guitar lightnin` lee - Antigravity Magazine

Transcription

KATEY RED
GLASGOW
A HANGING
CAPITOL OFFENSE
BIG FAT & DELICIOUS
vol.6 no.4 feb. ’09
THE ROOKS
DIRTY COAST
your new orleans music and culture alternative
GUITAR LIGHTNIN’ LEE
IS THE LOVE CONNECTION
www.antigravitymagazine.com
free!
PHOTO BY MANTARAY PHOTOGRAPHY
STAFF
PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF:
Leo McGovern
leo@antigravitymagazine.com
FEATURES:
ANTI-News_page 6
ASSOCIATE EDITOR:
Dan Fox
fox@antigravitymagazine.com
Some of the news that’s fit to print.
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
Guitar Lightnin’_page 15
Tom Hopkins
thomasghopkins@yahoo.com
Nancy Kang, M.D.
nancy@antigravitymagazine.com
Jacob Mazer
jacob.mazer@gmail.com
Dan Mitchell
dmitchel@tulane.edu
Sara Pic
sarapic@antigravitymagazine.com
Mike Rodgers
mike@antigravitymagazine.com
Brett Schwaner
brett@antigravitymagazine.com
Brian Serpas
brian@antigravitymagazine.com
Jason Songe
jasonsonge@antigravitymagazine.com
Colby Spath
colbito@gmail.com
Mallory Whitfield
mallory@antigravitymagazine.com
Spreads the love with his Thunder Band.
COLUMNS:
Guidance Counseling_page 11
DJs Kristen and Matty dish advice.
Dr. Feelgood_page 12
Who’s got the worst tattoo?
The Goods_page 13
Pet art in New Orleans
Homefield Advantage_page 14
And now...Hornets coverage.
Photo Review_page 28
The month in photos.
REVIEWS:
AD SALES:
ads@antigravitymagazine.com
504-881-7508
Music_page 20
Albums by Bobby Adams, Animal
Collective, Gore, Lil Wayne, Shell
Shock and more...
Cover Photo by Zack Smith
Katey Red Photo by Robin Walker
EVENTS:
We like stuff! Send it to:
111 South Alexander St.
New Orleans, La. 70119
Listings_page 23
February events in New Orleans
COMICS:
Have listings? Send them to:
Illustrations_page 26
events@antigravity
magazine.com
ANTIGRAVITY is a publication of
ANTIGRAVITY, INC.
RESOURCES:
Homepage:
www.antigravitymagazine.com
Qomix, How To Be Happy, The
K Chronicles, Firesquito.
Katey Red
Shows a sweet side like no other rapper in this month’s ANTI-News.
INTRO
MySpace:
Charlie Cooper, 1977—2009
www.myspace.com/
antigravitymagazine
H
appy Mardi Gras. This issue is a bittersweet
one for me; while I’m excited about all of the
amazing stories we’ve managed to put together
for this holiest of months, it was with great sadness and
shock that I learned of Charlie Cooper’s death a few
days before press. I knew him since high school and we
shared a lot of good friends who I really feel for right
now. One of my earliest and most vivid memories of
Charlie was watching him onstage with his band Supafly
in the Hangar next to Rendon Inn, probably around
1994. Even then, at such a young age, he proved to be
a formidable front man, a magnetic talent and even a
little bit ahead of his time. Joshua Eustis, another longtime friend and New Orleanian, partnered with Charlie to form
the acclaimed Telefon Tel Aviv, which took them a lot of places we all dream about daily. But no matter how far his
music took him away from New Orleans or how sophisticated he got, Charlie was always about some Saints, some
good bounce rap and of course, Vietnamese food. (The last time I saw him was at Pho Bang on Manhattan Boulevard,
not a couple months ago). I think it will honor Charlie’s memory to continue this great NOLA music scene of ours,
a community which he had a huge part in building. New Orleans will never be the same, Charlie; but at least we had
you when we did and we’re forever grateful. Thank you. —Dan Fox, Associate Editor
4_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative
ANTI-NEWS
EMERGENCE FRONTMAN RETURNS WITH BIG FAT
& DELICIOUS
E
ven though the local dub rock troupe Emergence
called it quits last summer, their fans knew that it
was only a matter of time before the group’s core
members cooked up something new. After months—if
not years—of simmering, Emergence’s former lead
singer Dustin Walkowski is back with his newest
effort: Big, Fat & Delicious. “We just played our first
show on January 16th, but Big, Fat & Delicious has
been in the works for, literally, years,” Walkowski told
ANTIGRAVITY. “It started out with just me, my brother
and a couple of our friends playing together, and it sort
of evolved from that. Between the other bands we’ve
been involved with, it’s been a matter of finding the time
to finally have an official debut for Big, Fat &Delicious.”
Local ska fans may also remember Walkowski from his
four-year stint as the vocalist for Samurai Deli, where he
first played alongside Daniel Ray, a current collaborator
in Big, Fat & Delicious. “We’re not really shooting for
any particular style, but we try to incorporate different
elements of punk, reggae, ska, and rock,” Walkowski
explained. “It’s got a similar vibe to some of the stuff
I did with Samurai Deli and Emergence, but with a lot
more emphasis on acoustic guitars. It may be acoustic,
but it’s still punk. There’s just no way I could ever be
able to shake punk from my soul.” Walkowski also said
that the freestyle nature of Big, Fat & Delicious keeps the
band’s live sets fun and unpredictable. “For our show at
the end of February, a lot of our friends will be joining
us to collaborate on some songs. Ted Dunaway from Sick Like Sinatra will be playing bass and some of the
guys from Samurai Deli will be joining us as well. Big Fat & Delicious started with a couple of core members
and guests showing up to jam whenever they’re in the mood. That’s how it’s always been—we’re a family
band.” —Brett Schwaner
Big, Fat & Delicious plays The Dragon’s Den on Tuesday, February 27th as part of the Suicide Girls Benefit for the
LSPCA. Showtime is 9pm. For more info on Big, Fat & Delicious, visit myspace.com/bigphatdeliciousnola
BIG CHANGES AND FAMILIAR FACES AHEAD FOR
CAPITOL OFFENSE
A
BURIAL OF THE RATS:
A HANGING UNLEASHES THEIR
GUT-WRENCHING DEBUT
interview by brett schwaner
A
fter spending
a
couple
of
hours
listening to Food For
Rats, the recently
released debut album
from New Orleansarea hardcore artists
A Hanging, I really
wanted to claw my
eyes out—but not in
a bad way. Food For
Rats plays like a highspeed suicide note
and doubles as a grim
confessional of the
types of thoughts seldom verbalized in mixed company. Food For Rats
is as honest as it is ugly, as writhing as it is poetic, and unceasingly and
unapologetically vicious. A Hanging came into existence first as a retooled
version of a long-running Crescent City band called Daisy. Although
Daisy disbanded following the death of their guitarist, Ryan Morrison,
A Hanging carried on much of Daisy’s spirit, eventually leading to a
lineup consisting of vocalist Alix Petrovich, drummer Billy Bones,
bassist Chris Squire, and guitarist Scott Walle. ANTIGRAVITY had a
chance to speak with Petrovich in the days following the completion of
Food For Rats and discussed A Hanging’s past, present, and future.
Before Daisy and A Hanging, had you spent time in any other bands,
locally or outside of New Orleans?
I really wasn’t in any bands until I moved to Savannah, Georgia in
1999 to go to film school. I was in band called Hammered Shit out there
for about two years and we did a couple of tours. We just played basic
drunk punk music and it was a lot of fun. I moved back to New Orleans
in 2004.
How did you end up in Daisy and, eventually, A Hanging?
A Hanging started because Daisy kicked out their lead singer. I kind of
jokingly told Billy Bones [Daisy’s drummer] that I’d try out. Billy had
heard some of the stuff I recorded when I lived in Georgia, so he kind of
knew what I sounded like. He invited me to come try out and Thomas
and Ryan loved it, so we started jamming as Daisy. That was sort of the
beginning of A Hanging. Less than a year into that, Ryan Morrison,
Daisy’s guitarist, passed away. He was a big part of Daisy, so we all
decided that we couldn’t go on calling ourselves Daisy out of respect for
Ryan. Some time later, we started trying out guitarists and A Hanging
got its start from there. Thomas left the band a little later. We weren’t
meshing too well. He’s a great guy, but we can’t work together. Scott
joined the band after that and Chris joined the band last November.”
lthough they’ve been laying
low since last fall, the guys in
Capitol Offense haven’t spent
their downtime as shiftless, drunken
lay-abouts…for the most part. Formed
by members of Hello Asphalt and
Dirty Dingus after both groups called
it quits in 2006, Capitol Offense picked
right up, putting together a mix of poppunk, politics, and hardcore. The group
recently welcomed a familiar face to
the lineup with the addition of former
Dirty Dingus mainstay Adrian Mejia.
Mejia had taken a lengthy break from
local music following the unexpected
death of his brother, Pablo Mejia.
“Since Dirty Dingus broke up, I’ve
pretty much just been working with my
dad at the family construction business,” Adrian Mejia told ANTIGRAVITY. “About four months ago, I
started jamming with some of my friends in The Test Subjects, which got me back into playing music again
on a regular basis. The Test Subjects have only done one show since I’ve joined, but I’m looking forward to
doing more with them and also with Capitol Offense.” Mejia also said that his involvement in music played
a big part in helping him to cope with his brother’s passing. “When the incident happened with my brother,
I didn’t go to doing drugs or drinking. I picked up my guitar and that really helped me get through it,” said
Mejia. “There was never a point where I thought about giving up on music. It’s been awhile, but I’m glad to
be playing with my friends again.” Mejia’s presence in Capitol Offense may also signal a stylistic shift for the
band and a possible return to the early days of Dirty Dingus. “A year ago, we were leaning more towards barebones hardcore,” said Capitol Offense vocalist Keith Hogan. “Now that Adrian’s in the band, the sound that
we’re leaning towards is really melodic pop-punk, kind of like the chugga-chugga style of most of the bands
on Fat Wreck Chords.” Hogan also said that the group plans to abstain from scheduling any shows for the
time being. “Right now, we’re just writing and practicing. We’d like to have a solid album worth of material
finished, so we’re holding off on playing shows until then. Once we get to that point, we’ll start playing locally
again and do some short tours over the summer.” —Brett Schwaner
More A Hanging on page 30...
For more updates from Capitol Offense, log on to myspace.com/breachpunk.
For more info, updates, and streaming tracks from Food For Rats, check out
myspace.com/ahanging.
When I listen to A Hanging, I hear fairly equal influences of punk,
metal, and hardcore. Do you guys have any specific style that you
typically lean towards?
I’ve heard people describe us and our recordings as anything from
straight-up hardcore to something like Soilent Green, to crust punk. For
me, it’s kind of hard to decide. Personally, I listen to a lot of crust and
punk. My personal history is more with punk rather than metal. I started
out as an angry punk kid. I’ve heard people describe us as hardcore, but
I don’t think we’re really a hardcore band either.
You mentioned Soilent Green. How much influence does A Hanging
draw from other local punk and metal music in New Orleans?
If Billy and Scott weren’t in A Hanging, I think we’d sound like a totally
different band. Both of them absolutely reek of New Orleans punk and
metal. I think that might be a big part of why our style is so hard to
define. Billy’s drumming is just straight-up punk rock—it’s just so fast
and so loud. He’s such a hard-hitting drummer. I remember watching
him when he was in Daisy and thinking, “God, this guy is a stupid-fast
drummer and an amazing drummer. His timing is just impeccable.”
ANTI-NEWS
DIRTY COAST GETS INKED
T
here are thousands of shirts
on sale that proclaim New
Orleans’ virtues, but for those
of us that actually live in the city
and see it beyond the context of one
long spring break bar crawl, “I Got
Bourbon Faced On Shit Street” fails,
on some level, to resonate. The shirts
made and sold by Dirty Coast Press
offer the city’s residents a vision of the
city more recognizable. Their wares
are printed locally and speak to the
unique character of the town: a reverence to its icons and turns of phrase, an unpretentious
commitment to rebuilding, skepticism toward its politics, a steadfast devotion to drinking.
One design, “NOLA Gothic,” depicts a man and a woman with a paintbrush and a face
mask standing before a shotgun house, posed as the farmers of Grant Wood’s American
Gothic. Another boldly declares “DJ Soul Sister For President.”
Last July, Dirty Coast sent out a call for fans willing to get its “Acadiana Self Reliance”
design tattooed—on the company’s dime—on their body. The design depicts a bird
clutching a snake in its bill, fish and money in its talons, a fleur de lis emblazoned on its
belly, and text reading “Pouvoir Acces Culture” (power, access, culture). The Dirty Coast
website declares the design a statement “that Louisiana deserves more than she receives
from the rest of the country considering all she provides.”
The before, during, and after of the tattoo processes were documented and are now available
to view as videos on the Dirty Coast website. One of the most interesting accounts is the kiltwearing Gramm, whose testimony alludes to the strange magnetism of the city that draws and
enchants its visitors and makes the prospect of leaving unthinkable. Above the ever-present
buzz of the tattoo needle, the volunteers describe their decision; though the interviews are brief,
what comes across is an intense love and devotion to the city that is difficult to express but, for
New Orleanians, instantly recognizable. —Jacob Mazer; Photo by Rob Davis
The videos are online at dirtycoast.com/tattoo.php. You can visit the Dirty Coast store at 5704
Magazine St.
SPIDER-MAN GOES TO WASHINGTON,
NOT NEW ORLEANS
L
ocal Barack Obama supporters and treasure-hunters
alike were mightily disappointed on January 14th,
when an anticipated collectible issue of Amazing SpiderMan failed to hit comic shops in the New Orleans area.
Amazing Spider-Man #583 featured a story about the
webhead’s love life, but people were more interested
in a five-page backup story that had the New Yorkbased superhero cross paths with Obama and, more
specifically a 1-in-20 variant edition that had a cover
featuring the then-President elect. Because of a story
on the comic in the January 7th edition of USA Today,
New York comic shops saw long lines while New
Orleans shops were forced to rebuff anxious, and often
angry, patrons. “We probably had fifty phone calls
about it,” said DC Harbold, manager at Oak Street’s
More Fun Comics, “but we didn’t get any.” How could
a comic that caused such a furor be so hard to find on
the day of release? Blame a combination of the comic
industry’s archaic ordering process and a perfect storm
of publicity that perhaps not even Marvel Comics could have anticipated.
