Neworleansmusicians.com Podcast

In January of 1979, The Ramones came down to Avondale, Louisiana to play back-to-back shows at Ole Man Rivers on the West Bank. Darren Hill and some of his friends were at that show. Though the punk genre existed for a decade at that time, it was an isolated spectacle this far south. It would serve as the genesis for the punk scene in Louisiana. Darren Hill and his friends would go onto form the Red Rockers. Between them, they had little to no musical experience. Their environment lacked the punk sound and esthetic, even going so far as to repel any notion of the sort. But there were a few hidden gems from which to sustain the underground. Warren Hildebrand, a second generation owner of All South Record Distributors, also owned The Mushroom Record Store and would receive shipments of punk 45 singles every Friday, as did Leisure Landing Records. Darren and his bandmates would sit and wait for these 45 shipments. There was also a newsstand on Decatur in downtown New Orleans that sold weeks old newspapers from England. Unable to afford them, the friends would sit and read these publications, scanning the pages for mentions of up-and-coming bands. Coupled with the weekly New Wave Hour radio show on WTUL, these elements served as ground zero for the underground scene in New Orleans. During their travels as a touring band, the pulse of punk and new wave would quicken out west as the Red Rockers cemented themselves as a band that could hold their own. Scenes in Los Angeles and San Francisco accepted them with open arms. Budgets grew as they made the move from 415 records to CBS Columbia, as did their notoriety on a national scale. The music video for their hit single, China, saw constant rotation on Mtv. But trouble was brewing. Creative control issues, personal rifts, and burnout from the road began to eat away at these young stars. Darren Hill is an accomplished bassist and music composer. His work has spent time on Billboard and garnered national attention through radio play and television. He founded and currently runs Ten Pin Management, a high-profile artist management firm for bands like The Replacements, The Mighty-Mighty Bosstones, and the New York Dolls. He has curated the Red Rockers’ legacy through a recent remix of their first album, It’s in Our Blood, and is currently promoting a fundraising show at Tipitina’s for the developing documentary, Almost Ready: The Story of Punk Rock in New Orleans. This show is coming up Saturday, November 14th and both the stage and the crowd will be filled with members of the New Orleans early punk and New Wave scene. Tipitina's EventHex WindhamMIMICFlesh ParadeSponsors:PianoforallNitric BoostOpus Clip (FREE trial)Real Mushrooms (Discount link)Keep thisshow alive!⁠Securely donate to this show via PayPal⁠

Well before founding Cowboy Mouth, guitarist and vocalist Paul Sanchez found himself amongst meager beginnings in New Orleans’ Irish Channel. There was no money for instruments. So, as a small child, he sang. He would stand atop the chifforobe with a friend and the two would put on shows for his siblings. Just before high school, when he could finally afford a guitar, he couldn’t afford sheet music. So, he would stare at the chord progressions in sheet music at Werline’s until the salesman harassed hi. Then he’d run home and try to play what he had memorized. His lust for music stretched beyond the Beatles and other sensations of the time. It gave him a voice in a house with nine other siblings. It also gave him the ability to impart joy in a disparaged, underprivileged, and sometimes violent ecosystem. In his early twenties, Paul moved to New York because that’s where great writers came from. What he found was an early 80’s bohemian utopia where poets, writers, singers, and artists colonized an anti-folk scene in the wake of a disillusioned punk movement. But Paul was never meant to affix himself to any one genre, much less a movement. At his crux, his thirst dwelled in the composition of song. And a truly great songwriter transcends all societal constraints. In one form or another, he has dedicated phases of his lifetime to most all genres, making contributions to both Billboard and Broadway. He has broken rules, avoided the disingenuous, and always forged ahead in the name of true connection. From weed and whiskey to MCA executives, Paul walks us through a bizarre world allowing us to see what lies beyond the veneer. To his credit, Paul Sanchez has 11 albums w Cowboy Mouth, 22 solo releases, over a dozen nominations and awards through local independent music authorities Gambit Weekly and Offbeat Magazine. He’s scored for the musical 9 Lives, and had his songs performed by the who’s who of local, national, and international musicians. He has appeared in the HBO Series Treme, Interview With a Vampire, Bonnie and Clyde and a host of other movies. His disposition is humble and his presence is warm. I do hope you enjoy the show. Special thanks to Chris Finney at Sound From Space Studio for offering time for this episode. Neworleansmusicians.comBen RedwineLost In LiesWill Vance & the KinfolkElevate your health and well-being. Shop Realmushrooms.com and support this show! Here’s 20% off just for our listeners. 20% DISCOUNT LINK Free trial for AI assisted editing with Opus Clip. Create viral short videos for social!OPUS CLIP FREE TRIALKeep this show alive!Securely donate to this show via PayPal

