I saw a truck spewing smoke on my way up to Maine this past 4th of July. The smoke was so bad, you couldn't see past the truck, at all. A real driving hazard.
Anyway, I just realized a few things.
Cars and trucks (and buses, planes, jets, internal combustion engines...) spew out an incredible volume of gases (as opposed to liquids or solids, not gasoline. OK, gasoline gasses...). If people could see how much they create, perhaps they would drive less.
So, my idea is, create some sort of additive so that cars (trucks, etc) emit visible NON-TOXIC smoke. People will see how much they are polluting. Yes, it would be a driving hazard and harsh medicine but very dramatic. And that's what it takes to really get the point across that there is an incredible volume of toxic gases we emit but don't see. And since we don't see this, we don't think it is that bad of a problem. It's an invisible killer.
Now, what can be put in a car's gas tank that would make the exhaust smoke? I guess there are hobby kits out there.
Whadya think? Anybody want to pick up and run with this idea?
Check out WLIW, Ch 21, tonight (midnight, Saturday night (actually Sunday morning, 12/29)) for Austin City Limits. Cafe Tacuba is on. (It's a repeat.) This is one of the best concerts I've seen on tv. At one point the lead singer teeters on the edge of the stage, falls off the stage, a girl in the audience immediately starts dancing with him and pulls him back up onto the stage. They dance some more. During the B part of the music, she bends him over her knee and kisses him, one of the funniest live concert moments I've ever seen. A great show. Great sound. Turn it up! (I hope you have your tv set up to play through your stereo. It will sound great, as all ACL shows do.)
I got my first cell phone a few days ago. I signed up for the AAA plan with Consumer Cellular which charges $10/month and .25 cents a minute. I don't use the phone much so it seemed like a good deal.
I got the phone a few days ago, having only ordered it on Friday of last week so it came fast. It was alot smaller than I was expecting. It is a Nokia 1600. It doesn't have a camera. I'm not paying for text service but for some reason it says I have some text messages sent and received (That has since been resolved. I erased the message counter but the customer service lady, a nice girl, didn't know why it had happened.) I have called them three times and I think I bewildered two customer service agents who answered. One woman had no idea what I was talking about when I asked her about the musical note icon that appears when the screen dims. Both were patient and helpful though the other guy I talked to seemed to be frustrated that I wasn't up to speed on how this cell phone worked. (I have plenty of computer experience so can get what I need out of geeks but I have very little knowledge about how to use a cell phone.)
I have made a few calls. The first was to my sister who uses a portable phone through an internet connection. It broke up a couple of times but I don't know if it was due to her portable phone, the internet connection or my phone.
I have noticed I get both two bars and four bars for reception while sitting in the same chair. I looked up the cell phone reception on MobileMedia's cell phone coverage page (http://www.cellreception.com/coverage/) and some people have commented that my area does get poor reception sometimes.
I am not impressed with the voice quality. (It's also hard to hear sometimes. And totally inconvenient to adjust the volume while in a call. That's BAD design.) I am not sure I want to put up with these limitations. I also don't like having the keypad on the phone. Often enough you have to hit keys while listening to a menu. Using a phone that has the keypad on the base unit is much easier. I haven't found any Bluetooth desk phones that I, in theory, could use with this phone (if it had Bluetooth, which it doesn't.) That would be a good accessory. Inventors, listen up.
I do see how people can be absorbed by the buttons on their phones. You do spend a lot of time looking at them. These are really small. Too small. They are backlit too but the lighting isn't uniform. Bad design.
There are 35 articles of impeachment being offered. Constitutional scholars have said many have merit yet the Democrats are refusing to allow it to proceed.
What would happen if Bush were impeached? Dems fear a backlash but wouldn't doing the right thing be more powerful?
I say impeach. He certainly deserves it. Much more so than Clinton whose only offense was lying about having sex. Sending people to war under false circumstances, and other offenses, certainly justifies impeachment. I'd say it demands it. If we don't impeach him what kind of country do we have?
And If we impeach, what will happen then? I don't know but feel that not impeaching is unacceptable.
Do you get mad when you see someone perfectly able park in a handicapped spot? Now you can do something about it.
There's this website where you can report people who might be abusing handicapped parking or placards. If you see something that looks wrong, write the info down (license plate number, time of day, location, handicapped parking tag number if you can see it). Then, when you're home go to this website and fill out their simple form. They will send a monthly report to each state's DMV. The DMV will determine if there is abuse and contact and possibly fine the person if so. You don't have to and shouldn't confront anyone. This is a great way to bring to justice people who abuse this important resource for handicapped people. People who need the parking are not punished.
I am sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings. I really am. You are ALL nice people though I don't think I will ever like Bob French. (I do like his band!)
It's just that I am frustrated with your production values. Most problems I've noticed are basic to radio: you shouldn't have wildly different levels; you shouldn't overmodulate; it's nice to have all the instruments and vocalists in a mix; you don't need to do a station ID between every tune or every other one. (Every half hour is adequate. Knowing what band or artist is on in a live set would be better to repeat briefly...) Until different people (more interesting, intelligent or not) volunteer to be DJs you are stuck with what you have.
I hope that in future years, your ability to broadcast/webcast the Jazz Fest will be better. I have been listening for about 10 years now on the internet. I was impressed in 2006 at how well it was done. The stream quality had improved and your production values were so much better. I think David Kunian was mentioned as being in charge of much of it then. This year was a step backwards.
12:05 NY time. Hazel throws to the Fairgrounds and no one answers. Long silence... then a CD plays at a good level. Charles Burchell and Dave Dauterive are the DJs.
revised schedule 11:30 - Paulin Bros, reairing of previous set 12 something - Jonathan Batiste 2:10 - Pfister Sisters 5:50 - Bob French
None of this is worth listening to. I'll pay attention to the AT&T webcast.
Charles sounds tinny. Two DJs talking reasonably.
They play the Paulin Bros from 4/27.
- We hear I'll Fly Away. Trumpet is low in the mix. Duh.
- Basin St Parade. These guys are low key, nice compared to the in-your-face of most brass bands.
- Closer Walk With Thee
Then the rest as was aired on 4/27 I suppose.
some Professor Longhair cuts...
Jonathan Batiste (a better pianist than I thought but I'm not into this kind of jazz)
Nice cheer to show how the audience loves being in this "fair city"!
Nice moment in the improv on the rag (Maple Leaf? I forget which one) with some nice chords....
Wonderful World. Gets to be sickening to hear this after awhile.
It's so rare to hear a New Orleans band in tune...
Pfister Sisters now. I can't listen to this. Too painful.
John Ellis from before.
CDs
The Bad Plus from Thursday. REALLY low level. Not surprised.
I miss a bunch of this.
Bob French and the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band A good band. Too bad Bob is such a jerk. Piano is low in the mix then brought up. Good mix! Bob's mic is out of the mix, thank goodness. Then it is brought up.
I tune in at 11:30 NY time. What is it with OZ? They have no concept of levels. The Irish show on now (Music In The Glen), while I love the music, has low levels for the DJ and HIGH levels for the CDs. Does the transition between the two bother anyone? Apparently not. Idiots. (CDs averaging 0db. DJ -10. Good.) True, Sean has a quiet voice but there is still no excuse except for incompetence.
The CD is so hot it's overmodulating. He turns it down, good. Working For The Pharoh (Richard Thompson wrote it).
They go to the Fairgrounds at 12:03 NY time. Mark Hawkins and Sondra Bibb. OK. Sondra: "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...." OK.
Mark Hawkins is OFF-MIC, you moron. They are so clueless.
Sondra sounds tinny. CD level is good. Good. Well, I thought it was good but it had a quieter opening. Let's see about others. Love Alejandro Escovedo.
subdudes? iguanas? I can't keep them straight. (good level)
Iko Iko - Dixe Cups
DJ, a bit hot but tolerable.
12:27 NY time. Hey, they actually turned down his level!! Thank you! Now the level is going WAY down... Idiots. They have no clue.
The sun is coming up?
Sondra is fun to listen to. A great laugh. (I met her back in the late 90s, at an OZ on-air pledge drive and liked her then.) There are some nice people at OZ but so many have such bad technical skills. Mark is fun to listen to too.