Comic shops must place orders with their distributor three months before the product is
scheduled for release, a tricky situation even in normal times, as shop owners must guess
how many copies of a particular book will sell based on that book’s current sales and what
they know of upcoming storylines. It’s important to note that shop owners ordered this
book last October, before the election took place. Exacerbating the problem is that in order
to even receive the variant (then billed as just a “special election cover”) retailers were
forced to match or exceed their October 2007 order of Amazing Spider-Man—which may not
sound like that big of a deal until you see how local sales of the title have dropped over the
past year. More Fun Comics currently sells half the copies of Amazing Spider-Man they did
in 2007. “We weren’t going to order over 60 copies of a comic we sell 28 of in order to get
a variant edition that had a cover we didn’t even know about,” said Harbold. Metairie’s
Media Underground Comics also didn’t receive any of the first printing. “A year ago we
went through about thirty copies of the title,” said owner Ronnie Prudhomme, “but now
I order around ten.” By the time USA Today ran its story, it was too late to order more,
because it had sold out at the distributor level.
It also seems that most people were more worried about the cover than the actual story,
asked how many Obama-inquirers purchased the “standard” version of the comic, Harbold
said, “none.” The issue is currently in its fourth printing. —Leo McGovern
KATEY RED DOESN’T NEED YOU TO BUY
THE DRINKS
interview by michael patrick welch
photo by robin walker
W
ith the release of her album
Melpomene Block Party ten
years ago on DJ Jubilee’s
Take Fo’ imprint, Katey Red staked
her claim as the first ever homosexual,
transgendered bounce rap artist. To
celebrate this milestone, Katey and
her popular “punk rapper” peers, Big
Freedia and Sissy Nobby, will perform
at One Eyed Jacks on Valentine’s Day.
We rolled up to Katey’s house in her
neighborhood north of Tulane Medical
Center, where the flood looks to have
occurred just last month. We were told
she wasn’t there yet, and warned to
wait in the car. Soon, Katey rolled up,
smiling, chauffeuring two friends in her
back seat. Bounce music blared. Almost
seven feet of genuinely pretty Katey
stepped out of her car in a mini-skirt suit
decorated in the pattern of some jungle
cat. She looked ready to perform. “If we
takin’ pictures y’all,” she said, “then I
gotta go in and get dressed.”
For nearly an hour we waited outside,
talking to Katey’s girls over their superloud bounce mixtape. Of course, bounce
music can be heard at every turn in New Orleans, but after a hit off the girls’ blunt, I listened
deeper than ever before to almost an hour of that continuous sampled “Triggerman” beat,
all the newest songs chopped up with hundreds of New Orleans references and slang words
and southern accents skipping and hiccupping and creating their own complex, loud-ass
little world. Layers and layers of samples reflected all eras of black music from Genuine to
Marvin Gay, plus a hundred local neighborhoods like Katey’s that I’ve rarely visited. This
new super-choppy, grainy bounce (grainy from that beat being sampled so many times)
somehow felt simultaneously laid back and intense, like an amazing party in a dangerous
Third World country. Much of its intensity derives from the crazy stuttering of the vocals,
which I notice many MCs doing via sampler, whereas Katey Red is aided only by her quick
tongue.
Soon, three little kids curious about the music pop out of what look like flooded homes
and dance over to Katey’s rattling car. “This man work for a magazine,” Katey’s friend
tells the kids, “show him your moves!” The kids then proceed to kill the music; moves so
amazing my eyes welled up—until Katey finally came back out. Dressed in another black
and white mini-skirt suit, she looks fresher but just as good as before, to me. Which I guess
is further proof that men just don’t understand women. Or wait...
Anyway, Katey led us all to the daiquiri shop at the river bend (peach and Hypnotiq is her
flavor, FYI) to discuss with ANTIGRAVITY the 10th anniversary of Melpomene Block Party,
her upcoming show at One Eyed Jacks, the difference between white and black audiences,
plus The Whos, The Whoas, and Dem Hoes.
So my first question for all musicians is, how do you go about making your music? Do
you have equipment at your home to make beats?
No, but Sissy Nobby do. Nobby do that. Various DJs make the tracks for me. Or sometimes
we get together and make it from scratch, starting with the little tempo. I guide it, I direct
it, I hear the sound—I know the sound—I hear the sound I know the sound. But now since
the new millennium hit, a lot of people just steal a piece up out another person’s song. Also,
it’s too many gay rappers, too many gay rappers, too many gay rappers, and they all tryin’
to do what everybody else doin’. I recorded a new song Monday, and I was there wrackin’
my nerves and brain trying to figure out something to say on the mic, when most bounce
music nowadays might have only one verse, and you can just take that one verse and chop
it all up and let the beat just run, and you’ll make money off it. But I like the writers. I’m not
a hardcore rapper, but they takin’ the rap outta bounce rap!
You don’t really write though, right? You improvise?
Mostly yeah, you just, whatever come out yo head, you just get it goin’: biggity-bigity-biggitybiggity-bounce-b-bounce-b-bounce-bounce! And as long as it got a good beat they gonna just
dance to it. Real rap is where you have to write the lyrics, memorize, memorize, memorize,
and then you gotta run it. That’s real rhyming. On my next album I was gonna rap different.
Not like hip-hop hip-hop like, “grab the nine with your gun” and all that, but more like a
Jamaican way, like “putcha lytahs up,” that style. But I just couldn’t get on it, and then Lil
Kim came out with hers...
More Katey Red on page 30...
Katey Red plays the Sissy Bounce Concert with Big Freedia and Sissy Nobby at One Eyed Jacks on
Saturday, February 14th. For more info on Katey Red, go to myspace.com/kateyred.
7
antigravitymagazine.com_
ANTI-NEWS
THE SECRET’S OUT ON THE ROOKS
A
s a big fan of upper Midwest and east coast punk rock, it’s
been rare to hear anything remotely influenced by the likes
of Dillinger Four, The Broadways, or Fugazi circulating
through the Crescent City’s music scene in recent years. Thankfully,
I’ve got The Rooks around to keep my ears happy these days. The
Rooks made their debut in the summer of 2008 and simply rock
your face off. Considering that The Rooks are essentially a local
punk rock super group, made up of members of Angry Banana,
Fatter Than Albert, and Further Reasoning, you weren’t expecting
anything less from them. “The Rooks are three different guys from
three different bands who just wanted to play punk rock without
fitting into any kind of specific mold,” Rooks guitarist Brian Pretus
told ANTIGRAVITY. “I’ve always been a big fan of punk and it’s a
lot of fun to go back to playing the kind of music I was playing when
I was twelve years old. Since we’re all in different bands, The Rooks
has been mainly a side thing, but we take it just as seriously as any
of our other bands.” Involvement in those other bands has kept The
Rooks preoccupied over the past few months, but the group looks to
step things up a notch in the first half of 2009. “Since Fatter Than
Albert is going on hiatus for awhile, that’ll give us a little more time
to concentrate on The Rooks,” said Pretus. “We’ve got some pretty
weird and pretty cool ideas in the works right now, like playing shows in places bands don’t play all that often.”
The Rooks’ plans also include their debut record release. “The plan right now is to release the first couple of songs
on a split 7” with The Loblaws [from Nashville],” said Rooks vocalist Greg Rodrigue. “It will probably be a joint
release between One Eye Records and Community Records, but we’re still working out the details of that. The
songs that don’t end up on the split will be released as MP3s and we’ll probably put out some kind of DIY CD
as well.” And as far as upcoming shows are concerned, The Rooks are thoughts in the truest spirit of bare bones
punk rock. “In February, we’d like to do a guerilla show with our band set up in the back of a pickup truck, parked
somewhere around town, like at Lee Circle or in front of City Hall,” said Rodrigue. “You probably won’t see any
flyers or any kind of promotion for these shows, and probably very little on the internet. We’re going to try to do
this strictly as word-of-mouth.” —Brett Schwaner
For more on The Rooks’ plans for global domination, visit myspace.com/rooksneworleans.
PARTY ’TIL YOU PUKE WITH
ANDREW W.K.
Y
ou’re not likely to find much
about the performer known
as Andrew W.K. on the
internet. Or, I should say: you’re not
likely to find the truth about Andrew
W.K. Scour Google and Wikipedia
all you like, but the true story of the
one-man party machine is seldom
spoken of and shrouded largely in
secrecy. The true story of Andrew
W.K., allegedly born as “Andrew
Fetterly Wilkes-Krier” in 1979, has
never been written, but the mystery surrounding his life is stuff of legend
and folklore in some circles. From his involvement with the New World
Order Illuminati, to rumors of multiple Andrew W.K. clones working
together in the pursuit of clandestine goals, to speculation that the
majority of W.K.’s songs contain hidden messages with dark overtones
of murder, violence, and social anarchy, there is clearly more to this
enigmatic artist than just “partying hard.” To demonstrate this theory,
simply pull up any Andrew W.K. song on your playlist or record player
and replace any reference to “partying” with “killing” or “murder.”
Taking this to mind, W.K.’s recordings take on a far darker and
anarchistic tone. Rumors and speculation aside, the man knows how to
throw an epic party, and what better time and place to throw one than
New Orleans on the eve of Mardi Gras? If I haven’t “disappeared” by
the time Andrew W.K.’s New Orleans appearance with Quintron rolls
around on Lundi Gras, February 23rd, I’ll be in the crowd, having close
calls with brick walls, and generally partying hard. —Brett Schwaner
Andrew W.K. and Quintron are scheduled to perform at One Eyed Jack’s
on Monday, February 23rd. Showtime is 10pm. For more on Mr. Quintron,
check out myspace.com/mrquintron.
ANTI-NEWS
GLASGOW RIDES ON THE
ROCK OF LOVE BUS
SINCE LAST MONTH...
A
Sick Like Sinatra
Following up on some of the bands we covered last month...
interview by brian serpas photo by chris george
s a true fan of weirdo music, I need more than the
missionary position-style of song most indie-rock
bands give up. I was met halfway by Glasgow, a
band set to release its debut album, On Earth, on February
6th at Republic. The name of the group comes not as a tribute
to the city in Scotland but from a diagnostic tool used for
measuring the severity of a coma—it’s a purposefully obscure
honorific that adds to their wanting to grab the audience’s
attention not just musically but also aesthetically. The group
took a recent hiatus from performing to write and record On
Earth, a decision that enabled them to focus more on the
writing process and make sure they accomplished their goals
for composition. The band is lead by brothers Sam and Jack
Craft, with help from bassist and multi-instrumentalist Cory
Schultz and drummer Eric Rogers, two members they share
with Antenna Inn. The eleven-track On Earth takes chances
with noisy soundscapes and classical string ensembles, with
some of the more notable tracks being “Volcano,” a song
that sounds of several decades past of pop rock and serves
as an example of how musicians borrow from one another
and “Dinosaur,” which has a great progressive intro akin to
Queen that is used as the main theme. Listening to the album,
it’s evident the group put much thought into the layering and
harmonizing of the vocals. This idea is heard at different
points on the record and is especially realized on “Monkey,”
which also has a fun lead guitar riff that is simple enough to
disregard yet sophisticated and thoughtful enough to respect.
“Samurai” has plenty of little tricks via scale play and good
mood-setting, and is a personal favorite. Bandleader Sam
Craft took the time to trade e-mails with ANTIGRAVITY
about the recording, playing music with his brother and the
phenomenon known as The Rock of Love Bus.
When you write a song, is it more of one instrument bringing
an idea to the table for foundation, or are all minds working
in the same room?
Most songs start with me bringing in the chords, melodies, lyrics and
a vague idea for a groove. Jack and I bounce ideas off of one another,
and then we bring it to our rhythm section to make it rock.
What were some of the highlights and downers during the
recording process?
A huge highlight was recording at Chris George and Daniel
Majorie’s amazing Living Room Studio in Algiers. Another
highlight was bringing in a ton of old car parts to drum on for the
song “Slave,” as well as getting to direct a choir for the final track. A
huge downer was during the vocal tracks. I was really sick and my
throat hurt, so I did the old Mom recipe of a tablespoon of honey.
I ended up guzzling the whole honey bear and started puking in
between takes. I think I ruined their carpet. No pain, No gain.
What do you think of Bret Michael’s’ Rock of Love Bus?
I am without television so I had to Wikipedia this one. I got
halfway through the synopsis before I started beating my head
against the coffee table. How can this be? Where is the justice?
I hope Obama doesn’t let such unchecked perversions of the
Is being in a band with your brother easy?
Being in a band with my brother is extremely easy and practical. media persist in 2009. God help us!
We are always around each other to discuss band matters; we
can finish each other’s thoughts—both verbally and musically— Glasgow will release On Earth on February 6th with a show at
Republic.
and if Jack ever tried to beat me up, I’ll just tell Mom!
Treading the line somewhere between high performance
art and low-brow humor, Sick Like Sinatra is back with
a slew of local shows scheduled for February. The twisted
trio of sex rock crusaders plans to ransack The Banks
Street Bar & Grill on Saturday, February 7th, followed
by a sticky Valentine’s Day stop at The Frat House on
Saturday, February 14th. On Saturday, February 21st,
Sick Like Sinatra will take part at the Suicide Girls
Benefit for the LSPCA at the Dragon’s Den. The Sick
Like Sinatra love-train makes its final February stop at
The Green Room in Covington on Saturday, February
28th. Visit myspace.com/sicklikesinatra for more info and
a cold shower.
Outlaw Order
Outlaw Order plans to follow up their big January
record release with an appearance at The Bar on Friday,
February 13th. Tire Fire will also perform, along with a
rare appearance by longtime local death metal grind core
veterans, Flesh Parade. To stream tracks from Outlaw
Order’s newest record, 00%, check out myspace.com/
outlaworder.
In Tomorrows Shadow
On Saturday, February 21st, local death metal
mainstays In Tomorrows Shadow return to Metairie
with their first all-ages show at The High Ground
since November, performing alongside Sky Fell
To Earth and Wake Into The Nightmare. On
Sunday, March 1st, In Tomorrows Shadow takes
their best shot at The Howlin’ Wolf’s Battle of the
Bands competition, starting at 8pm. For regular In
Tomorrows Shadow news and updates, visit myspace.
com/intomorrowsshadow.
9
ANTI-NEWS
HANGTIME DRUMMER TALKS CLOGGED ARTERIES LOCAL ARTISTS WIND UP WAY
AND KARATE KICKS
DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS
H
I
angtime started pretty much out of boredom with the local
hardcore scene in New Orleans. There’s no traditional
hardcore in New Orleans,” Hangtime drummer Brandon
Mueller told ANTIGRAVITY. “We’re trying to bring some of that
back. We’re not private school kids trying to be a Metairie hardcore
band.” Leaning towards old school hardcore is what makes Hangtime
stand out in an era in which it’s become trendy for many hardcore
artists to eschew the old and lean more heavily towards breakdowns,
beatdowns, and karate kicks. Mueller, along with Jordan Lutz and
Will Taylor, started Hangtime in 2008 as an offshoot of an existing
local band called Jabberjaw. The recent addition of Fun Boys
guitarist Ryan Lamberton finalized the group’s lineup. “The guys
from Jabberjaw originally contacted me about doing something. They were looking to do a tough guy beat down
kind of thing, which I’m really not into,” said Mueller. “Along the way, I kind of persuaded them to go along with
doing something with a more punk/rock kind of feel to it instead of doing something that sounded more like Terror
or Shattered Realm. I basically tickled them into doing 1980s hardcore.” Since then, the guys from Hangtime have
spent their practice time balancing punk and hardcore, while drawing inspiration from some rather unlikely sources.
