from frogstour.com:
Last night was our final stop of tour and we're now headed down I-85 toward Atlanta. The crowd in Greensboro, NC was super responsive and and a nice way to end a tour of varied crowds in lots of new venues and markets. There's an adjustment all musicians have to make when they leave their comfortable home pond for other lily pads. The crowds will always be smaller and less receptive than your good people back home. We miss Colorado most on nights when the creepy sound guy, over sized door man and randy bartendress are the only three souls in the club, most likely peeved they have to work at all with such poor attendance. It's not your fault... March Madness, rain, certain other jam bands who seem to follow your every scheduled stop on the road, all compete for people's attention. More than likely these people have never heard of you, so you make sure and treat the ones who have as best you can.
But there are those nights... Dayton, Chicago, Charleston, Greensboro.. when people get DOWN! The crowd dictates how you play, they even play you. Even when just a few people are dancing hard, it can be better that a packed room full of sedentary listeners. And watching four girls dance makes it easier to play than a whole room of dudes who just want to know what kind of Monster Cable you use, trust us.
Other shows... Nashville, Milwaukee, Aimes, Cedar Rapids... are for friends. Some of these people have supported us unconditionally from the beginning and show up, rain or shine, competing John Mayer concert or not, and give us hope. Hope sounds like strong language, like we are in a life or death situation and this is just music, people. But making that adjustment from comfortable regional musician to striving touring artist takes a commitment to rejecting attachments like knowing exactly where you'll fall asleep that night or where you'll be in three day's time. Fans and friends really help that process along and make the whole ride fun.
So, in addition to friends and fans, we'd like to also acknowledge all the beautiful freaks we've met this time around the nation. You make touring REALLY interesting. Whether it's walking into a house filled with sleeping bodies all over the floor, dreadlocks and patchwork pants everywhere, or rowdiness that only college parties can really accomplish, thank you, funky freaky people of the USA.
Tour isn't technically over just yet, because it's that time of year again, time for our yearly residency in the musically epic city of New Orleans. Last year we finished up with a gig at the historic Maple Leaf Bar on Oak St., uptown. Since then, we threw a 10-band festival at Red Rocks and Trevor even sat-in with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Now we are kicking off our NOLA stay with two Wednesdays in a row at The Maple Leaf and returning to CO in May with a gig alongside the Dirty Dozen Brass Band! That will all correspond with the release of Actual Natural on Mountain Size Records which was just mastered by two-time Grammy winner David Glasser and is being pressed as we speak with artwork by TRIPP, the psychedelic poster czar of Colorado himself.
New Orleans is always a productive time for us and new songs are always learned and written. There is so much to pick up down there, both musically and otherwise. The colors of the flowers and houses are even visually overwhelming. We look forward to playing with our musical friends , as well. The level of musicianship in NOLA is unparalleled in most parts of the nation. For now, keep your eyes peeled for the release of Actual Natural in a couple weeks and come visit us in New Orleans. Yeah you right...
Showing posts with label Brass Bands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brass Bands. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 31
Sunday, October 5
A Week of New Orleans Love
New Orleans is all-consuming. I have no apologies about my lack of posts this past week (it has taken me until today, Wednesday to finish this post) and can only hope to mentally wade through the events of the past days to relate what life is like for me when I come to the tropical mecca of music and mojo.
Sunday Oct. 28 - The Tourmobile rolls into New Orleans at 5:30am, three hours after leaving a brief but fun gig in Lake Charles, LA. Provided at least two of us aren't tired, driving overnight is oftentimes more efficient than during the day because there is much less traffic. Combined with our excitement about heading to NOLA, nothing stood in our way of screaming across the dark bayou-night, cutting through the salty thick air of the gulf shore fog. Five months is a long time to be away from New Orleans and I felt overwhelmed as we first glimpsed the dull-yellow beacon lights dotting the massive Crescent City Connection through the haze (a bridge spanning the wide Mississippi, connecting NOLA with the West Bank, where William Burroughs spent his later years). We crash immediately upon arrival at my old apartment, where kindred souls still reside, and spend the rest of Sunday resting and catching up with our most anticipated acquaintances. At night we see the first of much music we would absorb over the course of the week. The famed Maple Leaf club became somewhat of our musical second-home in NOLA, and I caught up with my always entertaining friend and funky mentor Russell Batiste (Funky Meters, Vida Blue). Russell had just come back from a run on the East Coast with George Porter Jr. (who I’ve also had the incredibly fortunate chance to play with) and Page McConnell of Phish who is reuniting with his band next year. Phish is my favorite band, and in a later post I’ll discuss why their reunion is very bittersweet for us...
