Transcript
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Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Uncle Dad Talks. I'm Uncle Dad.
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With me as always is the ever so handsome, the Mardi Gras man himself,
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Mike Hampton. Mike, what is up? How are you?
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Hey, hello, hello, Mardi Gras man himself. So we'll be, I will be in a couple
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of weeks. I'll say that. Yes.
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Mike, you have a very special show today. We have a very special guest on and I'll let you do some.
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We haven't done this in a while where Mike, you take the keys,
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you know, I'll let you drive the car.
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You know, this car means a lot to me. So don't crash it.
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Well, well, I haven't had any drinks yet. So the odds are I will be okay. What?
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Well, good, good. I like that. I like that design. Mike, without further ado,
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I'm going to hand them over, introduce our guests.
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Our audience can see if we, just so everybody knows, we may release this as
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a video. And if we do, you will see the lovely man's face of our guests.
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And you'll also see Uncle Dad and Mike's face as well. Uh-oh. Yeah, right?
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So without further ado, Mike, take over and let's begin this journey down Mardi
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Gras lane. Michael Lane.
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Yeah. So I'm so stoked to have our guest on.
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I've been a fan of New Orleans jazz music, the culture, you know,
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for our listeners that don't know, that's my birthplace and have always felt so connected to it.
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And our guest today is a Grammy nominated trumpet player.
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He's a member of the billboard chart topping band galactic as well as the grammy
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award-winning rebirth brass band and who i saw recently at the treme hideaway
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with the big six brass band,
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eric gordon eric i i don't know how you have time for anything else but am i leaving anything else.
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That's right yes and you and you also i saw you have a you have a birthday coming
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up on february 4th which is also my mama's birthday so happy happy birthday
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to you my man whoa happy birthday Yeah.
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What a, what a time. I mean, you know, it's carnival time in,
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in, in Louisiana and New Orleans specifically, it's your birthday.
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And you know, one thing I wanted to say real quick here is I saw a video this
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morning that someone showed me where you got to play Louis Armstrong's trumpet.
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Last week. Yes. I was last week.
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We went to his house and we went to the archive. We said to the archive about
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two albums, the history of the U.S. arms race.
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And after we go, he's like, are there any trumpet players in the house?
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And they were on TV. Let me blow on the floor.
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You know, which is an amazing experience, simply based on the fact that,
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you know, you don't really, as a trumpet player, he is like the trumpet player of all trumpeters.
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You know, he pioneered so much in the music. Like I said, we spent two hours
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just learning about the history of those.
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And as a trumpet player, you never expect to play his horns.
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Like, that in itself was an experience.
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You know, some things you just don't think are possible.
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You know like to play those instruments his
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instruments the ones he actually played on hello
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darling and what a wonderful world it's like
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what more of an honor yeah i gotta say that's like that's got to be for you
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like a spiritual experience almost right like you know like holding that and
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blowing and doing what you do all the time on you know one of like the if not
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the greatest trumpet player of all time, you know, right?
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So congratulations on that, man.
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I imagine the emotions running through you were pretty special.
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Yeah, it was definitely a moment because, like I said, I would have never even
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thought that was possible in a lifetime, you know, to play on that instrument
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that he actually played on, you know.
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So I thought it would be behind some glass mural that you can't even touch it.
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And here I am playing on the trumpet.
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I played, and the crazy part, I played for 10, 20, 30,000 people.
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And that was with 20 or 30 people.
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That was the most nervous I have ever been just simply that I was playing on that horn. Yeah.
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Don't, don't mess up. Don't mess it up.
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Right on. Well, that's, man, that's, that's, that's awesome.
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And again, congratulations.
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And, you know, one of the things, you know, you mentioned, you know,
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the golden Comanches and the Mardi Gras Indians.
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And this is something that, you know, I've been to Mardi Gras a few times,
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more as a kid in Lafayette than in New Orleans as an adult.
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And it's one of those things that I know some about, but I feel like I want to know more.
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I think I mentioned to you when we talked before, I've got Cherokee in my heritage
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and I'm just always feel called to that part of me.
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And it's so interesting to me that this tradition still carries on in the way that it does.
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And I see you have your suit and hopefully we get to put the video of this out.
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But Eric has his suit that he's been working on all year, right behind him. And it's beautiful.
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And, you know, one of the things that you told me that you did recently was
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you played a tribute in Congo Square.
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And for those that don't know, you know, Congo Square is a place in New Orleans
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where where the Homa Indians used to live, and it was like a sacred ground.
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And correct me if I'm wrong in any of this.
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It also was like a marketplace for enslaved Africans, which,
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you know, a lot of like the second line and Mardi Gras traditions kind of grew from there.
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And there's a statue of the chief, Tutti Montana, right? I'm saying all that.
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And so you play a tribute there every year? What does that place mean to you
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specifically? specifically?
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Oh, Congo Square, like you said, it's in the Tremaine neighborhood,
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which is the oldest African-American neighborhood in America.
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And Congo Square is where, like you said, the slaves, during slavery and after
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slavery, on Sundays we would get to meet.
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So during the slavery days, we got to practice the vision of an ancestral history.
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So, the Mardi Gras Indian Group came up with the idea.
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Later on, it was a marketplace. On Sundays, there was always a tribute of something
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going on, because we had our freedom down in New Orleans on Sundays in the New Orleans.
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Condo Square pretty much is all of the culture, all the city.
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So, no matter what part that you want, the direction you want to go,
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or where you want to go, that's going to be your place. because that's where Fruity Montana was.
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During the slavery days, we weren't able to, I guess, show our own roots.
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So we had to mask to pay respect to those who came before us, our ancestors.
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And with that, Tongo Square still has a lot of the history in that location down in New Orleans.
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Like I said, and also the brass bands were able to practice all the time.
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It was also a market place. Tongo Square is pretty much the center of all history
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of African American coming from New Orleans.
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Back to the Indians, I want to say, there was a bunch of tribes.
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Indians ran away. African, I'm sorry, the slaves, when we ran away,
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we were running away to reservations. reservations.
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So a lot of different reservations would take in the slaves,
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you know, whether it's the Cherokee, the Seminole, the Homer,
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the Natchez, the Tonica, the, uh, it's so many of them.
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The Seminole, which I have Seminole in my bloodline, you know,
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it's a little bit away, but, but yeah, uh, so when they took us in,
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it would be a safety net for us.
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So that's when we get all these people like the Cajuns and the Creoles,
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these mixed bloodlines from those African and Indian roots.
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And from there, like I say, we pay homage to those who escaped and,
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you know, found a better life and came back to free others.
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So even until today, we always sew these hand sewn suits with thousands and
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thousands of beads and we always try to tell a story, you know,
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about the history because there's so much history in the world.
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Like you sit down and you just walk through the, even just Just the front quarter, like the LaRue House.
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I've done a story of the Nat Turner Revolt before. I've done a slave ship where
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the Indians and the slaves were escaping off the slave ship.
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I've done a peace pipe of the slaves and the Africans sitting together,
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you know, sitting around a campfire, smoking a peace pipe.
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Every year, I try to do a suit to tribute those who came before us.
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Even if you're really different, I'll show you on this suit here.
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Here, I have this Louisiana, and it's beaded with a, I'll start over here first.
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When we were slaves, my count was backwards, but 1718, we were slaves,
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and I have the chain across Louisiana.
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But on the opposite side of the suit, I have the chain broken in 1865,
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you know, and it says free.
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You know, that kind of symbolizes freedom. Of course, we all know slavery was
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signed to be free a little before 1865.
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But, true to Texas, you know, Juneteenth, the guys in Texas never received that
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until 1865 So we always include the last of the people But in Louisiana,
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we were free a little before that.
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And that's, you know, that's like the short, short and out version of the mighty
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grail, you know, we could do that for hours.
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Oh, yeah. I want to come back to it a little more, too, as we as we go on.
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And, you know, and I love that you love the history and you take this and you really own it.
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Like, I could tell, you know, we could tell it's really special to you.
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Right. Like, and, and I take in new Orleans specifically is, is very special to you.
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Am I right? Like that's home, right? Yeah.
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And so you, you lost, you lost a lot after Katrina, right?
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Like you lost your equipment and you had to move out of state. Am I right? Right.
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Right. And so, so, so how important was that for you to, to,
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to come back to new Orleans and, and like to get back into the music?
