Fog City: News

JAZZFEST MADNESS 2008

2008-04-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

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.

NICE WORDS FOR THE NEW PAPA MALI RECORD

2008-04-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

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!

New JJ Grey & MOFRO Record In The Works

2008-04-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

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 play Byron Bay Australia

2008-04-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

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 TOURING WITH THE ALLSTARS AGAIN

2008-03-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

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.

IN A HOLIDAY GROOVE

2007-12-12T22:03:00.000-08:00

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!

MOFRO RINGS IN THE NEW YEAR IN JAX

2007-12-10T11:16:00.000-08:00

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.

VOLUNTEER DURING JAZZFEST 2007

2007-03-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

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.

WORD OF THE DAY: GRIMOIRE

2007-01-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

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 & MOFRO BOOKED FOR JAZZFEST 2007

2007-01-22T23:08:00.000-08:00

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...

DO YOUR THING!

2007-01-11T17:26:00.000-08:00

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.

ETIENNE ON TOUR WITH HONEYCUT

2006-12-20T13:17:00.000-08:00

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.

SOUTH AUSTIN GOT SOUL

2006-12-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

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 EAST COASTING WITH GALACTIC

2006-12-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

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.

THIS IS THE CALIFORNIA WAY

2006-11-30T03:03:00.000-08:00

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.

YOU KNOW YOU FINALLY MADE IT WHEN...

2006-10-29T12:51:00.000-08:00

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!

MOFRO PERFORMS W/ SYMPHONY - AGAIN!

2006-10-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

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 TO PLAY HSB FESTIVAL

2006-09-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

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!

Tim Bluhm heads for the hills

2006-08-07T18:05:00.000-07:00

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!

JJ GREY OPENS FOR GALACTIC

2006-08-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

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 HITS EAST COAST WITH ALL STAR BAND

2006-07-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

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 IN MUGGE DOCUMENTARY

2006-06-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

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.

CLASSICAL MOFRO

2006-06-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

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

JAZZFEST VOLUNTEER EFFORT WRAP UP

2006-05-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

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 IN EUROPE

2006-05-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

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.