FRIDAY

Glasgow Formally Makes Their Mark
on Voodoo
Friday, October 30, 12:00 p.m.
Le Ritual
By Sheri McKee

    Known for their couture tuxedos and precision performances, these NOCCA grads, Glasgow, plan on making a huge impression with their indie style rock music for their first Voodoo Music Experience performance. Having seen this band live, they’re simply incredible and will amaze you with their musical talents and amazing compositions. With heavy touring for their latest CD On Earth, Sam Craft took some time out of his busy schedule to discuss the band, his brother Jack, and what he’d be doing if music hadn’t come into his life.

WYAT: Please name all members in the band who will be performing with you at Voodoo. Also will you be wearing the formal wear?
SAM CRAFT: Sam Craft (violin, guitar, keys, lead vox), Jack Craft (lead guitar, keys, backing vox), George Elizondo (bass, backing vox), Jon Arceneaux (drums), Alexis Marceaux (guest vocals). We will DEFINITELY be in formal wear. Voodoo Fest is certainly worthy of our finest threads.

WYAT: What’s it like to be working with your brother all the time? How do you resolve any creative conflicts?
SC: We share a brain, so there is rarely a miscommunication. However, sometimes we fight over that brain and I end up with creativity while he gets the motor skills and execution. If it does come down to a battle of artistry, we typically arrive at a compromise or hybrid of our ideas. This is usually a good thing, as two heads are better than one.

WYAT: How do you think your shows have evolved over the past few years? How do you prepare for a club gig in contrast to a big festival like Voodoo?
SC: The music has certainly been updated in terms of style over the years– the songs have become more energetic and dynamic. However, we have tried to maintain the drama and intensity our shows have had since day one. Preparation for a festival is not terribly different from the usual gig– we try to make every show a “big festival” show in terms of giving the audience something to remember. The only difference is we have more stage real estate at a big festival. So, there will be a lot of acrobatics.

WYAT: What do you believe makes your style so distinctive and yet flavorful of the local NOLA indie music scene?
SC: We bring the element of classical music into indie-rock, myself having been nurtured as a violinist and Jack a cellist. My brother and I were also brought up on traditional jazz through our family-run New Leviathan Oriental Fox-trot Orchestra, of which we are both members. So, we come from a rather antique era musically, and when you combine that with modern indie-rock, the result is something unique to New Orleans, in our minds.  

WYAT: How would you describe your music to someone from out of town who has never experienced a Glasgow live show?
SC: I would describe it as rock meets Rachmaninov, passionate but goofy, energetic but precise.  

WYAT: What do you believe are some of your influences?
SC: Our influences range from Gregorian chant to Juvenile. Like all musicians, we are inadvertently affected by music around us– for Jack and me that would be the aforementioned classical and traditional jazz elements. Our drummer Jon is a jazz major at UNO and through his tutelage with the illustrious Jason Marsalis, has absorbed a cornucopia of jazz styles and techniques. George, our bassist, is a native of Nicaragua and has had a rich and diverse musical history from which to draw. However, notwithstanding all these disclaimers, I can say with some certainty that is our present goal to one day approximate the mastery achieved by Manfred Mann in their rendition of Blinded by the Light.

WYAT: What advice would you give to someone who wants to break into the NOLA music scene?
SC: Do something different. In New Orleans, we love music and are spoiled by it. So, if you aren’t creating something entirely unique and exciting, folks are gonna go spend their money at Balcony Bar instead. Break out the pots and pans, make friends with a harpist, master the Theremin, dress the drummer in Christmas lights, and write something catchy.

WYAT: What song do you think you’ll start or end your set with this year at Voodoo, and why?
SC: I can’t reveal that with any finality, but I will answer your question with a question. Have you ever heard Radiohead’s Idioteque performed on violin and cello? Didn’t think so…

WYAT: What act are you most looking forward to seeing this year at Voodoo?
SC: The Pogues, unless they are playing at the same time as the Flaming Lips, in which case I’m going to have to saw myself in half and see both.

The Black Keys
Friday, October 30
5:40 p.m.
Le Ritual
    My, my, have The Black Keys got a lot of living up to do for their performance at this year’s Voodoo Fest. For starters, the two-piece blues/rock outfit scored a slot on the soundtrack of the 2007 Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There, opened for nerd-rock cult heroes Devo for then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, collaborated with the late Ike Turner, received glowing reviews from Rolling Stone, and have been compared to blues legend Son House. Oh yeah, and Robert Plant’s a fan. Not too shabby for a band comprised of two former lawn-mowing college students from Akron, Ohio.
    The coolest part about this band is the way they have given the proverbial finger to the record industry by refusing to use big-name studios, and mixed, recorded, and self-produced the majority of their first four albums. Though the band rarely strays from their heavily blues-influenced sound, their music offers an original and modernized take on the genre that serves as a perfect union of Delta blues and unadorned guitar-driven Southern rock. As of late The Black Keys are preparing for the release of their as-yet titled 7th studio album, and venturing on a road not often taken by the indie rock elite: collaborating on a project entitled BlakRoc that boasts the likes of Mos Def, Q-Tip, Ludacris, Pharoahe Monch, RZA, Rawkwon, and the late-Old Dirty Bastard of Wu Tang Clan.
–Dominique Minor

Silversun Pickups ‘Swoon’ over debut at Voodoo
Friday, October 30, 6:40 p.m.
Le Ritual
By Samantha Morgan

    It can take a lifetime to become an overnight success. For many, the Silversun Pickups seemed to pop out of nowhere in 2009 when the single “Panic Switch” began ruling the airwaves. The reality is that it all began nearly a decade ago with two roommates, Brian Aubert (guitar, lead vocals) and Nikki Monninger (bass, vocals), in a California apartment.
    “They started the band with their significant others and called the band A Couple of Couples,” Chris Guanlao, drummer for the Silversun Pickups, recalled. “Brian was dating this girl who was the drummer, and we’ve all been friends for years, so I was just waiting in the wings because I kind of knew it was going to happen. So when they needed a drummer, it was just a natural progression to move in.”
    From there the band released an EP, Pikul, in 2003, and later signed with Dangerbird Records. Gaining attention in 2006 with the release of the debut full-length Carnavas, the Silversun Pickups hit the road and didn’t stop until December 2007 when they took a month off before beginning work on a new album, which all began with one word: swoon.
    “It was all from scratch, and that was the first time we’ve ever done something like that,” Guanlao said when discussing the writing process for Swoon. “The first four songs on the album were the first four we worked on, and then we continued to work in order.
    “We really looked at the album as if we were making a film. We had a first, second, and third act, but by no means is this a concept record. Whenever you’re working in that mentality, it’s going to end up sounding more cohesive.”
    Working their way back to a concept first presented on Pikul, but removed from Carnavas, the Silversun Pickups decided to bring back the inclusion of strings on Swoon.
    “We had a cello player on Pikul, and we used to have that for our live shows, too, but we decided to stray away from that with Carnavas and keep it just electric,” Guanlao explained. “After that, we were just itching to go back and I remember from the very beginning Brian saying that we were going to use strings again, so very early on we knew we were going to include it.
    Though not overpowering, Swoon does include a 16-piece string orchestra, which, as one can imagine, is something that has to be removed from the live show.
    “Obviously we can’t afford to bring a 16-piece orchestra with us on tour, but we take the key elements that are important to the songs and we manipulate it with guitars and keyboard to make it sound like strings,” he said. “We get the tone as close to it as possible so you’re not losing that part of the show.”
    Guanlao did admit that their live show can, however, sound a good deal different from what fans expect after listening to the albums.
    “We approach the live shows so differently, and it can sometimes feel a lot different from the record,” he said. “We don’t use any backing or click tracks, and sometimes things are a little faster than they are on the record, but that’s okay, because it’s live, not the record.
    “At the end of the day, it’s a rock show.We’re pretty energetic and we feed off the crowd, so usually we’re pounding it pretty hard and we like it loud and boisterous.”
    The Silversun Pickups will end their U.S. tour at The Voodoo Experience on the first day of the festival, Friday, October 30. Excluding the fact that Voodoo will mark the last show before they take nearly a one month break, the four are looking forward to their debut performance at the festival.
    “We’ve never been there or even played in New Orleans,” Guanlao said when asked if they were looking forward to the festival. “We’ve heard so many amazing things about Voodoo Fest and we’re really excited to be going to New Orleans. We’re going to have some time off, so hopefully we’ll get a chance to hang out a little.”

