So far, so good. Fog City artists, past and present, are playing EIGHTEEN shows (and counting!) in New Orleans during this year's Jazz & Heritage Festival. And that doesn't even count the sit-ins that will be happening all over town, every night of the week. For an onslaught of funk and soul in one of New Orleans' most vital clubs, we recommend you check out JJ Grey & MOFRO (with New Mastersounds) at Tipitina's. For those of you who look for something more personal, Papa Mali will be playing an intimate little show at the Rusty Nail. Also, we have high hopes for Garage A Trois at One Eyed Jacks and Galactic on the Riverboat Creole Queen. Oh and then there's Stanton Moore and Robert Walter at historic Preservation Hall... Where to even start? Where to stop? It's gonna be nuts. Check out our tour page for the latest.

In addition to a very flattering five-page feature on Papa Mali in their latest issue, Hittin' The Note magazine has included his latest record (Do Your Thing) in their top 10 list for 2007. Aww, shucks!

Fog City label head and producer Dan Prothero is hard at work with JJ Grey & MOFRO, recording tracks for their next (fourth) album in St. Augustine Florida. The intent is to release the record this year, but we can't tell you any more than that for the time being...

JJ Grey & MOFRO went down under in March for the Byron Bay East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival, playing for three days on March 22-24. Other acts included John Fogerty, KT Tunstall, Xavier Rudd, Keb Mo and G Love & Special Sauce among others.

Robert Walter is continuing his occasional touring with The Greyboy Allstars. April 2008 sees them East Coasting before playing three shows at JazzFest. If you missed the Allstars the first time around, don't sleep.

More mojo than a warehouse full of mistletoe, more spirit than a bathtub full of gin, groovier than anything you're gonna hear on the radio this holiday season... it's got soul, it's superbad... it's THE ROBERT WALTER HOLIDAY RECORD. Seriously, we get so many comments about this little record, and it's always a hit when we're at home for the holidays. Take a listen and pick up your copy now. Santa baby!

JJ GREY & MOFRO celebrate the New Years with a return to their hometown of Jacksonville, Florida for FOUR nights at Freebird Live. A discounted 4-night pass is available ONLY here.

It's that time of year again... JazzFest. New Orleans. I can already taste the duck and pheasant gumbo at the fairgrounds, oysters at Casamento's, the muffaletta at Central Grocery, late night fried chicken at Fiorella's... mmmm. But it's also time to give a little something back. This year, we will again be volunteering with Habitat For Humanity and helping complete the Musician's Village project. Those who volunteered with us last year know it was a little exhausting and a lot rewarding. Come join us this year and experience it for yourself. You will be glad you did.

The first review of Papa Mali's upcoming release Do Your Thing has arrived (courtesy of New Orleans' Gambit Magazine), and we thought you should read it -- not because it flatters us, but so you can see how to properly rock a word like "grimoire":

Malcolm "Papa Mali" Welbourne is the kind of local character that would be genuinely iconic anywhere else. Here in his adopted New Orleans, though, where we historically curate a stellar permanent collection of freaks, oddities and twisted brilliance, he simply fits right in. That's not faint praise, either. The psychedelic swamp sounds on Do Your Thing are New Orleans inside and out, and even if the sound didn't show it, his guest list would. No less of a supporting cast than the Dirty Dozen Brass Band's sousaphone player Kirk Joseph, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, award-collecting pianist Henry Butler, the Golden Eagle Mardi Gras Indians, and the Reverend Goat Carson -- who's equally likely to be seen sweeping up a Frenchmen Street bar in the early morning as playing in one late at night -- appear on the record, which is a magically crafted grimoire of voodoo space blues. Reminiscent of Night Tripper-era Dr. John, Coco Robicheaux or C.C. Adcock's latest gritty ghost-rock effort, Do Your Thing runs the gamut from prayerful blues on tracks like the haunting, understated closer True Religion to psychedelic, almost Beatles-esqe fuzz guitar on I Had The Dream. All in all, a powerful, glowing globe of swamp gas.

