(Funk, jazz, mardi.gras, carnival.jazz, world.music) Galactic - Carnivale Electricos - 2012, MP3, 320 kbps

The New Orleans-based jazz-funk ensemble Galactic formed in 1994; originally an eight-piece, the group soon pared down to an instrumental sextet comprising guitarist Jeff Raines, organist Rich Vogel, bassist Robert Mercurio, saxophonists Ben Ellman and Jason Mingledorff, and drummer Stanton Moore. Later adding Crescent City music scene vet Theryl deClouet on vocals, Galactic built a fervent local following on the strength of a relentless live schedule which included opening slots for group heroes including the Meters, Maceo Parker and Medeski, Martin & Wood. In 1996 the band issued their debut LP, Coolin' Off; upon signing to major label Capricorn, they re-released the album two years later, soon followed by the all-new Crazyhorse Mongoose. Since that time, they have released a handful of albums including Late for the Future in 2000, Rukus in 2003 and From the Corner to the Block in 2007.

It's incredible that GALACTIC has never made a carnival album yet, but now it’s here.
GALACTIC was formed eighteen years ago in New Orleans, and they cut their teeth playing the biggest party in America: Mardi Gras, when the town shuts down entirely to celebrate. CARNIVALE ELECTRICOS is beyond a party record. It’s a carnival record that evokes the electric atmosphere of a whole city – make that, whole cities – vibrating together all on the same day, from New Orleans all down the hemisphere to the mighty megacarnivals of Brazil. Armed with a slew of carnival-ready guests—including Cyril and Ivan Neville, Mystikal, Mannie Fresh, Moyseis Marques, Casa Samba, the KIPP Renaissance High School Marching Band, and Al "Carnival Time" Johnson (who remakes his all-time hit)—GALACTIC whisks the listener around the neighborhoods to feel the Mardi Gras moment in all its variety of flavors.
CARNIVALE ELECTRICOS begins on a spiritual note, the way Mardi Gras does in the black community of New Orleans. On that morning, the most exciting experience you can have is to be present when the small groups of black men called Mardi Gras Indians perform their sacred street theater. Nobody embodies the spiritual side of Mardi Gras better than the Indians, whose tambourines and chants provide the fundament of New Orleans carnival music. These “gangs,” as they call them, organize around and protect the figure of their chief. The album’s keynote singer, BIG CHIEF JUAN PARDO, is, says Robert Mercurio, “one of the younger Chiefs out there, and he’s become one of the best voices of the new Chiefs. Pardo grew up listening to the singing of the older generation of Big Chiefs, points out Ben Ellman, and “he’s got a little Monk [Boudreaux], a little Bo Dollis, he’s neither uptown nor downtown.”
On “Karate,” says Ellman, the band was aiming to “capture the power” of one of the fundamental musical experiences of Mardi Gras: “a marching band passing by you.” The 40-piece KIPP Renaissance High School Marching Band’s director arranged up GALACTIC’s demo, then the band rehearsed it until they had it all memorized. The kids poured their hearts into a solid performance, and, says Mercurio, “I think they were surprised” to hear how good they sounded on the playback.
Musical energy is everywhere at carnival time. “You hear the marching bands go by,” says Mercurio, moving us through a Mardi Gras day, “and then you hear a lot of hiphop.” There hasn’t been a Mardi Gras for twenty years that hasn’t had a banging track by beatmaker / rapper MANNIE FRESH sounding wherever you go. “You can’t talk about New Orleans hiphop without talking about MANNIE FRESH,” says Ellman. His beats have powered literally tens of millions of records, and he and GALACTIC have been talking for years about doing something together. On “Move Fast,” he’s together with multiplatinum gravel-voiced rapper MYSTIKAL, who is, says Ellman, “somebody we’ve wanted to collaborate with forever. It was a coup for us.”
