I LOVE New Orleans. If I knew then what I know now, I would have never come to NYC after college. I think I would be somewhere down south. In Atlanta, in Southern CA, in Austin, Maui…or New Orleans – anywhere but the north. I can’t stand the cold weather. There is something about the South that speaks to me. I never felt at home in the North (with the exception of my parent’s home in CT).

New Orleans. it is in a category of its own. The food, the people, the history, the poverty, the wealth, the racism, the music, the geographical location…and the METERS!!

Damn, they were a great band. It seems like, by this time they had been influenced a bit by P-Funk. I’m sure it was the other way around 10 years earlier.

This New Orleans groove just cannot be replicated by those unfamiliar with it. You just can’t pick up that feel so easily. They just “have it” down there. I’d love to be able to fit in with these types of musicians one day.

I’m fortunate to be a pretty busy musician in this city. Being a full time musician is NOT an easy task, especially up here in New York. But…I gotta be in the heat. I gotta be around a slower pace. I gotta be around other types of people. I gotta be around more New Orleans funk!!

Anyway, I found this concert on YouTube. It’s great.

The 70’s and early 80’s were an interesting time. The hangover from the 60’s and 70’s indulgences were starting to catch up with people, racial strife was being pushed under the rug for a minute or two, our country was in a transition politically, many cities were under financial pressures..lots going on. In this video, you can see how people partied together back then. You can see how simple things were (at least with this group) on stage. You can hear the guys speaking in the interview and listen to them talking about their experiences. It’s good stuff.

 

Enjoy: