HumidCity

they say that people and elephants know when the end is near… heck, my father use to look in the paper everyday to check the obituaries to see if he had died in his sleep… AND a week before he died, he canceled the paper and proceeded to clean the house and “visit his stuff” one last time. he didn’t need to wait to read it… he just knew.

i feel like i’m reaching the end game… not in a morbid way BUT rather in a way that i sense that i’m sick and i need to finish a few chores before i go… the KREWE DE CAMP benefit CD is turning out well… at last count, STEVE HUNTER, FERNANDO SAUNDERS, THE ROCHES, MICHELLE SHOCKED , DAVE ALVIN, ARLO GUTHRIE, MIKE WATT and possibly with fernando’s help even LOU REED all appear to be on board in some way, shape, and/ or form…. they join the new orleans gang of SUSAN COWSILL, CRANSTON CLEMENTS,  JIMMY MESSA, PAUL SANCHEZ,  JIM McCORMICK, ANDERS OSBORNE, JOHNNY J, etc. over 50 plus artists

but between the manic lack of sleep and the katrina flashbacks caused by the gusatv, ike, and their cousins in the carribean, i’m not sure how much more i can do,,, the lung problems which arose after katrina appear to be back… breathing, talking, singing are all labored. PLUS now the fatigue and the insomnia are a tug of war that is far from a healthy equilibrium.  the elphant walk seems inevitable…

i hope i’m just crying wolf… i hope the sky doesn’t fall…i hope i can see this project to its fruition just want to raise 30k-40k and keep the camp going for a few more years… if all goes well, i can set up a trust fund for the camp.. so it can go on for quite a while

peace, ph fred

(Here is a guest post from my friend Bethany Butman, President and CEO of the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic. She is a dynamic force for good in the city and I am proud that she was kind enought to write this for us. -Loki, HumidCity Founder)

New Orleans’ warm, erotic humid climate, the wild foliage, the sensuous aroma of sweet olives and rifts of Jazz and funk combine to evoke a unique place and a culture, not unsympathetic to the weaknesses of the flesh. At The New Orleans Musicians Clinic (NOMC est. 1998), the United States’ only comprehensive health clinic for musicians, we are faced with sustaining a unique population during the hard times we all wrestle with since the 2005 floods.

For more than ten years, we have proudly served a “challenging’ population of musicians who personify a cluster of characteristics including “creative” and “sensitive” with shades of “deviant” and “non-conforming.” Add to this a predilection for risky behavior and a lifestyle with a wide acceptance (and even reliance) on illicit drugs, alcohol and sex. And lastly, a historical low priority on personal health and a distrust of conventional medical care. Although New Orleans musicians are celebrated around the world, at home they have a history of living hand to mouth, outside mainstream social and economic systems. Many of them pride themselves in existing in a cash-only economy, not having a bank account or paying taxes. Hence they are in effect excluded from the American health care delivery system. Read the rest of this entry »

i’ve been living in a dreamworld since fema took my trailer away… i’ve not wanted to go to sleep in fear that the bad times would start again… my house is now closer to a home … my life is again worth living

i’ve committed myself to a benefit project that has led me to a higher place… locals ranging from susan cowsill and anders osborne to members/ former members of rebirth, cowboy mouth, dash rip rock, the iguanas, the subdudes, evangeline have all come out to play… i’ve even snagged lou reed and alice cooper sideman steve hunter to contribute an acoustic version of “just a closer walk with thee”   my phone rang with the distant sounds of fernando saunders (lou’s go to guy and ian hammer/ jeff beck’s bassman) calling from helsinki offering a hand, a voice, and a song.  michelle shocked and suzzy roche also want to help…  even woody guthrie’s son arlo and grandaughter annie may join in…

all seems right in my world…

DESPITE the crime, the potholes, the government, the stupidity…

DESPITE the war in georgia AND our potentially knee-to-the-groin jerk-of-a-reaction (believe it or not, someone actually asked bobby hebert if he thought that might affect our game against the falcons)

DESPITE hurricane season, floods, and chances of OBAMANATIONS or an unABEL mcCANE (WTF?)

the music from the streets… the music from afar

as pete seeger once commented….”ah, the power of song”

DNO VIDEO - The Bad Off from DNO VIDEO on Vimeo.