Out in the streets of New Orleans, you might well hear a funky kind of samba, reaching southward toward the other end of the hemispheric carnival zone. There has for the last twenty-five years been a smoking Brazilian drum troupe in town: CASA SAMBA, formed at Mardi Gras in 1986. They’re old friends of GALACTIC’s from their early days at Frenchmen Street’s Café Brasil, and the two groups joined forces for a new version of Carlinhos Brown’s “Magalenha,” previously a hit for Sérgio Mendes.
But the Brazilian influence on CARNIVALE ELECTRICOS goes beyond one song. “When we started this album, we all immersed ourselves in Brazilian music and let it get into our souls,” says Mercurio. The group contributed three Brazilian-flavored instrumentals, including “JuLou,” which riffs on an old Brazilian tune, though the name refers to the brass-funk Krewe of Julu, the “walking krewe” that Galactic members participate in on Mardi Gras morning. After creating the hard-driving track that became “O Côco da Galinha,” they decided it would be right for MOYSÉIS MÁRQUEZ, from the São Paulo underground samba scene, who collaborated with them and composed the lyric.
If you were GALACTIC and you were making a carnival album, wouldn’t you want to play “Carnival Time,” the irrepressibly happy 1960 perennial from the legendary Cosimo Matassa studio? Nobody in New Orleans doesn’t know this song. The remake features a new performance in the unmistakable voice of the original singer, AL “CARNIVAL TIME” JOHNSON, who’s still active around town more than fifty years after he first gained Mardi Gras immortality.
The closing instrumental, ,“Ash Wednesday Sunrise,” evokes the edginess of the post-party feeling. The group writes, “There is the tension you feel on that morning -- one of being worn out from all of the festivities and one of elation that you made it through another year.”
But, as New Orleanians know, there’s always another carnival to look forward to, and GALACTIC will be there, playing till dawn and then going to breakfast before parading.

To make CARNIVALE ELECTRICOS, the members of GALACTIC (Ben Ellman, harps and horns; Robert Mercurio, bass; Stanton Moore, drums and percussion; Jeff Raines, guitar; Rich Vogel, keyboards) draw on the skills, stamina, and funk they deploy in the all-night party of their annual Lundi Gras show that goes till sunrise and leads sleeplessly into Mardi Gras day.
AL "CARNIVAL TIME" JOHNSON
Alvin Lee Johnson is better known to everyone in New Orleans as Al "Carnival Time" Johnson. His famous song, "Carnival Time," dates back to February 1960. The original recording was done at Cosimo Matassa's recording studio by record producer Joe Ruffino on Ric Label. There have been numerous releases of "Carnival Time" on compilation albums, cassettes, and CD's over the last forty years. "Carnival Time" has made it to the Mellennium, now with the sole rights belonging to Al Johnson. Al fought to obtain the legal rights to his wonderfully famous song, but the song did not make him wealthy. With his good spirits and humble attitude, Al Johnson is eager to write and produce new songs. Al Johnson is now in the forefront awaiting his reowned popularity.
"Carnival Time" was an inspiration to Al Johnson from fellow musicians such as Professor Longhair's, "Go To The Mardi Gras," and Lou Welch's, "Mardi Gras Mambo." Al Johnson wanted a song the locals of New Orleans could relate to on Mardi Gras Day. With lyrics "the Green Room is smoking" and "the Plaza's burning down," were real places the locals knew about. Almost everyone in New Orleans at one time has referred to Mardi Gras as "Carnival Day."
"Carnival Time" is definitely a song that when it hits the air waves, one can hardly resist the real Mardi Gras groove. "Carnival Time" with its intoxicating rhythm and its fun to sing lyrics has always been a big musical hit in New Orleans since its release in 1960. Before, during and after Al Johnson's legal battles for his song "Carnival Time," the song continued to be performed and enjoyed by its listeners every Mardi Gras/ Carnival Time season.
Al Johnson is now waiting the release of his own CD single with the original version of "Carinval Time" and newly recorded"Mardi Gras Strut." "Mardi Gras Strut" offers the listener a tune to "get down and strut." Special assistance from Earline Hutchison helped Al Johnson to obtain that sound he was searching for in this newly recorded CD single. "Mardi Gras Strut" not only presents a good groove but also gives the listeners identifiable lyrics which is at the heart of Al Johnson's writing. Al Johnson's love for his city and the Mardi Gras season is definitely recognized in "Carnival Time" and "Mardi Gras Strut."
