October 2008 - Antigravity Magazine

Transcription

vol.5 no.12 oct. ’08
THE VOODOO ’08 ISSUE
WITH THE GUTTER TWINS,
THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS & MORE
ALSO: WE GIVE YOU OUR PICKS FOR THE VOODOO MUSIC EXPERIENCE ’08
GIRL TALK I THE RETURN OF FLESH PARADE I NOLA HALLOWEEN SHOWS
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE WITH SAINTS PREVIEWS AND OPTIMUS SAINT
www.antigravitymagazine.com
FREE!
PHOTO BY MANTARAY PHOTOGRAPHY
your new orleans music and culture alternative
GIRL TALK
The Many (Musical) Loves of Gregg Gillis_page 15
ON THE COVER:
The Gutter Twins at Voodoo ’08_page 25
Our Voodoo Music Experience coverage goes into the gutter with Greg Dulli
FEATURES:
Halloween Live_page 17
Dan Fox looks at NOLA’s unique Halloween weekend.
Voodoo Previews_page 18
What we’re looking forward to at this year’s Experience.
New Orleans’ Homefield Advantage_page 21
St. Nick looks back to the Saints’ 2-2 start, and we do the robot with Optimus Saint.
The Butthole Surfers_page 28
We were in their room, maybe once or twice.
COLUMNS:
ANTI-News_page 6
Some of the news that’s fit to print.
The AG Social_page 7
Last month in photo form.
Live New Orleans_page 8
Songe has a night on the town.
Burn the Scene_page 9
AuraLee brings the noise.
Dr. Feelgood_page 10
You better hope you don’t have cooties.
Guidance Counseling_page 11
Guest advice-giver SupaSaint sets you straight.
Sound Advice_page 12
The Best of Legalese from AG.
The Goods_page 13
Fresh of the Barack.
REVIEWS:
The Return of Flesh Parade_page 31
Brett Schwaner looks at the return of the metal giants.
Comics_page 33
Reviews of Iron Man, World of Warcraft and House of M: Civil War.
Music_page 34
Reviews of albums by Brian Wilson, Chad Vangaalen, David Bowie,
Death Vessel, Fujiya & Miyagi, Harvey Milk, Metallica, Slipknot, Thou
EVENTS:
Listings_page 36
Previews of 24 Comics Day, the Pests and the Screaming Females
COMICS:
Illustrations_page 42
Qomix, How To Be Happy, The K Chronicles, Firesquito, Load.
STAFF
PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF:
Leo McGovern
leo@antigravitymagazine.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR:
Dan Fox
fox@antigravitymagazine.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
Andrew Bizer
andrew@bizerlaw.com
Dan Mitchell
dmitchel@tulane.edu
AuraLee Petzko
auralee@antigravitymagazine.com
Sara Pic
sarapic@antigravitymagazine.com
Mike Rodgers
mike@antigravitymagazine.com
Nicholas Simmons
simmons@antigravitymagazine.com
Jason Songe
jasonsonge@antigravitymagazine.com
Gabe Soria
gabesoria@gmail.com
J.W. Spitalny
jw@antigravitymagazine.com
Hunter Strickland
hunter_strickland@yahoo.com
Mallory Whitfield
mallory@antigravitymagazine.com
Alex Woodward
alexw@antigravitymagazine.com
AD SALES:
ads@antigravitymagazine.com
504-881-7508
INTROLETTER FROM YOUR EDITOR
O
ctober always seems to be the busiest month
here at AG, and for good reason. The
Voodoo Music Experience, the season’s
biggest festival, is again upon us and we’ve got
our biggest issue ever to show for it. Our Voodoo
coverage begins on our cover, as former Afghan Whig
and current Gutter Twin Greg Dulli (along with his
partner in the Gutter, Mark Lanegan), who spends a
fair amount of time in New Orleans as owner of the
R Bar, is one of our favorite artists from Day 1. We
continue by interviewing Paul Leary of the Butthole
Surfers (this is also writer Gabe Soria’s AG debut—
you may remember Gabe from his graphic novel, Life
Sucks—and we hope to soon have his words grace
these pages again) and giving you picks from our
writers—not the same old band bios you find in most mags, thank you.
Voodoo’s not all we have on tap, though—Dan Fox takes a look at the many shows going on during the extended
Halloween weekend, Mike Rodgers interviews Girl Talk about his new album, Feed the Animals, and Brett Schwaner
looks into the return of Flesh Parade to New Orleans’ metal scene.
October’s one of my favorite months, as the weather cools down (but isn’t too cold!), the Saints games are plentiful
and it’s one of the biggest music months of the year. So sit back, kick a window open to let in some fresh air and enjoy
this issue. —Leo McGovern, Editor in Chief, Publisher.
COLUMNANTI-NEWS AND VIEWS
TELEFON TEL AVIV READIES
NEW ALBUM
INTERN:
Brett Schwaner
brett@antigravitymagazine.com
Gutter Twins Cover photo by Sam
Holden
Girl Talk Inside Cover Photo by Andrew
Strasser
We like stuff! Send it to:
111 South Alexander St.
New Orleans, La. 70119
Have listings? Send them to:
events@antigravity
magazine.com
ANTIGRAVITY is a publication of
ANTIGRAVITY, INC.
RESOURCES:
Homepage:
www.antigravitymagazine.com
MySpace:
www.myspace.com/
antigravitymagazine
Former local boys Telefon Tel Aviv,
who moved to Chicago a few years
ago, are preparing a new album for a
January ’09 release. Immolate Yourself,
which the band says “is still based in
what songs have been based on for
decades—relationships, self-loathing,
disgust, fear, beauty, wonder, and
awe,” is the band’s third full-length
record and first released through
BPitch Control. Immolate Yourself’s
track listing:
1.The Birds
2.Your Mouth
3.M
4.Helen of Troy
5.Mostly Translucent
6.Stay Away From Being Maybe
7.I Made A Tree On The Wold
8.Your Every Idol
9.You Are The Worst Thing In The
World
10.Immolate Yourself
FELIX
ALBUM
RELEASES
NEW
Speaking of local bands, Felix, one
of our “Uncovered” artists back in
August, has released their second
album, From Sinking Ship to Your
Rowboat Du Jour. Download three of
the songs free on their Myspace page,
myspace.com/felixnola, and see them
Halloween night at the Dragon’s
Den, the Balcony Music Club and the
Saturn Bar—that’s right, they have
three shows in one night.
6_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative
COLUMNON THE SCENE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1., 2., & 3.: AG’s new newsboxes by
NOLA Rising: 1) At the door of the Mushroom, Broadway St. at Zimple St. 2) On
Dauphine in the Marigny, between Coffea
and Bargain Center U.S.A. 3) On Frenchmen St., outside the Fauborg Marigny Art
& Bookstore. 4: Supercool DJ Kazu at Takumi. 5: Randy Perez and Paul Webb with
the roach at the 504 Whatstyle Art Circus.
6: Nobu, ready to evacuate for Gustav.
Contributing Photographers: Leo McGovern (1, 2 and 3), Dan Fox (4, 6), NOLA
Roach (5).
7
antigravitymagazine.com_
COLUMNLOCAL MUSIC
LIVE NEW ORLEANS
SONGE HAS A GOOD NIGHT
by jason songe
jason@liveneworleans.com
MONDAY NIGHT IN NEW ORLEANS
On September 22nd I had one of the best nights ever in New Orleans. First I went
to One Eyed Jacks for Tony Clifton, and the show was seriously the funniest and
most entertaining thing I’ve ever seen. Hyperbole? No. It’s one of those shows,
like Roy Haynes at the Contemporary Arts Center, where you want to leave early
just so you can go and tell people about it. People seriously hated Clifton, and I
was in awe of how easily he turned an audience against him. His answer to the
problems with Social Security? Suffocate your parents. (Don’t worry, Mom.) Some
guy challenged him, so Clifton went into the audience and punched him in the
face. Then, he broke a bottle over his producer’s head. The producer, before this
happened, came to the back where I was and said, “Y’all are getting it tonight,”
kind of to himself and no one, and when I asked him if Clifton was normally that
bad, he backed off from the comment, saying, “You never know,” which makes me
think that Clifton was pulling out the stops for New Orleans. If I thought he was
a real person, I would’ve been really pissed. He succeeded in offending everyone.
There were a lot of moments where I was covering my mouth in shock after one
of his jokes.
After Clifton I went to the Circle Bar, where Eric Lindell was playing a rare gig.
He wanted to come back and play a Monday night, like he used to do every week
back in the day. He brought Marc Adams, Stanton Moore, Derek Huston, etc...
I’ve got to say that this show made me such a bigger fan of Lindell’s. There was a
lot of local pride in that room. Everyone was aware that it was a Monday night, but
people kept asking for more and the show didn’t end until 2am. It would have gone
longer, but Lindell finally called it after playing a few encore songs.
This kind of night gives me hope for New Orleans. It makes me happy to be here.
“What does your city have? Not this, baby. Not this.”
PAUL CHASSE R.I.P.
Paul Chasse was a co-founder of the weekly poetry reading at the Dragon’s Den,
which was the best spot to showcase work for years. I don’t have the words. So
many people will always love Paul, if not for who he was but also for what he did,
which was bring joy to lives.
JEFF LYNNE
I like Jeff Lynne’s work. From 1970 to ’86, he was in ELO, an awesome band that
was somehow both of its time and also ahead of it. In 1987, he co-produced George
Harrison’s comeback album, Cloud Nine, his first studio record in five years. It went
platinum and most famously contained his #1 single “Got My Mind Set on You.”
I always thought this song was written by Harrison, but it turns out it was written
by Rudy Clark. In 1988, he worked on Roy Orbison’s last studio album, which
produced “You Got It,” co-written by Orbison with Tom Petty and Lynne. Then,
in ’89, Lynne joined up with Tom Petty for his first solo album, Full Moon Fever.
Since Damn The Torpedoes in ’79, which was two-times platinum, Petty had two
platinum and two gold records in the ’80s. He didn’t get back to multi-platinum until
Full Moon Fever, which went five-times platinum. Then Into The Great Wide Open,
went two-times platinum in ’91. For Full Moon Fever, all songs are Petty/Lynne,
including “Free Fallin’”, “Runnin’ Down a Dream, “I Won’t Back Down,” and
“Yer So Bad.” Lynne is credited with vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, and more.
So, Lynne wrote four #1 singles for and with Petty. Up until ’89, Petty had written
the majority of his hits, but it seems like he got his second wind and got his mojo
back with Lynne. Petty would have been Petty, but would he be an anachronism
and be as relevant without Lynne? Who knows?
RECORDING
I, Octopus is recording with Jimbo Walsh. Metronome The City is recording, and
A Living Soundtrack is hoping to record at Chris George’s newly finished Living
Room Studio on the Westbank. Big Blue Marble has new songs. Rotary Downs has
a bunch of new songs. I saw Antenna Inn recently and I really enjoyed their new
stuff. Seems like a fertile time.
Continued on Page 41...
COLUMNLOCAL MUSIC
BURN THE SCENE
SING IT, SISTER!
by auralee petzko
auralee@antigravitymagazine.com
I
t’s been an interesting month for everyone around here—the start of the new school
year and all that nonsense with the hurricanes at the beginning of the month. As I
would consider my experience with hurricanes somewhat limited (Katrina was my
first, hoo, boy), I am of no mind to take any chances with potentially disastrous weather
systems headed this way. I packed up the cat and a few things and high-tailed it back
to Chicago where I spent a week having an unexpectedly good time. I was able to see
North Carolina awesome dudes From The Depths play in this tiny basement in Wisconsin
(though it was far more fun to see them when they played in New Orleans and Baton
Rouge—it’s more enjoyable to see bands play anywhere that isn’t Wisconsin), I bought
more vinyl than I should have and had my fill of delicious Chicago-style pizza. My arteries
are not too pleased about that but overall it was a decent week. I returned to this fair,
windswept city and it’s been business as usual since.
TUESDAY NIGHT’S ALL RIGHT
According to NOLADIY, Pussyhawk’s last show was on September 19th, with Mars and
Samothrace (from Kentucky), though no one in the band made mention of that while
they were playing, so I hope that actually isn’t the case. If so, it’s a shame because that
was the best I’ve ever seen them. Fast punk rock, mostly, with some thrashy parts and
stoner riffs thrown in every now and again for good measure. Their singer is a tiny girl
who possesses abrasive, almost sassy vocals and never opens her eyes or closes her mouth
while they’re playing. It all works (or worked?) together really well. Mars is a new band
from New Orleans that has recently starting playing out in the city and they are good:
dronier than Thou, heavier (at times) than Haarp with riffs that hold their own alongside
the best of Eyehategod. I have a feeling these guys will soon be taking on the title of the
heavy kind here in New Orleans. I’m stoked. Plus, they already have really sweet t-shirts;
the new design features hands making the metal horns and unicorns (but in the toughest
way possible).
BRING THE NOIZE!
Well, Bring The Noize! Fest is finally over and done with. More than twenty bands from
all over the country (and even a few from other countries) played over three straight days
in New Orleans, not to mention the after-parties and shows at smaller venues. What an
exhausting weekend! I admit I was skeptical about the success of such an endeavor, as
it was an organizational mess and a bit of a financial disaster, but the fact that it even
happened at all is a success in itself. New Orleans is never really given the consideration it
deserves for its punk and DIY scene. It may not be as big or as influential as some scenes
on the East and West Coasts, or even in the Midwest; but the people who are involved in it
are dedicated and committed to creating something meaningful and worthwhile.
The first day (Friday the 19th) was held at Republic and probably had the lowest attendance
of all three days. Notable bands from Friday were Parasytic (VA) and Kakistocracy (NC),
who have both played Baton Rouge before but never New Orleans. We Need to Talk (my
band) played the second day and while it was great and enjoyable to be a part of the fest,
playing on a stage as big as the Howlin’ Wolf’s was a good reminder of why I love playing
house shows: I don’t have to worry about falling off of a stage or being so far away from my
bandmates while we’re playing—or not being able to see anything at all because the stage
lights are shining directly in my face. The rest of the bands that played on the second day
(Social Neglect, Dyssestema, and Cop on Fire, to name a few) were more of the D-beat
variety but as there really aren’t bands like that here it was a refreshing change. The last day
of the fest was by far the biggest, with the most local bands (Haarp, Hellkontroll, and Thou
all played) and the most prominent out-of-state bands, like Georgia’s Kylesa headlining.
It seemed like the last day was the best-attended but disappointingly enough, a lot of the
people who actually came to the venues opted to hang around outside instead of actually
paying to get inside and see the bands play. This is partly understandable because the door
prices were pretty high. The fest advertised a $15 cover charge per day (or $35 in advance
for the whole weekend) but on the final day the entry fee was raised to twenty dollars. I
have never in my life been to a punk show that’s cost that much.
Overall, I think the weekend went over well but the price of the shows as well as their
locations were deterrents to better attendance overall. I hope that Bring the Noize! becomes
an annual thing, though maybe at smaller venues that are better suited for punk shows.
ON DECK
There’s a whole lot of greatness coming up in the next month. DSB from Japan will be
playing at the Hi-Ho on the 7th with Zoroaster, Sourvein, Hellkontroll and Thou; Bridge
and Tunnel (ex-Latterman) and the O Pioneers! will be returning to the Dragon’s Den and
I’ll be at the High Ground on the 28th to see Polar Bear Club and Crime In Stereo.
YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS BY NOW, BUT…
Noladiy.org and nopunks.blogspot.com are where it’s at.
9
COLUMNMEDICINE
DR. FEELGOOD
IN MEMORY OF O.D.B.
by nancy kang
nancy@antigravitymagazine.com
You wake up naked in a strange bed, next to a strange, nameless someone. Last night at
Molly’s you had a few boilermakers and waited for your songs on the jukebox. The rest of the
night is a beer-breath amnesic cloud. As you regain consciousness, you ask yourself, “Did I just
help myself to a heaping helping of STD?” STDs (sexually transmitted diseases, or sexually
transmitted infections—STIs) are extremely common; your sex education experience may
have touched on these diseases. I was raised in a tiny Louisiana farming town but my public
school-mandated sex education
was encyclopedic. Coach Peggy, in
polyester tennis shorts, projected on
a wall the names of STDs and their
epidemiology: who gets it and how:
“Girls, this next one is syphilis. I
once had a student named Syphilis.
Mode of transmission: um…penilevaginal contact, penile-anal, oh
God, oral-penile…Oh, this is
horrible. If you girls have questions,
ask your parents!” She went on to
discuss genital warts, herpes and
gonorrhea in exhausting detail with
embarrassed silences and deference
to our parents for more info.
Doubtless, this intensive health education inspired my career in medicine. Back to STDs.
Many infections transmitted are through sexual contact between various orifices and bodily
extrusions. Some are bacterial infections that can be cured with antibiotics. Some are viral
and are not curable. Some STDs leave permanent physical (and physiological) scars. Some
have no symptoms and some can even kill. Prevention is the key here. Although this column
limits an exhaustive discussion, some important STDs are highlighted here. On with the
menagerie!
GENITAL WARTS
Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the most common STD. At least half of sexually active
folks acquire genital HPV infection. Most do not know they have it. Warty cauliflowerlike growths can appear on the penis, labia, or anus. These can be cut, burned or frozen off
by your health care provider. Even if you have no lesions, you can pass the virus to your
partner. Some types of HPV cause pre-cancerous lesions of the genitals and over time can
become cancer. Pap smears have greatly reduced the rate of cervical cancer by identifying
pre-cancers. HPV also causes some penile, vaginal and rectal cancers. A new vaccine can
protect females from types of HPV that cause most cervical cancers and warts. The vaccine is
recommended for eleven and twelve-year-old girls. There is no treatment for the virus itself,
but a healthy immune system may clear the virus in a few years.
HERPES
We have all seen the ads for antiviral pills that treat herpes, a virus that produces painful
blisters in the genital area. It is highly contagious and has no cure, but the frequency of
outbreaks may decrease over the years. Medicines control frequency and severity of herpes
outbreaks and can reduce risk of transmission. One out of five people have had genital
herpes. Transmission can occur from an infected partner who does not have a visible sore.
Not all people have outbreaks, but if so, the first outbreak of blisters occurs within weeks after
infection. Other symptoms during the first outbreak may include flu-like symptoms, fever
and swollen glands.
SYPHILIS
Syphilis is an STD caused by bacteria named Treponema pallidum. It is often called “the great
imitator” because many symptoms are indistinguishable from those of other diseases. Over
36,000 cases were reported in the US in 2006. Syphilis is passed through contact with syphilis
sores. Many people do not have symptoms for years, yet are at risk for complications if not
treated. There are three stages. The primary stage of syphilis is a single sore (called a chancre)
that is firm, round, and painless. The chancre lasts three to six weeks and heals without
treatment. But if adequate treatment is not given, the infection progresses to the secondary
stage. This second stage is rough reddish-brown spots on the palms of the hands and the
bottoms of the feet. The rash does not itch. This will resolve, but the infection will possibly
progress to the late stage. The infection remains in the body silently for years. The final late
stage can develop in people who have not been treated, ten to twenty years later. Damage
to the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, bones, and joints causes problems with muscle movements,
numbness, and blindness. This damage may be serious enough to cause death. Syphilis is
easy to cure in its early stages by a single injection of penicillin!
COLUMNADVICE
GUIDANCE
COUNSELING
WHO’S GOT PROBLEMS?
this month’s counselor: supasaint
I
know, Saints fans: tough
times—a 2-2 start isn’t bad,
but the Saints already lost two
more games than this month’s
advice giver predicted they would
all season. Tough times call for
tough men, and SupaSaint is not
one to back down from a challenge,
such as advising this month’s group
of troubled readers. Featured
last month in our Homefield
Advantage, SupaSaint is equal
parts Ron Burgundy, Westbanker
and 190 Octane daquiri—find
out more about the last son of the
Westbank at supasaint.com.