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Uh it was it was that that was
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pretty much a turning point in my show and bringing back
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New Orleans definitely based off of all right Katrina
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hit in August of 2005 uh we went to Houston you know we stayed there for actually
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I'm left in a year due to there was a loophole not really a good loophole but
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our my family's home it flooded we got about five feet or five and a half feet of Ward,
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which is my home, and our house in New Orleans East.
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So that house was totally ruined, but my grandmother had a house over in the
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community neighborhood, which is still there, on a black and blue digital record line.
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And that house sat up maybe about five feet off the ground. So we moved back
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around the summer of 2006.
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And when we moved back, the music really brought the city back to life,
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because when we moved back, of course, everybody wanted to get back home,
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but if anybody who was here, they can tell New Orleans was a ghost town.
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From 2006 to 2000, I want to say nine.
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So people literally came for the music. Like, I would be out there in the first
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quarters with the brass bands, and every night, you know, we would stay out all the time tonight.
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Like, some days we would go out at 8 in the morning and play until 12.
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Sometimes it would be 4 p.m. until, you know, 9 p.m.
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Some days it was so empty. Some days we would get up at 2 in the morning and say, what y'all doing?
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And everybody would go on Bird in the Canal or on Fritzman.
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And you know we'll play music like 2am to
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like 5am just because everybody who's
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in the city was in the city so you know so
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uh the music kind of really brought the city back to life
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you know you think about the Katrina days and so
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many parts didn't have like in power you know
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you saw 2006 it's 2024 and
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the lower ninth wall and some parts of the east are still devastated
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so imagine 2006 like this
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part of the city you didn't even want to go to because like the
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night war you know because it
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was dark you know you don't know who's who they still had the military here
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you know trying to you know enforce certain things but the spirit never left
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the water and it was something about the music no matter what when people seen
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a horn at that point in time in 2006,
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2007, 2008, it brought life to people. It made everybody happy, you know.
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And you could feel it because outside of that moment of us playing music.
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We were pretty much going back to destroyed neighborhoods.
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Because no matter where we stayed, the neighborhood was destroyed.
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Like I said, it's remaining one at that point in time. And, you know,
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the lights were breaking down, you know.
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Random power outages, you know, a lot of schools are still closed.
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So, like, music in that time, it definitely played a big part in bringing the city back.
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Like I said, it was only, at that point in time, it was only about three brass bands in the city.
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You know, I want to say the Truth Brass Band, the Free Asian, and 2B Continuum Brass.
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Yeah, and you've played with a lot of different, a lot of different, these bands, right?
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Right. And, and what's the biggest challenge when you're trying to play with
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a, with a group of guys, you know, is it, is it, you know, obviously this is,
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and now I'm talking about like way after Katrina, is it hard?
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Is it, is there too many distractions in new Orleans to keep a band together?
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Like when you're playing with a bunch of guys, you know, especially when you're
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out at, you know, the clubs and you're on the streets and, and,
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you know, I know you guys got to rehearse too. Like what's the biggest challenge there?
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The biggest challenge, I won't, no. Because the music brings us together.
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This was probably the hardest part. Because I had to play the gig and make money, you know?
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Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Every band is always one thing or another.
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You know, you always have to deal with everyone's circumstances.
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You know, everybody's different. Everybody's coming to enjoy and read.
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This guy smokes a lot of weed, this guy drinks a lot of alcohol, that's his problem.
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But sometimes problems are this guy has a lot of girlfriends and all his girlfriends
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show up to the gig and you know it's always you deal with situations,
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all day come you know but the music will
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always keep us together you know even guys get
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into physical applications you know but if the
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music is strong long enough if you are as passionate
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as the next person it'll bring you together like you know
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something simple is not putting the right notes sometimes when you
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want to have something tight and be genuinely good you know you have a certain
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passion about it you know what you know that's everything across the board like
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you want to have the perfection with it not to be perfect but to get your best
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every time so a lot of friends you know they they focus on you know doing their best.
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Everything and i can say every band is different you know some bands
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have a lot of women come around some bands do
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a lot of partying it's just things alone you
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know as long as you're passionate about community because i
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can't say any group was more
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passionate than the other it's just the individuals
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change you know it's like what clothes are you going to
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wear today you might hang out with a certain set of friends because they wear
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joggers or this set of friends who wear suits all all
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the time you know it's just about what you like and
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what you like so yeah well speaking
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of bands let's talk about galactic you know
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how does that happen do they do they call you do you
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audition like what how do you get with with a band like that manifestation yeah
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hey i'm into it i'm into that yes let's hear it yeah i heard about galactic
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i want to say maybe around 2007 out in 7th, 8th, 6th, and 7th.
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From that point, I was always interested in black.
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So, years and years down the road, 2019, 2019, I want to say,
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Shamar Allen, which is the trumpet player for the Lakers, you know,
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real popular figure in the world of trumpet playing, a good friend of mine,
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you know, and he called me up and said, I have a gig for you.
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Because he was getting ready to go solo. And at that point in time,
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I was the best fit for the band.
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Got into the band, you know, started learning the music and realized it was
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a tight shift. I had to really learn the music.
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But the guys were very embracing, they always embraced me you know,
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I'd still get nervous for the first couple of years I would get nervous all
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sorts of things, I never was in a touring band, I always you know, did a tour maybe,
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a week or so, two weeks but to be in a touring band is a different thing,
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you know, to have everything tight, and at that point in time the guy had just got to patina,
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so that whole galactic experience has been been amazing.
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I was active out with the Galactic when I played on Louis Armstrong's trumpet.
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And those guys always embraced me and pushed me to be better.
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So the whole Galactic thing is kind of like one of the best experiences with
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a band that I've ever dealt with.
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And that's it. Outside of just being good guys, I was in great business with.
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You know, so I learned a lot from him. You know, just learned how to be better
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at doing things that make more sense.
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Building my own brand, because up until I got with the Lashley,
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I was more of just a good or great brass band musician.
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But they kind of taught me, you know, what's going to make you different?
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And the great drummer Stan Moore said to me now, he was like, okay.
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He named a couple of trumpet players that were like iconic. And he said something,
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but these guys are playing here.
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What's going to make you different from those guys? to make your brand better
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and it's just simple talk like that can make you open your eyes and all of the
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guys always embrace me and always try to push me to,
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what's going to be the Eric Gordon what is Eric Gordon going to bring so that
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translates across everything I do whether it's Indians to Indians to the clan,
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because like my first skiing experience you don't have snow
285
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in the water was with the guys they were like hey you should go skiing
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and I'm like uh they're like try it and
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i'm like i'll try it so yeah just
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like dealing with the guys in the life is always push for
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something different or push for something new push for something better like
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even them with going into tipatina they would have never thought they was going
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to be the guys to buy tipatina and when it happened it was great but then the
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pandemic happened So I watched those guys,
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you know, brainstorm and they brought me to brainstorm and just work on music,
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on ideas, different things to get through, you know, because the pandemic was rough.
295
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They had just purchased a club that was in the negative.
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They had to close it down for a year.
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So just learning how to work through your problems, the guys would be like,
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you know, they're amazing.
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The great guys. And anytime you're around, these guys embrace you like family.
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Yeah. You know, real quick, just to give you a second on that,
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man, like, even if it's not something that you may continue to do,
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like, you may not go skiing ever again,
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or you might, but just trying those new things, I think, help your brain expand
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to trying new things within the stuff that you already do, right?
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Like, it just helps wire your brain in that way to think, which allows for you
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to grow as a musician, especially within a band.
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And also, can we please give a shout out to Shamar Allen for Hit the Sean Payton
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and why we never hear that.
309
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Hit the Sean Payton is my favorite Saints jam ever.
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Why didn't you complain? Hit the Sean Payton. Yeah, anyways.
311
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We're always so behind our strengths, though. Big Father figured out the Sean Payton was back there.
312
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So I'm going to play this song for you guys. Yeah, no kidding, man. Well, yeah.
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So like, yeah, Galactic Bot tips in 2018, like you said, and I've seen you guys
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play a couple of times there, like a New Year's Eve show.
315
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And they're amazing there. The shows in that place are amazing.
316
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I've seen you guys at the Warfield and SF.
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I've seen you play in Berkeley at the Greek. What are your top three favorite
318
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venues that you've played in?
319
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What are three that come to mind when I say that?
320
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I would say the Fillmore in San Francisco, 930 Club in D.C.
321
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And here with the Tiff Latinas. You got to give Tiff Latinas. Yeah, Tiff's got me.
322
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I will say my favorite, though, would have to be the 930 Club.
