Voodoo Fest Day 2
Interveiws and Previews
By Staff Music WritersSaturday, Oct. 25
Shamarr Allen
Le Flambeau: WWOZ/SoCo Stage
Saturday 12:30-1:30
Shamarr Allen’s first paying gig was for $3 and a gallon of Kool-Aid split between six kids. He and the group of six kids had been walking through the neighborhood when a man approached them and asked if they would play on his porch for a while. From that moment on, there was no looking back for the young trumpet player. By the time he was 16, Allen had appeared with the Pittsburgh University Orchestra and at Carnegie Hall with the Mahogany Brass Band. He played with Rebirth, Soul Rebels, Hot 8, and the Treme Brass Bands before embarking on a solo career as a jazz trumpeter forming his own brass/funk band, The Underdawgs. Allen’s star continues to rise with the release of his first solo CD in 2007, Meet Me On Frenchmen Street, performances at Jazz Fest and other music festivals around the country, and getting awarded Best Emerging Artist at the 2008 Big Easy Awards – all within the last year.
–Jordan Shay
The Old 97’s
Le Flambeau: WWOZ/SoCo Stage
Saturday 3:30-4:30
The Old 97’s Rhett Miller, posing as a seductive gigolo in their new single “Dance With Me,” is sure to lure the women onto the dance floors, and with the men soon to follow. As one of the few bands still playing from the early 90s alt/country movement, the Old 97’s have amassed a catalogue of styles that are all on display in their new album Blame It On Gravity. Their songs always have a country roots sound that leans more toward pop sensibilities, but each of their previous albums seems to focus on a single influence; Fight Songs is more of a pop album, Satellite Rides is laden with British influences, while Drag It Up is a slower, more contemplative album. After 15 years, the Old 97’s have crafted an album that stands as a melding of everything the band does right.
Through their entire catalogue, Ken Bethea’s propulsive guitar work manages a perfect counter to Rhett Miller’s penchant for simple one-liners. You can’t resist singing along to choruses such as “Doreen, come clean.” Lyrically, Miller has stuck to the topic of tainted love, “I believe in love, but it don’t believe in me.” His self-doubt persists even when innocently asking a girl out to the bowling alley, the query posed between infectiously bouncy rhythms of pure pop bliss in “Roller Skate Skinny.” The ironic opening track of Blame It On Gravity sheds some light on Miller’s persistence; “The Fool” is a traveling song with true country sentiments, the foolish search for a girl that leaves no hangover. The Old 97’s make you want to cry your sorrows away over a pint of whiskey, but they’ll be damned if you’re not dancing while you do it.
–Ryan Hanley
Treme Brass Band
Le Flambeau: Preservation Hall Stage
Saturday 3:45-4:40
As one of the brass bands that originally started after the success of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Treme Brass Band is lead by Benny Jones, who grew up in the Treme neighborhood. The band has featured a stellar cast of musicians over time, including Kermit Ruffins, James Andrews, and Shamarr Allen. Lionel Batiste still plays the bass drum and Benny Jones plays the snare drum.
Perennial New Orleans festival performers, the Treme Brass Band always draws a crowd, but the members of the band had no idea how widespread their appeal was until Katrina. Most of the band members had regrouped in Phoenix, AZ after the storm and were playing shows around the city with instruments donated from the Tipitina’s Foundation and a brass band in Minnesota. They rode around town in a van lent by the Arizona-based Jazz Refugee Project. While they were welcomed in Arizona, there were adjustments to get used to - like the 2 AM closing time for most bars and the lack of interest in a non-bebop, more brassy style of street jazz that the Treme Brass Band is known for.
But one day, on CBS’ Early Show, in the feature “Week of Wishes,” a woman from Minnesota said that she had seen the Treme Brass Band perform at Donna’s Bar and Grill. Her wish was to see them perform in New Orleans again. The exposure from the show led to temporary housing in New Orleans for the band members, new instruments, and promises of employment from the Jazz Foundation of America to teach music in Louisiana schools.
Almost three years later, you can’t imagine a New Orleans music festival without them. A few years ago, I heard a woman who was walking by the enclosure at the old US Mint, where the band was playing during French Quarter Fest, say to her companions who were strolling by, “Stop! This is what I came to New Orleans to hear!” The Treme Brass Band plays quintessential New Orleans music that fills everyone nearby with a sense of joy and revelry not forgotten. –Jordan Shay
Rotary Downs
Le Carnival: Bingo! Parlour Stage
Saturday 4:45-5:45
By Brent Badeaux
Fresh off a high from High Sierra Music Festival in northern California, local indie rock favorites Rotary Downs will take to the Voodoo BINGO! Stage. The band has been touring in support of its third full-length album, 2006’s Chained to the Chariots, which prompted NPR to name the band as one of its Top 10 Great Unknown Artists of 2007.
Rotary Downs’ diverse musical influences include rockers Acid Bath, Rush, The Beatles, Elliot Smith, The Pixies, and fellow Voodoo performers REM, which account for the band’s unlikely emergence from a city best known for jazz. The band was formed in 1999 by singer/guitarist James Marler and pedal steel/guitarist Chris Colombo. After several line-up changes, it is currently comprised of drummer Zach Smith, bassist Jason Rhein, and trumpeter/keyboardist Cory Schultz.
