in the middle is rather pointless, but Cyril slams it so hard when he finally steps out from behind the congas that all is forgiven.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

Dance...

Just case ya'll don't know, compared to what I usually do, the easiest thing in the world is post a bunch of you tube clips....

Got the golden band....

While there are plenty of Mardi Gras Indian clips on you tube, this one shows better than most what's actually going on when the "tribes" meet.

Below are links to the two earliest known authentic Indian recordings. They were released on an album called "The Music Of New Orleans: The Music Of Mardi Gras" in the late '50s, although I think there's a good possibility that they were recorded a few years earlier. Sam Charters made the recording.

Red White And Blue Got The Golden Band

To-way-bac-a-way

Homegoing....with the Rebirth Brass Band

For some reason I can't get this to re-size. Which sucks. And it's playing very badly once on the page. Best to just follow this link.

Praise Him with stringed instruments, Part 4.

Another Sacred Steel clip, this time from the Church Of The Living God [Jewell Dominion]. It's maybe 15-20 years old [?].

Very little of what I post is foreign to me. Mostly, I didn't come to the music from outside sources, rarely feel like I'm stepping outside my own culture, and never ever approach anything I post with a sense of irony, but these Sacred Steel clips show something waaaay beyond my personal experience. I have never seen anything quite like them. I'm thinking I need to visit some of the congregations. Soon.

Praise Him with stringed instruments, Part 3.

There's a new group of Sacred Steel clips up on you tube. This one looks to have been recorded quite recently at the State Assembly of the House Of God [Keith Dominion] in Gary, Indiana [?]. The band kicks in after the 2 minute mark, but I don't suggest skipping over any of it.

That's what I'm talkin about....

It upsets my acute sense of aesthetics to leave my last note at the top of the page. Thus, here's a clip of James Booker I hadn't seen until recently. Possibly the only clip from one of his gigs at the Maple Leaf. As is usual with Booker, he screws around a good bit [like half the clip] before he starts to show you why the posthumous collection, "Spiders On The Keys", is the single most aptly named album ever.

Praise Him with stringed instruments....again and again

Here's two clips taken at Jewell Dominion services. If anything, they're even wilder than my previous post [which I'm pretty sure is of a Keith Dominion service].

The first clip drops you dead in the middle of a praise break. The second builds and builds and builds. Be sure and watch all of it.

Both clips end too soon.