323
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930 Club? Yeah, it's an illusion. I love it. It's an illusion.
324
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So, with the 930 Club, they have a moving stage.
325
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So, if it's a sold-out crowd, they'll push the stage all the way back.
326
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But, if the crowd is light, and this is for anybody, if the crowd is kind of
327
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light, they'll move the stage up and be a part of the ticket sales.
328
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So it's always a penthouse.
329
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Oh, that's great. That's clever. Yeah. I think more and more venues should adopt
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that system because, you know, I mean, as a musician, like, you don't always,
331
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it's not your responsibility to get people in there.
332
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And, you know, if you're in a place and it's half empty, like,
333
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you still got to do what you got to do.
334
00:24:02,975 --> 00:24:06,295
But it's a lot easier to jam when everybody's packed together.
335
00:24:06,655 --> 00:24:11,615
And yeah, yeah. Yeah. You can definitely find more people that.
336
00:24:12,500 --> 00:24:19,520
You know, I love that, you know, we always do two nights over there and it's
337
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like there's something changing here because it's a huge building.
338
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So it's maybe I want to say two to three times the size of Tipitina.
339
00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:36,300
So it's a huge building. It's amazing. amazing yeah uh yeah i was i was reading
340
00:24:36,300 --> 00:24:41,080
some of the history of tipitinas and how they uh upstairs used to be apartments
341
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and they would there was a radio station that,
342
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wwz was up there and they would they would put
343
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a microphone through a hole in the in the floor and record
344
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live broadcast of the shows while while uh the shows were going on downstairs
345
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stairs it's such a i i love that place and speaking of tips on mardi gras day
346
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which which this year is on february
347
00:25:04,340 --> 00:25:09,500
13th you'll be starting off your day real early coming out of tips,
348
00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:15,200
to do as a member of you know as with the golden comanches and and and starting
349
00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:21,680
that so so take take us through that that the the hours before and that time
350
00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:25,120
when you come out and and start like How does that all work?
351
00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:32,620
I'll say this. For the past few years, those two days have been the longest two days of my life.
352
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:39,420
Since that was the last year. I didn't manage 2019, the whole track show.
353
00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:45,360
But in 2020 on until last year, as a Mardi Gras Indian, your suits never finish
354
00:25:45,360 --> 00:25:47,760
until you absolutely have to go out the door.
355
00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:50,800
So that last 48
356
00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:53,980
hours you're just sewing and hooking up and and making adjustments
357
00:25:53,980 --> 00:25:59,280
and making sure your suit doesn't fall apart well the last few years galactic
358
00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:05,400
does a london garage show so literally i will bring my suit to tippertina at
359
00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:11,620
11 45 get on stage from 12 a.m to 6 a.m.
360
00:26:12,501 --> 00:26:18,541
Literally get off stage and put my suit on and walk the rest of Mighty Grime Day.
361
00:26:18,701 --> 00:26:21,381
So I literally didn't go to sleep for that whole $40.
362
00:26:22,041 --> 00:26:26,721
How does a guy do that? I would be working on my suit all day,
363
00:26:26,781 --> 00:26:27,861
trying to get it done, trying to get it done.
364
00:26:28,021 --> 00:26:31,801
Literally go to Simplatina, jump around on stage, do a great show,
365
00:26:31,981 --> 00:26:35,721
12 to about 6, and get off stage, tired.
366
00:26:36,301 --> 00:26:40,701
But it's Mighty Grime. And once that sun hits, it's time to go out the door.
367
00:26:40,701 --> 00:26:46,721
So we always out the door you know roughly about seven eight like i said we
368
00:26:46,721 --> 00:26:51,501
stood up around six seven eight o'clock we're all in the street last year started
369
00:26:51,501 --> 00:26:57,381
a new thing where my big chief won part of the early morning show so now he's
370
00:26:57,381 --> 00:27:00,621
doing finally so i think six or six thirty,
371
00:27:01,241 --> 00:27:04,341
so uh this year is going to be the first he's going to be new we're going to,
372
00:27:04,901 --> 00:27:09,401
actually have the whole tribe outside in front ready waiting on him so when
373
00:27:09,401 --> 00:27:14,641
he finishes his set In his last year's suit, he's going to change and put the
374
00:27:14,641 --> 00:27:18,961
new suit on and come outside and sing in his brand new suit.
375
00:27:19,481 --> 00:27:23,481
So we'll be outside waiting on him to get ready. And the whole thing is going
376
00:27:23,481 --> 00:27:27,441
to modify to him, you know? He's going to sing in the old suit.
377
00:27:27,641 --> 00:27:33,621
Just to clarify, he's going to sing in the old suit inside and then come out in the new suit outside.
378
00:27:34,801 --> 00:27:41,001
Yeah, yeah. And then do the... because he as an Indian as a chief he has to
379
00:27:41,001 --> 00:27:47,141
bless all of the suits so until he sings Indian Red which is our traditional Indian song,
380
00:27:47,901 --> 00:27:49,921
you don't really put the new suit on,
381
00:27:50,741 --> 00:27:56,801
not the big chief at least so he's going to wait and sing this whole set in
382
00:27:56,801 --> 00:28:01,441
his old suit because the old suit is elaborate and beautiful and as a part of
383
00:28:01,441 --> 00:28:05,541
the master you have to build a better suit every year so imagine Imagine you
384
00:28:05,541 --> 00:28:10,121
watching him in his amazing big suit on the landing ground,
385
00:28:10,141 --> 00:28:14,681
really mighty ground boiling from 5 to 6 a.m., and then he gets off stage,
386
00:28:14,741 --> 00:28:17,341
and now it's time to see the new suit,
387
00:28:18,298 --> 00:28:23,218
So we'll be outside as a spy boy and a wild man. All of us can be outside early.
388
00:28:23,458 --> 00:28:26,018
We just don't go anywhere until our chief tells us.
389
00:28:26,278 --> 00:28:28,618
So we'll be sitting there waiting on our chief to get ready.
390
00:28:28,798 --> 00:28:33,838
And when the chief says, say Indian Red, which is our traditional prayer, it's showtime.
391
00:28:34,478 --> 00:28:38,018
And in that neighborhood, we come out of Tipitina, from Tipitina,
392
00:28:38,178 --> 00:28:41,158
we're going to go with the wild capuchins, Indian tribe.
393
00:28:41,458 --> 00:28:44,218
There's, you know, the criminal wild west, the golden blade,
394
00:28:44,738 --> 00:28:46,318
you know, the beautiful criminal past.
395
00:28:46,438 --> 00:28:50,358
We're going to start meeting these tribes. But we have to sing Indian Red with
396
00:28:50,358 --> 00:28:54,078
the blessings of the big chief, Almighty God. Wow.
397
00:28:55,458 --> 00:29:01,818
Of the golden command. Right. And so when you guys, okay, so I have a couple of questions.
398
00:29:02,078 --> 00:29:05,378
So what are you guys doing while you're waiting outside? Are you sitting,
399
00:29:05,458 --> 00:29:07,678
are you standing, are you drinking coffee?
400
00:29:08,398 --> 00:29:14,418
Are you just, you know, BS and with each other or like, what are you guys doing out there?
401
00:29:15,338 --> 00:29:18,758
It's almost, It's actually very tribal
402
00:29:18,758 --> 00:29:24,538
It's like we're conjuring up the spirit At that point in time Because we waited
403
00:29:24,538 --> 00:29:29,438
These suits take a year to make And we waited all year to put these suits on
404
00:29:29,438 --> 00:29:35,518
Like all these beads So as we're waiting We're conjuring up spirit We're singing,
405
00:29:35,558 --> 00:29:45,138
chanting Early in the morning On the shallow water And we're And this whole
406
00:29:45,138 --> 00:29:49,758
time we just conjuring up these spirits and that's pretty much what we're doing
407
00:29:49,758 --> 00:29:52,758
you know that whole time because my idea is,
408
00:29:53,878 --> 00:30:00,338
it's kind of hard to explain it's by a massive we are not ourselves like I'm
409
00:30:00,338 --> 00:30:04,598
not the Chuck and Claire or Miley Grimes just like I am a spirit.
410
00:30:06,163 --> 00:30:11,383
So I'm paying respect to those there. So you see me, but I'm a different person.
411
00:30:11,523 --> 00:30:16,443
So that entire time on Miley Grubb, we're masking. We're kindling up these spirits
412
00:30:16,443 --> 00:30:25,803
of these gods and ancestors, like the god Shango of thunder and ocean and all of these Greek gods.