Don Vappie, right behind us? I guess he is saying that that was what we just heard. It's sort of the same concept, just mangled.
Mark, remember you are in front of a microphone. There is something called overdoing it. If you're going to shout, maybe you can aim your voice away from the microphone? No, he is oblivious. And distorting.
Have Lillian Boutte cued up. She's onstage doing her thing. Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together is a MOVIE. (Is is a musical too?)
Lillian Boutte on at 12:51 NY time. A good band behind her. Sax is low in the mix. What else is new?
My Darlin' New Orleans!! The hair stands up on my neck. One of my favorite songs when Lil Queenie did it but I like this version!!
Good enough mix. Levels good.
Don't You Feel My Leg. Nice intro. What a great voice! Love the growl. Love the quieter but bright sound. Sax is low, almost out of the mix. Sorry folks. You don't get to hear the sax. The sound crew isn't going to fix this. Tough luck.
Funny and serious message to internet listeners! (She says how important jazz is and then does an R&B song...) Dedicates it to her family, the queers. She teaches the crowd to sing the song!
God bless you, Lillian.
Dedicates this to Dr John and all of us. Tears well up. You've Got A Friend. I am not overwhelmed with the song though. Singers aren't quite all on the same page.
The New Orleans music scene could be compared to big karaoke bar. All these covers... People singing other people's songs. Sure would be nice if they had their own ideas. Rehashing the hits gets real boring fast.
Awful end notes, harmonies off. Love her message though.
Bootee'. I thought it was pronounced Bootey'.
Mark on and level is good. Sondra too.
Repeat of Liz Wright on in the next hour.
Still have some overmodulation despite lower level of mics. Overall level too hot.
They play some Lil Buck Sinegal crap. Violins in the background?
I too love these band names!
No, it's not the Louisiana Jazz and Heritage Festival. Idiot.
I miss who they are playing now. I later find out it is Liz Wright from Friday, 4/28.
Neil Young's Old Man.
Hit The Ground Baby? (Thought it was something about a brown baby before.)
Gtr is out of the mix for Why Don't You Leave Me (Alone?). Nice song, nicely sung.
unknown song.
I pick up with same woman, new song.
More in this style. Walk With Me.
(No DJs have been interrupting!!)
Thank You (Little Drops of Rain) (cover of Led Zeppelin) Very nicely done. Makes the song new.
Stage MC barely heard.
DJ, Mark Hawkins, talks reasonably.
He says "As well as it should be". He meant to say 'As well it should be', which is the expression. (Typical mangling of the language by people who are poorly uneducated, to put it one way.)
Piece on the NOMC.
Tribute to Max Roach feat. Herlin Riley, Shannon Powell & Jason Marsalis We come in as they doing one tune.
- fast bass and drum, 'Terry Keith? Drummer style.'
- Jason Marsalis introduced on. His level goes up a little way in then down again. The Man With Two Left Feet.
- Herlin Riley introduced. Not very well mic'd. I couldn't tell what the title is.
- Shannon Powell introduced.
- Jason featured. Just The Way You Look Tonight on vibes. Level comes up.
- Something by Danny Barker.
DJ ID Missy Bowen and Bob French. Bob sounds mellow so far. Don Vappie on later.
James Singleton on now.
String quartet sounds good.
3:50 pm NO time. Bob is an idiot.
Dr Michael White on now. Minutes earlier they announced who would be up later. I guess they didn't know until now that they would be airing this. One has to wonder. Some nice playing.
"Keep right going." Missy. I think she means, 'keep right on going' but that would be too many words and it's too hot out. Or, living in New Orleans does that to you.
Pinstripe Brass Band CD. I'm Wanna Go Back To New Orleans. Nice. Brass bands as they should be. Although hearing this, it is like there is one tune for brass bands and all the bands play variations on it. This could be Give Me My Money Back amongst other tunes. Nice and long. Too many tourist references though. Riff from another familiar tune.
...
Midnight Disturbers.
Leo Nocentelli with Etta James now. Great! They play unmastered track.
More Midnight Disturbers.
5:50 pm NO time. Bob, 'Today is the third? 3rd of what?' May, you moron.
Cresent City Allstars with James Andrews We join them as they play Miss Liza Jane. OK mix. Bass and kick drum are too high. Gtr low. Some distortion heard. Overmodulating.
Bob does ID. So go, idiot.
- Big Chief
- When The Saints, 'do the funky saints'. Next.
Missy does ID.
- Iko Iko. This is a waste of time.
6:29 NO time. Bob does ID
Distortion on this brass band tune. Electric bass and gtrs instead of brass. Distortion seems to get better, level goes down a little. Tune goes on too long though.
(The slate at the end of yesterday's webcast says they start at 1 pm but they don't, thankfully.)
I tune in at 1:54 NY time and they are showing the crowd at some stage. Can't tell who is on stage, some jazz. No lower third to ID this.
This is the Salvador Santana Band. They're not supposed to be on till 4... (They are actually on live I guess.) stupid rap, latin
2:03 NY time. Screen fades to black then they go to intro to Porter Batiste Stoltz. Good.
Audio still ahead of the video. No phasing to speak of.
Now this is some nice music!
- Heavy delta slide blues. Meet Me In The Morning? (Chicago blues) (some 16k!)
2:13 PM Alejandro Escovedo
Right on time. Too short for Porter Batiste Stoltz but I love Alejandro's music. Good lyrics and heartfelt tunes.
- eh
- Nice, typical Alejandro stuff. Cello is a tough instrument to sell in the rock world. Great shot of Alejandro and fiddler trading licks.
- Sweet intro. Sister La Soul, Brother La Soul?
- Another sweet intro. waltz? real slow. Now a different tune, tempo. Familiar. From Lives (Songs?) of the Fathers? (That "opera" he did.) A haunting tune, lovely. Rosalie. What Alejandro does best.
- song from his earlier band, Sensitive Boy.
- Nice intro. (It's going on after 2:40 so I'm glad it's continuing.) Heavy. Makes No Sense, Makes Perfect Sense... Nice.
- More! High pitched squeal of feedback. 'Real as an animal...' (Iggy Pop)
- 'All I ever wanted was a 4 piece band...' 'I'm the last drink of water from the Salton Sea...'
- Well alright, another one. This song ended up on Bush's top 10 iPod songs. Dedicated to Joe Strummer... Dumpstaphunk up next? What happened to Papa Grows Funk? I Like It Better When She Walks Away. Quint gives him a hug.
3:00 PM Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk (live) - We catch the first tune after it started. Boring. Show Me How To Funk Like You
- another... For whatever reason I don't get into though the beat is good. Some nice camera work. .... shake your bitty booty... Good music to make lunch by. ... I'm getting into it as time goes on.
- Shake It Off. Sax is low in the mix.
3:37 Now they play the Salvador Santana Band. What happened to Bonerama? Too latin for me w/ rap. ... Evil Ways (Art Neville up next. The schedule is all f'd up.)
4 pm. They do a piece on the fest.
Art Neville on now. (is that the Dumpstaphunk gtr-ist?)
- We miss the beginning of this tune. The difference between these guys and say, Salvador Santana Band. These guys aren't trying so hard to impress. They're getting more out of less.
- old song (for him). forgettable 50s tune.
They cut out of that and go to the host.
Santana (Carlos) as they are starting up a tune or ending one. Some sort of classical-based tune. Then chaos. This will win them over. Carlos directing the chaos with his hands. Drummer goes nuts then into a nice beat. Jingo! Nice. Dual maraca players with two bright yellow maracas in each hand! This is live. Conga player with black hair flowing in the wind. Carlos continues to be one my favorite rock dinosaur gtr players. Ever since Caravanserai.
- "new" singer. Saw him on Later? His vocals get left out at one point... And again.
- Wow, this is a flashback! The old Tower of Power/San Francisco horn sound. Can't remember the name of this, Sing It Round? Somebody's out of the mix.
- Another blast from the past. I'm sure others are having flashbacks too. Another familiar tune in there. And another. And now into a blues tune. A big smile as he finishes up a hot riff. Very nice.
- Familiar but with more noise.
