Above: Dinny Keague tracking at Due South Studios.

Most recently, Dinny laid down some tasty tracks along with Tom McPhilips (bass) and Marco Vaccaro (guitar). Tom & Marco provided a lovely bed for Dinny’s tales of loves both lost and found. . .and, ultimately, our hearts’ gloriously redemptive powers.

Above: Marco Vaccaro (left) and Tom McPhilips.

We can’t wait to share the finished product with you.
Stay tuned!

The group killed it on the Gentilly Stage and were easily in my top 3 acts of the 4 days I attended.

And now – they were honored by the International Bluegrass Music Association with their entertainer of the year award.

Extremely well deserved.

For more, check out the New York Times Arts Beat blog posting.

will.i.am (ok – that right there is enough to annoy), Fergie and the other 2 guys continue to carry the mantle passed to them by Piff Poof Doody Diddy Sean John Combs the 3rd – namely, lame pop that is painfully (and heavily) derivavtive of other artists. It all makes you appreciate how creative the early hip-hop DJs were when you listen to how heavily these goobers sample (and in general, siphon off of) previously recorded (nay – previously created) music.

So – if you need PC, see the nytimes.com article here – http://nyti.ms/nEN0Gw. The paper takes the piss out the Hack Eyes Peas – but the old gray lady naturally does the dirty deed in a very genteel, delightfully back-handed manner.

Love ya, lady.

In addition to originals like “Meet Me In Memphis” and “Dragged Down By The Blues”, the boys of The Southbound Boogie Band rocked out on cover-songs ranging from The Rolling Stones’ “Live With Me” to The Band’s “Ophelia”.

The highlight of the evening was front-man Glen Muñoz and country-music star Waylon “Shooter” Jennings sharing lead-vocal duties on a raucous rendition of Willie Nelson’s “Whiskey River”.

Waylon "Shooter" Jennings

A huge thanks to Shooter for joining the band on-stage. . . .and to all the fans who helped PACK The P&G’s live room that night.

Next show – Aug 24 back the the P&G. Hold the date!

Glen Muñoz, Anthony Rapp & writer/director James Evans

The story revolves around married couple Landrie (Renee Penegor) and Mark (Anthony), who throw an annual drunken, drug filled party to help them deal with the anniversary of a tragic event. Their friends, now all in their 30s or 40s, hire babysitters, stock up on aspirin and boldly rise to the occasion. They play music, dance, flirt, cry and try to forget, for one night, that they are all halfway through their lives. This year’s party proves especially dramatic when Mark’s ex-girlfriend (Tate) shows up after a 12 year absence.

The result is an evening none of them will soon forget–provided they can remember it in the morning.

The weather was indeed sweet (and unseasonably cool) for the second weekend of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. With nary a cloud in the sky, high temperatures in the low 80′s, next to no humidity and a cool breeze blowing through the Fairgrounds, it was easy to think you were somewhere other than near the mouth of the mighty Mississippi a week into the month of May. But the spicy smells of jambalaya, the taste of the strawberry lemonades and the delightful & varied sounds emanating from the 11 performance stages let me know I was again strolling through one of the most unique musical festivals in the land.

The following is a summary of the somewhat random musical offerings I encountered.

