Prepare to get thoroughly rocked this weekend, March 12th – 14th, at Foburg… a music festival. You may remember that back in January, I a gave you a heads up about the weekend-long, musical free-for-all that’s going to be taking place on Frenchman St. Well, it’s that time… SXSW is on the horizon, and Foburg is here! From Friday through Sunday, 14 presenters will showcase 86 bands across six clubs. Groovescapes (that’s me) will present two showcases at The Maison. Beginning at 4:00pm and continuing to 9:00pm on Friday, March 12th, you’ll be able to catch Meschiya Lake, the Cliff Hines Quintet, Luke Winslow-King, and Mia Borders. Then, again, on Sunday, March 14th at the same times you can see the Mark Weliky Trio, Ben Labat and the Happy Devil, Davy Mooney and Ghosts, and WATIV. Apart from La Maison, you’ll be able to catch more Foburg acts at the Blue Nile, Checkpoint Charlies, d.b.a., the Dragon’s Den, and the R Bar. Exactly who are these acts… peep the lineup below. You can also check them out on the Foburg website. So like I was saying earlier... prepare to get rocked. Advanced weekend passes are going for $25 and can be purchased Here. BTW, my shows are FREE... so come out, enjoy the weather, have a drink, and listen to some good music. On Friday, weekend passes will be going for $30 (you do the math here). Tickets to individual showcases will also be available at the venues. See you there!

While members of Dark Star Orchestra sharing the stage with the surviving members of the Grateful Dead is not a new phenomenon – Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay, and the late Vince Welnick have all sat in on DSO shows – the practice took an unexpected twist this past fall when John Kadlecik, lead guitarist and founding member of Dark Star, announced he was leaving the band to join Furthur, the latest Weir/Phil Lesh collaboration.

Just as they did after the tragic loss of original keyboardist Scott Larned, who passed away after heart attack in 2005, the remaining members of the Dark Star Orchestra refused to let an unexpected personnel change slow down their mission to faithfully capture the magic of the Grateful Dead’s live performances.  Jeff Mattson, most recently of The Donna Jean Godchaux Band, has been playing with Dark Star Orchestra since Kadlecik’s departure in November and joined them onstage at the House of Blues on Wednesday night as they recreated Grateful Dead’s May 7, 1978 slugfest.

To say that festival season has snuck up on us would be quite the understatement. With the inaugural Foburg Festival just a week away, and the annual mecca, SXSW coming right on it’s heels, I can imagine no better way to kick things off than with Lafayette, Louisiana’s own indie-palooza, Geronimo Fest. On Saturday, March 6th, 35 bands will be rockin’ various clubs across the southwest Louisiana city. In just its second year, this DIY rock showcase has really taken off! Advanced tickets can be either purchased Here for $12 or at the fest for $15. The lineup, which looks pretty stout, is posted on below. Also, for a sample of what you’ll be in store for… stream the MP3s below.

MP3: Rotary Downs – Sing Like the Sun
MP3: Glasgow – Stranger
MP3: Big Rock Candy Mountain – Rocket Ship
MP3: Caddywhompus – Absinthesizer
MP3: One Man Machine – Get My Sound
MP3: Sun Hotel – Life on a Boat

There’s always a place for hooligans in rock and roll… And, there’s always a place for hooligans in New Orleans. So it only makes sense that the mischief making ruffians in the Dirty Bourbon River Show would feel right at home in the Big Easy. Led by Noah Adams, this band of misfits and miscreants has been busy riling up crowds with their blend of vaudevillian rock, gypsy punk, and circus jazz. You may remember my review of the DBRS from a few months back… a little rough around the edges but a helluva of a good time were my general sentiments. Since then, they been busy cutting their teeth and recording their debut album, Volume One, which was officially released earlier this month at a roguish gathering at Tipitina’s. The excellent offering aptly captures the crazed, carnival atmosphere and foolhardy banter that have made them fast favorites on the New Orleans indie front, and in addition to the infectious and outlandish shenanigans, there are plenty of welcomed surprises. Here are just a few of my favorites…

MP3: Dirty Bourbon River Show – Anything Goes Tonight
MP3: Dirty Bourbon River Show – Ruffian Since Birth
Amazon Music: Dirty Bourbon River Show

Today, the Young Leadership Council announced the lineup for their annual spring concert series, Wednesday at the Square. The 12-week concert series will take place at Lafayette Square, each Wednesday from March 24th to June 9th. Looking over the lineup (which is posted directly to the left), I’ve got to say I’m pretty excited. Apart from the musical talent on display, Wednesday at the Square also features work from several of the Big Easy’s best artists and craftsmen. Of course, there will be plenty of fine cuisine on hand… And did I mention it was FREE! Free, now you can’t beat that. Concerts run from about 5:30-7:30pm… you know, New Orleans time. For more information on the YLC and Wednesday at the Square visit www.youngleadershipcouncil.org and www.wednesdayatthesquare.com.