Radio was already heavily formatted by the time the 80’s hit. You had your classic rock, your country, your R&B stations and others, and they were virtually the same across the nation. Radio WAS top 40, with the exception of the far left side of the dial. There you could find, among other choices, college radio. These stations neither got their funding from, nor answered to, large corporations. And though their listener base was a collage of personalities and preferences, a specific age range congealed them. Enter Ivan Bodley… In 1982, the 17 year old arriving freshman at Tulane University in New Orleans hits up the college radio station, WTUL, looking for free records. What he found was an opening for the Music Director position. He very quickly became the liaison for labels looking to promote on the college radio circuit. He was also the eyes and ears for local club owners seeking reassurances before booking. Though WTUL’s reach was limited in distance, it sat in the middle of approximately one million people back then. Ivan would use his knowledge and his reach to usher in New Orleans’ first and only extreme music on the radio by creating The Hardcore Show. It would run on the weekends from 2 to 6 am and featured everything from Metallica and Slayer before they were known to lesser-knowns like Shot Down in Ecuador Jr. He interviewed bands in town like The Ramones, the Circle Jerks Butthole Surfers, and Tex and the Horseheads. Now, Ivan Bodley was unassuming. Ivan had no idea that people were listening. But throughout my years of interviewing I can tell you that The Hardcore Show has been cited as invaluable in inspiring, motivating, and informing the minds of today’s successful musicians in the greater New Orleans area. So without further adieu, here’s Ivan Bodley. https://neworleansmusicians.comLeif Meche BandBret Flesh Parade Elevate yourhealth and well-being. Shop Realmushrooms.com and support this show! Here’s 20%off just for our listeners. https://shop.realmushrooms.com?ref=1494 Free trial for AI assisted editing with Opus Clip. Create viral short videos for social!OPUS CLIP: https://tolt.link/nomDonate to this show:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=83ZWJWHNRAYNU

Kyle Thomas spent his formative years torn between several worlds. He attended a catholic high school while helping write an album titled Slaughter In The Vatican. He sang in choir but also sang for thrash metal band Exhorder. He simultaneously navigated a quiet life in the suburbs and a life in a band that lead him to the seedier side of New Orleans. During those years, his genre existed in a void between punk and metal; a space whose disciples would often violently clash. But with a sound that transcended, Exhorder would serve to bridge that divide. And Kyle learned how to implement the things he learned in choir into his thrash metal existence. At times, Exhorder wasn’t there anymore. And at one point, his marriage, his home, his life in music, and the city as he knew it wasn’t either. Exhorder recently celebrated 40 years since their first gig. And through all of this Kyle’s guiding force has been compassion, unabated determination, and unbridled creativity. Kyle Thomas is an accomplished vocalist and guitarist. He has toured the world many times over. His discography extends considerably beyond the bands of which he has been a member. In addition to his work with Exhorder, Trouble, Alabama Thunderpussy, Floodgate, Pitts vs. Preps and numerous other projects, Kyle has contributed vocals to many recordings as a guest or session musician. I hope you enjoy the episode!NeworleansmusiciansGrativy on NOMBranded For Exile on NOMBlack Wall Symphony on NOM Elevate your health and well-being. Shop Realmushrooms.com and support this show! Here’s 20%off just for our listeners. SAVE ON MUSHROOMS! Free trial for AI assisted editing with Opus Clip. Create viral short videos for social!OPUS CLIP FOR FREE!Donate to this show:SECURE PAYPAL DONATIONS

In an effort to address aspects of musicianship that are left unsaid, this interview centers around mental instabilities of a musician. Joey Carbo of current band WOORMS has agreed to talk about his battle with manic depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. We cover a period of his life occurring from his late teens to present day. On a personal level, I can tell you this discussion took a lot of preparation. His level of discomfort left his stomach in knots, and at times left him at a loss for words. Past actions were not easy for him to admit much less explain or justify. But he pledged to be forthcoming in this experience, and I sincerely CANNOT sing his praise loud enough for that reason. I think that mental instabilities, while perhaps lying at the core of true creative innovation in the arts, are what lead many fellow musicians to self-destruct. The societal outlets for such maladies are virtually non-existent, and seeking qualified medical attention can be both confusing and intimidating. These were some of the reasons I reached out to Joey to construct an episode of such difficulty and significance. It is my hope that life-changing values can be extracted from its contents. https://neworleansmusicians.comElevate your health and well-being. Shop Realmushrooms.com and support this show! Here’s 20% off just for our listeners. https://shop.realmushrooms.com?ref=1494Free trial for AI assisted editing with Opus Clip. Create viral short videos for social!OPUS CLIP: https://tolt.link/nomDonate to this show:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=83ZWJWHNRAYNU