Tin Men & The Valparaiso Men's Chorus play Pyratecon!
from Best Of New Orleans...
The prolific local singer/songwriter Alex McMurray has made no bones about the fact that his latest project, the Valparaiso Men's Chorus, is not a pirate-related venture. The group " which was conceived during McMurray's stint as a shanty-singing sea captain at Tokyo Disney Resort " is a robust choir whose size can swell to nearly 20 members, backed by bandmates from the Tin Men and belting out time-tested songs of the sea. Their album, Guano and Nitrate, was one of the local favorites of last year. Though McMurray may frown on privateering, by odd coincidence his gig (part of One Eyed Jacks' fourth anniversary celebration, also featuring the Morning 40 Federation) falls smack in the middle of PyrateCon 2008. The three-day event is a convention of period-costumed pirate enthusiasts, historians and actors who play pirates on TV, gathering in the land of...
Chaz Festival 2008 is On!
Chaz Festival will be presented again this year at the world famous 'Truck Farm' in the 9th Ward Bywater.
(alex's backyard). The line up this year is stellar once again. The Tin Men w/The Valpariso Men's Chorus and The Happy Talk Band will perform and many many others.
For all the details and tickets check out: www.chazfestival.com
Royal Fingerbowl - Now available!
- Alex has finally swung a deal with the fine folks at (record company to go unnamed) and he can now offer more of his back catalog - Royal Fingerbowl's legendary 'Happy Birthday Sabo!' and 'Greyhound Afternoons'. Go check out the music page for free samples and a link to get one of these fine disks in your hands. There is no sayin' how long the supply will last, so get them while you can!
- Another run of Banjaxed was pressed and it is now available in disk and digital download.
- A blogger named 'authur' attended the last Valparaiso Men's Chorus event at the Saturn Bar. Check out his take on the event here.
"The band plays these old songs as if they were born to them, skipping reverence and piousness and going straight to their dirty hearts"
Whoa, this is sad. Almost five months since the last diary posting. While I am Extraordinarily Busy, there is really no excuse for this. And you would think that I'd be fixing to burst with news and information, but that isn't the case. Sure there are the usual updates, such as the news that there was another performance of sea shanties on November 2, which was triumphant and epochal. The Valparaiso Men's Chorus got its collective shit together and learned another set of music not on the CD. I harbor the faintest of hopes that we can make another CD. I can't see why not. Maybe the chorus could go out and sell magazine subscriptions to help raise the money. I think it would be cute to see Fayard and Starnes knocking on doors and putting on an earnest face. We could offer people Ranger Rick and Boy's Life. If those magazines still exist. Perhaps a sailing magazine or one devoted to...
Media Updates
- The Thursday evening DBA shows have been going well. There will be a great line up of guests for the December shows including: Bill Malchow, The Jackals (Cabral/Freilich/Garrison), John Vidocovich, Walt and Auroa, Simon Lott and Brian Coogan. Always something familiar. Always something new. Always something that you should not have missed. What else could you be doing on Thursday night?
- Check out Zack Smiths Chaz Fest 2007 Photos. Nice Gallery of Chaz Fest gayety. Thanks Zack.
- We have sold out of legendary 007 CD 'Studied Rudeness'. Never fear rock steady fans, the new 007 disk is in final production and will be available in Jan or Feb ohh eight. Don't miss out on this one. Buy early and buy often.
- The folks at NolaFunGuide.com have put a page up on yours truly.
- And a short mention at Nola.com (gravely voiced vanguard?)
is proud to present
An Evening of
SEA SHANTIES
at the
SATURN BAR
3067 St. Claude Ave.
9th ward, USA
11pm on the night of
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2007
View Show Poster
The ACT
So people have been asking me more and more when I'm going to crank upthe act again. Looks like I'll be taking over for Paul Sanchez over at the DBA Thursday evenings from 7-10. No cover, hassle free entertainment on a school night. more than likely i'll have lots of special guests to keep things interesting.
The usual apologies for not posting one of these for so long, etc. What can I say? Its been a big spring and now that its officially summer i can see the days stretching out ahead of me like a wild highway out in Utah. They're tearing up the street in front of the house and there's dust everywhere and that beeping sound whenever the heavy trucks go in reverse. They repaved St. Claude Avenue less than five years ago and we're all wondering why they're doing it again so soon, especially as it was one of the better preserved thoroughfares. Maybe it's part of a maintenance schedule but graft is the more logical explanation, especially when you know Burgundy Street just two blocks away has been a nightmare for years. You don't even want to ride your bike down Burgundy. But even Burgundy pales in comparison to the condition of just about every street north of St. Claude (the virtual...
Chaz Festival review and video in New Yorker Blog
Chaz Festival review and video in New Yorker Blog - The New Orleans Journal
Great Blog entry and video of the Chaz Festival.