BIG CHIEF JUAN PARDO
Big Chief Juan Pardo is the "Big Chief" of the Golden Comanche tribe which is part of the Mardi Gras Indian Nation. The parading of the Mardi Gras Indian Tribes is a tradition that dates back at least to the middle of the 19th century if not further. The tradition has its roots in the connection between Africans and Indians as minorities within the dominant culture of early New Orleans.
CARLINHOS BROWN
Carlinhos Brown (born Antonio Carlos Santos de Freitas, November 23, 1962) is a Brazilian musician from Salvador, Bahia. He was born in Candeal Pequeno, a small neighbourhood in the Brotas area of Salvador de Bahia (Brazil). In 1967 he was still a child when Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil (two 25-year-old musicians from Bahia) started a movement that would radically change Brazilian and popular music: Tropicália.
His parents, Renato and Madalena, were not able to help him learn a job but Osvaldo Alves da Silvia (known as the Master of the Bongo) introduced him to the right tradition of Brazilian folklore and its percussion: tambourine, drums and reco-reco. He soon learned all the secrets from the percussion instruments the Master knew how to play and developed a personal style he has never abandoned.
In the early 1980s he started to work in the WR studios in Bahia, where he learned recording and record production techniques, in addition to initiating a task of recompilation and coding of rhythm and percussion sounds from the Bahia area. He then adopted his first nickname: Carlinhos Brown. "It doesn't come from James Brown as people think", he says. "It is inspired in Henry Box Brown, a black person that escaped from slavery in a box. I also tried to learn from the good (and not the mistakes) of H. Rap Brown, of the Black Panther movement".
Brown learned to play various percussion instruments as he grew up and in the 1980s he began to collaborate with other artists. In 1984 he played with Luís Caldas's band Acordes Verdes, one of the originators of samba-reggae, and in 1985 he formed part of Caetano Veloso's band on the record Estrangeiro, penning a song, "Meia Lua Inteira", that was very successful in Brazil and outside the country. In 1985, Luís Caldas recorded “Visão de Cíclope”, composed by Carlinhos Brown, and it became one of the hottest songs on Salvador's radio stations. Following this, he composed “Remexer”, “O Côco” and “É Difícil” for other artists, earning him a Caymmi trophy, one of the most important music awards in Bahía, and led to his participation in world tours with João Gilberto, Djavan, and João Bosco.
In the 1990s he became known nationally and internationally as the leader of the musical group Timbalada, which consisted of more than 100 percussionists and singers, called "timbaleiros", the majority of them young kids from the Candeal neighborhood of Salvador, where Carlinhos was born. They recorded eight albums and toured various countries around the world. In 1993 Billboard Magazine named him the "best record producer in Latin America." On the heels of Timbalada's success, in 1996 Brown launched a solo album called Alfagamabetizado, on which he sang, composed, and played the instruments. He followed this up with his second album Omelete Man, and a third album, Bahia do Mundo, Mito e Verdade.
1996 also saw Brown appearing on the album Roots by the Brazilian metal band Sepultura.
In 1997, Brown made a cameo appearance performing the song "A Namorada" in the film Speed 2: Cruise Control, and appeared on theSpeed 2: Cruise Control Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. In 1998, Brown collaborated with Bonga and Marisa Monte on the track "Mulemba Xangola" for the AIDS benefit compilation album Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon produced by the Red Hot Organization.
In 2002 he formed the group Tribalistas with Arnaldo Antunes and Marisa Monte, contributing vocals and drums to their self-titled album Os Tribalistas. Their single "Já sei namorar" became the number one song on Brazilian radio stations, and their second single "Velha Infância" almost met with equal success. The album spawned two more hits in Brazil, "Passe Em Casa", co-written with Margareth Menezes, and "É Você". In 2003 Tribalistas won the Best Album, Best DVD, and Best Song (for "Já Sei Namorar") awards from the Multishow of Brazilian Music.