Dear AG,
All of my friends are into what the
media calls “social networking sites”
like Myspace. Basically, I hate all that
stuff and haven’t gotten into it, but
more and more it’s making me feel a bit
alienated. Seriously, I’m a grampaw
when it comes to all that. What the hell
should I do, just throw in the towel or tell everyone to fuck off and get to some candle-making
and cat hording?
I remember when Mike Ditka was with us (God rest his soul) and he was asked about
whether he thought he would one day get this organization up to speed with the
rest of the league. Other teams had a computerized playbook to study from and the
offensive coordinators would use them during the game to call plays. If I were you, I
would do like Ditka did... grab your crotch and give ’em the finger... look where it got
Ditka. Al Gore should be ashamed of himself for creating dat intranet. I’m told I have
a website, but I ain’t never seen it.
Dear AG,
I’m nearing thirty years old and beginning to see a bit of the classic paunch—what’s the best
way to keep up my drinking lifestyle but stay away from the spare tire?
My friend, Mr. Johnny Fourcade once told me, “If you think you’ve had enough,
think again, brah.” When he purchased Hooters on Veterans Blvd., I thought to
myself, “Well there goes Fourcade’s mongoose-like reflexes and Kim Kardashian-like
flexibility,” but ya know... Johnny has never looked better and he’s like eighty-seven
years old now and still plays quarterback for the Biloxi Firedogs. Dollar pitchers and
fifty-cent wings aren’t what make you soft, it’s your willingness to lose that does. Pick
up your daiquiris and your head, because three hundred and thirty pounds is like the
new hundred-eighty anyway, dude.
Dear AG,
My girlfriend has the worst female mustache I’ve ever seen. She’d be cute without it but I can’t
tell her anything in fear of hurting her feelings. Should I say something to her?
Look, I understand how you feel. Your lady has a faint moustache and it has become
a problem. I suggest you hold out for a little while: that semi-pro ’stache will one day
(with a little luck) become an all out nutria rat tail and then my friend, you’ve got
something. She can use it for dusting around the house or in foreplay (substitute it for
a feather) while listening to the big 870am. She could also use it for balance, much
like a cat uses its tail. If you watch the game this week, you’ll see I now have our
cornerback group growing full ’staches for that reason. I hope this helps.
Photo by Zack Smith
NEED SOME ADVICE? SEND YOUR PROBLEMS TO:
ADVICE@ANTIGRAVITYMAGAZINE.COM
11
COLUMNLEGALESE
SOUND ADVICE
BEST OF SOUND ADVICE: HOW
TO “MAKE IT” AS A BAND
by andrew bizer
andrew@bizerlaw.com
Dear Andrew,
I’m in a band and we want to get signed. We just finished a great sounding demo and we’re
going to send it to record labels. Is there anything we need to include in the package?
Thanks,
Gary G.
Gary,
Congratulations on finishing your demo. Unfortunately, most record labels will
not even bother listening to it. The major labels and most independent labels
won’t even open your package. They will either throw it away or return it to you
unopened. There are two main reasons why many record labels do not accept
unsolicited demos. First, record labels still get hundreds of submissions per
week and they simply don’t have the manpower to open all the packages and
listen to every demo. Second, record labels are sick of getting sued for copyright
infringement by people who claim that their artists stole songs from a demo they
sent in. The record labels figure that they can’t get accused of stealing a song they
never listened to.
But don’t worry, if you want to get signed, there is a lot you can do without
sending out a bunch of demos in the mail. To begin with, I strongly urge you to
focus on your songwriting. You can have the greatest gear and the most unique
sound, but if the songs aren’t there, no one will care. It always amazes me when
I see a guy using twenty guitar pedals to play a crappy song. The best bands have
the best songs. That Line 6 Liqua-Flange guitar pedal may sound cool (well, that’s
debatable), but it won’t make your songs better.
Now that I have gotten that off my chest, one way you can get your demo in the
hands of record labels is by getting to know everybody in the local music business.
The more people you know, the better your chances of getting noticed are. If you
have a gig, talk to the person at the club who booked the show. Tell him or her
how much you like playing their club. Tell them you’d like to be considered when a
nationally touring band needs a local opening slot. Be persistent. Talk to the other
bands on the bill. Maybe they have a manager and if so, talk to their manager. Give
him or her your demo and ask him or her what they think. Talk to the doorman
and the bartenders. Give them your demo. The odds are, the bartenders and the
man or woman at the door are better connected than you and your bandmates are.
And if they like your demo, they’ll pass it along to their musician friends.
And no, you don’t need to move to New York to get noticed. Plenty of bands from
towns like Albequerque (the Shins), Dayton (Guided by Voices), and Oklahoma
City (Flaming Lips) have “made it.” Tour as much as you can. Befriend bands in
Baton Rouge, Austin, and Memphis. Set up shows for them in New Orleans and
have them set up shows for you in their city. The more places you go, the better
your chances are of getting noticed by the right people.
Here’s my best advice—don’t wait for a record label to come to you. If you are
happy with the sound of your demo, press up a few hundred CDs, call it an EP
and sell it for five bucks. That’s all it takes to start your own record label. Send
a copy to the editors at ANTIGRAVITY, the Gambit, and the Times-Picayune as
well as WTUL and WWOZ. If its good, and you’ve been talking to musicians
around town, you’ll get noticed. And if nobody reacts, you haven’t wasted your
time waiting for the phone to ring. You will have already put out your debut CD
and you’ll have learned from your mistakes so that your second self-released CD
will be that much better.
Andrew Bizer, Esq. is an attorney admitted to practice in Louisiana and New York. He is the
founding member of the Bizer Law Firm, L.L.C. He previously served as the Manager of Legal
and Business Affairs at EMI Music Publishing and has worked in the legal department at both
Matador and Universal/Motown Records. This column is to be used as a reference tool. The
answers given to these questions are short and are not intended to constitute full and complete
legal advice. The answers given here do not constitute an attorney/client relationship. Mr.
Bizer is not your attorney. But if you want him to be your attorney, feel free to contact him
at andrew@bizerlaw.com. Or, just email him a question and he’ll answer it in next month’s
ANTIGRAVITY.
NEED SOME SOUND ADVICE? SEND YOUR
QUESTIONS TO: ANDREW@BIZERLAW.COM
COLUMNFASHION
THE GOODS
MAGSNIFICENT OBAMA
by miss malaprop
mallory@antigravitymagazine.com
A
rtist Margaret Coble of art by mags! recently moved back home to New Orleans after
three years of post-Katrina exile in Louisville, Kentucky. She has garnered a lot of
attention from national and even international press in recent months due to her Barack
Obama-inspired street-style artwork. I recently caught up with her to find out more about her
beginnings as an artist and how the 2008 presidential campaign has affected her art career.
Miss Malaprop: How did you get started as an artist?
Margaret Coble: In college (Vanderbilt ’89), I majored in art history, mostly because we didn’t
have a studio art degree available. But the more studio classes I took, the more I realized I
wanted to make art, not just study it. After college, I moved to New Orleans and had a brief stint
as a folk artist, painting canvases and wooden furniture I’d find at thrift stores using geometric
patterns, iconographic imagery, and words. I had some success, but I got disillusioned with the
art scene and had a hard time making enough money to live on. So I actually gave up making
art for several years, while shifting my focus to DJing and being a music journalist.
The election theft by Bush in 2000 sparked me politically, and with some friends I got
into street stenciling. That quickly led to stenciling on t-shirts and onto vinyl records.
Turning the vinyl record stencil “paintings” into
clocks came shortly after that. Though I still do a
fair amount of spraypaint stenciling for the clocks
and other mixed media pieces, for the t-shirts I’m
moving more towards screen printing, though on
a very DIY scale, in my own home “studio.”
How did you get inspired to create Obamarelated artwork?
It’ll probably sound cliché at this point, but I had
been following the online rise of Obama-inspired
street art since last fall. When artist Shepard
Fairey came up with his now-iconic “Progress,”
“Hope,” and “Change” posters, I saw the effect
they were having and it made me want to make
my own Obama design, to do what I could to help
the campaign and raise some money. Though I’ve
always been politically active, it’s mostly been on
the fringes, in more radical ways, via street activism and direct action; I’ve never wanted
to get involved with a political campaign before, and I’ve certainly never donated to one
before. But Barack Obama excited me, inspired me, and made me want to believe that a
candidate really could make a difference.
In terms of the design, I really wanted to make something kind of raw and DIY-looking, like
something you’d actually see stenciled on the street somewhere. It’s very simple but also iconic
and I think visually pleasing. At first it was a one-color design, but I quickly realized with the
spray paint, I could do the tips of the rays around his head in another color. I chose red and blue
for a “patriotic” theme and also because Obama uses them in his official campaign designs. So
far they are selling in equal amounts, the red version and the blue version.
You’ve received a lot of exposure for your Obama art; do you think it has helped you
reach people that you might not have otherwise?
I’ve been getting all kinds of crazy press, especially the bicycle spoke cards that use my
design, which were actually created by a guy named Yosi Sergant, an L.A.-based publicist
and volunteer for the campaign out there. He’s friends with and works with Shepard
Fairey, is obsessed with street art as well, and came across my design online via my Flickr
page. He asked permission to use it to make bicycle spoke cards—like 20,000 of them—to
distribute around the country and more specifically for the Oregon primary and a big rally
that happened in Portland, a big biking town. So yeah, the spoke cards, I think due to
their novelty, have captured the attention of the media. There was recently a big story in
the L.A. Weekly about Yosi, and he mentioned me as the creator of the spoke card design.
Paper Magazine also featured the spoke cards. The most interesting publicity has to be that
a Norwegian news magazine published by Norway’s biggest morning paper is using my
design on its cover in October. And there have been countless bike, design, and Obama-art
blogs around the country (and a few internationally) linking to my website, as well as the
official spoke card site, obamaspoke.com, which also links to me.
I definitely think my work is reaching people that it wouldn’t have otherwise. Orders for
prints and t-shirts with the Obama stencil design on it have come from every corner of the
country. Occasionally someone buying an Obama item will also buy something else from
my Etsy shop or website. But I also now have a much larger mailing list, which I intend to
make great use of during the holidays to market my wares.
Where can people can find your work?
I have an Etsy shop online (artbymags.etsy.com) and my own website (artbymags.com),
and I’ll be doing the Freret Market the first Saturday of every month, as well as many other
markets around town. You can find my current schedule up on my website.
FOR MORE MISS MALAPROP, GO TO:
13
FEATUREMUSIC
DON’T FEED THE ANIMALS:
GIRL TALK RELEASES THE HOUNDS
by mike rodgers
photo by andrew strasser
G
regg Gillis’ alter ego, Girl Talk, has
become synonymous with “dance
party.” Over the last year, Gillis has
relentlessly toured in support of his
breakthrough record Night Ripper and somehow
managed to find the time to compile a grassroots
fan base, book shows in ever larger venues and put
together a winning new album. Feed the Animals is
on the short list of album of the year candidates,
with its sly mixture of lighting-quick pop samples
and classic album structure. ANTIGRAVITY got
a chance to talk with Gillis about releasing Feed
the Animals on the internet, making music thirty
seconds before he plays it and how the internet is
the new radio.
ANTIGRAVITY: What’s been happening for you since
we talked last year?
Gregg Gillis: I did over a hundred shows in 2007 and I’m on
pace to do more than that this year. The biggest thing for me
was cramming this album in. I took a couple months off and
just sat down to work on this. As soon as I’m done with one
album I start on the next. That was big, just locking myself
in my house and working on this album.
Was this more a of a road album, created while you were
touring?
Most of the ideas, because I’m always sampling songs and
trying to work them into the set, were on the road. I’d be sitting
in hotels, fooling around with a song and then playing it that
night. But as far as the actual editing process, it takes me a long
time and I feel if I have eight hours to sit at my house and just
relax and take my time and do it the way I want to do it, it’s
better. There are things leading up to that. A lot of times I’d sit
backstage and write out ideas for the way it would flow.
The immediacy in the way you create music must be a
great asset to you, to be able to make something and then
go right out and play it.
Absolutely. There will definitely be shows where I’m sitting
backstage cutting something up literally thirty seconds before
I go on. That’s a very cool aspect, that I can constantly be
productive.
I remember hearing things at the show you did last year
and then hearing them again on Feed the Animals.
It was exciting putting out Feed the Animals because the
majority of my fan base had heard a lot of the material.
Some of them, like Big Country and Tag Team, had
become standards at the shows and it was like, “Man,
everyone who’s come out to these shows is going to know
this song.” For me, there was a lot of pressure coming into
this album because the last one did pretty well and I wanted
to make something better. One of the things that knocked
the pressure off was that it was so road tested. Regardless
of what critics think I know the kids coming out to the
shows like this material. If anything I want the record to be
a documentation of the live shows—you get the show and
then later you get a fine-tuned, organized version.
I know that increases my enjoyment of a record, when it
can capture the energy of a live show.
It’s tough to replicate that because the show relies so much on
the people there, but I do my best to capture that energy.
Feed the Animals seems to allow the samples to breathe a
little more. Was that something you consciously pushed
for this time?
Going into Night Ripper, I
had a small cult following
and like a lot of bands you’re
trying to make your mark.
I wanted to put together
samples in a way that people
had potentially never heard
before; something cohesive
that kind of flew through
the material. On that album
I was aiming for a technical
achievement—on this album
there’s a little less to prove.
I would like to take those
ideas and make something
that’s more fun to listen
to, something that’s more
musical overall.
I feel this record is better
than Night Ripper because
it’s structured more like an
actual album.
This one feels more accomplished, less focused on achieving
anything and just being a cool record. Doing Night Ripper,
I had a day job and so that album was pretty much all the
material I had, where on this on I could pick and choose.
Going into it I could have doubled the length of the material.
Just playing more shows gave me a better idea of how it
should fit. Going into a song I knew where it should begin
and end—I had very specific destination points.
When we talked year ago, you had just quit your day job.
What benefits have you found in that?
Sleep is great right now. Near the end stretch of the day job
it was getting nuts. I was playing shows every weekend and
waking up early on Sunday to catch a flight home. Now
I’m just a lot more relaxed. I still have a similar touring
schedule. Through most of the year I do weekend shows
and it makes sense to do the shows, then come home and
relax, put some shit together and get back out there. Not a
whole lot has changed, other than I wake up at 2pm every
day.
How did the internet release of Feed the Animals work
out?
The main goal is to see how far we can push this music, and
for this one it was a complete success in my book. For people
who wanted the album, they could get it immediately—I
was uploading songs in the morning and before I was even
done I was getting people hitting me back. I had shows the
next weekend and people already knew a lot of the material.
Outside of that, paying what you want opened up a lot of
new audience. It seemed like it spread as extensively as it
could in a very quick manner.
The internet release really helped in keeping some of the
more recent the samples fresh.
Doing that was almost hand in hand with the live show.
When a song comes out that I like, I think people are excited
to hear my take on it. That was perfect for the album, getting
it out the week I was finished with it. Here are some hot
songs that are currently on the radio, here’s what I’m doing
right now. We had delays with Night Ripper, and I didn’t
think an internet release was as legit then.
Now there have been lots of established artists releasing
their albums online…
I don’t know if people would have taken it as seriously if I
had put Night Ripper out as an internet release. It came on a
CD as an official album, not just some kid goofing around.
Like some homemade bootleg or something…
Exactly. With bands like Radiohead legitimizing it… that’s
just the way we’re releasing albums now.
With a lot of larger bands, an internet release might be
risky, but with your methods there must not be a lot of
overhead to worry about recouping.
A lot of those bigger bands have a label, distribution, a lot
more people taking money out of their pockets. It’s different
for me because I don’t have any middlemen. I’m good friends
with the head of my label; it’s just basically me and him. I’m
for buying and downloading music on the internet. I’ve seen
Lil Wayne give away two hundred songs and then come back
with a platinum album. It clearly works in a specific direction
and I’m very open to people downloading the music, sampling
it and making the decision from there if they want to buy it.
It has replaced radio, in a sense.
Exactly, people can get their hands on what they want and
I don’t know what that’s going to mean. It could mean the
end of record sales. All these changes are just exciting for
me because it’s changing the way people think about music.
The means are changing so much that the purpose and
sound of music is going to have to follow.
In that vein, there’s some controversy surrounding the
new Metallica album regarding its compressed mix for
iPods and the like.
I don’t think of compression as a good or bad thing—it’s
just changed the sound of music. I read that having a louder
song showed a correlation to selling more records. It has
affected electronic music in that we hear a lot more working
in the midrange, which sounds better coming out of laptop
speakers. All of this takes away from what we understood
as good music, but it forces people to innovate and do new
things with it.
What kind of material are you currently working on?
I’ve actually been stepping back a bit and working on
some hip-hop stuff from the ’00s and late ’90s, like DMX
and even some old No Limit. Honestly, it changes every
day. Hopefully by the time I’m in New Orleans there will
be something new I’m working with. I’m in an interesting
position now, where I’ve got a lot of people open to listen
to whatever I’m going to put out, so I can really experiment
and go off the deep end with people.
Girl Talk plays House of Blues on Friday, October 17th with
Grand Buffet and Hearts of Darknesses. For more info, go to
myspace.com/girltalkmusic and illegalart.net.
15
FEATUREMUSIC
THE ANTIGRAVITY GUIDE TO NOLA’S
HALLOWEEN ’08
by dan fox with brett schwaner
S
crew Mardi Gras, Halloween is the holiday New Orleans
does best. The weather’s great, hurricane season is coming to
a close and in the end a NOLA Halloween is largely a local,
homegrown affair. Plus, it always seems to start a full week
before the actual day, much like that other holiday. ANTIGRAVITY
has assembled a list of just some of what’s going on around the city for
your planning pleasure. Better get to work on your costume.
WEDNESDAY 10/29
Clockwork Elvis, Big Blue Marble, The Public, Bipolaroid, Jeff Guitar Nelson, Junior League,
Converts, Billion Dollar Baby Burlesque, Hi-Ho Lounge, 9pm. The Hi-Ho Lounge gets the
Halloween festivities started two nights early with a special show featuring a slate of
costumed locals paying tribute to some of their rock and comedy favorites. Be sure to come
early because the monstrous lineup for this costume party is packed to the jaws from start
to finish. Clockwork Elvis will get things rolling with a tribute to the Gun Club, followed
by Big Blue Marble doing their best imitation of the Violent Femmes. The Public will
bring out a set featuring the songs of Bauhaus and Joy Division, Bipolaroid will pay tribute
to Dr. John and Junior League will be handling Mike Nesmith and the First National
Band, while Jeff Guitar Nelson will be channeling the spirits of Lou Reed and the Velvet
Underground. Converts will then take the stage with a blood-spattered Misfits-inspired
set, featuring guest guitarist Melissa Crory, formerly of Ex-VoTo. The evening will also
feature interludes of local comedians paying homage to some of their favorites, including
Ked Dixon as Margaret Cho, the Wizard as Richard Pryor and Brian Bonhagan as Bill
Hicks. Good Goddamn Show will also be putting on their best Monty Python, followed by
a tribute to legendary burlesque performers courtesy of the Billion Dollar Baby Dolls.
THURSDAY 10/30
Ballzack’s Robot Dance Party featuring DJ Brice Nice, Tipitina’s French Quarter, 10pm; ballzack.
com. Ballzack has made a name for himself as one of New Orleans’ most entertaining
musical acts, so it’s easy to forget that he also knows how to throw a straight-up party, too
(he was, after all, part of the team that produced the Twi-Ro-Pa era 80’s night). DJ Brice
Nice, another veteran of 80’s night, will be opening for the Ballzack performance, which
will double as a video shoot for the song “Robot Bounce” off of his new album, Yeah,
Indeed. Sound all over the place? Well, that’s by design; as Ballzack himself describes the
event: “Imagine American Bandstand on some Blade Runner shit.”