“When Hangtime gets together, there’s usually a lot of McDonald’s and Taco Bell involved,” said Mueller. “A large
staple of Hangtime is a sandwich that we invented called ‘the McDougal.’ It’s a Spicy McChicken sandwich between
a double cheeseburger. Eating two or three of those at a time really helps with our writing process. I’d recommend
that everyone try one of these at some point. You’ll be hooked. You’ll probably die, too.” Assuming that Mueller
and his bandmates don’t experience massive heart attacks anytime soon, the next few months look to be extra salty
and delicious times for Hangtime. “We’ve got MCHC, Mike Hardcore, working on some artwork for us, which is
really an honor and a pleasure, because I love his stuff,” Mueller said. “We’re probably going to record some more
demos with Gary Smiley from In Tomorrows Shadow. After we do the demo, we’re going to record a couple of
three-song sessions for a series of split releases. We’re looking at doing a couple of split 7-inches with Dead Icons
from Kentucky and Low Life from Jackson. We may also do a split with She Rides, who we played with at the
Dragon’s Den in January. We’re also looking at possibly doing a tour over the summer with a band from Jackson,
Miss. called Courage.” —Brett Schwaner
f you haven’t been to
the Pearl Art Gallery
yet “Way Down in
New Orleans,” their latest
show, is a great opportunity
to check this space out.
Kind of a bite-sized Big Top
3 Ring Circus, the Pearl
is another addition to the
exploding fringe art gallery
scene here in New Orleans.
The show, which has
travelled to Austin, Texas
and Washington D.C.,
showcases artists who were
affected by Katrina yet
energized by the [civilian]
energy of the aftermath.
Work by Kyle Bravo and
Jenny Leblanc (Antigravity,
November ’08), whose 9th
Ward printing studio Hot
Iron Press was completely
submerged in floodwater,
Courtney Egan and even AG EIC Leo McGovern will be shown, as well as
a dozen others. The Pearl has been teaming up with its next-door-neighbor
Buddha Belly to host after-parties to its openings, and for this show Baton
Rouge’s BedlamVille Triflers and Durel Yates of Suplecs will be performing.
—Dan Fox
Get ticklish with Hangtime plus the JV Allstars and Hercules at The Saturn Bar on Monday, February 16th at 10pm.
For more, visit myspace.com/hangtimehc
“Way Down in New Orleans” opens at The Pearl Gallery (4421 Magazine St.) on
Saturday, February 7th from 6-9pm. For more information, call 504.322.2297.
COLUMNS
ADVICE
GUIDANCE
COUNSELING
this month’s trusted advisor: djs kristen and matty
ON CRAIGSLIST AND VALENTINE’S DAY
D
J Matty and Kristen have been
hosting the Mod Dance Party, New
Orleans’ longest continuous running
dance night, for over eight years. February’s
Mod Dance Party falls on Valentines Day, so
if you want to hook up, make up, or break up,
Matty and Kristen will see you on the dance
floor at the Saturn Bar.
Dear AG,
Long story short, I was about to be “set up” with
this girl until she found out she knew me from high
school. Now, I was all psyched to know that it was
her but she got all weird and pretty much dissed
me through our go-between. Now, it might have
something to do with the fact that I dated her friend
in high school but that was a really long time ago.
Also, I always thought she was cool and actually
kind of nicer than her friends (one of them obviously
being my ex) but I’m wondering if she’s just as
dumb and mean as the rest of them. How should I proceed?
It sounds like we need to call a “waaaaaah-bulance” for someone. Buck up Soldier. Goaround the go-between. As Elvis says, “A little less conversation, a little more action.”
Dear AG,
Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I have a conundrum. I just started dating a girl in early January,
and while it’s not serious we are into each other and it could be something lasting. How crazy do I go
with a Valentine’s gift?
To quote Roy Head:
“I wanna tell you a story
Every man oughta know
If you want a little loving
You gotta start real slow
She’s gonna love you tonight now
If you just treat her right
Oh squeeze her real gentle
Gotta make her feel good
Tell her that you love her
Like you know you should
And she’ll be glad every night
That you treated her right
If you practice my method
Just as hard as you can
You’re gonna get a reputation
As a lovin’ man
And you’ll be glad every night
That you treated her right”
To make a long answer short, take her to dinner and then Mod Dance Party. You will get
some.
Dear AG,
My boyfriend wants to have a threesome. I’m not totally opposed, but I feel like it’d be more a thrill for
him than me. Is it too much to request a little quid pro quo--he gets a threesome with another girl and
I get one with another guy?
Even-stevens.
Dear AG,
Do you know anybody that’s used CraigsList effectively? It seems like such a waste land for finding
some lovin’ and especially that “casual encounters” section. Ugh. Maybe in bigger cities it’s more
useful but here in NOLA I’m scared to respond to anything, thinking it might be some spam or just
some gay dude pretending to be a hot chick so he can get cock pics all day long. WTF? Where are all
the horny, internet-savvy ladies? Or at least, where are the CL success stories?
What? Do you really want to find a girlfriend on the same website you would find a used
mattress? Seriously. Do it the old fashioned way: Whiskey.
11
COLUMNS
MEDICINE
DR. FEELGOOD
by nancy kang, m.d.
nancy@antigravitymagazine.com
TAT-B-GONE!
I
have a friend, let’s call her Lancey, and she has an oh-so-regrettable, currently
too-reminiscent-of-the-early-’90s Calvin and Hobbes tattoo in an equally regrettable,
quite visible part of her body. Lancey can wait a few more months and boast instead
an uber-so-unhip-it’s-super-hip-gonna-be-retro Calvin and Hobbes tattoo or try tattoo
removal.
We all have actions we regret, but regrettable body art is harder to ignore. Whether
it is a gang-related I-did-a-really-bad-thing tattoo, a clown-face-on-your-real-face tattoo
(“Clowns for life, dude!”), or a drunken-sorority-butterfly-on-the-boobie tattoo, we have
different reasons to get it off for good. What are the latest tattoo removal methods? Does
it hurt? Does it work?
First of all, a tattoo is a design or drawing placed with permanent-intent on the skin. The
word tattoo likely comes from the Samoan word tatau, meaning open wound. Tattooing
has
been
practiced
s i n c e
Neolithic
times
as
evidenced by
fifty-seven
tattoos found
on Otzi the
Iceman,
a
mummy who
lived around
3300 BC.
To create
a
tattoo,
a
needle
pushes the
ink into the very deep layer of the skin called the dermis. Most professional tattoo
parlors use an electric needle that moves up and down much like a sewing machine
needle. Tattooing can also be done (in prison, during history class) with a plain needle by
pushing ink deep down into the skin. This is also called the “stick and poke” method.
Even with today’s newer technologies, the rule of thumb is that removing the tattoo
will cost a lot more than the cost of getting the tattoo in the first place. Previous to the
advent of lasers, there were few options to remove tattoos. Tattoos were removed by
slicing away the skin and stitching the two sides back together, or one could tattoo over
the offensive design with something even better!
Laser tattoo removal is the most common method used today. It works by shooting
pulses of highly concentrated light at the tattoo. The light energy breaks the ink into
tiny pieces and the body’s immune system can clear out the tiny bits. After treatment
with a laser, the effect is not seen immediately. It takes between days and weeks for
the immune system to sweep away the ink. The tattoo will slowly fade with time and
additional treatments.
Each treatment can cost $100 with several treatments needed over the course of
months. Some practitioners charge by the square inch. This is neither an instantaneous
nor cheap fix. It is slightly painful, with the sensation described as “being splattered
with hot bacon grease.” The more sessions you have, the more the tattoo fades.
Unfortunately, the more sessions you have, the more damage to you skin, increasing
your chances for a less-than-desired outcome such as blisters or scars. Possible
undesirable results include: removal of only certain colors of ink, incomplete removal
(instead of Calvin and Hobbes, just a pale ghost-like image of Calvin and Hobbes),
scarring (cool), and hyperpigmentation (instead of Calvin and Hobbes, an ill-defined
dark splotch).
Lasers work best on dark-colored ink and worst on yellow and green ink. It also works
best in lighter-skinned people, on older tattoos and on professional tattoos. Professional
tattoo instruments place ink at about the same level of the skin, making the laser more
effective at zapping it all.
A less common technique is called Intense Pulsed Light Therapy. The idea is similar
to laser tattoo removal but instead of laser light, high intensity light is used. This is the
same light used to treat acne. Although there are claims that this method is less painful
and marginally more effective, it costs a lot more.
Especially on the internet, or in the back of certain pulpy magazines, there are creams
and ointments on the market with names like Tattoo-Off, Wrecking Balm, or Tat-BGone. They claim to work by peeling off the skin and causing irritation to the skin.
These claims sound nebulous at best. I would advise against these creams as they are
not regulated and there is no solid evidence that they work or are safe.
If you have a tattoo and are considering having it removed, consultation with a
dermatologist is probably the best way to start. It is best to understand the risks. The
most important thing is to come to terms with the fact that the tattoo may become very
faded but not disappear completely.
This column serves the public health interest of New Orleans’ music community and is not meant
as medical advice. For medical treatment or counseling, seek care from a medical professional.
COLUMNS
THE GOODS
by miss malaprop
FASHION
mallory@antigravitymagazine.com
PERFECT PORTRAITS FOR YOUR POOCH
I
don’t know about you, but one of my favorite things about this time of year is the
Krewe of Barkus dog parade (barkus.org). I love that so many local animal lovers gather
together to celebrate our furry four-legged friends while raising money and awareness
for pets in need of adoption throughout our region. As an animal lover, I am similarly
inspired by the work of local artist Heather LeMay, who creates wonderful custom pet
portraits and jewelry pieces.
Heather’s work, which can be found at kayannworks.com, portrays pets in a colorful and
whimsical way. As Heather puts it, “My pet portraits can be described as vivid, expressive
and fun. I do not strive for realism, just enjoyment.” It typically takes about two weeks
for a custom pet portrait, and Heather strives to capture the pet’s unique personality in
each piece. These paintings, typically acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas, are available in
a variety of sizes and are all very reasonably priced for custom artwork. In addition to her
paintings, she also sells handmade domino pendants and earrings featuring her original
animal illustrations.
I recently chatted with Heather to find out more about how she got started creating these
one-of-a-kind portraits and how living in New Orleans has influenced her work.
How did you get started as an artist?
I’m often reminded that I was fascinated
with drawing since a young child, a
habit that’s stuck with me to this day.
Art to me is more then just a hobby or
career. Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and
diabetes, I am frequently in and out of the
hospital. Therefore, it is a lifestyle; a way
to escape from the turmoil of everyday
life, and it allows me to be transported
far away the moment I begin to lay paint
to canvas. I feel very fortunate to see
the world through eyes that take in and
admire every color, every aspect, every
gradient and hue. We may not be able
to control every aspect of our lives, but
we are able to control and fabricate our
creations.
What inspires your work?
Definitely my pets, especially my
heartdog—a Pembroke Welsh Corgi
named Kiba—and a spunky, vicious
little cat named Roxas. I’ve always had
a love for color and am often influenced by strong pop art pieces. I am also inspired by a
multitude of different cultures, particularly East Asia; that is becoming more apparent in
my upcoming pieces.
Do you have a particular piece that you’re proudest of?
Surprisingly, the piece I am most happy with is one that was initially created only as a
sketch that later turned into a small 3.5” x 2.5” piece of art that was fashioned into an
earring/pendant design. The piece was of a kitten dreaming away of sushi, curled around
a giant, comical salmon roll, in a very “cute” style directly inspired by modern Japanese
culture. Shana Logic (a fabulous online indie shop) decided to stock the design. A year
later, it is my very best seller and often sold out.
What do you do when you’re not creating?
Music is another major part of my life, something I can’t go a day without, unless you want
to catch me in a potentially hostile mood! I can’t say my neighbors are very appreciative of
my selections though, which often include a lot of foreign world music bands. Otherwise,
you’ll find me most at home in the kitchen, trying many strange recipes that contain
anything from eel to octopus and always irking my family.
How has living in New Orleans influenced your artwork?
New Orleans has such a diverse culture and lifestyle that it’s often hard to convey to nonnatives. It really takes living here to appreciate the little things, and leaving the city (even if
just for vacation) to realize how much you’d miss it. There is art on every corner, from the
architecture to the French-equivalent above the English street names in the Quarter. They
are all equally inspiring.
What’s your favorite spot in town?
Cafe Du Monde. Not only does it entertain my love of music with live bands drifting
throughout the cafe, but it quenches my everlasting thirst for a good cup of coffee and
chicory. Plus, you can always find some wonderful artisans in the French Market a walk
away.
Where can people find your work?
My work is currently only available at my personal online shop on Etsy, which can be
found at kayannworks.etsy.com, or my Shana Logic exclusives are at shanalogic.com.
13
COLUMNS
SPORTS
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE
TEAL FOR REAL
by dirk fontenot
dirk@antigravitymagazine.com
I
was listening to my daily fix of Garland Robinette the other day, and a caller called in. He was a
young guy, African-American, small business owner. He was responding to Garland’s discussion
on New Orleans politics. In no time, the discussion quickly led to a Saints reference (not that much
a stretch, really). The caller remarked that the 2006 Saints getting as far as one win away from the
Super Bowl was “like almost too much right, ya know?” Unfortunately, yes, I do know. I knew because
that exact thing happened again in the second round of the 2007-2008 NBA Playoffs, when the San
Antonio Spurs, the most despicable team of any professional sport in the last decade, sent our beloved
Hornets packing. I knew exactly what he was talking about before I could figure out the logistics or
linguistic meaning of what he was saying. He was, through a brilliant turn of phrase, referring to the
collective subconscious belief New Orleanians have, that when things are going that good for the city
(and its pro sports teams—I tend to link the two together), the balance of the universe is upset and
therefore will not last. As if it is in our very nature as a culture to come to the brink, to come that close
just to lose the big one and be cheated again by fate, over and over, for the rest of eternity. It’s what
we’ve always been known for, so why should our defining characteristic change?