Monday- We walk around Uptown sweating, putting up posters and promoting the shows scheduled for later in the week. Our efforts serve a dual purpose for me, as I try to reacquaint my senses with the fragrant tropical paradise that is the average Uptown avenue. Blue, purple, pink, white, red, yellow and any combination of bright colors line the streets and neutral grounds of New Orleans in the form of flowers, jungle greenery, and other plants which are not readily identified by us non-botanists. Parrots, lizards, FROGS (!) and alien insect populate these lush areas. Most impressive of all the life overtaking New Orleans are the trees: magical, old, knowledgeable trees who disregard human affairs and even our ultimately futile attempt to populate a city several feet below sea-level. Despite my utter distraction by this environment, so different from the arid Arizona/Texas moonscapes we've been traveling previously, we get good promo work done and word begins to spread about the shows on Thursday and Saturday. Again we see live music at The Leaf for the night, this time the NOLA funk staple Papa Grows Funk. For/Sure Productions is hiring PGF to play Mountainside Mardi Gras next August (an update on FSP in my next post) and as always, the band was more than happy to meet the rest of the Frogs and have a drink until the wee hours with us.
Tuesday: Jack, our record label manager, put Tell Me True on-sale in The Mushroom, a locally run record shop (very hip) in our ongoing effort to take care of all the little things that really make bands successful in the long run. Tuesday was spent booking gigs and firming up our November-January stay in Colorado. We have some very exciting shows coming up for Winter, including Nov. 4th at the sublime Fox Theater in Boulder, several live-radio broadcasts, and a new album to start work on.
Wednesday: Resting for the next day’s show in New Orleans involves mimosas and barefoot frisbee in Audubon Park, named such for the colorful birds of all hues who flit about every tree in the vast park.
Thursday: An early gig on Tulane’s campus,12pm early to be precise: earlier than Frogs have played since jamming a tail-gate on Vanderbilt’s campus four years ago. Playing at Tulane is an interesting animal. Those students who choose to go to school in New Orleans solely to party will largely ignore music and walk coldly by an on-campus concert on their way to the frat house for some warm keg-beer. Those who come for the potentially rich cultural experience (which ironically includes drinking anyway), will not only watch but appreciate a gem of musicality happening on campus... Thursday night, the band went to The Maple Leaf (shocking!) and saw members of Galactic sitting in with Ivan Neville, Russell Batiste and George Porter Jr.
Friday: Woke up to a beautiful sunny day, not unlike those listed above and below and promptly decided to try and play a pick-up gig. While at happy hour, sitting outside that classy Tulane campus bar “The Boot”, I mentioned to a gentleman who was hauling large quantities of liquor that we’d be happy to play at whatever function he was obviously stocking up for. “Of course”, he replied, and we proceeded to jam the Sig Ep fraternity parent get-together for exactly the price of as many beers as we could drink. Our payment properly adjusted our collective mindset for what we were to experience next. Sauntering over to campus after packing it up, we decided to meander toward the Funky Meters concert taking place. While walking near the gates behind the stage, Ivan Neville questioned as to why I was on the wrong side of the fence and quickly got 3 backstage passes thrown our way. As star-struck as I probably should have been talking to Art Neville backstage, my calling as musician and vocation as promoter forces me to be as reserved as I can around such funk-gods as this. Mark (drums, FGF) and Portwood (guitar/vox) each made their rounds, chatting with the Neville, Porter, or Batiste of their choice as I consulted Ivan on some things we are doing right and wrong with regard to Mountainside Mardi Gras. Insightful Wisdom from the Masters. The band crashes early: no more to be done on such an evening, and work to do tomorrow.