Brown released Carlinos Brown É Carlito Marrón in 2003 and collaborated with DJ Dero on the 2004 album Candyall Beat. The Carlito Marrónalbum achieved considerable success in Spain where it was repackaged a year later with extra tracks, achieveing a hit single "Maria Caipirinha" (with DJ Dero) on the Spanish charts in 2005. Carlinhos Brown remains active in the Salvador da Bahía community, founding the Pracatum Music School in the Candeal neighborhood in 1994 as a non-profit organization dedicated to education, cultural, and community development programs in the city, including a professional music school. In addition, Brown has his own recording label, Candyall Records. Brown has also began painting, and his art works are being well received.
Now, on 10 April 2007, Carlinhos' new album released, 'A Gente Ainda Não Sonhou' (SonyBMG). Recorded in Salvador de Bahia between March 2005 and September 2006. Two Titles Are Co-written with Marisa Monte and Arnaldo Antunes, the record opens with Brazilian percussion mixed with electronica, psychedelic strings and booming beats; primitivism and sophistication with a technically naïve feel, yet always maintaining the best of Brazil.
The albums continues with tracks that fuse electronic sounds with a radiant rhythms, a rumba-tango con a Bahian feel, touches of the most dynamic reggae that clearly show the Brazilian - Jamaican connection, a syncopated funk and also two ballads, one that mixes acoustic with electronic ambiance and shows Brown's mastery of this type of music, and another with a magnificent string arrangement that adorn one of the most lyrical songs on the album.
Carlinhos Brown is extensively featured in the 2004 documentary El Milagro de Candeal.
In 2011, he collaborated with Los Van Vans to record the track "Soy Loco Por Tí, América" for to the Red Hot Organization's most recent charitable album "Red Hot+Rio 2." The album is a follow-up to the 1996 "Red Hot + Rio." Proceeds from the sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.
CASA SAMBA
Casa Samba was founded in 1987 by Curtis Pierre, Bill Lennon, Chuk and Carolyn Barber. On July 21, 1993, Mayor Sidney Bartholomew proclaimed Casa Samba as the first samba school in New Orleans, one the premier cities of Carnival in the world. The group is directed by Curtis Pierre, and Brasilian master drummer, Jorge "Alabe" Bezerra.
Casa Samba's performances combine traditional music, vocals, theater, dance and drumming to capture the spirit of Carnival in Brasil, Afro- Brasilian traditions and history. We showcase our performances at festivals, conventions and special events and through our annual participation in several Mardi Gras parades and coronations (such as Endymion and Zulu balls) and at the New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival. Appropriately enough, Casa Samba first emerged in 1986 during Mardi Gras.
COREY HENRY
Corey Henry is a New Orleans based trombone player best know for his work with the legendary Rebirth Brass Band. These days he is a regular player with Galactic with appearances on the live album The Other Side of Midnight (2010) and the new studio album Carnivale Electricos 2012). Corey's contribution to the Galactic sound goes well beyond the recordings. He's become a staple on the road over the last few tours as the band has taken their brand of New Orleans based funk all over the US and around the world.