This must end here. If we don’t change the attitude, it will continue to pervade our citybrain. All we
need is one championship to break the illusion of gris-gris, and I think it will begin with our beloved
teal-and-gold knights of the nest. If any team has a chance of winning all the marbles, it’s Chris Paul,
Inc. I’ve got my reasons for believing this:
* We’ll start with David West, who at press time is averaging 20 points and 7 rebounds this season.
He’s always been one of my faves and is a beast. His aggressive response to a challenge smacks of
Michael Jordan. However, the chink in D-West’s armor is the same fungus that plagues both New
Orleans franchises: inconsistency. My personal belief is that this is something our boy can overcome,
and judging by both his performance in the playoffs last season and his recent contribution in the loss to
the Knicks (25 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists), West seems to slowly but assuredly be doing this.
* I’m a fan of the NBA “big guy.” I love centers, second only to the coveted position of power forward.
And I’ve been a Tyson Chandler fan since his Chicago days. Frame-wise, he’s a shade lankier than most
centers, but you can’t tell me he’s not one of the best today at answering an alley-oop with a dunk of the
utmost authority. CP gets all the kudos, but surely Chandler has roused the crowd almost as much, if not
more, than his superstar teammate. Due to his raw physical play, a friend and I have dubbed him “le loup
garou,” the fabled bayou werewolf of Acadian folklore.
* The roleplayers—Peja Stojakovic, James Posey, Rasual Butler, Julian Wright, Morris Peterson,
freshly acquired Antonio Daniels, even Hilton Armstrong—are what’s gonna make or break this
team. Sadly, we’ve proven to be only mediocre when Paul’s on the bench resting, and that’s something
big that we have to work on. How do we fix this? Work on fundamentals? Sure, but I think it’s a
little late in the game for that. Sign or trade for a better free agent? That might work. But we need to
do something fast. Otherwise, the same thing will happen this postseason—Chris Paul will get two
phantom fouls, be forced to sit the bench and our opponent (Lakers, Spurs, Nuggets, Utah, maybe
even Portland) will take advantage of the situation. Which leads me to this…
* Please indulge me in my conspiratorial fantasy. The NBA is not the NFL, not by a long shot,
and this was demonstrated to me last year in the playoffs. It was not about the Hornets losing to
the horrendous San Antonio Spunks. No, what I have issue with is David Stern, the state of “ref
power” in today’s game, and modern commercialism and its relation to international sports media,
namely ESPN. It seemed like last year, everyone in the world wanted to see a Lakers-Celtics
championship series. And this is all fine and dandy, if it hadn’t been shoved down our throats
NOTES DURING THE OFFSEASON
by leo mcgovern
leo@antigravitymagazine.com
S
ince the Saints are now in offseason mode, we’re going to go with quick-hits for our football
coverage until the Hornets end their season (hopefully as late in the year as possible!). Let’s
welcome Dirk Fontenot aboard, who’ll write about basketball in New Orleans! Now, on with
football:
* How many times can Saints fans watch former cellar dwellers rise up to Super Bowl status before the
question “When’s our time?” really starts to affect the fan base? The question has more validity because
the Arizona Cardinals secured the first Super Bowl appearance in their franchise’s history, ending a
stretch of futility that spanned three cities over sixty years. The Cardinals’ success leaves five NFL
teams without an appearance in the modern version of the league championship: the Detroit Lions, the
Jacksonville Jaguars, the Houston Texans, the Kansas City Chiefs and, yes, our New Orleans Saints.
The Jaguars and Texans are expansion teams, so they get a pass, but the Saints, Lions and Chiefs have
no excuses now, right?
* My thoughts on overtime (before and after the Saints’ overtime woes in ’08)—you’re probably never
going to find a plan that all parties agree is fair, but you have to change the current format, and I’ll
tell you why. The NFL hasn’t earned its “No Fun League” nickname by accident. The nickname’s
in part because the league has tilted the rules so towards offense that defensive players can barely do
anything aggressive. Let’s take just one example here. Remember back in the 2004 playoffs, when the
New England Patriots defense so mauled the Indianapolis Colts’ receivers that the NFL changed the
rules? Now there’s the “five-yard bump zone,” where the defense can touch receivers five yards past the
line of scrimmage and any contact after that results in “illegal contact,” a five-yard penalty. I think the
rule’s a bunch of bull, but it’s there for a reason—to produce more offense. There’s no irony lost that
the following year the Colts won their first Super Bowl with Peyton Manning. That’s just one rule that
immensely favors offenses—and rule was implemented in 2005 where the current overtime rules first
saw action waaay back in 1958. So what you’re telling me is that a rule that dictates possibly the only
possession of overtime, set fifty years ago, hasn’t been tweaked even though the basic rules of the game
have been? The argument that goes “Well, if you lose the coin toss, you need to play defense” has been
rendered moot because a) who can play defense anymore and b) in a natural reaction to the rules teams
(like the Colts and, yes, the Saints) have built their teams largely around offenses. The rule’s come
under attack in recent years, but I think this may finally be the time when it’s changed.
* Next month we’ll tackle a list of free agents the Saints could possibly acquire this offseason, but if
all the team does is re-sign middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma, this writer will be happy. Thankfully,
all signs point to Vilma being back in the black and gold next year. And about Dan Morgan returning
from his one-year retirement? I’ll believe it at the end of training camp if he’s still on the team. Until
then it’s a non-story.
the minute the ridiculous trade went down where
the Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett. I mean,
there were KG commercials at the beginning
of the season touting the Boston revival (the
one playing Badfinger’s “Day After Day” most
prominently sticks out in my memory). And it
really just seemed to me like Stern commanded
his ref puppets to do whatever it costs to make a
Boston-L.A. series happen. It was such an empty
series to me that I swore off the NBA. Well, that
lasted long (I mean, look, Stern, at who’s playing
in the Super Bowl?! The Arizona Cardinals?).
Maybe I’m not like most people, but I, and a
number of friends, like watching real matchups
and consider unpredictability exciting.
* Coach Byron Scott: One of the faces of the ’80sLakers Showtime era and, in his time, generally
regarded around the league as one of the best
shooters/dunkers in the NBA, Scott’s shooting
perimeter prowess seems to have blossomed into a
monster coaching career, and we are lucky to have
him. Of course, it helps to have a superstar or two
to lead a team, but it’s clear that Scott earned his
2008-’09 Coach of the Year award. Also, imagine
the possibilities: Coach has the chance to work with
a point guard widely considered to be one of the
best in the world. (Furthermore, Coach has had
experience in this area with Jason Kidd, and they
brought the Nets to two finals!)
* And finally... Chris Paul, CP3, God’s gift to point
guards, the coach on the court, the savior of NOLA,
etc. These titles all fit, and deservedly so. We would
not exist without this guy, and not to wipe out Baron
Davis’s legacy here (which is actually more pertinent
to Charlotte basketball than us), but it’s clear that this
guy is one of the best basketball players in the history
of the game, and as much as I hate adopting other
people’s phrases, “he’s only 23!” Maybe we should
set a bear trap for him—just ask the Pacers, who our
boy hit a fadeaway three-pointer to win the game,
with time expiring. Need I say more?
FEATURE
MUSIC
GUITAR LIGHTNIN’
MAKES THE LOVE
by dan fox
photos by zack smith
I
n a city where it feels
like every cultural
treasure has been
unearthed and tucked
away in some museum (real
and imagined), it’s hard to
believe there are still a few
surprises left. But guess
what? Guitar Lightnin’ Lee
has been here all along.
15
FEATURE
MUSIC
The kind of musician who could easily take a cue from
his contemporaries while staying firmly entrenched
in the past, playing comfortable and predictable sets
for the blueserati, Lightnin’ instead decided to take
a chance on a group of scruffy punk rockers decades
younger than him so he could play a simple, raw and
timeless version of rock and roll. Their visual presence
might be slightly disorienting, but the music itself is as
natural as the flow of the Mississippi River, making
them right at home whether it’s at the Saturn Bar or
the Lusher Crawfish Boil.
ANTIGRAVITY spent a good part of a chilly
January evening with Guitar Lightnin’ and his band:
drummer Paul Artigues, bassist Marvin Hirsch and
lead/slide guitar player Todd Mathews. Starting at the
Mother-in-Law Lounge, because in Lightnin’s words,
“Toni K-Doe is a real force with this organization,”
we talked for a while and shot some photographs.
Then we took off for Mickey B’s in the lower 9 to get
something to eat and continue the conversation. On
our way back “uptown,” we detoured to The Saturn
Bar for one last round. Every place we went, Lightnin’
was treated like royalty, as was his entourage. Though
our local music establishment may be just waking up
to his presence (or sleeping on it altogether), it’s clear
that Guitar Lightnin’ has all the patience in the world.
This is only the beginning.
How did you get this group of guys together?
Paul Artigues: Tell him about when me and you met at
Guitar Joe’s.
Guitar Lightnin’ Lee: Well, Guitar Joe used to be my road
manager, years ago. We all used to get together at Joe’s
House of Blues. This one particular night, we were all
playing and this little skinny kid walks in off the street—
this one [Points to Paul]—and I don’t know whether he was
asking other people to play or not, but he asked me. I said,
“Well, we’ll see...” Anyway, I ended up telling him to
come on up with me. It sounded so good I thought, “This
youngster might have something going on.” We’ve been
together ever since. That’s been ten years.
What did you like about Paul’s playing?
GL: Energy. And he was so close to the right sound, I
thought if we really worked together we could get it
right. And we ended up getting it right. That’s how we
got to work together. We did “Johnny B Good” that
particular night. I was more on a Delta Blues kick back
then. He calmed down and was smart enough to watch my
movements. My old teacher Boogie Bill always told me
there’s no such thing as bad timing. If everyone’s together,
it’s good timing. When Marvin and Ted came in, it all
gelled. I was happy; he was happy.
Tell me more about your teacher, Boogie Bill.
GL: That was my idol; my hero, really. But before I met
Boogie, I met Jimmy Reed when I was real young. I
caught myself running away from home, going to Chicago
with just the clothes on my back; and I met this chick
on a Greyhound bus. And she told me to go over by her
dad’s—he was a preacher, of all things—so I got off the
bus on 63rd and Stony Island in Chicago, and she told me
she lived on 68th and Wentworth. And I’m thinking 68th?
I’m on 63rd, that’s only five blocks. Come to find out it
was slam across town; took me eight hours to get there.
Like froze to death. When I got over there, this guy, he
was from New Orleans and anybody from home he liked
to help. I met his sons and all; they had a trucking business.
So this man actually gave me money and said, “Go get
you a room, come back and we’ll put you to work.” I got
to work with his sons; it was pretty good. The next couple
of days I met another guy, his name was Leon and we got
to talking about music. I had just left here and I had met
some guys from Eunice, Louisiana and they loved Jimmy
Reed. The first thing they tried to teach me was a Jimmy
Reed song. It happened that Jimmy Reed lived right next
door to this Reverend. Come to find out, the guy who told
me this was liking Jimmy Reed’s daughter. But anyway...
This particular evening, Jimmy was home. I told him,
“Man, I’m from New Orleans; we play all your music
down home all the time!” But he had this attitude: “I don’t
care where you from. You need to go back to Louisiana.”
Never seen the man before, never did him nothin’; but he
just had that attitude. He wasn’t a bad guy, he just liked
to drink that gin. Every morning when I went to work, I
stopped by his house. I didn’t care what time it was. And
From Left to Right: Marvin Hirsch, Todd Mathews, Antoinette K-Doe, Guitar Lightnin’, Paul Artigues
FEATURE
MUSIC
he had a little son, Jimmy Reed, Jr., but we called him
Boonie. He’s got songs out today. But this little kid could
play the guitar. And we’d sit on that couch and I’d watch
him play, thinking “Man, that’s pretty good.” I’d watch
Jimmy too, but as far as him sitting down and showing
you something, he wouldn’t do it. Never did it.
PA: Tell him how old Boonie was.
GL: Bonnie had to be maybe ten. One morning when I
came through the house, Jimmy told me “Man, I wish
you’d go back to Louisiana, I hate people from Louisiana!
I said, “Man, I don’t care what you say, when I go back
to Louisiana, I’m going to be
doing the same thing you doin’.”
As time went on I got a little
better and a little better. When
I came back to New Orleans
I was doing it—not as good,
but I was doing it, too. That’s
why one of the first records we
recorded was [Reed’s] “Honest,
I do.” [Lightnin’s travels take him back to New Orleans, then
to Los Angeles, then back again to New Orleans] I’ll never
forget when Freddie King walked in this club on Conti
and Broad. I was all sharp—blazer on, ascot on my chest.
Polka Dot Slim and another guy we used to call Toothless
Freddy or somebody, we’re all having a good time. In
walks Freddie King, boots on, mud all over them and I’m
going “What is this?” Between Polka Dot and Toothless
Freddy, they fooled me: “Lightnin’, let him play a song.”
I had a beautiful guitar. So Freddie King got on the floor
with a beer bottle, sliding it up and down the neck, feet
straight up in the air and mud falling off him. And padnah,
that little joint rocked! The woman gave everybody a plate
of fish that night. After that, we got to be real good friends
and by me being out of the 9th Ward , I met Boogie Bill,
and that did it. He was teaching me how to play behind
him. He had one big record, Stinkin’ and Drinkin’.
How come you kept leaving New Orleans?
GL: Women, of course! Hey man, I had a prize fighter
body, a big head, hair like Little Richard, thought I
was good looking. Everybody said I looked like Jackie
Wilson—that’s why I stopped boxing. I was a young prize
fighter. I had a boxing team! But I couldn’t stay out of
Los Angeles and I couldn’t stay out of New Orleans. My
daddy told me I was making the railroads rich. But that’s
the way it was; I didn’t have no cares—that was before
a song in my mind. I gotta get out of bed with my pen and
pencil, and I go sit in my window and watch the cars go by
and write that song. Other times, I’ll be riding in my car,
and if that song hits me I’ll pull on the side and write it
down, go back home, pick up Josephine, start picking and
I’ll finish right there. That’s why I have so many songs,
in the real. I don’t write songs, I write lyrics. I don’t need
music. I don’t need nothing but lyrics. Like I said, I’m old
school. And I do it the way the guys like Polka Dot Slim
use to do back in the day. Get my words together, find my
key and pick it out. And that’s a song.
“Paul’s like my right arm, I
kid you not. This goes beyond
music. Simple as that.”
my first daughter was born. I was just having a good time.
Until I went in the Army, of course.
Tell me a little bit about your guitar, Josephine. How’d
you get her?
GL: It’s a long story, sort of like that thing B.B. King
has. I had this girlfriend; her name was Josephine, we
called her Josie. When I looked at her, the way her hips
were, and I looked at my semi-hollow body [guitar], it
looked like Josephine. But we had a big fight one time.
Something like this, we were talking one day and she
heard me telling the guys. So, after that, all my guitars
were Josephine.
