DECEMBER 2008 SONICBIDS “ARTISTS 2 WATCH”
 November 26, 2008 This month’s SonicBids Artists to Watch is a very eclectic mix. I was hard pressed to organize the artists into some kind of categories. Half are from outside of the US. They are a mix of rock, acoustic, and the unusual. ... My Fave: I just couldn’t resist Shreveport, Louisiana’s Dirtfoot. Partly, I was intrigued by the name because where I live in the Northern Plains, we have Wookiefoot and Gypsyfoot so I’m used to foot in a band’s name. And, well, Dirtfoot made me think of a hot summer day on a river anywhere. But Dirtfoot, like its prairie counterparts, is a spectacle, a movable party with instruments. The six-piece band calls their eclectic blend of acoustic juiciness Gypsy Punk Country Grumble Boogie. The band consists of banjo, upright bass, acoustic guitar, sax, drums, and various unusual percussion implements (including pots and pans, lids, bells, and beancan shakers). The band has its roots eight years ago when Matthew Hazelton (guitar/vocals) met J Bratlie (banjo/vocals) during the aftermath of a tornado. They quickly acquired the rest of this talented gang and began touring all around the South. They released their debut album Sneak Peak in the summer of 2006 and Entertain Me the following December. Their latest, Bone Sessions, dropped last month. I love what I heard so much, I’m going to try to get these guys to come up north sometimes this summer. Dynamite! Outrageous! Super talented musicians who are loving what they’re doing! You gotta love that—and them. Words by Janie Franz - janie_58201@yahoo.com |
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Dirtfoot to release its second album Saturday
Shreveport band hopes for great things By Alexandyr Kent • akent@gannett.com • November 21, 2008 2:00 am With the release of their second album, Dirtfoot could head in one of two directions. "I personally think we're on the edge of something big," says lead vocalist Matt Hazelton. "It's either stardom or a train wreck," counters banjoist J. Bratlie. "One or the other." By superstition, bands don't seriously entertain bad predictions, and Hazelton laughs off Bratlie's sarcasm as something that shouldn't be printed in a newspaper. But there it is: a sharp truth that slices to the core of artistic potential. In the future, bands either fly or flounder. "Bone Sessions" represents Dirtfoot's bet on taking flight. The 51-minute album features the signatures that have earned the band its following. There is Hazelton's deep, growling voice that's equal parts delighted and demented. There are Bratlie's old-timey banjo and his tenor backup cries. There are the band's elder statesman, Lane Bayliss, 50, keeping order on drums; the youngest blood, Daniel Breithaupt, 24, adding percussive quirk with xylophone, vibraphone, congas, bongos, or pots and pans; and Eric Gardner plucking out soulful, up-tempo standup bass lines. And then there are Scott Gerardy's saxophone solos — their slow, smooth notes creeping behind melodies and suddenly overtaking them with accelerating, unrestrained swing. The band members don't want to define what they are doing, other than to playfully describe it as a "dose of gypsy punk country grumble boogie" on their Web sites. Whatever it is, Dirtfoot's music inspires a whole lot of boogie-on-down and bean-can shaking among listeners at their live shows. "It's fun," Hazelton, 33, says again and again, and part of what makes it so is how the six-member band relies on improvisation to make familiar songs surprising and inventive. "Out of nowhere, Scotty comes up with this incredible beast of a solo and then inspires Eric to change up his base line," Hazelton continues. "In the middle of what we think is a regular moment, it turns into a completely new animal." That transformation, however fleeting, is what each member prizes. "Our music is one of the most original things I've been a part of, or heard," claims Gerardy, 31. "When we're on stage, you really get to live in the moment," believes Gardner, 29. "I almost feel like I'm a different person." "Once it starts, it's all good," extolls Breithaupt. Dirtfoot's music features no electric guitars. Nearly no effect pedals. No samples of prerecorded music. No distortion of what instruments traditionally sound like. The acoustic music is free-spirited and raucous, and sounds as if it were pouring out the broken window of a roadhouse planted in a swamp. "It's real," says Bayliss. "It's certainly not slick and the same every single time." The way the music is finished is also very democratic. Songs originate from Hazelton — who writes the lyrics and sets them to guitar — and are then fleshed out by the band during practice sessions. "I bring the raw meat and we cook it," Hazelton says. "I'm the only the one in the band that is not a true musician in sense of musicianship. I never took any lessons, so I don't really understand the lines I need to live in." Instrument by instrument, layer by layer, band members add their touches to finish a song. Sometimes it takes 30 minutes. Sometimes it takes longer than a two-and-a-half hour practice session. Hazelton acknowledges