The Knux
Friday, October 30, 7:30 p.m.
Le Ritual

    When The Knux play Voodoo Fest 2009, it will be a bit of a homecoming for the hip-hop duo Rah Almillio and Krispy Kream. Brothers raised by their single mother in New Orleans East, the two never expected to find themselves recording/producing their debut album, Remind Me in 3 Days…, in Hollywood, California but Katrina had a way of bringing about the unexpected. Their sound has been described as Garage/Hip-Hop, and the album is as diverse as that of the Pharcyde and Outkast with the content of their raps fitting more into the indie scene, i.e. shout outs to Converse sneakers, skateboards, etc., rather than the present hip-hop scene. Although they now reside in California, you can still hear familiar New Orleans references from chicory coffee and Café Du Monde to Creole women and how-ya-momma-and-dem. The Californian style has seeped into some of their songs; the beat of the slow summer jam “Fire” is reminiscent of Tupac’s “California Love” complete with a sing-a-long chorus. The remainder of the album is a mixed bag of styles displaying the brothers’ diverse influences. “Bang!Bang!,” a socially conscious song about New Orleans’ violence and the silence that follows, never sounds preachy because it’s so damn catchy. The song is a surefire radio hit that had me convinced I had already heard it on an Outkast album, a compliment to the brothers on their first outing as producers. “Cappuccino,” a song about espresso drinks, turns an order for a “fresh cappuccino with a mocha twist” into a subversive pick up line. And it’s that kind of diversity that The Knux bring to the hip-hop game; they sound fresh, invigorated, and original. The Knux are set to break hip-hop, a genre of music once known for its originality and innovation, out of its current state of stale repetition.
–Ryan Hanley

Kickin’ It With DJ Soul Sister
Friday, October 30
8:30 p.m., Le Flambeau
By Sheri McKee

    The local Queen of Vinyl will be doin’ her thing with her party peeps (AKA Booty Patrol), in the house at this year’s Voodoo Music Experience. Of course, I’m speaking of New Orleans’ very own DJ Soul Sister, an amazing woman who will simply mystify you with her ultra smooth grooves. She’s been the brains and talent behind the scenes for many years at the clubs between shows, setting up the hippest beats to your late night partying times, and now she’ll be kickin’ it up in style at the Voodoo Music Experience.

WYAT: How have your shows evolved over the past decade? How do you prepare for a club gig in contrast to a big festival like Essence or Voodoo?
DJSS: As far as the live shows go, I’m much more daring and experimental in what I play out. I’ve always enjoyed and am known for playing rarer joints and deeper album cuts, as opposed to hits, but I do even more of it now – so what’cha see is what’cha get – a true, impromptu, unpredictable, funky DJ Soul Sister from start to end – nothing planned, coming live as I feel it.
 
WYAT: What do you believe makes your style so distinctive and yet flavorful of the local NOLA scene?
DJSS: It’s both distinctive and representative of NOLA music scene and party scene because I’m influenced by all of NOLA culture – second lines, Mardi Gras Indians, New Orleans funk and soul and jazz. I’m also a part of, and influenced, by the unique scenes of New Orleans that thrive on the fringe – punk rock, contemporary art, hip hop and, yeah, underground DJ culture.
 
WYAT: If you had to pick one album to take on a deserted island with you, which one would it be?
DJSS: Music is the Message by Kool & the Gang, released in 1972 on Delite Records. This album has rocked my world since I was 6.
 
WYAT: How would you describe your “right on” parties and Booty Patrol Dancers to someone from out of town who has never experienced you performing your art?
DJSS: My Right On Party situations are exactly as they sound -- a place where you come to get on down to right on sounds on dance tip. I prefer the sounds of the 1970s through mid 80s, so that’s what you’ll get from me, featuring much rarer grooves than you might be used to hearing, but jams that sound and feel good to me. I am blessed that many people enjoy them too. I’ve had some rare opportunities to even speak to the original musicians of the records I play, and I tell them how I throw these parties where I’m playing their music, and people dance all night long, and the musicians are so thrilled and honored that they’re remembered and that the music still moves folks.
And Booty Patrol? They’re there to keep folks having fun on the one, and to represent power for the ladies. When I was growing up, I wasn’t allowed to hang with my older cousins who were listening to the funk – Cameo, ConFunkShun records, what have you – it wasn’t thought to be ladylike, I guess. So we’ve thrown all of that out the window and doing what we wanna do. We’re having fun & we like to dance and we like the funk and discotheque and hip hop & Afrobeat sounds, all the fun music I was told it wasn’t appropriate to listen to as a young girl – didn’t care then, and still don’t care now… LOL. So the Booty Patrol Dancers are, like, my head nonconformistas & foot soldiers in charge of making sure everyone is in the groove. It’s not about eye candy at all. It’s about power and big fun. Ladies, join in with us! Fellas, look & enjoy, but don’t touch.  
 
WYAT: What do you believe are some of your influences?
DJSS: James Brown, DJ Captain Charles of New Orleans, my disco 12” of “Get Up & Dance” by Freedom, my old Fisher Price record player, Parliament-Funkadelic, The Clash, Teena Marie, the old Bimbo show on WTUL FM, a lot of the WWOZ DJs who were around when I started there 15 years ago, the now defunct WAIL 105 FM in New Orleans, disco roller skaters, all musicians and underground DJ artists everywhere, and women & heroines everywhere, doing their thing, New Orleans life, and my parents.  

WYAT:  If you didn’t have the DJ gig, what do you think you’d be doing on your weekends?
DJSS: Listening to the same records I play on WWOZ and then out at Mimi’s in the Marigny, only in my house for myself.

WYAT: What song do you think you’ll start or end your set with this year at Voodoo, and why?
DJSS: Oh man, I do not know. I never know till I get there, feel the energy of the grounds that day and then go for what I know. I will tell you that we are planning something very special on Halloween Saturday night, during my set in the Preservation Hall Tent. We are going to have a “Dance-Along” Thriller jam with members of the Camel Toe Lady Steppers, Fleur de Tease, and many new friends dressed like zombies and dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” I want it to be massive, so I invite everyone to join us for that – and to dress up and dance the “Thriller” with us!
 
Ween
Friday, October 30, 9:00 p.m.
Le Ritual

    Ween is an alternative rock group formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in school and became known as Gene Ween and Dean Ween.
    Ween’s public debut was a “Purple Haze” cover closing a 1987 talent show; the piece featured Lauren “Rainbow” Fihe on drums. Ween was signed to Twin/Tone Records in 1989 and released their first album GodWeenSatan: The Oneness in the following year. The band’s second album, 1991’s The Pod, became a fan favorite, due in part to their use of drum machines, squealing guitars and vocals, and drug related humor which became part of their trademark sound. Pure Guava, the first release on the Elektra label, featured their highest charting single, “Push Th’ Little Daisies” (1992). This gained them media and MTV attention. The video was featured on Beavis and Butt-head.
    Ween formed their own label in 2000, Chocodog Records. Paintin’ the Town Brown was meant to be the first Chocodog release. According to Dean Ween, once the album was completed, Elektra realized the sales potential of the CD and denied Ween the right to release it through Chocodog.
    In February 2006, Dean and Gene, along with their band, rented an old farmhouse and converted it into a working studio. After writing over 50 songs and recording through 2006, they, with Andrew Weiss as producer, re-recorded album versions for The Friends EP and the full-length La Cucaracha, released October 23, 2007 on Rounder Records. –Heather Shapiro

D12
Friday, October 30, 9:30 p.m.
Le Ritual

    Known best for hits “Purple Pills” (or “Purple Hills” as heard on radio and TV) and “My Band” and their role in the early career of Eminem, the off-the-wall lyricists of D12 have resurfaced after five dormant years for their Dazed & Dirty tour, stopping at this year’s Voodoo Fest along the way.
     Detroit MC Proof formed the hip hop collective in 1990, with the intention of signing on 12 of Detroit’s most talented rappers. When he could only find five other worthy crew members–Bizarre, Eye-Kyu, Killa Hawk, Fuzz Scoota and Eminem–Proof decided that each of the six of them would create alter egos to flesh out the group to its full D12: hence, the birth of Eminem’s “Slim Shady” persona. Over the next two decades, the D12 line-up has changed several times.
    Though well-known locally, D12 did not take the national stage until front man Marshall “Eminem” Mathers achieved international esteem and notoriety while pursuing his solo career in the late 90s. After great success, under the guidance of famed producer Dr. Dre, with The Slim Shady LP (Aftermath/Interscope 1999), Eminem founded Shady Records under the Interscope imprint and signed D12 as the label’s first act. The group has recorded two albums since, Devil’s Night (2001) and D12 World (2004). They are often known for rowdy heckling and absurd antics, mixed with funky, well-crafted beats, and sharp and clever wordplay– an overall package that topped international charts several times in the early 2000s, their last recording and touring years.
    With D12’s longtime on-again-off-again fellow member topping the Voodoo bill, don’t be surprised to see Eminem/Slim Shady perform alongside his Detroit crew, especially with Voodoo Fest rumored to be his only performance of 2009. –Carolyn Heneghan