How do you write your songs?
GL: Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with
What’s up between you and
Paul? You told me earlier you
raised him.
GL: I did! He wasn’t but twenty.
Paul, were you twenty?
PL: I don’t know, man. I was
nineteen.
GL: Yeah. I took him under my
wing and brought him along slow.
How’s that working out?
GL: He don’t listen to me anymore!
Is that because of the age/culture difference? What are
some of your pros and cons about that?
GL: The worst one is, he thinks he’s as old as I am, and
I think I’m as young as he is. The one thing I love about
him—he knows how I am because I had that back surgery.
If I tell him “Hey man I don’t feel good,” he won’t let me
pick up nothing. And he’ll see to it that the bandstand is
set up, the equipment is set up, everything is just right. All
I got to do is strap Josephine on and go to work.
PL: It’s weird having a sixty-year-old black guy as your
best friend. It’s just weird. It’s not so much the cultural
17
FEATURE
MUSIC
“My old teacher Boogie Bill always told
me there’s no such thing as bad timing. If
everyone’s together, it’s good timing.”
differences because we’re in New Orleans. You start realizing how similar everyone’s
culture is; it’s more just... It’s just fucked up.
What have you learned from each other?
PL: He learned how to play in time.
GL: Well, he used to fuss about my time but he quit. And it’s still not right, but they stay
with me so it’s no problem. Look, man, this is my son. He hates it when I tell him that
because I get to tell him what to do. But even his mom—when I met his mom, the first
thing she told me (and I love her to death for this), she said “Lightnin’, thank you. You
took care of my son and I have never seen him inspired like this until he got with you.”
That was ten years ago. He’s crazy, man. I told you that. Remember that. Before you say
anything, remember I told you he’s nuts. But look, when he’s not around I’m not even
comfortable. And I play with other people, but I need him with me. He’s like my right
arm, I kid you not. This goes beyond music. Simple as that.
Why do you think you’ve slipped through the cracks, so to speak?
PA: It’s all my fault, I blame it all on me. I don’t know what to do.
GL: And I don’t either, but I do know this: we have an audience that loves us. I can tell
you that. This is what I look to: If my fans are happy, I’m tickled to death. I don’t care if
I make money or not.
How do you describe your audience?
GL: All different nations…
PA: Lots of chicks that kiss each other.
GL: I don’t want to say that. Don’t put that in my interview.
Marvin Hirsch: We get so many people laid. That d.b.a. show, some dude was sitting
there, he went and fucked his girlfriend in the bathroom—while we were playing. They
came out half-an-hour later; her hair was all messed up. That’s when I realized, “This is
actually what we do.”
PA: When we play, I sit there and play drums and I watch people meet each other, start
dancing and then leave together. And I see that every time. It’s booze, Lightnin’, men,
women and then you see them leave together. It’s a formula.
GL: I tell you what, we get some strange characters. Why they get wild, I have no idea.
PA: It’s beautiful; you’re like cupid! You have a giant guitar that shoots little arrows with
hearts on it.
GL: Look man, people just like dancing to our music. When they’re dancing, they get happy,
they get close to each other... I can’t help what happens! It ain’t my fault!
Guitar Lightnin’ Lee and His Thunder Band will be playing February 24th—Mardi Gras Day—at
the Mother-in-Law Lounge, on the corner of Columbus and North Claiborne. For more info, go to
guitarlightninlee.com or myspace.com/guitarlightninlee.
REVIEWS
BOBBY ADAMS
NEWEST ALBUM
(INDEPENDENT)
D
on’t let this little CD fool
you: it comes packaged like
a demo (absent of any information
except the track names) and if
studio guru and former Clones
at Play guitarist Ben Mumphrey
hadn’t personally handed it to me, I’d have zero idea where
this came from. This is a prolific and polished effort from
Bobby Adams, who is also an ex-Clone and apparently these
songs were collected over several years. There is unity to the
album, however, as each song is a thickly layered, jangly pop
standard ala Sgt. Peppers or even Beck, with a persona fronting
the songs that reminds me of that really difficult friend we
all might have: the one that’s always getting fucked up and
saying horrible things to people (at one point he screams out
“Shut your stinking mouth you filthy ass whore!”) but we
keep hanging out with him (or her) anyway. Newest Album
grew on me steadily as I found the edge and dementia of
the sound compelling enough to keep listening, and pretty
soon I was singing along. Ironically, it’s the more straightahead tunes that drew me in the most, like the ultra-cool
and somber “Donna” or the mass murderer-themed lullaby
“Nice to Know You.” Adams recently played One Eyed
Jacks, opening for the Morning 40s on New Year’s Eve;
hopefully he and his ever-rotating ensemble of musicians
will reappear and start playing out more often, because these
songs are too good to be this obscure. —Dan Fox
newest offering. While hardly off-putting in past records,
though maybe a little too weird for the mainstream palate,
Animal Collective amalgamate their eccentricities into an
inviting, concise and all together blissful psychedelic freakout on Merriweather; Ouroboric-rock whose fat, pulsating
yet generally calming bass lines prove to be the only
grounding aspect herein—the rest is purely stratospheric.
From the vocal harmonizing between Noah Lennox and
Dave Portner to the synth and keyboard fractals prevalent
throughout, this album has a psychotomimetic effect, mindfuckery sans the normal drug accompaniment necessary.
Praise for Merriweather is damn near universal, but that is
just it—this album is empyrean. A glimpse of the high
heavens for us mortals, spiritual, immediate, poignant and
for everyone, and by “for everyone” I mean that this simply
is mastery of a realm. “Chills on my neck and it makes me
smile;” “It makes me so crazy though I can’t say why;”
“Some kind of magic.” Animal Collective is perfectly aware
and comfortable in their own growth and grasp of life and
musicianship, like they have stumbled across something
timeless and yearn to spread the good word, to enrich the
lives of the potential multitudinous listeners—just before
print, Merriweather crashed the Billboard Top 200 in at No.
13. And the multitudes need this, something to believe in,
something to keep us going, a certain shade of hope; “Am
I really all the things that are outside of me?” We are all
human and we are all in this together for better or for worse,
“Sometimes I don’t know what to do.” No shit, and yet we
live on. —Dan Mitchell
GORE
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
HART GORE/MEAN
MAN’S DREAM
MERRIWEATHER POST
PAVILION
(DOMINO)
N
PR
suggested
during
their listening party for
Merriweather Post Pavilion that
Animal Collective’s music seems
“to spring from a previously
untapped well.” This is an interesting way of thinking about
the group who, over the past ten years, have nurtured and
brought to maturity a sound unlike any other in the modern
pop/rock realm, a sound largely without precedent, other
than perhaps feeble comparisons to Pet Sounds-era Beach
Boys, a sound that may one day be looked back on as being
this decades’ defining musical statement. Named after an
outdoor amphitheater built during the 1960s in suburban
Baltimore by Frank Gehry, where “we used to go to shows
while growing up and have fond memories of times spent
on the lawn,” Merriweather Post Pavilion promised to be the
Collective’s most expansive and listener-friendly recording
to date simply based on the title’s allusion. And expansile it
is, easily capable of filling a large amphitheater yet intimate
enough, especially considering the lyrical approach, to
become your new best friend. Terms like “listener-friendly”
and “simplicity” rarely surface when discussing Animal
Collective, but this should change because these may be
the two most appropriate descriptive designators for this
(SOUTHERN LORD)
T
he post rock-influenced heavy
metal genre has begun to
blossom lately. Bands like Pelican,
This Will Destroy You and Jesu are
receiving more and more exposure.
The one thing all these bands have in common is a deep
debt to Dutch pioneers Gore. Formed in the mid-’80s, Gore
combined the intensity of hardcore and the chugging power
of metal into one massive beast. Though lyrics for their songs
exist, the tracks are all instrumental. Southern Lord, as a part
of their bid to be the kings of heavy music, have re-released
the first two Gore records for some long overdue appreciation.
The first, Hart Gore, roars out of the gate. Built on one intense
riff after another, the songs are simple and more powerful for
it. Unlike many of the post-metal bands active today, Gore
wasn’t looking for grandeur in their music; a track like “Axe
of Revenge” does only what it needs to, grinding along on
a sludge riff, slowly adding elements to the song but never
letting complicated writing hinder the elemental power of the
guitars. The playing is oftentimes sloppy; notes are missed,
the tempo is dropped for a moment, and the production is
low-fi at best, permeated as it is with hiss and sound bleed. But
this basement level recording only adds to the energy, letting
the power of Gore’s music outshine any studio trickery. Mean
Man’s Dream, their second album, opens with the title track
and change is immediately noticeable. The sound is tinnier,
less concerned with bottom heavy feedback, the guitars shred
a bit more, and after a reassuringly heavy opening, the song
speeds up and achieves a stoner metal boogie. The songs on
Mean Man’s Dream are decidedly more complex than Hart
Gore’s. The riffs here are more complex and time changes dot
the cuts. There’s more urgency on the sophomore record as
well, with a track like “Love” barreling forward on rolling
drum fills and staccato guitar squalls where the band might
have only chugged before. Included in the reissue is a wealth
of album-specific bonus material. Most of the B-sides, demos
and live cuts don’t really add any new dimensions to the band,
but their inclusion is more than welcome—their practice
room recording of David Bowie’s “Station to Station” does
belie some of their less than obvious influences. Though
not as grandiose as most new wave post-metal, Gore prove
themselves a band more than capable of conjuring ferocious
power from the interplay between guitars and rhythm. Hart
Gore and Mean Man’s Hand stand as important milestones
in the heavy rock pantheon and necessary additions to any
serious metalhead’s catalog. —Mike Rodgers
LIL WAYNE
DEDICATION 3
(GANGSTA GRILLZ)
C
ompletely inessential is the
best way of summarizing
Lil Wayne’s most recent offering
to the masses. Dedication 3 is
everything that Lil Wayne’s
recent success has hinted at:
sloppy, lazy, uninspired and either a cheap cash-in on his
massive notoriety or a bait-and-switch to give some of his
Young Money compadres time on CD. If Wayne’s previous
mixtapes were barometers of his ill flow and whacko
tendencies, then last years Tha Carter III was a distillation
of that psycho potential into a mainstream dish. But here his
rhymes are flat and generally lackluster. He ekes out a few
worthy couplets here and there, but the spark of mad genius
he showed so often in the past is dim. It seems as if he’s
content to just dole out one good line, one original metaphor
per track, letting his laid-back sing-speak carry the rest. It’s
impossible to listen to Dedication 3 without getting the feeling
that Wayne’s just coasting, assuming he even makes an
appearance on the song at all. The biggest flaw of Dedication
3 is its heavy reliance on lesser rappers; Gudda Gudda, Jae
Millz, and the rest of the Young Money crew hold down far
more time at the mic than Weezy, and let’s just say most
of them are far off from main event material at this point.
Nicki Manaj acquits herself well on the T.I.-pilfered “Still
I Rise,” but it’s this exception that proves the rule. For a
rapper who practically made his name cutting mind-blowing
mixtape after mixtape, hearing the complete lack of focus,
inspiration or even effort on this album is a real drag. With
the myriad of projects waiting in Lil Wayne’s syrup-soaked
wings, (a Carter III redux, a rock project, possibly a trip to
Jupiter), I hope that Dedication 3 is merely a speed bump,
a momentary distraction instead of a harbinger of things to
come. —Mike Rodgers
MUSIC REVIEWS SPONSORED BY THE OFFICIAL RECORD STORE OF ANTIGRAVITY
REVIEWS
SHELL SHOCK
EXECUTION TIME: 1981-’87 ORIGINAL
RECORDINGS LP
(MINDLESS/RAVE UP)
O
n the cover of this long overdue reissue, “New Orleans’ First
Hardcore Band!” screams out in large red type. No false
advertising there. Shell Shock was a fixture throughout the 1980s,
releasing two 7” EPs, two full-length LPs and ushering hundreds of
impressionable local youth into the world of hardcore punk rock.
Just prior to possible larger national exposure, Shell Shock’s history abruptly ended with the death
of guitar player Mike Hatch. The minor flaw of this release is the compiler’s decision to arrange
these songs non-chronologically, making it difficult to appreciate Shell Shock’s progression from
a competent, but fairly typical, punk sound to a band beginning to craft its own signature style.
It’s been years since I heard the three songs from the first EP. I was surprised to notice a Southern
California punk influence in the guitar from somewhere in the wasteland between early Agent
Orange and early Black Flag. There is a drastic change in the songs on No Holds Barred, which
offer the first glimpse of what Shell Shock would perfect on their first LP, Whites of Their Eyes.
Now for the major flaw of the release: the sound quality, when compared to the original vinyl
releases, is painfully poor. Songs that are crisp on the original records at times sound muddy and
slowed down on this LP. The result could leave those unfamiliar with these songs shrugging their
shoulders and attributing any reverence for this band to old-timer nostalgia. Added to this is the
misrepresentation of the source of the songs. The LP claims that the majority of these tracks are
the three songs from Shell Shock’s 1981 self-titled EP and the four songs from 1986’s No Holds
Barred EP, with three previously unreleased versions of later songs. Two of the “unreleased” songs
are from the last LP More Gore while the remaining one is from the 1983’s Lost and Found cassette.
Amazingly, this LP’s version of “My Brain Is Jelly” is from More Gore and not the first EP. Bobby
Bergeron, the archivist and historian of all things punk, hardcore and metal in New Orleans,
penned the album’s liner notes. There isn’t room in Bergeron’s liner notes (or in this review) to
fully convey the aspect of Shell Shock’s legacy that is just as important as the music left behind.
Shell Shock was a full-time participant in the 80’s hardcore punk scene’s network of friends: they
toured extensively, had shows set up by pen pals and returned the favor when their bands came
through New Orleans. All of this work made them the anchor of the local hardcore scene and well
known throughout the US, a fact made clear to me when, years after Hatch’s death, Ian MacKaye
paid his respects to Hatch during Fugazi’s first New Orleans appearance. —Tom Hopkins
VARIOUS ARTISTS
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE SOUNDTRACK
(INTERSCOPE)
S
lumdog Millionaire is director Danny Boyle’s best cinematic effort
since the breakout Trainspotting, and both films owe a lot of their
impact to their soundtracks. And while Slumdog Millionaire doesn’t
quite draw from as wide a variety of genres as Trainspotting does, it is
just as effective in fusing the film’s most amazing moments into our
synapses by way of a few choice cuts. The first track, “O... Saya”
is a collaboration between the film’s composer, A.R. Rahman and M.I.A. The frenetic pace
sharply recalls the early scene in Slumdog when the protagonist, Jamal Malik (played by Dev
Patel) and his brother are chased through the slums of Mumbai by anti-Muslim Hindus. The edit
sequence where the slums are revealed in ever-larger frames, showing a certain chaotic geometry
to the haphazard structures, is a perfect visual description of this soundtrack. Every song is
heavily processed, sometimes mixing traditional Indian chants and drums into contemporary,
fully digitized dance beats. With such an approach it would seem M.I.A. would have more of a
presence on this soundtrack, so it was somewhat of a disappointment to find her on only three
tracks: one original to the film, a straight up version of “Paper Planes” (and does anybody really
need another copy of this?) and a terrible DFA remix of “Paper Planes” that robs the original of
its dreamy quality. However, the original version, played when Jamal and his brother escape the
draconian measures of their orphanage and send the film on a simple, yet elegant montage of
the Indian countryside, is so appropriate it rivals other classic film-song couplings, for example
the use of “Layla (Piano Exit)” in Goodfellas (track over to a pink Cadillac with two corpses in
it, anyone?). Other notable tracks on the album include “Mausam & Escape” which features
some wicked sitar work (?) over a hardcore gothic beat and “Gangsta Blues,” a hip-hop track
that, like M.I.A., takes gangsta rap global.