that creative visions clash sometimes, but "somehow, someway, it works. "» . It helps that they know they rules, because that's what makes the songs complete." While Dirtfoot members feel confident they're on to something irresistible in their music, they also feel certain they are only beginning to tap their audience. Dirtfoot has spent many weekends of the past 20 months touring far away from Shreveport in towns like Austin, Fort Worth, Dallas, Little Rock, Hot Springs, Fayetteville, Memphis, Columbia, Springfield, Lawrence and Wichita. "Whether it's 10 people out there or 4,400, they're having a great time," says Bratlie, 36. "We give people a chance to go out there and shake their booty." The question remains, however, as to whether or not those booty-shakers will grow and part with more loot. Dirtfoot, now six years, gallons of sweat, measly profits and hundreds of bean-can shakers into their history, feels as if they have put in the work to make it on their music alone. The band members want the public, and a record label, to buy into their passion. "We see the response from people," Gardner says, and it's good. "To me, it's a dream of doing this for a living and not having a day job." As Bratlie hopes, "We're ready for the machine to step in and help us move along like we need it to." |
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Concert Wrap — Mulberry Mountain, Day 3
Tuned In - NWANews.com Blog Kevin Kinder - Sep 14, 2008 Music festivals are a convoluted thing by their very nature. Music is here, there and everywhere. Choices have to be made, even at a smaller festivala such as the Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival, where there are three official stages and two active at most times. Some good music, naturally, is going to be missed. I tried, probably like many did, to catch as much as I could on the final day of the festival (Sept. 13), but it came in snippets, 30-minute fragments of sound that aren’t likely a full representation of any band’s true sound or capability. But hey, what can you do when there is so much music happening? So this review comes in snippets, too, fragments based on small blocks of what were often much longer performances. Mulberry’s final day, in chronological order: 3:15 p.m.: As I was walking from my car toward the main stage, Big Smith were playing the final few songs of their afternoon set. Although I didn’t catch much, I did hear “Don’t Call Me Trash ‘Til You’ve Slept In My Trailer,” which drew hollers from the audience that were audible several hundred yards away. 3:45 p.m., campground stage: Dirtfoot sounds a little the area they call home. The music they make seems like it could only come from Louisiana, a sweaty, Cajun-fueled jam flavored with a swaying saxophone. The crowd was wild about Dirtfoot, and they had people dancing, singing back the lyrics and shaking tins cans full of beans that the band distributed before the show. Good times. 4:30 p.m., main stage: Hot Buttered Rum were likely a few songs into its set when is busted into “Honky Tonk Tequila,” and followed the song by passing a bottle of Maker’s Mark between the bandmates. The band stumped for Obama onstage, which was amazing to me, not in that it happened, but that I’d heard at least 12 hours of music at Mulberry before that band and they were the first to mention politics. The band also alluded — prophetically — to the chance of rain before playing “Waiting For The Storm.” As it turns out, no one would have to wait too long. 5:30 p.m., campground stage: The first thing one notices about My-Tea Kind is the women, as in those actually in the band. Washboard-playing vocalist Bonnie Paine and bassist Anna Paine were the first two females I’d seen in a band at the festival. I know of at least one group that featured female members (Cornmeal), but I didn’t make that show. I guess I’d never thought about bluegrass being a male-dominated genre, but it certainly was this weekend. My-Tea Kind has performed at all three Mulberry festivals, and it’s easy to understand why fans want them back. The rain started falling and the wind started rattling the trees surrounding the stage as the band played, but the crowd, several hundred strong, didn’t seem to notice. As it happens, My-Tea Kind is suited for such weather, it seems, with sad, folky tales played on washboard, fiddle, guitar, bass, and, on several songs, a wood saw. As the band played, I heard two old hippies discuss how long they’d gone since last shaving their beards. 6:30 p.m., my car: I took a little dinner break, but also had the goal of drying off my camera, which took a little water during the My-Tea Kind show. The main stage act, Perpetual Groove, was audible at my car a quarter-mile from the stage, but I didn’t listen intently because I was going to see them soon enough. 