CYRIL NEVILLE
Cyril Neville maybe the last great voice of New Orleans music. One of the four Neville Brothers, Cyril Neville was the youngest, born on October 10, 1948 , in New Orleans, LA. Cyril picked up his love of music from his parents and his older brothers at an early age, but it wasn't until 1967 (at the age of 19) that Cyril began singing professionally, as he united with brothers Art and Aaron in the outfit Art Neville and the Neville Sounds, playing the New Orleans club circuit on a regular basis. Cyril and Aaron eventually left the group, forming another outfit, Soul Machine, shortly thereafter. 1970 saw the release of Cyril's debut solo single, "Gossip" b/w "Tell Me What's On Your Mind," which included backing music by brother Art's new outfit, the Meters. Soul Machine relocated to Nashville, then New York, but both moves failed to help put the group over the top. It just so happened at this time that the Meters were looking to expand their lineup, and asked Cyril to join in on vocals and congas contributing to such albums as 1972's Cabbage Alley and 1975's Fire on the Bayou, In 74, the Rolling Stones offered The Meters a support slot on the bands sold out tour if they would hire Cyril Neville to sing and front the band. His work as a human rights advocate does not stray far from his art. The joys as well as the complications and frustrations of growing up in the oppressed South can be heard through-out his catalog as a solo Artist as well as his work with his brothers The Neville Brothers
Just as the Meters splintered in 1976, Cyril became enraptured with reggae music (thanks to Bob Marley's landmark Natty Dread album), as all four Neville siblings formed the Neville Brothers group, issuing numerous subsequent recordings. In addition to his work with the Neville Brothers, Cyril has formed other bands over the years, including the Endangered Species Band in 1983 and the Uptown All-stars Band, while he also found time to launch his own record label, Endangered Species. Cyril also founded the New Orleans Musicians Organized (NOMO), which helps musicians who need business advice with their careers. Cyril Neville has issued several solo albums on his own over the years, including 1995's The Fire This Time, and a pair in 2000, New Orleans Cookin' and Soulo. Plus he has guested on various other artist's recordings over the years, including albums by Edie Brickell, Jimmy Buffett, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, Daniel Lanois, Willie Nelson, Tab Benoit, and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux among others.
DAVID SHAW
Ohio born David Shaw is a 28-year old singer/songwriter widely recognized as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the New Orleans based Rock band, The Revivalists (www.therevivalists.com)
Since forming the band in 2007, David has brought his extraordinary artistry and fresh musical vision to bear on reinventing the local New Orleans music scene. His unique weaving of the harmonic concepts of rock & roll together with southern folk and indie soul produces a sound that has made an indelible impact on the BIg Easy. David's soaring popularity and professional success with The Revivalists illustrate why he is seen as among the area's top emerging artists.
Touring the Southwest, Midwest and Northeastern regions of the country since 2008, David's charismatic personality and contagious enthusiasm have earned him a place on stage with musical icons such as Dr. John, The Black Crowes, The Rebirth Brass Band, J.J. Grey, Galactic and Snoop Dogg. Big-ticket events like DeLuna Fest, Jazz Fest, The French Quarter Fest and Voodoo Fest continue to give him the exposure needed to make his mark in the industry as his fan base grows.
"To live your dream, your have to believe in it, cultivate its meaning, find its true soul and set it free to expand".
peace.love.happiness
-David
IVAN NEVILLE
Ivan Neville (born August 19, 1959, New Orleans, Louisiana) is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers. He has released four solo albums and had a Top 40 Billboard hit with "Not Just Another Girl" from his first solo album If My Ancestors Could See Me Now. His second single "Falling Out of Love" charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and appeared on thesoundtrack for the John Ritter film, Skin Deep in 1989. While it was never a huge charting song, Neville's "Why Cant I Fall In Love" has also become a sleeper fan-favorite, gaining fame from the 1990 Soundtrack to the Christian Slater film, "Pump Up the Volume".
Neville has played with and appeared on several Neville Brother records, as well as his father’s solo records. He performed in Bonnie Raitt's band from 1985 to 1987 and contributed the song "All Day, All Night", co-written with bassist James Hutch Hutchinson (musician) to her Nine Lives CD. He also contributed keyboards to two Rolling Stones albums, 1986’s Dirty Workand 1994’s Voodoo Lounge as well as being a member of Keith Richards’ solo band the X-Pensive Winos. In 1988, he toured with Richards after recording Talk is Cheap, and was the opening act for the shows, since If My Ancestors Could See Me Nowwas released.
Apart from appearing on several other artists’ records, including Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt, Robbie Robertson, Rufus, Paula Abdul, and Delbert McClinton, he was a member of the Spin Doctors, touring and recording on the group's album Here Comes The Bride in 1999–2000, including assuming lead vocal duties when Chris Barron lost his voice.