Overall, the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack
might not exactly stand up on its own the way
Trainspotting’s mixtape style might, but the best
tracks and a good viewing of the film makes
this a worthwhile addition to any soundtrack
collection. —Dan Fox
Take 1: Studio Notes
Compiled by Dan Fox
*The funky throw-back Bipolaroid is
recording demo versions of a new album
above Checkpoint Charlie’s. Prodded
for more info, Ben Glover had this to say
about the recording process: “Currently
recording with both the group and alone
using everything from reel-to-reels, field
recorders, laptops and even an iPhone. The
last record went half a dozen times over the
original budget, thousands and thousands of
dollars, so I am taking a new approach with
the new album and producing/engineering
everything myself on a zero budget, using
only black magic and a deal with the devil.
This is a departure record.” Arriving where?
I guess we’ll have to wait.
*J Yuenger has a new website chronicling his
exploits both studio and non-studio related,
which you can find at jyuenger.com. This
guy is one of the city’s more interesting and
travelled people and his site reflects that,
with entry topics ranging from his days in
White Zombie (fascinating and depressing
all the same. Why? Well, go read about it!)
to his travels to Vietnam. Oh yeah, there’s his
studio work, too. Currently he is waiting for
the Rik Slave & The Phantoms record to be
mastered and the packaging finalized. Tattoo
artist Randy Muller provided the cover art for
the forthcoming Noble Sons of the South. They
recorded it at Balance Studios in Mandeville.
Also in the works is the new Rock City
Morgue album, The Boy Who Cried Werewolf,
which was recorded at Piety Street. And how
about this: he is also co-producing a track
with Ballzack for the forthcoming Defend
New Orleans compilation. That, of course,
was recorded at home.
*Speaking of compilations, local peace
punkers Rougarou just wrapped up some
tunes for the upcoming WTUL Marathon
CD. It was recorded by Kris-Chuck “Lovey
Dovie” Dass at their practice space.
Bands, engineers, producers, recorders: let
me know what you’re up to, how you’re
doing it and where. Send an email to
fox@antigravitymagazine.com.
PATRICK
LUSSIER
MY BLOODY
VALENTINE 3D
(LION’S GATE)
F
ull
disclosure:
I’m a horror
junkie. I crave it—the
blood, the gore, the
scares, everything.
There exists a soft
spot in my heart for
good, old-fashioned
slasher movies, despite their less than stellar
reputation, and the formulaic, simple and fun
My Bloody Valentine 3D easily fits that bill. The
story is strictly by-the-numbers; after a cavein at the local mine, a hulking mass in a gas
mask rampages through a group of teens with
a pickaxe before coming to a not-so-definitive
demise. Years later, one of the survivors returns
and the killings begin anew. Not since Grindhouse
has a film fit so easily and comfortably in the
“throwback” category, positing itself as a retro,
’80s slash fest. The movie is stuffed with red
herrings and blind alleys that try to twist the
audience in their seats, straining to figure out
who the new murderer might be. Though an
effort to add some depth to the story and its
eventual axe fodder is applauded, the film bogs
down in its exposition-heavy middle, losing
the bright red energy that its opening moments
captured so brilliantly. My Bloody Valentine 3D is
at its best when it drops the thriller aspects and
plot-centric stylings for down-home rippings.
The first quarter of the flick resurrects the goresplashed splendor of 1980s fright films in all
of their arterial glory. Fear not, gore hounds,
bodies are laid open, limbs are severed and
victims are dispatched with the utmost brutality,
all on camera and without the annoying
presence of CGI. The added 3D technology,
unlike the wonky headache-inducing 3D of the
past, actually adds a—pardon the pun—new
dimension to the experience. Eschewing most of
the old, laughably obvious “gotcha” moments,
the 3D in My Bloody Valentine remains subtle at
most times but doesn’t shy away from throwing
a pickaxe point, shredded corpse or rogue tree
branch at the audience when necessary. After
the halfway point I forgot about the 3D glasses
and sat totally immersed in the experience. I
recommend viewing My Bloody Valentine, if at
all possible, in a 3D-capable theater, but the
film is still a blast for those without that option.
Citizen Kane it is not, but if you check your
expectations (and about a third of your brain) at
the door, My Bloody Valentine 3D delivers bloodsplashed fun. —Mike Rodgers
21
EVENTS
NEW ORLEANS VENUES
45 Tchoup, 4529 Tchoupitoulas (504) 891-9066
Banks St. Bar And Grill, 4401 Banks St., (504)
486-0258, www.banksstreetbar.com
Melvin’s, 2112 St. Claude Ave.
NEW ORLEANS (Cont.)
Barrister’s Art Gallery, 2331 St. Claude Ave.
MVC, 9800 Westbank Expressway, (504) 2342331, www.themvc.net
The Big Top, 1638 Clio St., (504) 569-2700,
www.3ringcircusproductions.com
Neutral Ground Coffee House, 5110 Danneel St.,
(504) 891-3381, www.neutralground.org
The Blue Nile, 534 Frenchmen St., (504) 948-2583
Nowe Miasto, 223 Jane Pl., (504) 821-6721
Broadmoor House, 4127 Walmsley, (504) 8212434
Ogden Museum, 925 Camp St., (504) 539-9600
Cafe Brasil, 2100 Chartres St., (504) 947-9386
Candle Factory, 4537 N. Robertson St.
Carrollton Station, 8140 Willow St., (504) 8659190, www.carrolltonstation.com
Checkpoint Charlie’s, 501 Esplanade Ave.,
(504) 947-0979
Chickie Wah Wah, 2828 Canal Street (504)
304-4714, www.chickiewahwah.com
Circle Bar, 1032 St. Charles Ave., (504) 5882616, www.circlebar.net
Club 300, 300 Decatur Street, www.
neworleansjazzbistro.com
Coach’s Haus, 616 N. Solomon
The Country Club, 634 Louisa St., (504) 9450742, www.countryclubneworleans.com
d.b.a., 618 Frenchmen St., (504) 942-373, www.
drinkgoodstuff.com/no
Der Rathskeller (Tulane’s Campus), McAlister
Dr., http://wtul.fm
Glen David Andrews, d.b.a., 10pm
Indira’s Birthday Extravaganza, Circle Bar
Loose Marbles, One Eyed Jacks, 9pm
Molotov, House Of Blues
Republic, 828 S. Peters St., (504) 528-8282,
www.republicnola.com
Rusty Nail, 1100 Constance Street (504) 5255515, www.therustynail.org/
Helen Gillet and Friends, Circle Bar
Golden Boots Listening Party, The Saint, 9pm
The Slackers, Zydepunks, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)
Side Arm Gallery, 1122 St. Roch Ave., (504)
218-8379, www.sidearmgallery.org
WEDNESDAY 2/4
Southport Hall, 200 Monticello Ave., (504) 8352903, www.newsouthport.com
The Spellcaster Lodge, 3052 St. Claude
Avenue, www.quintonandmisspussycat.com/
tourdates.html
St. Roch Taverne, 1200 St. Roch Ave., (504)
945-0194
Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-in-Law Lounge, 1500
N. Claiborne Ave.
Vintage Uptown, 4523 Magazine St.,
askmexico@gmail.com
Fair Grinds Coffee House, 3133 Ponce de
Leon, (504) 913-9072, www.fairgrinds.com
METAIRIE VENUES
Fuel Coffee House, 4807 Magazine St. (504)
895-5757
Airline Lion’s Home, 3110 Division St.
Goldmine Saloon, 701 Dauphine St., (504) 5860745, www.goldminesaloon.net
Badabing’s, 3515 Hessmer, (504) 454-1120
The Green Space, 2831 Marais Street (504) 9450240, www.thegreenproject.org
Hammerhead’s, 1300 N Causeway Blvd, (504)
834-6474
Handsome Willy’s, 218 S. Robertson St., (504)
525-0377, http://handsomewillys.com
The High Ground, 3612 Hessmer
Ave., Metairie, (504) 525-0377, www.
thehighgroundvenue.com
The Howlin’ Wolf, 907 S. Peters, (504) 522WOLF, www.thehowlinwolf.com
Kajun’s Pub, 2256 St. Claude Avenue (504) 9473735, www.myspace.com/kajunspub
Kim’s 940, 940 Elysian Fields, (504) 844-4888
The Kingpin, 1307 Lyons St., (504) 891-2373
Le Bon Temps Roule, 4801 Magazine St., (504)
895-8117
Le Chat Noir, 715 St. Charles Ave., (504) 5815812, www.cabaretlechatnoir.com
Lyceum Central, 618 City Park Ave., (410) 5234182, http://lyceumproject.com
Lyon’s Club, 2920 Arlington St.
Mama’s Blues, 616 N. Rampart St., (504) 453-9290
Maple Leaf, 8316 Oak St., (504) 866-9359
Marlene’s Place, 3715 Tchoupitoulas, (504)
897-3415, www.myspace.com/marlenesplace
McKeown’s Books, 4737 Tchoupitoulas, (504)
895-1954, http://mckeownsbooks.net
TUESDAY 2/3
The Saturn Bar, 3067 St. Claude Ave., www.
myspace.com/saturnbar
The Zeitgeist, 1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.,
(504) 827-5858, www.zeitgeistinc.net
House Of Blues / The Parish, 225 Decatur,
(504)310-4999, www.hob.com/neworleans
American Aquarium, Peace of Mind Orchestra,
Circle Bar
Banks Street Angry Old Men Rock & Roll Open
Mic, Banks St. Bar & Grill, 9pm
Fleur de Tease’s Valentine’s Day Show, One Eyed
Jacks
Honey Island Swamp Band, d.b.a., 10pm
The Palmetto Bug Stompers, d.b.a., 6pm
Russian Mafia Band, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)
State Radio, Rebelution, The Parish @ House Of
Blues
Tim Green, Helen Gillet, Rick Trolsen, Justin
Peake, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
Outer Banks, 2401 Palmyra (at S. Tonti),
(504) 628-5976, www.myspace.com/
outerbanksmidcity
Eldon’s House, 3055 Royal Street,
arlovanderbel@hotmail.com
Hot Iron Press Plant, 1420 Kentucky Ave.,
hotironpress@hotmail.com
The Allure, Jamel Williams, Dragon’s Den
(Downstairs)
Banks Street Angry Old Men Rock & Roll Open
Mic, Banks St. Bar & Grill, 9pm
Glorybee, DJ Mike Mayfield, MC Shellshock,
Circle Bar
Mad Mike Xperience, Marzipan, Hi-Ho Lounge,
10pm
Marc Stone Band, d.b.a., 10pm
MONDAY 2/2
Dragon’s Den, 435 Esplanade Ave., http://
myspace.com/dragonsdennola
Hostel, 329 Decatur St. (504-587-0036),
hostelnola.com
SUNDAY 2/8
One Eyed Jacks, 615 Toulouse St., (504) 5698361, www.oneeyedjacks.net
Tipitina’s, (Uptown) 501 Napoleon Ave., (504)
895-8477 (Downtown) 233 N. Peters, www.
tipitinas.com
Hi-Ho Lounge, 2239 St. Claude Ave. (504) 9454446, www.myspace.com/hiholounge
SUNDAY 2/1
The Bar, 3224 Edenborn
Keystone’s Lounge, 3408 28th Street, www.
myspace.com/keystoneslounge
Stitches, 3941 Houma Blvd., www.myspace.
com/stitchesbar
BATON ROUGE VENUES
The Caterie, 3617 Perkins Rd., www.thecaterie.com
Chelsea’s Café, 2857 Perkins Rd., (225) 3873679, www.chelseascafe.com
Dragonfly’s, 124 West Chimes
The Darkroom, 10450 Florida Blvd., (225) 2741111, www.darkroombatonrouge.com
Government St., 3864 Government St., www.
myspace.com/rcpzine
Junkyard House, 3299 Ivanhoe St.
North Gate Tavern, 136 W. Chimes St.
(225)346-6784, www.northgatetavern.com
Red Star Bar, 222 Laurel St., (225) 346-8454,
www.redstarbar.com
Rotolos, 1125 Bob Pettit Blvd. (225) 761-1999,
www.myspace.com/rotolosallages
The Spanish Moon, 1109 Highland Rd., (225)
383-MOON, www.thespanishmoon.com
The Varsity, 3353 Highland Rd., (225)383-7018,
www.varsitytheatre.com
MONDAY 2/9
Agnostic Front, The Mongoloids, Hammer-On,
The Parish @ House Of Blues
El Cantador, Circle Bar
Helen Gilette, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)
TUESDAY 2/10
Homegrown Night, Tipitina’s, 8:30pm, FREE
Paleo, Mosquitosophagus, Circle Bar
Susan Tedeschi w/ James Hunter, House Of Blues
THURSDAY 2/5
Billy Iuso and Restless Natives, am540,
Tipitina’s, 10pm, $5
Black Stone Cherry, Steadlur, Centerpunch, The
Parish @ House Of Blues
Cliff Hines, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)
Colin Lake, d.b.a., 7pm
Cosmic Sweat Society, Banks St. Bar & Grill, 10pm
An Evening w/ Yonder Mountain String Band,
House Of Blues
Felix, Brave Citizens, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
Joe Krown Organ Combo, d.b.a., 10pm
FRIDAY 2/6
999 Eyes Freakshow, One Eyed Jacks
ActionActionReaction Indie Dance Party, Circle Bar
Bayou Rebirth Gala and Fete f/ Soul Rebels,
Howlin’ Wolf, 10pm
Drysocket, The Bar, 9pm
Hot Club of New Orleans, d.b.a., 6pm
The Iguanas, d.b.a., 10pm, $5
Justin Peake Beautiful Bells, One Man Machine,
Bill Haite, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
The Kinky Tuscaderos, Ruby Rendrag, Banks St.