413
00:30:26,063 --> 00:30:28,403
And, you know, we kind of, everything reaches.
414
00:30:29,003 --> 00:30:33,543
So that whole time with all time, it's us, but it's not us.
415
00:30:33,543 --> 00:30:37,843
We have the drums going the tambourines going we're chanting,
416
00:30:38,163 --> 00:30:42,003
we're screaming you know, whatever your spirit feels,
417
00:30:42,083 --> 00:30:47,103
we're running up and down the street so it's definitely something to experience
418
00:30:47,103 --> 00:30:55,183
it's hard to explain but it's something that if you see it you will understand it.
419
00:30:55,783 --> 00:30:59,103
It's almost a kind of spirit almost in a
420
00:30:59,103 --> 00:31:02,623
positive way you got your suit on
421
00:31:02,623 --> 00:31:06,803
i mean this is this is part of like your lineage and you
422
00:31:06,803 --> 00:31:09,563
sort of become that like you you allow yourself to be
423
00:31:09,563 --> 00:31:12,263
primal in that right and and it
424
00:31:12,263 --> 00:31:17,683
and it and it feels good i'm sure it feels good to just just let it be that
425
00:31:17,683 --> 00:31:25,583
and in a in a place where that is not just accepted but it's almost it's expected
426
00:31:25,583 --> 00:31:31,443
right yeah and and and that's amazing that you get to be a part of that and And so when you guys,
427
00:31:31,923 --> 00:31:35,443
when you do your suit, like, do you think of the theme for your suit each year?
428
00:31:35,483 --> 00:31:39,223
Or is it like a tribal, like you guys come up with a theme and then you can
429
00:31:39,223 --> 00:31:41,983
have your own interpretation of it for each individual suit?
430
00:31:42,763 --> 00:31:46,883
No, it's, it's solely based on you. It's solely based on you.
431
00:31:47,403 --> 00:31:51,783
You kind of, you don't have to stick to like the, the, the roots of, of.
432
00:31:52,777 --> 00:31:56,777
The history, you can pretty much sew whatever kind of suit you want.
433
00:31:57,137 --> 00:32:02,797
You know, and most guys sew suits based on history, which is always a good thing.
434
00:32:03,057 --> 00:32:08,117
Like my big team, Juan, did a 300-year suit, the Centennial suit a few years
435
00:32:08,117 --> 00:32:13,297
ago, you know, it's always about telling the history of the past.
436
00:32:13,737 --> 00:32:16,697
You know, so there'll always be a new suit to make.
437
00:32:16,817 --> 00:32:20,457
It's not like you're going to run out of ideas, which is a pet peeve of mine
438
00:32:20,457 --> 00:32:21,817
with dealing with Indians sometimes.
439
00:32:21,997 --> 00:32:29,017
They think it's all Indians and cowboys, but there's so much history that you can sew on a suit.
440
00:32:29,397 --> 00:32:37,277
You can do a civil rights suit because it's still, as long as you're telling history, it's limited.
441
00:32:39,137 --> 00:32:44,617
I've done a police suit. I've done a I've only left about four suits in.
442
00:32:44,857 --> 00:32:45,997
But I've had a lot before.
443
00:32:47,457 --> 00:32:52,417
And what place has... There's just so much history in New Orleans.
444
00:32:52,557 --> 00:32:55,357
Just right there i mean you know like from the from
445
00:32:55,357 --> 00:32:58,177
the from from the friends were there and
446
00:32:58,177 --> 00:33:02,057
from when the spaniards were there and then from you know the when the
447
00:33:02,057 --> 00:33:05,777
graves that are there you know there's just so much crazy history
448
00:33:05,777 --> 00:33:08,637
and and a lot of it's not like something that you can just go read
449
00:33:08,637 --> 00:33:13,137
somewhere it's it's like the history is almost with the people at this point
450
00:33:13,137 --> 00:33:20,417
so you you mentioned something like kind of your role is you is a spy boy and
451
00:33:20,417 --> 00:33:21,677
i and i've seen the photos of
452
00:33:21,677 --> 00:33:26,317
you where you have a sign and it literally says Spy Boy. What is Spy Boy?
453
00:33:26,997 --> 00:33:33,317
Okay, we all have our own positions in the track. Me, I am pretty much the most
454
00:33:33,317 --> 00:33:36,537
important piece outside of the big chief in the track.
455
00:33:36,897 --> 00:33:43,777
The big chief calls all of the shots, but the Spy Boy is the one who puts his life on the line.
456
00:33:44,237 --> 00:33:49,357
So he has to have as much discernment as a chief because.
457
00:33:50,257 --> 00:33:55,737
Masked and Mardi Gras Indians isn't just a show of suit there are altercations
458
00:33:55,737 --> 00:33:58,417
there are situations that get
459
00:33:58,417 --> 00:34:02,797
rough and we've tried to change Mardi Gras Indians with that narrative but,
460
00:34:03,417 --> 00:34:08,657
Mardi Gras Indians still do fight so as a spy boy I have to when I'm meeting
461
00:34:08,657 --> 00:34:10,877
a trier I have to be able to say,
462
00:34:11,477 --> 00:34:15,377
first of all dance and understand where they're coming from dance and you know
463
00:34:15,377 --> 00:34:19,017
greet them with respect which is a big thing in my book
464
00:34:19,357 --> 00:34:27,077
There's tribes that are disrespectful and disrespect is tolerated very well by everybody.
465
00:34:27,957 --> 00:34:32,557
As a spy boy, I am responsible for protecting my whole tribe.
466
00:34:33,747 --> 00:34:37,107
There's other positions like the Wildman, which he's responsible for protecting
467
00:34:37,107 --> 00:34:38,307
the Chief, the Big Chief.
468
00:34:38,687 --> 00:34:43,607
I'm responsible for everybody because if I get into altercations and I start
469
00:34:43,607 --> 00:34:48,207
fighting, now it's possible everybody else starts fighting.
470
00:34:48,507 --> 00:34:53,587
You know, it's possible that everything could go crazy because I personally
471
00:34:53,587 --> 00:34:56,047
believe, even though we're still masking and showing respect,
472
00:34:56,447 --> 00:35:00,627
there are fights, there are knives, there are guns sometimes. I'm telling you.
473
00:35:00,887 --> 00:35:05,847
So I have to be the one as much as the big sheet to say you know what? This guy's drunk.
474
00:35:06,527 --> 00:35:09,687
He's doing it for the wrong reason. You know, because some people put on a suit
475
00:35:09,687 --> 00:35:15,087
and it's not for, you know, the purpose of paying homage and respect to the ancestors.
476
00:35:15,747 --> 00:35:17,587
So I have to be the one to say, you know what?
477
00:35:18,387 --> 00:35:22,627
I don't want to meet this guy because this guy is drunk. He's high and he's
478
00:35:22,627 --> 00:35:27,287
trying to push me or push to go whatever to say, all right, you know what?
479
00:35:27,567 --> 00:35:29,567
We're not going to meet. Have a great day.
480
00:35:30,367 --> 00:35:35,347
And we have something called two-way populate, which is, it's a cold two-way here.
481
00:35:35,747 --> 00:35:38,467
We're going to go around you. You're not going to meet your two-way populate,
482
00:35:38,627 --> 00:35:42,607
which is a, you know, two-way populate, and our two-way just died.
483
00:35:42,767 --> 00:35:45,807
And that, you know, I have to have the discernment of a chief.
484
00:35:46,667 --> 00:35:50,587
Everybody doesn't have that. But you, as a tribal, I have to have that.
485
00:35:50,687 --> 00:35:54,807
I mean, I say, I put my life on it, because I'm first up, because when meeting
486
00:35:54,807 --> 00:35:58,627
tribes, if I told you, back in the day, most tribes fought.
487
00:35:58,627 --> 00:36:01,407
But you have to be the guy to say you know
488
00:36:01,407 --> 00:36:04,767
what you're not gonna fight you're not gonna let it get out of control because
489
00:36:04,767 --> 00:36:12,567
even in the event of it's too respectable pride we still both built these beautifully
490
00:36:12,567 --> 00:36:17,807
created suits which no two suits are alike and sometimes it can become an ego
491
00:36:17,807 --> 00:36:23,367
battle or you know my suit's better than your suit and then that can get out of hand too suit.
492
00:36:23,847 --> 00:36:27,027
So the spy boy has to be the one with the assignment of, you know what?
493
00:36:27,707 --> 00:36:31,347
Your suit's pretty, but I always think I'm the best in the city.
