The Ponderosa Stomp "Insane Rock n Roll" Fest in New Orleans (plus the J & H Fest)

Earl Palmer as emcee.

It's ok to wallow in old music once in awhile I think.

Barrence Whitfield's not an oldtimer but they've got him on the bill. That's cuz he can wail like Little Richard and Smiley Lewis.

Trust me, I should send you a couple S0ul R3b3ls bootlegs I have where they're not phoning it in.

As far as the Ponderosa Stomp goes, it really is way too expensive. $35/night is as much as Jazzfest. Every year it kills me not to go because the lineup is so fascinating--the website has some streaming audio that's getting me all pumped up. Then I remember the price tag and deflate.

=

The FQF books all kinds of local music except for rap and metal (which is sad as rap and metal are the two New Orleans exports that excite me the most right now).

Steve, are you familiar with the Louisiana Music Factory? They've got a great selection of brass band, NO r'n'b, jazz, funk etc and I'm pretty sure they do mailorder.

Heh, the other non-NOLA brass band fan archetype is the European brass/tuba geek, with the older variation being the smiling, clapping-on-the-downbeat trad jazz fan. :>

Steve, I applaud your efforts to cover this stuff.

I subscribe to Offbeat magazine which gives me a taste of some of what I'm interested in. For some reason, I just assume that the current rock bands they cover stink, and they don't cover hiphop enough.

I gotta get back down there.

No, you're right. Rock bands in New Orleans fucking suck. It's the metal bands that are good.

The Uglesich's dude says he's closing forever and ever like every year. I've lived here for five years and never gotten around to eating there--I can go to so many good restaurants within a mile of my house that the idea of going, like, two miles just to eat seems crazy.

MONDAY

Archie Bell, Roy Head, Syl Johnson, The Hi Rhythm Section, Willie Cobbs, Eddie Bo, Willie Tee, Dennis Coffey, Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, The Bad Roads, Jay Chevalier, Chick Willis, Harvey Scales, Joe Clay, Kenny Brown, Tammy Lynn, CC Adccok and Lafayette Marquis, Deke Dickerson And The Eccofonics, The Climates, Michael Hurtt And The Haunted Hearts, The Alarm Clocks, Tommy McLain

TUESDAY

Scotty Moore with His English Band, William Bell, The Bo Keys, D.J. Fontana, Sonny Burgess, Travis Wammack, Ace Cannon, Hayden Thompson, James Burton, The Nightcaps, The Fabulous Wailers, Kenny and the Kasuals, Warren Storm, Johnny Jones, Matt Lucas, BB Cunningham, Herb Remington, Arch Hall Jr., Jumpin Gene Simmons, Herbert Hardsety, Little Buck and the Topcats - Featuring Lil Buck Singeal and Stanley "Buckwheat Zydeco" Dural, Deke Dickerson and the Eccofonics, Eddie Bond, Skip Easterling

WEDNESDAY

Clarence Frogman Henry, Scotty Moore, Billy Swan, Boots Randolph, Bobby Patterson, Barbara Lynn, Fillmore Slim, The Tennessee Three Featuring W.S. Holland and Bob Wootten, Rayburn Anthony, Zakary Thaks, Sleepy Labeef, James Blood Ulmer, Billy Boy Arnold, Lady Bo, Dennis Binder, Jody Williams, Henry Gray, Little Freddy King, Rockie Charles. The Rebirth Brass Band, Big George Brock, Mem Shannon and The Membership, Wiley and the Checkmates, Little Buck and the Topcats - Featuring Lil Buck Singeal and Stanley "Buckwheat Zydeco" Dural, The Rockabilly Country Band, Herbert Hardsety, Bob Moore

jinco
Groupie in Training

Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 49

Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 7:26 pm Post subject:

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Well, just too much to digest! But let me try by breaking up the highlghts into categories:

ROCK& ROLL:

Yep, The Alarm Clocks were a highlight -- they just burned.

Zak Thaks were good once they got rolling, but they still seemed a bit uncomfortable on stage, and maybe that's what holds them back from letting loose. The material is great, though.