A little somthing from our dear friends and allies at Defend New Orleans, check it out! Hat Tip to Scott for pointing it out!

-Loki, HumdCity Founder

well, it’s official… my fema trailer is no more… the powers that pretend to be have taken my four-wheeled, doubled axeled katrina castle to formaldahyde heaven… may it rot in peace!

on a positive note… my lungs seem better, the weight and the  wait are off my shoulder and over the hill to grandmother’s house we go…

then again hurricanes are a-brewing and oils spilt in the liver… er, river… so maybe i’ll be a victim… um, patient of gov’t carelessness again (i hope the f’ not)

ON OTHER MORE POSITIVE FRONTS, BACKSIDES, and QUARTER NOTES: 

augusrt 2nd sees the return of weekly brown!, august 23rd … i’m playing the ogdens’ 5 year anniversary show, august 3oth sees a week’s worth of fred shows in “lost” angeles, sept 6 the official release of blog this: katrina killed my mama (parts of which may have graced this very site), sept 7 i teach the kids how to write music at tip’s musicians workshop, and october sees the fred show in the uk and paris…

did i mention i’m writing for mickey too?

and to think.. the main thing that excites me is the empty parking place where my fema trailer is no more!

BLOG THIS!

phfred@mcnawlins.com

The not-for-profit organization FRIENDS HELPING KIDS conducts “Krewe de Camp,” a traditional summer camp experience free of charge for persons with developmental disabilities

This month PH FRED (aka moi) is in FUDGE STUDIOS with producer JACK MIELE recording a kids CD entitled THE FREDDY FRED SHOW presents RECESS! the proceeds of which will benefit KREWE DE CAMP  and FRIENDS HELPING KIDS

players include

CRANSTON CLEMENTS ~ GUITAR…JIMMY MESSA (subdudes) ~ BASS… MIKE BARRAS (bruce daigrepont/ the cute guys/ joe krown trio) ~ DRUMS… PAUL CLEMENT (twangorama/ cowboy mouth/woodenhead) ~ UPRIGHT …DICKIE ENGLISH (molly ringwalds) ~ PIANO… COREY HENRY (rebirth) ~ TROMBONE… DEREK HUSTON (iguanas/stringbeans) ~ BARITONE SAX…ROUSSELL WHITE ~ TRUMPET/FLUGELHORN… BRANDON FORET ~ SAX…..plus guest vocals by: SUSAN COWSILL, MARI VIGUEIRA, ROB SAVOY (bluerunners/ cowboy mouth/ stringbean), PAUL SANCHEZ (rolling review/ cowboy mouth), LESLIE SMITH (evangeline), VANESSA NEIMAN, and other surprise guests

for more info “e” mail fred ~ phfred@mcnawlins.com

Tonight, at Rock ‘n Bowl, the Legendary Renard Poche! 11pm

A contemporary of some of New Orleans’ funk greats, Renard Poché’s contributions can be counted among the defining factors of funk in New Orleans. Best known for his electrifying guitar work, Poché is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist* whose been known to move effortlessly between guitar, trombone, percussion, flute, recorders and more, without missing a beat. In addition to his live and studio guitar work with artists such as Dr. John, Zigaboo Modeliste (of the original Meters), Professor Longhair, Allen Toussaint and N’Dea Davenport (Brand New Heavies), Poché’s trombone work can be heard on recordings by Peter Gabriel, The Indigo Girls, Terrance Simeon and The Neville Brothers, among others. Poché’s original compositions have found their way to places as diverse as BET’s Movie of the Week and the TaeBo Workout Video. Poché has also shared his talent with renowned trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchard in soundtracks for the films Dark Blue and Barber Shop.