Thursday, May 5
Upon locating our friend and native New Orleanian Jena S. at her “camp” next to the Acura Stage’s soundboard, we settled in for some Fela-infused, bayou-based funk from Gov’t Majik. Still – since this was my buddy Dave’s first Fest, I was anxious to give him a grand tour of the Fairgrounds. So we meandered by the main food-vending area, past the Congo Square artists’ kiosks and over to the Gentilly Stage – where we encountered one of the major revelations of this year’s Fest. . .Gal Holiday & The Honky Tonk Review. Their classic country sound – devoid of irony or slacker-tude – was delightfully refreshing. . .and Gal Holiday’s vocals struck me as genuine, relaxed and breezy. After their set, it was back to the Acura Stage for Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes – a group with a number of classically trained musicians gone bad (which is a good thing). A subsequent walk-about for food and drink led me past the Jazz & Heritage Stage and the Kumbuka African Dance & Drum Collective‘s celebration of both sound & vision. From there, a big loop brought me by the Fais Do-Do Stage for Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, who were playing a number of fresh tracks from their new CD, “Grand Isle” (a few copies of the CD were tossed by Steve out to the adoring crowd between songs). Next was Joseph Modeliste (aka Zigaboo) – the man who is not only King of the New Orleans drummers (The Meters & The Wild Magnolias) but whose beats have been at the core of some of the biggest tracks in rap & hip-hop (A Tribe Called Quest, The Beastie Boys, Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul, Eric B and Rahkim, Jungle Brothers, Onyx and Run-DMC – to name a few). What a treat! From there, it was back to the Acura Stage for the achingly beautiful music and words of Lucinda Williams. As Lucinda wrapped up, I high-tailed it over to the Blues Tent for mouth-harp maestro Charlie Musselwhite and his badass band. I stuck around for the following act, a tribute to the pianist James Booker (featuring Joshua Paxton, Todd McDourmat, Joe Krown and Tim Morrell). A perfect first day (of the second weekend of Fest) closed out with a fantastic set by Wilco at the Acura Stage.

Gal Holiday & The Honky Tonk Review

Friday, May 6
Friday started appropriately enough with The Delgado Community College Jazz Ensemble performing on the Congo Square Stage. From there, we re-synced with Jena and her crew at the Acura Stage for We Landed on the Moon, an extremely earnest indie (read: noise) rock band from Baton Rouge. With a day and a half of Fest gone by, I was due for some gospel, which I received from The Electrifying Crown Seekers, who have been making a joyful noise for over 40 years. After church, it was back to the Acura Stage for the Soul Rebels Brass Band (the name says it all). From the Acura Stage, it was over to the Jazz Tent for David Torkanowsky’s Fleur Debris (featuring George Porter Jr.). Wow! Amazing! From there, it was off to the Blues Tent for (there’s a reason they call him) “Big” Al Carson, who – along with his smokin’ band – regaled the crowd with some of his own blues goodies as well as some great covers (including Traffic’s “Feeling Alright” and Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin’”). After Big Al, it was time to get back to the Acura Stage for Bonerama. If you know them, you love them. . .and they did not disappoint (especially when they dropped some Black Sabbath on us). Dave and I proceeded to pack up and make our way across the infield to catch the last few acts of the day at the Gentilly Stage. On the way, we stumbled onto Kermit Ruffins & The Barbecue Swingers‘ outdoor house-partay going on at Congo Square. . .as well as JazzFest 2011 revelation #2, Roddie Romero & the Hub City Allstars at the Fais Do-Do Stage. Holy cow! Roddie and his rockin’ band sure know how to get the joint a-jumpin’! Their CD was a “must buy” at the Rhythmporium (which we addressed on Sunday). Once we settled in at the Gentilly Stage, we were treated to a fantastic one-two punch of classic country. First off was Jamey Johnson, who really knocked my socks off with his songs, his words and his voice. And then there was Willie Nelson. . .who. . .well. . .was effortlessly Willie. And you couldn’t ask for more than that.