The Wailers were just magnificent. One of my all-time faves and I'd never seen 'em before. They did not disappoint!

CC Adcock and the Lafayette marquis. man, they ripped it up.

On the soul/blues front:

Syl Johnson
William Bell
Barbara Lynn
Frogman Henry
Willie Cobb
Little Freddy King
The memphis Climates
& the amazing house band, Lil Buck & The Topcats

Rockabilly/Country:

Sonny Burgess - hell yeah! talk about the real deal...
Eddie Bond
Travis Wammack
Slepy Labeef

Kudos the the Doc and all who set this up. The lineup was great, the sound was uniformly fantastic, the beer was cheap and the good times flowed.

"It's also quite amazing to think that a substantial number of the artists appeared for free in order to maximize the funds raised for musicians impacted by Katrina. And we're not talking about wealthy rock stars with plenty of gigs to spare.

Here were my favorite moments:

--three soul very different soul greats, Syl Johnson, Bobby Patterson, and William Bell, all at the top of their game backed by dynamite bands

--Dennis Coffey burning the place down with his wah-wah funk. Everyone in Lil' Buck's Topcats had huge grins on their faces.

--The experimental set arranged by Scotty Moore. It was like hearing Mose Allison backed by the Texas Playboys. I noticed a lot of people left, but I loved the moody vibe. It's pretty cool that artists well into their senior years who could just work the oldies/casino circuit have instead come up with a pretty unique project.

--Barbara Lynn insisting that she perform despite being in obvious pain.

--Rockie Charles' solo set, pure soul music straight from his heart."

In any case, this fest sounds sublime.

Buck Wilders did--here's what he said on the goner records board:

"You had to be there. - Should of been there.
I would say something like ..."I could die tommorow and not care because I saw all my favorite DJ's playing records together, Percy Wiggins, Willie Cobbs, & Syl Johnson play with the HI Rhythm Section, the Climates sing some of the most beautiful Doo Wop I've ever heard, Archie Bell show you how to do the Tighten Up, Eddie Bo explain what it is to "Check Your Bucket", Willie Tee play "What I'd Say" better than Ray Charles, watch Al "Carnival Time" Johnson and be able to walk in the next room and find Jack O. and Adam W. backing Chick Willis, and finally see Harvey Scales represent everything I love about soul music all in one night." But I could never say that. Tommorow I have to go experience something like this again. And the night after that.
Get $40 and go to the Ponderosa Stomp. Beers were $2.00 and the entertainment was priceless!
Unfortunatlly, I missed Dennis Coffey and Roy Head. I missed a lot of acts. There was too much music for one night!
If you got the means, you best go Stompin'!!!"