Bar & Grill, 10pm
Pure w/ Paul B, Josh Sense, Sio2, Dragon’s Den
(Downstairs)
Reckless Kelly, Sons of Bill, The Parish @ House
Of Blues
Shadow Gallery, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)
SATURDAY 2/7
Andrew Bird, Loney, dear, House Of Blues
The Benjy Davis Project, Pat McGee, Ernie
Halter, Howlin’ Wolf, 9pm, $10
Bonerama, Topaz, Tipitina’s, 10pm, $10
Dar Williams, Joshua Radin, Jesse Harris, The
Parish @ House Of Blues
Guitar Lightnin’ Lee, Clockwork Elvis, The
Kitty Lynn Band, Saturn Bar, 10pm
Krewe Du Vieux Parade at d.b.a., d.b.a., 7pm
O’Death, Why Are We Building Such a Big
Ship?, Hurray For The Riff Raff, My Graveyard
Jaw, One Eyed Jacks
PonyKiller, Paint, Moon Hoar Dark
Bellydancing, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
Resurrection Man Album Release Party, The Bar,
9pm
Sick Like Sinatra, Banks St. Bar & Grill, 10pm
Susan Cowsill Band, Carrollton Station
Tin Men, d.b.a., 10pm, $5
Truth Universal Presents Grass Roots, Dragon’s
Den (Downstairs)
Annuals, Jessica Lea Mayfield, What Laura
Says, The Parish @ House Of Blues
Brotherhood of Groove, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)
Harptallica, Circle Bar
The Sour Mash Hug Band, One Eyed Jacks, 9pm
Stephen Marley: Acoustic and Unplugged, House
Of Blues
WEDNESDAY 2/11
Country Fried, Noah Sugarman, Ryan Malott,
Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
The Physics of Meaning, Wazozo, Circle Bar
THURSDAY 2/12
Anders Osborne w/ Big Chief Monk Boudreaux,
Kirk Joseph’s Backyard Groove, Tipitina’s, 10pm,
$12
Feral, Patrick Godbey, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
Los Po-Boy-Citos, d.b.a., 10pm, $5
Meadow Flow, Black Belt, Magic Legs, Dragon’s
Den (Upstairs)
Ruby Rendrag, Circle Bar
Sweet Home New Orleans R&B Legends Nite,
Banks St. Bar & Grill, 9pm
FRIDAY 2/13
ActionActionReaction Presents: I Was a Teenage
Dance Zombie, One Eyed Jacks
Big Rock Candy Mountain, Brass Bed, Hi-Ho
Lounge, 10pm
The Boxing Lesson, The Steps, Circle Bar
Do It Like We Used To Tour w/ North
Mississippi All-Stars, Hill Country Revue,
Free Jazz, Brah!, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)
Headspill, Falls From Grace, A Gift of Fiction,
Howlin’ Wolf, 10pm
Ingrid Lucia, d.b.a., 6pm
Johnny Cash Tribute Show f/ Happy Talk Band,
Gal Holiday, Les Poissons Rouges, Saturn Bar,
10pm
Old Crow Medicine Show, The Felice Brothers,
House Of Blues
One Man Machine, I Octopus, Dragon’s Den
(Upstairs)
Outlaw Order, Flesh Parade, Tire Fire, The Bar,
9pm
Rotary Downs, d.b.a., 10pm, $5
The Space Heaters, Banks St. Bar & Grill, 10:30pm
SATURDAY 2/14
101 Runners, Tipitina’s, 10pm, $12
Anders Osborne, d.b.a., 11pm, $10
Corey Smith, American Aquarium, House Of
Blues
23
EVENTS
DJ Resin & La. DnB Hosts My Bloody Valentine:
2 Floors of Drum N Bass, Dragon’s Den
Felix’s Valentine’s Day Festival, Circle Bar
Misled, The Saltines, Friends of Fire, The Bar, 9pm
Mod Dance Party, Saturn Bar
Paul Sanchez w/ John Rankin, Alex McMurray
and Matt Perine, d.b.a., 7pm
Reverend Spooky LeStrange’s Church of
Burlesque f/ The Good Goddamn Match, Hi-Ho
Lounge, 10pm
Sissy Bounce Concert w/ Katey Red, Big
Freedia, Sissy Nobby, One Eyed Jacks
The Unnaturals Valentine’s Day Party w/ The
Cemetary Surfers, Jeff Ugly Shoes, Banks St. Bar
& Grill, 10pm
V-Day NOLA Benefit Performance of Eve
Ensler’s Vagina Monologues, The Parish @ House
Of Blues
SUNDAY 2/15
86 Caprice f/ Jimbo Mathus and Derrick
Freeman, One Eyed Jacks
Eve’s Lucky Planet Save The Earth Concert,
Hank III, Assjack, Those Poor Bastards, House
Of Blues
White Colla Crimes, The Kings of Happy Hour,
Circle Bar
V-Day NOLA Benefit Performance of Eve
Ensler’s Vagina Monologues, The Parish @ House
Of Blues
Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, d.b.a., 10pm
WonderFarm Cabaret Variety Show, Hi-Ho
Lounge, 10pm
MONDAY 2/16
The 2.2. Marching Band, Circle Bar
Tesla, The Leo Project, House Of Blues
TUESDAY 2/17
Dr. Dog, Drug Rug, The Peekers, One Eyed Jacks
The Modern Skirts, Jettison Never, Circle Bar
Naked on the Floor, d.b.a., 10pm
Country Fried, The Parish @ House Of Blues
The Radiators, Honey Island Swamp Band,
Rebirth Brass Band, Soul Rebels, Howlin’ Wolf,
FREE
The Revealers, Banks St. Bar & Grill, 10:30pm
SATURDAY 2/21
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead,
One Eyed Jacks
Alex Embrace’s B-Day Party, Dragon’s Den
(Downstairs)
An Evening With James Hall, Circle Bar
Banks St. Mid-City Endymion Music Festival w/
Juice, Irene Sage, Westbank Mike, Banks St. Bar
& Grill, 10pm
Better Than Ezra, House Of Blues
DJ Rusty Lazer, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)
Galactic, Johnny Sketch and The Dirty Notes,
John Boutte, d.b.a., 7pm
Latin Bullshit, After Time Has Passed, Built to
Destroy, The Bar, 9pm
Not-So-Super Superhero Costume Party w/
Rotary Downs, A.Lott of Coogan and Friends,
Fleur de Tease, Hi-Ho Lounge
Pine Leaf Boys, d.b.a., 11pm, $5
Rebirth Brass Band, Papa Grows Funk, Howlin’
Wolf, FREE
SUNDAY 2/22
Bass Parade Party w/ Free Jazz, Brah!, Dragon’s
Den (Downstairs), 2am
The Bingo! Show, One Eyed Jacks
The Derek Trucks Band, Erik Mongrain, House
Of Blues
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Howlin’ Wolf, FREE
Papa Grows Funk w/ Big Chief Monk
Boudreaux, d.b.a., 10pm, $10
Ratty Scurvic’s Singularity, Herringbone
Orchestra, Giffa, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs), 10pm
Rik Slave and The Phantoms, Circle Bar
Soul Project’s New Orleans Reunion Party,
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue’s 3rd
Annual Bacchus Blowout, Soul Rebels, Tipitina’s,
10pm, $15
WEDNESDAY 2/18
MONDAY 2/23
G. Love and Special Sauce, Eric Hutchinson,
Tipitina’s, 9:30pm, $25
Hurray For The Riff Raff, Why Are We Building
Such a Big Ship?, Circle Bar
Zydepunks, The Panorama Brass Band, One Eyed Jacks
De Los Muertos, Die Rotzz, The Unnaturals,
Checkpoint Charlie’s, 8pm
Galactic, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and The
Golden Eagles, Tipitina’s, 10pm, $25
George Porter Jr. and His Runnin’ Pardners’
THURSDAY 2/19
11th Annual Lundi Gras f/ Extravaganza w/
The Hot 8 Brass Band, Howlin’ Wolf, FREE
Brittany Anniversary Party w/ Elliot Cohn’s
Gravity A, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 2am
Cosmic Sweat Society, Banks St. Bar & Grill, 10pm Justin Peake, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs), 8pm
EF Cuttin, KB, What Da Fuk, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs) Loose Marbles, One Eyed Jacks, Dusk
Happy Talk Band, d.b.a., 10pm, $5
Lucinda Williams, Buick 6, House Of Blues
Morning 40 Federation w/ D’Lyricist, One Eyed Jacks Lundi Gras w/ Papa Mali, Cedric Burnside,
Panorama Brass Band, Circle Bar
Lightning Malcolm, d.b.a., 10pm, $5
Papa Mali’s 2nd Annual Supernatural Ball w/
New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, Dragon’s Den
Hot 8 Brass Band, John Mooney, Revolutionary (Upstairs), 10pm
Snake Ensemble, Tipitina’s, 10pm, $15
Quintron, Andrew WK, Super Nice Brothers,
Paul Sanchez w/ Matt Perine and Jason Butler,
One Eyed Jacks, 9pm
d.b.a., 7pm
Rebirth Brass Band, The Revivalists, Howlin’
TUESDAY 2/24
Wolf, FREE
Robert Earl Keen, Cross Canadian Ragweed,
DJ Matty, d.b.a., 8pm, $5
House Of Blues
Mardi Gras Indian Orchestra, Hi-Ho Lounge, 3pm
Surf Night f/ The Bills, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
Mardi Gras w/ The New Orleans Klezmer AllStars, d.b.a., 3pm
FRIDAY 2/20
Street Gumbo, Yes Indeed, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)
White Colla Crimes, DJ Proppa Bear, Dragon’s
Angie/Levi’s Birthday Massacre f/ Pain Tribe,
Den (Upstairs)
Nothing Sacred, Floodstage, The Bar, 8pm
Better Than Ezra, House Of Blues
WEDNESDAY 2/25
Bonerama, d.b.a., 10pm, $10
The Bruisers, The Jackals, Circle Bar
Magnolia Sons, Circle Bar
Egg Yolk Jubilee, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)
Hot Club of New Orleans, d.b.a., 6pm
THURSDAY 2/26
Mardi Gras Hayride f/ Christian Serpas & Ghost
Town, Gal Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue,
Andrew Duhon, d.b.a., 7pm
EVENTS
Freezepop, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
Lowry, Circle Bar
Shamarr Allen, d.b.a., 10pm
Sweet Home New Orleans R&B Legends Nite,
FRIDAY 2/27
Ingrid Lucia, d.b.a., 6pm
Kirk Joseph’s Backyard Groove, d.b.a., 10pm, $5
The Local Skanks, The Andy Pizzo Project,
Smiley With a Knife, Caddy Whumpass,
Panthalass, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)
Suicide Girls Presents: Reverend Spooky
LaStrange and Her Billion-Dollar Baby Dolls w/
Sick Like Sinatra, Big Fat + Delicious, Dragon’s
Den (Upstairs)
Vedas, Trevelyan, Sinkhole, The Bar, 9pm
Sweet Home New Orleans R&B Heritage Night,
FRIDAYS
Friday Night Music Camp, The Big Top, 5pm;
2/13 w/ Mr. Rogan’s Mardi Gras Review
Javier Drada, Hostel
Throwback, Republic
Tipitina’s Foundation Free Friday!, Tipitina’s, 10pm
SATURDAYS
DJ Damion Yancy, Republic, 11pm
Javier Drada, Hostel
John Boutte’, d.b.a., 7pm
SUNDAYS
Acoustic Open Mic w/ Jim Smith, Checkpoint
Charlie’s, 7pm
Cajun Fais Do Do f/ Bruce Danigerpoint,
Gal Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue, Circle Bar Tipitina’s, 5:30pm, $7
John Boutte, d.b.a., 7pm
Corrosion, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
Otra, d.b.a., 11pm, $5
Linnzi Zaorski, d.b.a., 6pm
The Switchblade Combs, The Pallbearers, Banks Micah McKee and Friends, Circle Bar, 6pm
St. Bar & Grill, 10pm
Music Workshop Series, Tipitina’s, 12:30pm
Winners Cup w/ ATM, Intelligence, J-Dubble,
Latin Dance Nite w/ Los Pinginos, Banks St. Bar
Blaze, Verbal Chemist, Slangston Huges,
and Grill
Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)
The Sunday Gospel Brunch, House Of Blues
SUNDAY 3/1
COMEDY
Arms and Sleepers, Circle Bar
Flogging Molly, The Aggrolites, House Of Blues
FRIDAY 2/13
SATURDAY 2/28
WEEKLIES & DANCE NIGHTS
Comedy by Jonah, The Big Top, 9pm
MONDAYS
FRIDAY 2/27
Beacoup Crasseaux w/ Free Jambalaya, Banks
St. Bar and Grill, 10pm
Blue Grass Pickin’ Party, Hi-Ho Lounge, 8pm
Justin Peake’s Acoustic Trio, Dragon’s Den
(Downstairs), 8pm, FREE
Mad Mike, Checkpoint Charlie’s, 8pm
Missy Meatlocker, Circle Bar, (Every Other
Monday), 5pm
Van Halen II: Rise of the Machines, Dragon’s Den
(Downstairs), 10pm
Doug Stanhope, One Eyed Jacks
WEDNESDAYS
Standup Comedy Open Mic, Carrollton Station, 9pm
THURSDAYS
Karaoke Fury, La Nuit Comedy Theater, 10pm
Rabbit Hole, La Nuit Comedy Theater, 8:30
FRIDAYS
TUESDAYS
The Abney Effect, Hostel
Acoustic Night, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs), 7pm
Acoustic Open Mic, Carrollton Station, 9pm
Acoustic Open Mic w/ Jim Smith, Checkpoint
Charlie’s, 10pm
Jonathan Freilich and Alex McMurray, Circle Bar, 6pm
Open Mic w/ Whiskey T., Rusty Nail, 8pm
Reggae Jam with The Uppressors, John Lisi,
Dave Jordan, Mike Burkart, Banks St. Bar and
Grill, 10pm
God’s Been Drinking, La Nuit Comedy Theater,
8:30pm, $10
Open Mic Stand-Up, La Nuit Comedy Theater,
10pm, $5
SATURDAYS
ComedySportz: All-Ages Comedy Show, La Nuit
Comedy Theater, 7pm, $10
Jonah’s Variety Hour, La Nuit Comedy Theater, 10pm
NOTABLE UPCOMING SHOWS
WEDNESDAYS
DJ T-Roy Presents: Dancehall Classics, Dragon’s
Den, 10pm, $5
Gravity A, Banks St. Bar and Grill, 11pm
Jim O. and The No Shows, Circle Bar, 6pm
Kenny holiday and the Rolling Blackouts,
Checkpoint Charlie’s, 9pm
Mojotoro Tango Trio, Yuki (525 Frenchmen St.), 8pm
Tin Men, d.b.a., 7pm
Walter Wolfman Washington and The
Roadmasters, d.b.a., 10pm, $5
THURSDAYS
DJ Kemistry, Republic, 11pm
DJ Matic, Hostel
DJ Proppa Bear Presents: Bassbin Safari,
Dragon’s Den (Downstairs), 10pm
Fast Times ‘80s Dance Night, One Eyed Jacks
The Fens w/ Sneaky Pete, Checkpoint Charlie’s, 10pm
Sam and Boone, Circle Bar, 6pm
Soul Rebels, Les Bon Temps Roule, 11pm
3/01 & 3/02: Flogging Molly: Green 17 Tour,
House Of Blues
3/02: Dead Friends, Mordechai, Necro Hippies,
Nowe Miasto, 7pm, $5
3/10: Tokyo Police Club, Ra Ra Riot, House Of Blues
3/13: The Junior League Album Release Party,
Carrollton Station
3/15: King Khan and The Shrines, One Eyed Jacks
3/20: The Alternative Media Expo ’09 Fashion
Show Presented by Dirty Coast, One Eyed Jacks
3/21: The Alternative Media Expo ’09, The
Warehouse at the Contemporary Arts Center, 12pm6pm, $5
3/21: The Alternative Media Expo ’09 PostParty w/ Ballzack, The Buttons, One Eyed Jacks
3/23: The Black Lips, One Eyed Jacks
3/25: Ani DiFranco, House Of Blues
3/28: MyNameIsJohnMichael Album Release
Party, One Eyed Jacks
4/13: Dan Deacon, Heavy Metal Parking Lot, 7pm,
$5
25
COMICS
COMICS
27
PHOTOS
PHOTOS
29
CONTINUED...