Eminem
Friday, October 30, 9:30 p.m.
Le Ritual

    Marshall Mathers is back in time for Halloween, ya’ll. His platinum album Relapse is a veritable exposé of dark, often macabre, sides of Slim Shady.
    During a 2005-2008 rap-career hiatus, Eminem divorced his ex-wife a second time. The 2006 shooting death of friend Proof (DeShaun Holton), shattered him, and understandably so. Both were members of 1990-formed hip hop group D12. In 2004 Holton starred in the Eminem video Toy Soldiers as a rapper shot during a drive-by. During the funeral Mathers eulogized, “Without Proof, there would be no Eminem, no Slim Shady, and no D12.”  He isolated himself after the tragedy before accidentally overdosing on prescription drugs in 2007. Hence, Eminem has his Relapse. The cover likeness is Eminem composed of thousands of pills. Each track seems to have been worried into being, as if music became his new addiction. Mathers admitted in September 2008 that he’d been producing several artists during his “time off,” learning how to work the studio and honing his technique in the process. 
    In a word, complex, Mathers is foul-mouthed, fiercely adores his daughter, and publicly embattles his ex-wife, his mother, and innumerable popular figures. His works speak, often so bluntly and directly that critics can’t seem to separate the art from the man. “3 a.m.” is the disbelief induced when an unsuspecting serial killer discovers his own deeds; “Beautiful” reveals personal addiction and fondness for Detroit. Eminem continues his career-long celebrity offensive with “We Made You,” which has been nominated for 3 MTV Video Music Awards. A second album, Relapse 2, is slated for a late 2009 release.
–Dionne Charlet

SATURDAY

The White Bitch
Saturday, October 31, 12:15 p.m.
Le Carnival
   
Contributing local magazine writer, published author, teacher in the New Orleans Public School System, musician. Just who is The White Bitch? Michael Patrick Welch., aka The White Bitch (an affectionate nickname given to him by his students), is all of these things. Equipped with a beat machine, guitar, and falsetto voice, The White Bitch sounds like the Flaming Lips if their lead singer were Prince. Overindulgence is key to his song-writing approach; songs lean heavily on gluttony – adding guitar solos and warbling electronic sounds rather than cutting parts to make them lean, trim, and under three minutes. At their essence, though, each is a pop tune backed by distorted electronic effects and beat machine. With the release of his debut album Prey Drive, The White Bitch is no longer just a live experience. The album is a true reflection of The White Bitch at the top of his game. Essentially a greatest hits album of the past fifteen years, Prey Drive has Michael Patrick Welch performing tighter songs with a more refined singing voice. The long wait can perhaps be attributed to his busy schedule and constant efforts to hone his song writing abilities. The album has hints of R&B, dance, and electronica that filter into guitar-heavy songs. “What is Natural” starts out with a low, electronic groove that breaks into shredding guitar. “Serious,” a staple of The White Bitch’s live shows, begins with what sounds like a high-pitched xylophone and a drum machine that escalates into heavy guitar as he screams the chorus “I take this very serious” in his high falsetto. Ray Bong of the Bongoloids generally joins this one man show live along with backup singers and occasionally MC Gregory Esquire.
–Ryan Hanley

Zydepunks
Saturday, October 31, 1:30 p.m.
Le Carnival

New Orleans’ favorite melting pot of musical influences, the Zydepunks, definitely stay true to the genres of music that compose the band’s name: zydeco and punk. But, they don’t stop there. They add a pinch of Irish jig, a handful of klezmer folk, and a dose of Cajun seasoning to the mix. The result is nothing less than a sweaty, nonstop, punk rock dancing fiasco. Regardless of whether you’ve ever seen the Zydepunks before, every performance is the one you can’t miss.
The Zydepunks will be returning to Voodoo Fest for the fifth year in a row, once again making their presence known in the Carnival tent. This year, the band will promote their latest album, 2008’s Finisterre, with an early-afternoon performance on Halloween. But, fear not! Those unable to arise early on All Hallows Eve can catch the Zydepunks’ night show at the Hi-Ho Lounge. Trick or treat!
–Joanna Wilson

Looking back on a chat with MuteMath drummer, Darren King
MuteMath
Saturday, October 31, 3:50 p.m.
Le Ritual
By Samantha Morgan

    Having clawed their way to the top from their home base in New Orleans, MuteMath is no stranger to the Voodoo Experience. This year they come armed with their new full-length album, Armistice, which was released on August 18, 2009.
    The last time MuteMath performed at the Voodoo Experience was in 2007; the same year the group gained a Grammy nomination for their debut single, “Typical.” It was also the year I had an amazing one-on-one chat with drummer Darren King.
    “Growing up, I didn’t do sports, I didn’t do music, I wasn’t social, and my personality was based on this charismatic church [Cornerstone World Outreach Center in Springfield, Mo.],” King said while twiddling sprigs of grass between his fingers as we chatted in City Park after their performance in 2007.
    During King’s years as an awkward teenager seeking an identity, the man who would change his life, Paul Meany, walked through the Cornerstone doors. Meany is now the lead singer and keyboardist for MuteMath.
    “Paul was passing through [Cornerstone] as an intern, and I didn’t feel like I had a personality, so I emulated Paul,” King said with a laugh. “He was so hard on me, but without him, I don’t think I would have played a single show.”
    At 17 years old, King was given his first break into music as a profession. He joined the New Orleans-based band Earthsuit, of which Meany was a founding member. However, the fairy tale quickly turned tragic for King.
    “I toured in that band for one month until they told me I wasn’t good enough,” King laughingly admitted. “They told me I wasn’t contributing enough, so they sent me home. I went to Nashville two years after that, and [Earthsuit] had lost their drummer, so they auditioned me again.”
    With a second chance in hand, King became a member of Earthsuit once again. Unfortunately, a series of events led to the disbanding of the group. Once that occurred, King and Meany began hashing out plans for their then side project band, MuteMath.
    The duo recruited guitarist Greg Hill and bassist Roy Mitchell-Cardenas, and the full outfit of MuteMath was formed in 2001, based out of New Orleans.
    “New Orleans does represent a six-month period of the loneliest and scariest period of my life,” King said when I asked about his initial impressions of living in the Big Easy. “Then, there was a year I spent in Mandeville that was full of peace and contentment. I was living in a house with my band mates and three dogs.”
    Although Earthsuit was established and known as a Christian rock band, King said the band had reservations about listing MuteMath under the same genre classification. Two years ago, this issue reared its head through label conflicts, and MuteMath encountered a major hardship that would eventually propel the band to new heights.
    “Our contract with Warner was initially not honored as we had hoped,” King recalled. “Our first EP was released on Word Records, and it was a Christian imprint. We knew if we were to established ourselves initially as a Christian band, it would substantially limit what we could do.”
    Initially, the contract with Warner Music Group intended MuteMath for the mainstream audience. When Warner announced plans to produce their album through World Records, Mute Math made a preemptive strike that proved successful.
    “We said we weren’t going to do an album with [Word Records], so we sued [Warner] before they sued us,” King added. “We did an album ourselves, then toured, and we sold 15,000 copies on our own.
    MuteMath and Warner eventually settled out of court, and soon after, Warner renegotiated with the band for a new contract.
    “Maybe we had to find ourselves first,” King reflected. “A lot of my dreams have come true two years later than I thought they would. From ending up in Paul’s band two years after I thought, to signing a deal with a label and ending up in litigation. Then two years later having the ideal situation with the album and ending up where we are now.”
    MuteMath has certainly found their way into the hearts of many fans, and no doubt they will anxiously await to hear their new tunes at this year’s Voodoo Experience.

New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars
Saturday, October 31, 4:45 p.m.
Le Flambeau

    You don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate the sound of this band, but it helps. The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars have perfected a style they like to call “funky Jewish music.” Rob Wagner on clarinet and Glenn Hartman on accordion form the core of the group, with a lot of help from Jonathan Freilich on guitar, Arthur Kastler on bass, David Rebeck on strings, and David Sobel on drums. Their three CDs since 1998 include such spoofs as “The Jew Blues,” Oy Tate S’iz Gut,” “Coney Island Whitefish,” “D’Bronx Tantz” and . . . well, you get the picture. Klezmer, for those unfamiliar with the term, is Jewish folk music that contains elements of gypsy, Central European, Turkish, Greek, and other folk music styles that were popular in European Jewish shtetls (communities) of the Diaspora. The music our Jewish grandparents sang and danced to in the old country and imported to the new one with their arrivals here. Founded in 1991, the NOKAS have revived the old musical traditions, fused them with new genres like rock, jazz, bluegrass and more and introduced them into a new century. L’Chaim! – Dean M. Shapiro

Gogol Bordello
Saturday, October 31, 4:50 p.m.
Le Ritual

    From their 2005 album Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, “Start Wearing Purple” hints at the same salvation sought in Paul Simon’s “Graceland;” that all will be better through a simple act. Whether it is by reaching a destination or by wearing the color purple, life’s problems will suddenly dissolve. Passion and purpose is the guiding force behind these songs, not thought or reason. This sums up the mantra of Gogol Bordello. The nine members are a movement, not just a band. The group of mainly Eastern-European immigrants living in New York is leading a gypsy-punk revolution against post-modern malaise with each album and every live show. According to Eugene Hütz, lead singer, guitarist, and player of the fire bucket, transcendence is reached only through art, music, and alcohol. Gogol Bordello’s sound is filled out with violin and accordion, akin to a sped-up version of traditional gypsy waltz. The group’s “neo-authentic” punk sensibilities, a search for truth in the vein of the Clash, can be heard in songs like “I Don’t Read the Bible” (self-explanatory), “American Wedding” (a protest against boring sit-down weddings), and “Wonderlust King” (an affirmation of violent romanticism as the slavery of jobs is denounced in favor of the quest for ecstasy). Fans of New Orleans’ Zydepunks will find similarities in the sound and ethos of the two bands. Although they represent different heritages, they both update past cultures, zydeco and gypsy, for contemporary audiences using punk song structures. As with most punk bands, the similar rhythm from song to song can become redundant, but their live show resolves this issue. Constantly touring to spread their message, Gogol Bordello has perfected their theatric, raucous live show that involves a fair amount of camaraderie, spit, sweat, broken glass, and broken bones. When attending a show, you only want to cheer, drink up, and dance when Hütz asks, “Where is the vodka?” –Ryan Hanley