“I ran sound at the Mermaid Lounge back in the day while James was the manager. I had never played much bass before, but somehow James and Zack sat me down at the bar over a can of cold Schaefer beer and convinced me I was their new bass player. It wasn’t so much ‘asking’ me as ‘telling’ me,” remembers Rhein. The now defunct Mermaid Lounge figures prominently in the band’s history as do cold Schaefers.
This will be Rotary Downs’ second Voodoo Fest performance. They played last year, early. “Hung over friends in attendance at 11 AM,” as Smith puts it. This year, however, will be different. Rotary Downs has gained a much larger fan base, both nationwide and here in New Orleans. “There’s a strong community of support within the indie rock or art rock or whatever you want to call it scene here. New Orleans is more of a rock town than people realize,” said Rhein. Smith added, “The rock scene is solidifying here and the support is tremendous.”
Since the release of album, their music has gotten “more ‘danceable’ and less ‘heady,’” according to Smith. Rhein adds: “Our stuff has gotten a bit more rhythm section-driven, sometimes with a heavier groove. The psychedelic layering and intricate arrangements are still there to keep things interesting, and James’ vocals and lyrics continue to get stronger. We also have added a female voice since our last album, which you will hear on our forthcoming album hopefully this spring.”
That new female voice is Tiffany Lamson. In addition to backup vocals, Lamson also plays percussion, most notably the glockenspiel. She lives in Lafayette and is in a band there called Arbor Vitae. Rhein said, “Having her energy and talent in the band is really a great addition.”
With a very successful tour, recent performances on New York Public Radio’s ‘Studio 360’ (studio360.org), and a feature on Current TV (current.com), Rotary Downs is gaining momentum and national exposure. In 2008, they have played at almost every major music festival—from SXSW in March, Jazz Fest in May, Bonnaroo in June, High Sierra in July, and now Voodoo. So stop by the BINGO! Tent Friday, and witness an incredible local band ready to make its mark on music.
Thievery Corporation
Le Ritual: PlayStation/Billboard.com Stage
Saturday 5:20-6:30
Thievery Corporation emulates the musical styles of Jamaican dub reggae, Brazilian bossa nova, acid jazz, Indian classical, and so forth, melting into warm but rhythmic lounge beats deriving exotic instrumentation and rhythmic electronic/synth-pop. Their lyrics are politically charged and speak of hope for a better world, an apt match for the unique and worldly blend of genres this group focuses on.
Their hometown of Washington, DC harbored countless fiery groups who practiced both musical and political autonomy: Fugazi, Chuck Brown, and grassroots organizations Positive Force and Future of Music Coalition. Thievery Corporation themselves came together at DC’s Eighteenth Street Lounge—a world renowned hub for DC’s “next” underground talent. Their love of eclectic records inspired their band, name, and the almost psychedelic product of “borrowing” from infinite genres and techno beats.
Their latest release, Versions, based on the Jamaican tradition of writing “versions” of original compositions, is a remix album of a wide range of artists, including The Doors, Sarah McLachlan, and Wax Poetic, to name a few. As background music or the centerpiece of conversation, Thievery Corporation creates infectious down tempo grooves for anyone looking to chill out, fade out and relax. –Carolyn Heneghan
Walter “Wolfman” Washington
Le Flambeau: Preservation Hall Stage
Saturday 7:05-8:05
Walter “Wolfman” Washington’s decades of innovative fusion between jazz, R&B, soul, and funk makes him a New Orleans musical icon with his amazingly distinctive voice and gift as a guitarist. Wolfman began his career in the heyday of 1950s R&B, playing with musicians such as Lee Dorsey, Ernie K-Doe, and Johnny Adams. Walter earned his trademark name from his deep, gravelly voice and on-stage howl. Wolfman, guitar player and lead vocalist, plays with his band, the Roadmasters, and often spotlights other band members to showcase their talent and creativity onstage. When Wolfman is on stage with the Roadmasters, the band seamlessly flows through their set, giving the audience an incredible live music experience with Wolfman’s signature guitar solos. Band members are always approachable before and after a show to greet the audience, and at every concert Wolfman offers a lucky audience member the chance to buy him a drink by offering a short interlude until someone actually buys him a drink. Wolfman maintains a busy tour schedule, so plan to watch his set at Voodoo or you will miss a great performer playing before his hometown crowd. –Greg Duhe
Nine Inch Nails
Le Ritual: Voodoo Stage
Saturday 8:45-11:15
Nine Inch Nails, the quintessential industrial band, fuses together sounds through sampling as Trent Reznor, the only official member serving as producer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, elevates this process to a science. Reznor’s ferocious rhythm guitar, aggressive lyrics, and sampling formed the basis of the industrial metal genre. NIN exploded onto the music scene in 1989 with their first commercial release, Pretty Hate Machine, featuring the hit “Head Like a Hole.” NIN then released Broken in 1992 with another massive hit “Happiness in Slavery,” which brought them to perform at Lollapalooza and Woodstock during that time. NIN then released The Downward Spiral, with such hits as “Hurt” and “Closer,” which received much media attention due to its graphic sexual content and controversial video. Although the album disappeared off the charts almost immediately after its release, NIN released further albums including The Fragile, With Teeth, Year Zero, Ghosts I-IV, and The Slip with little commercial and critical success. Reznor has continued to reinvent himself and his music without falling into the trap of repackaging earlier releases to please record companies, allowing his publicized feuds and desire to create cutting edge music to fuel his creativity. –Greg Duhe