NOLA Blues
I have always been a fan of blues music. Even when the white boys in the East thought they were “Soul Music” black, I was hanging with the fusion jazz and blues musicians in NOLA. I remember clearly walking down Bourbon Street and hearing the sounds of Fusion Wizards coming from a dark alley. Scary, but alluring. Today, I am a firm follower of Joe Bonomasa, Samantha Fish, Orianthi and others like KWS, who are keeping Delta Blues alive.
My NOLA album was challenging because of the nuances of Delta and Swamp Blues. They are different but the same to most ears.
It is damn hard to be accurate when it comes to this style of blues music in its guitar-centric merger with ’60s rock and roll. Almost all blues music comes from the rhythmic sounds of old steam trains rolling on the original rails that were bolted together, creating a beat when the trains were at speed. This was the basis of the blues and rock & roll of the 60’s. The Rock & Roll Museum in Cleveland has a wonderful video about these train origins. Swamp and Delta Blues add something more I cannot describe other than to say you must hear it firsthand on the streets of NOLA.
NOLA Forgotten is my take on the stories of NOLA that changed and propelled it. I wrote some songs that pay homage to good friends who have passed, like Chef Paul Prudohme and George Rodrigue (Blue Dog), and to events like Katrina. My picture of the drunk wandering the flooded street with a house burning in the background while carrying his beloved bottle of Dickel Rye is burned into my psyche. Then there is the food!
So, like the style of not, the spirit of Tony Bourdain and Chef Paul still wanders these streets. All searching for the sounds of NOLA and the tastes that set it apart from anywhere else in the world.
Listen carefully and listen loud because that is the NOLA way.
The other thing about NOLA Forgotten is that there are a few mashups. Taylor Swift inspired me in her acoustic sessions during the Eras tour, where short versions of longer songs are strung together to create a single song that runs through variants. Hers were live, and mine are electronically coupled to create some meaning for me. These instrumentals are ID’d with the term Mashup in the title.
Let me know in the comments if you like the album.
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