Six String Music Memories

Seeing the clouds as the plane flew into the Louis Armstrong airport, I was unprepared for the forthcoming deluge. Looks mostly sunny, right? In spite of how it looks out the airplane window, as the hotel shuttle I was on left for downtown New Orleans, black clouds and lightning were on the way. 

I had traveled to the French Quarter of New Orleans for a fundraising event called Six String Music Invitational. Running this year from August 9-12, it's four days and showcases the performance of mostly original music by the singer/songwriters who have been invited to participate. I was honored to be included this year with much more seasoned performers such as Jim Morris, John Frinzi, James "Sunny Jim" White, John Friday,  Thom Shepherd along with Coley McCabe and many others. (My apologies for not typing them all out. Here is the link so you can see the list for yourself: http://www.sixstringmusicnola.com/2012.html)

It poured for at least an hour. The last passenger on the hotel shuttle, I watched as my fellow travelers each ran for cover with their luggage into their respective hotels. I was finally dispatched at the Hotel Provincial, the final stop, in an amazing downpour. Myself and my luggage plus guitar dripping, I checked in at the front desk, receiving a handful of paper towels from the clerk with which to dry off. Like others, I had to wait for the downpour to subside before walking back the open courtyard/parking area to Building Five where my room waited.

After about 10 minutes, I was surprised by the arrival of John Friday. We hung around the lobby until the rain subsided, checked into our respective rooms, then headed off to Margaritaville for drinks and grub. After a little time, there chatting and watching some of the Olympics, we hit the French Market and did some sightseeing around town.

The evening brought the Meet and Greet at Margaritaville and performances by all the currently in-town musicians. Being new at all this, and possibly a bit (very!) nervous, it meant a lot to have Sunny Jim on stage with me. Not only did he support us musically but he also supplied comforting comments and quite a bit of humor. 

While each performer took a turn on stage, we mingled with the Six String attendees from all over the country. It was a pleasure to finally meet Capt. Leo Singleton, who plays at the NOLA Margaritaville every week, along with all of the other Parrot Heads collected to hear the songs and stories we brought along. Lots of travelers had come from afar including "Mad" Marty Kuklinski from the Big Burrito Radio Show along with wife Kathy, Brian Fields from the Just 4 Fun Band in New Mexico and my dear friend Kent McCoy from my neck of the woods. 


Friday brought better weather and a day full of music. Around lunchtime we collected at the Funky Pirate on Bourbon for a quiet listening session. Also accompanied by Sunny Jim, we each had about a half hour to play some songs and tell our stories. The patrons were all encouraged to "Hush up y'all" while we were playing. I enjoyed the experience and the opportunity to explain the stories behind my songs as well as hearing the other songwriters.


From the Funky Pirate, performances began at the Tropical Isle Original on Bourbon.The stage is a raised platform behind the bar and the perspective can be intimidating as hell. I followed Thom Shepherd and Coley McCabe (pressure!). Luckily Sunny Jim was up there again, keeping me sane. In the early part of my set the bartenders began running around, blowing whistles and screaming for everyone to get out of the water; there was going to be a shark attack! Lights and sirens went off as I played, trying to keep it cool.

The Shark Attack is a drink. The bartender produces a cup of clear liquid filled with crushed ice, then plunges a plastic shark filled with grenadine into the cup so it looks like the shark is feeding. This procedure was repeated several times and somehow became part of the act. By the way, they are very tasty.


John Frinzi was up next. At some point during his set, while Jim Morris and Sunny Jim were also on stage, and possibly deriving courage from the Shark Attack, I crept up onto the platform and began to play the trap set that was there. I have a little drumming knowledge, my dad having played in a country band when I was 12 and showing me how to keep a beat. Apparently it worked out well enough because I got a big smile from Mr. Frinzi. Getting to be on stage with these three guys was one of the highlights of my weekend! Friday evening brought the All-Star Songwriter Circle, where each of us took a turn on stage, then Jim Morris rounded out the evening with a great show.


After my showcase on Friday I could pretty much relax. Saturday morning I got up and ran all over New Orleans. While it was a rainy day, the rain was not as heavy as it had been Friday. One of the cool things about New Orleans is you can get around town without getting too wet by hanging out and walking under bead-strewn balconies (or by hanging out in bars and stores.) I did some shopping, took some photos and had a crawdad omelet for breakfast at the Beignet Cafe. 

Folks everywhere were dressed in red as this day was also the day of the Red Dress Run. The Hash House Harriers run through the French Quarter for charity, then hang out imbibing on Bourbon for the rest of the day.

 This photo was taken from the Top of the Trop where I had gone in the afternoon to catch acts including Captain Josh, Matt Hoggatt and John Friday. John's set included new songs plus "The Boys from Oklahoma" with a "bong" effect provided by Mad Marty. John Reno and Joe Bennett played that evening also. We had one final songwriter showcase at Margaritaville, this time joined by Brent Burns, and Sunny Jim finished out the night, playing his awesome set for an hour and a half.

Sunday morning Brent entertained all with his fun show at the brunch. The weekend had seemed to fly by and I couldn't believe I only had just a little time left in New Orleans. I said goodbye to as many folks as I could, then wandered around town a bit more. Just like the day I arrived, the rain fell heavily, breaking in time for me to catch my hotel shuttle around 4pm.

With good memories tucked away, I hope to get back to the Big Easy soon for Six String or maybe even Jazz Fest. New Orleans is a remarkable town, full of great folks and beautiful architecture, fabulous art, the most amazing food plus good times. I highly recommend a visit for any reason.