Look for the May 11 entry. Here
007 New Orleans Jazz Festival Live recording is available!
The fine people at Munck Music have made this years 007 performance available both on disk and as a digital download. Get it at Munck Music
Set List:
1. Woman Don't Want Bang Around (2:42)
2. Honour Your Mother And Father (4:02)
3. Tears On My Pillow (3:26)
4. It's You (3:02)
5. Fortune Teller (3:37)
6. Stage Banter (0:36)
7. Long Time (3:45)
8. Baba Boom (4:59)
9. Unity (2:34)
10. No, No, No (6:00)
11. Stage Banter (1:12)
12. True Love (3:51)
Interview in Antigravity Magazine
Interview in Antigravity Magazine - Your New Orleans Music and Culture Alternative
Alex McMurray talks sea shanties, The Tin Men, bringing back Royal Fingerbowl,
and of course, crumudgeons. - by Jason Songe
SECOND ANNUAL CHAZFEST COMES TO THE NINTH WARD
It's the party so nice we had to do it twice. That's right, you heard it here first and make no mistake the SECOND ANNUAL CHAZFEST will take place RAIN OR SHINE on THURSDAY, MAY 3 at THE TRUCK FARM located at 3020 St. Claude Ave in the fashionable Upper 9/LowBy area. The doors will be open at 11 and the bands will go from noon until 10pm. It's a must-see event you will find nowhere else! Chazfest is the only place you'll be able to see any of these great artists in a festival setting in the greater New Orleans area this spring.
And this year there's even MORE Chazfest, as we've added a second stage.
We've also got more great food this time around. Returning from last year are Pete and Jenny from The Joint with New Orleans' premier BBQ. Mz Gianna will feature a veggie "green" gumbo, and Karen Brady and Georgia Rhody will be serving burritos and margaritas.
We will have plenty of...
SEA SHANTY CD RELEASE SCHEDULED FOR SAT. APRIL 21
| An evening of mayhem, rum and song has been scheduled for Saturday, April 21 at the Saturn Bar, located at 3067 St. Claude Ave in glamorous Bywater USA. Come and see, for their first public appearance, The Valparaiso Men's Chorus as they perform your seafaring favorites! Thrill to the robust and ribald maritime sounds of yore! The action begins at 10:30. |  (click for larger image) |
||||||||||||
| And for the first time ever available ANYWHERE! THE CD! |
|||||||||||||
|
...
02.06.2007
I suppose I must admit I've fallen down the rabbit hole. Things have been Strange and Paradoxical of late, due to a little mission I agreed to take care of for a friend. I'm not sure I have the time, space or even the inclination to go into it right now, but I offer it as a lame excuse for why there hasn't been a diary entry since last summer. This thing has been chewing up my days and gorging on my psyche. I noticed only yesterday that I had not a single gig booked for Mardi Gras; that the entire spring was a blank. Usually these things happen as a result of six weeks of acting like a nineteen-year-old. Not so this time. At any rate, after two days on the phone and several hours in front of the computer I think the ship is listing a little less. If you know me you know what the thing is that has become my albatross, my Vietnam. Perhaps I'll get into it later, but the thought of... 12.05.2006
New Press for Tin Men and Alex
Back to New Orleans, Gently - Tin Men - Mentioned in New York Times Article Southern rock downtown and McMurray continues his run - Nola.com Sounds of Vitality for New Orleans - Cool Audio slide show from New York Times. 10.29.2006
This Just In...
SEA SHANTY RECORD FINALLY MIXED AND GETTING CLOSER TO YOUR EARS STOP HAPPY TALK RECORD IN PRODUCTION STOP 08.29.2006
Today’s a fine bright day and my thermometer reads ninety-six degrees. The grass is running riot and needs cutting, but I’m going to blow it off for another day. The lawn guy* is off somewhere in the Northern Midwest and has left the task to me and our landlord. Yet the sun shines on him still, as well as my overheated car and the president downtown making speeches, allegedly admitting that mistakes were made. Good for him. Later he’ll come by the truck farm for a beer and he’s going to offer me some coke. But I’m going to just say “no”. “No, George,” I’ll say. “I’m just enjoying the luxury of this fine day and my overheated car. Now take that stuff inside and do it in the bathroom like normal folks do. 06.16.2006
I was thinking about the president a lot about a month ago. You see, I was clearing a lot of brush from out the back of our house in preparation for Chazfest, and since that’s what W. does for kicks out at his ranch in Crawford TX, I felt that I was perhaps getting on a parallel vibe with The Decider. And what’s more, I had Spinal Tap’s “Heavy Duty Rock and Roll” going through my head almost all day every day. Probably because the tool I was using is a Milwaukee brand Heavy Duty Orbital Super Sawzall (there is no substitute), with the words HEAVY DUTY emblazoned across the chassis and the carrying case. So I was in a good frame of mind most of the time as I ripped through dead trees like a laser with this vicious piece of hardware, while imagining my old pal The Decider pedaling by on his mountain bike. “Heavy! HEAVY! Duty! DUTY!!! Heavy Duty a-ROCK AND ROLL!!!” I... 06.05.2006
Tin Men New York Mini-Tour
The Tin Men will be playing the great state of New York in June. 05.02.2006
All That Chaz
Review of Chaz FestGambit MagazineOne of the best aspects about the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is the festival that happens outside the Fair Grounds' fences. | ||||||||||||