"PONDEROSA STOMP: CLOCK IN ON MEMPHIS MAYHEM! P-Stomp has turned into a regular Raccoons-style sabbatical (a la The Honeymooners), with rockin’ riff raff converging from hither, tither and yon with one quest only, that being to blast off with the big beat. This year’s bash moved the crew from New Orleans to Memphis May 8-9-10 with all cabbage going to Crescent City music makers, so big-time hats off to Dr. Ike for organizing the shebang, and to all the great stars who played gratis, just so displaced Louisiana mashers could maybe step closer back to their respective home plates. And what a fabulous barrage of talent it was, three big days of la-do-da! We hit town a day late for the big Sunday night DJ hop at the Hi Tone, but Mr. Fine Wine filled us in and it sounded like a real ball. The pre-Stomp record show Monday morning was a gasser. Billy finally scored Roosevelt Sykes She’s Jail Bait/Sputnik Baby on House Of Sound and I put on my Mr. Manicotti Records A&R hat and nailed a pile of future BIG ITCH candidates, including the aptly named Tokyo Stomp! Night #1 roared in with the ALARM CLOCKS setting the stage -- the guys were even better than at the Beachland in Cleveland, and that’s saying a lot! Hard to believe that this was only their second show since 1966. ROY HEAD turned in two massive sets and girls, he’s even handsomer now than he was decades ago, with unbeatable charisma and stage moves and that humongous signature diamond pinkie ring... back flip action and microphone antics and four-on-the-floor alligatoring aside... the man can and does deliver with prowling vocals and peak condition action capable of inciting instant riots. Joining a bevy of fans eager to meet and greet him after his second show -- yes, he did two-- NOT ENOUGH! -- I commented on his heady choice of cologne. “Jo-vaaahn,” he informed us, flashing, and I do mean FLASHING a devilish smile, shaking his mane and adjusting a massive silver belt buckle engraved with the Lone Star banner. We were agog. Absolutely! THE FABULOUS WAILERS delivered things Northwest style -- it was thrilling to hear singer Kent Morill pounding it out on the Hammond organ while the crowd Mashi’ed down below. Great rompin’ rockabilly sets from mega-super-legends JOE CLAY, SONNY BURGESS, SLEEPY LaBEEF (Gene “Made In The Shade” Dunlap on piano!), EDDIE BOND plus a devastating show from HAYDEN THOMPSON. WILLIAM BELL scored with an intense soul set and we caught HARVEY SCALES as his alligatoring best, no doubt inspired by Gulf Coast gator guru Roy Head. A shoulder injury caused the always excellent BARBARA LYNN to cut her set a bit short, but LAZY LESTER (who told us, “I ain’t seen you for a while. I thought you two was kidnap-ted!”) ably pinch hit. KENNY AND THE KASUALS (they did Journey To Tyme twice!), CLARENCE "FROGMAN" HENRY, LITTLE FREDDY KING, DENNIS BINDER also delivered the goods in spades. Round of loud claps to the hard working backing bands on the Stomp -- DEKE DICKERSON & THE ECCO-FONICS and LITTLE BUCK SINEGAL and MIKE HURTT and his combo were all aces all Stomp long... Guitar-maulin’ TRAVIS WAMMACK blasted out blistering attacks of whammy-bar britz with lightnin’ speed and had the crowd howling for more. Class to spare! Speaking of class, surprise guest JERRY “THE KING” LAWLER (!!!) made the scene to meet up with his pal Eddie Bond and despite my long allegiance to piledrivin’ Paul “Mr. Wonderful" Orndorff, Jerry’s long-time nemesis, I must say that The King was indeed not only easy on the eyeballs, but delightful to chat with, even though he would not divulge his brand of cologne. I mentioned that we had passed a billboard on the highway to Arkansas that read “JERRY LAWLER FIREWORKS: EXIT HERE”. He replied, “Did you?” and I stammered about not being behind the wheel. “Next time, STOP,” he commanded. Dare I say, there’s something about at Aqua Velva man? We were regally P.O.’d to have missed ARCHIE BELL... again. He taught us all to do the Tighten Up in the NOLA hotel lobby last year, and we’d had a lovely, lengthy yap about local variations of the T.U. I was really looking forward to seeing him then, but that very April night one year ago, just as we’d swung onto the hardwood floor of the Rock n’ Bowl, we got a phone call from home informing us that Norton stable stalwart Hasil Adkins had passed away. I headed back to the hotel and ended up bawling my eyeballs out all night. Sometime after midnight, came a tap on the door, and when I went to answer it, there stood Archie. I burst into fresh tears, managing to choke out, “I can’t believe I missed your show!” Archie looked most alarmed and tried to calm me down with, “Don’t cry, honey, you can see me next time I play!” Obviously Mr. Bell thought I was sobbing inconsolably because I had missed his show. Beautiful. I nearly cried all over again at missing him again this year. At least we all know how to do the Tighten Up. We should! We learned from the Creator! Arthur Murray, look out- by the way, thanks to Bettye Lavette who showed us how to Booty Green back in Brooklyn! Unadvertised hit of the Stomp was one man band ROCKIN' ENOCKY from Japan, who filled in for the Rebirth Brass Band’s last minute opt-out. Enocky had wowed wax hounds at in-stores at both Goner and Shangri-La Records shops earlier, but he hit us all upside the head with a howlin’ show that drew several encores. Dig Enocky on his many Jackie & the Cedrics recordings and try to catch him if he comes to your town. Fabulous! There was so much music on three separate stages that there was no way to catch it all. We missed BOBBY PATTERSON and EDDIE BO but heard great reports on both cats. Daytime antics in Memphis-town abounded pre-show every day. Highlights included the super great Stax/Soul Museum, rebuilt to the exact specs of the original building. A must-see. Amid the massive array of records and memorabilia I found my favorite chunk of soulessent ephemera, the boss suede shoes of Bobby “Blue” Bland resplendent with gold coke spoons casually inserted into the tongues and also into the clear Lucite stack heels. I don’t think even the Eleganza catalogues of yesteryear ever carried these suckers -- those dawgs gotta be custom! We must quiz Jimmy “Mr. Motion” Lynch next time he’s in town. Jimmy designed and sewed the flamboyant ensembles for the O’Jays-- get-ups that included crazy matching hats and shoes. Betcha he’ll know the story behind 3B’s mega-bucks! ‘Nother crazy treat was walking into a BBQ joint and spotting STEVE CROPPER munching on a gigantic platter of ribs—we barged right in on his saucy reverie with an autograph book and questions about Bobby’s shoes. “Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland was not a Stax artist. I don’t know what his shoes are doing in there,” said Mr. Cropper, who then inquired what we were doing in town. I told him about the Stomp, raved about his last show in Brooklyn, and got another autograph. Half hour later, he graced the sidewalks outside P-Stomp, just long enough to get the flashbulbs popping before exiting for either some Pepto or another plate of BBQ. Too much is never enough. Memphis didn’t let us out of her clutches until we had checked our bags and gone through security. Heading down to gate B-10, we saw the Sun Records café, one of those alarming theme restaurants, this one using the Sun banner and proclaiming Blues! Rock n’ Roll! Rockabilly! And also, curiously, JAZZ! And even curiouser, HIP-HOP! Ah, yes, that Sun Records Hip-Hop! But that’s not the story! Taking a quick snoop inside the establishment, my eye caught a familiar sight on the wall by the cash register: a Norton label Sun release in our company sleeve reverently matted and framed alongside bona fide Sun label wax! Touche! A fitting epilogue to another frantic, flawless, fabulous Ponderosa Stomp…"

