SWING: New Orleans Moonshiners NYC Debut!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at 6:30

Dance Lesson at 6:30, Live Music at 7:30

“They are the type of group that takes away any worry about the future of traditional jazz in the city that created it.” — AllAboutJazz.com

The jaunty swing of N'awlins has become so iconic that even those who've never visited the Crescent City can get wistful about what it has to offer. Fittingly, the New Orleans Moonshiners are a septet you won't soon forget once you've danced to their bouncy, reverent music. It's the sound and spirit of Louis Armstrong shot through with the subtlest contemporary harmonies, just one reason that the Moonshiners are poised to develop a national following with their first show beyond their Louisiana home base.

Traditional Jazz, Swing
Lesson: Paolo Pasta Lanna teaches Lindy Hop and Charleston
DJ: Tomo Tanaka

Damrosch Park
62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam

source

SOUNDS: Monsters of Folk

Kentuckyian Yim Yames (a/k/a Jim James from My Morning Jacket) hits NYC with Monsters of Folk for two shows: Nov 6 @ United Palace Theatre and Nov 8 @ the Beacon Theatre.

Monsters of Folk is an American supergroup, consisting of Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes and M. Ward. The band was formed in 2004 when the members were on tour with their respective bands and solo projects. After playing together both on-stage and backstage, they started working together on various material. (source)

SOUNDS: EyeHateGod in BKLYN tonight

They've been called doomcore, sludge and stoner rock, survived line-up shuffles, label hassles and a short-lived split. And after more than a decade of creating some of the most corrosive, vile music known to man, EyeHateGod still hasn't lost the piss and vinegar that fueled them back in 1988. (source)

Jimmy Bower & co. play tonight @ Club Europa in Brooklyn.

SOUNDS: Lynyrd Skynyrd

Legendary rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd return to New York City for a CD Release Party and Concert at the Beacon Theatre on October 1.

Beyond the tragedy, the history, the raging guitars and the killer songs, ultimately, Lynyrd Skynyrd is about an indomitable will. About survival of spirit; unbowed, uniquely American, stubbornly resolute.

With their first set of new studio material since 2003's Vicious Cycle, the band returns with God & Guns, due out September 29 on Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records. Recorded in Nashville in 2008-2009, the project was interrupted (but, tellingly, not ended) by the deaths of founding member/keyboardist Billy Powell and longtime bassist Ean Evans earlier this year.

Driven by core members Gary Rossington (guitar), Johnny Van Zant (vocals) and Rickey Medlocke (guitar), along with longtime drummer Michael Cartellone, Lynyrd Skynyrd have recorded an album ("under duress, as usual," according to Van Zant) that very much lives up to the legacy begun some 35 years ago in Jacksonville, Florida, and halted for a decade by the 1977 plane crash that killed three band members, including Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines. Since then, the band tragically lost Allen Collins, Leon Wilkeson and Huey Thomasson, yet they rock on.

With the passing of Powell and Evans, "a lot of people probably expected us to say enough is enough," admits Medlocke. But that would not be the way of this Rock & Roll Hall of Fame powerhouse. With a catalog of over 60 albums and sales beyond 30 million, Lynyrd Skynyrd remains a cultural icon that appeals to all generations, and God & Guns is a fitting addition to the canon. The Skynyrd Nation awaits.(source)

Rosanne Cash @ St. Ann's Warehouse

Photo: Annie Leibowitz

“If my father had been a martial arts master, he might have passed a martial arts ‘secret’ on to me, his oldest child. If he had been a surgeon, he might have taken me into his operating room and pointed out the arteries and organs. If he were a robber baron, he might have surveyed his empire and said, ‘Honey, some day this will all be yours!’ But he was a musician and a songwriter, and he gave me The List.” Rosanne Cash

St. Ann's Warehouse presents the World Premiere concert of ROSANNE CASH The List, the first album culled from a list of “100 Essential Country Songs” that Johnny Cash created for his daughter when she was 18. Alarmed that Rosanne lacked a deep understanding of country music, Johnny gave her the list and insisted she learn them all. Filtered through her own unique, sophisticated perspective, Rosanne covers songs from The List with her own stylish interpretations, paving their way to a permanent place in the American Songbook. Produced and arranged by Grammy-Award winner John Leventhal, The List includes masterpieces by The Carter Family, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Bob Dylan and more. (source)

These concerts are not until October 9 & 10 but tix are on sale now until 9/2 for St. Ann's members and then open up to the general public.

