HumidCity

WWOZ PLedge Drive Photo Album (This will continually grow until the end of the Pledge Drive at 7pm on 3-28-07)

Groovesect is in the house! Man, there is nothing like coming into the studio and having a live show going on, the energy in the room is positively electric!
The next to last day of the drive is upon us, 7pm tomorrow is the end so get your pledge on! These funky, funky sounds that make you get up and shake your groove thang need your assistance in order to keep rolling out across the airwaves and the internet. If you have any doubts about the importance just tune your radio to 90.7fm (or grab the stream here) and listen for awhile and they will be dispelled!

One of the really great things about working here over the drive has been getting back in touch with musicians I have had the honor of working with in the past. Right now Govt Majik is tuning up to play their own brand of afro-caribbean funk, and it turns out I know the bass player from back in the old ShopweRx / Silver Machine days: Bru Brusser of the Hi Life Rescue Dance Band!! I haven’t heard this new band, but having worked shows with Bru back in the late 90’s I have high expectations for the upcoming throwdown!

EDIT: As T.R. keeps saying its “listener supported, listener supported, listener suported!!“

Hey out there in interweb land, Loki here, reporting the latest from the musical free for all that is the WWOZ Pledge Drive! Brian Stoltz was here earlier knocking out some really sweet tunes solo on his acoustic guitar. When I was speaking with him afterwards he told me that his new live CD will be hitting the stores about a week before Jazz Fest, and after hearing some tracks from it today I must say I cannot wait!

There are only three days left, and things are about to get truly out of hand. The array of musicians showing up to bring a little live music into the equation is always amazing during the drive, and the last few days are always the most intense. Over the past few days we have seen local luminaries such as Irma Thomas, Harold Batiste, and more show up in support of WWOZ. I really cannot think of any other example of a radio station being so inextricably entwined with the music scene it embraces.

The image that always comes to mind when I think about what WWOZ means to me and to the music scene is borne of the madness from August ‘05. I visualize a vast expanse of toxic floodwaters, like the ones that inundated our city. Rising up from the middle of this turgid pool rises an arm whose hand clutches a trumpet, holding it aloft above the murk.

With more than half our neighbors and native musicians scattered to the four winds the WWOZ Stream assumes huge importance, bringing a taste of home to those in that diaspora and beyond. As we fight for our survival here in New Orleans, WWOZ holds aloft the beacon of our unique musical heritage, reminding us what we are fighting for.

Harold Cagler just got finished bringing a little of the classic New Orleans funk to the studio, and welcome sounds they were! It is truly things like this that keep me going!

Pledge now, keep WWOZ on the air and on the internet!

xposted on Defend New Orleans

There are SO many things going on in the city right now: numerous news articles in the local and national media about NOLA residents arming themselves agaisnt crime, Bush crony companies (MWI) providing faulty pumps; the Corps of Engineers engaging in its usual inept shenaigans, etc. So why in the midst of this am I focusing on the WWOZ pledge drive?

It is precisely because it has nothing to do with politics. As Jelly Roll Justice put it, “I can turn to any other station in town for the politics of the situation. Sometimes I do. WWOZ is a haven, here it is about the music. There are no politics and no religion here, just beautiful sounds.” The sounds of New Orleans. After 19 months of nothing but fury and vitriol it feels good to be focussed on something that is purely positive.

I have always been a proponent of the idea that music can bridge all gaps between people, that it is a common ground where everyone can relate to each other through their mutual appreciation of the groove. I have always been a crusader for local music for that exact reason.

So……..

Despite the plethora of things to bitch about, despite the idotic decisions by the various powers that be, despite the approach of hurricane season and the state of the levees right now the priority it WWOZ, the Guardians of The Groove. I am returning to my roots until next Wed., then we will return you to your regularly scheduled muck raking!

So pledge now, help support the sound of our city!

Slip sliding away on a wave of funky goodness, Funky T is slapping some Rocky Charles platters on to get people in a giving frame of mind.

Now I’m sure you’ve already heard a lot about the different membership levels if you’ve been tuning in, that is just the icing on the cake. The real benefit is the ability to tune in New Orleans music from anywhere. Thanks to the internet you can pull up a live stream anytime and from anywhere. For the wife and I it was our lifeline while we were in exile.

Thursday after the storm we were a long way from home, stuck in NY, and suddenly the music returned. Just hearing the sounds of the Crescent City again did wonders for our state of mind. For the next 5 1/2 weeks it was part of the glue that held my own sanity together. The New Orleans sound gets in your blood, it is intoxicating and addicting. It is essential for the care and feeding of New Orleanians everywhere in the diaspora and at home. It is a divine elixir for the ears, and WWOZ is the only institution that can provide it.

Show some love, Defend New Orleans Music, join WWOZ!

“Peace, Love, and Soul!” - Funky T “You didn’t get my good side!” -Joe “Defend The Humid City! Support ‘OZ!” -Loki

xposted on DefendNewOrleans (LJ)

Alright out there Irma Thomas is in the studio, interviewing on Crossroads with Big D, it’s been a great one so far. George Ingmire is hanging out with them and asking some very incisive and penetrating questions.

WWOZ is one of our most important cultural resources. If you’re anything like me you found their stream to be a lifeline while in exile after the Storm. I almost broke out in tears when the stream came back up and suddenly a taste of home sounded from the tinny speakers of my laptop.

Everyone from here understands on a primal level that the two things that most resonate to New Orleanians are food and music. ‘OZ has been a bastion for the musical roots of our unique culture.

This is not just a radio station, it is a non profit engaged in the most important battle we face: the preservation of The New Orleans Sound in an era when it is in danger of becoming a conservatory lesson rather than an organic and growing tradition. Please consider picking up the phone and calling in a contribution. Even if it is a small one it will help. Donations can be made online here.

xposted on DefendNOLA (LiveJournal)

Continuous Liveblogging on a show by show basis will be going on at the above xpost link….

EDIT: Okay, its the second most important battle. The first is and always will be LEVEES.