Down
Saturday, October 31, 6:15 p.m.
Le Carnival

    Southern, but not country; New Orleans, but not jazz or funk; heavy metal, but not head bangers. Down is a band that draws from many influences and years of hard-fought life experiences and hardships. But like New Orleans itself, the members of Down have shown a resilience stronger than any gold record or chart-topping single. Down has overcome obstacles to emerge as one of Southern metal’s greatest acts.
    Currently in the middle of a U.S. tour, Down will return home to New Orleans for Halloween weekend’s Voodoo Fest. There will be no mistaking when the axe infiltrates Le Carnival courtesy of Corrosion of Conformity’s Pepper Keenan and Crowbar’s Kirk Windstein. Back, drug-free, and better than ever, front man Philip Anselmo will, no doubt, tear the roof off the circus tent.
    Down is currently working on their fourth studio album, but grab the certified platinum debut, NOLA, along with DOWN II, and DOWN III: Over the Under.  –Joanna Wilson

Wolfmother
Saturday, October 31, 6:20 p.m.
Le Ritual

    Ok, they rock. I have to admit it. I say that because initially, I was confused about what the band Wolfmother was about. I was sure that they were more of a doom rock band, which is what I wanted them to be. A band that you and your girlfriend could perform a ritual to in a candle– lit dungeon. That’s the impression I got looking at some of their album artwork. Wrong. However, they are a band where you and the lady could enjoy a tasty Cooper’s ale (they’re of the Australian blood line) and bob your head to their loud rock ‘n’ roll, and that’s ok with me too. Wolfmother is a hard rock band. They won a Grammy for the genre and have had guest vocalists and grunge rock pioneers Chris Cornell and Eddie Veder share the stage with them. They have a good sound and good taste, a realization I had when I heard their cover of the mighty Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown.” Hell, some of their stuff even sounds like Zeppelin, with a touch of The Who and a Sabbath or two breakdown mixed in with their own creative juices. They tour often and all over the world, and they will be making a stop in New Orleans this year for Voodoo Fest. The kids can play rock ‘n’ roll. They’re basically reviving it, especially if we compare it to the other weak shit flooding the mainstream right now. It’s the kind of music that will inspire you to learn how to play an instrument, go home and practice the one you have, or buy their record for your listening enjoyment on your way to a concert. Le Ritual stage is where you can find them. Make sure you see this band, especially if you want your face melted by great rock ‘n’ roll. –Brian Serpas

Walter “Wolfman” Washington
Saturday, October 31, 6:30 p.m.
Le Flambeau

    A New Orleans native born here in 1943, Walter “Wolfman” Washington cut his musical teeth in the African American clubs of the inner city in the 70s and 80s. Over the years he worked his way up to national status with a series of well-received albums and appearances. A child prodigy on guitar, he was backing up vocalist Johnny Adams in the late 50s, and in the early 60s Washington became a member of Lee Dorsey’s touring band. After that he worked with Irma Thomas and Earl King. By the early 70s, his popularity had grown enough to earn him a slot on a European package tour of New Orleans R&B acts. In the late 70s, he toured Europe on his own with his new band, the Roadmasters.
    Washington began his recording career relatively late, cutting his first album in 1981. The record, Rainin’ In My Heart, appeared on a small independent label called Help Me; it was later re-released on Maison de Soul. Four years after his debut, Washington landed a contract with a prestigious label, Rounder Records, releasing Wolf Tracks in 1986. He recorded two more albums for Rounder – Out of the Dark (1988) and Wolf at the Door – before moving to the Point Blank/Charisma label in 1991. Throughout the 90s, Washington continued to perform regularly, particularly in New Orleans clubs, and he recorded occasionally, yielding Blue Moon Risin’ in 1999 and On the Prowl a year later. During this time, also, he frequently teamed up with the late blues singer, Timothea, on her CDs and live performances, including Timothea’s benefits for hepatitis C. Today, with the Roadmasters, Washington incorporates all the elements of soul, funk, jazz, and blues into his repertoire and his performances. –Dean M. Shapiro

Drive-By Truckers
Saturday, October 31, 6:30 p.m.
Le Flambeau
    It appears that DBT either hates the summer heat in New Orleans or wanted to avoid hurricane season. When coupled with their Jazz Fest appearance earlier this year, DBTs will have effectively bookended both with the band’s upcoming Voodoo appearance.
    Of course, hailing from Alabama, DBT isn’t afraid of hot summers. Considering they were the last band to play Tipitina’s before the mandatory evacuation for Katrina, DBT isn’t fazed by hurricanes either. No, DBT just has had a busy summer while keeping their weekdays free touring on their Righteous Path Summer Weekend Offensive. They will be close to wrapping it up with their Halloween show at Marconi Meadows. 
    Aside from the expected guitar twang and emotional intensity found at DBT shows, fest goers can expect some rarities from the band’s New West years, which can be found on DBT’s September release, The Fine Print.  DBT will also be without Booker T., who played with them at Jazz Fest this year. That set – while great as it included Booker T.’s new work from his Album Potato Hole – was a bit more subdued at times than the usual DBT show.
    In addition to the rarities, DBT has an enormous catalog of material from which to draw, including crowd favorites “The Living Bubba,” “Gravity’s Gone,” and “My Sweet Annette.” Expect also Patterson Hood’s lengthy intros as well as Mike Cooley’s lyrical twists on ammo, love and liquor. As Hood likes to close his reports from the road… See You at the Rock Show. –Rick Stedman

Jane’s Addiction, in Perry Farrell’s Words
Saturday, October 31, 7:35 p.m.
Le Ritual
by Dionne Charlet
    The original four-man lineup of Jane’s Addiction will play Halloween Saturday during VooDoo Experience at City Park. Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins reunited for their first performance since 1991 at the U.S. NME Awards at the El Rey Theatre in L.A. on April 23, 2008, where JA was the first American band to receive the Godlike Genius Award. A force unstoppable since that reunion performance, the quartet is gearing up for a Big Easy treat-night fix following the July 12 wrap of their NIN/JA tour with Nine Inch Nails.
    Self-titled debut album hits like Jane Says began a groundbreaking career for these alternative pioneers. Second album Ritual de lo Habitual was released in 1990, then Eric Avery left the band in 1991. JA had brief flickerings of resurgence sans Avery in 1997, then again with replacement bassists from 2004-2008. Each of the original four members became involved in other projects: Farrell and Perkins formed Porno for Pyros; Navarro joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In recent years, guitarist Dave Navarro infused his irrepressible ‘it-factor’ persona into his Spread TV talk show. Bassist Eric Avery debuted his solo album Help Wanted in 2008, and drummer Stephen Perkins chose to donate proceeds from his 2008 Behind the Player DVD to help get instruments to aspiring child musicians.
    Environmentally-conscious front man Perry Farrell created multi-band traveling venue Lollapalooza as a farewell tour showcase for Jane’s Addiction in 1991, effectively mainstreaming the genre of alternative music in the process. He continues to run Lollapalooza, now an annual Chicago-based destination event, beautifying the city each year through contributions to the Parkways Foundation. The charismatic Mr. Farrell was kind enough to grant us an interview while he was camping on the beach with his family.
    “Gosh, I wish we could bring Lollapalooza to New Orleans,” offered Farrell with genuine caring and passion in his voice. “That would be great. You know, we are always looking for another place to have a beautiful party.”
    We asked Perry to tell Where Y’at readers about his many projects and of his love for Jane’s Addiction.
    “I perform as a DJ and I have performed live electronic, live PA, and I perform in a rock band. Each one has a certain beauty and charm and feel to it. Jane’s Addiction is like a traumatic play.”
    “You know,” continued Farrell, “to perform with Jane’s is a very unique feeling. The music is rock, so, well, there’s a certain energy and fierceness that comes with rock. Some of the music, the writing changes – you write about different things than you do with dance music. With dance music, it’s very positive. Basically, I’ll be quite honest with you, dance music is written for different drugs than rock. Rock and roll is written with different drugs in mind. When the listener is experiencing songs and when the writer is writing songs they use a different set of mind-altering enhancement, so to speak. Rock and roll is different. With dance music you are writing stuff that’s for ecstasy and love and with rock and roll, you can write love and all that stuff too, but you can get dark and moody in addition.”
    There has been mention of “some writing” that Stephen, Dave, Eric, and Perry got done during the recording of new versions of “Chip Away” and “Whores,” produced by Alan Moulder and NIN lead Trent Reznor for a combined March 20 online release. Farrell elaborated on his process for music writing.
    “When I come out of sleep, I always come out of sleep with a song. Like, eight days out of ten, I’ll have a song, and the song will be from something either that, you know, last night I had in my mind or I wake up in the morning and it hits me. I write like that, and when I write, I just write words, and I say them, and I say them. I’ll have hundreds of pages ready for songs. Then, you could attach a melody to it at the time or sometimes you don’t have to slow down for a melody, just to have the words and to have the story. Because, really, what music is, what songs are, is storytelling. And, you can attach words too. When you’ve got a great groove, it’s like riding a wave. You know what I mean, if you are a surfer but the wave is perfect and beautiful you’re gonna have a great ride.”
    “Well, I take pride in my writing,” Perry added. “I feel that, well, not to boast, but I feel that my lyrics are thoughtful and deep and profound. They are not really dummied down. I do occasionally dummy down lyrics. Sometimes it actually pays to dummy down lyrics if you want to just have people just feel like that sexual wildfire when you just write some stuff that’s simple to understand. And that’s cool too. But, I also feel that I write lyrics that people can actually appreciate and enjoy like poetry. You know what I mean? Like, that’s something that I feel is somewhat of a long-lost art.”
    “The Beatles – I knew this about them – they had a chemistry,” he continued. “They would write three pop songs and then the rest of their tracks would be called album tracks. I have had a very hard time because my managers always say to me, ‘That’s a great album track but it’s not a single,’ and I want to say, you know, fuck yourself. It’s a beautiful song. I don’t write for singles. I don’t write for album tracks. I just write to make beautiful music. Sometimes I wish that I would go for the single sellout crossover thing because I would have a brand new house. And, I have a family that – we are outgrowing the house I live in but I can honestly tell you that I have never been ashamed of a song that I have written, so there you go.”
    Farrell coined the term Alternative Nation, and he once called vintage JA the “soundtrack” for young people out looking for love. When asked to compare himself as a young artist to the performer his is today, Perry responded.
    “Well, I still have the same ambitions. I go out there and I want to give every ounce of energy that I have in my body to the performance. These days after performing for 25 plus years, what I have learned is that when you go out there just with that ambition, sometimes you’ll go sharp or flat. So, it’s kind of like you have two brains going. You know, we all have our left and right side to our brain. Well, I’ve learned to use a little bit more of the left side of my brain because while I am giving this passion and trying to relive the moment when the song was being written, trying to portray that character that I was when the songs were written, I am also trying to sound beautiful and in pitch and soaring and hit these beautiful notes. So, it’s a little bit of mechanics mixed in with pure enthusiasm and heart.”
    Commitment to a love of making JA music is not a trait exclusive to Farrell, as is clear when he discusses drummer Perkins’ staph infection.
    “Steve’s elbow looked like the size of a golf ball the last time we were together but he still played. The doctors said don’t play. He played anyway. You know, you can’t keep him from playing. It’s in his blood and his soul. You could tell him, ‘I got us a gig playing at a Port-a-Potty, but it’s gonna be a good party,’ and he would be there.”
    “We look forward to being in New Orleans again and make the people just kind of lose their sorrow and their sadness and just pick up their joy and their partying to celebrate with us.”

