“We’re the brothers/We’re the funky four/funk to the Valence/from the Calliope/like to sing and dance/in the neighborhood/we’re bad as lightning/and we’re loud as thunder/When you hear the Brothers/your body got to move“–The Neville Brothers, “Real Funk”
The Neville Brothers’ familial bonds have kept them together as the Funky Four, even as each Brother has nurtured successful [...]
When singer/songwriter/guitarist/taxi driver Mem Shannon released his debut CD A Cab Driver’s Blues in 1995, it marked the arrival of a major talent in contemporary blues. Yes, the inclusion of audiotaped conversations from passengers in his cab gave the record a unique twist and earned Shannon a mountain of media [...]
It’s been over two decades since Lazy Lester left Louisiana for Michigan, but the timeless harmonica-driven sound he forged for Excello Records in the mid-’50s and early ’60s still courses through his veins.
On January 23, Lazy Lester’s swamp-blues rise again with the release of All Over You (Antone’s Records), a [...]
As one of the founding members of The Band, Levon Helm helped rewrite rock and roll history. In one stretch from 1965-1969, Helm and his bandmates broke all the musical rules of the era. They were the backing band for Bob Dylan’s famed transition from acoustic folk to electric rock, [...]
Where does the time go?
Another year is coming to a close. Perhaps it’s a time for reflection, where we take a look at the last 364 days, and gaze forward to 1999, wondering what new experiences it may bring.
Nah. There’s too much going on in December in New Orleans, let [...]
Singer/songwriter/composer Randy Newman has always been one of New Orleans’ favorite adopted sons, thanks to rich Louisiana-informed songs like “Dixie Flyer,” “New Orleans Wins the War,” “Louisiana 1927″ and “Kingfish.” Newman is a native of the other LA—Los Angeles—but spent his childhood summers in New Orleans, and developed a fascination [...]
