Spring has sprung, the azaleas are blooming and music's in the air. And in south Louisiana, that means it's festival time once again and boy, are there. And almost all of them, just loaded with good time Louisiana music, from the Strawberry Festival in Hammond, to the New Orleans Jazz Fest, almost anywhere you turn this time of year, you'll find lots of live music and lots of people dancing in the streets, or at the Fairgrounds. Baton Rouge is blessed with several outstanding music-based festivals this month, including the ever-popular Baton Rouge Blues Week, slated for Apr. 27 through May 3.Coinciding with Blues Week this year is the return of FestForAll, whose absence for the last few years has been much-lamented among local music fans.
The Blues Week schedule is an excellent one, with Louisiana's Queen of Rockin' Soul Marcia Ball kicking things off on Sunday, Apr. 27, at the Atrium Pub in Catfish Town, the old America's Pub location. Others booked for the blues celebration include Tab Benoit at Phil Brady's on Government Street on Wednesday, Apr. 30, Tony Joe White and the Souls of Blues Revival at The Varsity Theatre on Highland Road on Friday, May 2, and The Bluebirds on Saturday, May 3, at Phil Brady's. And a special night is set for Monday, Apr. 28, at The Varsity with the first-ever Slim Harpo Awards and the Hohner Jam Session hosted by Luther Kent, Deacon John and Raful Neal. For more info, check out the Blues Week ad and story elsewhere in this issue, or visit LouisianasMusic.com.
And then there's the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which includes a LOT of Baton Rouge acts this year, including several making their first-ever appearances at the world renowned showcase of American and Louisiana music. The Benjy Davis Project, relative newcomers to the local music scene, and Renee McCrary, an outstanding vocalist making waves on country radio, are both headed to Jazz Fest stages for their debut festival appearances. Louisiana's LeRoux will be performing at Jazz Fest on Thursday, Apr. 27, and if I'm not mistaken, it's that band's debut appearance at the festival as well. I also think this year will be the first time that The Redstick Ramblers have garnered a spot on the prestigious schedule, too.
Then, there's the perennial Jazz Fest favorites from or connected somehow to the Capital City, including Big Luther Kent and Trickbag, who'll play on the first day of the biggest music festival in the world, Apr. 24, the first-ever Thursday included on the Jazz Fest schedule. Others making their umpteenth trip to perform at Jazz Fest include bluesmen Raful Neal, his son Kenny Neal and Li'l Ray Neal, Tab Benoit, pianist extraordinaire Henry Gray, Chris Thomas King and Buddy Guy, on whom Rhythm City is in the midst of publishing a series of articles.
Okay, enough with what's coming up, let's get down to the news. First item is several new releases from our good friends at CSP Records, including "Van and Grace: Louisiana Music Legends," from the King of Swamp Pop Van Broussard and his talented sister, Grace Broussard, whose claims to fame include hitting the top of the Billboard charts in the early 1960s with "I'm Leaving It All Up to You" and the magazine's top 40 a year later with a follow-up hit. This new album will contain 24 songs recorded by the singing siblings recorded between 1961 and 1969, digitally restored and remastered.
Another CSP Records project soon to be released is "Swamp Pop Brew," a project produced by Kevin Mahl, which will include 15 outstanding swamp pop tunes from the likes of Wayne Foret, Jake Chemento, Ryan Foret and more. Also in the swamp pop vein, Roland Doucet has compiled another fantastic collection of swamp pop classics and standards, that the folks at CSP are calling "another must-have swamp pop compilation to add to your collection."
Delicious Blues Stew, staffed by former Baton Rougeans Shannon Williford, Scott Achord and others, was the big winner at the Mar. 9 Acoustic Blues Challenge held at the Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar in Nashville, Tenn. The second place winner, Two Tone Malone, is also a former Baton Rougean, and in third place, that's right, another bluesman with a Baton Rouge connection, Doug Schmude, a native of the Capital City. Quite a showing from the Baton Rouge talent in the competition, proof positive that we can compete with the best of them anywhere.
Medicine Nation has gotten some airplay from the local rock radio station 93.7 and even were interviewed on air a couple of weeks ago. Haven't gotten to hear these guys yet, but I know some of its players, so I'm expecting good things when I do. I have seen, but not heard, their CD, but can't seem to get it back from the circuit it's been making of other Rhythm City writers.
Big concerts coming to the area this month include Pearl Jam at the New Orleans Arena on Tuesday, Apr. 8, Linkin Park and others at the UNO Lakefront Arena on Saturday, Apr. 13, Tim McGraw on Tuesday, Apr. 22, at the New Orleans Arena, and Matchbox Twenty with Sugar Ray on Friday, Apr. 25, at the New Orleans Arena. Tickets for all of these concerts are available from Ticketmaster by phone, or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Brother's got a brand new CD they just released last month at a release party at Ichabod's on Chimes Street and Rhythm City's talented and lovely Lana Roberts has already secured an interview with the popular rockers, so expect a story soon on these guys. Check out Brother's website at http://www.brothertheband.com for news, merchadise, pictures, and show dates in the meantime.
Baton Rouge's hardcore/ambience/metal group Encompass and Stalemate will be featured in the July issue of Metal Maniacs magazine, which hits newsstands everywhere, as they say, on Tuesday, Apr. 15th. Encompass and Stalemate's debut release is out now on Fishfur Records, on the web at www.fishfur.com and is available through Stickfigure Distribution at www.stickfiguredistro.com. The band also just finished work on the second full-length album with Chris George at the Living Room Studio in New Orleans and expects it to be released by this fall.
A benefit concert is planned for Saturday, Apr. 12, Serrano's Salsa Company near LSU, with proceeds going to benefit the non-profit organization of Cancer Services of Baton Rouge. Russ Joffrion and Voodoo Chile also will be releasing a CD in conjuction, entitled "Rendezvous," with those proceeds also being donated. Performing at the benefit will be Kirk Holder, a recent Rhythm City cover story subject, the aforementioned Russ Joffrion with Voodoo Chile and Mark Stalder and Friends.
On Sunday, Apr. 6, there's a folk music performance scheduled at Louie's Café on State Street with a lineup that includes two favorites from the renowned Kerrville Folk Festival, Ronny Cox and Jack Williams. The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are available through WRKF Public Radio, 926-3050, for $10 in advance and $12 at the door. For more information on this show, or other upcoming local folk music events, check out http://www.hootenannypower.com.
Happy birthday to a few good friends this month, including Gwen Pipps on Apr. 3, Susan Owens on Apr. 6, Kirk Mixon on Apr. 7, Travis Mixon on Apr. 14, publisher Tommy Comeaux's favorite nephew on Chris Comeaux on Apr. 22, everybody's favorite hoodoo bluesman, Hoodoo Jimmy Simpson, who I understands turns as old as dirt on Apr. 24, and a friend of mine for over 30 years, Lucas Spinosa, will celebrate his birthday on Apr. 29.