In 2003, he formed his own band Dumpstaphunk[1] and appeared, among other places, on the Late Show with David Letterman. When the levees failed in New Orleans in 2005, Neville joined The New Orleans Social Club and recorded the benefit albumSing Me Back Home with producers Leo Sacks and Ray Bardani at Wire Studios in Austin, Texas. Neville's searing version of John Fogerty's "Fortunate Son" was critically acclaimed. "Catharsis never sounded cooler," raved Entertainment Weekly. In 2007, with Dumstaphunk and B.B. King, he participated in a tribute album to fellow New Orleans musician Fats Domino, contributing his version of the title song to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard Records).
Through the Tipitina's Foundation, along with other New Orleans musicians, Neville has been active in performing benefit shows in support of Hurricane Katrina charities.
JOHN MICHAEL ROUCHELL
MyNameIsJohnMichael is a 6 piece indie rock band born and raised in New Orleans, which began as a solo project in 2008 when lead singer John Michael Rouchell accepted a friendly challenge to write, record, and release 52 songs in one year. Only 4 months into the project, a more realized MyNameIsJohnMichael was born, and in March of 2009 the group put out their self-released debut album, "The People That Come and Go." The tracks on the album came from the 52 songs of 2008 and were voted on and selected by fans. Full of vibrant energy and explosive performance, MyNameIsJohnMichael's live shows go unrivaled, featuring horns, trashcans and chains. They have been pronounced the Best New Artist/Band out of The Big Easy by several publications, and are undoubtedly one of the South's best live bands. The group has an impressive touring resume, playing national festivals like; Bonnaroo, New Orleans Heritage & Jazz Festival, Voodoo Fest, Austin City Limits, South by Southwest, B.O.M.B. Fest, French Quarter Fest, Lollapalooza, and CMJ (to name a few.) They have opened for the likes of Phoenix and Surfer Blood, and played an after show with, the super group, Monsters of Folk, to great reviews from publications like SPIN and The Metro. John Michael Rouchell's music has been featured in an ad for the retail company Coach for the launch of their newest jewelry line, "Poppy." Front man, John Michael, was also recently featured in a Black Cab Session when the well respected internet taste maker made its way from the UK to the States to discover new up and coming acts, (this video has not yet been released.) SPIN Magazine featured MyNameIsJohnMichael as one of the Top 25 Bands to See at CMJ 2009, calling the sound, "straight forward, plaintive acoustic balladry infused with a bit of brassy Big Easy bravado. " The review was followed quickly by The Metro's declaration that MyNameIsJohnMichael was one of the 5 top bands you should have seen at CMJ in their article "OMG!CMJ!," stating "a Bayou-flavored version of the Arcade Fire's anthemic indie pop, [this] six-piece band sing dead-on harmonies and rock out ferociously when the occasion calls for it." MyNameIsJohnMichael is looking forward to an active 2011, playing The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, French Quarter Fest, South by Southwest and to completion of their sophomore album, produced by Raymond Richards (producer on Local Natives "Gorilla Manor") to be released later this year.
MAGGIE KOERNER
Shreveport, Louisiana native, Maggie Koerner, is a 25-year-old singer/songwriter with some “soul to slap in your face,” she says. This Catholic choir girl turned soul singer enjoys wailing the nastiness when asked politely, but it's the rawness of her voice and the honesty in her lyrics that really connects Koerner with listeners.
Spending most of her life in Shreveport, Koerner dreamed of pursuing a career in music, but it was Brady Blade discovering her on Youtube that made these dreams tangible. Two years after meeting Blade, Koerner recorded her debut album, Quarter Life, at Blade Studios with Blade acting as producer & mentor.
Koerner thanks New Orleans for much of her inspiration and success. Writing and playing with local musicians such as The Revivalists, Kristin Diable and Flow Tribe opened doors for this new, emerging artist which led her to stages at dba, Tipitina's, The Howlin' Wolf and events like Voodoo Festival and Pensacola's DeLuna Festival.