494
00:36:33,427 --> 00:36:37,107
And we can shake hands, and you know, I have to be able to regulate everything.
495
00:36:37,887 --> 00:36:41,247
Like I said, the big chief, he's kind of in the back with the chief scouts who
496
00:36:41,247 --> 00:36:45,027
taught the children, which I'm regulating two of my children this year as chief scouts.
497
00:36:45,607 --> 00:36:49,167
Like I said, the big chief is the overall seer, and the spy boy,
498
00:36:49,267 --> 00:36:50,927
like I said, I protect everybody.
499
00:36:51,207 --> 00:36:55,067
I make sure everything goes good. I'm the the first out the door you know i
500
00:36:55,067 --> 00:36:58,407
have to be friendly because i have to see all the indians.
501
00:36:59,340 --> 00:37:03,440
And like you say, with tribal things, you never know what's going to happen.
502
00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:09,760
The next position behind me is the flag boy, which is the first of the prettiest in the tribe.
503
00:37:09,940 --> 00:37:13,520
The flag boy holds the flag of our tribe.
504
00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:17,000
And he shows off how beautiful he is in the tribe.
505
00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:21,120
So we got the flag boys, and then it will be the wild men.
506
00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:25,100
The wild men, they work hand in hand with the spy boys.
507
00:37:25,100 --> 00:37:28,540
Those are my two favorite positions of all time because they
508
00:37:28,540 --> 00:37:31,280
have to show assertiveness and they
509
00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:34,080
have to have a protective nature for the tribe
510
00:37:34,080 --> 00:37:41,160
the wild man's job is to control everything going within the tribe i start the
511
00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:44,840
meat off and once i say it's good for the flag and all the rest of the guys
512
00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:48,420
to me then it's up to the wild man to make sure everything doesn't get out of
513
00:37:48,420 --> 00:37:52,660
control and And a wild man's number one job is to protect the chief.
514
00:37:53,100 --> 00:37:59,180
The wild man is the fearless one. Like, don't do anything crazy.
515
00:37:59,860 --> 00:38:02,540
It's like going after the king and queen of England or something.
516
00:38:02,700 --> 00:38:04,380
You know, it's like that level of
517
00:38:04,380 --> 00:38:09,780
respect. You have to have someone who is willing to go the mile for you.
518
00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:15,520
So wild men are pretty much one of my favorite positions between a wild man and a spy boy.
519
00:38:16,380 --> 00:38:19,640
I have to say this. hearing you explain all this
520
00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:22,340
because I'm basically the audience right now and I have to tell you
521
00:38:22,340 --> 00:38:25,280
man I never thought it ran so deep like
522
00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:28,040
that like you're just opening my mind in ways I've
523
00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:32,000
never thought about so thank you for that and if you're a wild man you can't
524
00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:37,460
be you can't be messed up and well I guess you could be but you know you also
525
00:38:37,460 --> 00:38:42,140
can't be you also gotta like probably be in shape in case stuff goes down you
526
00:38:42,140 --> 00:38:45,680
gotta you know hold it down for the chief right,
527
00:38:46,300 --> 00:38:49,100
Look at it like this. The Secret Service or the President.
528
00:38:49,620 --> 00:38:55,400
You have to really be ready for anything at any moment and put your life on
529
00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:58,960
the line because the wild man, you know, their suits are getting more elaborate
530
00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:01,100
as we speak but traditionally the wild man,
531
00:39:01,660 --> 00:39:06,620
he kind of had a suit to let you know I don't care to mess this suit up. You know?
532
00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:11,140
Like, I don't care. We can go the distance. And like I said,
533
00:39:11,220 --> 00:39:14,060
all of these positions all have real significant rules.
534
00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:18,040
You know, Chief scouts are the children, and you have to be queens,
535
00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:19,880
which are more about the beauty.
536
00:39:20,660 --> 00:39:23,920
But when you get to UCS for Mighty Grounds, like I said, we come out early that
537
00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:25,960
morning, but the spy boys are always first.
538
00:39:26,420 --> 00:39:29,560
You have to have the sentiment of the spy boys, make sure everything's good.
539
00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:31,040
Flag boys are beautiful.
540
00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:36,160
They have a gang flag, which some tribes have, which is the leader of the flag
541
00:39:36,160 --> 00:39:40,720
boys, which is the gang flag, which is the prettiest. Then you have the chiefs.
542
00:39:41,300 --> 00:39:44,920
Queens and the chiefs. No, and it was so far apart because...
543
00:39:46,044 --> 00:39:52,204
We have signals. So I might be four or five blocks from my chief.
544
00:39:52,764 --> 00:39:54,524
And I'll shoot a signal like, whoa!
545
00:39:55,144 --> 00:40:01,664
And let him know from five blocks away, sometimes eight blocks away, there's a tribe coming.
546
00:40:02,284 --> 00:40:06,544
And as that tribe approaches, the chief might sit back for eight to ten blocks.
547
00:40:06,744 --> 00:40:10,744
And as we up there, I'm the lonely one. I'm by myself.
548
00:40:12,204 --> 00:40:15,084
You're the canary in the tunnel. You have to be determined now.
549
00:40:15,084 --> 00:40:19,284
Just imagine you're up there by yourself and something goes wrong.
550
00:40:19,404 --> 00:40:20,924
At least everybody else is safe.
551
00:40:22,104 --> 00:40:27,264
So ultimately, I can put my life, not so much my life. We're not killing each
552
00:40:27,264 --> 00:40:29,604
other, but, you know, I can say that all over the place.
553
00:40:31,104 --> 00:40:34,224
I'm in the front and I have to always say, leave me with respect.
554
00:40:35,084 --> 00:40:39,804
A lot of guys out there are being beautiful. And I'm glad we're kind of getting
555
00:40:39,804 --> 00:40:43,604
over the curve of disrespecting each other. And I'm trying to help push that narrative.
556
00:40:44,164 --> 00:40:49,044
You know, I think respect goes a long way with any culture you know,
557
00:40:49,824 --> 00:40:55,164
just me as a spy boy, just imagine if you go into a situation where you're by
558
00:40:55,164 --> 00:40:59,024
yourself and there's a whole group of people, I don't want to go in there with
559
00:40:59,024 --> 00:41:00,364
this monster attitude with,
560
00:41:00,464 --> 00:41:05,364
y'all I'm the best and I'm the prettiest and I'm this and all this arrogance,
561
00:41:05,924 --> 00:41:08,824
so as a spy boy, you know, you have to be smart about it.
562
00:41:09,064 --> 00:41:15,244
For sure great position to run Now what about, okay okay, let me, this is, I'm curious.
563
00:41:15,364 --> 00:41:19,044
So people know, so like people know you, they know you do this.
564
00:41:19,424 --> 00:41:21,924
It, you know, you guys are saying, Hey, we're going to be here.
565
00:41:22,324 --> 00:41:25,624
So people can come in and watch and watch you guys do your thing.
566
00:41:26,164 --> 00:41:29,124
Like what if someone knows you as Eric and they're like, Eric,
567
00:41:29,264 --> 00:41:32,804
yo, I brought you a bottle of water or yo, those guys are messing with you.
568
00:41:32,844 --> 00:41:35,464
I'm going to step in and help you out, but they're not part of the tribe.
569
00:41:35,804 --> 00:41:40,844
Is that, is there like an invisible wall there? Or like, is there interaction or what?
570
00:41:41,744 --> 00:41:46,304
I see everybody who's talking to me, but yes, I'm looking for people who mask.
571
00:41:46,484 --> 00:41:49,544
If you have a suit on, whatever happens, happens.
572
00:41:50,164 --> 00:41:54,444
If you don't have a suit on, you're not allowed to put yourself in it.
573
00:41:54,864 --> 00:41:59,584
Okay. That's kind of where, honestly, a lot of things go wrong.
574
00:41:59,784 --> 00:42:03,024
And we call those guys second liners. Like, you know a second liner?
575
00:42:03,564 --> 00:42:09,264
The second liner at an Indian meet, they have to be in check by the tribe.
576
00:42:09,264 --> 00:42:12,744
You know because you don't want a guy who everybody gets
577
00:42:12,744 --> 00:42:15,644
excited everybody gets excited if i've been walking with
578
00:42:15,644 --> 00:42:18,444
this tribe you know and it could be a girlfriend it
579
00:42:18,444 --> 00:42:21,884
could be a wife a cousin a family member you know of this friend you
580
00:42:21,884 --> 00:42:26,164
have to be like no this is a this is for the people that match because we do
581
00:42:26,164 --> 00:42:30,204
this for you guys we do this for the neighborhood and everybody else but let's
582
00:42:30,204 --> 00:42:34,064
keep it with the guys who are matching because there are rules of engagement
583
00:42:34,064 --> 00:42:40,764
you know there's ways to beat a guy like not physically but.