An interview with Katey Red, continued from page 7...
So Melpomene Block Party is 10 years old now. It seems to be out
of print, though you can still get it on the internet. How many
copies do you think were sold in the last 10 years?
Well, the last time I checked it was like 164,000 copies. And that
was in like ’01 or ’02.
Oh, wow. What was your last release?
The last thing I put out was in ’06 or ’07, Time to Be Original. It was an
underground release, just to get my stuff around the neighborhood
or whatever. My last album on Take Fo’ was Y2 Katey, and that
album was the shit. It had “Local New Orleans,” “Tiddy Bop,”
“Wham Alabama.” I had a lot of hot songs on that CD, and I didn’t
even know at the time! I was just in the studio and they was like
“Don’t stop writin’! Don’t stop writin’!” Take Fo’ had another
album of mine after that, The Real America Idol, and they never put
it out. But I have a new song, “Bugaboo”: “You’re ugly and you’re
buggin’ me.” I know you prolly heard it, but I sample Destiny’s
Child. It’s like so so different. I’m waiting to see if somebody gonna
try and steal that style. They’ll probably slow it up and give it a
different taste. I try to give people a different taste, and that’s why
people respect my mind. They say “Katey is the greatest, Nobby
is the latest, Freedia is the best, motherfuck the rest.” This person
named MC Calliope Preist put that in a song. And it’s true: when
the three of us on stage together, the club is automatically on fire.
Where do you record?
It’s on Tchoupitoulas, beside 8 Ball. Actually it’s part of 8 Ball. Go
to door C.
[Laughs] OK. When you perform, do you still have three different
groups of backing girls (The Whos, ages 13 to 15, and The Whoas,
ages 15 to 18, both of which played at family block parties and
such. Then there are the adult dancers, called Dem Hoes, who
perform in the clubs)?
I still use Dem Hoes. But now the little ones grown, so I call them
all the TMGs, the True Melph Girls, cause they don’t like being
called Hoes. When we’re in the club and I only have like two or
three of the Hoes there—the original Hoes—but the Whoas and
Whos is there, I’m not gonna say, “Where my Hoes at?” I’ma
say “Where my Melph girls at?” and they all gonna buck for that,
throw they hands in the air. They buck them up for me, hit the
mic for me, they represent me, I love my girls. And they love they
fag.
When you performed with the littler kids did you do different,
non-explicit material or?
I did the radio versions.
I’ll bet the little ones still knew the dirty versions though.
Kids...
[Smiles] Yeah, they knew ’em, they knew ’em. But I had a different
kind of respect with them being so little. I had to go to they parents
and stuff, and ask if it’s OK if they go with me. I’m bringing them
with me so they’re my responsibility, and who knows what might
happen to one of them? The parents knew me already, but I still
had to go and ask permission and tell their parents where they were
going for all these hours.
Were any of the parents like, “Oh, hell no”?
Sometimes. But only because maybe the child was actin’ up in
school or something like that. All them love me. I bring that joy into
they life. Like, “Hey, you got the spotlight on you now!” And they
like, “I’m up here with Katey!” And they get popular so fast, when
they be at school Monday the other kids be like, “I saw her on stage
dancing with Katey Red! Katey Red was saying her name!”
people put in articles that I was only out here rappin’ to get me some
breasts. And I did not say that. I think that was in XXL magazine.
I’ve also read a lot since the flood about how Katrina made
bounce rap way more popular, and that doesn’t seem true either.
Except for a couple little songs, bounce has always seemed to stay
on the same local level, like New Orleans’ neighborhood music.
But you have been playing a lot of different kind of shows in the
last few years, right? To a broader crowd?
When you say “broad,” what you mean by “broad?”
White people. I mean, unlike a lot of other bounce artists, you
play all over the city for different kinds of people, not just in black
clubs. Describe what’s the difference between playing black clubs
and playing at like, this upcoming One Eyed Jacks show, or for
all the white kids at Spellcaster Lodge?
Well, no offense, but black people got me started. And I’m black,
and that’s black music. And they already know what’s goin’ on,
they know the vibe, they know my music and they know how to
react to it. When I play a black club I know everyone, I make the
rounds and everybody be like, “Hi Katey!” and they pass the little
weed to you, and we all talk and crack jokes. That’s what I’m used
to. I played [Spellcaster] twice: first when I first came out with
Melpomene Block Party, then again in Mardi Gras 2007. Don’t get
me wrong, but when I went the first time, I was like “Do they even
know about me? Do they even know about my music?” I am a fun
loving person, so if I feel the vibe isn’t right, I have to peep it out
first. And at first, I mean, everyone knew Katey Red was supposed
to be there, but I walk in and I don’t see no Katey Red posters, just
a bunch of drunk motherfuckers. And I’m like, “Why ain’t nobody
make any noise when I walked in? Why nobody like, “Hey! Hey!”
This was my first time on that scene, and I walk in and people got
face paint on, and white sheets, and she have on a ballerina outfit,
and I was like, “Uh uh, no way. They gone kill me.” You ever
seen like a scary movie, where there’s this wild wild party, and
everybody’s fucked up and drunk and crazy looking...
And then it turns out they’re all vampires? Yeah, I see what
you mean. My friends who saw that show did say you seemed
nervous at first. They said you held onto your purse the whole
time performance. Do you always keep it with you on stage?
I didn’t know who to give it to; I didn’t know who was who! A lady
in the audience reached for it, “Let me hold your purse!” I’m like
“No.” I had all my money in there! I mean, the people were all nice.
But they was offerin’ me drinks and I was like, “Uh, no, I’m okay.”
I mean, I ain’t ask for no drink, why she buyin’ me a drink? I ain’t
gonna lie, I was scared. Then Quintron asked me, “You nervous?”
So he put me upstairs and he was like, “Just sit here.” I started
smokin’ my little weed, and I finally calmed down, then Quintron
came back and he was like, “I know your fuckin’ ass like to drink,
cause baby I heard your songs.” So he gave me a big old bottle of
Alizay or somethin’, and he was like “This is for you.” Then they
called me to the stage, and the reaction I got, I was like, “Oh all
right! Time for me to start sweatin’ now!” And by the time it was my
time to stop I was like, “I ain’t ready to go! I want something more
to drank!” But with white crowds it’s always not until after I get off
stage that everyone’s like, (effects over-annunciated white voice) “Katey
Red, wow yeah you’re awesome! Can I take a picture with you?”
And I always be like, “Now why didn’t you do this before I went on
stage? I woulda felt more comfortable with myself!”
But the more I go back to a place, the more I know the people
and the more comfortable I feel. Like, Galactic told me to show up
at Tipitina’s and if I felt like rappin’ they’d give me a little treat. So
I performed offa they music. It was like funk mixed with jazz, so it
sounded weird a little. I was getting’ ahold of it, but it was throwin’ me
off a little, makin’ me forget what I wanted to say. But after that now I
love the Tipitina’s people, Wendy and them, and they all love me.
When I’ve read articles about you, I get the distinct impression
that many of the writers don’t know the difference between a
transvestite, a transexual, a homosexual. Can you clarify your
own particular position?
Well, a drag queen is a man by day, woman by night. That’s a
transvestite. A transexual is a man who lives his life as a woman every
day, where she is never seen without the hair and the... That’s me.
Have you played outside of Louisiana yet?
[Mildly insulted] Oh, yes indeed.
See, I had thought you weren’t a transexual until you’d had “the
procedure.”
I had thought that too. And that makes more sense to me: “I’m
transexual because I transed [sic] my sex.” But as I’ve been going
through it, I noticed New Orleans’ gay world just calls everything
transexual. Now they shorten it to just “transy,” [sic]. I’m a “transit”
[sic]. And they have another word they use, “transgendered.”
That New York Times profile on you from 2001 said that you
had just started taking the hormones at that time. How far along
are you now?
Well, I had stopped after Katrina. I dressed like a boy and everything
else. But I just started back (on the hormones).
In every single article I’ve read about you, it always says
something about you coming up in the “especially homophobic
world of hip-hop,” or they claim that black culture is less cool
with homosexuality, when really, most white country fans aren’t
any less homophobic. In your experience, do you think black
people really are harder on black homosexuals, or is that an
exaggeration?
No, I don’t think it’s exaggerated. It’s been hard for me. But I’m
kinda glad for it though; because of me now there’s like thirty or
forty punk rappers in New Orleans, for real. All the big labels are
now gonna to try and get homosexual rappers. Jay Z gonna try it,
Puff Daddy gonna try it, they all gonna.
I read another article where you said you would never have “the
procedure,” because you didn’t know how you might feel in the future.
For real? I said that? I wonder where that at? Cause I know some
There are supposedly already two groups, one called VIP, made
up of three gay white guys, and another three lesbian black girls
called Yo Majesty.
Sorry, I just read an article from 2008 that said you hadn’t. Where
have you performed?
I went to Texas. And Atlanta. I also was very happy and honored to
be the first and only homosexual rapper to ever play JazzFest!
For real? Well, I’m already down in history. I’m glad New York
heard of Katey Red first. But any beef people have with me is usually
because they jealous. I was at one show where these boys got up
there and did their thing and the crowd was like, alright, alright.
Then they was chanting, “We want Katey! We want Katey!” and
the boys get mad. I done got in a buncha fights, but it’s always with
other fag rappers. Not boys. Cause they know not to play with me.
They know I’m dangerous.
Have any of the big New Orleans rappers heard your music?
Me and Mia X are down. BG and them, I know all them.
What do they say about your music?
They say it over! They repeat it. Lil Wayne repeated it. He copied
some of the stuff I wrote: “Rollin down the river, rollin’ with my
nigga.” He copied some stuff Big Freedia wrote. They know about
us. They not gonna tell you they fans. In XXL magazine, though,
Cash Money did said, “Katey Red doin’ her thing, and we wish the
best for her.”
Well, that’s Cash Money for you: you’ve seen that photo of Lil
Wayne kissing Birdman? At the time I assumed that the hip-hop
community was homophobic enough that Weezy’s career might
be over. But obviously the opposite happened.
Women kiss women all the time! Lil Wayne a man, so he not
unsure of hisself. To me when boys act [homophobic], they unsure
of theyself. If you know who you are and what you stand for, you
shouldn’t have a problem with homosexuals and what they doin’.
Plus Baby been around Lil Wayne for how many years? That’s his
mentor. He made sure Lil Wayne ain’t curse on his songs when he
was lil. But boy, Lil Wayne could not wait to get grown though, so
he could start cursin’ in his songs! Now all he can do is “fuck this”
and “bitch that.” I love it though.
Lastly, I know you play a lot of not-very-highly publicized show
every week. Tell us your gig schedule.
We do Wednesday at Blue Ribbon, then Patinum 3000 on
Thursday, and um, Fabulous on a Monday. Big Freedia got a
seven-day schedule for her.
You performing this evening? It’s Friday.
No, I’m just goin’ out to be a ho.
Katey Red plays the Sissy Bounce Concert with Big Freedia and Sissy
Nobby at One Eyed Jacks on Saturday, February 14th. For more info
on Katey Red, go to myspace.com/kateyred.
Interview with Alix Petrovich of A Hanging, continued from page 6...
We brought a little of that onto A Hanging’s first album by recording
two Daisy songs. Scott is just a straight-up New Orleans metal dude,
hard and loud, and he loves it.
What other local bands have you found yourselves performing
with over the past few months?
I think the obvious answer to that is Haarp, since we play with them
a lot and we love them. They’re awesome dudes and their music is
incredible. I think that’s not a bad thing because we compliment
each other so well. Their music is kind of slow, heavy, and driving,
and we’re a bit faster. I also love playing with Hawg Jaw because
they’re one of my favorite bands ever.
Tell us a little bit about the recording process for Food For Rats.
We started recording in October of last year. Scott handled the
guitar and the bass tracks, since Chris hadn’t joined the band yet.
After that, he gave me a digital recorder to take home and record
the vocals myself, which was really awesome. I’ve never been very
happy with any of the vocals I’ve recorded in the past. It’s always
been rushed and I’ve never had much of an opinion about how I
wanted them to sound. Doing it this way was really great and I
just recorded the vocals in my bathroom at my own pace. I kept
recording, erasing, and redoing them for about a month until Scott
finally just took the recorder away from me so he could get to work
on mixing them.
What’s in store to mark the album’s release?
We’re planning on doing an official record release in February,
even though we ended up getting the CDs in January, which was
earlier than we planned. In late January, we filmed our part in a
metal documentary called Slow Southern Steel. Haarp and Suplecs
and a ton of other New Orleans bands are in it, along with some
interviews and live performance footage. It’s being put together
by one of the guys from Rwake from Little Rock and it covers a
lot of contemporary bands that are active in the southern metal
movement.
As of press time, the date and venue for A Hanging’s official record
release party in February had yet to be finalized. For more info, updates,
and streaming tracks from Food For Rats, check out myspace.com/
ahanging.

guitar lightnin` lee - Antigravity Magazine

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