I've spoken, I think, about my radio training. The format that I fell in love with--that taught me to open my mind to every kinda music there is--was a forward looking format. They "required" a heavy dose of new releases. It's been a few years and I tend to tell people the requirement was 75%, but I think it was actually higher than that--80% at least. Now me, I was well known for breaking format just about everywhere I went. My logic, which didn't always save me from getting fired, but did on occasion, was that stations heavily format because what they're after is a particular "sound". And you could rarely trust a DJ to deliver that "sound" unless he was heavily formatted. But I understood the "sound". I'd look at the format and understand what they were really going for. And I felt I could better deliver the actual "sound" they wanted by being a little loose with the format. And, yeah, yeah, I won't rule out that I'm a delusional ego maniac, but I really believe that that's what I was doing and that I was very good at it.
What does all that have to do with this blog? Not much.
Oh, yeah, the cult of the NEW. So I wasn't painting too far outside the lines. If they wanted 80% new, I probably gave them 75% (60% on a good night), but I definitely gave them the "sound" they wanted. But, like Pavlov trained his dog, they trained me well enough that I wanted to play the new stuff. And, forever thereafter, I wanted to play the new stuff. But I've always wondered if that keeps me from discovering amazing old stuff I missed. More importantly, whether I'm keeping you from discovering amazing stuff I missed. Tons of times, I'm following the Google rabbit hole to a destination that is one or two years old or more. And I immediately pull up stakes. "Well, that's it, then. Not new. Gotta move on." It's a crime, I tellz ya.
What does all that have to do with this blog? Not much.
Oh, yeah, the cult of the NEW. So I wasn't painting too far outside the lines. If they wanted 80% new, I probably gave them 75% (60% on a good night), but I definitely gave them the "sound" they wanted. But, like Pavlov trained his dog, they trained me well enough that I wanted to play the new stuff. And, forever thereafter, I wanted to play the new stuff. But I've always wondered if that keeps me from discovering amazing old stuff I missed. More importantly, whether I'm keeping you from discovering amazing stuff I missed. Tons of times, I'm following the Google rabbit hole to a destination that is one or two years old or more. And I immediately pull up stakes. "Well, that's it, then. Not new. Gotta move on." It's a crime, I tellz ya.
JERRON "BLIND BOY" PAXTON Case in point, a nice little New Orleans comp from 2014. That's my favorite from the comp, right there, Blind Boy Paxton singing "Catfish Ain't Biting Blues" (with it's nice little shout out to Hanukkah).
New Orleans is a town so full of music, you could spend a couple of years there and not hear half of the artists. And there are several excellent compilations of New Orleans Christmas music featuring the Crescent City's A-Team of musical stars...The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Aaron Neville, Earl King, Dr. John, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Johnny Adams, Michael Doucet, etc., etc. And you won't have too much trouble finding recordings of the artists who aren't quite on that level of fame and fortune.
But "Best of Street: New Orleans X-Mas" features a cast and crew you may never have encountered on the many excellent compilations of New Orleans Christmas music. These are some of New Orleans' finest street musicians. And they are awesome! You'll get a broad sampling of sounds from Louisiana Hillbilly Country to Dixieland Jazz to Hokum Blues. There's even a Calypso cover of one of the greatest Christmas songs ever written, "Seven Skeletons Found In The Yard" (we encountered a version of it last year from Three For Silver) from Maddy & Her Calypso Friends (Maddy has Jazz Friends, too).
New Orleans is a town so full of music, you could spend a couple of years there and not hear half of the artists. And there are several excellent compilations of New Orleans Christmas music featuring the Crescent City's A-Team of musical stars...The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Aaron Neville, Earl King, Dr. John, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, Johnny Adams, Michael Doucet, etc., etc. And you won't have too much trouble finding recordings of the artists who aren't quite on that level of fame and fortune.
But "Best of Street: New Orleans X-Mas" features a cast and crew you may never have encountered on the many excellent compilations of New Orleans Christmas music. These are some of New Orleans' finest street musicians. And they are awesome! You'll get a broad sampling of sounds from Louisiana Hillbilly Country to Dixieland Jazz to Hokum Blues. There's even a Calypso cover of one of the greatest Christmas songs ever written, "Seven Skeletons Found In The Yard" (we encountered a version of it last year from Three For Silver) from Maddy & Her Calypso Friends (Maddy has Jazz Friends, too).
TODD DAY WAIT OF TODD DAY WAIT'S PIGPEN Time was, you hear an awesome street musician or band and you dropped a dollar in the cup or bowl or guitar case. People don't do that as much anymore. So Best of Street records the musicians, gets their music out there and then turn over the lion's share of the profits (90%, I think) from records sold and release party shows to the musicians. And some of the artists they bring to light get signed by real labels. How cool is that?
Now the good thing about something a little older is that you don't have to wait to get it or hunt around looking for it (not yet, anyway). The digital version of "Best of Street: New Orleans X-Mas" is at Amazon and iTunes. And, if you want hard copy on dat dere, jus' pass by ta Louisiana Music Factory 'n'em. Say, "I'll take me a CD of dat dere." Den you gotta pay fit. Visa, Masta Cort... It don madda, Cher. (Phew, N'awlins slang is a lot harder than I thought).
Where yat? Oh, OK. So it ain't necessarily new, but "Best of Street: New Orleans X-Mas" is the kind of record I'm always looking for. And I suspect it's the kind of record that a lot of y'all are always looking for, too (that's a North Carolina y'all, not a New Orleans y'all). In that regard, this record sells itself. And I should add that Best of Street isn't stuck in New Orleans. They have or are planning records for Orlando, New York, Chicago, Boston and Austin. If you want to keep up, you should go like their Facebook page. Good people doing good stuff for good people. And isn't that what Christmas is really all about, Charlie Brown? Yeah you right!
One last video for you, below the album info. I'd be inclined to give you another from Blind Boy Paxton, but I think it's only fair I share the love and give you a taste of Jenavieve Cook & The Winding Boys and "I'm Going Back Home".
Now the good thing about something a little older is that you don't have to wait to get it or hunt around looking for it (not yet, anyway). The digital version of "Best of Street: New Orleans X-Mas" is at Amazon and iTunes. And, if you want hard copy on dat dere, jus' pass by ta Louisiana Music Factory 'n'em. Say, "I'll take me a CD of dat dere." Den you gotta pay fit. Visa, Masta Cort... It don madda, Cher. (Phew, N'awlins slang is a lot harder than I thought).
Where yat? Oh, OK. So it ain't necessarily new, but "Best of Street: New Orleans X-Mas" is the kind of record I'm always looking for. And I suspect it's the kind of record that a lot of y'all are always looking for, too (that's a North Carolina y'all, not a New Orleans y'all). In that regard, this record sells itself. And I should add that Best of Street isn't stuck in New Orleans. They have or are planning records for Orlando, New York, Chicago, Boston and Austin. If you want to keep up, you should go like their Facebook page. Good people doing good stuff for good people. And isn't that what Christmas is really all about, Charlie Brown? Yeah you right!
One last video for you, below the album info. I'd be inclined to give you another from Blind Boy Paxton, but I think it's only fair I share the love and give you a taste of Jenavieve Cook & The Winding Boys and "I'm Going Back Home".
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