George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic    Saturday, October 31, 8:15 p.m.
Le Flambeau
    George Clinton (born July 22, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer and the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic, who began his work as a solo artist in 1981. He has been called one of the most prominent innovators of funk music, along with James Brown and Sly Stone.
The Parliaments eventually found success in Parliament and Funkadelic in the seventies. These two bands combined elements of Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, Cream, and James Brown all while creating their own style. Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic dominated music during the 1970s with over 40 R&B hits. Beginning in the early 1980s, Clinton recorded several nominal “solo” albums, although all of these records featured contributions from P-Funk’s musicians. In 1982, Clinton signed to Capitol Records as a solo artist and as the P-Funk All-Stars, releasing Computer Games that year. In 1985, he was recruited by the Red Hot Chili Peppers to produce their album Freaky Styley.
    Clinton’s popularity had diminished by the mid 1980s, but he experienced resurgence in the early 1990s. Clinton and 15 other P-Funk members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Clinton founded a record label called The C Kunspyruhzy in 2005. On September 16, 2008, Clinton released his recent solo album George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love on Shanachie Records. –Heather Shapiro

SUNDAY

Earl Greyhound: Rocking Faces and Mixing Races at Voodoo
Sunday, November 1, 11:25 a.m.
Le Ritual
By Dominique Minor
    Pounding out thunderous fills that can only be described as the heartbeat of Thor, Earl Greyhound drummer Ricc Sheridan uses his tree trunk-sized arms to beat his kit like it owes him money. Sporting an Angelina Davis-esque afro, the band’s bassist/vocalist Kamara Thomas howls and plucks out thick grooves with an effortless mastery. Leading the band is skilled vocalist/guitarist Matt Whyte. His soulful, white boy croon is one part Scott Weiland and two parts Lenny Kravitz. His lean physique, long tresses, and inclination towards wearing unbuttoned shirts onstage is reminscent of a 1970s-era Robert Plant.
    But to hell with hyperbole and flowery descriptions, Earl Greyhound is the real deal.
    The band was birthed in a 2002 collaboration between Whyte and Thomas. At the time the two musicians played as an acoustic guitar and piano duo, but they later developed a desire to expand their sound into a hard rock trio. The two dubbed their band Earl Greyhound, and that name is quite apropos when considering the band’s mixture of English classic rock and modern NYC-cool.
    In 2004, without a permanent drummer, the band released a self-produced demo (Earl Greyhound EP) while playing live performances with a revolving lineup of drummers, including Grizzly Bear’s Chris Bear. In early 2006, Whyte and Thomas finally found their match in Sheridan, and later that year released Earl Greyhound’s debut album, Soft Targets. Though it was not a commercial success, the album was well-received among critics, soliciting glowing reviews from the likes of Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Spin, and the ultra-choosy Pitchfork Media.
    In reading many of those reviews you will learn that no comparison to Led Zeppelin has failed to be employed when describing the band’s music. Jimmy Page’s influence can be clearly heard on the arena anthem-ready tracks “I’m The One” and “All Better Now,” as well as the snarling guitar lines and shifting time-signatures of the 8-minute-plus “Monkey.” It is a song Thomas said “can’t ever go wrong, no matter how far it shoots into outerspace on the astro-train.”
    However, there is more to Earl Greyhound than Led Zeppelin comparisons.
Unlike many bands in the classic rock revival circuit, the band plays a brand of vintage-inspired tunes without being forced in eccentricity or irony. And with the band slogan, “Race faces, mix the races,” Earl Greyhound has never been afraid to embrace a culturally progressive stance in the realm of rock ‘n’ roll.
    “Obviously, we all like to rock,” said Thomas. “We don’t have to talk about, you know, why we’re rocking this color skin. I think you shouldn’t be afraid to mix it up. We shouldn’t be afraid to mix the races.”
    “It still is an – unnecessarily – delicate subject,” added Whyte. “So, I think to kind of have something that’s both serious and tongue-and-cheek at the same time.”

WYAT: What can you tell Where Y’at about your upcoming album?
Matt: It’s something all three of us are very proud of. We’ve worked a long time on putting it together and I think we ultimately made a very mature record that reflects our having pushed ourselves to the next level.

WYAT: Is there a tentative release date?
Matt: No, but I think it’s fair to say February 2010. That said we [will have] an EP that we recorded during the album sessions that we’ll be releasing this fall and selling on tour and to our fan base. So please sign up for our newsletter at earlgreyhound.com to receive release info.

WYAT: How do you feel about sometimes being labeled “indie retro rock”?
Kamara: Actually, I think that genre applies to almost every band that’s come out in the last decade or more, whether your lineage is 60s, 70s, 80s, rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, funk, punk, pop, whatever... A band without a lineage is impossible.  Point is, we’re proud of our lineage. At the same time we believe in our music as a very current sound.

WYAT: Any comparisons to your music you’re tired of hearing?
Matt: If someone wants to drape the Zeppelin biz around our name God bless them.

WYAT: What performers are you looking forward to seeing at Voodoo Fest? Are you looking forward to any performers from New Orleans?
Matt: I love this festival so GD much. It really does mop the floor with many of the others... from a performer’s point of view at least. If there’s one thing I’d like to do different this go round at Voodoo it’s that I’d like to check out what’s going on in the tent that Preservation Hall plays.

WYAT: What do you feel distinguishes Voodoo Fest from other music festivals?
Kamara: Anything that happens in New Orleans somehow finds its way to a celebration of life, because it’s a town full of Earth People. That energy will always attract. Voodoo is special in that it’s committed to highlighting the brilliant local music scene, which is real-American-six-feet-under-to-the-roots-and-keep-on-digging-earth-music.

