Today, CIUT broadcasted a special New Orleans relief benefit in conjunction with the Art of Jazz festival in The Distillery District. It wouldn't have been complete with out some kind of Big Easy / Big Smoke connection, so we simulcasted the event with WWOZ 90.7 in N'Orlins. With us was one of their programmers, Keith "Blueberry" Hill, who told us that after Katrina, WWOZ somehow found its way back onto the airwaves, and although they were forced to relocate and make a number of space concessions, they still continue to be the voice of New Orleans heritage and culture. Their website has some excellent photos from this year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival, featuring Dr. John, Bob Dylan, Allen Toussaint, The Meters and all the others who played that spectacular festival in spite of the slow, frustrating and painful reconstruction of the city.

A few acts from New Orleans made it to Toronto for today's broadcast, most notably the Soul Rebels Brass Band, who combine traditional Louisianan marching band styles with hip hop and funk. Only one of them still lives in New Orleans, while the rest commute to back to the city once a week from as far away as Houston.

In the meantime, check out Home of the Groove for some classic New Orleans tunes.

ESB PLAYLIST 5/19/06

POLYSICS - Ceolakanth is Android (MSTRKRFT Remix)
DELIA GONZALEZ + GAVIN RUSSOM - Relevee (Carl Craig Remix)
THEO PARRISH - Falling Up (Carl Craig Remix)
BOARDS OF CANADA - Left Side Drive
PRIMAL SCREAM - When the Bomb Drops
SONIC YOUTH - Jams Run Free
THE DOERS - Sports Cars for Everyone
THE DOERS - Don't Know Bros
LILY ALLEN - Little Things
BELL ORCHESTRE - Bucephalus Bouncing Ball

THE REVOLUTION : NOT FOR EPILEPTICS

Conical Revolution finally became a sightly reality last night at Cinecycle, where a an expanded No Dynamics performed a long awaited 13th Floor Elevators / Spaceman 3 homage set accompanying Anthony McCall's Line Describing a Cone. The lights were turned out completely, and the glass cielings blocked out with large slats of wood. The room filled with mist as psych rock rose to a crescendo through the PA. The band started droning loudly, the room lit only by the LEDs in the amplifiers and organs. Suddenly, the projector fired up and produced a thin shaft of light down a cleared path in the audience. As the band performed "Rollercoaster"*, the shaft gradually flowered into a giant cone by the end of the piece. Although I was positioned to the side, it seems like the most advantageous spot to have been in last night would have been just off centre from the cone, in order to fully appreciate it's blossoming. Compare and contrast, if you will:


What it would have looked like from the side...


...and from the front.

Although it took almost the duration of the set for the audience to put their hands in the cone itself, the revelation spread as soon as the ice had been broken. Hands cautiously made streaking, rubbery lines within the cone. Even an umbrella handle found its way in there. Kid With Camera took some spectacular photos of an essentially unphotographable event.

Kudos as well to Mark Roberts, who not only joined in on drums for "Rollercoaster", but did a set of his own as Broken Tree Fort at the start of the night playing seemingly well-rehearsed soundtracks to old Czech animation films with only a guitar and an organ. Double Suicide followed with some new organ-centred material set to a two projector display.

*"Rollercoaster" by the 13th Floor Elevators, courtesy of Sunday Mix Tapes from Communications Major / English Minor.

A Day For Kites have a new video out for "Catch", shot at the famous Grad Club in Kingston by John Marck, who plays bass in the band and comes from my old stomping ground in Queen's Film. It's now a legendary story that singer Kerri took some hits for the team on this shoot, Michael Jackson styles, so a hard effort was made by those involved. These kids know how to hussle, I tells ya!



ESB PLAYLIST 5/12/06

WOLFMOTHER - Woman
THE RAKES - The World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect
SLY MONGOOSE - Snakes & Ladders (Rub n' Tug Remox)
CHROMATICS - Physica (Demo)
HAM - I Have Heard
THINK ABOUT LIFE - What the Future Might Be
THINK ABOUT LIFE - Paul Cries
THINK ABOUT LIFE - Money
THINK ABOUT LIFE - After the Blue Sun
MISHKO - Distorted Strings

BOPPIN THE BLUES

BO DIDDLEY - Elephant Man

Few people remember Bo for much more than "Who Do You Love" and his other hambone style tunes, but by the 70s, Bo was diddlin' with the funk jus-a l'il bit. If anyone got the Death in Vegas "Back to Mine", they'll remember this one.



HUEY "PIANO" SMITH - Don't You Just Know It

Covered by The Sonics a decade later, this familiar but forgotten call-and-response number resurfaced in its original form on the Snatch soundtrack a few years back.



SCREAMIN JAY HAWKINS - Screamin Demon

Don't even try to tell me that psychobilly or goth music is anywhere nearly as freaky as Screamin Jay. Even his party tracks scare the shit out of everyone.



ESB PLAYLIST 5/5/06

LILY ALLEN - Knock Em Out
DAFT PUNK - Technologic (Vitalic Remix)
GNARLS BARKLEY - Crazy
METRONYMY - Black Eye / Burnt Thumb
HYSTEREO - Let's Do It
MAGAZINE - The Light Pours Out of Me
ORCHESTRA MANOUVERS IN THE DARK - Electricity
EUGENE RIPPER - Pulverizer Revisited
EUGENE RIPPER - Tech Know Me
EUGENE RIPPER - My Favourite Chair
EUGENE RIPPER - New Attitude
WOLF PARADE - Claxxon's Lament
HANDSOME FURS - Dumb Animals
SUNSET RUBDOWN - Stadiums and Shrines II
DANTE DECARO - Shawnigan Lake Blues
AMADOU + MIRIAM - Senegal Fast Food

HUUU:MANNNNN%ROOOO:BOTSSSSSSS

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If you haven't seen the footage of Daft Punk @ Coachella, you ought to. BEST INTRO EVER.