SOUNDS: The Derek Trucks Band @ Lincoln Center (tomorrow)

FREE - Thursday, August 13 @ 6PM - Damrosch Park Bandshell

Snehasish Mozumder & Som
Jake Shimabukuro
and The Derek Trucks Band

"Three exploratory string virtuosos expand the boundaries of their instruments. Classical and jazz fusion’s Snehasish Mozumder’s double-neck mandolin is at the center of a band that swings it North Indian style. Hawaiian ukelele maverick Jake Shimabukuro’s extraordinary facility is mesmerizing at any speed. The Derek Trucks Band’s namesake slide guitarist, a member of The Allman Brothers’ extended clan, rocks the blues the modern way, blending jazz, Latin, East Indian, and other global influences." (source)

SOUNDS: Cat Power plays Summerstage this Sunday (8/10)

Cat Power and Juliette Lewis join the Pretenders this Sunday, August 10 at Central Park Summerstage (Rumsey Field). The performance is pegged as the 2009 Summerstage Gala which raises funds for City Parks Foundation’s free year-round arts performances in parks citywide. Click here for more info.

SOUNDS: Justin Townes Earle @ Beacon Theatre 8/6

Justin Townes Earle, son of Steve Earle, stepson of Allison Moorer, and named for songwriter Townes Van Zandt, comes to NYC's Beacon Theatre tomorrow night (8/6) with Old Crow Medicine Show for the Big Surprise Tour.

SOUNDS: Jason Isbell TONIGHT

Former Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell performs in NYC tonight!

First, a free concert @ 5PM at The 1st Annual Hudson Square Music & Wine Festival, an after-work NYC backyard BBQ put together by Great Performances and City Winery.

At 9PM they head inside City Winery for an acoustic set. "Hailing from Alabama, Jason Isbell is a continuation in the lineage of the area's other native songwriting legends. Cut from the same cloth as other masters such as Arthur Alexander, Donnie Fritts, Eddie Hinton, just to name a few, Isbell crafts sultry, soulful tunes that pen 'the perfect soundtrack for a night alone with a bottle of Makers.' After a stint with The Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell is now on his own creating the songs that have some predicting that he's on course to become one of the best songwriters of his generation. With the help of his band, The 400 Unit, Jason Isbell has recorded his second solo album, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit. With critical acclaim coming in from all around, it promises to be his strongest offering to date. Tonight, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit come to The City Winery and in the same words that Rolling Stone uses to describe his newest album, it will surely be an event 'not to be missed.'

"This show's special guests are The Truckstop Allstars featuring Kevn Kinney (Drivin' n' Cryin') Aaron Lee Tasjan (The Madison Square Gardeners) Chris Masterson (Son Volt) and Eleanor Whitmore (Eleanor Whitmore Band)." (source)

SOUNDS: Terence Blanchard in NY thru 7/26

New Orleanian Terence Blanchard (jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, Golden Globe-nominated film score composer, and Artistic Director at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz) wraps up a week long stint at Jazz Standard on 7/26.

SOUNDS: DMB + OCMS = NYC (7/21 & 22)

Necklace by Seize The Night (Etsy)

Nashvillians (via NYC & NC) Old Crow Medicine Show join Charlottesville, VA (via South Africa) megastars the Dave Matthews Band tonight (7/21) and tomorrow night (7/22) at the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach.

Feel Like Funkin' It Up

According to their Myspace page: "Simply put, The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans institution. Formed in 1983 by the now infamous Frazier brothers, the band has evolved from playing the streets of the French Quarter to playing festivals and stages all over the world. Rebirth is committed to upholding the tradition of brass bands while at the same time incorporating modern music into their show. Their signature brand of heavy funk has not only won over several generations of music lovers, it has become the soundtrack to an entire city. In the wake of the sometimes-stringent competition amongst brass bands, Rebirth is the undisputed leader of the pack, and they show no signs of slowing down."

They play BB King's tonight (7/8) @ 8PM.

Drop Me Off In New Orleans

Tonight (7/7) @ Midsummer Night Swing in Damrosch Park:

Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers

“With his shimmering tone, street-honed chops and over-the-top personality, Ruffins is a throwback to the days when entertainment and art were fast companions.” —The Star Tribune

With a knowing grin on his face and a smile in his voice, Kermit Ruffins kicks off the season with New Orleans flair. The trumpeter/vocalist and his band are sure to thrill with their unique sense of smokin’ swing. (source)

When:
Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 6:30
Dance Lesson at 6:30, Live Music at 7:30

Where:
Damrosch Park
62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam

Program:
New Orleans Jazz, Swing
Lesson: Paolo "P Lindy" Lanna teaching the Lindy Hop, Lindy Hop All-Stars, SavoyCentral.org
DJ: Ryan Swift, Yehoodi.com

SCENE/SOUNDS: Dexateens Take Manhattan...

Photo: Stanton Newman

"Tomorrow marks the 50^th anniversary of the Chitlin Supper at Meek High School in Arley,AL. My mother graduated from Meek High in 1967. She had the distinct pleasure of being named the Chitlin Queen one year. This was an event that she would have to drag us to over the years. My dad graduated from Curry High just over the Walker County line. My sister and I went to Walker High, a city school for god’s sakes! Why would we be caught somewhere they serve hog guts?