Saturday: Coffee on the trip down to WWOZ (90.7 FM) for an interview about the night’s show. WWOZ is the flagship radio station of New Orleans music and culture. Commercial free, community-funded and accessible to every demographic imaginable, WWOZ is like no other conventional radio station in the country. To obtain a promotional spot we had to take the dire steps of a) driving to the French Quarter broadcast station (next to the bustling french market) and b) calling upstairs to the on-duty DJ, who was more than happy to let us on air to talk about Frogs Gone Fishin' opening for Rebirth Brass Band at the Howlin’ Wolf, all despite the fact that it was a Latin-music format on-air at the time. During our down time between the radio spot and sound check, we put down a hip-hop track with members of my former group, The Keep Movin' Project. The track has a very heavy groove and you can listen to it here, under "Keep it Movin". We recorded the tune in under four hours with producer and beat-maker Felix Miles and rapper Ben Brubaker. The show at the Howlin' Wolf that night was an hour of pure energy and a great crowd (as usual, before Rebirth Brass Band plays). The benefit concert was for a great cause (the Peace Corps.) and a fantastic way to wrap up our stay in the Big Easy.
Sunday we said our goodbyes to the proud city that I love so much. Our time there convinced the band that living in New Orleans from Mardi Gras to JazzFest next year (March-April) should be our plan of action. I cannot wait to go back.
Last night we played a short set for a crowd of rowdy debate watchers and politicos at the official Tennessee Democratic Party's after-party. It felt great to openly endorse Obama on stage and play songs like "We the People", songs I've written over the past 8 years of political corruption and an unhappy population waiting for change. I really think that change is coming and places like New Orleans will be better for it.
Sunday Oct. 28 - The Tourmobile rolls into New Orleans at 5:30am, three hours after leaving a brief but fun gig in Lake Charles, LA. Provided at least two of us aren't tired, driving overnight is oftentimes more efficient than during the day because there is much less traffic. Combined with our excitement about heading to NOLA, nothing stood in our way of screaming across the dark bayou-night, cutting through the salty thick air of the gulf shore fog. Five months is a long time to be away from New Orleans and I felt overwhelmed as we first glimpsed the dull-yellow beacon lights dotting the massive Crescent City Connection through the haze (a bridge spanning the wide Mississippi, connecting NOLA with the West Bank, where William Burroughs spent his later years). We crash immediately upon arrival at my old apartment, where kindred souls still reside, and spend the rest of Sunday resting and catching up with our most anticipated acquaintances. At night we see the first of much music we would absorb over the course of the week. The famed Maple Leaf club became somewhat of our musical second-home in NOLA, and I caught up with my always entertaining friend and funky mentor Russell Batiste (Funky Meters, Vida Blue). Russell had just come back from a run on the East Coast with George Porter Jr. (who I’ve also had the incredibly fortunate chance to play with) and Page McConnell of Phish who is reuniting with his band next year. Phish is my favorite band, and in a later post I’ll discuss why their reunion is very bittersweet for us...
Monday- We walk around Uptown sweating, putting up posters and promoting the shows scheduled for later in the week. Our efforts serve a dual purpose for me, as I try to reacquaint my senses with the fragrant tropical paradise that is the average Uptown avenue. Blue, purple, pink, white, red, yellow and any combination of bright colors line the streets and neutral grounds of New Orleans in the form of flowers, jungle greenery, and other plants which are not readily identified by us non-botanists. Parrots, lizards, FROGS (!) and alien insect populate these lush areas. Most impressive of all the life overtaking New Orleans are the trees: magical, old, knowledgeable trees who disregard human affairs and even our ultimately futile attempt to populate a city several feet below sea-level. Despite my utter distraction by this environment, so different from the arid Arizona/Texas moonscapes we've been traveling previously, we get good promo work done and word begins to spread about the shows on Thursday and Saturday. Again we see live music at The Leaf for the night, this time the NOLA funk staple Papa Grows Funk. For/Sure Productions is hiring PGF to play Mountainside Mardi Gras next August (an update on FSP in my next post) and as always, the band was more than happy to meet the rest of the Frogs and have a drink until the wee hours with us.