JJ Grey & MOFRO are playing their first Jazzfest this year, on opening day - Friday, April 27th. The initial lineup has been announced, too. Some of our favorites: Dr. John, Van Morrison, Jill Scott, Irma Thomas, Pharoah Sanders, Rebirth Brass Band, Richie Havens, Percy Sledge, Mose Allison, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Eddie Bo, Henry Butler, Allen Toussaint, Tony Joe White, Galactic, Irma Thomas' Tribute to Mahalia Jackson, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, Morning 40 Federation, Lady Buckjumpers and Undefeated Divas SAPCs, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & the Golden Eagles, and, well, every Mardi Gras Indian tribe and brass band... plus the gospel tent... we're gonna start saving up on our sleep right now...

How can mere words convey the gravity of the imminent appearance of THE NEW PAPA MALI RECORD? How can you describe the raucus, floor-rattling grooves and explain how, somehow, this funky good time actually proves to be meaningful and even a little thoughtful, like the kind of thing you'd like to go back and listen to a few dozen more times just to get your head around it. How do we get this across to you?

Well, let's put it this way: Imagine yourself on some random night out that turns into a chance encounter with an outrageous special someone, where somehow things get real naughty and, you know, things are said and done to the point where you might even be a little embarrassed and you aren't sure if you can both still respect each other, and then just when you're wondering if it's cool to call them they go ahead and call YOU, and you end up dating for a long, long time. Oh yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Well, the new Papa Mali record is kind of like that. Except it's a record.

Our own Etienne de Rocher has been touring with Bay Area breakout band Honeycut, rocking his fuzz bass and otherwise looking like a member of Gorillaz or something. Who knew? And check out their bad-ass drummer, who plays a drum machine with his fingers. Yeah we never thought we'd say that either... laugh for now if you must, but when they rock their version of "Impeach The President" you will submit.

Papa Mali is giving something back to his adopted home of Austin Texas, and you're invited. He's enlisted friends the Imperial Golden Crown Harmonizers, Shelley King, Leann Atherton and others, and will be heading up what is fixin' to be the first annual Soul Of South Austin Holiday Reunion. Bring your cushions, blankets and long-lost friends, and join in on a spiritual and soulful reunion. Gumbo and red beans & rice will be provided (as you might expect at any self-respecting reunion). Bring your favorite appetizer or side dish to share. The event benefits the Capital Area Food Bank; canned food donations are being accepted and each can knocks a dollar off the $15 ticket price. December 21st at Ruta Maya, South Austin TX.

Papa Mali is celebrating the January release of his new album with old friends: Galactic. Twenty dates have been announced so far, taking the bands from Memphis to Boston and back down south again. Papa Mali will be facing off with drum monster Robb Kidd in a drum and geetar showdown. The funk begins January 24, the day after the release of DO YOUR THING. As always, the latest tour dates are available here.

Tim Bluhm is furthering his rapidly developing friendship and collaboration with longtime fan, fellow California resident, and Verve recording artist Jackie Greene. The two are touring the west coast in December, appearing at classy joints statewide as The Skinny Singers and singing reworked versions of songs from Tim's solo acoustic debut California Way and Jackie's back catalog. If their fledgling mano-a-mano appearance in Sacramento a few months back is any indication, these fearless multi-instrumentalists will be swapping songs and backing each other up on an assortment of geetars, keyboards and drums. Expect greatness.

So I was just wandering around YouTube the other day, you know, watching videos of Little Superstar and whatnot, when I happened upon this fake video of a classic MOFRO tune. The kids are alright!

Yeah u right. MOFRO will be backed by the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra for the third time, at the beautiful Jacoby Symphony Hall in their hometown of Jacksonville on Thanksgiving weekend (November 24, 2006). The orchestra will play an overture of MOFRO material (the score has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in Music), and then accompany the band for a set. Other high-concept surprises are in the works for this evening. Recognition of this sort is a major accomplishment for any songwriter and any band, and we are very proud of JJ and MOFRO.