FRIDAY 10/31
Angry Banana, Reagabomb, Among Criminals, Dragon’s Den, 6:30pm; myspace.com/
angrybananaska. For those of you in search of an early start to your Hallow’s Eve festivities,
be sure to mark down the Dragon’s Den as a stop on your trick-or-treating map. The
French Quarter venue will host Angry Banana’s third annual ska Halloween bash, and
we all know that ska rots your teeth worse than any type of candy known to man. Angry
Banana’s Halloween shows have become somewhat of a tradition for New Orleans-area
ska fans who appreciate music along the lines of artists such as Mustard Plug and the
Hippos. The band plans to appear in full costume attire and encourages their fans to do
the same. Angry Banana will be joined by Philadelphia pop-punk band Among Criminals,
currently on tour of their new record release, Happy History. Also appearing will be local
punk-ska rockers Reagabomb, whose music generally falls into the same realm as bands
like Choking Victim and Leftover Crack. Be sure to wear your best pair of bloodied twotone shoes. Check your apples for poison and razor blades.
Rock and Roll Halloween Freak Out!, Saturn Bar, 7:00 pm; myspace.com/saturnbar. Freak Out
is right. This show is freaking crazy with a dizzying line up that could only be cooked up by
NOLA’s own Swiss Army knife Bernard Pearce. Felix, the Bad Off and Pearce’s One Man
Machine represent the home team, hosting L.A.’s Crystal Antlers, Tel Aviv’s Monotonix
and Athens’ (GA) Dark Meat, a band that features 17 members! Everything from ’70s-era
hard rock to atmospheric stoner jazz will be heard pouring out from the Saturn Bar, which
is its own kind of haunted house ala David Lynch, or Quentin Tarantino.
ALSO CHECK OUT
Quintron and Miss Pussycat, plus the Masked Band Ball at One Eyed Jacks, Big Rock Candy
Mountain and Bonerama at Republic, a special Halloween Enjoy Soul Sister set at Takumi,
Bank Street Bar and Grill’s Monster’s Ball Halloween Party & Costume Contest, Morning 40
Federation at d.b.a., Krewe of MOM’s Halloween Ball at the Howlin’ Wolf, the Pallbearers
album release show at the Hi-Ho, Shadow Gallery downstairs and Zydepunks upstairs at
Dragon’s Den, and of course, the House of Shock in Jefferson. Trick or treat, bitches!
Photos: Top: Angry Banana; Middle: a robot sure to be at the Ballzack show (by Dan Fox), Bottom: Monotonix (By Brent Stewart).
17
FEATUREVOODOO ’08
VOODOO ’08: WHAT WE’RE LOOKING
FORWARD TO AT THE TENTH RITUAL
AG EDITOR LEO
MCGOVERN:
I
can understand some people’s initial reactions
to the early lineup of Voodoo Music Experience
’08. Many people I talked to were either a)
underwhelmed, like our own Mike Rodgers or
b) borderline angry because they felt the ’90s-centered
headliners of Stone Temple Pilots, R.E.M. and Nine
Inch Nails was a step backward for the festival. As
someone who was at the first Voodoo, held back in
1999 at Tad Gormley Stadium, I think the trio is a
nice tribute to the festival’s ten years. I think most
of those people’s worries were abated when Voodoo
added acts like TV on the Radio, N.E.R.D., Lil
Wayne and Butthole Surfers (speaking of the Butts,
I haven’t heard anyone complain about how they’re
not contemporary enough to be on the ’08 roster).
It all means that Voodoo will almost certainly again
pack City Park, and it’ll be a well-deserved tenth
anniversary for the festival. Now on to who I’m
looking forward to seeing.
Based on the cover of this issue, it’s probably obvious
that I’m looking forward to seeing the Gutter Twins,
so I won’t go into too much detail here, but I am excited
to finally see Mark Lanegan live. Besides being a fan of
his work with Screaming Trees and his collaboration
with Belle and Sebastian’s Isobel Campbell, he was
a major part of one of my favorite songs ever, “Long
Gone Day” from the Mad Season album Above.
By the time I discovered Ozomatli in 1999, MC
Chali 2na had already parted ways with the band
to focus on Jurassic 5, and as good as the band
has been since then it always seemed they couldn’t
quite replicate the ease of which they and Chali 2na
complimented each other. Jabu (Street Signs and Don’t
Mess With the Dragon) was my favorite interim MC,
but Kanetic Source (Embrace the Chaos) will always
have a place in my heart because he once gave me
the mic at the end of “O le Le” at one of the band’s
late-night Howlin’ Wolf shows. With Jurassic 5
disbanded, Chali and Ozo finally decided to officially
rejoin forces for at least some Fall tour dates. I missed
them, but in a way I’m glad because I think I’ll enjoy it
more in the smaller setting. Hopefully this remarriage
will work out, because I thought Dragon was by far
Ozo’s least interesting release to date and maybe this
will reinvigorate the band, assuming Chali 2na sticks
around for an album.
Stone Temple Pilots is actually one of my favorite
bands from the ’90s, and I distinctly remember
when Tiny Music…Songs From a Vatican Gift Shop
was released in 1996—I walked from school to the
mall and bought the record from Sound Shop before
walking home to listen to it. I think it’s the best STP
record to date mainly because they ditched most of
the grunge aspects of their earlier records and created
an album layered with interesting arrangements and
moments that to this day give me spine chills, Dean
DeLeo’s guitar solo on “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper
Heart” being the biggest. It’s one of my favorite solos
ever, though I have to admit being disappointed in
DeLeo’s performance of it when I saw them at the
UNO Lakefront Arena a few years ago—hopefully
This Page: Stone Temple Pilots (Top); Ozomatli (Bottom); Page 19: Big Blue Marble by Dan Fox
he’ll knock it out of the park this time around.
FEATUREVOODOO ’08
AG INTERN
BRETT SCHWANER:
V
oodoo has never really offered a heavy enough dose of
punk rock to suit my snotty tastes. I fully realize that
some of the best underground punk bands in America
right now—like Off With Their Heads, This Is My Fist,
or Banner Pilot—probably wouldn’t feel very much at home sharing
the stages at City Park with the likes of Stone Temple Pilots or
Nine Inch Nails. Every year, though. I still keep my fingers crossed
that the organizers of this fine event will see fit to book one or
two of my old favorites, like maybe Bad Religion or the Bouncing
Souls. But alas, another year has come and still Voodoo has left my
dreams unfulfilled. I’m an emotional wreck, really.
Even though this year’s schedule is light on good, old-fashioned,
pierced and pissed-off punk rock music, there are a handful of
artists that may appeal to those of you in search of unglamorous,
marginally anti-social-sounding music. The first day of Voodoo
features the Reverend Horton Heat, somehow still alive after
decades of traveling the world while spreading the gospel of
alcoholism, cocaine smuggling, and the devil. Grab a stiff drink
and bring your first cousin along for the Reverend’s set. No major
touring artist does psychobilly better than this guy.
Voodoo’s Saturday lineup features the recently-reunited Shudder
to Think, a band that emerged from the Washington, D.C. hardcore
scene of the 1980s and released their earliest recordings on Dischord
Records. After a few major tours with Fugazi and the Smashing
Pumpkins in the ’90s, and a recording output of songs that seemed to
diverge greatly from their east coast hardcore peers, Shudder to Think
disappeared for roughly a decade. While a small reunion tour is in the
works, their appearance at this year’s Voodoo will be only their sixth
performance as a group since splitting in 1998.
Look for a number of local bands to roll out their best sets of
the year at Voodoo. Saturday features a mix of country western
bottle blues rock with the Happy Talk Band and third waveinfluenced ska from Fatter Than Albert. Happy Talk’s most
recent release, 2007’s THERE there, features a bunch of catchy
and self-depreciating western-rock yarns with titles like “Legalize
Suicide” and “Two Black Suits.” Fatter Than Albert has grown
up a lot over the past five years, moving away from loud-and-fast
punk-inspired ska to a style that’s slightly more sedated, poetic,
and dub-rock influenced. Expect a set featuring new songs from
their upcoming third studio album, due out sometime by the end
of the year.
Sunday features the Voodoo debut of local jam-rockers Flow
Tribe, as well as a set by Bones. Flow Tribe are one of the better
funk-soul rock bands that you’ll find in New Orleans right now,
which has to count for something. Bones released a pretty decent
album called Sounds From the Id earlier this year. I’d have to describe
the album as “scratchy garage rock,” with a little bit of soul thrown
in for good measure. Bones’ stuff is occasionally haunting and
subtly dark, which sets the perfect tone for the weekend before
Halloween.
I will confess to you, dear loyal AG reader, that even during
the most angst-ridden days of my punk rock teenage years, even
as I was blaring Bad Religion songs in my headphones night after
night, day after day, I still harbored a secret obsession with R.E.M.
Hidden deep in the darkest corners of my CD collection, behind all
my punk albums were nine or ten R.E.M. records. There. I said it.
R.E.M. made a pretty big comeback earlier this year with the
release of Accelerate, their first album in well over a decade that
wasn’t filled with uninspired, dull, sleepy-time music. While there
isn’t a track on the record that can hold a candle to “Radio Free
Europe” or even “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?,” it’s easily
their most solid effort in a long time. Deservingly, R.E.M. will help
close out Voodoo on the event’s final evening, hopefully with a set
that hits the highlights of their twenty-five-year-plus career.
I’m not a punk rock snob, really. Truth be told, I gave up on all
that the night that I saw Rancid go through two wardrobe changes
during their appearance on Saturday Night Live a few years ago. I
never really thought that “punk rock” would require a wardrobe
change, let alone two of them. These days, I don’t care to hide my
collection of R.E.M. songs like I did in the old days. They’re all
there on my iTunes, right between Panthro U.K. United 13 and Rise
Against. And I’ll be there to see R.E.M. for the first time at Voodoo
Fest, along with a bunch of other talented local and non-local
artists. Between those sets, come visit me at the ANTIGRAVITY
booth. I’ll be the guy in the corner. Losing my religion…
AG WRITER MIKE RODGERS:
I
must say, the initial Voodoo ’08 lineup had me severely underwhelmed. Sure, a few of the headliners held some
nostalgic appeal for me—I certainly was interested in Nine Inch Nails and Lil Wayne—but nothing else really
grabbed me and said, “Hey, spend money to see me, yo!” Fortunately for me some of the last minute additions
have raised the festival’s stock in my eyes and I’m now waiting in anticipation for the 23rd. On the first night, I’ll be
more than happy to hear what Stone Temple Pilots sounds like this side of a long hiatus, several drug “incidents” and,
ugh, Velvet Revolver, but the real meat of the evening comes earlier. The Gutter Twins, Erykah Badu and the Reverend
Horton Heat all have the potential to put on interesting shows. The good Reverend in particular, with his martini and
coke-fueled rockabilly, has a reputation for blistering live sets. My centerpiece for Friday, though, is TV on the Radio. I
was lucky enough to catch them at Republic a couple years ago and it was an amazing show—full of massive highs and
some exciting crowd participation. Their new album, Dear Science, is just hitting shelves as I write this and it’s a strange
trip for the band. Much peppier than previous records, it has the dance potential to move the crowd like no other and
steal the show from the ’90s dinosaurs headlining. Saturday is the real pinnacle of the festival for me; not only do I finally
get to check out the Mars Volta live without having to catch a lame headliner, (the RHCP come to mind), I get to see
Lil Wayne. Hip-hop shows can be hit or miss. I can only hope that his brand of mic-madness is infectious enough to
spread from the album to the stage and then to the crowd. If I feel myself leaning the least bit, I’ll be happy. Let me be
honest with you, as a semi-reformed goth kid I’ve been a massive Nine Inch Nails fan since I was thirteen, and say what
you will about the band’s current popularity, Reznor and co. have always delivered blistering live performances. I’ll be
interested to hear some of the material from Ghosts I-IV played live. To wrap up the weekend, Sunday’s lineup really
holds little interest for me. In my opinion, REM peaked in the ’80s, while N.E.R.D, Panic at the Disco and Dashboard
Confessional do nothing for me. The real gem of the evening is the reunited Butthole Surfers. God, I can only hope that
Gibby Haynes’ sobriety hasn’t gotten in the way of that band’s fabled live insanity, because I think we all can use a little
acid-nightmare, smoke machine ferocity on Sundays. Overall, I’d say this year’s lineup is stronger than ’07’s and I can
only hope the festival continues to improve each October. —Mike Rodgers
AG EDITOR DAN FOX:
W
ithout an act like last year’s Rage Against the
Machine to really grip my imagination, I’m
more prone to simply wander aimlessly through
this year’s fest. Although I’m not a dedicated
follower of their music, I will definitely check out Nine Inch
Nails, partly out of respect for Trent Reznor’s efforts to keep
half of Voodoo in New Orleans only weeks after Katrina, and
partly because I remember how kick-ass their set was that year.
In fact, this year is all about the hometown heroes for me, and
I am always happy to see bands like Big Blue Marble, whose
show environments are usually more cramped and nocturnal
than the expansive, sun-drenched stages at City Park. They’re
one of New Orleans’ best bands, and their collection of earthy
rock tunes really strokes the more sensible and traditional side of
my musical palette, kind of like a Port of Call burger. Bernard
Pearce’s One Man Machine, also a creature of dark and moody
venues as well as night-inspired pyschedelia, will be interesting
to catch at eleven in the morning, if I can make it. I always like
drifting over to the Noomoon area, which always feels more like
an autonomous zone than part of the festival proper. How will
the anarchist hip-hop of MC Tracheotomy take to the confines,
loose as they are, of Voodoo? Finally, a note to self: keep the
SoCo in check this year.
AG WRITER SARA PIC:
S
tep right up ladies and germs, don’t be afraid. It’s the moment you have all been waiting for—it’s time for
a SHOW! Who can resist the harrowing, death-defying feats of New Orleans Sunken City Circus? Ritual
suspension! Piercing! Drums! Fire! Music! And best of all—mayhem! Watch as these daredevils hang
themselves on hooks by their piercings. See unfazed lasses traverse beds of blades with nary a stumble. Witness
breathless escapes from real straight jackets. And maybe, if you’re real lucky, you can pet the man-eating chicken!
Ahh, yes, the ravishing seductresses from Fleur de Tease. These burlesque honeys can bend and shake (and shed
their clothes) in ways that will drive you wild with sequined desire. But this is no ordinary strip tease! No, you won’t
see the full kit and caboodle, but I guarantee you will always beg for more... more... more! And keep begging—you
might catch a dancer’s glove or silk wrap as she tosses it off the stage. Throw me something, miss!
Are those horns I hear? That’s not your mama’s marching band, folks, this is the Extra Action Marching Band. This
band doesn’t just march—they will sashay, slither and snake into your heart. Check out the ‘staches and hot pants on
those sexy flag team dancers. Va-va-voom!
Cousins. Clowns. Undeniable love. Will first cousins (who know they are cousins) and clowns (who don’t know
that they are clowns) Happy and Gaye Daye, succeed in consummating their twisted love? The two lovebirds of
Crimes Against Nature sure have some obstacles in their co-dependent love quest, but love conquers all, right?
Fire! Opposable thumbs! Yes, the two things that make us humans stand out from the beasts and the two things
that allow Sirena Serpentina to present you with their hair-raising (but never hair-burning!) achievements. Delectable
dancers expertly spin balls of fire around their heads and bodies. Not just one, not two, but as many as ten hungry orbs
of flame these fearless pyromaniacs spin. These ladies will never miss a beat in their dance with destruction.
Are the amazons of Ultra Hip Revue double-jointed? We may never know, but we have our suspicions as they snap
crackle and pop their hips and bellies.
And of course, our perennial crowd favorite—the New Orleans Bingo! Show. Ladies and gentlemen, who wants to
be a winnah?! A musical game show cabaret like none other, prepare yourselves for clowns, dancers, bohemian love
songs, silent films, and, of course: Bingo!
19
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SEASON’S
MUSINGS
INJURIES, 3RD AND SHORTS AND MORE
by nicholas simmons
CALL KEANU, IT’S TIME TO PUT THE REPLACEMENTS BACK
TOGETHER
As of press time, the Saints have lost, for at least a few weeks, starters Marques
Colston, Jeremy Shockey, Randall Gay, Hollis Thomas…I’ll stop depressing you
now, and this is before we’d get to the backups who were expected to contribute this
year. Runs of injuries like this could mean that Sean Payton ran a training camp
that was too taxing on the players, or the spate of hamstring injuries (at press time I
counted five Saints with pulls in their hammies) could mean the stretching exercises
aren’t good enough, or it could just be plain ol’ bad luck. The good news? Plenty
of Super Bowl teams have had average starts to their seasons—in 2001, the Patriots
started 1-3 and were 4-4 at midseason before finishing 11-5. In ’03, the Pats started
2-2 before going on a fourteen-game winning streak to finish the season. The New
York Giants started last season 0-2 and were 2-2 before finishing the regular season
with eight wins over their next twelve games and catching fire in the playoffs. All
that is to say there’s no reason to panic yet, Saints fans. If the black and gold can
manage 3-1 or even 2-2 record in October, they should be in good position for the
rest of the season.
Maybe the number of injured Saints is only inflaming the unrest the fan base feels
over Deuce McAllister seeing very limited action during the first few weeks of the
season. I’ll say this—if resting his injured knees by sitting him through the first few
weeks of the season makes him a stronger cog in the offense in the stretch run, who’s
to say it wasn’t the right decision? The trick here is that we won’t know the answer
to this until December at the earliest, and if the Saints falter to the point that there
is no stretch run, not having Deuce in on some of these 3rd and short plays gets
magnified.
REGGIE BUSH 3.0
I understand that people want Bush to be an every down, 1,500-yard running back,
but not only is that not going to happen it’s foolish to put that pressure on him. Bush
is best when his outside runs are mixed with quick hits in the passing game. He’s
proven his worth as a punt returner. Moving Bush around on offense and keeping his
role versatile does a lot for the Saints’ offense—if Bush has over 100 total offensive
yards in every game he’s doing his job very well, in my opinion.
PAYTON DOESN’T GO FOR IT, AND WHEN HE DOES…
In Week 1, Sean Payton played it conservative on 3rd and 3 in the 4th quarter and
ran Bush into the teeth of Tampa Bay’s defense, a run that resulted in no gain. In their
own territory it made sense to punt, and Payton admitted afterwards that he made
the call on 3rd and 3 because he was confident in the Saints’ defense, which looked
good all day while knocking down multiple Buc passes. That was a microcosm of
the Saints’ short-yardage issues through the first few weeks of the season, as the
Saints failed to convert on 3rd down against the Redskins, punted the ball to the
Redskins and if Payton was confident in the Saints D he was dead wrong, because
Tracy Porter got burned by a long Santana Moss TD reception right afterwards. In
Denver, another woebegone short yardage situation failed when the Saints had it 4th
and goal from the 1 at the end of the first half, a decision that probably factored into
the Saints losing by two points.
Why can’t the Saints gain a yard when it counts? It’s easy to blame the nonuse of Deuce, but that’s not the best answer. We know Bush isn’t a strong runner
OPTIMAL
PERFORMANCE:
THE ULTIMATE SAINTS SUPPORTER TURNS
OUT TO BE A ROBOT SET TO TRANSFORM A
FANBASE
by leo mcgovern
A
nyone who’s been
to a Saints game
since the beginning
of 2006 has seen a
certain black and gold-armored
robot, who sometimes bears a
distinct resembelence to another
famous robot that splits time
between a humanoid appearance
and that of an eighteen-wheeler,
on the Superdome Jumbotron.