7:15 p.m., on the festival grounds: Or at least I thought I’d see them. My schedule showed that Perpetual Groove would play until 7:30 p.m. They didn’t. The band played its final song as I was walking toward the stage, which was 7:10 p.m. at the latest. Perhaps the rain bothered them, but I’m not sure. Without music coming from the main stage, one could pick up the sound of an unscheduled concert in the campgrounds. As it happened, Mountain Sprout, from Arkansas, were not included on the actual festival roster but decided to play anyway. A crowd of 100 strong gathered around an RV to hear, all hyperbole aside, one of the more entertaining sets of the entire festival. As a small but noticeable stream of cars began exiting the venue, Mountain Sprout got everyone dancing with an R-rated set of songs. In addition to its fun set, it should be noted that Mountain Sprout would win the festival’s best beard award, despite the effort of Seth Avett from the night before. 8 p.m., main stage: During the final moments of the sound check, it started to rain again, a theme that had been repeated throughout the day. However, there had yet to be the kind of extended, powerful rain shower that had the power to drive people to their tents or, worse, off the festival grounds competely. This was that kind of shower. When the band did take the stage, the rain was coming down hard enough to make the blog put away its camera. The rain didn’t relent, either. I had trouble hearing the vocals, but I’m not sure if it was a problem with the emcee’s style, an issue with sound mixing or the drum of rain on my poncho that caused it. Although the crowd wasn’t ready to quit, I had a hard time getting excited in those conditions. The songs sounded repetitive, not unlike the drum-drum-drum of the rain that was highlighted in the stage lights behind the band. Eight songs in, the set was called off, most likely because the amount of water on the stage posed an electrocution risk. An announcement was given, but the crowd was informed that the set by the evening’s headliner, Umphrey’s McGee, would be moved to a tent with better protection from the rain. 9:20 p.m., Harvest Tent stage: As the equipment was being loaded into the tent, a sizeable crowd swelled with anticipation. An announcement by the festival staff confirmed the tent concert, but asked for patience as gear was moved from the main stage to the tent stage. Standing in the rain, wet and still tired from the previous day of concerts, I was faced with two choices: Wait an hour or so for the new stage to be set up or find a way to get dry. And with all due respect to Umphrey’s McGee, a pair of dry socks sounded much more appealing than standing around waiting for them in my soggy shoes. I hope Umphrey’s McGee put on a great show for all those who had waited so patiently. Me? I was probably home before they ever started. |
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Dirtfoot thrills Memphis, Prepares to Release New Album
July 24th, 2008 by Rachelandthecity While it can sometimes be hard to express the music of many bands in words, there seems to be no lack of colorful adjectives to describe Shreveport, LA’s Dirtfoot. From their own distinctive explanation of Gypsy Punk Country Grumble Boogie to the less over-the-top designation of jug band style folk mixed with jazzed-up Americana, they cover a wide array of musical territory. Mixing banjo, guitar, upright bass, drums, sax and percussion, with special guest appearances by everything from xylophones to pots and pans, they are a band that can grab your ear with their unique sound, but shine the brightest when they are playing live. Last weekend their current tour brought them to Otherlands in Memphis, and their entertainingly chaotic set was definitely a crowd pleaser. As legend has it, Dirtfoot was birthed in the aftermath of a tornado, which seems not only totally believable based on where the are from but perfectly appropriate. From laid back odes to liquor and lovers, to foot-stomping sing-a-longs their sound manages to be effortlessly their own. With the abundance of musical acts on the scene these days, they are certainly a refreshing alternative. Not to mention, it is almost impossible not to at least tap your foot, but more likely jump up and dance along. It is also not surprising that their audiences are often filled with fellow musicians, as was the case in Memphis. Led by songwriter Matt Hazelton, the sextet have cultivated a style that is soaked in traditional Cajun-tinged instrumentation while still sounding contemporary. Unfortunately, a casual examination of the group could easily result in them being lumped into the hippie-dippie jam band genre. I have to admit, the first time I caught their act that is what I expected. Admittedly, there are certainly some similarities. However, while it is often hard for me to appreciate the meandering musical improvisation of many bands, when Dirtfoot colors outside the lines, the qualities that set them apart result in the music being more enjoyable than annoying. With two albums and an EP under their belt, the spreading of the gospel has kept them steadily touring, playing everything from pubs to coffee houses, to festivals and music halls. Last year the band was the winner of the “Play Voodoo” contest, garnering a main stage slot at Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans. Currently they are working on a new album, recording with Chris Bell at Luminous Sound in Dallas, TX. The new album will continue to capitalize on each member’s individual yet complimentary styles. They are aiming for an end of summer release date. Dirtfoot’s tour schedule has mostly kept them in the south and the Midwest but their route is continuing to widen as they attempt to win new fans one-by-one. In the coming year, look for the bands name on a marquee near you and don’t pass up the opportunity to be impressed. Link to original release: http://scenestars.net/2008/07/dirtfoot-thrill-memphis-prepare-to-release-new-album.php |