Etienne de Rocher has just been confirmed for this year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival here in San Francisco. It's one of the best run festivals of its kind in the country, a great day in the park even given its huge growth in popularity (last year, we heard there were more people in Golden Gate Park then there ever have been... for any event... ever). Plus it's free. Righteous!

It's summertime, and the weather has been remarkably un-foggy here in Fog City. But as usual, Tim Bluhm is way ahead of the curve, having headed up into Yosemite to lead summer hiking tours through some of the west coast's most beautiful terrain. An accomplished backwoods guide and campground gourmet he may be, but we're eager to see Tim ease back into his city slicker persona before too long. Come back, Tim, and rock the not-so-free world!

Hot on the heels of his spotlight show at Fog Fest 2006, MOFRO's JJ Grey has confirmed a string of dates opening for Galactic as a solo act. Expect mostly solo acoustic performances with plenty of sit-ins during this very special limited run. Details as always are available on our gig page.

Etienne de Rocher reunites with some old friends for a brief tour through the east coast in July. Old bandmates Todd Sickafoose (now touring with Ani diFranco) returns to his duties on bass and Andrew Borger (now with Norah Jones' band) returns to the drum chair for this limited summertime run. Expect greatness!

Papa Mali appears in the feature length documentary New Orleans: Music in Exile, by award winning director Robert Mugge, which premiered on the Starz cable network and may see theatrical release. Papa is featured in performance w/ Cyril Neville and being interviewed about post-Katrina New Orleans. We also recommend you check out Mugge's excellent Sun Ra documentary A Joyful Noise as well as Black Wax (wherein Gil Scott Heron philosophises in a wax museum) whenever the opportunity arises.

As a result of MOFRO's stint working with the Jacksonville Orchestra, JJ Grey worked with A. Paul Johnson to create the “ Mofro ‘N' Mo Overture”. The song, which presents a medley of MOFRO originals in classical style, is performed by the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Symphony Orchestra, and has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in music. Need to hear it to believe it? Click here to purchase

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who volunteered with us in New Orleans during JazzFest 2006.

Our group volunteered for Common Ground (cleaning out their volunteer dorm and raising a collapsed tent housing relief supplies) and Habitat For Humanity (helping construct one of the first of 75 homes being built on the site of the Musicians Village in the Upper 9th Ward). Mike D (from the Hairy Apes and Garage A Trois) is seen in the photo to the right, attending to some sheathing on one house which has since become someone's home.

Although our two days of volunteerism is just a drop in the bucket, we left with the feeling that the challenges facing New Orleans are not hopeless. If a few dozen ideas like the Musicians Village can come to fruition, with the help of a sustained army of volunteers, real progress can take place in even the most ravaged areas. It just takes creativity and commitment. We highly recommend that you consider volunteering in any way you are able, to any extent you can afford... you just might end up feeling the same hope we do.

MOFRO returns to Europe for the third time, playing a string of spring dates in the UK, Netherlands, and Germany through June 4th. Highlights include a night at the beautiful Jazz Cafe in London. Fans from the USA have already been spotted attempting to not look like stalkers as they follow the band from country to country. Click here for details.

Yo shorty, it's our birthday, and we party like it's our birthday...

To kick off our 10th anniversary, we stepped out with two slamming, one-of-a-kind shows during the 2006 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival:

Sunday April 30: An evening with JJ GREY (MOFRO) and special guests ROBERT WALTER, PAPA MALI and GEORGE SLUPPICK playing original music and selections from the southern soul songbook. A very special, mostly acoustic night at historic Preservation Hall.

Thursday May 4: An evening with PAPA MALI playing with New Orleans piano legend EDDIE BO!!! plus very special guests KIRK JOSEPH (founding member of the Dirty Dozen Brass) and ROBBIE KIDD. Plus Big Chief Mon Boudreaux! At DBA.

Thanks to everyone who showed up and helped make these the initimate and intense events that they were. These were our favorite events of JazzFest, and the same sentiment was echoed by more than one impartial fan...