Optimus Saint, or Ray-Bot,
has made his presence known
on the Saints scene not just by
showing up to games dressed
like the Transformer Optimus
Prime or Master Chief from
Halo but by also being a vocal
poster on the message board of
a locally run Saints news site,
saintsreport.com. The lengths
this robot will go to in order to
show his support of the Saints
know no bounds, at least not
nationally—Optimus plans to
be in attendance at London’s
Wembley Stadium when the Saints meet the Chargers on October 26th. In the meantime,
he’ll be at the Superdome trying to transform the Saints from an underachieving team to a
Super Bowl contender. Homefield Advantage talked to Optimus Saint about his favorite
Saints, his arch-enemies and how Martin Gramatica is overrated.
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE: How did you get your start at Saints games?
Optimus Saint: During the Dome Patrol era, when I was a young Who Dat robot, I started
going to home games. Although that would seem to be the good old days for Saints fans,
somehow I always ended up attending a losing game. My first game was in 1989, when San
Francisco’s Jerry Rice fumbled into the end zone. It should’ve been for a touchback, which
would have given the Saints the ball, but the refs called it a touchdown for the 49ers instead.
My hatred for the 49ers started then, and has continued to grow ever since.
For the 2006 home opener, I envisioned a transformation for the Saints and the
Superdome. I wore the black and gold Optimus Prime armor throughout the entire season
and it worked. For 2007, with the home opener coinciding with the release of the megahuge Halo 3 video game, I wore my golden Master Chief armor. It didn’t turn out to be as
lucky, even at Reliant Stadium against the Houston Texans. This year I am bringing out a
new version of the Optimus armor and mixing in a little Master Chief. If things pan out I’ll
be in my new Iron Man armor at Wembley Stadium for the London game versus the San
Diego Chargers.
What’s your favorite concession stand item at the Superdome?
Actually, I don’t get concessions in the ’dome. I’m usually pretty fired up with candy and
orange drank—don’t call it drink, or juice—by the time kickoff happens. Besides, robots get
by fine on just sugar. Have you ever seen what Robocop eats?
21
homefieldneworleans.com_
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGESPORTS
But for the sake of my fellow saintsreport.com members,
I feel the need to mention the Nacho Boycott. The nachos
weren’t ever really great in the past, but they were at least
edible, overpriced chips with fake cheese. Now you basically
get a baby’s handful of chips and a container of yellow PlayDoh. Everyone should refuse to buy nachos until someone
important notices.
What’s your favorite Saints moment of all time?
It was 4th and goal for the 49ers in Candlestick Park, and San
Francisco coach George Seifert is trying to decide whether to
go for it or settle for the field goal. Saints linebackers Vaughn
Johnson and Sam Mills go to the 49ers’ sideline and actually
convince them to go for it. The 49ers line up to attempt a run,
and the Dome Patrol stuffs it! I wish that our current defense
could Mack Truck their opponents like that.
What’s your worst Saints memory of all time?
“It is the year 2005. The treacherous Katrina has conquered
the Saints’ home stadium of the Superdome. But, from
secret staging grounds in two NFL-less cities, the valiant
Saints prepare to retake their homeland.”
I watched all four games in Tiger Stadium, thinking it
would be the last few times I would ever see the Saints in
Louisiana. After the loss to Carolina, I cried when the team
left the field. Seeing Deuce on crutches was enough to break
me down because he reminded me of how our entire city
felt at the time. Broken and hobbled, but still showing up.
What’s one thing the Saints have done right so far in ’08?
Jonathan Vilma. For the first time since Sam Mills dearly
departed us, we have a player that can do some justice for
the number 51. For the past few seasons, the fans that sit
with me in section 151 have been calling it “Area 51,”
probably because they have to put up with a giant robot
running around and dancing in the aisles. I’m so glad that
we have Vilma to root for in our section, and hopefully we
can get a banner made with a picture of him and “Area 51”
written on it.
What’s the worst thing the Saints have done so far in ’08?
The “Season Ticket Holder” license plate frame that was
included in the season ticket packets was mailed to me with
a huge crack down the middle of it. Now I can’t ride in style
when I’m in truck mode. Season Ticket office, I’m calling
you out.
Who is your favorite all-time Saints player?
I’ve got to go back to the Field Mouse yet again for this
question. It’s Sam Mills, without a doubt. His ability to
read an opposing offense and immediately get everyone
in the position to make plays was unreal. He was a true
general for the Saints back then. Factor in that he was
undersized for his position but still hit like a sledgehammer
and I can’t pick another player. He is the perfect example
of an overachiever who was fueled by people who told him
he couldn’t make it.
Who’s the Megatron to your Optimus Prime?
Anyone who wears red in the Dome. Whether it’s a
Falcon fan, 49er fan or Buccaneer fan, if you wear red in
the ’dome you are the enemy. Even Optimus is painted
black and gold on Sunday. A small exception is made for
the beer vendors, because by the third quarter the drunks
become raging bulls and key on the red t-shirts like a
matador’s cape.
Who’s the most overrated Saint right now?
Most people would say Reggie Bush, but I think that lately
opponent’s defenses don’t fear our running game without
Deuce. With Deuce and Reggie on the field together, it’s a
completely different ballgame. It’s really hard for me to hate
on any player that wears the Fleur de Lis, because I love
the team so much. If I had to pick one, I’d say that Martin
Gramatica is slightly overrated. He had a great stretch of
games for us at the end of last season, but prior to that he
wasn’t too solid when he was “jumping around” the league.
It looks like he’s renewed a bit here, but he’s not getting
any younger or stronger. I think I’m more disappointed that
Taylor Mehlhaff didn’t capitalize on his opportunity than I
am excited about Grammatica sticking around. I have faith
in the coaching staff, so if he proves to be solid I’ll be okay
with being wrong.
If you could tell Saints owner Tom Benson one thing,
what would it be?
Get your umbrella ready and put on your dancing shoes,
because I’m challenging you to a Benson Boogie vs.
Optimus Primetime dance off for the playoffs.
Optimus Saint frequently appears on saintsreport.com and you
can find more of Optimus’ antics at myspace.com/efyouz.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE SAINTS:
“Shut up and play defense in New Orleans.” —Michael Wilbon, co-host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption
Wilbon commented on whether coach Sean Payton had a legitimate gripe over the referees missing an obvious (on replays, at least) neutral zone infraction by Denver Broncos linebacker
Jamie Winborn on a 3rd and 1 play that ended with Pierre Thomas being stopped, ultimately resulting in a missed game-winning field goal by Martin Gramatica.
22_homefield advantage: the sports supplement to antigravity magazine
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGEGAME PREVIEWS
MONDAY, OCTOBER 6TH (7:30PM)
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12TH (NOON)
T
T
Saints Players to Watch: DT Sedrick Ellis. In the absence of Hollis Thomas, who the
Saints cut but will hopefully re-sign when his triceps injury heals, Ellis has become the
best defensive tackle in New Orleans. When Ellis is pushing offensive lineman backwards,
offenses have little choice but to run the ball away from him. Against Peterson and Taylor,
the Saints will need Ellis to produce all the pressure he can muster, otherwise we’ll be in for
a long night of hearing WWL Radio announcer Jim Henderson say “Peterson runs left,”
“Peterson runs right” and “Peterson runs up the middle.”
Saints Players to Watch: The Raiders have another good one-two RB punch with Justin
Fargas and Darren McFadden, so consider this a partial repeat of the Vikings game, with an
eye on Ellis. The other should be focused on offense, though, specifically Reggie Bush. Oakland
has some good linebackers in Thomas Howard and Kirk Morrison, and Bush’s problems pass
blocking against extra rushers the defense sends was an issue against Tampa Bay in the season
opener and could be again here. The Raider secondary has two above-average cornerbacks
in Nnamdi Asomugha and DeAngelo Hall. That duo won’t turn potential interceptions into
second chances for the Saints—they’ll turn them into touchdowns.
NEW ORLEANS
NEW ORLEANS
VS. MINNESOTA
vs. oakland
he Saints make a return to Monday Night Football. The good news is that Vikings’
he Saints sometimes play down to their competition and when you add to that the Raiders
quarterback Gus Frerotte should have even the Saints’ secondary grinning. The bad
coming off of their bye week, giving them extra time to prepare for Brees and company,
news is the Vikings’ running back duo of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor should
and the Saints coming off a short week following their appearance on Monday Night
have the knees of the Saints’ defensive line and linebacking corps’ shaking.
Football, you expect this game to be tougher than most prognosticators will predict.
Vikings Players to Watch: Peterson and Taylor are the obvious choices, so we’ll skip them
and go with the Vikings secondary, CBs Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin, FS Madieu
Williams and SS Darren Sharper. The Vikings have not defended the pass well, and Drew
Brees should be able to eat up yards in chunks, even without WR Marques Colston and TE
Jeremy Shockey.
Ex-Saints to Watch: No notables this week.
Raiders Players to Watch: Forget the above for a second—everybody wants to see former
LSU QB JaMarcus Russell in his first appearance at the Superdome since LSU’s 2006 Sugar
Bowl victory over Notre Dame. Oakland’s offense features average receivers in Ronald
Curry and Javon Walker, the former Packer and Bronco who’s still rounding himself into
playing shape after a hamstring injury, so the Saints defense could have a good day if the
Saints can get ahead and force Russell to pass the ball in order to catch up.
HA’s Madden ’09 Result: Saints win, 27-17.
Ex-Saints to Watch: No notables this week.
HA’s Prediction: The Saints need this one and should be ready to show a national audience
they’re ready to go on a run—Saints 34, Vikings 20.
HA’s Prediction: Despite Oakland benefiting from the extra week, we’ll go Saints 27, Raiders 16.
W
T
NEW ORLEANS
NEW ORLEANS
AT carolina
VS. chargers
e’re beginning to feel like we’re repeating ourselves here—the Panthers face the
he Saints are hoping their fate is the same as that of the ’07 New York Giants, who
Saints with a powerful one-two running back punch with DeAngelo Williams and
represented the NFC in last year’s London game, won against the Miami Dolphins and
rookie Jonathan Stewart. Carolina coach John Fox has gotten back to his defensive
went on to the playoffs and the Super Bowl. A lot will be made of Drew Brees facing San
coordinator roots by focusing on running the ball and having his quarterback make plays when Diego for the first time since they let him walk as a free agent, but the focus should be on where
they count on offense and using an aggressive defense—the result has the Panthers looking as this game leaves each team at the halfway mark of the season. The Chargers are eager to prove
good as they were when they went to the Super Bowl in 2003. How will the Saints look entering they’re a team worthy of going to the Super Bowl and will probably thrive in the spotlight.
this game? Will they come in on a roll or deflated from the toll their injury bug has taken?
Saints Players to Watch: QB Drew Brees. As we’ve mentioned before, we closely watch
Saints Players to Watch: RBs Pierre Thomas and Deuce McAllister. Reggie Bush will Brees every game, but this one has the potential to turn into something special. San Diego’s
continue to catch passes out of the backfield and line up at wideout, but Thomas and Deuce got an offense capable of putting up tons of points, with QB Philip Rivers, RB LaDainian
(if he’s active for the game) can dominate Panther DTs Darwin Walker and Damione Tomlinson and WR Chris Chambers. With this likely to become another Saints shootout,
Lewis. In last year’s two games against the Panthers, the trio of Bush, Aaron Stecker and it’ll be on Brees to help control what the black and gold put up on the board.
Thomas averaged 76.5 yards, and that paltry output can be easily eclipsed here.
Chargers Players to Watch: CBs Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie. We might want
Panthers Players to Watch: WR Steve Smith. Odd as it sounds, considering the Saints’ to throw in LB Shaun Philips as well. Jammer and Cromartie are cornerbacks on the rise and
poor secondary in ’07, the Saints did a good job of protecting themselves against the speedy Philips is a well above average linebacker. If Brees cannot consistently find open receivers
Steve Smith. Smith had 47 yards receiving in each of the two meetings last year, with just downfield because of good coverage by the Chargers, he’ll be force to throw underneath and
1 touchdown. Of course, that was accomplished against the Panthers’ QBs from last year, Philips can take advantage of an errant throw. The last thing the Saints will need on foreign soil
David Carr and Matt Moore, not with this game’s Ex-Saint to Watch.
is yet another offensive mistake turned into a touchdown by an opposing defense.
Ex-Saints to Watch: QB Jake Delhomme. In the Saints’ two losses to the Panthers in 2006, both Ex-Saints to Watch: No notables this week.
quarterbacked by this Saints-castoff, Delhomme threw for 376 yards, 4 TDs and no INTs.
HA’s Madden ’09 Result: Saints lose, 24-21.
HA’s Prediction: The Saints should be revved up for this one and it’ll be exciting to see both
HA’s Prediction: The Saints probably aren’t going to go 4-0 in this stretch, so they have to the fans who make the trip from New Orleans and the ones based in Europe. For that flimsy
drop one somewhere. Saints lose, 24-28.
reason and that flimsy reason alone, we’ll go with the Saints, who’ll win 31-20.
Saint Nick, Continued from Page 21...
between the tackles unless it’s an unexpected draw play, so we can’t blame him for
not picking up a yard up the middle when everyone knows he’s going to run it.
if they ever made a movie of Mora’s life? One of the ads for the movie could even
be one of those Coors Light commercials where they parody NFL coach’s press
conferences.
QUICK HITS
—Rookie linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar has played pretty well when Scott Fujita
couldn’t play with an injured right knee. Doesn’t his name make you think he’s
related to Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton?
—Is it just me or would House M.D.’s Hugh Laurie make a pretty good Jim Mora
—I know this one isn’t just me—isn’t it a pain in the butt how the beer vendors at
the Superdome now pour your beer into a cup before giving it to you? First it was
the bottle caps they wouldn’t give us, not it’s the bottle? The worst part is that is
slows down the process so much you’d be better off getting up and going to get
your own beer—and isn’t that what having beer guys in the stands is supposed to
avoid?
23
24_homefield advantage: the sports supplement to antigravity magazine
COVER FEATUREVOODOO ’08
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: GREG DULLI
STEPS OUT OF THE GUTTER
by leo mcgovern
photo by sam holden
25
M
uch has been made about the somber moods of Greg Dulli’s music, but the man either has a good psychiatrist or dumps it
all in the studio, because in person he’s anything but melancholy. But it makes sense that Dulli at least partially makes his
home in New Orleans, where our vices flow freely and fellow musicians are as easy to come by as a pack of cigarettes. Besides
using New Orleans as a recording base for at least parts of albums with all of his bands, including ’90s alternative heroes the
Afghan Whigs, his more-than-a-rebound band the Twilight Singers and the Gutter Twins, his current front burner partnership with former
Screaming Tree and Queen of the Stone Age Mark Lanegan, Dulli has planted some roots in the city by buying the R Bar/Royal Street Inn,
the Marigny’s preeminent “bed and beverage.”
Dulli splits time between New Orleans and Los Angeles, a situation he admits is about being close to his fellow members of the Gutter
Twins as they prepare to tour. “For numerous reasons I wish I was where you are now,” Dulli told ANTIGRAVITY over the phone, but
with the band recently back from a European tour and about to embark on a stretch of U.S. dates, including the Voodoo Music Experience
later this month, a return to New Orleans will have to wait a bit. In the meantime, Dulli and Lanegan have been enjoying the fruits of a
productive year—Saturnalia, the Gutter Twins’ first record, was released in March of this year and a slightly unexpected follow-up, the EP
Adorata, in September.
As Saturnalia was a straight-forward, rocking album, Adorata is varied in both sound and intent. Featuring mostly cover songs alongside
two new Dulli/Lanegan-penned tracks, Adorata’s purpose is to benefit a memorial fund for Natasha Shneider, a longtime friend of the band
who played in Eleven and with Queens of the Stone Age, who passed away earlier this year after a battle with cancer. Featuring covers of
Jose Gonzales, Eleven and Primal Scream, Adorata takes the Gutter Twins into some new sounds, but that’s hardly new for Dulli, who’s been
known to cover Sam Cooke and Outkast.
Talking from his home in California, Dulli talked to ANTIGRAVITY about his plans for the Gutter Twins, the differences between
recording in New Orleans and L.A. and how he really feels about festivals.
ANTIGRAVITY: Let’s start off by talking about
Adorata. How was the EP conceived?
Greg Dulli: It was done over time. Saturnalia took
quite a while to get together, and some of these songs
are as old as that. “Duchess” is probably four years
old. “Belles” and “Down the Line” were the most
recent ones done, the only ones done this year.
So they weren’t all from the Saturnalia sessions?
All of them were except for those two. The others
were just outtakes or things we couldn’t make fit on
the record.
Was it something you planned to release anyway,
or something put together specifically to benefit the
Natasha Shneider Memorial Fund?
I think that hurried the process along, absolutely. We
take care of our own, and Al [Johannes, Shneider’s
partner and bandmate in Eleven] who’s a very
good friend, plays on one of the songs. Her medical
treatments were very expensive, and they left him in
a deep hole, and it was all about getting him out of
that hole.
What’s the Fund set up to do?
Ultimately, it’s first made to pay off the bills, and if you
didn’t know her, that means nothing to you, but after
that the rest will go to cancer research and let’s face
it, not enough has been done [in that area]. Queens
of the Stone Age did a show while the Gutter Twins
were in Europe, with PJ Harvey and Jesse [Hughes, of
Eagles of Death Metal]. Ultimately, this is a goodwill
gesture for our friends. Certainly, if I got in a bind and
someone did this for me, I’d be greatly appreciative.
The fact that it’ll live on after this and benefit those
who have cancer or have suffered a loss because of
cancer means a lot.
Six of the eight tracks on Adorata are cover tracks.
How did you decide which songs you were going to
cover?
It started so long ago, there was no strategy behind
it [when we revisited it]. Both Mark and I love Scott
Walker, so it was a no-brainer to cover “Duchess.”
It’s one of my favorites and Mark’s too. The cool
thing was, as Mark and I became friends we listened
to music together and turned each other on to some
new stuff. Scott Walker was one guy we definitely had
in common. Mark picked “Deep Hit of Morning Sun”
by Primal Scream and “Duchess,” we both picked
“Flow Like a River” by Eleven. I picked “Belles” by
Vetiver and “Down the Line” by Jose Gonzales, and
we wrote the other two together. A pretty even-steven
collaboration, and that’s the way it’s always been with
the Gutter Twins—a little bit me, a little bit him but
we’re always in agreement.
For you personally, is making music now different
than it was with the Afghan Whigs or even the
Twilight Singers?
It is and it isn’t. Since the first Whigs record, where
we actually went into a studio and someone fronted
the money and we worked on a record, I write songs
and once I get two or three I start to toy with the
idea of an album. As far as the record business,
unless you’re starting from nowhere or you’re a hit
machine, all it is to me is you find some people you
can hopefully work with in a positive way, but for
the most part unless you’re going to help me write
the songs, fuck off.
I saw that you’re talking about releasing a new live
acoustic record of yours online, like Radiohead or
Saul Williams did. What’s the plan behind that?
I actually just put the cover together. Doing a record
like that, I’m going to put it out there. If you want
it, you’ll buy it. I’m not going to promote it, I’m not
going to do interviews about it, I’m not going to seek
record reviews of it. If you’ve liked me before, maybe
you’ll like this and that’s the direction I’m going to
go in.
It’s cool, though. I’d never done a record where
everyone wasn’t plugged in and rocking out. It was
an interesting experiment, just doing the show and
working it out that way, assembling strings and things
like that. For that reason alone it’ll be a cool record
for me to put out. There are alternate versions of songs
that you know and a couple of surprises too.