I have grown to appreciate the Supper more and more over the years. There’s nothing slick about it except a few of the politicians who take the stage to pander for votes. Entertainment ranges from the awful American Idolesque karaoke to traditional gospel and country. I’ve even seen buck dancing from time to time. This year our very own Lee Bains III will grace the stage for an acoustic set. His first Chitlin Supper was last year and I’m glad it seems to have stuck.

Proceeds from the Supper go to a good cause. Meek High School marching band members are cleaning chitlns at an alarming rate at the moment. 400 or 500 pounds I’m told. After the chitlins are cleaned, they are boiled, pressure cooked and then fried. Experts encourage you to drizzle them with vinegar before taking a bite. The band will bake and fry up about 800 pounds of chicken as well for those of you too chicken to try chitlins." (Dexateens Myspace blog entry for 3/26/09).

The new Dexateens album, Singlewide, is being released tomorrow (5/12) on Skybucket Records. The band FINALLY plays NYC: 5/14 @ Pianos, and 5/17 @ Union Hall.

SCENE: VOV Music Fest kicks off today in Hot Springs, AR

Small venue, small town Arkansas, completely run by volunteers

The Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival (VOV) is gearing up for its 5th and biggest year yet with bands traveling from as far away as Australia, Canada, Israel, New York, California and all points in between. These bands make up the fabric of a global community of DIY'sters who focus on sound, measure, tempo and theme and leave the pop writing formula on the backburner, so they may be someday noted for their musical innovation and not the gross total of records sold.

But The VOV is more than the bands it attracts - The VOV is not the bloated idea of "festival" that has been defined by Lollapolooza, Coachella, or Bonarroo where 876545677896 bands play on 7654329007 stages, in front of 87887866669808708098098 people who will fight you for a spot in line at one of the 13 port-a-potties. No, The VOV is about community. We are a festival organized and run by volunteers who need something more, something raw, something real to inspire them. We hit the streets and ask for donations, grants, food, drinks, microphones, hammers, nails and duct tape - whatever it takes to make it happen just one time a year.

THIS YEAR’S LINEUP, ncludes Monotonix. Pretty & Nice, AIDS Wolf, The Queers, Poison Arrows, Pink Spiders and more.

The VOV is a 501(c)3 public charity. With the help of dedicated sponsors and volunteers The VOV has been producing original, forward-thinking and independent music in the small town of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas since 2005. In four short years, The VOV hosted nearly 700 cutting edge, internationally touring artists who performed to a combined audience of about 7000 music lovers over the course of 6 festivals. The 5th Annual VOV will be held in March 2009 and is the perfect pit stop to those of you traveling to or from SXSW. The VOV also holds sporadic shows throughout the year.

The VOV Independent Music Festival Kicks off today (3/17/09) at Low Key Arts in Hot Springs, AR with the world's shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade and runs thru 3/22/09.

SOUNDS: Jason Isbell @ Bowery Ballroom 2/26

"There is a mental treatment facility here in Florence called The 400 Unit," says Jason Isbell. "About once a week they would drive downtown and take, I guess, the six or eight healthiest people in the facility and let 'em go downtown. Give 'em all like $15 apiece to go get some lunch. You'd immediately recognize who it was and why they were there; they all had nametags on, saying kinda strange stuff to everybody. And trying to get a sandwich at the same time."

"When I started thinking about a band, and how we get to a new town and everybody gets $15 and gets out of the van, goes out and tries to get a sandwich, it kinda reminded me of that."

Ex-Drive By Trucker Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit perform live @ NY's Bowery Ballroom tomorrow (2/26) night.

SOUNDS: Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys

Most folks in NYC are probably most familiar with Ralph Stanley from the film O Brother, Where Art Thou. Ralph was born in Dickenson County, Virginia, where he still resides when he's not on the road. After 55 years in the business, he's still the best banjo picker and tenor singer in bluegrass music. As a recording artist, he has performed on more than 170 albums, tapes, and CDs. He's also written many songs himself and with his brother, the late Carter Stanley. Ralph's played throughout the United States and in many foreign lands, too, including several tours of Japan. In addition to the many honors Ralph has received as a bluegrass musician, including membership on the Grand Ole Opry, he is also a Shriner, a member of the Primitive Baptist Universalist Church, and active in his local community, having served on the Dickenson County School Board.

The Clinch Mountain Boys currently live in scattered communities in the mountains of Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. They meet up in Coeburn, where their tour bus is parked and head out on the road. Their typical work week starts on Wednesday or Thursday and wraps up on Sunday, when they normally head in home for a couple days of well-deserved rest before starting out all over again.

Dr. Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys bring bluegrass down from the mountain and park it on 42nd Street tonight (2/18) @ BB King's.