WYAT: What can fans expect to see at your Voodoo Fest performance?
Matt: Mostly new music, a Soft Targets sampling, and a much better band.
The Pogues
Sunday, November 1, 2:15 p.m.
Le Ritual
    If any band has a distinct sound and aura, it’s the Pogues. Those who’ve heard their music know this fact, but describing them initially is rather difficult. If I may be so bold, I’d say they’re a cross between Tom Waits and the Dropkick Murphys. If you haven’t heard of these two either, it’s called the internet, people.
    They started up in the London pubs back in 1982, and sport a much more Irish vibe. “The Pogues” is a shortened version of their original name, Pogue Mahone, which is an English twist to pog mo thoin (meaning “kiss my arse”). Clearly more Irish than English.
    Punk, jazz, Celtic elements also compliment their traditional Irish style. They opened up for the Clash in 1984 and hit their height of success later in the 80s. Lead singer Shane MacGowan has that raspy kind of voice that is just too awesome to deny. He allegedly had some personal issues with… you guessed it… drinking.  They broke up in 1996, but reunited in 2001 and began touring the U.S. again in 2006.
    One of their most popular tunes is “Fairytale in New York,” in which MacGowan has a duet with Kirsty MacColl. It’s a Christmas song, so I don’t know if it will mesh well with the Halloween theme of Voodoo, but I can listen to it year-round. It was voted the best Christmas song in 2004, 2005, and 2006 by VHI UK.
    The Pogues received a lifetime achievement award in the annual Meteor Ireland Music Awards in February 2006. So, if you like that Irish touch in your music, I see no reason not to get off your arse and go see the Pogues.
–John Breerwood
Quintron & Miss Pussycat
Sunday, November 1, 5:45 p.m.
Le Carnival
By John Dean Alfone

WYAT: Although you are quite known around the country, many New Orleanians are unfamiliar with your band. Can you talk about the history of Quintron and Miss Pussycat and your relationship to the Crescent City?
Q&P: Well, let’s see... Miss Pussycat moved here to be close to a painting at NOMA by this female surrealist named Dorthea Tanning. And I came here to be close to Miss Pussycat. Now I’ve been here most of my life and have always lived in basically the same block of the 9th Ward. You can’t ever get too pompous living in New Orleans... we are all losers in the age old battle of man vs. nature

WYAT:  Any surprises for the VoodooFest show? What about your show the night before at One-Eyed Jacks on Halloween?
Q&P: It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you silly! But there will probably be lots of puppets, flash pots, loud organ music, sexy dancers, dragon people, smoke, police cars, thunderstorms, tight underwear, and rabid dogs. Did I ruin it for you? Yea... we are gonna out-Kiss KISS. I hate Gene Simmons.

WYAT: You have your own studio/performance space called the Spellcaster Lodge in the 9th Ward. How did this place come into existence and how is the 9th Ward Marching Band you created coming along?
Q&P: The Spellcaster Lodge is best left unspoken-about. It is doing fine and I would like to thank everyone out there who has supported us through the years. We have a huge party coming up on November 6th with King Kahn and Bar-B-Que and this amazing new band called Sex Hex. But please please do NOT print the address in this magazine. If you don’t know, you don’t need to know, y’know? The world needs a lil secret sometimes. As for the Marching Band... well, we never really think about it until epiphany... or New Years anyways. This year will be our 15th anniversary! We usually march in Proteus and Muses. Man, Muses is amazing now huh? They are like the new super Krewe. Ladies can get some shit done!

WYAT: That being said, what is it like being on the Marigny A-list celebrity scene? Like who are you talking about? Uncle Lionel? Coco Robichauex? The dude who owns Cafe Brazil??
Q&P: Oh yea, we hang out all the time eating candy, drinking bottled water and talking about our adopted babies. It’s awesome.

WYAT:  Please talk about your latest release, Too Thirsty 4 Love as well as the Trixie and the Treetrunks DVD release which is essentially a puppet show put together by your partner Miss Pussycat. What is your participation in her creative vision and vice versa?
Q&P: Too Thirsty 4 Love is my latest release out on Goner Records and it was recorded right here at the Spellcaster Lodge. I don’t like to talk about music with words so I’m not going to attempt to describe it. Music exists to fill in all the gaps that words don’t fill, but... um... what the hell... alright here goes: This record sounds like, “boom boom chick-a wha wha... whrrrrr... phllllat chuk ka ka oo ooo, baby yea rock and roool alright!”  Imagine that with distorted organ and lo-fi booty bass drums – repeated hypnotically until the end of a 4 minute 2 chord song about the glorious nightlife. Lots of obscure name dropping and first grade poetry. Repeat for 9 songs.  Trixie and the Tree Trunks is an enchanting, luminous, ten episode puppet mini-series created by Miss Pussycat and Quintron. It includes appearances by Guitar Lightning, King Louie, and Quintron and Miss Pussycat – and writer Andrei Codrescu as the voice of the puppet “JJ Suede” – as well as witches, messages from the Center of the Earth, things frozen in blocks of ice, harvest fest, and the Happy Tree. DVD includes special bonus features “the making of” (made for Dutch Televison), and “Witch in the Bloopers.”  We are working on season two right now!

WYAT:  You invented a light-activated oscillating drum machine related to the Theremin called the Drum Buddy? What exactly is a Drum Buddy and how are sales going for it? Is it true Kanye West owns one?
Q&P: Kanye is really kind of a dick huh? He doesn’t own one, but he is a fan. He blogged about it on his site like a year ago. The guy is a huge fan of modern design and has a particular fetish for 1960s chairs. Those crazy rappers. But really, I think his lack of actual street cred has turned him into a racist blabbermouth – just to get a certain kind of attention. Kanye, if you are reading this, you better clean up your act or you are NEVER getting a drum buddy. Oh... and if you want to know what a Drum Buddy is, you should go to www.drumbuddy.com. I invented and patented this in 2000 and have sold maybe a hundred of them so far. It will always be a very special boutique item and never mass produced. There is actually a new line of Drum Buddies being made for an exhibit that Miss Pussycat and I are doing in the New Orleans Museum of Art this January! The Modern wing of the Museum is doing a whole exhibit on us for three months. All of the puppets will be there, tons of Drum Buddies... including old prototypes and experimental early versions, AND I am going to install myself in the museum and report to work there every day to record a new album. So that’s what’s new with us. Thanks for asking! Come see us attack Kiss with rabid dogs at Voodoo fest and definitely come out to One Eyed Jack’s on Halloween. Free Sex!!

Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews
Sunday, November 1, 5:30 p.m.
Le Flambeau

No longer “short” nor the 8-year-old wunderkind who wowed the music world with his prodigious talents at a young age, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews is “all growed up” now. And he rates an entry (with pictures!) online in Wikipedia. Quite an accomplishment for a native son born in 1986. Already a veteran of the performing life, he has toured with Lenny Kravitz, U2 and Green Day, and fronts his own band, Orleans Avenue. Hailing from the musically rich Tremé section of town, Shorty is the brother of renowned trumpeter James Andrews, nephew of also-renowned trumpeter Glen David Andrews, and grandson of the late Jessie Hill of “Ooh Poo Pah Doo” fame. The acorn didn’t fall far from the tree when young Troy picked up the trombone at four years old and was already leading bands by the age of six; before his arms were even long enough to reach all the positions on his namesake instrument’s slide (he used his foot to reach the slide’s outermost positions, he recounts). In 2008 he performed at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado and at Lincoln Center in New York. Could Carnegie Hall and Royal Albert Hall be next? Stay tuned as this extraordinarily talented young man continues to conquer new worlds.
–Dean M. Shapiro

Meat Puppets   
Sunday, November 1, 7:15 p.m.
Le Carnival
                  
    Any 90s alt-rock kid or 80s punk rocker knows the significance of the Meat Puppets in today’s music. They banded together when music wasn’t about individual attitudes or unique sounds. Music was cookie-cutter, but the Meat Puppets broke away from the mold to help develop a genre all their own. Twenty-some odd years later, the Meat Puppets are still going strong despite a tumultuous history.
    Sewn Together was recently released through the Meat Puppets’ new home, Megaforce Records. Complete with a new lineup, the band began touring full-force earlier this year, and is staying true to its hard-fought originality. At this year’s Voodoo Fest, the Meat Puppets find themselves playing the ultra-indie Carnival tent, stylized by New Orleans Bingo! Show. No place could be more fitting for a band that is just a little bit off. –Joanna Wilson

Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Sunday, November 1, 7:30 p.m.
Le Flambeau

    Over the past several years, Robert Randolph has transformed himself into one of the most diverse performers in the world, tackling new challenges head on while testing himself against some of the best musicians to gather around… and the Family Band has kept marching pace at the front of the line with their fearless leader, daring you to do the same.
    When they take the stage Sunday November 1 at Voodoo Music Fest, you’d better have packed some energy… and lots of it. From opener to encore, Randolph – the soulful front man making the pedal steel ring true – challenges the audience verbally and through his instrument to keep pace with his band, adding to the explosively growing momentum this 4-piece ensemble manages to build night in and night out. Always in favor of crowd participation, Randolph will undoubtedly ask throngs of willing ladies to join him on-stage for a rousing version of “Shake Your Hips.” And, honestly, there’s just something about 25 dancing ladies in summer dresses that makes me happy.
    Honing his skills in jam sessions these last few years with the likes of such guitar kings as Eric Clapton and Luther Dickinson has made Randolph a dignified picker who can play just about anything with anyone anywhere. His youthful church upbringing, where he was solely interested in giving his craft back to a higher spirit, reflects in his commanding stage presence, as you can feel him channeling some inner rhythmic spirit that can’t be taught in a music class. It gets especially funky when each member of the band rotates to another members’ instrument until they’ve come full circle back to their own. Talk about strength as a unit!
    Not shy about bringing guest musicians onto his stage, look for Randolph to take full advantage of the myriad of talented musicians sure to be looking for an invite to join his festivities on stage… just try and keep up with the beat!
–A. Davidson Warner