It seemed like when you put it together it came
together very organically.
It came together quickly. The club asked me about
it in August, “Would you do an acoustic show?” I
said, “No.” They said, “It’s for charity,” and I said,
[Sigh], all right.” They wanted me to come in with an
acoustic guitar and sing my songs. Fuck that, no way.
For one thing that’s boring, and I’m not going to do
it by myself, that’s horrifying. Petra Haden, who’s a
really good friend of mine and is an amazing singer
and violin player—she was the first I got in on it. Then
I realized that I’m a competent guitar player but I
needed a better one who could also sing, so that’s why
I got Jeff Klein. And then my friend Barb [Hunter],
who used to play cello in the Whigs, lives in Seattle
now, so I told her what songs we were going to do and
she came to sound check, and Shawn Smith, who’s an
old friend and on the first Twilight record, came by
and played piano. It went from them asking me to do
a show to me putting together a band that didn’t use
electricity.
Did you practice at all?
Jeff, Petra and I practiced in my living room for
two days, and that’s where we worked out the Jose
Gonzalez song and a couple of the other surprises.
Jeff does a song, Shawn does a song, Petra did two
songs, but I’m not going to release those because I’m
not going to capitalize on their musical talents. If
they want to put their songs out, they’re free to do so.
They’re really good too, but I didn’t want to figure out
who made what.
Did you have anything to do with the video for
“Idle Hands”? That had to be a fun video to make,
in a Beavis & Butthead kind of way. Did you have
anything to do with it?
No. That’s what I got out of it, though. They told me
what they were going to do, and I said if it didn’t cost
me any money I didn’t care what they were going to
do. [Laughs] It definitely looked Beavis & Butthead-style.
The only video I had anything to do with was the one
for “All Misery,” which we shot in New Orleans.
Whose idea was it to have the shotgun-wielding
guy in a bunny mask on the cover of the “God’s
Children” single?
Mine. That’s Bailey from Morning 40 Federation,
standing in front of the R Bar.
“Honestly, the fact that there is a big,
successful festival in New Orleans after all
that town’s gone through is magnificent.”
That’s a good piece of trivia. What about the R
Bar? What are the benefits of owning your own bar
in New Orleans?
I own two bars out here, and I like bars. I like to drink,
and thankfully other people do too, so I can run a
business of it. The R Bar has been my favorite bar
in New Orleans since I moved down there in 1997. I
was working at Kingsway Studios and would go out
there every night, or at least end up there. When it
came up for sale, the fact that I’d owned two other
bars and knew how to do it, and one of my partners,
Dave Neupert, who bought the place with me, owns
a house in Marigny so I was like, “Dude, let’s buy it.”
I spent all last year down there fixing up the rooms.
It’s fabulous. It feels like I have always owned it, and
it’s still one of my favorite bars in the world. The only
bars I own are my favorite bars in the world. I can’t
be the only guy who likes what I like, so I’ve tried to
make a place that I think is cool and comfortable, and
other people seem to think so too.
You once intimated (in an interview with Under the
Radar) that your music is always reflective of where
you are as a human being. How is that reflected in
the album production of the Gutter Twins?
It’s a little bit different with the Gutter Twins
because I’m writing with someone, and even the
songs I wrote alone I wrote with the full knowledge
that I was working with another person. I can sort
of stand outside that a little bit and it has more
perspective for me than the songs I’ve written and
sung for myself. As far as writing a collaborative
record [like Saturnalia], especially one that took
years to complete because of our schedules, I’m
enormously proud of it and the fact that I went
out and toured with my second new band in four
years is crazy. I didn’t play music for awhile, until
I decided to make Blackberry Belle and tour as the
Twilight Singers. It took awhile to get that kind
of up and running to the point where I wasn’t
expected to come down and play Afghan Whigs
songs. It was its own thing, and then sure enough
we went and started all over again with the Gutter
Twins, and then to completely confuse everybody
I’m now going to go do another Twilight record.
[Laughs]
Mentally, what are some of the differences
between making a record in New Orleans and in
California?
I always do both. The last five records I’ve done
have been half and half, and the next one will be
too. Recording an album in L.A., you’ve got to track
down the motherfuckers and get them all in the same
room—this city’s so spread out and everybody’s
always got something going on, so you have to do
it in advance. In New Orleans, you can run into
somebody at a bar and go back and do it right then,
and that’s the classic New Orleans style, you just
pick up a dude. For the Gutter Twins record, we
ran into Andy Preen, who plays drums for Suplecs,
and asked him if he could play jazzy stuff. He said,
“My dad was a jazz drummer,” and we said, “Come
on.”
That’s a classic New Orleans thing. You can throw
a rock and hit a musician, and they’ll be a good
one.
Yeah, you can catch a guy getting off of work, or on
a rare day off. My take on that is if you run into a guy
at a bar, he’s available.
Has your plan for the Gutter Twins changed any?
I know you and Mark were planning to work on
other projects after Saturnalia…
Mark plays with Isobel Campbell and Soulsavers also,
and I know he’s touring with Isobel once we’re done
with Voodoo and some other shows and working
on Soulsavers stuff too. I think we’re going to play
some acoustic shows in Europe in late January, early
Feburary as the Gutter Twins, but those are going to
be very select, only about two weeks of shows. But
it’ll be cool to do something completely different.
It’ll be me, Mark and Dave Rosser.
What are the aspects you like about playing festivals
like Voodoo?
I’ll put it to you this way. It’s my preference to play
a show where I am the focus of the show. You are
mostly there to see me. I understand the concept
behind festivals—it’s a great chance for people to see
a lot of different music in one day. I think they’re
wonderful and I’ve played hundreds of them, twenty
this summer in Europe. They’re great. Occasionally
I’ll walk around and check out somebody that I
haven’t seen before. Honestly, the fact that there is a
big, successful festival in New Orleans after all that
town’s gone through is magnificent. I really love the
fact that it’s the last festival of the year, maybe in
the world, the last outdoor festival anyway. Most
festivals are spring and summer affairs. That there’s
one so deep into the autumn is pretty spooky and
quintessential New Orleans.
The Gutter Twins play the Voodoo Music Experience
on Friday, October 25th. Greg Dulli is deejaying at the
R Bar on Halloween night. For more information, go
to theguttertwins.com or royalstreetinn.com. For more
information on the Natasha Shneider Memorial Fund,
go to natashashneider.org.
27
FEATUREVOODOO ’08
SMELLS LIKE OLD MAN SPIRIT:
THE RETURN OF THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS
by gabe soria
photo by alison dyer
M
ake no mistake—when accounts
are settled and sums are tallied,
the Butthole Surfers will go
down in history as one of the
finest rock bands to ever grace the face of the
planet.
Originally started in the early ‘80s as a quasijoke by college friends Gibby Haynes and Paul
Leary, the band evolved into a serious (and
seriously loud) ongoing art rock experiment,
combining tropes from San Francisco
psychedelia, ‘70s heavy metal and pure
avant-garde musical envelope pushing. Their
recordings (specifically their ‘80s recordings)
were cryptic, scary dispatches from a Bizzaroworld version of central Texas—the band
avoided standard coherent informational tactics
and indulged in non-sequitur art direction—and
their live shows became stuff of violent legend.
The result was a band that became something
like the post-punk equivalent of the Grateful
Dead. The Surfers replaced that band’s noodly
Americana mellowness with noodly volume
wars about the devil, and the Buttholes’ fans
were passionately, madly devoted to the
Surfers’ apocalyptic take on the hippie vibe.
The classic Butthole Surfers line-up of
vocalist Gibby Haynes, bassist Jeff Pinkus,
drummers Theresa Taylor and King Coffey,
and guitarist Paul Leary will be making their
first big-stage New Orleans appearance in
almost two decades at this year’s Voodoo
Music Experience. Whether their set is a return
to form, a pale rendering of past glories, or
something in-between, it’s still a do-not-miss,
once-in-a-lifetime occasion. ANTIGRAVITY
recently talked to guitarist Leary (one of the best
rock guitarists to ever walk the Earth, period)
about the politics of reuniting, shotguns, and
the honor of making an Irishman’s “Bucket
List.”
ANTIGRAVITY: Did you ever think when the
Butthole Surfers first started that you would be
preparing what is in effect a reunion tour twentyseven years later?
Paul Leary: No, it’s pretty freaky to think about that.
All I know is that ten years ago I felt too old to do it
and now, ten years later, it’s cool again.
Who made the first phone calls?
Well, I’ve been getting phone calls for years from the
band about wanting to go to South Africa and Taiwan
and all these weird places, and I didn’t want to go, you
know? I just… I’ve got a cool wife and a cool house
and I like being here and waiting for the mailman. I
love that life. I get a lot of studio work and I do a lot
of producing, so it’s not like I don’t have anything else
to do or anything. But then Gibby got hooked up with
the Paul Green School of Rock and ended up doing
some shows with them and then he dragged the rest
of us into it, and before you knew it we were going
to Europe and playing the East Coast and now doing
Voodoo.
How did the School of Rock thing come up? Those
videos of Gibby performing Butthole Surfers songs
with them on YouTube are incredible.
Gibby got hooked up with them through Mickey
Ween, and then Gibby had a fun time and talked us
into going to Europe. The fun thing about it has been
getting together with Theresa and Jeff Pinkus again.
It’s been a lot of fun playing together—it’s been fun in
the practice space and it’s been fun on the stage. It’s
like falling off a log; it’s really easy. It’s fun playing.
What do you think that, in the 21st century, the
Butthole Surfers are able to do now that other bands
can’t?
Provide some nostalgia to some of the old farts like
us that were around for that crap. [Laughs] When
we went to Ireland or Scotland, we’d never played
in those countries before, and it would be amazing
how many would come up and say we were on their
Bucket List.
Do you feel that you guys are now matching what
you used to do in the mid- and late-’80s? Do you feel
that old spirit coming back to you now?
Well, I was pretty angry then and I’m definitely not
angry now. I’m just a lot more relaxed playing through
the songs and it seems like things kind of changed
after 11. After all that, the explosions on stage and the
belching fires and the shotguns just didn’t seem that
appealing anymore. I don’t really miss the exploding
drum kits and the shotgun blasts. I kind of prefer a
mellower show.
You don’t miss them even a tiny bit?
Not at all. I didn’t like that when we were doing it!
It was fun for a little while, but you see one shotgun
almost blow your fucking head off and you start
thinking, “Gosh, I could do without this.”
There was actual live ammo involved back in the
day?
Well, they’re popper loads, which are used for training
dogs. They’re more violent explosions. They don’t
have any pellets, but you could blow somebody’s head
off from six feet away real easy. It’s a 12-gauge. That’s
a serious fucking shotgun. You have drunk people
rolling around on stage with a shotgun, pointing it all
different directions. I looked down and that thing’s
two feet from my head. I fucking jumped. It’s like
stepping on a snake or something—it’s amazing how
you can fly.
Speaking of the live show, people tend to forget
that there’s some real glorious music going on
there. You guys were making some serious hardcore
psychedelic music with surrealist and dada touches.
Did you realize it at the time?
We were trying to make the worst fucking music in
the world! And we got damn close to doing it. I’m
not saying I didn’t enjoy it. It was exactly what I
loved and what I wanted to hear. I just wanted to hear
something that I wasn’t hearing and the only way to
do it was to make it myself. We are pretty damaged
people, so the results were often pretty damaged. The
mid ’70s had produced some really awful music. You
FEATUREVOODOO ’08
know, bands like Journey and Foreigner and all that
stuff and it just made you want to take a dump, you
know? I had been playing guitar since the early 1960s
and all of a sudden I just couldn’t stand to hear notes
anymore, I just wanted to hear something fucked up.
Have you ever listened to some of the Meat Puppets
very first singles? Like “Out in the Garden” or “In a
Car?” There was some pretty hurt shit coming out of
that band in those days, and it was listening to stuff
like that that inspired me to pick up my guitar again.
All of a sudden I heard the Meat Puppets making that
crap and it was so refreshing.
Refreshing crap. Huh.
[Laughs]
Did you ever think in your early twenties that now,
at age fifty-one, that you’d be playing in the Butthole
Surfers?
I had no idea. I had never thought about it. There was
no plan at all. I think that back in my twenties I was
so much more concerned with finding a place to sleep
at night and food.
Do you ever look back on it and shake your head and
think, “God, what was I doing?”
Oh, absolutely! I mean, what the fuck? When you
spend years on end waking up with your head near
somebody’s cat box and your band members get sick
with the flu and six months later they still have that
and I actually got to record the band, which was even
stranger. I’ve never been a recording engineer and all
of a sudden I’m recording U2. I’m all, “I don’t know
what the fuck I’m doing.” At the end of the session
the guy producing it, his name is Chris Vrenna, he
went up to the guys and said, “Hey, you know this is
Paul Leary?” and the Edge immediately goes, “Hey,
aren’t you the guitar player for the Jackofficers?” That
freaked me out. [Laughs]
and sleeping on sheets of plywood hanging from
the ceiling by chains so we could have our studio
underneath the plywood. That kind of stuff. It’s fun
to think about, but shoot… I really wouldn’t want to
go back there.
That seems like a missed opportunity. Right now
you could be collaborating with the Edge and have
Brian Eno producing you.
Who knows? You never know what’s going to happen.
Bono gave me his mailing address. I never wrote to
him. I guess that was kind of rude of me, huh? “Dear
Bono: How’s it going?”
Are there any weird surprises that people are going
to get at these shows? Because people are going to
come expecting, well, not a debacle…
Well, we’re not going to be playing our hit songs,
or song and a half. We’re not going to be playing
“Pepper” or “Who Was in My Room Last Night?”
We’re going to be playing mostly older stuff, stuff
from the first three records.
What’s the biggest mistake the Butthole Surfers
ever made?
Not making a record with Michael Beinhorn, and
feuding with Capitol Records probably wasn’t good,
either. They were just too powerful for us. They hung
us by our nutsacks for two or three years.
After you guys finish up your touring obligations
are you going to get Theresa and Jeff and King
and Gibby into the studio and start hashing out
something new?
I heard a rumor the other day that Gibby wants to do
Any advice you’d give to up-and-coming musicians
nowadays?
I’m terrible at advice. Go to law school.
What’s the inspiration for going that far back into
your catalog?
Well, it seems that that’s what people want to hear
and I have more nostalgia for that stuff myself. Some
of the newer stuff doesn’t bring forth happy memories.
Like“Pepper.” I don’t have any happy memories of
that song. I have awful fucking memories. Having a hit
single was one of the worst things that ever happened
to us. That’s the answer to the advice question: Don’t
have a hit song. That was just fucking awful. Record
labels never knew how to handle us; they pretty much
“There was a time when we were hanging plywood
from the ceiling and sleeping on the sheets of
plywood hanging from the ceiling by chains so we
could have our studio underneath the plywood.”
same flu? It took us over a year to save up money to
buy sleeping bags. That was a major change in the
health of our band when we got sleeping bags. We
were not nearly as sick all the time.
This year is the 20th anniversary of Hairway to Steven,
which to me is the Buttholes’ most experimental
and definitive musical statement. Does it give you
pause to think that you did this amazing thing and
now it’s twenty years old and still sounds fresh and
new?
Every once in awhile I’ll take that record out and I’ll
listen to it and I am proud of it. It was a good one.
We’re still trying to match it and not doing a very
good job!
Your solo record, The History of Dogs, is, to me, a
lost classic but pretty much nobody’s heard it.
Yeah, when Rough Trade went out of business, I
think I gathered up all of the crates of all of the CDs
and took ’em to the dump. It was done during a bad
time in my life and I didn’t want to be reminded of it.
Have you ever thought about doing a follow-up
record?
Oh yeah, that’s definitely going to happen one of these
days. I’ve got a lot a crap on my plate right now and
I’m struggling not to take on more projects but they
keep popping up. I think I may be working with Roky
Erickson on his new record.
What’s the most surprising thing on your resume?
Probably mixing a U2 song for the Tomb Raider movie,
it, so you never know.
Well, I say ask him because you guys might be in the
same room sometime soon. You’ve got the access
there.
Yes, this would be the time to get on it, I suppose.
When you’re standing there on the Voodoo stage,
what are you going be thinking? What’s going to be
going through your head?
Oh, it’s terrible. I start getting distracted with all
sorts of horrible thoughts. I’ll need to be thinking
about what I’m doing and I’ll start thinking about
the dumbest stuff, like Judge Judy or a hike in the
mountains. It’s really hard to keep myself pinned
down in the moment.
What do you think is going to be your musical
legacy, for good or ill?
I don’t know. People that like us are few and far
between. You’re one of the rare ones. We’re either
going to go down in history as some of the biggest
buffoons or… I don’t know. I think that it’s cool
that we’ve influenced a few people, but we’ve been
influenced a lot more than we’ve influenced. It’s just
that we’ve had our asses handed to us a few times in
the music business and it’ll humble you in a hurry
once you’ve been through it.
Do you ever miss the old communal living set up
that you used to have?
Oh no. [Laughs] Not at all. Literally, there was a time
when we were hanging plywood from the ceiling
left us along to do what we fucking wanted to do. But
then as soon as we had a hit single, then everybody
wanted to get into our fucking shit and tell us what
to be. And it was brutal, you know? All of a sudden
everybody “cared.” And we weren’t getting shit out of
it. You don’t get any money when your song’s on the
radio. A lot of our older-type fans didn’t appreciate the
song very much, and it came out the summer that my
mom died. It was really awful memories. It’s funny. It
came out the same year that my Sublime record came
out. I had two songs in the Top 5 at one time.
But it was still a dark time?
It wasn’t fun at all. All of a sudden it was a job and we
had to do this stuff and record label people were angry
if we didn’t do certain things and it just made me
angry and belligerent and I just wanted to piss people
off more and ended up pissing the label off so much
that they didn’t want to deal with us anymore. They
kind of raked us over the coals for awhile.
And what do these first three or four Butthole
Surfers records represent to you?
Probably our most and best artistic period. Musicians
are like physicists: they do their best work in their
early twenties. It’s fucking true. Einstein, everybody.
All their brilliant shit happens when their brains are
still working.
The Butthole Surfers play the Voodoo Music Experience
on Saturday, October 25th and One Eyed Jacks on
Friday, October 24th. For more information, go to
buttholesurfers.com.
29
FEATURE REVIEWMUSIC
RAISING THE DEAD:
THE RETURN OF FLESH PARADE
by brett schwaner
N
early a decade ago, Flesh Parade
disappeared without a trace. With a
heavy, snarling, erratic last gasp, the
New Orleans-area grind-metal band
played what most believed was their final show back
in 2000 at the Dixie Taverne. The next few years
were eerily quiet for a group that made their mark
as one of the loudest metal bands in New Orleans’
history, as the group effectively vanished from the
music scene. Originally formed in 1990, Flesh
Parade went through a number of lineup changes
before establishing a stable core group in 1992. That
nucleus of musicians led to some of Flesh Parade’s
most successful releases, including 1992’s Hate Life.
In 1998, Flesh Parade signed to national heavy metal
label Relapse Records, the home of such artists as
Napalm Death and Today is the Day. Flesh Parade’s
partnership with Relapse produced Kill Whitey, the
band‘s most successful recording. The album was well
received and garnered the band a steady following
among fans of dark, fast, loud and heavy music.
So what was it that silenced Flesh Parade’s rising
acclaim? ANTIGRAVITY spoke with guitarist Rene
Perez to set the record straight on Flesh Parade’s
long absence from the local music scene and their
imminent return on November 1st.
ANTIGRAVITY: Flesh Parade has been inactive
for a number of years now. How did things come
about to set the stage for the band’s return?
Rene Perez: It was actually back in 2004 that we started
kicking around the idea of bringing Flesh Parade back.