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Dirtfoot to be footin' at benefit concert tonight
Shreveporttimes.com Intent is to help frontman's mother-in-law May 25, 2008 Dirtfoot will headline a benefit concert for Debbie Harold, who has battled cancer for about three months, tonight. The concert at The Warehouse, 630 Commerce St. in Shreveport, will begin at 7 p.m. Admission is $7. Hoodlum Circus and Brady Blade Jr. also are slated to perform at the Blonde Mama Benefit. Harold is the mother-in-law of Dirtfoot frontman Matt Hazelton. Funds raised will go toward her medical and living expenses. The event also includes a silent auction and raffle. Some of the items up for grabs include an autographed photo from Corey Miller of "LA Ink," autographed CDs from Hank Williams III and Pantera and a painting by Michael Moore. |
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Crawfish fest heats up
Louisiana spices up Austin with 6,000 pounds of crawfish By Kate Hull The Daily Texan Online 4/7/2008 For one hot spring day, the capital of Texas was transformed into a Louisiana bayou where the only things missing were the swamps and Spanish moss on the trees. The smell of spices surrounded the Bob Bullock State Museum parking lot, while alligators were fried, crawfish were peeled and everything Cajun was eaten. Music from zydeco to the blues played all afternoon, and whoever wasn't eating danced to the beat. The Louisiana Swamp Thing and Crawfish Festival, held by Roadway Productions, took over downtown Austin on April 5 for its 15th year (actually the 14th, but year 13 was skipped for superstition's sake). The highlight of the event was the 6,000 pounds of crawfish. If it can be found in Louisiana, it was probably fried and ready to be eaten. "Great music, great friends - it's great to see Austin bring in some Cajun cuisine and culture," Louisiana native Robert Romero said. Romero traveled to Austin with a group of friends to hear the music and eat some good food. "This reminds me of festivals I go to out in southern Baton Rouge," he said. The crowd was there for the food, but the music kept them out in the sun all day enjoying the sounds of the culture. From the blues to funk to brass bands, the 14 bands brought their own style to the festivities. The crowd favorite was the traditional zydeco music, which originated in southern Louisiana. The sound combines energetic grassroots music with modern beats and instruments to create something that is always easy to dance to. But in case you didn't know how, the festival offered free zydeco dance lessons to get your feet moving. "Louisiana is one of those few places you go to where the food is unique, the people are unique, and the language and everything is different," said J. Bratlie from the band Dirtfoot. "It is a completely different culture." From Shreveport, Louisiana, Dirtfoot calls themselves the only "Gypsy Punk Country Grumble Boogie" band in the land. Their unique outfits, including a bear hat and sunflowers in their instruments, and upbeat style were a definite crowd pleaser.. The event was packed with food venders serving up specialties. Some came all the way down from the bayou to cook up a storm, while others were locals with a little Cajun flavor. The crawfish could be purchased by the pound. Bob Neutce of Texas Concessions and Catering spent the day dumping pound after pound into a boiler and spicing his jumbo crawfish with Zatarans crawfish oil. "You have to try to get the crawfish to a medium spice, because if it's too mild, nobody likes it, but if it's too hot, no one will eat it," Neutce said. "When we serve it, we sprinkle seasoning on top. That's what burns your lips when you eat it." But if peeling the shells off tons of crawfish sounds like too much work to enjoy Cajun food, most anything could be found fried, stuffed, spiced or etoufeed to perfection. David Griffin from Cajun's Unlimited fried alligator from morning till night, something he has done since he was a little boy. A family business from Lake Charles, La., Griffin has been cooking alligator for more than 28 years, but his other favorites are crawfish gumbo and crawfish etouffee, or crawfish smothered in onions. The more adventurous eaters headed to the Fontenot Cajun Creole Seafood stand where fried rattlesnake and fried rabbit were on the menu. Red beans and rice, frog legs, boudin - a type of stuffed sausage - seafood jambalaya, shrimp Creole, gumbo and crawfish pie (just to name a few) were served up alongside sweet tea and lemonade. "Louisianans, just like Texans, gather over food. You get a big table, lay out all