584
00:42:42,048 --> 00:42:46,348
It's almost like a sport also. So it's not just traveling and meeting.
585
00:42:47,448 --> 00:42:52,228
There's dancing. When I first meet somebody, I'll start dancing for two,
586
00:42:52,328 --> 00:42:54,948
three blocks away. And then we get up close and personal.
587
00:42:55,388 --> 00:42:59,808
We'll do our dance. And it's a competition of the beauty of the suit.
588
00:42:59,888 --> 00:43:03,168
So when I swing back and forth, you see my plumes going back and forth.
589
00:43:03,888 --> 00:43:10,348
And it's like a peacock almost. You're showing off your beauty and your dominance respectfully.
590
00:43:10,708 --> 00:43:16,008
I'm just both beautiful. of them all and and with that you still have to show
591
00:43:16,008 --> 00:43:23,248
this this assertiveness and in the right respectfully peacocking this is what it is right here.
592
00:43:25,168 --> 00:43:30,148
Man new orleans is so great because like what other city in this in the u.s
593
00:43:30,148 --> 00:43:34,408
does anything close to that like there's just nowhere like there's just you
594
00:43:34,408 --> 00:43:40,528
know there's so many festivals and and shows and music and character and one
595
00:43:40,528 --> 00:43:42,688
season just rolls into the next with the next thing.
596
00:43:42,708 --> 00:43:44,968
But there's nothing like this
597
00:43:44,968 --> 00:43:50,088
anywhere, you know, and that's part of what makes New Orleans so great.
598
00:43:50,228 --> 00:43:58,088
And I could talk to you for forever about this, but I do want to get to you and Rebirth.
599
00:43:58,428 --> 00:44:02,928
We talked to Vincent Broussard, the saxophonist, on our last trip,
600
00:44:02,948 --> 00:44:06,428
our last show. So how do you get a spot with Rebirth?
601
00:44:07,168 --> 00:44:13,948
Years and years. You know, just like the horn, Rebirth is the iconic brass band of New Orleans.
602
00:44:14,488 --> 00:44:18,868
They don't admit it, but growing up in New Orleans, everybody loved Rebirth.
603
00:44:19,048 --> 00:44:21,828
You know, they loved Dirty Dozen. They grew up on the Dirty Dozen.
604
00:44:22,388 --> 00:44:25,648
But a certain age bracket, it's really only Rebirth.
605
00:44:25,728 --> 00:44:31,088
Everybody has a Rebirth CD. That was pretty much the first horn CD I had of
606
00:44:31,088 --> 00:44:33,908
just a lot of instrumental horns of New Orleans Brass.
607
00:44:34,008 --> 00:44:37,908
And I had the original Do What You Want Album with Do What You Want,
608
00:44:38,048 --> 00:44:40,208
Leave That Pipe Alone, Mexican Special.
609
00:44:40,728 --> 00:44:42,628
I think that was something. He had a couple of songs on there.
610
00:44:42,928 --> 00:44:48,808
And just having that CD was like an opening to a reverb.
611
00:44:49,348 --> 00:44:52,648
And I was a kid. This was before I even played an instrument.
612
00:44:52,768 --> 00:44:55,948
Before I thought about going brass band. so over the years rebirth
613
00:44:55,948 --> 00:44:59,808
has dropped 17 albums growing
614
00:44:59,808 --> 00:45:05,148
up they've always been the staple of brass band in the community so i just kind
615
00:45:05,148 --> 00:45:08,608
of worked my way up from like the little band like the true brass band and i
616
00:45:08,608 --> 00:45:12,468
got to the new birth which is like cousins of them and i went to the brass band
617
00:45:12,468 --> 00:45:16,988
which is an amazing journey the students brass band taught me how to be a lead trumpet.
618
00:45:17,967 --> 00:45:20,627
They said back, I was like, you're young, but you are the lead.
619
00:45:20,727 --> 00:45:25,907
So at 19 years old, I was leading the Stooges. And that was pretty much my first big thing.
620
00:45:26,527 --> 00:45:31,247
From the Stooges, I got with TBC, and we developed some music from there,
621
00:45:31,267 --> 00:45:32,467
The Truth, and then Big Six.
622
00:45:33,147 --> 00:45:38,627
As I was with Big Six, Cliff, the prover player, and the leader of the Big Six,
623
00:45:38,727 --> 00:45:42,807
started playing with Rebirth after Phil had his stroke, I think his second stroke.
624
00:45:43,107 --> 00:45:46,147
And Phil was like, you know, let's call it Cliff. let's
625
00:45:46,147 --> 00:45:48,967
talk to them and so he made it happen
626
00:45:48,967 --> 00:45:51,807
you know and from then one of my good
627
00:45:51,807 --> 00:45:55,007
good longtime friends the trumpet player of rebert with the
628
00:45:55,007 --> 00:46:02,067
chad allery chad quentin as he goes by his name he went solo uh actually last
629
00:46:02,067 --> 00:46:08,607
year on january 1st he went solo and the guys they called me up and i guess
630
00:46:08,607 --> 00:46:12,747
he's a good friend of mine me and chad has been a long time riding so So we
631
00:46:12,747 --> 00:46:13,667
talked about a lot of stuff,
632
00:46:13,807 --> 00:46:16,767
like, from middle school, like, 12 years old, that's when I met Chad.
633
00:46:16,987 --> 00:46:19,567
And Chad is a great trumpet player.
634
00:46:20,347 --> 00:46:23,707
I don't really tell him in person, and I won't tell him in person. Don't feel bad.
635
00:46:24,987 --> 00:46:26,467
We won't let him do that.
636
00:46:30,447 --> 00:46:35,647
Chad went to school with, like, Trombone Shorty, Chris Roy. You know,
637
00:46:35,647 --> 00:46:37,587
like, he went to school with, like, elementary. a mentor.
638
00:46:38,147 --> 00:46:42,587
When I met him in middle school, he was already so talented.
639
00:46:43,867 --> 00:46:47,807
Just think about how talented Trombone Shorty and a lot of these cats are.
640
00:46:48,267 --> 00:46:52,927
So I took to me with Chad and he's a great guy, a great trumpet player.
641
00:46:53,127 --> 00:46:57,207
Like I said, he left Rebirth last year and I was looking around and they gave
642
00:46:57,207 --> 00:46:58,747
me a call and I'm like, okay, yeah.
643
00:46:59,367 --> 00:47:04,427
Mm-hmm, yeah. So I thought of musicals, I'm pretty much living the dream.
644
00:47:04,427 --> 00:47:10,447
Like so that's just the funk band I've always wanted to be with and Rebirth
645
00:47:10,447 --> 00:47:13,027
is the brand that I've always wanted to be with and it's like,
646
00:47:13,997 --> 00:47:14,557
Mind blown.
647
00:47:16,617 --> 00:47:21,037
It's a journey. It's an unbelievable experience because literally these are
648
00:47:21,037 --> 00:47:26,657
the best two bands out of New Orleans that I can think of because everybody comes from them.
649
00:47:26,717 --> 00:47:35,157
If you want to funk style of the music, the revivalists, Trombone Short, it's a long list of guys.
650
00:47:35,317 --> 00:47:39,897
My name is John Michael, Jada Cosmich, all these guys come from the lake.
651
00:47:39,897 --> 00:47:46,377
And then Soon as High Day Little Rascals Big Six all of these guys come from
652
00:47:46,377 --> 00:47:50,837
the Rebirth so to be playing with both of these bands is definitely an experience
653
00:47:50,837 --> 00:47:57,517
and I love it I love it you know not to be too loud but it's the dream for me because.
654
00:47:58,757 --> 00:48:03,757
It's life so I try to put my best foot forward playing every time I play you
655
00:48:03,757 --> 00:48:08,897
know I feel like I could be better because these are the legendary bands in
656
00:48:08,897 --> 00:48:12,137
the city I mean, yeah, you've got it covered.
657
00:48:12,297 --> 00:48:18,457
And, you know, I feel like you can probably feel that you went into all of this
658
00:48:18,457 --> 00:48:21,217
with the right intention, with respect.