Can you actually wear the grooves out on a cd? XM Radio seems determined to find out. Not satisfied with playing the Etienne de Rocher record on several XM shows the way they have been, XM will begin airing what they refer to as "an unprecedented 9 songs from the same artist, all in a row". Tune in to their new music show "In Spite Of All The Danger" (XM 50) over the next few weeks to witness the hooha.

After a year-long hiatus, drum powerhouse Robb Kidd is back on the drums, in the van, and on the road with Papa Mali. If you don't know why that's such big news around these parts, witness one of their shows. It's kinda like they used to say about Jam Master Jay (R.I.P.)... Papa Mali may be the one in charge, but it's up to Robb to rock beats that are truly large. We don't know that there's any drummer out there hitting as hard and playing as much drums and yet making it sound so damn simple and loose jointed. Especially when he's backing up Papa. Jambase said: "very few live acts on the scene today can generate the kind of power that the PM trio does on a nightly basis." See them live now, and submit your will to the caveman beats he lays down on the new Papa Mali album when it's released later this year (including guest appearances from Henry Butler and Monk Boudreaux among others). Who's your daddy now?

Tim Bluhm waxes philosophical on five of his favorite albums, at the behest of mp3.com. Check it out!

Also, just added to our tour calendar: Tim tours with Verve artist Jackie Greene, including a night at the Fillmore here in San Francisco and a special evening of acoustic music in Sacramento wherein they trade songs and stories. Click here to read some nice things Jackie had to say about Tim in a recent interview... we knew it all along of course...

Our thanks to Super Dee at jambase.com for writing some very nice things about the Etienne de Rocher record. Something along the lines of "the earth moved". Aw shucks... did we do dat?

Back when we first met (hmm... 1995 or so), Galactic was mostly playing at Benny's, Club Istanbul and the Mermaid Lounge in New Orleans. Many details of those days have since receded into the mists of time (and Benny's, Istanbul and the Mermaid have long since closed). But we can say with some certainty that we no one imagined them backing up Juvenile on The Jimmy Kimmel Show. My my my.

Blackwater, which we originally announced as "the debut album from Jacksonville, Florida's best kept secret" has been named one of the Best of the Decade in Music by amazon.com. It's up there with Beck, d'Angelo, White Stripes, Radiohead and the Oh Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack... and is one of the only records NOT released by a major label to make the cut.

So it seems like it's time to come up with a new description. Um... how about "a Fog City classic"?

Haven't heard it yet? Don't know the meaning of "front porch soul"? Want to hear what it meant to special guest Robert Walter? Please, avoid the shame and embarrassment of having your friends find out - get your copy, and spread the word!

You may also wish to bring yourself up to speed by checking out this spotlight story aired by NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO's Morning Edition. Sweet.

One of our favorite Bay Area station KALX has named the new Etienne de Rocher record their number one most played song for the month. Hey now! We have to say it's a little unnerving to be ahead of the newly reissued Bill Withers Just As I Am CD... but we aren't arguing. Any station that started out with a transmitter in a cigar box is awright with us!

KFOG has also included Etienne in their five Favorite Acoustic-Style CD's of 2006 (so far).

Oh... and thanks to everyone who packed the Ivy Room for Etienne's East Bay record release party. The show broke the club's all-time record for both attendance and bar receipts. Madness!

2/17/06: Stanton Moore @ Vail Mountain School - Vail, CO. Stanton presents a master class for drummers in connection with the release of his new instructional book Take It To The Street. Limited tickets available for $15 in advance and $17 at the door. Contact Dave Laub with any questions at 476-3850, ext. 231, or make reservations by e-mailing dlaub@vms.edu. Vail Mountain School is located at 3000 Booth Falls Road, Vail, CO. Friday February 17 at 7PM.

Laugh! as Papa spins tales from the road. Cry! as his head goes ka-bonk on the pavement in Tahoe. And read the latest on Papa's gigs during JazzFest (including his summit meeting with Eddie Bo) and upcoming tour with Henry Butler and Kirk Joseph. To borrow a beat from Rebirth Brass Band, Papa Mali feels like bloggin' it up. Bloggin it up!