- I Ain't Got Nobody (That I Can Depend On). I hope everyone's drugs are kicking in about now. Yeah! The crowd loves it! "We are the continuation of their voices... We are the opposite of George Bush... The power of love... unity, harmony, compassion... gentleness."
- Dedicates this next tune to the women because "nothing happens unless the women are happy." Naima (John Coltrane) Trumpet solo. Nice closeup of organ player. This could be any jazz band... Nice!
- latin hip hop... Maria, Maria... mama chola... something mambo
- unknown latin/Cuban/Mexican? tune. Good direction, they hit the horns just when needed. Nice shot of Carlos. Yeah!
- Black Magic Woman. (w/ Hendrix's Third Stone From The Sun?) thrown in there) Nice
- Right into Oye Como Va. (Never Go Back To Georgia! thrown in there. I think I've heard him do that before.) Organ is a little low in the mix. Hard to hear it's solo. Prince's Love Bizarre thrown in for one second. This is called blowing the roof off the sucker! Crowd loves it.
- IDs the band. "Your purpose is to create a masterpiece of joy in your life... Heal people in this world"... Video part of the stream is being jerky. Probably lots of viewers. Audio is fine. Unknown song... coño.... We hear the Woodstock chant after they're done! lol
- (tune played at Woodstock, Soul Sacrifice?) Nice mix!! Timbale player using his elbows. Kid on timbales! Then to silence as the tune would normally crescendo. Carlos plays solo at the head of the stage. Then he brings it back up again into a heavy metal riff. Then to (?). Then to a church choir, as they pray. Then into another tune. Peace! Indeed. Carlos shakes the hands of the stage mix engineers as he goes off.
5:59 pm Vaucresson Sausage Co spot. Crawfish sausage! This guy can sing too.
Bonerama! The host previewed this by saying 'see some of the local entertainers or some such.' That's kinda what Jazz Fest should be about, isn't it? Sound problem. Can't hear the CD being used as backup. Elvis... The National Anthem. Done straight. Mostly.
- Crosstown Traffic. Craig has his reneworleans sticker on his horn.
- Hang up the phone and drive... This trying to be "heavy" with these power chords is tiresome.
- new: Hard Times. The dancing girls sure don't hurt! (Fan dancers wearing too much clothing.) The AT&T feed is loving it!
- Nice effect on this funky intro. Is this on their first album? Shake It Down? Shake my rugelator... Craig's singing is pretty weak. (Always?) Papa Grows Funk coming up next.
That's it for them. Not so great. Now wee see some scenes form the fest.
6:27 PM Papa Grows Funk Nice outfit on the gtr-ist. Video still jerky, might be worse.
6:43 PM They cutaway from Gros and we see the host.
Neville Brothers. Quint intro. Live. AT&T director did the right thing, came in at the right time. Thank you.
- Indians on stage! Wild Tchopitoulas
- Meet De Boys On The Battlefront (gonna stomp some rump) Nice to see them dancing with the crowd behind them. Big Chief Jim Robinson? singing the verses.
- Fire On The Bayou
- Bass starts out. Must have put voodoo on me...
- Long Time Coming beautifully sung by Aaron. Nice!
- Tipitina! Yeah.
- latin beginning... Beasme Mucho, jeez. Nicely done though.
- Tell It Like It Is sung by Aaron. I hear women screaming in the background as this starts! Very nice.
- Carlos Santana comes onstage. Did I see the drummer just lose a drum stick? Had a new one in a second. That's My Blood Down There.
- Ain't No Use To Cut You Loose. Carlos is igniting the band!
- Brother Jake. Nice.
- Yellow Moon. Nice duet w/ gtr-ist
- Brother John Is Gone/Iko Iko (8pm NY time)
- Mean Willie Green starts out on the drums. unknown song/ When You Go To New Orleans? Nice dancing on stage! "Shake what your mama gave ya." " We all Nevilles", Quint after listing all the Neville family members on stage.
- Amazing Grace? Yes. (Sung by Aaron, of course.) One Love! Yes!!! w/ People Get Ready.
- Big Chief. w/ Trombone Shorty on trumpet... Killer drum solo.
Nice ending from Quint.
Stream hasn't gone out today! Video is jerky but it didn't stop. Audio good with a few exceptions. (This is SO much better than listening to WWOZ!!)
Overall: Stream audio is well mixed but two problems: audio is slightly out of sync with video, ahead of it! and phasing got bad towards the end. Video is freeze-framing here and there but it's so much better to see this stuff. And they've thrown in some features, my favorite being watching the second line with the New Wave Brass Band. They even added some acts that weren't on their schedule: Widespread Panic and Jimmy Buffett who was recorded that day!
Saturday, 5/4 AT&T webcast in the order they appeared (times are NY time)
Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars! The audio on this is overmodulated. The stream stops. On restart I miss most of his set. Probably a buffering problem.
A piece on Muses.
Susan Cowsill This is on 2:41 NY time. River Of Love.
Theresa Andersson Group! Looking hot as usual.
Kim Carson White trash. Another cover - Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. Nice.
Jon Cleary! - Tipitina, done with all the latin influences heard before. - Zulu Strut - It's All Over Now - typical R&B played well but awfully repetitive. - nice drum intro! nice gtr solo. What We Got, No Different Than What You Got. Good funk groove.
Good mixes so far w/ AT&T. Sounds good other than that one spot where it was distorting. Well directed and cameras are doing a good job.
Dr John! (everyone getting wet) - Right Place, Wrong Time. Nice shot of keyboard and crowd! Very nostalgic for the pics of Jazz Fest I've seen from the 70s, black and white... - Keep That Music Simple, funny. - 'Let's get Shannon McNally's ass up here and do one of them Bobby Charles tunes.' lol. You can lose everything and you still have music. A song for the hurricane survivors. 'Give it up for her ass'. - song about murders in New Orleans. Say What? Jab at Bush! Yea! "There's a whole lotta shit to be answered for." Hear, hear. - I'm Qualified, comparing rich vs poor.
Voice of The Wetlands All-stars! Quint intros them wearing an LSU shirt. LSU sucks! Sorry, I couldn't help myself. All stars indeed. The cream of the crop. Don't Let The Water Wash Us Away. - Louisiana Sunshine. Another song to help people rebuild their lives. Disco beat?
Stream stops and restarts at beginning.
I get it to work again but I miss the next song.
They don't edit out the between-song wait.
- Dedicates this song to the people who are trying to move back to New Orleans. Sung by Jumpin' Johnny Sansonne. 'Insurance man nothing more than a big ball buster.' Good to hear these songs about how hard it's been. (AT&T has the wrong lower third up as Johnny sings. It's not Dr John playing anymore...) Bush and Haliburton and Blanco. Good song.
- Ain't Gonna Lose No More. (We Gonna Fight). A Mardi Gras Indian is on stage in pink. (Monk Boudreaux) Saving our wetlands in Iraq, we want our money back! Alright!
- Hold Em Joe? chant. The rain is coming down! They cut it short.
The subdudes! .... What an honor to play after the Dixie Chicks, I mean Dixie Cups. They are subdued. I always thought the name was more 'sub dudes' but it sure applies to their music now and then. Subdued. Subdued dudes? Sub ub ub...
- Lord you got to help me now... late at night. (ED problems?)
- '1972, the hippies came and rearranged our minds'! Love is a beautiful thing. A familiar tune. 'Leave the mud people alone.' (That's the year I came down there too.) Nice to hear this again.
Now they show a tent where Strum Sticks are sold. A non-musical host.
Zac Brown (on ahead of schedule) - generic, boring country. - hard rock w/fiddle and organ, then reggae. Who Knows. Into ska w/ fiddle then Allman Bros. Gtr and fiddle trading licks. - 'right cheer', cracker for "right here." Whoa, an Irish riff? - Opening for Etta James that night at the HOB. Talk about a mismatch. Another generic country tune. Just As Free As We'llo Ever Be. Then into Van Morrison's Into The Mystic. Funny, I was thinking he sounded similar to Van, except for the lyrics, phrasing, band, and talent. Then back into his song. "Though we don't have a lot of money, all we need is love." He's from GA. - Lists his favorite things: ' cold beer on a Friday night, a pair of jeans that fit just right' All country cliches. Next! And he loves his mama. Give me a break. Thanks the soldiers for dying so he doesn't have to sacrifice. (Expletive edited out.)