Roddie Romero & the Hub City Allstars

Saturday, May 7
Saturday at JazzFest. One could argue that this is the day for the biggest names. . .it’s certainly the day of the biggest crowds. . .so mobility is limited. As a result, most of the day was spent at the Acura Stage (or close by). But first – a stop at the Gentilly Stage for R. Scully’s Rough 7. Whatever hangover (and corresponding sloth) you may have had in you from Fri night will got knocked right out of you by this self-described garage-gospel group. From there, it was off to the other end of the Fairgrounds for the Texas-born, Louisiana-raised, two-fisted piano-playing Marcia Ball at the Acura Stage. Icing on that cake was a visit by the Soul Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas. Next, it was a quick dash to the Jazz Tent for Baritone Bliss – with Roger Lewis, Tony Dagradi, Tim Green, Calvin Johnson and Dan Oestricher ALL blowing on their baritone saxophones. Quite a sound! Then – back to the Acura Stage for Voices of the Wetlands Allstars, featuring Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, Johnny Vidacovich, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Johnny Sansone and Waylon Thibodeaux. Wow – what a line-up! Allstars, indeed! The truly local vibe continued with the ever upbeat and classy, Allen Toussaint. To close out the day, we made our way to the Congo Square Stage for my only disappoint of the Fest, Lauren Hill (or – as she was billed, “Ms. Lauren Hill”. Odd, right?). That should have been an omen. . .she was buggin’. She kept pushing her drummer to pick up the beat. . .so much so that it sounded like her music got into the hands of a German house-DJ and ended up roughly 30 to 40 bpm’s too fast. After 40 minutes of that, Dave and I decided we’d be better off beating the crowds to the cab-line, made our way back to our hotel and immediately put on Lauren Hill’s ’98 release with the hopes of erasing the bad memory.

R. Scully's Rough 7

Sunday, May 8
The final day of Fest started off with Anders Osborne on the Acura Stage. His sound is significantly less “local” than it was when I first saw him 10+ years ago – let alone compared with his appearance with the Wetland Allstars on Saturday. Apparently Anders bought himself a stomp-box and has been listening to his Crazy Horse LP’s. Anders was followed on the Acura Stage by the B-52′s raunch & rock doppelgänger, Cowboy Mouth. From there, it was off to the Jazz Tent for the rest of the day. From the 3rd row, we enjoyed local jazz patriarch Ellis Marsalis, Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and the Saxophone Colossus himself, Sonny Rollins. All three were extremely satisfying. I couldn’t think of a better way to close out such a wonderful JazzFest.

Sonny Rollins & 3/4th's of his smokin' band

Thanks you, New Orleans – thank you! See you at Fest 2012 (if not sooner).

Lori – a singer and writer – focused her life’s efforts on kindness and caring. . .be it for the environment, animals or her fellow human-beings. She applied her passion to her work and became a master’s level music therapist after receiving her M.A. in music therapy from New York University. Despite her near decade-long battle with cancer, she managed to remain remarkably giving, upbeat and active.

Here is Lori telling her story:

Lori lost her battle with cancer on February 19, 2011 – just over 5 months shy of her 42nd birthday.

This past Saturday, friends and family of Lori Lynn Baur gathered at The Church of the Village here in New York City to celebrate her memory.

Bernie Williams – who Lori befriended as an Honorary Breast Cancer Awareness Bat Girl for the New York Yankees – played the following rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the services:

In lieu of flowers, friends and family are encouraged to either make donations to Lori’s favorite charity, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, or help offset the cost of her funeral and medical expenses.

Best Friends Animal Society
5001 Angel Canyon Road., Kanab, UT 84741

Alfred Medi Fund
Alfred Medi c/o Mahopac National Bank, Sleepy Hollow Division
49 Beekman Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591

God’s speed, Lori.

The Dinny Keague Band made the trip out to the Left Coast earlier this summer and set-up camp at the legendary Sunset Sound – the recording mecca where luminaries ranging from Led Zeppelin and The Doors to Prince and Sheryl Crow brought globally chart-topping albums into existence.

Among the tracks that the boys recorded in LA included a gorgeous version of “Long Journey Home” (written by Elvis Costello & Paddy Moloney) featuring Dinny on vocals and Paul O’Hara on the keys.

I was flattered (and stoked) when the guys asked if I would be willing to do a mix.
You can hear it below.

