One of our favorite albums of last year was Nola-Phonic, Vol. 1, the free mixtape from Gypsyphonic Disko (Ben Ellman and DJ Quickie Mart). They’re back with a Gypsyphonic Christmas tune, “Drummer Boy Phonic” featuring Katey Red and Neil Diamond! The new Rock and Roll Hall of Famer meets bounce and the ba-rump-pa-pum-pums will never [...]
Tag Archives: Ben Ellman
Clearing the Desk: Porter, Simon, Mixtapes and More
July 1, 2010 – 5:23 pm
–Word has been floating around about George Porter, Jr.’s legal issues with his former management, Highsteppin’ Productions. Neither Porter nor his lawyer are talking on the record, so here’s the most complete account of what’s going on so far: Legendary New Orleans bassist George Porter Jr., best known for his work with The Meters, played to [...]
Trombone Shorty, Backatown (Verve Forecast)
May 1, 2010 – 12:58 am
It didn’t take a genius to peg Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews as a national success waiting to happen. He’s young, good-looking and a born entertainer, he was also making credible jazz records when he was barely out of puberty. His roots are in the Treme Brass Band circuit—which, if the HBO series Treme does its [...]
Midnite Disturbers: Jazz Fest Focus
May 1, 2010 – 12:26 am
The idea for the Midnite Disturbers came at drummer Stanton Moore’s kitchen table. He and fellow drummer Kevin O’Day had been tossing around the idea of forming an all-star brass band, and they had called Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews to see what he thought. When he agreed, they started calling friends and ended up with [...]
Gypsyphonic Disko, Nola-Phonic, Volume One (mixtape)
March 1, 2010 – 12:01 am
The talk of the town this last month has been unity. The overarching narrative of the Saints saga has been the way in which this Super Bowl season has brought New Orleanians (wherever they are) together across all lines and boundaries, whether economic, geographic, generational, or racial. Even more than during Mardi Gras, the Who [...]
Mardi Gras Album Reviews: Gypsyphonic Disko & Krewe of Eris
February 12, 2010 – 3:18 pm
Gypsyphonic Disko Nola-Phonic, Volume One (mixtape) The talk of the town these days is unity. The overarching narrative of the Saints saga has been the way in which this Super Bowl season has brought New Orleanians (wherever they are) together across all lines and boundaries, whether economic, geographic, generational, or racial. Even more than during [...]
Galactic’s Ben Ellman and Robert Mercurio
February 1, 2010 – 12:01 am
When Galactic and Theryl “Houseman” DeClouet parted ways in 2004, there were whispers of concern about what the band would become without a vocalist. Rather than replace DeClouet, they recorded From the Corner to the Block, a hip-hop-oriented album that showed Galactic to be harder and more contemporary than their previous albums had suggested. “Second [...]
Free Balkan Bounce
January 15, 2010 – 12:31 pm
Galactic’s Ben Ellman recently released a mixtape titled “Gypsyphonic Disko,” a product of his side Balkan DJ project. B.G., Kelis, M.I.A., Katey Red, Sissy Nobby and Big Freedia all make appearances in this highly entertainning 42-minute mix. Download it free here (or here if you want it broken into individual tracks).
Gravy, Said & Done (Independent)
July 1, 2008 – 12:01 am
Naming your band after that strange liquid which fills the streets of the Quarter is a dicey proposition—“Gravy” is a funky, homegrown name for a funky collegiate collective, but the French Quarter version of gravy is half beer, half dumpster water, and half piss. (That actually adds up if you’ve ever stepped in it.) Gravy [...]