659
00:48:21,737 --> 00:48:25,917
You really care about what you do. You're also really good at what you do.
660
00:48:25,917 --> 00:48:30,157
But even just the way that you talk about, you know, the Mardi Gras,
661
00:48:30,177 --> 00:48:34,977
the Indians and how much space you give of your life for that,
662
00:48:35,057 --> 00:48:37,877
I feel like you've given the same for your music.
663
00:48:38,057 --> 00:48:42,637
And that's why these doors have opened up for you. And you're a nice, genuine person.
664
00:48:43,377 --> 00:48:48,197
And, you know, you deserve everything that you have.
665
00:48:48,197 --> 00:48:51,377
And I hope you feel that too, because, you know, I,
666
00:48:51,477 --> 00:48:56,277
I've, I respect you just from watching you play, from seeing the videos of you
667
00:48:56,277 --> 00:49:01,657
doing, doing the Mardi Gras Indians and just how much you're willing to share
668
00:49:01,657 --> 00:49:04,117
because, you know, I don't live in Louisiana.
669
00:49:04,237 --> 00:49:09,617
I don't live in New Orleans anymore, but you're willing to share your story with everyone.
670
00:49:09,677 --> 00:49:13,357
And I think it inspires other people to feel okay to do that,
671
00:49:13,397 --> 00:49:17,177
that, and, and, and to have that same outlook on life, you know?
672
00:49:17,177 --> 00:49:23,497
If there is a way to win at life, Eric, you're winning at life.
673
00:49:25,717 --> 00:49:26,977
It's been a long road.
674
00:49:31,897 --> 00:49:36,557
What's the big difference?
675
00:49:36,757 --> 00:49:43,237
What's the main difference of playing with Rebirth or with Big Six, which is so swingy?
676
00:49:43,237 --> 00:49:48,037
And like if so I don't know there's probably another word that I'm blanking
677
00:49:48,037 --> 00:49:53,557
on and then with with Galactic it's a little more controlled like is that the
678
00:49:53,557 --> 00:49:57,957
biggest difference of playing with those two bands essentially I,
679
00:49:59,522 --> 00:50:03,542
Outside of the song selection, no, to me personally, it's not really a big difference
680
00:50:03,542 --> 00:50:08,642
because I didn't want to bring my own flavor into all this. That's what they all like.
681
00:50:08,842 --> 00:50:11,082
It's like cooking with rice.
682
00:50:11,502 --> 00:50:14,782
You know, sometimes you have jambalaya, sometimes you have red beans,
683
00:50:14,882 --> 00:50:18,422
sometimes you have dirty rice, creole.
684
00:50:19,422 --> 00:50:24,502
A lot of stuff is being able to make the dish better.
685
00:50:25,002 --> 00:50:27,922
You know, it's short. you know I kind of
686
00:50:27,922 --> 00:50:30,902
try to bring my own flavor every time you know I'm still
687
00:50:30,902 --> 00:50:33,642
the same individual so my style is my style of
688
00:50:33,642 --> 00:50:36,502
playing and I'm pretty much like that Louis
689
00:50:36,502 --> 00:50:41,622
Armstrong New Orleans style of trumpet playing but essentially I try to just
690
00:50:41,622 --> 00:50:45,062
bring it every time you know it's not so much about the music it's just about
691
00:50:45,062 --> 00:50:50,042
the feeling because there's jazz cats that'll play a thousand notes and nobody
692
00:50:50,042 --> 00:50:54,022
felt it but sometimes you'll catch a solo of me playing one note and I'm going.
693
00:50:56,002 --> 00:50:58,882
You know and people will feel that and they'll
694
00:50:58,882 --> 00:51:02,902
be like yeah yeah yeah it's
695
00:51:02,902 --> 00:51:05,902
more about a feeling i try to bring that that feeling that that love
696
00:51:05,902 --> 00:51:10,522
even in all my schools you'll see me having a good time i can't you know it's
697
00:51:10,522 --> 00:51:17,022
a blessing in itself to be able to perform on stage you know oh yeah so yeah
698
00:51:17,022 --> 00:51:21,582
it's a feeling definitely a feeling not not to try to separate the two it's
699
00:51:21,582 --> 00:51:23,342
always a good vibe between,
700
00:51:23,582 --> 00:51:29,162
no matter, because I do gospel sometimes, and it's all about what you're doing.
701
00:51:29,382 --> 00:51:32,602
All you're smiling, all you're happy while doing it, because if you're not happy
702
00:51:32,602 --> 00:51:34,502
while doing it, just don't do it.
703
00:51:35,162 --> 00:51:38,702
Yeah, and people are going to see that, too. It's going to come off as that.
704
00:51:39,602 --> 00:51:42,682
And that's another thing about New Orleans that's so great is.
705
00:51:43,642 --> 00:51:48,042
Is, is the, is the feel right. Of like watching that music, you know,
706
00:51:48,042 --> 00:51:51,562
like I watch, I watch other jazz bands, even when they're covering rebirth,
707
00:51:51,682 --> 00:51:55,302
you know, from Chicago or from North Carolina, where I'm at right now.
708
00:51:55,302 --> 00:51:58,382
And like, there's just the different feel when you're watching,
709
00:51:58,382 --> 00:52:02,282
when you've seen live new Orleans jazz and uncle dad, I mean,
710
00:52:02,302 --> 00:52:09,162
I know you can agree because uncle jazz, uncle jazz, uncle dad's seen you guys play too.
711
00:52:09,322 --> 00:52:13,202
And I, and I've seen, you know, I've seen him light up watching you guys play.
712
00:52:13,762 --> 00:52:16,302
Oh, it's incredible. It's one of the greatest experiences ever.
713
00:52:16,682 --> 00:52:19,562
I think like, you know, I've been to like Jazz Fest in the past.
714
00:52:19,602 --> 00:52:23,942
And whenever I see a NOLA act in town, I'm in the Bay Area.
715
00:52:24,222 --> 00:52:28,822
And so whenever I see a NOLA act, I have to be there because we just don't get
716
00:52:28,822 --> 00:52:31,822
that. You know what I mean? It's such a unique, beautiful experience.
717
00:52:32,042 --> 00:52:33,782
Like I'm a, you know, like Soul Rebels I love.
718
00:52:34,042 --> 00:52:37,662
And so when Soul Rebels are out here, I have to see them, you know, it's just something.
719
00:52:38,602 --> 00:52:42,342
If you could bottle that energy and hand that out, I think the world would be
720
00:52:42,342 --> 00:52:44,342
a better place. Let me tell you. be a better place.
721
00:52:45,522 --> 00:52:48,902
That means coming out to the show at the Fillmore. I hope to see you.
722
00:52:49,522 --> 00:52:52,862
Oh, yeah. That's right. Yeah. I will go. I am going to go.
723
00:52:54,922 --> 00:52:58,242
I'll be waiting for you. I'll be there. I'll be there on the set.
724
00:52:58,502 --> 00:53:00,482
Just look for the short little fat Mexican kid.
725
00:53:02,662 --> 00:53:06,262
I think you were making him hungry with all your rice dish analogies,
726
00:53:06,262 --> 00:53:10,522
too, right? I love me some jambalaya, let me tell you.
727
00:53:12,062 --> 00:53:16,682
All right, Eric. Eric, real quick, I'm going to shoot these at you real quick before we go.
728
00:53:17,968 --> 00:53:22,528
And I just want to, you know, quick answer. Favorite music venue to play at
729
00:53:22,528 --> 00:53:24,488
other than Tipitina's in New Orleans?
730
00:53:26,408 --> 00:53:30,488
Stumped him. Oh, Blue Nile on purpose.
731
00:53:31,228 --> 00:53:33,888
Blue Nile. Blue Nile's a great one. Blue Nile's a great place.
732
00:53:34,788 --> 00:53:36,168
I love the name. Oh, yeah.
733
00:53:37,108 --> 00:53:41,348
Blue Nile's my favorite. Yeah, Blue Nile's amazing. Okay, what's your,
734
00:53:41,428 --> 00:53:44,848
what's just your favorite bar in New Orleans? Oh, well, Hank's.
735
00:53:46,028 --> 00:53:55,488
What's that? Hank's. thank you okay favorite place to get a meal,
736
00:53:57,288 --> 00:54:01,548
these are the tough questions these are tough,
737
00:54:03,948 --> 00:54:12,968
like little disney little disney was amazing um but a lot of the smaller stores like the manchus,
738
00:54:13,768 --> 00:54:19,788
the VNC you know those spots are amazing and uh Prowl Ease is a good spot too
739
00:54:19,788 --> 00:54:23,288
Prowl Ease Prowl Ease okay.