Had fun at 1st weekend of jazzfest(Irma Thomas singing Mahalia Jackson, brass bands, zydeco, Cajun, jazz and more) and maybe these below links will let me enjoy the 2nd weekend from afar

http://www.jambase.com/Articles/91779/New-Orleans-Jazz-Fest-Announces-Webcast-Schedule

http://www.youtube.com/jazzfest

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/thursday-may-3/Content?oid=1997203

Today's schedule. Week 2 goes from Thursday to Sunday

Ponderosa Stomp is returning October 3 to 5th 2013. Details tba

But no details yet

http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2013/03/ponderosa_stomp_announces_line.html

some obscure to me names in the list

Last month around Mardi Gras I was listening to Lynn August's "Sauce Piquante" cd on Blacktop (good record btw) and kinda wondering if he was still performing, or even still alive. Didn't research at the time, but it turns out he has a website:

http://www.lynnaugustnow.com/

Had no idea Maxine Brown was still active either. This song is so beautiful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1lB9LcK4V2c#!

I like her. Lynn August used to come to DC a bunch a decade or so ago. Baby Washington still does, and Bobby Parker lives here and plays regularly. I need to google some of the names like Richard Caiton.

The 2013 Ponderosa Stomp Concert Line-Up:

Maxine Brown

Baby Washington

Chris Clark

Richard Caiton

Charles Brimmer

James Alexander

Lynn August

George Perkins

The Sloths

The Standells

Guanga Dyns

Ty Wagner

Gino Parks

Spencer Wiggins

Sonny Green

Bobby Parker

Bobby Crown

Eddie Daniels

Charlie Gracie

Boogaloo

RIP George Perkins.

