How fitting to just walk into my girlfriends salon just now hearing the Pixies’ classic song, Where is my mind? (Video linked there)
Previous to this, I was walking down the Franklin Street and just glancing over at our local music emporium, Pentatonic Guitars when I realized that I need to pick up guitar picks. I barely use picks anymore, yet every time I reach for one in my pocket they are gone.
Maybe it saw me and started hiding!
Minutes later I am three blocks away with no guitar picks. How could I have possibly not walked into the store and purchased three picks. How does our brain jump so easily from thought to thought. I’m probably in need of a shot of Radiolab to help answer my query!
Thought I’d share my weakness before I head off to practice some new tunes for the Hotels & Highways tour with Mia Dyson.
My lady and I took a trip down to NOLA for Jazz Fest 2011. This was my third time down to New Orleans in a couple years. We were luck enough to visit for an extended stay with Hotels & Highways. Its become one of few cities that I could really see myself living in.
As always, one of the first stops is Cafe Du Monde for Beignets and Coffee. When I finished, I looked like I'd been to an all-night coke party. Powdered sugar was everywhere, but much like all-night coke parties, I was feeling quite pleased with myself.
We went straight from there to the open market where I heard an incredible band playing in an outdoor cafe. The group included no member younger than fifty and without any apparent strain or effort they still supplied more soul to Randy Newman's song Louisiana 1927 than I've ever heard before. I shouldn't have been surprised in NOLA, but it took me off guard to hear such sweet sounds from the lunch hour cover band.
Even after Mint Juleps, Abita Beers and wonderful food, nothing could get that song out of my head so I decided that night to learn the song the second I got home. We played it on Saturday night (5/14/11) at Rockwood Music Hall and then Matt Aronoff and I decided to record a little video for y'all.
I would be a fool not to pass along some of my faves from Jazz Fest. In the Marginy we caught a very late night set from Eric Lindell at a great bar called DBA. I loved his playing voice and stage presence, but the rhythm section blew me away. The drummer had such a heavy foot (in a good way) and he locked in so well with the bass player that you would think they were twins.
At the fest itself, we caught sets from Ellis Marsalis, Rebirth Brass Band, Michael Franti and many more. Sadly, Kid Rock (who I've heard puts on a good show, but JAZZ FEST???) was making a ton of noise on the main stage and was killing a little of the Big Easy mood. The last two acts we watched were Robert Randolph and the Neville Bros.
I have always wanted to see Robert Randolph. My old band PTT used to listen to his live CD in the van all the time. Every picture I ever saw, he had a huge smile on his face, and I was happy to walk away with my expectations met. He played an amazing version of Purple Haze with Sonny Landreth . My mind was blown! The day closed out with Aaron Neville and his brothers singing Sam Cooke's, "A Change is Gonna Come." Couldn't of asked for anything more touching to end our day. Not that I'm an old geezer, but it blows me away that I can find the performance on youtube.
Finally, I must mention the biggest surprise of Jazz Fest. The food! This is real N'Awlins food lined up right next to each other. If just the food booth went on tour, I would attend every summer in New York. Catfish Almondine!!!!!!
I'm hoping to be adding some more of these videos and blogs to the page. Hopefully, future videos will be of better quality than this one, but you gotta start somewhere. As we said in the video, if you have a state themed cover or any request, just send it my way. patrickthomasmusic@gmail.com
If you just want to download the mp3, feel free to click here. Louisiana 1927 (I hope to get this link working asap!!! In the meantime, email me and I'll email you the mp3. Deal?)
Ok. We rescued a puppy. We call him Ozzy, mostly named after Fozzy the Bear. He has been sitting quietly on my lap as I mix the latest and greatest from our BRAND NEW BAND Hotels & Highways. More about this in a second, but first…
I am playing in Chicago, IL on Saturday night at 9:30 with Tim Blane (get tickets here) The following Saturday, we are working off the turkey in NYC, by playing Tom Petty’s Wildflowers at Rockwood (8pm).
Ok, now the biggest of the big news. Ozzy, the prince of darkness and I have been slaving away in the laboratory polishing up the already incredible sounding album “Lost River” by the band Hotels and Highways. The band is made up of Syd, Lisa Piccirillo and myself. We are currently running a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter.com to help pay for extra production on the album and subsidize touring costs, so that come Spring of ’11, people across this great nation will hear the songs we are so proud of.
If the answer to any of the following questions is yes, you should probably help reach our goal by donating now.
1. Would you buy the album when it comes out in the spring? (You’ll be getting a copy if you donate anyway…)
2. Have you recently asked me when I’m coming to play your home state/city? (Well, there’s a good chance we’ll be swinging by.)
3. Are you a human being? (Really? You are? Amazing! I guess you’ll have to click the link below.)
Some links
-Kickstarter Find out about the project and what you get when you donate.
-Video Check out this awesome sneak peak from our friends at Seawall productions.
Our very first day we got 25% of our goal funded and less than a week in we are at 40%. Holy Bologna! Now, I want to challenge my fellow midwesterners to prove to the world that we too, love music! So far, I have only seen a couple Michiganders on the tote board (thanks Jeff and Casey.) Where you at?
Any way you slice it, I pumped!!!! Now back to the puppy and the music.
Patrick
Feel free to ask anything…
patrickthomasmusic@gmail.com
I walked into my apartment at the end of my buddy Syd’s video shoot (I have a big apartment.) The camera was up and so my talented friends Evan Cohen and Eddy Vallante were kind enough to let me record a few songs. Here is number one of three. Just me, my amp and my new baby Tennessee Rose playing “Getaway” from Build Me A City. Enjoy!
The Who’s That Pack… I was talking recently with a friend about the idea of Cabaret. It was described less as a musical showcase than a celebration of the performer. Well, there are definitely 5 performers in this group and we aim to celebrate each other in the weirdest possible fashion. But as in a cabaret, there is definitely music involved!
Chad Peronne, Tim Blane, Todd Martin, Syd and myself are the Who’s That Pack.