We were all kind of busy with our personal lives at
the time, which is sort of why the band went away to
begin with. There was never any rift between us or [a]
point where we said, “Okay, we’re breaking up.” We
all just got to a point where our lives and jobs took
priority and Flesh Parade got put on hold. During that
time, I had my own side thing going on, which was
really just some mellow stuff and I wasn’t listening
to much metal at the time. I pulled out one of Flesh
Parade’s old recordings and it kind of hit me that it
was something worth revisiting. I called up the other
guys and we all agreed that getting Flesh Parade going
again would be worthwhile. We hit another setback
when Katrina hit in 2005. After that, our previous
singer [Jason Pilgrim] decided that he didn’t want to
do Flesh Parade anymore, but the rest of us agreed
that it was still something that we wanted to do. After
a couple of auditions, we got together with Scott
Leger, our current singer, who really has a solid grasp
of the vocal style and patterns that made our earlier
records what they were.
How many members of Flesh Parade’s original
lineup are active with the band today?
The “original lineup,” I guess you could say, really
never had much to do with the stuff we became
known for the in ’90s. I started playing guitar with
the band in ’91 or ’92. Flesh Parade’s original lineup
came together in 1990 and released one recording, The
Meathook Demo. The original lineup kind of splintered
apart and the band almost went away at that point.
We got the second full lineup going and decided that
we really wanted to run
with it. From that lineup,
me and our drummer,
Todd Capiton still remain
in Flesh Parade to this day.
Since the decision was
made to reform the band,
have you guys been
working on new material?
We started writing a few
new songs in 2005, before
Katrina came along. In
2007, once we settled in and
put our all into it, we started
getting a lot more new
material written. It’s been
kind of slow going because
I live in Texas now and I
drive in to Louisiana every
couple of weeks to practice
and work on recording new
Flesh Parade material. We
have quite a few new songs
in the works and some
re-recorded versions of
material from the Hate Life
demo.
What are your record
release plans at this point?
Ideally, we’d like to have
it out by November 1st, in
time for our show at Raise
the Dead III, which will
be our first show in New
Orleans in eight years. Our
last show in the city was at
the Dixie Taverne back in
2000 for a Relapse Records
tour with Goatwhore and
Cephalic Carnage. Our new
album, Dirty Sweet, is very
similar to what we recorded back in the ’90s. We’re
leaning heavily towards our grind-metal influences,
the same as it was when we released Kill Whitey, but
not so much death metal. Honestly, I think it’s some
of the best stuff we’ve ever written.
You mentioned that you were working on a solo
project at the time you decided to get Flesh Parade
back together. Have you continued working on any
side projects since then?
Yes, I’ve also been collaborating on a project with John
Brown of Richmond, Va.’s Gigantic Brain. It’s called
Time Waits For No Man. It came about because me
and John have been chatting online back and forth for
awhile now, sharing ideas about music. It’s gotten to
the point now where we’re shooting music back and
forth, recording actual riffs and putting them together.
There’s no set timetable for a release right now, but
I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a grind
core-esque release… kind of a clash between Gigantic
Brain and Flesh Parade’s styles.
After the record release, can we expect to see more
of Flesh Parade in the near future?
We’re working on getting more local shows going
and making sure that everyone in the band, both the
new members and the old members, are up to speed
on everything. We haven’t been playing many shows
because, honestly, we’ve been putting all of our
attention and focus on creating Dirty Sweet. We’ve
been working on the album since last April. We’re
really taking our time with this one, not rushing it at
all, making sure that we get it right and making sure
that it’s the best thing we’ve ever done. We’ve also
got a big surprise in store for when the record comes
out, but I really can’t say anything about that right
now.
Flesh Parade will perform as part of the Raise the Dead
III festival at the Howlin’ Wolf on Saturday, November
1st with Outlaw Order, Hostile Apostle, Ritual Killer,
and Pain Tribe. Admission is $13. For more info, visit
myspace.com/fleshparade or thehowlinwolf.com.
31
REVIEWSCOMICS
CHRISTOS GAGE,
SEAN CHEN
IRON MAN: DIRECTOR
OF SHIELD #33
(MARVEL)
MICKY NEILSON,
LUDO LULLABI
WORLD OF
WARCRAFT:
ASHBRINGER #1
(DC/WILDSTORM)
T
his is actually the
start of a three-part
story transitioning from
this Iron Man series and
crossing over to the new
War Machine comic, but in
many ways this acts as War Machine #1. The central
concept, that Jim Rhodes is Tony Stark’s secret
contingency plan against a Starktech failure (like the
one that the Skrulls caused over in Secret Invasion),
is an interesting one, and Gage dispenses with the
setup quickly in order to get to the action. At this
point, we’ve all seen the “Super Skrulls fight random
hero X” plot a dozen Secret Invasion tie-ins, and the
first half of the book does read like a story you’ve
sort of half-read if you’ve been keeping up with Secret
Invasion at all. But the second half of the book, when
Gage brings in an obscure ’90s character to guest
star, and the last few pages, which reveal the extent
of Tony’s contingency plans, range from kind of neat
to kind of awesome. The artwork, by Sean Chen and
Sandu Florea, is solid, albeit not as flashy as the
work Chen did on Iron Man in the early 2000s. It’s a
slow start, but a promising one, and War Machine/
Jim Rhodes has always been an interesting enough
character to support his own book. —Randy Lander
I
have to admit, I haven’t
really
enjoyed
the
previous World of Warcraft
comics from Wildstorm.
But Blizzard artist Micky
Neilson,
who
writes
Ashbringer, has created a comic that pulled in this lapsed
Warcraft/World of Warcraft fan with a comic that feels
more like the world of Azeroth than any of the other
comics or manga that have borne the Warcraft name.
Tying into story elements from Warcraft III, this is a
big legendary tale of the war against the undead and
their demonic masters and the brave paladins fighting
a losing battle against them. It’s big epic fantasy, and
I like the character arcs Neilson’s building as well as
the overall plot of the “Ashbringer,” a paladin with
a magic weapon who is instrumental in the fight
against the undead. The artwork, by Ludo Lullabi
and Tony Washington, is a little more hit and miss.
It’s nice-looking stuff, not as impressive as the painted
art that defines the Blizzard game but certainly in
the same vein, though a little more differentiation
between the characters, whether by more distinctive
clothing or more distinctive faces, would definitely be
appreciated. It definitely doesn’t help that there are
a few instances where the hair colors, one of the few
clear delineating factors between characters, are miscolored. But even with the occasional confusion of
“Wait, who is that again,” this is a pretty cool fantasy
story that truly captures what’s cool about the Warcraft
world. —Randy Lander
CHRISTOS GAGE,
ANDREA DIVITO
HOUSE OF M:
CIVIL WAR #1
(MARVEL)
F
ollowing up on the
success of House of M:
Avengers, Christos Gage
returns to the alternate
universe of House of M to
chronicle the rise of Magneto
to power. This first issue is set in the early days of
that world, and it revisits Magneto from his days in
concentration camp through his early super-villainy.
Unfortunately, that means it’s familiar territory
rather than the alternate take that House of M: Avengers
represented for those characters. However, it’s well
done and when the little tweaks (induced by Scarlet
Witch’s powers prior to the House of M mini-series)
start showing up, it becomes even more intriguing.
Andrea DiVito takes over art duties from Mike
Perkins, and while DiVito’s work seems somewhat
sparse in comparison to Perkins’ lush artwork, or
even in comparison to DiVito’s stronger work on The
Thing, it’s still pretty solid. It’s a promising start and a
must-read for Magneto fans. —Randy Lander
33
REVIEWSMUSIC
BRIAN WILSON
ever, Vangaalen sounds a bit like a marriage between Neil threatens to fall apart early on and never quite recovers),
(CAPITOL)
in terms of creating a singularity in sound, this is his most
succinct record to date. “Bones of Man” could easily be
off Young’s Harvest, sans the electronic tinkering towards
the end and “Bare Feet on Wet Griptape” would not be
out of place on Ryan Adams’ Rock n’ Roll, but Vangaalen
envisages his songs in a unique light, which makes tracks
like the two aforementioned sound fresh regardless of
similarities to others. “Cries of the Dead,” “City of
Electric Light” and “Rabid Bits of Time” stand out as
gentle reveries, adventures through the underworld of
Vangaalen’s psyche that expose the darkness within to the
light of indie-pop accompaniment. The singer/songwriter
from Calgary doesn’t leave it all musically pleasant on
Soft Airplane though, and “Frozen Energon,” the closing
track, is a testament to this, with industrial crashes and
discordant guitar squalls, it is a jarring conclusion to an
otherwise upbeat, seemingly innocent record. “I think
I’ll go sit by the river/ Just to get away for awhile”—Soft
Airplane is a great lazy day record, albeit an overcast lazy
day. —Dan Mitchell
THAT LUCKY OLD SUN Young and Win Butler with splashes of Thom Yorke, but and some volume and EQ issues due to its origin as a semi-
A
fter finally completing
his second masterpiece,
Smile, no one expected Brian
Wilson to follow it up with
another, so the fact that That
Lucky Old Sun is a piece of near greatness adds shock to
delight. Less esoteric and surreal than Smile, …Sun is
breezy and light. As an ode to southern California, it’s
pitch-perfect. Songs rarely stray from the kind of hip,
up-tempo melodies that characterized early Beach Boys
recordings. The album does fall into what I like to call
the “adult contemporary production style,” though—
the sound has no bite, no instrument stands apart from
another with any real oomph, and the mixture of lush
instrumentation, slick rhythm sections and mellow guitar
makes the record simply sound “safe.” And though
nothing I know about Brian Wilson is dangerous, there’s
still very little energy in the sound. But, damn, those
arrangements! Wilson’s songwriting is as good as ever.
Songs like “The Morning Beat,” with its ’60s swing feel,
make up the meat of the record with callbacks to the title
track littered around. The other weak point of the album
comes between the songs; Wilson’s narrative jaunts sound
out of place and do more to jar the record’s joints than to
hold them together. That Lucky Old Sun isn’t another Pet
Sounds or Smile—it’s too light, too jaunty for that—but as
a testament to the songwriting genius of Brian Wilson it’s
a complete gem. —Mike Rodgers
CHAD VANGAALEN
SOFT AIRPLANE
(SUB POP)
“S
leep all day/ Just
waiting for the sun
to set/ I hang my clothes
up on the line/ When I die/
I’ll hang my head beside the
Willow tree/ When I’m dead/ Is when I’ll be free.” Simple,
slackerish and escapist to be sure, Chad Vangaalen’s
lyrics on the opening track of his new album Soft Airplane
attempt to expel the commonplace demons that saturate
his life. His query is existential to be sure, but Vangaalen
has found an outlet, prolific artistic exercises grating at
the very core of mundanity. The results are beautiful and
harrowing songs of identity, or lack thereof, of lives lost,
of vengeful souls; Chad sounds like he is having fun not
knowing placement; ghostly, fickle happenstances seem to
suit him. The new songs do not stray far from his previous
lo-fi, basement wanderings; his falsetto as enchanting as
DAVID BOWIE
LIVE SANTA MONICA ’72
(EMI)
U
p until now, the only
official live albums
David Bowie had released
were strictly for diehard
fans only. 1974’s David Live
finds him transitioning into his plastic soul persona and
sometimes sounds uninspired, while 1978’s Stage was
recorded in the middle of his Berlin period but rarely
adds anything fresh to the arrangements. Previously only
available as a bootleg, Santa Monica ’72 is the document
fans have been waiting for, finding Ziggy and the Spiders
at the peak of their power, ripping through a stacked setlist
like the hungry young band they were. The Ziggy era is
arguably the most potent of Bowie’s career, and its extreme
highs are captured beautifully here: “Hang on to Yourself”
is played like a glammed-up punk song, “Queen Bitch” is
appropriately jaunty and “Ziggy Stardust” sounds as raw,
dirty and epic as ever. Even the quiet moments bring new
joys, with songs like “Andy Warhol” or Bowie’s somber
cover of Jacques Brel’s “My Death” benefiting from a
stripped acoustic presentation. The real star of the show,
though, is Mick Ronson, whose guitar work sounds
ferocious here. Both “Changes” and their cover of the Velvet
Underground’s “Waiting for the Man” sound pumped by
Ronson’s snarling guitar, but it’s the massive “Width of a
Circle,” with its heavy metal riffing and sneering rhythm
that stands as the centerpiece and summit of the Spiders
from Mars’ strength. The only knocks against the record are
a few goof ups, (most notable is “Suffragette City,” which
professional bootleg. Despite these nitpicks, Santa Monica
’72 is a pitch perfect representation of David Bowie at one
of his creative peaks and is easily the best live artifact the
artist has produced. —Mike Rodgers
DEATH VESSEL
NOTHING IS PRECIOUS ENOUGH
FOR US
(SUB POP)
I
t is difficult, having listened
to this album dozens of
times over the past month
and a half, to retrospectively articulate my shock and utter
bewilderment upon first hearing Death Vessel’s Nothing
is Precious Enough for Us. It’s an album that shook me and
has fascinated my sense of musical adventure ever since.
Previously unacquainted with Death Vessel’s 2005 debut,
Stay Close, Nothing is Precious is my first excursion into the
realm of Joel Thibodeau. A singer/multi-instrumentalist
whose angelic delivery can only be compared to that of a
teenage girl—a part that instantly threw me—and whose
songwriting faculty runs the gamut from traditional jazz
to grunge rock while leaning heavily on country and
bluegrass Americana, Thibodeau’s lyricism is antique and
evasive with subtle iniquities interspersed. Nothing… takes
on so many masks that repeated listens rarely yield similar
results. Always affective with an element of ironic decay
permeating, left nominally to the listener to decipher and
appropriate this album is linguistically heady and musically
playful. The songs vary greatly with tracks like the gospelinfused “Circa,” the bluegrass bounce of “Obadiah in
Oblivion,” which possesses quite possibly the quintessence
of Death Vessel in the line “If halfsies are equal to none/
And nothing is precious enough for us/ Then we are none/
Perfectly none,” and the lighthearted “Jitterakadie.” The
songs careen into murky, haunting territory as well with
“The Widening,” a track featuring an eerie jazz piano and
cornet leading the chorus, “Exploded View,” on which
Thibodeau unleashes fierce Neil Young influenced riffage
and the brazenly open, emotional and downright vicious
“Peninsula.” Other tracks like “Bruno’s Torso” and Block
My Eye” embody the slippery nature of his techniques
and prove to be more gratifying with each spin. In short,
Nothing is Precious Enough for Us is a lovely, immensely
inimitable journey through countless genres and times,
spearheaded by the unclassifiable, eloquent and intriguing
Joel Thibodeau, someone to keep your eye on and ear open
to in the future. —Dan Mitchell
MUSIC REVIEWS SPONSORED BY THE OFFICIAL RECORD STORE OF ANTIGRAVITY
REVIEWSMUSIC
FUJIYA & MIYAGI
LIGHTBULBS
(DEAF DUMB & BLIND)
F
ujiya & Miyagi are a
bunch of cheeky bastards
indeed. Not Japanese, but
English, these miscreants
posture themselves behind
a backdrop of motorik beats, hushed, outrageously
laconic vocals, Pac-Man guitar lines and undercurrent
key signatures, and on their new release, Lightbulbs, this
tendency towards shadowy detachment keeps these gents
from breaking ground and creating a record as powerful
as their debut collection, Transparent Things. On their first
outing, F & M remained in character throughout and they
sounded like a humorous, terse, novelty-rock act, basically
really fucking fun to listen to. On Lightbulbs they sound a bit
feigned—they always have, with their penchant for Krautishness—but the new songs lack the immediacy of their first
batch. Tracks like “Pussyfooting” and “Rook to Queen’s
Pawn Six” grow tiresome quickly. But this is not to say
that Lightbulbs fails altogether. Right off the bat, with the
awesome “Knickerbocker,” Greg Best, with his “Vanilla/
Strawberry/Knickerbocker Glory” chant, reminds us
all that F & M have gone nowhere and are still as droll
and deadpan as ever. Their songs also veer toward more
sexual territory with “Uh,” whose title says enough, and
“Dishwasher,” whose loose bass lines and spiraling keys
ooze sexuality. But it’s Best’s tongue-in-cheek delivery that
keeps the tracks from becoming your new favorite sexytime music. Perhaps the best parts of the album are the two
closing tracks, the down-tempo title track, featuring a line of
resignation never before heard from these guys, “If today is
the same as yesterday/ Then tomorrow will be the same as
today,” and the instrumental, 4/4 Neu!-rock of “Hundreds
and Thousands.” Fujiya & Miyagi have created a record
that remains in line with their debut, both musically and
lyrically, but lacks the excitement and driving force which
initially separated them from the others, making Lightbulbs
a good album but not a great one. —Dan Mitchell
HARVEY MILK
LIFE.. THE BEST
GAME IN TOWN
(HYDRA HEAD)
L
ife… The Best Game
in Town is the newest
release for the Athens, Ga.
gang Harvey Milk, who’s
named after the San Franciscan city supervisor who gave
his life for the advancement of gay rights in 1978 after
being shot, point-blank, five times. The group’s lineup
over the past fifteen years has been relatively fluid. Their
newest release features core members Stephen Tanner
and Creston Spiers, with Paul Trudeau getting credit for
writing and performing. Kyle Spence, another longtime
associate, and Joe Preston, who has been a member of
High on Fire, Melvins, Sunn O))) and Earth, round out
the group. These guys are seasoned skuzz-masters, and
Life… is the best Harvey Milk record of their discography.
Grand opener “Death Goes to the Winter” is alternately
pretty, with hints of Danny Elfman via Preston and full
on rockin’ eight minutes of colloquial conference on the
meaning of life thanks to Trudeau, which ultimately
culminates with a scorching, feedback-addled sludge
guitar solo of roughly three-and-a-half minutes. Another
track, “Roses,” acts in a very similar fashion to the
opener, with its delicate intro giving way to doom, only
stagnation rules in place of propulsion, as on “Death.”
The most striking aspect of Harvey Milk is that these
guys have a sound of their own—sure, it’s Melvins run
amuck with Maiden, Motorhead and Vitus not exactly
hiding in the shadows, but these songs sound original and
utterly Milk. The music covers a great expanse in sound
and tempo throughout; with a punishing Fear cover of
“We Destroy the Family,” a looped, incomprehensibly
howled “A Maelstrom of Bad Decisions” and the backto-the-basics classic rock of “Barn Burner,” Harvey Milk
is on top of their game, the best one in town. The end
track, the mammoth “Good Bye Blues,” runs the listener
through a four-minute sludge break-up song before
slicing through with a ferocious wah-heavy solo, only
to reconvene for a hilariously (self-purported) indulgent
Stratocaster ascension. And that’s all before a zany cover
of the Looney Tunes theme. Harvey Milk simply kill it on
Life… and delivers metal mayhem. —Dan Mitchell
METALLICA
DEATH MAGNETIC
(WARNER BROS.)
L
et me tell you, I was
ready. I had my finger
poised over the “0” key
before I’d heard one note
from
Death
Magnetic,
Metallica’s second attempt at jumpstarting the band’s
career. But, I have to admit my preconceived notions were
mostly wrong—unlike the musical abortion St. Anger,
Death Magnetic has more than a few bright elements. Their
best album in a decade (depending on how you view the
self-titled “Black Album”), Magnetic sounds just like what
it is—a group of metal musicians trying to stretch past
their age and limitations to play like they did when they
were still young and hungry. Unfortunately for Metallica,
they’re just not capable of that kind of strength anymore.