Ponderosa Stomp is doing a few things down there over the next 10 days.

Anyone going to Jazzfest this year?

http://www.ponderosastomp.com/music-conference.php

Some great panels

Hudson Marquez, who found Professor Longhair, is so very entertaining.

Saw video footage of the Sonics at the Stomp. They sounded great. I loved the bright red suit Eddie Daniels had in the footage of him that I saw. His music was pleasant enough. I read rave takes on Ty Wagner and the Standells but haven't checked out footage of them yet

Stomp email just sent out:

An extra year in between Festivals will allow us to use our resources as effectively as possible and produce an event worthy of the incredible musicians and artists we celebrate. The next Ponderosa Stomp Festival, then, will take place in the fall of 2015.

J & H starting in N'awlins...Usual mix of big-name rock & pop touring acts plus some of the usual locals on the smaller stages

Yeah, I won't be there, but I'm already listening to WWOZ waaaay more than usual. Caught on air French Quarter Fest performances by Ernie Vincent, Los Poboycitos and some of Ingrid Lucia a couple weeks ago, and I have some JF shows earmarked for this weekend as well.

I won't be there either. Was reading the tweets of great New Orleans music critic Alison Fenterstock last night and she linked to this piece with video footage of Dirty Dozen Brass in 82 at a 2nd line parade at Jazz fest. They were good then. Should post this on the brass band thread

http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.ssf/2014/04/watch_new_orleans_jazz_fest_19.html

I just discovered those Alan Lomax films too; DDBB at Glass House is super fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jYB2bn74hc

x-post-- my spelling error-- its Alison Fensterstock

http://www.ponderosastomp.com/concert_2015.php

October 1 through 3rd. nice lineup

Wow, truly, wonder if I can make it?! Have you been to this since they started holding it at Rock & Bowl?

Sadly no.

I just made a last-minute decision to finally go to this! My wife and I are going. I know its expensive to go there and stay there and to see the 2 nights of music (plus 2 days of daytime conferences); but its an impressive lineup.

Dan, you should splurge too and go.

Yeah, jonesin' for this hard. My wife and I shopped flights and Airbnb last night. Still a lot of money we don't exactly have right now, but I'm trying.

...aaaand a gig I had scheduled for next month which would have paid for my plane ticket just fell through.

Finally made it to Ponderosa Stomp and had a great time-- both the educatonal part at the 2 day conference and the 2 long nights of music from 6:30 pm to 3:30 am each night. Lenny Kaye was hanging out the whole time and did a guest appearance leading a band through "Pushin' Too Hard." All the obscure to me Texas old-time rockabilly singers were awesome; Irma and the various other soul singers were pretty good, the southwest Louisiana swamp pop stuff was excellent. Will add more details in a bit. Just got home and need to get some sleep and back to the dayjob routine tomorrow.

educational

this guy blogged about it

http://thevinylword.blogspot.com/

Only a small handful of folks seem interested in this kind of stuff here. Oh well.

Here at ilx I mean...

I'm interested but can't read right now.

some old friends of mine live for this... I heard that Davey Allen killed it

It was great to see P.F. Sloan enjoying himself with an appreciative crowd, one of the highlights (along with Barbara Lynn, Betty Harris, Irma ...).

The interview with him at the conference was very interesting. He mixed bravado (about his success at a young age; his interest in the signing the Beatles and Stones versus Lou Adler's lack of interest; the prescient lyrics of "eve of Destruction; and more; learning "Love Me Tender" on guitar from Elvis himself at 13) with angry, hurt comments about his parents; plus a few self-deprecating remarks about his solo efforts.

