This week's musical miscellany

The legendary New Orleans band The Radiators are hanging up their rock and roll shoes after 33 years together, Keith Spera reported in Tuesday's Times-Picayune.  They will honor all currently scheduled gigs through next June, so catch 'em while you can!  I myself am looking forward to seeing them, the Honey Island Swamp Band, Papa Grows Funk, Jon Cleary, and the Rebirth Brass Band at Sunday's New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival on Oak Street in Carrollton.

Another musical event of note in the Big Easy this weekend is the Congo Square Rhythms Festival, sponsored by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation.  It's Sunday from 11-7 pm at the Old U.S. Mint on Esplanade.  Admission to both festivals is free.

In other NOLA music news, music journalist Alison Fensterstock sent out this tweet on Wednesday:

AlisonF_NOLA Alison Fensterstock 

We hear the Mother-In-Law Lounge is closing, again. Final garage sale scheduled for Dec. 4th and 5th.

10 Nov Favorite Retweet Reply

Very sad news indeed, as Ernie K-Doe's Mother-in-Law Lounge is an irreplaceable New Orleans historical and cultural landmark.

I've been grooving lately to an advance copy of Gregg Allman's new album, Low Country Blues.    Produced by T Bone Burnett, it consists of 11 classic blues and soul covers and one original, "Just Another Rider," co-written with Warren Haynes.  I heard Allman perform this song live back in May at Bluesville at the Horseshoe Casino in Robinsonville, Mississippi.  Check it out:



The album is currently scheduled to drop on January 18, 2011, and is highly recommended.  I predict it will be another feather in T Bone's storied cap, and a triumph for Allman.

My friend Carol Caffin runs a beautiful blog dedicated to the memory of her friend, The Band's Rick Danko.  Here's Rick performing a bittersweet cover of the Grateful Dead song "Ripple," from his final solo album Times Like These.  He's joined on the track by fellow Band-mates Levon Helm and Garth Hudson.



Speaking of The Band, here's an interview with Robbie Robertson from the National Museum of the American Indian's blog.  Robertson is currently featured in their exhibition "Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture," and in the Q&A he discusses his Native American heritage and how it has influenced his music-making.

And one more Band-related item: Garth Hudson Presents A Canadian Celebration of The Band drops on November 16.  The album features such artists as Bruce Cockburn, the Cowboy Junkies, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Neil Young, and Garth plays keyboards on every track.  Sounds like a winner to me!

Though we celebrated Gram Parsons' birthday here last week, I wanted to share today's post from the fine LA-based music blog When You Awake on the story behind the song "Return of the Grievous Angel."

Finally, just for fun, courtesy of MOJO Magazine: How many Bob Dylan album covers can you name?  Try it - it's tougher than you'd think!