2/12/06: Etienne de Rocher @ KPIG. Etienne makes an in-studio appearance on KPIG's most excellent radio show "Please Stand By". Broadcast worldwide via their RealAudio feed, KPIG can also be tuned in at KPIG FM "107 oink 5" ( Monterey, Salinas, Santa Cruz ), KPIG AM 1510 ( San Francisco, and the greater bay area ), KPYG FM 94 oink 9 ( San Luis Obispo ). This is an excellent show with host Sleepy John. In-studio video also broadcast via the studio's Ham Cam. OINK! Sunday February 12 at 11am PST.

National Public Radio just aired a nice feature on Robert Walter, his relationship to New Orleans (where he's living once again), and his new album SUPER HEAVY ORGAN (which was produced by Fog City ombudsman Dan Prothero). Check our tour calendar for upcoming Super Heavy Organ shows, which will feature New Orleans legends Johnny Vidacovich (drummer on the classic Professor Longhair album Crawfish Fiesta as well as Stanton Moore's childhood instructor) and James Singleton. Stanton Moore and Anthony Farrell were also guests on the session.

American Idol Bo Bice was recently spotted rocking a MOFRO tshirt on the Country Music Network. Are we to believe this is mere random event in the larger scheme of things? Is there not a far, far greater realm of significance suggested here? Is the universe utterly devoid of meaning? The answer to all these questions, of course, is: not entirely. But can megastardom be far behind for us all?

Stanton Moore surprised most everyone by drumming on the latest record by metal band Corrosion Of Conformity... and pulling it off. We weren't caught off guard, especially knowing a little about his little-known high school band Oxenthrust. But witness his awesome heaviness in their video, wherein he re-creates his uber-metal licks for the camera. After Rolling Stone declared "Stanton Moore earns his John Bonham stripes," COC asked him to join them on their tour... which was going just fine until Hurricane Katrina came along. COC cancelled the remainder of the tour so lead singer Pepper Keenan could return back to New Orleans and nurse his nightclub (Le Bon Temps) back to health... Not missing a beat (ahem), Stanton's now back to touring with Galactic and getting behind his new instructional drumming DVD.

The Florida Sportsman has written a great feature story on MOFRO's JJ Grey, which chronicles a fishing expedition to Florida's Lake Lochloosa (the namesake of MOFRO's second record). Our favorite quote: "Kids today, I feel for them," JJ later comments. "What do they have to talk about? Video games and TV shows? Nobody seems to care about places like this anymore. The fun we used to have with my granddaddy was wild. Spending time here with him, catching panfish and catfish, opened the door to new worlds. Real conversations, sparked by imagination and curiosity, came easy. Kids don't know about those things anymore."

OK, so the gauntlet has been thrown down. Thunder Chicken has been called names. Specifically, allmusic.com called it "one of the few truly wild and unruly records to come from the rock & roll tradition in the 21st century." Re-read that last sentence one more time. They're also calling producer Dan Prothero "the true king of raw." We missed this glowing praise the first time around, and would like to simply accept the compliment, but feel compelled have to ask: Are we worthy? How can anyone know such a thing? Which is where you come in. Maybe it's time to pick up a copy and let us know?

Well, it happened. We were trying to leak the new record from Etienne de Rocher into the Bay Area, and sneak under the radar before officially releasing it. But fate (and veteran San Francisco Chronicle music critic Joel Selvin) seem to have other ideas. Our best kept secret has now been plastered all over the biggest daily newspaper in these parts. But we're not complaining! Especially when they write such nice things:

"a poised, confident CD, the work of someone who has already mastered his craft, not someone just starting out. Every tiny sound on the exquisite 12-song album is perfectly embedded in the carefully crafted music. It's a sound that is spare and open, yet dense and intricate at the same time."

And now that the release date is fast approaching, even more niceness:

"a brilliantly crafted album of original music, almost as perfectly realized as its auteur could hope -- and strived so hard -- to make... this longtime local secret may have to endure all the comparisons with pop geniuses I dare not mention here." (Derk Richardson, sfgate)

It seems that the word is now out. The high road in this situation is, as always, to respond by buying the record and supporting independent music. stop on by our online record shop, right now, before this attention gets out of hand!