The Mable John interview with stories about her helping her brother Little Willie John sneak out the window; and of her opening for Billie Holiday; and meeting Berry Gordy and Hayes/Porter were great.

http://addictedtonoise.com.au/ponderosa-stomp-day-1-october-1-2015/ Someone's take on the conference

http://addictedtonoise.com.au/ponderosa-stomp-day-2-friday-october-2-2015/

the 2nd day of the conference and the 1st night of music

http://addictedtonoise.com.au/ponderosa-stomp-day-3/

the 2nd night of music. He didn't mention that Saturday afternoon, some folks did like I did, go catch part of the Treme Festival; and go catch part of the second line parade with brass bands and more

Davey Allan by the way, was Sunday night at the Post-Stomp after-show. I was flying home by then

Longtime critic (and sometime NPR music reviewer) Ed Ward babbling a bit about the Stomp and the panel he hosted; plus going long re New Orleans ten years after Katrina

http://wardinfrance.blogspot.com/2015/10/stomped-long-weekend-in-new-orleans.html

I'm very interested in exactly this kinda stuff, though I'm just a lurker for the most part. Thanks very much for sharing the stories and links. Some year, I'll make it to this thang.

Have been humming "Tallahassie Lassie" by Freddie Boom Boom Cannon all morning as I was just looking at my phone footage of it. Cannon was backed by Los Straightjackets and Deke Dickerson. An excerpt of my footage and from others there can be seen by doing twitter and instagram searches for #PonderosaStomp and/or #PonderosaStomp2015

http://www.arts.ms.gov/folklife/artist.php?dirname=banks_mack

81-year-old rockabilly singer/guitarist Mack Banks had to sit in a chair, but his vocals and axework sounded great. He was making his first appearance in New Orleans. I read somewhere that back in the '50s he was supposed to meet with Sam Phillips at Sun, but Sam cancelled and Mack didn't /couldn't get it rescheduled. Lenny Kaye was supposedly wowed by the guy, and trying to track down his recorded music.

Barbara Lynn's left-handed guitar playing was so great along with her soulful voice. Irma Thomas has that wonderful slow yet powerful vocal delivery.

Barbara Lynn was at the first Stomp, which I attended. Yeah, she's fantastic. I cherish my memories of seeing Irma at her Lion's Den club, that place was like heaven on earth.

Oh no. Just saw the below on twitter. Not seeing any confirmation anywhere else yet. Had no idea when I saw PF Sloan interviewed at the Stomp, and later perform, that he was dying of cancer.

http://www.serendipitypr.co.uk/news/2015/11/16/media-statement-about-p-f-sloan/

It is with deepest sadness that we are announcing that P.F. Sloan (Phil) passed away on the evening of November 15, 2015, at his home in Los Angeles. Phil had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer several weeks before and was fighting it valiantly. The world has lost one of its great talents.

Phil was a key element on the music that became the sound of the Sunset Strip. Phil was a true prodigy, signing his first record deal with Aladdin Records when he was thirteen. He recently published his memoirs, What’s Exactly The Matter With Me? with S.E. Feinberg, and his latest album, My Beethoven has recently been released on Foothill Records.

P.F. Sloan’s Eve Of Destruction was an anthem for a generation. It is as relevant now as it ever has been.

“There are no more escapes. If you want to find out anything that’s happening now, you have to listen to the music I don’t mean the words. Though, Eve Of Destruction will tell you something about it.”— Bob Dylan.

Steve Feinberg and Sangeeta Haindl

https://www.offbeat.com/news/tulane-university-special-collections-will-present-1970s-era-jazz-fest-exhibition/

March to May 2022 exhibit at Tulane on 1970s era New Orleans JazzFest

https://www.offbeat.com/articles/elvis-costello-talks-back/

Elvis Costello re New Orleans and Dave Bartholomew tribute with Dirty Dozen Brass Band that he's doing

WWOZ is airing some of 2nd weekend of New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest I saw in a headline. I wonder if it will be any old New Orleans musicians?

Germaine Bazzle is 91!

Wow, yep saw an AP news story on Jazz Fest that mentioned the younger Deacon John Moore, members of Meters, and Irma Thomas . in their late 70s or 80s

NYC food critic Robert Sietsema is tweeting photos of food from his visit down there in New Orleans. I think Dan and Jordan would approve

Cool! Happy to know Mosca's is still open.

http://www.soultracks.com/story-toussaint-mccall-dies

Rip Toussaint McCall