740
00:54:24,488 --> 00:54:28,028
Alright what if you just wanted to go out and go dancing like you're not playing
741
00:54:28,028 --> 00:54:33,008
you just want to be a guy enjoying the music or can you do that like are you
742
00:54:33,008 --> 00:54:37,708
able to go watch a show and just and enjoy the show and not feel like you gotta
743
00:54:37,708 --> 00:54:38,808
get up there and start playing,
744
00:54:39,348 --> 00:54:44,488
yeah I would do Blue Now for that yeah Blue Nine and a lot of Hole in the Wall
745
00:54:44,488 --> 00:54:49,548
once you had Celebration Hall which is the hall not in the ballroom but Celebration
746
00:54:49,548 --> 00:54:53,288
Hall always has you know and the jump ball,
747
00:54:53,808 --> 00:54:58,188
currently the jump ball is like the new hot spot to catch a band and you know just go fly,
748
00:54:58,848 --> 00:55:03,568
jump ball okay alright last one where would you go watch a Saints game Kermit
749
00:55:03,568 --> 00:55:05,568
oh yeah Kermit Russell's Mother-in-law,
750
00:55:06,228 --> 00:55:12,688
okay and Kermit always has a vibe you know Kermit has a band also on Sunday Hammond says like.
751
00:55:13,674 --> 00:55:16,714
It's under Kato's camera, mother-in-law. Just such a vibe.
752
00:55:16,954 --> 00:55:24,374
It's so nostalgic. It has this seventies, eighties vibe with the murals and the paintings.
753
00:55:24,694 --> 00:55:28,794
And it's just old school. You know, sometimes you want to chill where the people
754
00:55:28,794 --> 00:55:30,914
are good. Well, somebody knows your name.
755
00:55:31,854 --> 00:55:37,374
Okay. All right. Yeah. Yeah. That place is always on my list to go.
756
00:55:37,514 --> 00:55:41,274
And I just, I just never ended up making it there because there's a million
757
00:55:41,274 --> 00:55:43,334
other things in the way. Right.
758
00:55:44,254 --> 00:55:47,794
Kermit owns the place he's always
759
00:55:47,794 --> 00:55:50,514
there and that's the thing about Kermit he's
760
00:55:50,514 --> 00:55:53,394
such a great spirit if you walk in Kermit's mother's
761
00:55:53,394 --> 00:55:56,074
house he's liable to be sitting at the
762
00:55:56,074 --> 00:55:59,034
bar drinking a beer drinking a bud like
763
00:55:59,034 --> 00:56:03,954
with his trumpet hanging right behind him and sometimes the band will play he'll
764
00:56:03,954 --> 00:56:08,374
just pick up the trumpet and start playing he genuinely loves that place and
765
00:56:08,374 --> 00:56:12,474
that's the energy that you get you'll see Jelly Ali singing at that that sometimes
766
00:56:12,474 --> 00:56:17,934
you run across like a bunch of the artists that's in there because it's such a chill,
767
00:56:18,594 --> 00:56:20,214
really vibe, second line show.
768
00:56:20,394 --> 00:56:22,814
It's a lot of people just going there just to hang, you know?
769
00:56:23,434 --> 00:56:26,634
Yeah. Sometimes you go, it's about who you are. Hey, hey, hey.
770
00:56:26,634 --> 00:56:28,194
But in time, it's just kind of like,
771
00:56:29,068 --> 00:56:32,628
Everybody's just playing, you know? Yeah. No, I love that. I love that.
772
00:56:33,008 --> 00:56:35,988
Well, Eric, thank you so much. Everyone.
773
00:56:36,848 --> 00:56:40,888
Mardi Gras at Tipitina's. I know you guys are playing there Saturday the 10th
774
00:56:40,888 --> 00:56:45,848
and also is it Mardi Gras night? Well, we're in the 10th.
775
00:56:47,228 --> 00:56:51,448
What's that? Say that again. February 3rd and the 10th. We're playing there.
776
00:56:51,508 --> 00:56:58,688
Third and the 10th. And then you will also be Mardi Gras morning as a golden
777
00:56:58,688 --> 00:57:02,228
Comanche, as the spy boy. Golden Comanche. Spy boy. There you go.
778
00:57:03,128 --> 00:57:05,688
I don't know my name. Hey.
779
00:57:06,948 --> 00:57:14,288
Spy boy. Look at that. Spy boy. And we're going to put this out on our Instagram,
780
00:57:14,628 --> 00:57:16,748
you know, pictures so everyone can see.
781
00:57:16,748 --> 00:57:23,408
Even if this video does come out so people can see what you put together, man, it's beautiful.
782
00:57:23,768 --> 00:57:28,148
It's very beautiful, for sure. I do have one last question, Mike. I got to ask him.
783
00:57:28,788 --> 00:57:32,908
It is very important because when this comes out, it'll be right around that time.
784
00:57:34,068 --> 00:57:39,488
Here we go. Who is going to win the Super Bowl? There's one right answer.
785
00:57:41,008 --> 00:57:46,368
There's one right answer. I'm not giving you. No, you're not going to give me anything?
786
00:57:48,908 --> 00:57:53,748
See hey hey he doesn't care who's gonna win the super bowl is mardi gras time.
787
00:58:01,128 --> 00:58:09,008
Audience i tried who that uh eric where can uh where can our listeners find
788
00:58:09,008 --> 00:58:14,648
you if if on social media or on website or how do they find out where you're gonna be,
789
00:58:15,601 --> 00:58:21,221
I'll go by I Am Eric Gordon. Simple enough. I just spell street. I Am Eric Gordon.
790
00:58:21,801 --> 00:58:25,901
All social platforms, you know, Facebook, Instagram, whatever.
791
00:58:26,601 --> 00:58:30,281
If you want to search some music, I have some songs under I Am Eric Gordon.
792
00:58:30,281 --> 00:58:34,581
I just put out a new one last week called Province Prince for the Zulu,
793
00:58:35,221 --> 00:58:37,661
which, you know, the Zulu Parade is coming up on Mighty Drive Day.
794
00:58:37,701 --> 00:58:40,041
So the Province Prince, they are a crew in the Zulu.
795
00:58:40,541 --> 00:58:43,861
We dropped one for them. I have a song called Down in New Orleans,
796
00:58:43,921 --> 00:58:45,381
which is one of my favorite songs.
797
00:58:45,841 --> 00:58:49,261
Definitely suggest checking out. I am Eric Gordon, Down in New Orleans.
798
00:58:49,341 --> 00:58:52,361
I'm featuring Lou and all these and Angelica Jolie-Joseph.
799
00:58:52,541 --> 00:58:55,981
But I am Eric Gordon across the music platforms, across everything.
800
00:58:56,441 --> 00:59:00,241
You know, and out there you'll be able to be birthday singers. I like to be so.
801
00:59:01,001 --> 00:59:04,281
All right. I am Eric Gordon.
802
00:59:04,581 --> 00:59:08,301
And Eric, I am Mike Hampton.
803
00:59:08,361 --> 00:59:13,321
And this is Uncle Dad. And thank you so much for coming on here and sharing
804
00:59:13,321 --> 00:59:15,821
all that you share with us, man. It's really special.
805
00:59:15,901 --> 00:59:18,081
And I can't wait to see you down there.
806
00:59:18,701 --> 00:59:21,861
Yeah, it's going to be a special day. I'll see y'all there with the tambourine.
807
00:59:22,441 --> 00:59:24,261
Everybody come and bring your tambourines.
808
00:59:25,181 --> 00:59:26,201
I'll get a tambourine.
809
00:59:27,561 --> 00:59:30,361
You need a tambourine. I'll get you a tambourine.
810
00:59:33,981 --> 00:59:37,001
Right on. okay and and i
811
00:59:37,001 --> 00:59:39,801
guess that's going to be it for for uh for now right uncle
812
00:59:39,801 --> 00:59:44,081
dad uh that is but mike it's you're running the show so you got to say the trademark
813
00:59:44,081 --> 00:59:48,821
line before we wrap up oh that's right oh yeah eric and for everyone listening
814
00:59:48,821 --> 00:59:52,681
we're not uncles we're not dads we're just someone you can talk to and we will
815
00:59:52,681 --> 00:59:58,401
see you all next week well done mike yeah all right.