The weakest link in the equation has got to be drummer
Lars Ulrich’s overly simplistic rhythms. Most of the time
he relies on simple drum lines, resorting to far too many
“oompah” beats and only trotting out the double bass in
spurts. For a metal drummer to so limited a sound is a huge
disadvantage. Also of note is James Hetfield’s continuing
insistence on letting the listener into his bedside diary; it’s
obvious that the emotional regurgitation of St. Anger and its
surrounding band therapy hasn’t fully found its way out of
his system. That’s not to say the band sounds terrible—the
guitar work is some of the most inspired the band has come
up with in years. With most songs clocking in around
seven minutes, there’s plenty of time for the band to flex
their muscle and Kirk Hammet’s insane leads and solos
are still a thing of beauty. After years of writing beefed
up alterna-jams, the band has lost some of their ability to
craft complex, fast tempo metal songs. Too often riffs seem
cobbled haphazardly together, flow or tempo is lost or the
guitars chug instead of race. There’s not any one song that’s
a total failure, it’s just that each track has a composite of
all the band’s feats and faults. The only way to appreciate
the album fully is to see how hard they’re trying; after years
of alienating fans, wallowing in millionaire self pity and
churning out crappy music, Metallica has put together an
album that does its level best to sound like a chomping
young thrash band and nearly succeeds. —Mike Rodgers
has just a few too blast beats for that crowd, but a song like
“Dead Memories” is far too singy and melody driven for
extreme metalheads to dig. The band almost always feels
like they’re pulling themselves apart—with nine members
it’s no wonder—and each strength is counterbalanced by a
weakness. Their ace in the hole is drummer Joey Jordison,
who is an amazing metal drummer and consistently pushes
Slipknot to the edges of extreme metal. All Hope is Gone
never feels as chaotic as their first album, nor do the ballads
carry the same quality or quantity of radio friendly riffs
their last record, Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses, provided.
Let me suggest a few tips: ditch the “dear diary” style of
lyric writing that Corey Taylor has been subjecting us
to. I can do without the crooning of lyrics like, “And the
rain will kill us all. We throw ourselves against the wall.
But no-one else can see the preservation of the martyr in
me.” Cleave the down-tuned chugging to a minimum; any
band can play drop D power chords. Finally, show us on
record why you employ various sound manipulators and
alternative percussionists because I’m just not hearing any
turntables, sound banks or whatever it is the Clown does
in the band nowadays. Until Slipknot either reverts to the
barely contained chaos of their early work or discovers the
writing chops to create memorable power ballads, they’ll
continue to flounder in mediocrity. —Mike Rodgers
THOU
PEASANT
(LEVEL PLANE)
I
f you’ve ever yearned to
free yourself from the
wretched confines of your
rotting mortal flesh, then
Peasant, the second full-length
release from southeast Louisiana metal artists Thou, may
be the source of grim inspiration you’ve been searching for.
Peasant is a dark-hearted journey across a cold, medieval
plane of down-tempo metal with ominous, fantasy-like
undertones. While Thou’s most apparent influence lies
in the realm of artists like Black Sabbath, Peasant comes
across with the dissonant tone of a Frank Frazetta painting
set to music: grim and seething at the edges with a pentup sense of terror. Peasant’s songs conjure images of an
oppressive era when feudal warlords waged bloody battles
across desolate landscapes and persecuted all who stood
to oppose them. At the heart of Peasant’s songwriting is a
subtle undertone of self-realization and self-actualization,
though the mood set forth from the record’s onset is so
overwhelmingly bleak, unforgiving and stoic that any
philosophical revelations may ultimately be lost on the
listener. Not to mince words: the tone of this album is
unrelentingly black from start to finish without so much as
a flicker of wayward light or a single glimmer of lightness
throughout. Fans of psychedelic metal will appreciate
Peasant for its intricate and occasionally painstaking
pacing. Recommended for listeners who like their metal
slow, gloomy, and black as black can be. —Dan Fox
SLIPKNOT
ALL HOPE IS GONE
(ROADRUNNER)
S
ee, here’s Slipknot’s
problem: they try to be all
things to everyone. They are
essentially another extension
of the new mainstream metal
wave, but they’ve positioned themselves awkwardly,
straddling too many lines to satisfy any one listener. They’re
often far too heavy to appeal to most H.I.M.-loving mall
metalers—neo-thrash track “Gematria (The Killing Name)”
35
EVENT LISTINGS
NEW ORLEANS VENUES
NEW ORLEANS (Cont.)
45 Tchoup, 4529 Tchoupitoulas (504) 891-9066
Melvin’s, 2112 St. Claude Ave.
Banks St. Bar And Grill, 4401 Banks St., (504)
486-0258, www.banksstreetbar.com
MVC, 9800 Westbank Expressway, (504) 2342331, www.themvc.net
Barrister’s Art Gallery, 2331 St. Claude Ave.
Neutral Ground Coffee House, 5110 Danneel St.,
(504) 891-3381, www.neutralground.org
The Big Top, 1638 Clio St., (504) 569-2700,
www.3ringcircusproductions.com
Nowe Miasto, 223 Jane Pl., (504) 821-6721
The Blue Nile, 534 Frenchmen St., (504) 948-2583
Ogden Museum, 925 Camp St., (504) 539-9600
Broadmoor House, 4127 Walmsley, (504) 8212434
One Eyed Jacks, 615 Toulouse St., (504) 5698361, www.oneeyedjacks.net
Cafe Brasil, 2100 Chartres St., (504) 947-9386
Outer Banks, 2401 Palmyra (at S. Tonti),
(504) 628-5976, www.myspace.com/
outerbanksmidcity
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
Republic, 828 S. Peters St., (504) 528-8282,
www.republicnola.com
Rusty Nail, 1100 Constance Street (504) 5255515, www.therustynail.org/
The Saturn Bar, 3067 St. Claude Ave., www.
myspace.com/saturnbar
Side Arm Gallery, 1122 St. Roch Ave., (504)
218-8379, www.sidearmgallery.org
Southport Hall, 200 Monticello Ave., (504) 8352903, www.newsouthport.com
The Country Club, 634 Louisa St., (504) 9450742, www.countryclubneworleans.com
The Spellcaster Lodge, 3052 St. Claude
Avenue, www.quintonandmisspussycat.com/
tourdates.html
d.b.a., 618 Frenchmen St., (504) 942-373, www.
drinkgoodstuff.com/no
St. Roch Taverne, 1200 St. Roch Ave., (504)
945-0194
Der Rathskeller (Tulane’s Campus), McAlister
Dr., http://wtul.fm
Tipitina’s, (Uptown) 501 Napoleon Ave., (504)
895-8477 (Downtown) 233 N. Peters, www.
tipitinas.com
Dragon’s Den, 435 Esplanade Ave., http://
myspace.com/dragonsdennola
Eldon’s House, 3055 Royal Street,
arlovanderbel@hotmail.com
Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-in-Law Lounge, 1500
N. Claiborne Ave.
Fair Grinds Coffee House, 3133 Ponce de
Leon, (504) 913-9072, www.fairgrinds.com
Fuel Coffee House, 4807 Magazine St. (504)
895-5757
Goldmine Saloon, 701 Dauphine St., (504) 5860745, www.goldminesaloon.net
The Zeitgeist, 2940 Canal St., (504) 827-5858,
www.zeitgeistinc.net
The Bar, 3224 Edenborn
Hammerhead’s, 1300 N Causeway Blvd, (504)
834-6474
Hi-Ho Lounge, 2239 St. Claude Ave. (504) 9454446, www.myspace.com/hiholounge
Stitches, 3941 Houma Blvd., www.myspace.
com/stitchesbar
Hostel, 329 Decatur St. (504) 587-0036,
hostelnola.com
BATON ROUGE VENUES
Hot Iron Press Plant, 1420 Kentucky Ave.,
hotironpress@hotmail.com
The Caterie, 3617 Perkins Rd., www.thecaterie.com
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
FRIDAY 10/3
SATURDAY 10/4
Badabing’s, 3515 Hessmer, (504) 454-1120
Keystone’s Lounge, 3408 28th Street, www.
myspace.com/keystoneslounge
Kim’s 940, 940 Elysian Fields, (504) 844-4888
10 Years, Earshot, Meriwether, House Of
Blues
Affrissippi, d.b.a., 11pm, $5
Carey Hudson, d.b.a., 7pm
The City Life, Theresa Andersson, Big
Blue Marble, Howlin’ Wolf, 10pm
The Geraniums, Circle Bar, 10pm
Guitar Lightning Lee and His Thunder
Band, The Young, Hollywood Blues,
King Louie One Man Band, The Saturn
Bar
Jealous Monk, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs),
10pm
Red Star Bar, 222 Laurel St., (225) 346-8454,
www.redstarbar.com
Airline Lion’s Home, 3110 Division St.
Handsome Willy’s, 218 S. Robertson St., (504)
525-0377, http://handsomewillys.com
Kajun’s Pub, 2256 St. Claude Avenue (504) 9473735, www.myspace.com/kajunspub
THURSDAY 10/2
North Gate Tavern, 136 W. Chimes St.
(225)346-6784, www.northgatetavern.com
METAIRIE VENUES
The High Ground, 3612 Hessmer
Ave., Metairie, (504) 525-0377, www.
thehighgroundvenue.com
The Howlin’ Wolf, 907 S. Peters, (504) 522WOLF, www.thehowlinwolf.com
Atmosphere’s Paint the Nation Tour
w/ Abstract Rude, Blueprint, DJ Rare
Groove, Tipitina’s (Uptown), 10pm, $18
The Black Keys, Jessica Lea Mayfield,
House Of Blues
Cola Freaks, Die Rotzz, MC
Trachiotomy, Necro Hippies, The Saturn
Bar
The Physics of Meaning, Circle Bar, 9pm
Yip Yip, the Buttons, One Eyed Jacks,
9pm
The Bad Off, Charmed I’m Sure, Hi-Ho
Lounge, 10pm
Cardinale, From Legends to Nancy,
Chase McCloud, Horizon, House Of
Blues
Defend New Orleans Presents:
ActionActionReAction Indie Dance
Party, Circle Bar, 10pm
Hot Club of New Orleans, d.b.a., 6pm
The Iguanas Album Release Party w/
Alex McMurray, Johnny Sansone,
Delfeayo Marsalis, Glyn Styler, The
Parish @ House Of Blues
Juice, Banks Street Bar & Grill, 11pm
Light Up District, The Bar, 10pm
New Orleans Indie Rock
Collective Presents: NOLA Indie
Rock Fest w/ Rotary Downs,
MyNameIsJohnMichael, Republic, 10pm,
$5
Prolific, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
Pure w/ Josh Sense, SIo2 and more,
Dragon’s Den (Downstairs), 10pm
The Radiators, Gym Neighbors,
Tipitina’s (Uptown), 10pm, $15
Southern Whiskey Rebellion,
Parabellum, Hammer On, Dry Socket,
Big Frank, Howlin’ Wolf, 10pm
Zydepunks, d.b.a., 10pm, $5
The Green Space, 2831 Marais Street (504) 9450240, www.thegreenproject.org
House Of Blues / The Parish, 225 Decatur,
(504)310-4999, www.hob.com/neworleans
WEDNESDAY 10/1
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.
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
Marlene’s Place, 3715 Tchoupitoulas, (504)
897-3415, www.myspace.com/marlenesplace
McKeown’s Books, 4737 Tchoupitoulas, (504)
895-1954, http://mckeownsbooks.net
Antenna Inn, the Other Planets, the
Revivalists, One Eyed Jacks, 9pm
Earthbound, Les Bon Temps Roule, 11pm
Free Bass Society, Outer Bass Reunion
Tour, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
John Boutte’, d.b.a., 7pm
John Mooney, d.b.a., 11pm, $10
Ledisi, House Of Blues
Music for Matt: A Benefit for Tulane
University and the Peace Corps f/
Rebirth Brass Band, Howlin’ Wolf, 10pm
The Pallbearers, the Bills and Special
Guests, Banks Street Bar & Grill, 10pm
Pandemic, the Sunkissed Barrelabisca,
Centerpunch, The Parish @ House Of
Blues
South of I-10: Artists Along Louisiana’s
Main Drag Art Opening, Canary Gallery
(329 Julia St.), 6pm
Staletta Fest w/ Preservation Hall Jazz
Band, Rebirth Brass Band, George
Porter Jr., Morning 40 Federation, Big
Sam’s Funky Nation, Tipitina’s (Uptown),
9pm, $20
United States of Amockracy Art
Opening, The Big Top, 6pm
SUNDAY 10/5
Dizzy Pilot, Circle Bar, 10pm
Fleur de Tease, One Eyed Jacks, 8pm, 10pm
Glasgow!, Stella by Starlight, Hi-Ho
Lounge, 10pm
Jonny Lang, Indigenous, House Of Blues
The Tipsy Chicks f/ Lynn Drury and
Kim Carson, d.b.a., 10pm
MONDAY 10/6
Rick Trolsen and Gringo do Choro,
d.b.a., 10pm
Ruby Rendrag, Circle Bar, 10pm
Why Are We Building Such a Big Ship?,
Nick Jaina, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
TUESDAY 10/7
D.S.B., Sour Vein, Zoroaster, Thou,
Hellkontrol, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
Noxious Noize Metal Night w/ DJ
Chrischarge, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
Schatzy, Circle Bar, 10pm
Twangorama, d.b.a., 10pm
WEDNESDAY 10/8
Aquarium Drunkard Presents: The
Walkmen, the City Life, Republic, 8pm,
$14
Elysium, Consumed, Sisera, Raum, HiHo Lounge, 10pm
Helios Creed, MC Trachiotomy and
the Cone of Uncertainty, Rampede, The
Saturn Bar, 10pm, $8
Jonathan Freilich Trio, Circle Bar, 10pm
Saviours, Hawgjaw, Thou, One Eyed
Jacks, 9pm
THURSDAY 10/9
The Dead Kenny Gs, d.b.a., 11pm, $7
The Dead Science, Rob Cambre, Hi-Ho
Lounge, 10pm
My Graveyard Jaw, Deering + Down,
Jamie Randolf, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs),
10pm
Paul Sanchez, d.b.a., 7pm
The Tanglers, Circle Bar, 10pm
FRIDAY 10/10
The Amazing Nuns, We Landed on the
Moon, Circle Bar, 10pm
Avant, House Of Blues
EVENT LISTINGS
Dead Kenny Gs, Les Bon Temps Roule, 11pm
DJ Soul Sister’s Right on ’80s Dance
Party, One Eyed Jacks, 9pm
Ingrid Lucia, d.b.a., 6pm
Irene Sage Band, Banks Street Bar & Grill,
10:30pm
King James w/ Ernie Vincent &
Friends, d.b.a., 10pm, $5
Meadow Flow, I, Octopus, Smiley With
a Knife, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
Microphone Co-Rivalry, Dragon’s Den
(Downstairs), 10pm
Mother Truckers, Tipitina’s (Uptown),
10pm, $10
Paramaya, Black Market Halos, People
on the Side, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
The Rumble Strips, Birdmonster, The
Touching the Absolute, Surrender the Fall,
Falls From Grace, Howlin’ Wolf, 10pm
SATURDAY 10/11
The Bluerunners, d.b.a., 11pm, $5
Booty Patrol Dance Party, Hi-Ho Lounge,
10pm
Buddy Guy w/ Dan Aykroyd and other
Special Guests, House Of Blues
Country Fried, Les Bon Temps Roule, 11pm
Exposed III Art Show, Hi-Ho Lounge, 7pm
Felix, Steve Eck, the Way, Circle Bar, 10pm
Jealous Monk, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs),
10pm
John Boutte, d.b.a., 7pm
M@ Peoples, J Wail, Dragon’s Den
(Upstairs), 10pm
Morning 40 Federation, Tipitina’s
(Uptown), 10pm, $10
Spickle, Terranova, Checkpoint Charlie’s,
10pm, FREE
SUNDAY 10/12
Citizen Cope Solo Acoustic
Performance, House Of Blues
Mr. Gnome, the Self Help Tapes, Circle
Bar, 10pm
Schatzy, d.b.a., 10pm
MONDAY 10/13
The Contemporary String Ensemble,
Circle Bar, 10pm
Joe Bonamassa, House Of Blues
Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown, d.b.a.,
10pm
TUESDAY 10/14
The Pests, Converts, Banks Street Bar
& Grill, 9pm; myspace.com/thepests,
myspace.com/convertsnola. What started
out as an event to mark the return of longrunning local thrash-punks Face First has
evolved into a tribute and benefit show
for their lead singer with a couple of the
band’s closest punk rock cohorts leading
the way. After taking an extended break,
Face First originally planned to make
their return to performing this October
with a new lineup. Unfortunately, their
lead singer, Bobby Last, experienced
a medical emergency, which put those
plans temporarily on hold. In place
of Face First’s return, local punk and
thrash bands The Pests and Converts
are throwing a benefit show with the
proceeds set to alleviate their friend’s
medical and personal expenses. Converts
have been creating raw thrash rock on
and off for well over a decade in various
incarnations, highlighted by the breakneck vocals of singer Kevin Lomax and
intensity of bassist Sean Mooney. The
Pests have also been around on and off
for more than a few years now. After
the group called it quits nearly a decade
ago, their members spent time in groups
such as Gang of Creeps and Radionation
before reuniting in late 2007. According to
Pests drummer Dino Mazzone, “Bobby
Last has been a close friend to all of us for
years now and a big part of the punk and
metal scene in New Orleans. We want to
do anything we can to help him out right
now.” —Brett Schwaner
Denise Marie, Marcel Koster, Dragon’s
Den (Upstairs), 10pm
Dubb Sicks, Cali Zack, Know One,
Spitraw McGraw, Dragon’s Den
(Downstairs), 10pm
Eric Benet, Dwele, House Of Blues
Johnny Vidacovich Duo f/ Skerik,
d.b.a., 10pm
WEDNESDAY 10/15
Everlast, the Lordz, House Of Blues
Mouse Fire, Brown Shoe, Circle Bar, 10pm
Rob Cambre, Sunburned Hand of the
Man, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
The Stolen Minks, Banks Street Bar &
Grill, 9pm
THURSDAY 10/16
Andrew Duhon, Big Rock Candy
Mountain, Circle Bar, 10pm
Corrosion, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
The Dark Streets Concert and Festival
Closing Party w/ Chris Thomas King,
Toledo, James Compton, Tim Brown,
Tony Demeur, Dr. John, House Of Blues
The Higher, Just Surrender, White Tie
Affair, The Morning Of, High Ground,
7pm, $12
Homegrown Night w/ Reverse Axis,
Coot, Gold & Glass, Saturday Night
Lust, Tipitina’s (Uptown), 8:30pm, FREE
Paul Sanchez, d.b.a., 7pm
Wiley & the Checkmates, d.b.a., 11pm, $7
37
EVENT LISTINGS
Black Tusk, A Hanging, The Saturn Bar
Lady Baby Miss, Stellalive, Dragon’s Den
(Upstairs), 10pm
Fantastic Night of Funk w/ All-Star
The Liver Killers, Circle Bar, 10pm
Collective f/ Various Artists, Soul
Palmetto Bug Stompers, d.b.a., 10pm
Rebels, Tipitina’s (Uptown), 10pm, $15
Freddie Omar, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm Tim Green, Steve Masakowski, Larry
Sieberth, Doug Belote, Hi-Ho Lounge,
Girl Talk, Grand Buffet, Hearts of
10pm
Darknesses, House Of Blues
Grayson Capps, d.b.a., 10pm, $5
MONDAY 10/20
Hot Club of New Orleans, d.b.a., 6pm
John Papa Gros, Les Bon Temps Roule, 11pm
The Atlas Moth, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
Lux, the Swip, Circle Bar, 10pm
Kelcy Mae, Circle Bar, 10pm
Mike Darby’s Birthday Bash, Banks
Portugal. The Man, Earl Greyhound,
Street Bar & Grill, 11pm
Wintersleep, The Parish @ House Of Blues
Mike Relm, the Sideshow, One Eyed
Theory of a Deadman, Parlor Mob,
Jacks, 9pm
House Of Blues
The Other Planets, Dragon’s Den
Washboard Chaz Trio, d.b.a., 10pm
(Downstairs), 10pm
Paul Thorn, The Parish @ House Of Blues
TUESDAY 10/21
Spider Bags, the Golden Boys, Die
Rotzz, RomanGabrielTodd’s Beast
Rising Up Out of the Sea, The Saturn Bar El Cantador, the Happy Talk Band,
Circle Bar, 10pm
Sticky Wig, Flow Tribe, Kid Midi, HiJack of Heart, Die Rotzz, The Saturn Bar
Ho Lounge, 10pm
Jake Saslow, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs), 10pm
Johnny Vidacovich Duo, d.b.a., 10pm
SATURDAY 10/18
Rehab, Heavy Mojo, The Parish @ House
24 Hour Comics Day Youth Event, Of Blues
Whole Foods Market (5600 Magazine St.), Simon Lott, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
10am; 24hourcomicsday.com. Who said
comics aren’t for kids anymore? While WEDNESDAY 10/22
superheroes have gotten more attention
lately, with the movie successes of Iron The Geraniums, Circle Bar, 10pm
Man and The Dark Knight, it can’t be Pierced Arrows, One Eyed Jacks, 9pm
forgotten that it all starts with kids and
comics. If you know a kid who’s interested THURSDAY 10/23
in drawing and storytelling, there’s a
24 Hour Comics event set to ignite that Carol Bui, Circle Bar, 9pm
creative flame. The goal of 24 Hour Chris Scheurich, Circle Bar, 11pm
Comics is simply to create a twenty-four Dirty Diamond, Billion Dollar Baby Dolls
page comic story in twenty-four hours. Burlesque, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
Start the day with a tutorial from local The Happy Talk Band, d.b.a., 11pm, $5
comics instructor Eli Ivory at Whole Hawthorne Heights, Emery, the Color
Foods on Magazine St., where you can Fred, Tickle Me Pink, the Mile After,
get a free lesson and some healthy snacks, House Of Blues
then head home and burn the midnight Paul Sanchez, d.b.a., 7pm
The Tomatoes Album Release Party,
oil. No cheaters! —Leo McGovern
Southport Hall, 8pm
Cedrick Burnside & Lightning Malcolm,
FRIDAY 10/24
d.b.a., Midnight, $5
Heartless Bastards, d.b.a., 10pm, $10
12 Stones, Nonpoint, Anew Revolution,
Kenny Neal, John Mooney, Tipitina’s
Royal Bliss, House Of Blues
(Uptown), 10pm, $10
Backbeat Foundation, Hypersoul and
The Kings of Happy Hour, Circle Bar,
CEG Presents: Bonerama, Tipitina’s
10pm
(Downtown), 10:30pm, $15
Martin Sexton, Ryan Montbleau, The
Butthole Surfers, One Eyed Jacks, 9pm
DJ Ooah, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
NOTOS w/ the Revivalists, the Public,
Fall Funk Throwdown Weekend w/ Joe
Next Generation Brass Band, Dragon’s
Krown, Walter Wolfman Washington,
Den (Downstairs), 10pm
NOTOS w/ Tony Skratchere, DJ Beverly Russell Batiste, Chris Chew and Special
Guests, Tipitina’s (Uptown), 12am
Skillz, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
Opeth, High on Fire, Baroness, House Of HorrorPops, Beat Union, 7 Shot
Screamers, The Parish @ House Of Blues
Blues
Ingrid Lucia, d.b.a., 6pm
Reggae Nite w/ the Meadians, Banks
Microphone Co-Rivalry, Dragon’s Den
Street Bar & Grill, 10:30pm
Reverend Spooky LaStrange’s Church of (Downstairs), 10pm
Burlesque Tribute to Disney Fairy Tales, New Orleans Indie Rock Collective
Presents: Big Blue Marble, Banks Street
Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
Bar & Grill, 10:30pm
Spoonfed Tribe, Rabbit Junk, Hi-Ho
SUNDAY 10/19
Lounge, 10pm
Suplecs, d.b.a., 11pm, $5
Baby Dee, Ratty Scurvics, One Eyed
Voodoo Music Experience, City Park
Jacks, 9pm
FRIDAY 10/17
EVENT LISTINGS
The Screaming Females, Pumpkin, Spring
Break Shark Attack, The Zeitgeist, 7pm,
Anders Osborne, Les Bon Temps Roule, 11pm All Ages; myspace.com/screamingfemales.