Long Journey Home by The Dinny Keague Band

The guys recently sent the track over to WFUV – who has it in hand and is waiting for YOUR CALL telling them to “get it on the air, man”. Give WFUV a ring (718 817-4550) and let them know you want to hear The Dinny Keague Band’s version of “Long Journey Home”.

Thanks!

With a bit of gentle urging, I was able to coerce Phil into the studio to play the song for me.

I loved it. . .I loved the melody and the sentiment behind the straight-forward lyrics.

So, we tracked. . . . .
Phil played guitar and sang lead vocals.
Tiffany’s high school friend Emily Bortoff sang harmonies.
And a whole mess of their friends sang “gang vocals”.
Yours truly engineered and produced.

Phil just so happens to be the former guitarist and lead singer of the successful Maryland-based emo-rock group Fair Verona. Since quitting the band, Phil has become quite an accomplished professional photographer.

The style of the recording – acoustic, with a light production touch – is a 180 degrees from what he was used to doing with Fair Verona, so it proved to be a good challenge – but Phil killed it. Here are the results. Enjoy.

A Lifetime Ago by Philip Moy with Emily Bortoff

Interested in licensing or syncing rights to this “A Lifetime Ago”? Drop us a line at info@glenmunozmusic.com.

Once the JazzFest workers managed to liberate the Heritage Stage from Chief Iron Horse & the seemingly endless supply of his Black Seminoles Mardi Gras Indians, Doc and I broke ourselves away from their spectacle and make our way to the Gentilly Stage for Dala – a Canadian duo that I’d heard quite a bit of buzz around.

The word is that Dala is (are?) quite the phenom north of the border – but I was under-whelmed. In fairness, neither the venue nor the time of day was right for them. . . .it was, after all, around 1 in the afternoon on a beautiful sunny day and the duo was attempting to deliver intimate performances addressing pain, anguish and mis-understanding – all from a massive stage overlooking a sprawling field of festive music lovers. Perhaps if it was 1 in the morning, in a small club on one of the Quarter’s side-streets and I had a few Maker’s in me. . . .

That being said – you can judge for yourself:

Knowing that we had some music waiting for us at the opposite end of the fairgrounds that was more apropos to our mind-set (and would set our toes a-tappin’), we made our way to the Acura stage.

BUT – if you know the layout of the Fest, you know that you’d really be doing yourself a disservice if, when moving from Gentilly to Acura (or vis-a-versa), you failed to stop at the Fais-Do-Do stage. “What” do you ask “is the Fais-Do-Do Stage?” Simply – traditional Cajun music. . .all day, every day. Zydeco, if you will.

WHOOOO – WEE! We was not disappointed. Joe Hall and The Louisiana Canecutters were a cuttin’ it up indeed! Don’t believe me? Here’s a taste from the a show of theirs at Nu-Nu’s in Arnaudville, LA:

That hot hot music. . .the sun beaming down. . .good, friendly people smiling and dancing about? Yes, sir – yes!

Doc and I lingered a good long time. After all, there are all kinds of big-name acts at Fest that you can always hear elsewhere. . . .but this? This is genuine local talent that is born and bred right there in the bayou. You’d be hard pressed to find it anywhere else but along America’s gulf coast.

Sadly, though, the Canecutters set came to an end – so we made haste to the Acura Stage for Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk.

Now – let’s be clear about something. . .there is no shortage of bands that speak of themselves in terms of “funk” and “funky”, but I’m terribly frustrated by the fact that the majority of these acts of little more than glorified jam bands. Yes – Funk has a groove – and that groove is steady. But funk also has melody – and moves, cuts, flips and turns. . .sometimes really really hard. If in doubt, go give a listen to “In The Jungle Groove”.

Dumpstaphunk makes their living by living up to these expectations. All the players are bad-*ass. . .and the band, as a unit unit, is T-I-G-H-T. Go to their website to give them a listen and get the latest on tour dates. Also, check out their tune “LivinInaWorlGoneMad” at MySpace.

More Fest to come. . . .