Jazz Fest, etc.

So Jon is becoming a lap steel genius, and displayed his prowess last night at Kerry's Irish Pub. I was super blown away, especially with the way some of our songs sound with that instrument in a more laid-back situation. Now if only the gig wan't four hours long...

In other news, Jazz Fest starts today! And like the past few years, there are quite a few big name acts that cause an instant "why would they ('they' being the Jazz Fest selction committee) do that???" or "snoresleepahhhgg..." moment:


1) Rod Stewart
Age: 62

You're thinking "Rod Stewart? That guy who when he does something, he does it for you? Him?" And I say "Yeah, he'd cry for you, walk the wire for you, die for you...you know its true." And you say, "Yes! That makes perfect sense to have an aging used to be rock star be one of the headliners of the biggest music festival in New Orleans! Brilliant!" Also, is anybody else weirded out that this guy has looked exactly the same for the past 25-30 years? He's gotta be 65!!! Ahhhh!!!! (Not the biggest Rod fan here. Jeremy on the other hand...)

2) ZZ Top
Avg. Age: 57

Wow. Those beards just never get old do they? (I'm actually secretly trying to grow one...look for progress photos soon!) And the guitar spinning! Love the guitar spinning! But seriously folks, I love the songs "Cheap Sunglasses" and "Those Other ZZ Top Songs That Sound Really Similar" as much as the next guy, but when was the last time the Top was even remotely culturally relevant, at least enough to warrant headlining a stage at Jazz Fest? (The only reason I could really see them being invited to play is because of their stellar performance in the third installment of the classic "Back to the Future" trilogy. Wait--even back then that was seen as an out of touch choice for good music!)

3) Counting Crows
Avg. Age: 45

Where have these guys been? I think they were on one of the Shrek movies, and there was that Joni Mitchell cover song that was on the radio (I really hated the fact that wherever I heard that one, it would instantly stick in my head. Buying detergent at Target? "Paved paradise, put up a..."), but its been at least ten years since they were headliner material.

4) New Edition
Avg. Age: 40

So these guys are still around. Didn't they do their comeback "Behind the Music" special, like, 3 years ago? (Didn't it always bother you that the "Behind the Music" specials were almost always tied into that artists comeback album/performance? I mean really, I'm not going to buy the new Leif Garrett album). Now if it was Bel Biv Devoe...


5) Van Morrison
Age: 62

Yeah, he still makes pretty good music. I'd be a lot more excited to see him if he would wear the same super tight one piece jump suit he wore in "The Last Waltz" while singing 'Caravan'.


6) Steely Dan
Avg. Age: 57

No one should be surprised that we're super pumped for this one. Even if the picture for them on the Jazz Fest's official website is hilariously ugly.

7) John Mayer
Age: 29

Not a big fan of the music, but seriously (and I can not tell you how many times I've been made fun of for saying this...) check out his blog! Its really funny. He kind of bucks the age trend, but I would lump his music into a "safe enough for soccer mom and daugther to both enjoy" category.

8) Jerry Lee Lewis ("The Killer")
Age: 71

This guy is seriously rad on the piano. And he shoots people. And he marries 13 year old cousins. And has been crazy for the past 40 years. I just want to hear about what happens to him and the people around him while he's in town.

9) Ludacris
Age: 29

Trend bucker as well--pretty safe though. Another hilarious picture on the official JF website. Seriously, go check out the site (just click on the title of this installment...). Is his hair air-brushed on?


So, what do these headliners mean? To me, it means the Jazz Fest selection committee really wants a certain age group of fans at the Fairgrounds (with a few exceptions). Not my age group, or better said, not my music age group. I would hope that in the years to come the selection committee would follow the example of VooDoo Fest from the past few years, and get some current, "hip," bands that would cause some excitement among a different demographic. VooDoo pretty much sucked for its first 6 or 7 years (Snoop Dogg followed by Govt. Mule anyone?), but the past two have been great. I'm not saying thats all it should be, but at least throw a couple in there for the kids.