It’s Mardi Gras Time – Again!

Editor’s Note: This is a repost from last year, or the year before – whatever.

Mardi Gras is the final big blowout before the period of fasting and sacrifice called Lent.  Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, is the end of carnival season and the final day you can indulge in those earthly pleasures we all love so much. Ash Wednesday is next Wednesday.

Feel free to party as you please; here’s some music to help you on your way.  Play ‘em loud, play ‘em often and play ‘em all year – make every day a Mardi Gras Day.

Don’t forget: You can tune in to real-time live webcams for a ringside seat to the madness and Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans.  NOLA webcams

MP3: “Life Is A Carnival/Party” by the Wild Magnolias

MP3: “Mardi Gras Mambo” by the Hawketts

MP3: “Second Line, Part 1” by Bill Sinegal & the Skyliners

MP3: “Who Dat at Mardi Gras” by Luther Kent

MP3: “Carnival Time” by My Morning Jacket w/the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

MP3: “Brother John/Iko Iko” by the Neville Brothers

MP3: “My Indian Red” by Dr. John

MP3: “Shake That Thing” by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

MP3: “Walking To New Orleans” by Fats Domino

MP3: “Tipitina” by Professor Longhair

MP3: “When The Saints Go Marchin’ In” by Louis Armstrong

MP3: “Mardi Gras Mambo”/”Hey Pocky-A-Way” (live) by the Meters

Video Du Jour (Part Deux): Fats Domino

Happy birthday, Antoine “Fats” Domino. He’s still with us, and he is 84 years old!

It’s Mardi Gras Time!

Editor’s Note: This is a repost from last year, or the year before – whatever.

Mardi Gras is the final big blowout before the period of fasting and sacrifice called Lent.  Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, is the end of carnival season and the final day you can indulge in those earthly pleasures we all love so much. Ash Wednesday is next Wednesday.

Feel free to party as you please; here’s some music to help you on your way.  Play ‘em loud, play ‘em often and play ‘em all year – make every day a Mardi Gras Day.

Don’t forget: You can tune in to real-time live webcams for a ringside seat to the madness and Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans.  NOLA webcams

MP3: “Life Is A Carnival/Party” by the Wild Magnolias

MP3: “Mardi Gras Mambo” by the Hawketts

MP3: “Second Line, Part 1” by Bill Sinegal & the Skyliners

MP3: “Who Dat at Mardi Gras” by Luther Kent

MP3: “Carnival Time” by My Morning Jacket w/the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

MP3: “Brother John/Iko Iko” by the Neville Brothers

MP3: “My Indian Red” by Dr. John

MP3: “Shake That Thing” by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

MP3: “Walking To New Orleans” by Fats Domino

MP3: “Tipitina” by Professor Longhair

MP3: “When The Saints Go Marchin’ In” by Louis Armstrong

MP3: “Mardi Gras Mambo”/”Hey Pocky-A-Way” (live) by the Meters

Mardi Gras Time

The season of Mardi Gras, the final big blowout before the period of fasting and sacrifice called Lent, begins this weekend.  Feel free to party as you please; here’s some music to help you on your way.

These are some Louisiana-style tunes to spice up your Mardi Gras mixtape. Play ‘em loud, play ‘em often and play ‘em all year – make every day a Mardi Gras Day.

MP3: “Between Eunice & Opelousas” by Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys

MP3: “Zydeco Et Pas Sale” by Clifton Chenier & His Red Hot Louisiana Band

MP3: “Grow Too Old”  by Bobby Charles

MP3: “Shake Your Tambourine” by the Neville Brothers

MP3: “Ooo Poo Pah Doo” by Trombone Shorty

MP3: “St. James Infirmary” by Allen Toussaint

MP3: “Meet De Boys On De Battlefront” by the Wild Tchoupitoulas

MP3: “My Indian Red” by Dr. John

MP3: “It’s You I Love” by Fats Domino

MP3: “Tip On In (Part 2)” by Slim Harpo

MP3: “Give Him Cornbread” by Beau Jocque & The Zydeco Hi-Rollers

MP3: “Hot Tamale Baby” by Marcia Ball

Who Dat?™ Geaux Saints!