Irma Thomas! (and the Professionals) - It's Raining? I miss this. - Ruler Of My Heart. Sounds like she's going to play the hits. Nothing wrong with that. Thanks the out-of-towners. - unknown song. The horn players have got their little dance routine with Irma. - If You Want It, Come And Get It... - Soul Survivor - Time Is On My Side - I Just Got Over! complete w/ second line audience participation. And Iko Iko and Hey Pocky Way and then back into I Just Got Over. Thanks the audience for helping out the city again.
Stream stops then restarts back at the Voice of the Wetlands.
Wayne Toups! (long set) Starts early. OK - nice - Leap Of Faith (hear some phasing throughout AT&T webcast) - slow dance song - some song about a train - from a soundtrack... - unknown song with bad audio problem (kind of like an echo/phasing problem) - song in French, nice and long. - unknown song - another. Some nice jams. The Allman Brothers Blue Skies - ending. - ending tune, phasing is bad at points. Phasing continues after tune ends.
Not on the schedule but it appeared anyway: Widespread Panic, phasing is bad at times. It's adding it's own rhythm track. Not much to this music. Gets better. "Sewing machine" is an important lyric, important enough to be repeated three times? This at least has a harder edge than whatever I'd heard Phish do.
Tim McGraw - which I could not watch. Awful stuff.
piece on soft shell crabs!
piece on second lining with the New Wave Brass Band!
(rec today!) Jimmy Buffet (w/ Sonny Landreth? Allen Toussaint comes in) Is this a little lagniappe? I am no Jimmy Buffett fan these days. I did like his Why Don't We Get Drunk And Screw days though. This stuff is music perfectly safe for an elevator near you.
- One Particular Harbor - Ilo Ferreira, more elevator music - fins song - Ralph MacDonald on percussion! Brings Allen Toussaint on to do Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans. That was a jazz Fest moment? Pretty pitiful.
Lots of digital audio artifacts/pops/hiccups. Bob French throws to the Fairgrounds and then do we hear someone at the Fairgrounds? No, we hear a CD. OK. Cousin Dimitri and Missy Bowen. Stream is being weird. The audio is breaking up.
The Lee Boys, sacred steel. Hey, remember to turn down the DJ mics. Duh. Then it stops altogether. More digital glitches. Some bad noises here... Amazing Grace. Starts out slow. I'm guessing it will get manic later. Starting to speed up. Good, it is dragging. Then it is faded out. That's it? What a letdown.
Legacy: Students of Alvin Batiste Ug. Not my kind of music.
Whoever is speaking (onstage during the Alvin Batiste segment), we can't hear you because the sound crew hasn't got your mic up...
DJs come on LOUD, distorting. Good, OZ.
Now they go to the Hot Club. Good. Too bad they didn't tell us anything about not airing yesterday, nor do they have it on the schedule for today. But what of that?
Nice, they go in JUST as the band is starting. That might seem professional. That's a first. Lots of digital glitches in the stream though. Hiccups too. I would enjoy the music more if the stream was normal... I do like this stuff and the band is good.
Vocal mic is low.
NIce, slow swing. Low level then comes up. Johnson's Dilemma.
Than bandleader tells the crowd this is going out on WWOZ unless there are any technical dilemmas. Technical dilemmas? On OZ? Are you kidding?
Nice, sweet tune.
DJ
Classic Hot Club tune.
A HOT tune!!
Lena, Queen of Calafia? Cool. Wouldn't it be nice if they broadcast the New Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra? (Please, someday?) A Yiddish theme at the end.
New Orleans.
Good mix, good levels although I am not checking. No distortion heard. Just listening through iTunes plugged into the stereo.
If they're finishing up now, OZ will have 2 hours to fill before the next act. Rehashes of previous shows?
Cousin Dimitri w/ Missy Bowen. Duck Po Boy?!
OZ hasn't straightened out the problem with the NOLA.com blogs yet. They link to two different URLs, to two blogs with different logs and only one shows my comments. (They have the same stories.) Tom Morgan said they were working on it last Sunday, 4/27.
The Hot Club is not on the OZ schedule web page. That'd be too much work to have the correct info updated.
Snooks Eaglin acoustic. Must have heard him at the 70s Jazz Fest.
Oh, The Rhaposidizers. See that poster I have. Radiators! Oh, the heartache in these songs. Love it. Magdelana? 7 Devils.
Good talk from Missy and Dimitri on Jazz Fest.
(The Nevele? No, not that Nevele... Nevilly as in of the Neville Bros...)
Truly bizarre but cool "2nd and Dryades" cut. Good bass drum sound.
Talky Jazz Fest guy. Glad there are sharp people working there. Scott Aegis?
Herlin Riley. I was very impressed with his drumming last year w/ Dave Torkanowsky on Piano Night.
Good to hear Tom Piazza.
Carolina Chocolate Drops, wish I had heard them. I love the black stringband sound. (Louie Blueie!)
Big Jay McNeely rebroadcast on now. Piano is low in this mix too! Why would it be any different...
3:42 NY time (I stop recording) An hour or so before The Bad Plus come on... I should like them.
Same lousy mix they had before. Sax is low, vocals are low. Spoken pieces are almost impossible to hear. Kinda embarrassing, isn't it?
4:03 NY time. We hear a DJ laughing over the (incredibly low level) music. Are they aware the mic is on?
DJ IDs. Much higher level than the music. Keith (happy idiot) and Willard Jenkins And Bob French coming on later. That's too bad. He's a griot? (Guy pronounces it 'griat'...)
Level comes up to a normal level during Let The Goodtimes Roll.
Stream dies. No. They just kill the audio in mid-song. Good job, OZ. They don't even fade it down, just kill out outright. Stupid.
The Bad Plus has "acheived"? "an interesting audience synergy...", Willard Jenkins.
Willard Jenkins - "LONiappe?" I thought it was lagniappe?
"Entuned." No, you're not entuned. You are tuned to... 'Entuned' is not a word. The DJs also like to say 'keep it locked on WWOZ.' OK, if they must. It's retarded but OK.
They go to the Bad Plus at 4:40 NY time.
I think I see where these guys are coming from. Maybe I won't like them after all. Too based in straight jazz. Next? (Ah, they used a theme by Milton Babbit, who I know is not jazz at all but it sounded familiar... and more...)
Vocal mics are low. Get better. Ethan sounds like a nerd.
Second tune has hints of being interesting but isn't. (Sounds a little like John Zorn's Masada or Battle of Algiers)
Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Tears For Fears). Some nice moments.
DJ butts in. Level is good. ID. Shut up, DJ.
My Friend something. Totally boring.
next tune. More of a rock tune. Kinda nice. Get's my head bobbing. Joe Jackson-esque.
Old Money - by Ethan. I'm not going to like this... It gets better. Bass, what note are you playing?
I miss some. No big deal.
Physical Cities. He intros band and each member plays a little doo-dad. Heavy, man. But not too heavy. I liked the ending until the drums came in. Level goes up at end. Why? Crowd loves it. More minimalist music should be played in NO.
Life On Mars (David Bowie). Ah, yes. The climax comes through! A different kind of audience...
They go right to the John Hammond Quartet. Cool.
His vocal mic is out of the mix. Good.
Hearing what sounds like a close-mic of someone chewing. Probably a digital artifact.
His harmonica is also low in the mix. Great!
Butter!
Hear some coughing. Is it DJs or on stage?
Eyes Behind Your Head. Hear alot of crowd noise. Don't you hate it when people aren't paying attention to the music. It's rude. I am all for crowd effect but in this case, I'd turn them down some since they are taking away from the show.
Harmonica is still low in the mix. Hello, sound people...? We hear people clapping. Overmodulated bass. We hear background vocalists better than John. I have to wonder what planet the sound people are on when they don't fix obvious flaws in the mix by the end of the set. Sad.
Is this rain we hear while they interview Mark Samuels, or white noise?
