The Kentucky Headhunters performed songs from “Dixie Lullabies” for the employes at Select-O-Hits in Memphis last week.
music
Max Minelli releases his new album “Heart of a King”
Emerging from C-Loc’s Concentration Camp, Max Minelli is a veteran of the Baton Rouge rap scene, and is consistently popular with fans in Louisiana’s capital city. With Heart of a King, Max Minelli elevates his game to a new level with 14 tracks produced by some of Louisiana’s finest producers, including Gussmakemybeats and C-Loc veteran Nathan “Happy” Perez. As always, Max Minelli gives his fans a street edge, but one with an intelligent difference, as Max is first and foremost a lyricist. Songs like “Can I Help You” and “Heart Of A King” deliver the crunkness, but there are also sunny, windows-down anthems like “City Is Mine”, and Minelli’s advice to youth to “Be Respected” is far more positive than the average street rapper making records today. Several of the songs feature Max’s new Dead Game Records labelmates, the rapper Kevin Gates and singer Malachi X. Altogether a release of consistent quality from one of Baton Rouge’s finest.
UAPB Band Entrance in Pine Bluff, 2011
#28 UAPB Band Entrance.MOV (by jdoggtn7)
The UAPB Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South marches into the stadium at Pine Bluff, October 15, 2011
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
Whitehaven Band Marching into Melrose Stadium, 2011
#12 Whitehaven Band.MOV (by jdoggtn7)
The Whitehaven Band marches into Melrose Stadium in Orange Mound, Memphis at Melrose Homecoming, October 14, 2011
(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
UAPB Vs. Southern University at Pine Bluff, 2011
When I got to Pine Bluff, the UAPB Marching Musical Machine of the Midsouth was marching into the stadium. The weather was great, and I thought I was in for a great game and a great band battle. Unfortunately, I soon learned that Southern University didn’t bring their band, so there was no battle. I left after the third quarter and grabbed a dinner in donwtown Pine Bluff, and just at the right time, evidently, because later I learned that the football game had ended in a series of brawls that led to tear gas being sprayed and people having to be hospitalized.
Melrose Homecoming 2011 in Orange Mound, Memphis
Toward the end of the third quarter of the Melrose High School homecoming game, I realized that I needed to head on out of town if I wanted to get to Pine Bluff, Arkansas by 5 PM for the UAPB/Southern game, so I walked back to my car and rode out.
Melrose Homecoming vs. Whitehaven in Orange Mound, 2011
Melrose High School had their homecoming game against Whitehaven on Saturday in Orange Mound, and not only was the weather perfect for football, but the atmosphere was like a college game, with both sides of the stadium packed, and two of the best high school marching bands in the stands. Across the street at the Orange Mound Community Center, the Melrose Class of 1981 was having a tailgate/picnic with a DJ, and when the bands weren’t playing, the sounds of Frankie Beverly and Maze and Willie Hutch drifted across the street along with the smells of barbecue. A perfect football day, except that Melrose was down 49 to nothing at the half.
Memphis Music Foundation and Select-O-Hits’ Plug In Memphis Reception 9/30/11
At the Memphis Music Foundation and Select-O-Hits’ Plug In Memphis reception, Friday September 30, 2011
The Young Men Olympian Second-Line In Front of the Dew Drop Inn 2011
Many of the uptown projects in New Orleans have been torn down and replaced by modern-looking townhomes, but the residents still poured out onto front porches and lawns to see the second-line as it passed down LaSalle Avenue. Over to my left I spied the legendary Dew Drop Inn, an African-American nightclub and hotel that launched the careers of many great musicians and singers. Although closed since Katrina, the sturdy building survived the monster storm, and there is talk of renovation and reopening. Turning onto Louisiana Avenue, we came to Big Man Lounge, apparently a known gathering spot for brass bands and second-liners. Here the bands actually came to a stop, and the members of the Young Men Olympian disappeared inside the lounge for a rest and a refreshment. Hearing my name called, I turned around to see Edward Jackson, the trombonist with To Be Continued who was marching today with the Hot 8, who gathered out in the neutral ground of Louisiana Avenue near the lounge.
Urban Music Showcases at @CuttingEdgeNOLA
My friend Rico Brooks, who manages Gorilla Zoe, was in New Orleans for the Cutting Edge conference, and after we ate dinner at the Steak Knife, we headed over to Le Roux on Louisiana Avenue for the conference’s rap and R & B showcases. The hip-hop performances upstairs had ended early due to some artists on the line-up that failed to appear, but the R & B/soul showcases were still going on downstairs, including the Austin-based band Neckbone.