Widespread Panic
Sunday, November 1, 3:15 p.m.
Le Ritual
    Widespread Panic will be making its first ever appearance Sunday November 1 at the Voodoo Music Fest, highlighting what should be an amazing day of music out in City Park. Taking a short break from an incomparable nationwide tour with the Allman Brothers Band, the 6-headed monster that is WSP will howl at the night sky like a pack of rabid dogs for 3 hours of post-Halloween madness in the Crescent City. No doubt they’ll be armed with gaggles of tricks and treats and plenty of heat for costumed freaks just looking for a place to shed their skin!
    No stranger to late October gigs in New Orleans, Panic usually takes its piracy act towards the murky waters of Lake Pontchartrain. This year, however, the Panic team and the good people of Voodoo Fest were able to wrangle some space for the boys inside the park gates, turning what was already a rock solid weekend of voodoo and hoodoo and all kinds of weird shit into a 3-day blowout that smashes any festival in the country this fall. By the time the tick-tocks stop at midnight, you’ll be begging for mercy.    
    I think it’s fair to say that at this point in their long and distinguished career, Widespread Panic is at the top of its game. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Go to Voodoo Fest and see for yourself. After some 20+ years of playing music together, Panic has proven there are COUNTLESS directions they can AND WILL take this show—but you never know what you’re going to get, and that’s the best part of it! It could be fast and raw, showcasing the talents of the best lead guitarist in the business— Mr. Jimmy Herring. They could lean more towards a funk-filled night in the big easy, giving free rein to keyboardist JoJo Hermann to deliver a Professor Longhair nod to a willing audience, or they could throw some really filthy Halloween covers at you… OR, and this is just my guess (um, wink), they could do all of the above! I promise, the ticket in to this show will be well worth the price of admission.
–A. Davidson Warner

Squirrel Nut Zippers: Lost at Sea
Chris Phillips New Album, Disney, and Voodoo
Sunday, November 1, 4:15 p.m.
Le Carnival
By Dionne Charlet
    Out of North Carolina in 1993, hitting the top 10 in 1996 with “Hell” and finding themselves in league with Disney, Squirrel Nut Zippers have had their share of zany travels and larger-than-life moments. Original and founding members Katherine Whalen (vocals, banjo and ukulele), James “Jimbo” Mathus (vocals and guitar), Chris Phillips (drums, percussion), Je Widenhouse (trumpet), and Stuart Cole (bass) will be performing favorite SNZ tunes as well as new songs from their October 6 release, Lost At Sea. Depending on the time of day the band is slated to hit the stage, the NOLA VooDoo Experience show could include a video performance of the amazing Ghost of Stephen Foster cartoon, created by their friends at The Simpsons. Mr. Chris Phillips was kind enough to give us a really detailed interview, without all those pesky contraction apostrophes…

WYAT: In a nutshell, can you verify for our readers what the actual origins of the band name “Squirrel Nut Zippers” is?
Chris Phillips: According to our records, a very drunk and southern gentleman found himself treed in a Boston park. When the police came to retrieve him he declared himself a “Squirrel Nut Zipper.” Upon reading the article in the local blotter section, the Cambridge MA Squirrel Brand Company felt they had found a suitable name for their new Caramel Chew. As for our choice, we were also inebriated. If I recall correctly, the band would not heed my warnings against using a name that’s origins were borne from the rodent world. Always a foolish and amateurish choice. Is this a name Jimmy Page would have considered? I think not. My choice in a band name stayed firmly in the human realm. After all, I’m no race trader. The name I came up with was “Alien Sex Fantasy”. I’m sure everyone would agree that is a more appropriate name for a band such as ours. Right?

WYAT: With as many different definitions of the band sound as there are reporters, it seems, SNZ has been called everything from “30s punk” to “swing band” to “hot jazz band” with a melding of Delta blues, gypsy jazz, swing, and klezmer. How do you feel the band’s sound has evolved, and what adjective would you use to best describe it?
CP: Let me answer the second part of the question first: Shit Hot. To really answer the question properly you have to realize that we are most influenced by the high temperature and humidity of the rural south. It had such a ravaging effect on our brains that we were unable to complete our studies of any one musical vernacular. So we would genre hop. The next thing you know we had fallen knee deep into a shitstorm of critics accusing us of both being too traditional and not nearly traditional enough. The only thing left to do was to turn to the sanctuary of the air conditioned thrift store near our rehearsal space. Once inside we realized we had found the missing link... ill fitting suits, tattered hats and impossible color combinations. We were complete! “Squirrel nut Zippers - A Thrift Store Suit.” I think this sums up our music nicely.
WYAT:  During the big alternative explosion in the late 90s, “Hell” hit the mainstream top 10. What was it like to ride that wave to stardom, and to have your yet “indefinable sound” deemed beloved by mainstream Americana?
CP: Well it wasn’t so much a wave as it was white water rafting. Lots of yelling and spitting water out of your nose. But really, any girl is flattered when she is asked to the dance, no matter what she says. So we danced. As for the mainstream, we met most of them. They come, they eat, they go. Then we get to the real business of crafting a career. We count ourselves lucky to have something we don’t want to fuck up.
WYAT: Just before your appearance in New Orleans, The Zippers’ new, and first ever live, album Lost At Sea will debut. “The title of the new release,” per SNZ, “is very appropriate considering the band’s unfortunate departure from public life in 2002 when the Disney cruise ship they were performing aboard hit a massive island of trash and was rendered unseaworthy.” What can you (or can’t you) discuss about Disney, Mammoth Records, and the original “Under the Sea” release?
CP: I can tell you that the Mouse swallowed the Cheese to catch the Squirrel. I can tell you we feel very fortunate to have worked with some of the folks at Mammoth and in fact, some of those same people are helping with our latest release. I can tell you that “Under the Sea” (from the Little Mermaid) was freakishly one of the coolest tracks we ever cut. Only surpassed by its stunning video. Beautifully shot on film, we dressed in Chinese parade garb (complete with dragon!) and prowled around a fog entombed lake. It’s never been finished and remains unedited in a lawyer’s house I believe. It’s a crying shame. I believe we made our money nonetheless. I can’t tell you how much. Unfortunately, around this time we became “indisposed.” Trapped on a small island for years with only your band-mates is no way to become a better person. Its not like “Lost.” No drama. Just bass players and drummers arguing over who is speeding up or slowing down. We would have been forced to eat Jimbo had it not been for Dave Burris. He works for the TV show “Survivor” and was scouting for a new island to film on. Oh man, the look on his face was priceless when stumbled on us. We had Jimbo all splayed out and tied up. We were having a big fight as to how to humanely do our savage work. When Burris saw us he must have thought we were the most pathetic cannibals ever. All scrawny and pale. Not at all like in the movies. We looked like shitty hippies. You’ll have to ask him about this really.
WYAT: The band seems to have undergone a healthy progression of turnover through the years. How have former band members affected you, the band, and the music?
CP: Stacy Guess (original Trumpet player) was the first one in my mind who ever got the band to stretch out musically. Unfortunately he passed away. What a sweetheart he was. The original bass player Don Raleigh was very into Harry Parch and other more esoteric music. So he informed the band on a kind of cerebral level. We are much more root oriented now I think. Andrew Bird was always such a stunning talent. He raised the bar for the band, and I think we helped him grow as well. Fundamentally the band has always been evolving. There are so many former members we have talked about getting them together for a battle of the bands. We very much enjoy new blood. It keeps us young. No we are not vampires.  

WYAT: What were some of the reasons for Squirrel Nut Zippers’ hiatus from 2005 - 2007?

CP: I believe I have answered this as truthfully as I can. As I stated, we were hopelessly lost at sea, and stuck on an abandoned island for years. I assure you this is no Shake-Lurk. The true accounts might be released in paperback next year, so I don’t want to give out too many details. I can tell you the name of the dingy we clung to was “The Ocean Toad.” Stuart had actually had to paddle alongside us on his upright bass (poor behavior made us force him into a timeout scenario). After radio contact was lost, we had no choice but to rough it. We began making a homemade hooch out of coconuts and monkey scat. It was actually quite good once you got over the smell. But listen, I don’t want to talk about that. I want to talk about rock and roll.

WYAT: The band has mentioned “future plans for the release of live recordings, rarities and new studio recordings are all in the works,” and I see you have something set in motion for a 2010 release. In addition to the October 27 debut of your first live album, what types of new original material can fans look forward to in the years to come?

CP: The band has been hitting studios all over the place over the last year or so. There seem to be many different sounds and styles. So I think we have a little work distilling them all down a bit. But it has a strong aroma of good shit. We have never felt better at our particular craft. “Old World Crapsmanship” as I call it. I think it’s fair to say some of our southern heritage is shining brighter on new recordings. Folk music seems to be a theme as well. But I won’t let anything come out that doesn’t meet the high standards of our scientific research staff back in the SNZ laboratory. We also have found some amazing unreleased recordings which we will save until they have gone up in value. They are our T-Bills I suppose.