Koerner says, “Being on stage is where I feel like my most genuine self. Singing is my first language, so it makes sense that I connect with people most intensely while performing. Let's just hope it all goes up from here!”
MANNIE FRESH
He's half of the brains behind the Cash Money label, his productions have moved over 23 million units, and it all started because of a DJ father. Surrounded by music while growing up, producer/rapper/hip-hop mogul Mannie Fresh decided early on that if he had to get a job, it had to be doing what he loved to do, and that was play music. The New Orleans native got his start in 1984 as a member of New York Incorporated, arguably New Orleans' first hip-hop crew. The parties Mannie started to DJ around this time were to become legendary and brought him to the attention of rapper Gregory D. The two partnered and worked on album that was to become 1992's The Real Deal released on RCA. Rap fans in the Big Easy fell in love with the album but it failed to gain much attention outside of the South. Although they remained friends, Mannie and Gregory D split professionally, due in part to Mannie's displeasure with the way major labels handled street music. The stage was now set for the producer's meeting with Brian "Baby" Williams. When Williams offered Mannie a chance to join his fledgling Cash Money label, it couldn't have been better timing. Soon artists like Baby, Juvenile, B.G., and Lil Wayne were taking Cash Money to the top, thanks in no small part to Mannie's quirky and bright production. By the late '90s, Cash Money was the preeminent Southern rap label and Mannie and Williams were now working on their own group. The two formed Big Tymers in 1998 and released a series of successful singles and albums. The producer behind everything from Juvenile's 400 Degreez to Teena Marie's La Doña finally busted out on his own in 2004 with the wild solo album The Mind of Mannie Fresh.
MIKE DILLON
Mike Dillon (aka Mike D) is a percussionist, vibraphonist, bandleader, vocalist and songwriter born in San Antonio, Texas. He is a member of Critters Buggin, Les Claypool's Fancy Band and Garage A Trois. He has performed with many musicians including Ani DiFranco, Galactic, Brave Combo, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Marco Benevento and New Orleans musicians Kevin O'Day, Johnny Vidacovich and James Singleton. Dillon also performed in the 80's with local Dallas and Denton favorites Ten Hands.
He has led Dallas-based Billy Goat, Kansas City-based Malachy Papers and Austin-based Hairy Apes BMX (HABMX).
In 2006 Dillon started a funky project "Mike Dillon's Go-Go Jungle" which included members of Billy Goat, drummer Go-Go Ray, and bassist, J.J. Jungle. The live Go-Go Jungle also performs songs from Dillon's prior projects. They released their second CD entitled Rock Star Bench Press in 2009.
Dillon contributed the majority of compositions to Garage A Trois' Power Patriot CD released in 2009.
Dillon and saxophonist Skerik perform as a trio called "The Dead Kenny G's" with alternate third members. National tours have included keyboardist Brian Haas and bassist Brad Houser. With Houser they have also toured as "Critters Buggin Trio". They released a CD entitled Bewildered Herd in 2009. As a trio with bassist James Singleton, Dillon and Skerik have toured as "Illuminasti" and as a trio with Les Claypool they have been billed as "The Fancy Trio".
Dillon resides in New Orleans, Louisiana, but a busy touring schedule keeps him on the road much of the time.
MOYSEIS MARQUES
Moyseis Marques is a Brazlian singer songwriter known as the best voice of Lapa, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro renownd for its vibrant nightlife. He has released two albums, the self-titled Moyseis Marques in 2007 and 2009's follow up Fases do Coração (Phases of the Heart). Both albums were released on the prominent Brazilian label DeckDisc. Though still early in his career, it is apparent already that he is and will continue to be an important artist in the legacy of Brazilian Samba music.