There’s more to the music that meets the ear… This is a creed that, perhaps, no other band lived up to quite like the Grateful Dead. While several Grateful Dead tribute bands have come and gone over the years, for the last 12 years the Dark Star Orchestra has carried on the legacy, the spirit, and the experience of their musical inspirations. Like The Dead, the experience lies at the core of the DSO. From the setlist, to the instrumentation, to the stage layout, with each concert, they pay homage to one of The Dead’s nearly 2,500 shows. Also similar to The Dead, freedom, improvisation, and exploration drives the DSO. Their concerts are not merely note-for-note reenactments of fabled Dead junkets; they are vehicles for interpretation. With well over 1600 shows under their belt, the DSO have not only built up an intensely devoted fanbase, they’re garnered critical praise from the likes of Rolling Stone and USA Today and received the accolades of The Grateful Dead’s surviving members, many of whom often sit in with the group. A long time festival favorite, the band’s already gearing up for this year's All Good Festival where they’ll be playing alongside the Phil Lesh and Bob Weir collaboration, Further. Tomorrow night, March 3rd, the DSO will be rolling into the House of Blues. Doors open at 7:00pm and the show starts at 8:00pm. To get you in the mood, peek the vid and MP3 stream of the DSO performing “The Music Never Stopped,” a track originally released on my favorite Dead album Blues For Allah.


MP3: Dark Star Orchestra – The Music Never Stopped
Amazon Music: Dark Star Orchestra

Happy 82nd birthday to Fats Domino, the Fat Man, today’s subject for the OG! A true rock-and-roll icon and national treasure, Antoine Dominique was born, raised, and continues to reside in the Crescent City. Dominique, who, like many of his peers, cut his teeth playing in dive bars around the Big Easy, got his big break on December 10, 1949 when fellow New Orleanian Dave Bartholomew, an arranger and talent scout for Lew Chudd's Imperial Records, recorded the track “The Fat Man” at Cosimo Matassa’s J&M studio on Rampart St. Chudd, who was immediately impressed with Domino’s chops, soon released the single (whose B-side was “Detroit City Blues”) locally. Within one week, the record has sold over 10,000 copies, and following a national release one month later, “The Fat Man” scored Domino his first national hit. It later went on to be the first record to sell over 1,000,000 copies… not bad for a debut effort.

As for the Fat Man, this was only the beginning of an extraordinary run which saw him record more hits in the Fifties than any other musician except for Elvis Presley, the King himself… not too shabby for an independent artist during a racially-segregated era. Though trivial, perhaps it would be fair to call Fats the “King of Indie Rock.” Moving along… some of Fat’s most memorable hits of the day included “Ain’t That a Shame,” “I’m Walking,” “Whole Lotta Loving,” and “I Want to Walk You Home.” Sadly, despite 40-plus Top-40 singles, Fats never claimed the number-one spot on the charts. His biggest hit, 1956’s “Blueberry Hill,” which sold more than five million copies that year, peaked at number-two. Much of Domino’s success can be attributed to the partnership he shared with Bartholomew. The pair co-wrote the majority of Domino’s tracks during Fats’ tenure with Imperial, which ended in 1963 when Fat’s signed with ABC-Paramount Records. “Walkin’ to New Orleans,” one of Fat’s most beloved songs as well as one of his most popular Imperial releases was co-written by the late Bobby Charles who passed away just last month. The Seventies saw Fats’ output wane significantly, and by the time the Eighties rolled around, Domino decided he would no longer leave the Crescent City, even refusing to play at the White House. In 1986, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened its doors, inducting Fats along with Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and the Everly Brothers in its inaugural year. The Fat Man was a no show. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Fats as number-25 on their list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.” Domino made headlines in 2005 when, following Hurricane Katrina, someone painted “RIP Fats” on his home in the 9th Ward. It was later discovered that Domino, who had been reported as missing, had been rescued by the Coast Guard and was receiving medical attention in Baton Rouge. Though his performances are rare these days, in 2007 Domino performed at a benefit for the Tipitina’s Foundation, and again just last year at “The Domino Effect,” a benefit concert, which featured fellow rock-and-roll pioneers Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis and whose proceeds were dedicated to rebuilding schools and playgrounds in the New Orleans area.

The tracks I’ve got cued up today are from one of my favorite 45s. Recorded in July of 1956 during Fats’ heyday, the A-side “When My Dreamboat Comes Home” reached number-14 on the Top-40 charts and climbed all the way to number-two on the R&B charts. With a bustling saxophone, a steady-rocking backbeat, and robust piano anchoring Fat’s indelible call, this straight-ahead, doo-wop gem is pure Fifties gold. The B-side, “So Long,” is a vintage Domino-Bartholomew collaboration, complete with Fats’ signature triplet rhythms rattling in the background as the snare drum pops on the second and fourth beats. A rare treat, this song made it to number-five on the R&B charts. Just a few months later, Fats’ next single an up-tempo take on the 1940 composition “Blueberry Hill” would prove to be his crowning achievement.

MP3: Fats Domino – When My Dreamboat Comes Home
MP3: Fats Domino – So Long
Amazon MP3: Fats Domino