One good thing, the DJs haven't been butting in every two seconds to give a station ID and then repeat that several times before they went back to the music. That's a relief.
Yeah, it's raining down there.
They go to Marva Wright at 7:10 NY time. (3:13:11) 6:00 - 7:00pm - Marva Wright & the BMWs with guest Al "Carnival Time" Johnson
(I miss some of this)
She talks about losing weight. Dedicates her set to Ed Bradley. Horns are out of the mix then brought in. Let's Make Love. Overall level goes down. Why? Now it goes up. Bozos.
Mix is good now.
blues
ID, shut up DJ. Just go back to her, don't talk about it.
Got My Mojo Working. Tinny sax sound, probably intentional. Now the sax is loud. Now it's out of the mix. Whatever.
'How many of you are from away?' That's what they'd say if you were up in Maine...
Proud Mary. (I think I'll watch the tv news during this.)
Nobody, You Ain't Got No Drawers On Ya... OK. The band isn't wearing any underwear. What can i say? Make it swing?
boogie. Good band. Crowd singing along. Not sure what they're singing. All Night Long, aha.
I'm looking forward to seeing whatever AT&T shows us tomorrow.
Also, AT&T will webcast video as well, on Saturday and Sunday of some of LAST WEEK'S shows. Starts at 2 pm EST. Should be EXCELLENT!!
Saturday Line-Up Roddie Romero & The Hub City All Stars! Zac Brown Wayne Toups! Jon Cleary! Dr. John! Voice of the Wetlands All Stars featuring Tab Benoit, Dr. Cyril Neville (Dr? lol), Dr. John and others! the subdudes! Theresa Andersson! Susan Cowsill! Kim Carson Irma Thomas! Tim McGraw Jimmy Buffett Widespread Panic
Sunday Line-Up Salvador Santana Band Alejandro Escovedo!! Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk Porter Batiste Stoltz! Papa Grows Funk! Art Neville! The Neville Brothers!
The second week broadcast/webcast schedule from WWOZ's web page:
Thursday, May 1 11:15 - 12:00pm - Tony "Oulabula" Bazley & the Kickers' Tribute to Past Drummers - I tune in at 12:55 NY time and it doesn't sound like that is going on, I hear a trumpet band. But it is live or at least live on tape.
12:15 - 1:05pm - John Ellis & Double-Wide - I don't know his music. 1:30 - 2:30pm - Topsy Chapman's Tribute to Dinah Washington - Could be good. 2:55 - 3:50pm - Mark Braud - I don't know him. 4:10 - 5:10pm - The Maurice Brown Effect - I don't know him. 4:15 - 5:15pm - Hot Club of New Orleans - This should be good. 5:40 - 7:00pm - Donald Harrison - I don't think I'll like this.
Friday, May 2 11:30 - 12:20pm - Legacy: Students of Alvin Batiste - I don't think I'll like this. 3:30 - 4:45pm - The Bad Plus - I don't know them. Could be good. 4:25 - 5:35pm - John Hammond Quartet - Might be good. 6:00 - 7:00pm - Marva Wright & the BMWs with guest Al "Carnival Time" Johnson - Should be good.
Saturday, May 3 2:25 - 3:15pm - Tribute to Max Roach feat. Herlin Riley, Shannon Powell & Jason Marsalis - I don't think I'll like this. 5:45 - 6:55pm Cresent City Allstars with James Andrews - This might be good.
Sunday, May 4 12:25 - 1:15pm - Pfister Sisters - I don't think I'll like this. The Boswell Sisters were just fine thanks. Retreads not necessary. 12:55 - 1:55pm - Jonathan Batiste - Hope he's better than what I heard for Piano Night. 5:50 - 7:00pm - Bob French - Oh no, Sunday is going to be a bad day.
Oh well. A disappointing second weekend. I am glad they are doing Thursday. I just wish they had better lineups.
Overall summary. Much better engineered than anything we have heard from the Fairgrounds so far. Better mixes, better levels. Best act: Dr Lonnie Smith. Wonderful.
Listening to the DJ before the show starts, is reassuring. He has a great voice, isn't an idiot and I guess has some production skills. Not all WWOZ DJs are idiots. I take it back about the production skills. He plays a CD that blasts immediately after talking. At least it isn't overmodulating. I definitely take it back about production skills. The next CD is even louder.
His level is kinda low compared to the music he plays. That may be part of his schtick but it's hard to hear him and also keep the radio at a good level when the music plays. Little things like that make for bad radio. (He's peaking at -10, CDs are peaking at 0db)
"In just about a few minutes..."
LiveWire comes on real loud, 10db hotter than the DJ. Good, OZ.
8 o'clock NY time. When will they start?
Silence. Boom, they go. Silence again. DJ at the HOB has started talking before the feed gets to him. We go to Carol Fran now. (So says the DJ)
Here's some of who're expected (from the OZ web page): James Andrews, Marcia Ball, Marco Benevento, Eddie Bo, Jon Cleary, Dan Dyer, Casandra Faulconer (backup band), Carol Fran, Henry Gray, John Gros, Herb Hardesty, Joe Krown, Ronald Markham, Adam Matasar, Tom McDermott, Amasa Miller, Charlie Miller, Renard Poché, Shannon Powell (backup band), Donald Ramsey (backup band), Reeka, John Royen, Marc Stone, David Torkanowsky, Robert Walter.
She's playing some ragtime.
This feed is oh, averaging -10 db. Will it get louder? Will DJs blast? Will DJs butt in at every chance to do station IDs?
Vocal mic is low, averaging -30db. (She sounds like a he...)
Plays a waltz.
No DJ butting in.
This is a guy, not Carol Fran. Who is it? Moron DJ.
DJ butts in. Does station ID. Amasy Miller he says. (spelled Amasa on the OZ web page)
8:20 NY time They switch in the middle of the tune. Carol Fran and Joe Krown. OK. This is a tune Alberta Hunter used to sing. Darktown Strutters Ball.
You Don't Know Me (Ray Charles)
Running and Hiding. Bass comes in too loud but gets adjusted quickly.
DJ ID. Shannon Powell on drums, Donald Ramsey on bass.
Her uncle Henry Gray comes up. Two piano players, not quite in sync.
Henry sings, Sweet Home Chicago. Some high frequency feedback, quickly stopped. She comes in on the second verse but is low level, probably off-mic. Sax is in the mix but it's low. Average level is -10 db. With vocals, ~-3db.
DJ ID. Short and sweet.
Now, Henry singing, level is only -10db. I'm not going to keep changing it. Tough if they are low level.
Mixes have been good enough. Everybody in them. Levels ok but low.
ID again.
Rock Me Daddy. Carol singing, low in the mix.
Carol is done. Her spiel is below -30 db. Good engineering...
9:04 NY time Jon Cleary on. Bob French intros him.
Take Me Back Home To New Orleans?
Mississippi River Blues (Changed to New Orleans Louisiana Blues)
familiar instrumental, full of glissandos (Cuban)
Shannon Powell, Alfred Uganda Roberts, Donald Ramsey join in. Tipitina, starts out Latin style. Whizz whistle! Love this rhythm section.
Lucille. Hard rockin' version.
Blueberry Hill
He's done.
DJ "You've been jistening to Jon Cleary." Jistening? I guess he was going to say "just listening to" but the words didn't quite make it out of his mouth. Station ID
We go to the Parish but DJ has no idea who is playing. Good. Then, without a word, we are back at the main stage, Bob French MCing. Makes joke about George Bush. Good Bob!
Such A Night. Player not ID'd. I think it is John Gros. Bill Payne of Little Feat playing with him now?
"Can I get a yeah, you right? Yeah, you right" the crowd shouts back. Well alright.
Hello Josephine. Pianos sound good! We can hear the bass nicely. Level is good. Averaging -10, peaking at -3. Vocals are right on. Good mix.
DJ butts in. IDs John Gros and Bill Payne.
Roll Away. Slow, an anthem. His vocals get lost. Is he off-mic?
As they stall, DJ comes in. OK.
Tennessee Jed (Grateful Dead)
DJ.
9:55 NY time John done. Bob French on. Dave Torkanowsky up next. If we're waiting for the piano to be fixed, why don't we go to the Parish? Words of wisdom from Bob: "Everybody ought to drink."
