The Bass Geek

There’s a new Gene Simmons model bass controller for Guitar Hero. While I’m all for more basses in the public hands (even if they are just for video games), I’m not sure I’d want to use one than makes a show of playing while letting someone else actually record the albums.

Or something like that.

The last day and night were kind of a blur, mostly because we were three days into a big festival and were probably achey and a bit dehydrated. So this is more of a list of memorable moments more than a full recap:

• The Blind Boys of Alabama were one of the most moving performances I’d ever seen. Even on well-worn songs, they managed to wring out so much soul and emotion.
• Ozomatli and Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, while stylistically different, were forces of nature with remarkably similar impacts. Not a single audience member standing still.
• Did Trombone Shorty make a Juvenile guest appearance both entertaining and enjoyable? Indeed, he did. Nice work.
• Some of the most memorable occasions were getting ambushed by random musical events, whether it was a robot, a bull-shaped music cart, or a marching band (even though I think one of the cheerleaders molested my wife)
• The bass was on full display, moreso than any other festival I think I’ve seen (setting up stage plots on the fly is terrible and thankless work). Whether it was Wil-Dog Abers from Ozomatli, Norwood from Fishbone, or Erykah Badu’s set, every bass note was clear, distinct and well-mixed. Kudos to the players and the sound techs.

We ended our stay with a quick stop at a pizza joint near our hotel. No sooner had we sat down than a Latin-tinged dance band was playing and the dance floor was filled with salsa aficionados. Great way to end the weekend.

It’s testament to the size of Voodoo festival that it’s almost impossible to get a cell signal from the show due to the overloaded cell towers. I’ve been trying to keep up with the show via Twitter, and it’s been tricky. I think I’v gotten most of it up there, though. Overall, the quality of the music has been outstanding (with one notable exception being the band preceding Fishbone), whether it was older acts like Fishbone or Shudder To Think, bigger names like Erykah Badu, TV On The Radio and Thievery Corporation, or locals like “Wolfman” Washington or Marva Wright. The festival is superbly organized and maintained, and it never feels too crowded despite the number of folks. One more night to go; highlights include Ozomatli, Sharon Jones, Irma Thomas, R.E.M. and more.

Even in late October, the humidity clings down here as soon as you get off the plane. And it stuck around through an amazing Italian dinner, coffee and ramd musical happenings. Somebody in a bright pink beehive treated Frenchman St. to some free jazz-funk, and the group met all my standards for excellence:

1. Stellar bass (via tuba).
2. Horns supporting the song when not soloing or playing the head.
3. TIGHT!

Tomorrow should bring vintage guitar hunting and the first day of Voodoo. And more humidity. But the former should make the latter bearable.

Radio Radio has Pete Francis (Dispatch) Friday night and Hillbilly Casino Saturday.  The former is jammy, the latter is rockabilly.

Sam’s Saloon features Holding Mercury and Deep Cricket Night (both from Chicago) Friday night and DJ HaBlack O’Bama (from Other People’s Money) Saturday.

Deano’s Vino hosts New Augusta Friday night and the John Harden Project on Saturday.  Also, it’s Swing Night at the Fountain Square Theater.

The new IMN podcast can be downloaded here or heard at the site or at WFYI HD2 Thursdays at 4pm.

I’ll be in New Orleans for a long weekend for the Voodoo Music Festival, and I’ll most likely be blogging or Twittering from there.  Keep the place together while I’m gone.