Word came yesterday afternoon that Levon Helm is in the final stages of his battle with cancer, when a note was posted on his website by his wife Sandy and daughter Amy. Levon had been diagnosed with throat cancer more than a decade ago, lost his voice for a while, but returned to the stage to play the music that moved him throughout his life.
He did regain his voice, though it was more ragged, and these last few years have yielded fine albums and have solidified Levon’s reputation as an Americana icon. He was the only non-Canadian in the seminal group, The Band. His contribution to that ensemble is incalculable, his legacy to us is monumental. Join us in praying for Levon and his family at this time.
I am basking in the afterglow of a long weekend in New Orleans. Between the food, and the music, and listening to WWOZ Radio, I am infused with the spirit. Just before leaving town, I attended a for real, full tilt NOLA Crawfish boil. Beautiful day, cool music, amazing crawfish, corn and potatoes, fried oysters and shrimp. I drove the eight hours back to Austin reveling in how good it was to be there, while I listened to my iPod kicking out the tunes from Professor Longhair, Slim Harpo, Little Willie John, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Carl Perkins, and Little Richard, just to name a few. Not to say these folks are all from NOLA, but listening to this music in that town sure feels right. It is still alive, and you can hear the echoes today in the sonics of JD McPherson.
First, a note, we would have loved to catch up with JD during our Spring Music Fog Marathon in March at Threadgill’s, but we didn’t hook it up in time. That is, we were already booked when we found out he was available. Just goes to show, you can’t do it all! Today is the day that his long awaited album Signs & Signifiers comes out, which features bassist and producer Jimmy Sutton, and Alex Hall on drums. If you like the vitality of the early days of rock and roll, you will feel right at home with this stuff. JD McPherson is a former art teacher from Broken Arrow, OK. He and his band traveled to Chicago to record analog at Hi-Style studio, which is housed in Jimmy Sutton’s attic. JD directed the video shoot at Hi-Style studio for “North Side Gal,” which features the classic gear used for the recording of the album.
- Jessie Scott
P.S. - JD is giving away free downloads of "North Side Gal" on his site for a limited time.
I spent an idyllic evening Friday night in the Sculpture Garden at New Orleans Museum of Art, where you can roam on the winding footpaths to view over sixty sculptures from artists from all over the world. It was perfect spring weather with amazing stuff to look at and engaging people to meet along the way, making for a very special moment indeed. This is a friendly reminder to attend a museum, whether NOMA or a local institution, especially if you haven’t done that recently. It just puts you in a reverent place. Somehow, it calls upon your best self. Oh yeah, bring the kids!
Looking at today’s video, I am struck by the notion that Sarah Jarosz could have been a Botticelli painting. Ethereal, magical, and pure, Sarah creates from a deep well of harmonics that conjure up a stillness that is at once moving and peaceful. Sarah is playing the Old Settler’s Music Festival this Saturday, and then kicks off some more touring, which start with a May 4th appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. . Sarah attends school at The New England Conservatory, so tours have to be worked around her studies. But if you get the chance to see her, you simply have to go. She is such a bright light. “Little Song” comes from her 2009 debut album, Song Up In Her Head. We were fortunate to have spent some time with her at the 2010 Americana Fest in Nashville. Here is the Music Fog recording of “Little Song.”
Word came yesterday afternoon that Levon Helm is in the final stages of his battle with cancer, when a note was posted on his website by his wife Sandy and daughter Amy. Levon had been diagnosed with throat cancer more than a decade ago, lost his voice for a while, but returned to the stage to play the music that moved him throughout his life.