MYSTIKAL
Originally one of the leading rappers on Master P's No Limit record label, Mystikal quickly evolved beyond the label's clichéd thug trappings and found himself one of the Dirty South's most recognized rappers, alongside Juvenile. Like No Limit itself, Mystikal is a New Orleans native. He released an eponymous debut on the independent label Big Boy in 1995. It earned the attention of Jive Records, who signed him later that year. His official, major-label debut, Mind of Mystikal, was released early in 1996 and became a major hit in the rap underground, falling just short of going gold. He then hooked up with Master P and No Limit; the union produced Unpredictable, which was released in the fall of 1997 and helped the rapper build a substantial following. Ghetto Fabulous followed in early 1999, falling just short of debuting at number one on the album charts. Consolidating his status as a hot property, Mystikal wasted no time in issuing a follow-up; Let's Get Ready appeared in the fall of 2000, eclipsing his preceding releases in sales terms, as expected. Driven by the James Brown-like "Shake Ya Ass" as a lead single -- an MTV staple before the album even hit the streets -- it had become increasingly difficult to trace Mystikal's roots back to the trademark sound and motifs of the thuggish No Limit camp. Let's Get Ready demonstrated the wide-reaching ambitions that had only been hinted at in successive releases, eliminating the No Limit stigma and finally making his unique rhyme delivery accessible enough to cross over to the masses. In 2001, Mystikal's bombastic rap stylings came together for a fifth album, Tarantula. "Bouncin' Back (Bumpin' Me Against the Wall)" was one of 2002's hottest singles; the next year Mystikal garnered two Grammy nods for Best Male Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Album. The hit-grabbing compilation Prince of the South dropped in 2004 with the new single "Oochie Pop."
SHMARR ALLEN
Jazz Cat. Traditionalist. Pop Icon. Rapper. Rocker.Shamarr Allen is none of the above. The New Orleans trumpeter and vocalist who leads his own funk band, the Underdawgs, is making his mark on the national landscape as an artist determined not to be pigeonholed into any one genre. And his mounting fandom is enjoying the ride.
The 2009-2010 calendar year brought tremendous opportunity to Allen, including a performance for Barack Obama, a multi-city tour with country icon Willie Nelson, studio sessions with Nelson and friends, Ray Price, Leon Russell and R.E.M., the release of the red hot Saints anthem, Bring ‘Em to the Dome (racking up an impressive 500,000 hits on YouTube) and the production of the oil spill song “Sorry Ain’t Enough No More.”
A household name in New Orleans, not just for his scorching trumpet playing or playful vocals, but for his ability to bridge hip-hop, jazz, funk and rock, Allen leapt out of the box with the 2009 crowd pleasing release of “Box Who In?”
His 2008 solo release "Meet me On Frenchmen Street" was an homage to the storied past of New Orleans; "Box Who In?" is a vision of its future. The tracks are representative of what's here and now, with an insight into the man behind the horn. "The title of the CD is how I feel," says Allen and "I will not be put into the box of a particular style of music. Maybe one day I will want to do a country record and I don't want to feel limited in any situation.“
And limited he is not. Allen has risen through the ranks as a member of the Wolfpack, Mahogany, Hot 8 and ReBirth brass bands and he has shared stages with some of New Orleans' finest. But, he has recently come into his own as a bandleader to be reckoned with.
Shamarr Allen is certainly leaving his thumbprint on the music scene, transcending his local celebrity and spreading his star power throughout the U.S. and abroad. Once hailed as New Orleans’ latest trumpet flash, Allen is now regarded as “one of the brightest diamonds to emerge from the Crescent City in recent years.”
STEVE RILEY
Steve Riley, of Mamou Louisiana, is a widely acknowledged master of the Cajun accordion and its singularly powerful sound. There has never been an official competition among Cajun accordionists. Whenever a contest does arise, Steve Riley usually wins it, or judges it. Despite the lack of official metrics or quantifying factors, it remains true that most people think Steve is the best there is, and very few would argue the point. His playing is a standard by which timing, phrasing and ingenuity are measured on the royal instrument of South Louisiana. That, combined with his searing, emotional vocals, songwriting, soulful fiddling and onstage front man charisma have led many to refer to the band simply as "Steve Riley."
For many, that would be enough, but for this band, and its devoted fans, there's much, much more.