DJ (George Ingmire) IDs again. Ah, brilliant idea, go to the Parish. Don't tell us who's on though. Morons.
A deconstructed familiar tune, solo.
Back to the main stage. IDs again.
Dave starts. Mo's Art. Dedicated to Alvin Batiste. Level goes down during this slightly.
Dave's vocal mic is low now.
10:18 pm NY time, Shut up DJ. You're talking over the music. (He feels compelled to finish his sentence.)
Playing some Pro Longhair riffs. Hearing distortion.Big Chief. Hey Now Baby. Nice. Now into lounge. Back into Big Chief as we know it.
'Gonna keep fast company.' Nice mix. Sings How Did I Get So Far Gone. Some nice licks and tricks.
"This is my favorite night of the year, I swear to god." Jonathan Batiste next.
A hot instrumental! Into Mardi Gras (Prof Longhair) Weird percussion is too hot but otherwise all is ok.
(Some 6.3k, no 16k but it sounds good, Much better than anything I've heard from the Fairgrounds.)
Dave is done.
DJ ID. We go other stage to hear Reeka for a second, then it switches back to the DJ mic checking and we get some BAD pops. Not much point in going to Reeka was there?
They go back to Reeka. They're playing Big Chief. Just piano and gtr.
Her mic is low. Tipitina. 'We're gonna slow it down. Everybody knows Tipitina, right?'
They switch to the other stage. Sounds like white noise in the background...
Jonathan Batiste now. Nice. Turns into Big Chief. Horn is way too loud but they are handling it. Now it is barely heard. Now his vocals are WAY TOO HOT. You'd think these people have never been in front of microphones before...
He does mic test ("test, test, test, test") while playing classical theme.
Oop poop a doop.
DJ ID
Something You Got. Some nice playing, vocals are a mess. W/ father Michael Batiste.
Some melodeon pieces. Some snazzy riffs.
What A Wonderful World, complete with Louis Armstrong-style vocal.
One more. Miss Liza Jane. They can' t sing for, you know.
DJ is on the street? Tom Morgan is MCing. They go to Tom McDermott (piano) and Evan Christopher (clarinet).
Indifferent Musette. Nicely played. ('Musettes are French jazz played in whorehouses, turned into their national music.') Like ragtime turned into ours, jazz.
They switch to Marcia Ball. That's Enough Of That Stuff. 11:24 NY time. Gtr comes in. Horns sound good.
DJ ID. Big D, shut up.
Watermelon Time. Nice gtr solo, if too short.
Another goddam ID?
Same Old Blues. Nice gtr solo. IDs band.
'Thank you for listening out there in radio and computerland.'
Nice gtr work on this one. (Rt 90 New Orleans...)
Hot Tamale Baby. (Flight of the Bumblebee in there.)
DJ iD, goes to Parish stage. Who is on there? (John Royen) Preparing for Dr who? Some nice solo ragtime. Familiar tune. (Fat's Waller?) Low level. Hum too.
They bring his vocal mic up, good. Talks of Willie The Lion Smith. Echo of Spring. Damn, they go to Dr Lonnie Smith on the main stage. But they're not ready so the DJ talks. Shouldn't the director have a clue? Nope.
Nice organ work. Nice percussion. Vaguely familiar tune. Wading in the Water at one point. Can't remember who did this, a jazz classic, done in the 60s. Freedom Jazz Dance. I remember hearing that by Brian Auger's Oblivion Express!
Plays some busy/newsreel music...Train whistle. American In Paris. Willow Weep For Me. Low level but gets better. Now he scats. That's some painful scatting! Nice!
Singing in his almost Tibetan voice, Come Together, done disco funk style! Great climax! Good levels, good mix. Pop, sounded like static. Why? Some feedback. They bring it down, nice. He laughs at the end.
DJ ID
He sings Misty. Holds out one LONG note! lol. (44 seconds by my estimate!) You Are The Sunshine Of My Life, done a la Stevie Wonder, with vocal and probably physical mannerisms! Running blues. This guy's a kick. Makin' fun of everybody! gobblydygook. Ends. No, starts another one. Shuffle. Hot! His scatting is hilarious. Man On The Flying Trapeze at the end!
DJ They go Josh Paxton in the Parish. Solo improv. End of one.
St Louis Blues. He starts it then they go back to the main stage with no comment. OK. DJ, you can talk now. They're not doing anything on stage. Finally he does. Eddie Bo on. They go back to Josh for a second. Why?
"There's something wrong here." Eddie says, as we hear some sort of crunch. He plays Big Chief, asking for Marsha Ball before. Sax is OUT OF THE MIX, they bring it in. Marsha's piano is low in the mix. Sound crew? Trumpet is fine. Give the drummer some.
DJ ID
unknown song, nice.
'What's synonymous with big feet? Big shoes.' One of his Popeye songs. You better check your spinach. Nice organ licks.
DJ IDs and he is practically not heard! IDIOTS He does it again. Talks so long we miss the beginning, MORON.
Slippin' and Slidin'. Marsha's piano is low in the mix. Do they fix it? Eventually. "Everybody can tell when a musician was born near a garbage dump. Everything is funky."
Tells Joe Crown to play the blues just like BB King. Nice slow blues. Steal Away? Nice sax. Nice organ solo.
Check Your Bucket. Disco style. NIce trumpet solo, well mic'd/mixed. Sax low. Amazing how the sound crew can be so clueless. Eddie's done.
DJ ID, Marcia Bell on second piano? Idiot.
Joe Kron on now, playing piano. They bring the level up. OK.
Boogie woogie.
Joe's vocal mic is low. Nice, slow, blues written post-Katrina, made more sad by knowing that. Played with respect.
DJ ID
Now on organ. Ode to Billie Joe. Sax is good level now. Average level is peaking at 0 lately. Good. Good mixes too, for the most part.
DJ ID again.
instrumental.
DJ ID. They're getting to be obnoxious again.
Distortion heard during last tune, happens again in the beginning on this funky instrumental. 2 am NY time. Vaguely familiar tune. Joe's done.
We barely hear Tom. DJ ID. For those of you out there on the interweb. Moron. Dan Dyer on next. LiveWire starts to play and then they stop it.
Dan's vocal mic is a good level. How come? Gtr is low. What is the deal with this guy? He must be a concession to the music biz, a hopeful they want to showcase. Too bad he isn't that talented. (I thought the same thing last year.)
I check the OZ blog on Nola.com. Some of my posts are not there anymore. The look of it has changed too so maybe that is why. Or maybe they don't like some of the things I'm saying. I don't think I have been unreasonable. Some were totally inoffensive and one or two others might have poked fun at something but were by no means offensive. So I won't blame anyone but it is curious. At least one post I tried to make may not have worked due to browser or other technical reasons. The rest were up and are now not showing.
I tune in about 12:25 NY time. Nice to hear this Gatemouth Brown - St Louis Blues.
Levels on for now, from the studio, are nice and high, clean, no distortion, well balanced. Let's see what happens when they go to the Fairgrounds. Not that I am surprised but they are already past the due starting time.
Lipstick Traces, a classic.
DJ gives us no clue when they will go to the Fairgrounds. Has 3 tunes in a row coming up. Maybe it will be an hour away? Silly me. I assume things will begin more or less on-time. That has to be one of New Orleans most aggravating habits, lateness. And not letting people know what is going on. How much can you take before you get mad?
Levels go up during the James Booker cut.
12:42 NY time. Signal suddenly dies. iTunes is fine. Nothing from OZ right now. Then it comes back with really low levels. Could be the Fairgrounds. Nice transition, OZ. It's live. Yes, I think we are now live at the Fairgrounds. Lead vocal mic is really low.
Paulin Brothers Brass Band Closer Walk With Thee. Nice and slow. Band sounds like they just woke up. Level goes up. Mix is good otherwise, clean. Vocal mic is basically out of the mix. Will they fix it, I doubt it. Levels go up again. Level goes all the way down to silence. Good job! Nothing. Do they know they have no sound going out? Level comes back, goes way up then ok, but low. Still no vocal mic. Level goes down to nothing again. A bit later we get a second then silence. Now we're back in the studio.