Tuesday: Jack, our record label manager, put Tell Me True on-sale in The Mushroom, a locally run record shop (very hip) in our ongoing effort to take care of all the little things that really make bands successful in the long run. Tuesday was spent booking gigs and firming up our November-January stay in Colorado. We have some very exciting shows coming up for Winter, including Nov. 4th at the sublime Fox Theater in Boulder, several live-radio broadcasts, and a new album to start work on.
Wednesday: Resting for the next day’s show in New Orleans involves mimosas and barefoot frisbee in Audubon Park, named such for the colorful birds of all hues who flit about every tree in the vast park.
Thursday: An early gig on Tulane’s campus,12pm early to be precise: earlier than Frogs have played since jamming a tail-gate on Vanderbilt’s campus four years ago. Playing at Tulane is an interesting animal. Those students who choose to go to school in New Orleans solely to party will largely ignore music and walk coldly by an on-campus concert on their way to the frat house for some warm keg-beer. Those who come for the potentially rich cultural experience (which ironically includes drinking anyway), will not only watch but appreciate a gem of musicality happening on campus... Thursday night, the band went to The Maple Leaf (shocking!) and saw members of Galactic sitting in with Ivan Neville, Russell Batiste and George Porter Jr.
Friday: Woke up to a beautiful sunny day, not unlike those listed above and below and promptly decided to try and play a pick-up gig. While at happy hour, sitting outside that classy Tulane campus bar “The Boot”, I mentioned to a gentleman who was hauling large quantities of liquor that we’d be happy to play at whatever function he was obviously stocking up for. “Of course”, he replied, and we proceeded to jam the Sig Ep fraternity parent get-together for exactly the price of as many beers as we could drink. Our payment properly adjusted our collective mindset for what we were to experience next. Sauntering over to campus after packing it up, we decided to meander toward the Funky Meters concert taking place. While walking near the gates behind the stage, Ivan Neville questioned as to why I was on the wrong side of the fence and quickly got 3 backstage passes thrown our way. As star-struck as I probably should have been talking to Art Neville backstage, my calling as musician and vocation as promoter forces me to be as reserved as I can around such funk-gods as this. Mark (drums, FGF) and Portwood (guitar/vox) each made their rounds, chatting with the Neville, Porter, or Batiste of their choice as I consulted Ivan on some things we are doing right and wrong with regard to Mountainside Mardi Gras. Insightful Wisdom from the Masters. The band crashes early: no more to be done on such an evening, and work to do tomorrow.
Saturday: Coffee on the trip down to WWOZ (90.7 FM) for an interview about the night’s show. WWOZ is the flagship radio station of New Orleans music and culture. Commercial free, community-funded and accessible to every demographic imaginable, WWOZ is like no other conventional radio station in the country. To obtain a promotional spot we had to take the dire steps of a) driving to the French Quarter broadcast station (next to the bustling french market) and b) calling upstairs to the on-duty DJ, who was more than happy to let us on air to talk about Frogs Gone Fishin' opening for Rebirth Brass Band at the Howlin’ Wolf, all despite the fact that it was a Latin-music format on-air at the time. During our down time between the radio spot and sound check, we put down a hip-hop track with members of my former group, The Keep Movin' Project. The track has a very heavy groove and you can listen to it here, under "Keep it Movin". We recorded the tune in under four hours with producer and beat-maker Felix Miles and rapper Ben Brubaker. The show at the Howlin' Wolf that night was an hour of pure energy and a great crowd (as usual, before Rebirth Brass Band plays). The benefit concert was for a great cause (the Peace Corps.) and a fantastic way to wrap up our stay in the Big Easy.
Sunday we said our goodbyes to the proud city that I love so much. Our time there convinced the band that living in New Orleans from Mardi Gras to JazzFest next year (March-April) should be our plan of action. I cannot wait to go back.
Last night we played a short set for a crowd of rowdy debate watchers and politicos at the official Tennessee Democratic Party's after-party. It felt great to openly endorse Obama on stage and play songs like "We the People", songs I've written over the past 8 years of political corruption and an unhappy population waiting for change. I really think that change is coming and places like New Orleans will be better for it.
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