Excited to have one of my all-time favorite piano players, Tom McDermott, in the studio for the second half of my show tonight! Tune in 10-11 p.m. to hear music and poetry by an exceptional musicianer and limerician. He once told me in an interview how he’d ended up in New Orleans following the James Booker muse, and (in the spirit of musician mentors) hopefully he’ll relate that tale for y’all as well.
This OffBeat Magazine write-up I did a couple years back (McDermott on Booker etc., another fascinating conversation where only a fraction of it fits under the word count) was one of the many musician interviews I had in mind when I proposed this radio show.*
[*Although Musicians, Mentors, & Barroom Heroes has certainly expanded (read: veered off the rails) since, it was initially conceived as a place to express gratitude towards the musicians and other New Orleans community members that have inspired us, shaped us, and altered the courses of our lives for the better. (Whether or not they meant to, whether or not we’re ever given the chance to try to explain that properly.) And most times, I find, these people are inextricably linked to music that holds particular importance at various times in our lives.]
Last night’s playlist, thanks so much to Tom McDermott for sharing his tunes, insights, limericks, some truly heartrending Brazilian music, his reflections on James Booker, and more!
Hour One:
1. “Technical Ineptitude & A Lil’ Bit of Dead Air” – Laura DeFazio feat. the Machinery
2. “Non-Independent Voices” – Mainstream Alternative feat. Some Other Stuff
Hour Two:
1. “Bottle of Wine” – The Fireballs. Request from my unofficial co-horst Pizza Mike, tuning in from Curtis Casados’ holy ground, The Abbey. (Thank ya for sound-checking, Pizza )
2. “Drive Right Back” – Paul Sanchez. Off his latest release, ‘Life Is A Ride”. Thanks for the CDs!
******Tom reflects on how CD listenership/purchasership has plummeted in recent years. (Remember to support local music, monetarily, even as listening mediums change.)
3. “Visions of St. Lucia” – Tom McDermott and Aurora Nealand, with a snippet of Tom’s mom playing piano at the end. (Happy Mothers’ Day to all applicable, btw.) Off that stellar record, ‘City of Timbres’.
4. “Let the Rest of the World Go By” – Tom McDermott and Chloe Feoranzo. Off ‘Zeppelins Made to Order’. Listen to those three-part harmonies!
*****Limericks! Check out Tom‘s recently-published book of limericks, ‘Five Lines No Waiting’. Illustrated by himself too! Dunno if you could see the drawings properly over the radio.
5. “Um Canto de Afoxé Para O Bloco do Ilê ( Ilê Aiyê)” – Caetano Veloso. Such a beautiful mixture of timbres. That choir! (Also, who knew that David Byrne curated several volumes of Brazilian music? Not I. But I suppose that ain’t sayin much.)
*****How Tom ended up in New Orleans, following a bartender’s recommendation to see Booker (perfectly thematic for this show!)
6. “Black Night” – James Booker. One of Tom’s faves off Piano Wizard Live.