12:52 NY time. Bob French comes on with Keith Hill at REALLY HIGH LEVELS! It gets turned down. Two idiots. Yea, I think you should head to the stage...
My comments are back on the nola.com wwoz blog. Go figure.
Mix sounds good. Vocal mic is in there. Good.
Wonderful World, one of Louie's favorites. This guy is singing like someone who doesn't sing this early in the morning. Or maybe he sings like this all the time?
1:06 NY time As soon as I sent in a complement that the mix was good, the signal dies. Oh well.
We hear some rustling at 1:10 NY time but it returns to silence.
1:21 it comes back with Bob and Keith yakking away. Any chance we can hear the music? Stream dies at 1:23
I remain sitting here patiently.
How's this for confusion? WWOZ has two URLs for it's blog on nola.com!
1:37 NY time, I hear some rustling... a pop or two. Then silence.
Stream comes back from the studio at 1:38 NY time. nola.com web page won't show my latest comment, that the stream is back up. (I will only use http://blog.nola.com/wwoz/ from now on)
Oh, they're at the Fairgrounds. Keith and Bob on. Going to Freddie King next.
»11:30 - 12:30 p.m. 1:43 NY time. Lil Freddie King Blues Band REALLY low level! Mix sounds overmodulated. His vocal is low in the mix but they bring it up a little. They were going to play either this or the Paulin BB so I am glad they are playing both. Overall level is low but the mix seems to be complete. Now we some DJs talk over the music. Good, morons. They do it again. "Hello, Hello, sounds good." Idiots. Not only were you talking over the music but it didn't sound good. It was totally distorted. I crank up the levels on the cassette deck. Hope they don't blast later. They do! DJ level is WAY UP higher than the music level. Morons. Mic technique is horrendous. We hear all kinds of bumping and noise. Bob lusts after the girl.
13 kids. That's a blessing?
Stream dies 1:58 NY time.
Still out as of 2:30 NY time.
Interesting. The OZ blog says the stream is ok as of 1 NO time (2 NY time). I haven't gotten anything out of the stream since 1:58 NY time (12:58 NO time). How could it have worked at 1 NO time if I haven't gotten it to work since 12:58 NO time? I think Tom meant before 12:58 (which is almost one) and he hasn't updated it since then. I can see the stream working but there is no audio. That has been the case since it went out at 1:58 NY time.
3:22 NY time. I get back from lunch, touch the mouse (trackpad actually) and the audio returns. I was going to write them to ask if the stream could be restored just when it came back!
I guess this is Shamarr Allan. Not my cup of tea. The other vocal mic, his son, is very low. Might as well not be there. Now Shamarr's mic is too low. Not that I care about this music. Some nice trumpet playing though. Saxes are low in the mix. (What do sound guys have against them?) These guys are running late. It was supposed to over at 2:30 NO time. It's 2:34 now. Piano is low in the mix. Right about now... They end about 2:40 NO time. They're singing those tourist songs... One trumpet is out of the mix.
Keith comes in, not bad level. When does Bob go?
Oh good, they're going soon. We hear off mic talk from director, I guess.
Sounds like rain on the tent roof while Dwayne is talking.
4:05 NY time they go to Midnite Disturbers Brass Band I hope I like these guys. Haven't heard some good brass band music in a long time, other than the Poulin Bros earlier today but that was so broken up.
I like. Mix is good, so far. Sax is low. Some good playing, good arrangements, good ideas. Some hum. Level is good though I bet the DJs will blow your ears out. Nice tune. Trumpet solo is a little too hot relative to the mix. They end with a familiar tune.
Bye Bob. Their level is good, thank you. Bob, "We hope you had as good a time as you had." Bob sings You Are My Only Sunshine. Are we missing the Midnite Disturbers for this? Go home, Bob.
Note to the director: Make your DJs shut up when there is music you are supposed to be broadcasting from the stages.
Level of band is lower than DJs. (Peaking at -10 now, it was peaking at 0db but I know the level is going to change so I'm leaving it there.) Trumpet solo is low level and getting lower. Level coming up now. This tune is boring. Man on mic is way out of the mix. Nice drumming section. Handa Wanda. They come in with a nice horn riff then, "Everybody fuckin scream", live on WWOZ...
Nice intro. (Everybody got soul, soul, soul) Matt Perine, Rapper/male voc is off-mic. Stanton Moore? Mark Mullins? Famous horn riff (I should know where it came from but can't remember right now.) Suzanne Vega's - Luka thrown in there! Curtis Mayfield's - Pusherman thrown in there! There's that horn lick again. It's Tower Of Power - What is Hip! They end.
DJ level is higher than music from stage. Dumb.
Cousin Dimitri and Big D on now.
4:56 NY time. Right to Roy Young all of a sudden. I wondered how they were going to do that. (According to the schedule, Midnite Disturbers ends at 4:05. Roy Young begins at 3:45.)
Roy Young. This should be good too.
Good mix! I think all the instruments and vocals are in the mix! My heart be still. Good levels.
DJ comes on and level is ok. Too bad he had to talk over the music intro.
Applause for his manager. Teach Me Tonight. Do it right here...
The Willie Mitchell Orchestra
Find himself a part time lover. Disco. Sax solo is low but not bad.
After song ends, I think I hear some DJ talk under the stage feed. Tiny.
Man's World - James Brown. Should be 'This is an old man's world...'
The Lamplighter? in Memphis. If it's the same one, I read about it online. A nice local's joint. Characters, good burgers, grilled cheese, Pabst Blue Ribbon (just this one time).
Dj IDs, not bad.
slow blues - Harmonica is WAY low in the mix. Do the engineers care? No. Sax low too. Harmonica solo is good level. Hear some distortion.
Dust some broom, (Dust My Broom), asks them to stand up. Sax is in the mix, how nice. Low, but in there.
REM's Everybody Hurts.
encore
Delbert McClinton should be excellent, discounting any and all technical/mix problems. He's scheduled for 5:30 - 6:50 NO time and it's 6 NY time now so at least a 1/2 hr wait.
CDs now from studio are lower level than stage feed was.
Down in the Treme... Treme Song - John Boutte
Imagine running into Robert Plant at the LMF...
Stream goes out for second, scared me. (6:19 NY time)
Little Freddy King - Chicken Dance, nice. (Thank god it isn't that other chicken dance.)
Ok, it's 6:30 NY time, 5:30 NO time. When will Delbert begin?
DJ's level is low.
Betty LaVette on Thurs on OZ?
Betty LaVette CD is REAL LOW. Barely -20 db. Don't you love how the levels change?
Next CD is a little better, -10db.
DJ level is "normal"/0db (actually a little lower than that)
Alright, they start w/ Delbert, 6:49 NY time. Mix seems good.
Ain't I Got A Right To Be Wrong. We miss the beginning.
Let Me Be Your Hero
A little echo on his voice?
They have his harmonica mic'd well. How unusual. Go into a running blues!
DJ IDs, not bad level.
Livin' It Down!
I Want To Love You! (And Etta James is playing tonight at the HOB. Wish I was there.) Nice and slow. Piano is a little low, drums too. A good tune to slow dance to. Nice trumpet solos. Love this tune. Always gets to me.
Shaky Ground!
DJ butts in w/ sponsor/underwriter ad
Lindalou? (running blues) Nice.
...
Shotgun Rider
Dreams To Remember
Every Time I Roll the Dice. Hearing distortion. Overmodulated?
Giving It Up For Your Love, yea!, Level goes down, WHY? Now peaking at -10db.
encore, nice
7:56 NY time MC is off mic. Delbert is done.
They go through all those staff credits. Why can't they do a better job?
I tune in to OZ at 11:51 NY time. Hearing overmodulation on the studio feed so I guess we're stuck with it.
They go live at 12:05 NY time. Lisa Barrios and Bob French. Bob will be talking with who? Bobnoxious. Perfect! Lisa doesn't mention the Ponderosa Stomp. Will that be on today?
Bob, I guess, was referring to Dr John, he later clues us in. Yes, the Ponderosa Stomp will be on, we later hear.