New Brunswick, New Jersey has been
Fall Funk Throwdown Weekend w/
the breeding ground for some amazing
George Porter Jr., Russell Batiste, Ian
pop bands. Old geezers like Black Belt
Neville, Ivan Neville and Fred Wesley,
or the Mike Jones Hipster Kult will
Tipitina’s (Uptown), 12am
probably remember a little band called
MC Trachiotomy, Mad Happy, Cathy
Cathodic, Doomsday Device, Statutory Lifetime. Young pop punks who might’ve
recently discovered the world of DIY
Triangle, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
and are now bucking their noses at mall
Fishbone, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 1am
joints like Cypress Hall are probably still
John Boutte’, d.b.a., 7pm
crying over the recent loss of The Ergs!
New Orleans Indie Rock Collective
Well, brush off your geriatric droppings
Presents: The Revivalists, Banks Street
and wipe those crocodile tears away
Bar & Grill, 10:30pm
because the Screaming Females are from
One Man Machine, Dragon’s Den
that same cauldron of musical genius,
(Downstairs), 10pm
and they’re coming to deliver their
Rob Wagner Trio, Dragon’s Den
own brand of female-fronted ’60s pop
(Upstairs), 10pm
crossed with ’90s garage rock. Expect
Rotary Downs, d.b.a., 11pm, $5
singing/screaming,
Runoft, We’re Only in it for the Honey, tremolo/vibratos
blazing solos, and noisy chaos that will
Keystone’s Lounge, 9pm
make Sonic Youth fans cream their
jeans. Representing New Orleans and
Luling are the multimedia werewolves
SUNDAY 10/26
of Pumpkin, offering up home videos, a
The Cruxshadows, Aryia, I:Scintilla, Hi- light show, costumes and more theatrics.
Anyone who misses Soophie Nun Squad
Ho Lounge, 9pm
An Evening with Eric Lindell, One Eyed won’t be disappointed in these wild guys.
Opening the whole show are the shirtJacks, 9pm
and-tie, Dick Dale-worshipping surf
Private Pile, GPC, Dragon’s Den
mongers from Baton Rouge known as
(Downstairs), 10pm
Sara Bareilles, Raining Jane, House Of Blues Spring Break Shark Attack. Free food will
be provided from FOOD NOT BOMBS.
Tin Men, d.b.a., 10pm, $5
Don’t be a dipshit. —Bryan Funck
SATURDAY 10/25
MONDAY 10/27
007 w/ Original Lineup, d.b.a., 10pm
Aquarium Drunkard Presents: The
Faint, Republic, 8pm, $18
Johnny Woodstock & the Cosmic Oasis,
Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
Michael Hornsby, Davis, Circle Bar, 10pm
Rabid Rabbit, MC Trachiotomy, The
Saturn Bar
TUESDAY 10/28
Felix, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
Joe Krown Organ Combo, d.b.a., 10pm
Murder by Death, One Eyed Jacks, 9pm
Polar Bear Club, Crime in Stereo,
Broadway Calls, the Swellers, High
Ground, 7pm, $10
The Strictly Strange Tour f/ Tech N9ne,
Krizz Kaliko, Kutt Calhoun, Prozak,
Skatterman & Snug Brim, Grave Plott,
House Of Blues
WEDNESDAY 10/29
007, The Big Top, 9pm
An Evening with the Australian Pink
Floyd Show, House Of Blues
LiveNewOrleans.com and Turducken
Productions Present: The Masked Band
Ball, One Eyed Jacks, 9pm
MC Chris, Totally Michael, The Parish
@ House Of Blues
R. Scully Solo Band, Brickwar, The
Saturn Bar
The Secret Fireman’s Other Masked
Band Ball, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
Stanley Jordan, Tipitina’s (Uptown), 9pm, $15
Wazozo, Circle Bar, 10pm
THURSDAY 10/30
Anders Osborne, d.b.a., 11pm, $8
Carey Hudson, d.b.a., 7pm
Corrosion, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
Evil Army, A Hanging, Tirefire, Candle
Factory
Gold and Glass, What’s Your Moniker?,
Circle Bar, 10pm
Mako Sica, Herringbone Orchestra, Morella
& the Wheels of If, The Big Top, 8pm
Rose Hill Drive, Colour Revolt, The
Vic Chesnutt, Elf Power, One Eyed Jacks, 7pm
FRIDAY 10/31
An Evening with Outformation, House
Of Blues, 1am
Angry Banana, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs),
7:30pm
Backbeat Foundation, Hypersoul and
CEG Present: Dirty Dozen Brass Band,
39
EVENT LISTINGS
Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Tipitina’s
(Downtown), 10pm, $20
Bank Street Monster’s Ball Halloween
Party & Costume Contest w/ Black
Primer, Blower Motor, Jocephus and
the George Jonestown Masssacre, Banks
Street Bar & Grill, 10pm
Brass Tacks Tour w/ Galactic f/
Shamarr Allen and Corey Henry,
Crown City Rockers, DJ Quickie Mart,
Tipitina’s (Uptown), 1am, $25
Chiodos and Silverstein, Escape the
Fate, Alesana, House Of Blues
Halloween on Frenchmen w/ Morning
40 Federation, d.b.a., 11pm, $10
Krewe of MOM’s Halloween Ball,
Howlin’ Wolf, 10pm
The Pallbearers Album Release
Halloween Party, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pm
Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Golden
Triangle, Wizard Sleeve, One Eyed Jacks, 9pm
Shadow Gallery, Dragon’s Den
(Downstairs), 10pm
Zydepunks, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
Jim O. and The No Shows, Circle Bar, 6pm
Kenny holiday and the Rolling
Blackouts, Checkpoint Charlie’s, 9pm
Purple Saurus Rex w/ DJ Kemistry, DJ
Damion Yancy, Jonny Boy, DJ Jive,
Hostel, 11pm
Walter Wolfman Washington, d.b.a.,
10pm, $5
SATURDAY 11/1
Friday Night Music Camp, The Big Top,
5pm; 10/3: Schatzy, 10/17: Gal Holiday
Gal Holiday Quartet, Circle Bar, 6pm
Miami Fridays w/ Javier Drada, Hostel, 11pm
Tipitina’s Foundation Free Friday!,
Tipitina’s, 10pm
Gunsmoke, the Unnaturals, Full Gospel
Gun Show, Banks St. Bar & Grill
Living Dead Girlz, One Eyed Jacks, 9pm
Mike Dillon’s Go Go Jungle, Les Bon
Temps Roule, 1pm
Mod Dance Party, the Pharmacy, The
Saturn Bar, 11pm
New Orleans Bingo! Show, Le Chat Noir, 8pm
Raise The Dead Fest III w/ Outlaw
Nation, Ritual Killer, Hostile Apostle,
Flesh Parade, Howlin’ Wolf, 9pm
THURSDAYS
DJ Kemistry, Republic, 11pm
DJ Proppa Bear Presents: Bassbin
Safari, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)
Fast Times ‘80s Dance Night, One Eyed Jacks
The Fens w/ Sneaky Pete, Checkpoint
Charlie’s, 10pm
A Perfect Ladies’ Nite Live Music Showcase,
Banks Street Bar & Grill, 10pm; 10/2: w/
Cosmic Sweat Society; 10/23: w/ Mike Zito
Sam and Boone, Circle Bar, 6pm
Soul Rebels, Les Bon Temps Roule, 11pm
FRIDAYS
SATURDAYS
DJ Damion Yancy, Republic, 11pm
DJ Kemistry, Hostel, 11pm
Morella and the Wheels of If, Circle Bar, 6pm
SUNDAYS
SUNDAY 11/2
Ghastly City Sleep, Hurray for the Riff
Raff, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs), 11pm, $5,
$3 (if in costume)
Mike Dillon, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 9pm
New Orleans Bingo! Show, Le Chat Noir, 8pm
DANCE NIGHTS/WEEKLIES
MONDAYS
Blue Grass Pickin’ Party, Hi-Ho Lounge, 8pm
John Lisi and Delta Funk, Banks St. Bar
and Grill, 10pm
Justin Peake’s Acoustic Trio, Dragon’s
Den (Downstairs), 8pm, FREE
Mad Mike, Checkpoint Charlie’s, 8pm
Missy Meatlocker, Circle Bar, 5pm
COMEDY
TUESDAYS
Brit Wit Night, The Big Top, 7pm
TUESDAYS
THURSDAYS
Acoustic Open Mic w/ Jim Smith,
Checkpoint Charlie’s, 10pm
Ivan’s Open Mic, Rusty Nail, 8pm
Jammin’ with Jambalaya, the Deadly
Four, Banks St. Bar and Grill, 9pm
Jonathan Freilich and Alex McMurray,
Circle Bar, 6pm
Karaoke Fury, La Nuit Comedy Theater, 10pm
Rabbit Hole, La Nuit Comedy Theater, 8:30
WEDNESDAYS
DJ T-Roy Presents: Dancehall Classics,
Dragon’s Den, $5
Gravity A, Banks St. Bar and Grill, 11pm
Acoustic Open Mic w/ Jim Smith,
Checkpoint Charlie’s, 7pm
Cajun Fais Do Do f/ Bruce
Danigerpoint, Tipitina’s, 5:30pm, $7
Chris Polacek’s Open Mic Jam, Banks
St. Bar and Grill, 9pm
Linnzi Zaorski, d.b.a., 6pm
Micah McKee w/ special guests, Circle Bar, 6pm
Music Workshop Series, Tipitina’s, 12:30pm
Saaraba, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pm
The Sunday Gospel Brunch, House Of
Blues
FRIDAYS
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
EVENTS/CONTINUED...
Show, La Nuit Comedy Theater, 7pm, $10
Jonah’s Variety Hour, La Nuit Comedy
Theater, 10pm
NOTABLE UPCOMING SHOWS
11/03: Mountain Goats, Kaki King, Republic
11/05: Deerhoof, The Parish @ House Of Blues
11/05: Buckethead, That One Guy,
Howlin’ Wolf
11/07: Minus the Bear, Annuals, House Of Blues
11/08: Bright Black Morning Light, One
Eyed Jacks
11/09: Matisyahu, Future Rock, the
Heavy Pets, House Of Blues
11/11: Of Montreal, Howlin’ Wolf
11/12: Joe Jackson, House Of Blues
11/13: Dropkick Murphys, House Of Blues
11/18: The Black Crowes, House Of Blues
11/18: King Khan and the BBQ Show,
One Eyed Jacks
11/20: Conor Oberst and the Mystic
Valley Band, Republic
11/24: Eagles of Death Metal, One Eyed
Jacks
Dr. Feelgood, continued from Page 10...
GONORRHEA
Gonorrhea, aka “the drip,” is cause by bacteria
called Neisseria gonorrhea. It produces yellowgreen malodorous discharge from the penis or
vagina and can be cured by antibiotics. More than
700,000 people in the U.S. get gonorrhea each
year. People may get reinfected. This is the PingPong theory in STDs. You get treated but your
partner does not. You get cured but then your
partner gives it right back to you. Many women
have no symptoms or very mild symptoms of
painful urination. However, untreated gonorrhea
can cause serious permanent health problems. In
men and women, gonorrhea can cause infertility.
In women, there can be permanent scarring of
the reproductive organs, increasing the risk for
tubal pregnancy where an embryo grows in the
woman’s fallopian tube and may lead to rupture
and death.
twenty-five million people. Over forty million are
infected, and many do not even know they carry
the virus. HIV is transmitted through certain
body fluids: blood, semen, vaginal secretions
and breast milk, and is often contracted through
unprotected sex or sharing needles. It attacks the
immune system, decreasing the body’s natural
ability to fight infections. Symptoms may not
appear for over ten years and include swollen
glands and recurrent colds. AIDS can kill as the
body gets attacked by infections that those with
healthy immune systems can fight off. Free HIV
blood tests, counseling, and support groups are
available in our community. The life expectancy
of persons with AIDS has increased in the US,
where new antiviral treatments are available.
Alas, these therapies are not readily available in
all parts of the world.
PREVENTION IS KEY
How can you reduce you chances of getting one
of these infections? Abstinence is the only 100%
guaranteed way to avoid these diseases. Birth
control pills may prevent pregnancies but do
nothing to reduce your risk of STDs. You can
also lower your chances by limiting the number
of partners or being in a mutually monogamous
relationship. Although not 100% effective, barrier
protection such as traditional latex condoms or
female condoms greatly reduce infections. If
you are going to lay with the ladies or gents,
consider a condom. They are cheap (or free) and
they work. Applause for the latex condom! If
you are sexually active you probably have been
exposed to one or more of these infections. Most
STDs have no symptoms! Your doctor can test
and treat you appropriately. Instead of douching
with Dr. Pepper or plugging up that green drip
from your urethra with your girlfriend’s tampon,
go get checked out! For more information go To
cdc.gov/std and noaidstaskforce.org
As always, see your doctor or health care
professional if you think you may have an STD,
or for counseling on how to reduce your risk.
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.
Live New Orleans, Continued from Page 8...
CHLAMYDIA
Silent but violent, Chlamydia is also a bacteria.
It is the most frequent bacterial STD in the US.
It may cause no symptoms in males but they can
pass it on. Similar to Gonorrhea, Chlamydia can
cause irreversible scarring of the reproductive
organs in women. Chlamydia can be cured by
antibiotics! All sex partners should be tested and
treated or else re-infection is possible. Remember
the Ping-Pong theory?
CRABS
This is not the Louisiana blue crab. These critters
(pubic crabs, crab louse) are real arthropods
(bugs) that bite and drink blood. They are passed
by close physical contact and are treated by
medicated lotions similar to RAID. You must
treat all sex partners, close contacts and bed
sheets. Humans are the only known host of this
parasite so you cannot blame it on the dog. Crab
lice are 1-2 mm and favor the hairs of the genital
and peri-anal region. You can get them in your
armpits or eyelashes. Allergic reaction to the
crab saliva causes the main symptom, itching.
HIV/AIDS
All fun and games aside, another sexually
transmitted disease is HIV, the virus that causes
AIDS. There is no cure. The World Health
Organization estimates AIDS has killed more than
BANKSY
British artist Banksy blew through town and
posted some great stenciled graffiti around
the city. Check out his gallery and try to find
some of it on your own. Go to banksy.co.uk/
outdoors/horizontal_1.htm for more info.
JAMES SINGLETON COMES BACK
James recently sent me an e-mail saying that
he’s a father to Ruby June Singleton, born June
16th. Also, he is moving back to New Orleans!
In case anyone doesn’t know, James is the bass
player for 3 Now 4 and Astral Project and, I’m
happy to say, once again the best bass player in
New Orleans. It’ll be great to have James back.
Rob Wagner, you’re next!
MASKED BAND BALL
It’s about that time. The 13th Annual (Can
you believe it?) Masked Band Ball is almost
upon us. Anthony Del Rosario started these
awesome happenings at the Mermaid Lounge,
and now he’s passing the ball off to me. The
Violent Femmes, Guns ’N’ Roses, and Queen
featuring James Hall are confirmed at the
moment. Look for it on Wednesday, October
29th at One Eyed Jacks.
41
COMICS

October 2008 - Antigravity Magazine

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