WYAT: Is there anything you would like to add, or words you’d like to express to your New Orleanian fan base?

CP: Oh my god, what could I say to a city that has given us so much? Most of our records were done there. Even the Christmas record (which was recorded in the middle of a sweltering July). We owe you our lifeblood. We can’t emulate your story, but we love to steal pages from your book. Please be kind -- rewind. See ya’ll...

Fleur de Tease
Sunday, November 1
2:45 p.m.
Le Carnival

A VooDoo Treat, N’awlins Style: Fleur de Tease Burlesque
An Interview with Trixie Minx
by Dionne Charlet

The VooDoo Experience on Halloween weekend would not be complete without ample portions of sugar and spice and everything nice. We caught up with the lovely founder of Fleur de Tease while she was rehearsing in California. Alexis Graber, who performs under the stage name Trixie Minx, discusses VooDoo, burlesque and New Orleans with one of our writers.
 
Where Y’at: When I first heard of Fleur de Tease, I could not help but think how lovely and spunky the troupe’s name is, and how the name honors this melting pot of a city’s spirit of rebuilding. How did you come to create the name? What inspired you to combine aerialists, comedians, burlesque and more?
Trixie Minx: I began performing burlesque right before Katrina and quickly fell in love. I couldn’t pinpoint what made burlesque so exciting so I spent all my time researching to learn more about it. I soon realized that the Vaudeville style combining comedy, costumes, and group dances is what really made it special to me. I wanted to recreate the elaborate showcase that I read so much about and include more than just strip tease. With the help of some very wonderful friends Fleur de Tease was born as a result. The troupe’s name does have a lot to do with the city. I travel a bunch but New Orleans is my home and I want to do everything I can to contribute to making it a wonderful place. I hope Fleur de Tease becomes a New Orleans institution and continues on long after I’m gone. We have a very unique and amazing culture and I’m glad to be able to take part in keeping it alive.
WYAT: How is the troupe planning to wow attendees of Voodoo Music Experience 2009 during the Fleur show?
Minx: This is our third time performing at Voodoo and it gets better each year. We always bring our favorite dances but this year we have even more elaborate costumes and high energy routines. We are also thrilled to be doing a lot of work with the New Orleans BINGO! Show in the days leading up to our set.
WYAT: What kinds of preparations go into a show of this magnitude? What are rehearsals like?
Minx: A whole bunch goes into making our show what it is. In addition to the performers on stage there are also a lot of wonderful people behind the scenes who help with everything from the costumes we wear to the props we use. All the performers rehearse weekly. We use our time to brainstorm new ideas, clarify costume concepts, and of course dance. We all collaborate really well with each other and rehearsals are where all our concepts and creations take shape.
WYAT: How would you sum up the history of burlesque in New Orleans? What is your impression of the burlesque scene these days in the city, and what do you enjoy most about performing?
Minx: Burlesque has a very special and unique relationship with New Orleans. The city is full of life, music, and celebration which make burlesque a natural fit. The art of burlesque perfectly complements the other wonderful elements of New Orleans culture. Unfortunately I didn’t have the pleasure to see the burlesque scene on Bourbon Street in the 50’s but the current scene is pretty cool. New Orleans has 5 full running burlesque troupes (and one boylesque troupe) that I’m aware of. It is impressive that so many burlesque groups can flourishing in a relative small area. What was once just classic bump and grind is now used as everything from entertainment to a political platform. Personally as a performer I enjoy the relationship a burlesque dancer has with the audience. Burlesque requires that the audience participate in the performance which is an amazing experience. The more love you show the ladies the more they will show you. The energy back and forth between the dancer and the crowd is an incredible high. I also love it when people laugh, even if they are laughing at me ;-)
WYAT: Fleur de Tease has done several charity shows. What is special to you about performing charity work?
Minx: I am a huge advocate for supporting local and national charities. As an individual you can make an impact in your community; the more we contribute the more we benefit as a whole. Fleur de Tease has participated in many charity events benefiting people, animals, and causes throughout the nation. One of our most notable projects has been working with Tony Clifton and Comic Relief to raise money for the Gulf Coast Musician’s Relief Fund.
WYAT: Can you name some of the other members of Fleur de Tease who will be performing at VooDoo Fest, and a little about each person?
Minx: We have an amazing cast of performers. Here is the list of people you will see when you come to the show:
Trixie Minx (me ;-)) directs and produces the show. I primarily perform comic burlesque and am often called a Hot Jewish Chick. Madame Mystere choreographs all our group routines. She has a beautiful classic style and is just an overall amazing person. Natasha Fiore is our fire twirling hottie. She has a seductive quality and is always a great performer. Twirling fire tassels is also pretty hot! Lily Summer is another one of our beautiful dancers. A Disney enthusiast, she has an innocent playful theme in most of her dances. Bella Blue has a phenomenal jazz style of movement. She often works with the classic feather fans and also teaches burlesque. Chris Lane is the host of our show. He is the one who guides you through the whole experience and keeps you laughing the entire time. We also have a magician, an aerialist, and a ton of other great guest performers. You can find out more about them and all our performers at www.fleurdetease.com
WYAT: In your world travels and performances, what do you feel makes New Orleans burlesque different from burlesque in other cities?
Minx: I can’t speak for the entire New Orleans burlesque community but I can say that Fleur de Tease definitely has a unique group aesthetic. I’ve been very lucky to get a chance to perform burlesque throughout the states and Europe and have seen many wonderful performers. What makes Fleur de Tease stand out to me is the collaboration of 5 beautiful and talented ladies to create a one of a kind entertainment experience. Each dancer has a very clear identity and adds to the group [so] that as a unit we are incredibly strong. Plus we are a family that all loves to have fun which shows in our work.
WYAT: Are there any bands in particular you are excited to see perform at VooDoo Experience?
Minx: All the bands on this year’s bill are great but personally I’m more excited about how Voodoo will mesh with Halloween. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I can’t wait to see everyone dress up and party together at the Festival.

Rebirth Brass Band
Sunday, November 1
6:30 p.m.
Le Flambeau

    One of the best known of New Orleans’ many brass bands is Rebirth. Founded in 1983 by trumpeter Kermit Ruffins and tuba tooter Philip Frazier, its ranks over the years read like a who’s who of New Orleans music. Derrick Shezbie and Glen Andrews on trumpets, Vincent Broussard and Byron Bernard on saxes, Stafford “Freaky Pete” Agee and Corey Henry on trombones, Keith Frazier on bass drum and Derrick Tabb on snare drum. Ruffins left the group and lit out on his own after about ten years but Philip Frazier soldiered on and kept the band together through the present, eventually evolving into a household name in the Crescent City. In recent years, Rebirth has been practically everywhere you can imagine, keeping alive the honored tradition of New Orleans brass bands, and they have played events ranging from big conventions to jazz funeral processions. Their resume includes more than twenty tours of Europe, four of Japan, and a six-week tour of Africa, where many of jazz’s roots can be traced to. With more than a dozen albums and CDs to their credit, Rebirth has appeared onstage with the Grateful Dead, the Meters, George Clinton, Dr. John, and the Ohio Players and they have performed at some of the most prestigious international music festivals. Their music has been scored in several films and commercials and they even had a role in the Kate Hudson movie, “Skeleton Key.” And the accolades just keep coming, with major local music awards to their credit. In September 2005 they participated in the now-legendary Madison Square Garden concert, “From the Big Apple to the Big Easy” for the victims of Hurricane Katrina featuring some of the city’s greatest stars. Just one more of many great contributions by a great group to the cultural life of the city that gave jazz to the world. –Dean M. Shapiro

Flaming Lips
Sunday, November 1, 5:45 p.m.
Le Ritual

    Not too long ago, a friend told me that I owned good CDs. But, that’s all they were. Not good music, or “art,” as he put it. At the moment, I wanted to throw his ass out of my truck. But I’m glad I didn’t, because since then I’ve come to understand his meaning. One of the bands that has enlightened me to this distinction between musical artists and music performers is The Flaming Lips.
    Even though musicians make music, it doesn’t mean that they’re all music artists, per se. However, the Flaming Lips don’t have that problem. The Oklahoma band is psychedelic, innovative, and full of purpose complimented by its quirkiness. Ambulance sirens and even burps (at least I think) accommodate the usual, yet oddball sounds that make the Lips... well... the Lips. The complex lyrics deal with human nature and how it relates to the acceptance of death, understanding the universe, being corrupted by power, and the battle against mindless conformity. Be sure to catch these music artists at Voodoo Fest this year.     
Wayne Coyne, Michael Ivins, and Steven Drozd blend sound, music, lyrics, and philosophy. They’ve been known not only for their innovative music styles, but their unforgettable performances in elaborate costumes, stage props, and a blowup ball that Coyne uses to traverse the top of the crowd like a big gerbil. This will take place at Voodoo Fest this year, as it did at Voodoo Fest in 2006. They have over a dozen albums, including their most recent hits The Soft Bulletin and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and At War with the Mystics.        
    The Lips’ music never ceases to take on new methods while the lyrics tackle humanity and the world of shit that surrounds it. Isn’t that what music’s supposed to be about? –John Breerwood