the crawfish, and you sit around drink beer and peel crawfish," said Josh Harvey, the owner of Austin's Storyville. "So it is fun to see the food and zydeco music they brought out. It kind of feels like home." Harvey is a Louisiana native, and other than coming out just to eat the food, he came to sell merchandise from Storyville, a store that makes locally designed and customized apparel. The vendors lined a section of the festival, selling anything from handmade skirts to parakeets to jewelry. For the kids at the event, there was a petting zoo with everything from a yak to three kangaroos. Most items for purchase were inspired by the swamp thing theme, and to stay true to the Cajun culture being celebrated, the nonprofit group Pirates for the Preservation of New Orleans Music hoped to give back to the culture they enjoy so much. "Pirates for the Preservation is a Texas nonprofit group that is dedicated to the rebuilding of the New Orleans music programs and the schools that were hit the hardest by Hurricane Katrina," said president of the organization Erik Brady. Brady, along with the project director Phillip Nitch, advertised their group and sold the nonprofit single called "Buffalo Wing," featuring Austin artists. Combining awareness for supporting the music of New Orleans with experiencing the culture was a big part of the festival for people involved. "That is what Louisiana is about ... saying, 'Come on, guys, let's get it together!'" said Matt Hazelton of Dirtfoot. Once George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic ended their set, the event might have come to a close, but for crawfish enthusiasts, the season has just begun. View more Dirtfoot Article at our Archives |
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Random Surprisingly Good Band of the Day: Dirtfoot
Spencer - Synthesis.net - 12/3/2007 By now I’ve learned not to give too much credence to first impressions. Though I’ve hung around too many hippies in my life to have high hopes for a band named “Dirtfoot,” and listened to one too many coffee shop crooners to take notice of a song titled “My Girl,” you know what they say about book and their covers. Here’s their deal: Imagine Nick Cave on a bed of rusty nails, the cover of “Gin and Juice” often mis-attributed to Phish (it was actually the Gourds), some old-timey “Dem Bones,” Old Crow Medicine show culture-clash, and that subtle fecal stench of Mr. Bungle skronk sax craziness: Get theses elements, let them stew in an oaken barrel for a number of years and out comes Shreveport, Louisiana’s Dirtfoot. I’m glad I got past the fat of their wordy band bio. They should have started their pitch with the Tornado that helped form the band: Seven years ago when a tornado blew through Shreveport, Matt was standing on his porch, shortly after a tree decided to test the landlord’s homeowner’s policy. J walked up and initiated the conversation, after spotting Matt immediately following the disaster. Amidst cracked countertops and scattered shingles, conversation ensued and the two musicians became friends. But whatever, it’s all about Dirtfoot’s music, which you can sample here (www.dirtfoot.com). View more Dirtfoot Articles in our Archives |
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Voodoo Music Experience Ignites an 'Artist Revolution'
Spin.com October 22, 2007 Festival officials construct platform for budding artists, open video and audio archives. In an effort to aid aspiring artists, officials for Voodoo Music Experience, New Orleans' landmark music festival slated for Oct. 26-28, have unveiled 'The Artist Revolution,' a new website offering recording artists an alternative outlet to sell their music with neither censorship nor need for approvals. The groundbreaking venture, which will also showcase video and audio offerings from the nine-year-old festival's archives, encourages artists to take their career into their own hands, allowing freedom of expression sans third party record labels or business affiliates. With no registration fees, theartistrevolution.com is active now. "The revolution is in progress already, this isn't a novel idea," Stephen Rehage, curator of 'The Artist Revolution,' said in a statement. "Prince, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews, Radiohead and many others have taken advantage of developing technologies to create their independence. 'The Artist Revolution' was designed for emerging artists and for those whose catalogs don't have mainstream distribution. It is for the next Prince who doesn't want to end up as a 'symbol' of an antiquated business model." To commemorate the site's debut, theartistrevolution.com will offer an exclusive digital release of songsmith Dan Dyer's latest LP 3, which will also be rerecorded live next weekend at the southern festival and distributed via the fresh online venture. Furthermore, the new web site is now showcasing tunes from "Play Voodoo" contest winner Dirtfoot, selected from over 250 bands in Voodoo's talent contest, and set to grace the festival stage's Oct. 26-28. View more Dirtfoot Article in our Archives |
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