Oh yeah … all those years when nobody else cared about the Saints, it was “Who Dat? Nation” and “Who Dat?” dis and “Who Dat?” dat.  Now the NFL is claiming “Who Dat” is copyrighted, or it’s a trademark, or something.  Now that the New Orleans Saints are in the Super Bowl, the NFL is seizing”Who Dat?” – oh wait … “Who Dat?™” – in hopes of feeding its already bloated billion-dollar enterprise.

Who Dat?™ who’s greedy?  The NFL, dat’s Who Dat?™!

In other news, our great friend and awesome photographer Art Meripol sent an e-mail yesterday: he’s on assignment in New Orleans shooting jazz clubs from about now until the middle of next week.  The Super Bowl’s on Sunday, Mardi Gras hits its fever pitch next week (or Sunday if the Saints win), and our buddy’s in the middle of it all.  Nice work if you can get it.

Anyway, the covergence of these great events is convenient … so in the interest of public service, here’s a handful of New Orleans and Louisiana swamp rock songs for your Super Bowl/Mardi Gras party.  You can find many more by going to our “Walkin’ To New Orleans” series, plus we have a handful of Saints fight songs.  Of course, there are beaucoups more Saints fight songs at the New Orleans Times-Picayune.  The Saints, the Colts and the Who are gonna tear it up this weekend … be there, square hair!  Geaux Saints!

MP3: “Party Town” by Bobby Charles

MP3: “Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino (Live at Austin City Limits)

MP3: “The Crawl” by Guitar Junior

MP3: “Tell It Like It Is” by Eddie Bo

MP3: “Shake Your Tambourine” by the Neville Brothers (live)

MP3: “Hang ‘Em High” by the Meters

MP3: “Where There’s A Will There’s A Way” by Ernie K-Doe

MP3: “I’m A Fool To Care” by Joe Barry

MP3: “Rockin’ At Cosimo’s” by Lee Allen

MP3: “My Toot Toot” by John Fogerty w/Rockin’ Sidney

MP3: “Down South In New Orleans” by the Band w/Bobby Charles & Dr. John (live)

MP3: “Mardi Gras In New Orleans” by Professor Longhair

MP3: “Don’t Mess With My Popeye’s” by Fats Domino and Doug Kershaw

30 Days Out (From Christmas): Louisiana

Day 20 – Our Christmas journey today brings us to the great state of Louisiana – or more precisely, New Orleans.  The Crescent City is home to some of the greatest American musicians of past and modern eras, and being the nice Catholic boys and girls most of ’em are, they really know how to put on a good party at Christmas.  We also veer slightly into Cajun country for a couple of our selections but it’s all Louisiana, it’s all good.  Lassez les bon temps roulet.

MP3: “Christmas In New Orleans” by Louis Armstrong

MP3: “The Day It Snows On Christmas” by Allen Toussaint

MP3: “Christmas Gumbo” by Art Neville

MP3: “Zydeco Christmas” by C. J. Chenier

MP3: “Here Comes Santa Claus” by Joe Bonsall

MP3: “Christmas Fais Do Do” by Marcia Ball

MP3: “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” by Al Hirt

MP3: “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by Pete Fountain

MP3: “Peace Brother Peace” by Dr. John

MP3: “Let It Snow” by the Dixie Cups

MP3: “The Christmas Blues” by the Dukes of Dixieland w/Topsy Chapman & Lars Edegran

MP3: “Santa Don’t Let Me Down” by Earl King

MP3: “All I Want For Christmas (Is A Little Bit Of Music) by Huey Piano Smith & the Clowns

MP3: “Frosty The Snowman” by Fats Domino

MP3: “Such A Night” by Aaron Neville

Lost Classics! Bobby Charles

Last year, the New Orleans Times Picayune called Bobby Charles a “lost legend.”  That is perhaps the only way to describe Robert “Bobby” Charles Guidry, a coonass who came out of Louisiana in the 1950s and became one of the first important songwriters of the rock and roll era.  Bobby Charles, as he became known, was a recording artist for Chicago blues/R&B label Chess Records but he made his impact as a songwriter: “See You Later Alligator” for Bill Haley & the Comets; “Walking To New Orleans,” one of Fats Domino’s greatest hits; and “(I Don’t Know Why I Love You) But I Do,” for Clarence “Frogman” Henry.