We meant to put together a holiday record for a long time now, and finally got around to it... keyboard wizard ROBERT WALTER played all the instruments on this wintertime tour de force. Our favorite holiday classics, all macked out and ready for that extra glass of extra-strong eggnog... a special offering available only through our online record shop.

National Public Radio's THE CALIFORNIA REPORT has aired a thoughtful, flattering profile on Tim Bluhm and his debut Fog City album California Way. We invite you to click here to have a listen.

MOFRO has returned with Lochloosa, the followup to the runaway success of their debut, "Blackwater" and one critic is calling it "probably the best recording put out by any Florida band since Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Damn the Torpedoes way back in 1979." A dozen new songs, plus live performance video, and special guest Papa Mali. That "front porch soul" sound is back, with grooves and anthems that delve deep into the backwoods psyche of songwriter JJ Grey. The music weaves in and out of this piney woods world of joy and sorrow with warmth and sincerity. "Lochloosa", a place in Florida unknown even by most Floridians, sings of places you may never visit and people you may never know, but JJ's voice delivers it like a postcard from your best friend.

Rolling Stone critic Andrew Strickman has declared it one of the top 10 releases of the year, and Billboard had this to say: "MOFRO is an unmistakably Southern hybrid that maintains elements of funk, blues, country and Dixie rock. But the duo is also undeniably soulful and quite adept at what it does. Down-home funk track That Boy, like most of the songs here, is driven by a rock-solid bottom and more hooks than a tackle box. Grey's honeyed vocals make Fireflies a soul-drenched delight, while Hance's slide guitar work brings back-porch authenticity to the atmospheric Ten Thousand Islands and gutbucket fare like Gal Youngin and Pray for Rain. Grey's vocals are also mighty fine on the glorious The Wrong Side and bluesy Everybody's. But the real showpiece is the title cut, a pining, sorrowful lament about the overdevelopment of the act's home state."

Submitted for your consideration: JJ from MOFRO can be seen (successfully) hunting venemous snakes in his backyard with naturalist Jeff Corwin on THE JEFF CORWIN EXPERIENCE on The Discovery Channel. Who knew?

We've added the Tchfunkta video to the Fog City video lounge. It's kinda primitive, but the footage and stills of Galactic waaaay back in the day are priceless. Originally included as one of the many Enhanced CD bonuses in the now-discontinued Fog City release of their debut album Coolin' Off, it's now only available here.

A special offering through our online store, only while supplies last: Garage A Trois is a way out project from the fearsome threesome that brought you the classic All Kooked Out! (Stanton Moore, Charlie Hunter, Skerik). Club-ready but sample-free tracks take you back to the new school in dubbed-out style. Their live shows are legendary, and are often the hottest tickets at JazzFest. We're proud to say that it all started here at Fog City with their debut release (Mysteryfunk), an EP available in LIMITED EDITION 12" VINYL ONLY.

This slab of ALL LIVE eclectronica is lovingly wrapped in a hand-made, limited edition letterpress cover. An instant collectors item.

Thanks so much to the San Francisco Weekly for a really flattering article about Fog City's label head and chief bottle washer Dan Prothero. Aw, shucks!

MTV has aired a profile on MOFRO, as part of their You Hear It First program (MTV's spotlight on promising new bands). Longtime fans of the band may be as surprised by this as we were, but as John says "dont worry, we ain't goin' boy band on ya".

Stereophile Magazine has picked Money Shot as its Recording Of The Month, an award usually reserved for classical recordings and classic rock records like Dark Side Of The Moon. Robert Walter nailed it on his first solo project after breaking free from his position as founding member of the now legendary Greyboy Allstars. The debut full length album from Robert Walter's 20th Congress (with special guest, Galactic drummer - and fellow Fog City artist - Stanton Moore) is still the only funk record to earn Stereophile's highest honor.