~ 12:45 NY time. We have the Berklee College of Music Jazz Ensemble on now. All the feeds sound a little muffled but are otherwise listenable. Quite a difference in levels and latency between them! I tried the Real - on both the latest Real Player and RealOne Players, iTunes and Windows Media - via Flip4Mac, streams.
This music is not my cup of tea...
Female vocalist comes on, we can't hear her well. Once she starts singing, it's fine.
1:38 NY time. Playing a reggae CD, low level and overmodulating.
1:43 NY time. Are they playing Burning Spear now? THEY DIDN'T INTRODUCE THEM! Damn. I missed the beginning of this good tune. Thanks OZ.
A nice set from Burning Spear! Hot, as in good music! Good mix! (Some overmodulation and nothing much at 6.3 k and nothing at 16k so it sounds dull at the high end.)
No One Knows Marcus Garvey, gtr is low in the mix.
2:20 NY time. Lisa comes on TOO LOUD! Thankfully they go back to the band soon.
Lead gtr is still low in the mix.
2:38. We go to Lisa and Bob and thankfully back to the band soon. Bob complains, "We just had Burning Spear." Sorry, Bob.
Other than these (only 2?) short breaks, the DJs haven't been barging in to do station IDs. Thank you.
(I just went to Burning Spear's website. Now that is some well-recorded loud music....)
"Watch your back going out and watch your back going in."
Bob mangles the promo. We hear someone official talking to them. Headphone leak?
3:09 NY time they go to "John McNeely". OK.
His mic is low in the mix, then they bring him up. Piano is very low in the mix and it doesn't get fixed. Are all sound people incompetent?
(Can't Stop Lovin You) Sax is good in the mix. Correction, was. McNeely's voice is very low in the mix though.
His vocal mic is TOO LOW!! Fix it! He's talking and we can't hear him.
Gtr is low too. Sax is fine.
All the vocals are low in the mix.
We hear "Fuck yeah!" Live on WWOZ. Jay's vocal mic is WAY TOO LOW. Suddenly it pops to a good level and then goes back to bad. Oh well.
Oh good, Bob's leaving. Robyn and Cousin Dimitri on next.
4:05 pm NY time. Bob says we're going to be going to the Ponderosa Stomp in a few minutes. Actually they're not scheduled to go to that for about two hours, if that is a few minutes to Bob...
Robyn: 'Everybody here is recuperating, recovering, rebirthing from Katrina...'
...John Boutte interview....
There is still a difference in levels between CDs and DJs. Poor production values, OZ. We shouldn't have to turn down our stereos when the DJs come on...
Robyn sounds adenoidal. Is this the way she always sounds?
Ponderosa Stomp Review with Tammi Lynn, Archie Bell, Roy Head, Chick Willis, Dennis Binder It starts 6:08 NY time. Mix sounds good so far. Main vocal mic a little low. Sax solo is low but came up some and then he went off-mic. Piano was good and is now low.
It would have been nice to know who is on now but that would have been too forward-thinking of OZ.
One of the sax player's solos is too low in the mix. Piano is still too low.
Ah, it's Dennis Binder. Thanks Mr Stage Manager. Tammi Lynn on now. Sax solo is low for her.
She's singing her heart out. It's touching. She has an interesting vibrato in her voice. Sax is low.
Mojo Hanna. Interesting.
The band does Them Changes.
Roy Head on now. He's scaring the cat! Sax solo is still too low. DJ does ID. OK, haven't heard them in awhile. Just A Little Bit.
He sings Treat Her Right without getting to the main part.
I Feel Good.
Ah, this organ classic.
Archie Bell, Tighen Up intro!
They have to close down due to the rain. Hey, can you turn down Robyn's mic? Or are you aware of it? F'n amateurs.
» 11:30 - 12:20 p.m. (NO time) Zion Trinity - Congo Square “My Louisiana” Stage
» 2:15 - 3:15 p.m. (NO time) Big Sam’s Funky Nation - Congo Square “My Louisiana” Stage
I miss these two. I was out all day today.
i come in at 5:51 NY time... Sounds overmodulated but nice. A kickass heavy blues tune playing. Ending. (Levels on iTunes are good so it must be happening before that, i.e. at WWOZ's end.) Charles Burchell calls it "Leo's Plain Funk Gathering". This wasn't on the schedule... Jazz Fest site has it as "Leo's Rare Funk Gathering". OK. Are all OZ DJs morons? (Sorry I am being so ruthless but these things are so obvious...) Charles's level is low and stays low throughout. Is the engineer listening? is he on-mic? He sounds off-mic. Tom is front and center. Charles sounds like he is talking through a coffee cup, far away.
The CD tracks don't sound overmodulated, just the music from the Fairgrounds. Not the DJs.
6:16 (NY time) I come back from doing some errands outside and Eddie Bo's Hook and Sling (studio/cd vers) is on. So they're just killing time. Let's see when they start w/ Burning Spear.
Jon Cleary is finding all kinds of influences for Tipitina (contemporary Latin, others) in this cut.
DJs want to ID between every GD song. Liz Wright is next so I guess no Burning Spear (today). (Or Burning Spears, which is how it was written on their web page.)
» 5:45 - 7:00 p.m. Lizz Wright starts 6:54 NY time. Nice voice but overmodulating. Good mix otherwise. Morning Glory.
Next song, suddenly mix changes but goes back to overmodulated.
Next song. Overmodulation appears to be better. No, still there.
I lose track of the songs but they're nice.
7:31 NY time. Still overmodulating.
Walk With Me. Nice. 7:44 NY time. Level goes down slightly after she peaks, overmodulation fixed I think.
No, I still hear some. Also, nothing at 16k, not much at 6.3k either so it sounds dull.
She ends at 7:52 NY time. Sondra's mic level is fine, the guy is low. Does the engineer listen to their own DJs?I know they're busy but what are they doing if not watching levels for their own signal?
Charles Burchell says the Ponderosa Stomp review is next week. No, it's not coming up next week. It's tomorrow, you moron. Typical New Orleans idiocy. I'm sure he meant tomorrow but he said next week. Too much (sun, drink, you name it).
Sondra says we're gonna take it back to the stage. No, you're going back to the studio. Idiots!
WWOZ will be broadcasting live from the Congo Square Stage, the WWOZ Jazz Tent, the Blues Tent, and the Jazz & Heritage Stage during the first weekend.
WWOZ’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Broadcast Schedule
Friday, April 25
I will be out all day so let's see what I can catch.
» 11:30 - 12:20 p.m. Zion Trinity. Should be good.
» 2:15 - 3:15 p.m. Big Sam’s Funky Nation. Should be good.
» 5:40 - 7:00 p.m. - (either this or the next group will be taped and broadcast tomorrow) Burning Spears (should be Burning Spear). Should be good.
» 5:45 - 7:00 p.m. Lizz Wright. I don't know her music.
Saturday, April 26
» 11:25 - 12:25 p.m. Jazz 11:25 Berklee College of Music Jazz Ensemble. Might be good. Might not be.
» 2:05 - 3:05 p.m. Big Jay McNeely with Jesse Scinto. Could be good.
» 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Ponderosa Stomp with Tammi Lynn, Archie Bell, Roy Head,Chick Willis, Dennis Binder. Could be good.
Sunday, April 27
» 11:25 - 12:15 p.m. - (either this or the next group will be broadcast in the early afternoon) Paulin Brothers Brass Band. Could be good.
»11:30 - 12:30 p.m. Lil Freddie King Blues Band. Could be good.
» 1:40 - 2:30 p.m. Shamarr Allen. I have no idea who this is.
» 2:55 - 4:05 p.m. Midnite Disturbers Brass Band. Could be good. What is the current brass band scene like/
» 3:45 - 4:55 p.m. Roy Young. I have no idea who this guy is.
» 5:30 - 6:50 p.m. Delbert McCLinton. Well alright!
I've climbed the Grossglockner, the highest mountain in Austria (and by no means hard to do). I have no desire to climb another mountain again, thank you.
Scotty Scott and his Vanity 45 (MP3's)
-
The Film City label is one which utterly fascinates me. It was the label
Sandy Stanton created after The Fabulous Fable Label, which I've written
about her...
