Crescent City Covers: THE WEEKEND MIX

 

It's been a minute since I put together a Weekend Mix. And though I was just in New Orleans last month, I'm "already ready already" to get back there. So this mix is for me as much as it is for you. 

I'm sure I have shared some of these songs before, but in case you missed it, they are all in one place for your listening pleasure.

Have fun. 

TRACKLIST

Immigrant Song- Tin Men
In the Flesh- Bonerama w/Stanton Moore
Papa Was A Rolling Stone- Hot 8 Brass Band
Saturday Night Special- Galactic
All Right Now- Jon Cleary
Fortunate Son- Ivan Neville
Big Bottom- New Orleans Nightcrawlers
Late In The Evening- Voice Of The Wetlands All-Stars
I Want You- Cyril Neville
For You Blue- John Boutte
Something So Strong- Deacon John
Oklahoma USA- Leigh "Little Queenie" Harris
It's All Over Now- Dirty Dozen Brass Band w/Dr. John
Your Mama Don't Dance- James Andrews
That Feel- Lil' Band O'Gold
Honky Tonk Women- The Meters
When The Levee Breaks- Stanton Moore Trio
End Of The Line- Dr. John

It's HERE

The picture up top was taken while waiting for Irma Thomas to perform. No photos were allowed during the performance, though my friend Allen managed to get one. See below. It's not perfect, but it's still a great souvenir. 

I took the pic of Stanton Moore at the Wednesday Night Happy Organ Hour at the Maple Leaf Bar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow

 

Borrowing from the great Mr. Simels, here's a pretty obvious clue to what's in store for tomorrow's Weekend Mix.

An aside, leave it to New Orleans to put me in a good mood listening to Joy Division. 

Stay tuned. 

Donnie Iris, 1943-2026

 

What are the odds that I would have a few Donnie Iris stories?

Back in 1980, the Sheepshead Bay gang was fully immersed in all things Rush and Sabbath, so I was taken by surprise when my friend Mike, a guitarist in one of the bands I'd been jamming around with said, "I want to cover this new Donnie Iris song, 'Ah Leah'." I had no idea what he was talking about or where he had heard it, but when I tracked it down, I knew exactly why Mike wanted to play it on guitar.

By his second record, Iris became an MTV star with "Love Is Like A Rock," a fun song, but there were better on the "King Cool" record. I loved that record and played it to death and then finally got tickets to see Donnie Iris & The Cruisers at The Ritz. I thought this then and I still think it now, it was one of the best shows I had ever seen. Iris was a showman, and he showed off his four octave vocal range a number of times during that 90 minute set. As a bonus, I caught the drummer's sticks.

Now, it's 1989, Iris released a few more records, each less impressive than the one before, and he basically fell off the radar, except in his hometown of Pittsburgh. Labor Day Weekend, three buddies and I decided to take a road trip. We bought tickets to the Stones' opening night of the "Steel Wheels" tour at Veterans Stadium in Philly and tickets for Frank Sinatra at the MGM Grand in Atlantic City. But in between those two shows, we spent the day and night on South Street. 

We decided to walk into a bar for some drinks. We opened the door to a room just slightly bigger than a freight elevator. It was wall to wall people, and as luck would have it, on the small stage, kicking some rock and roll butt, was Donnie Iris & The Cruisers. I went bananas! My friends thought I was insane, and maybe I was for getting that excited. They had never heard of Donnie Iris, or "Ah Leah" or "Love Is Like A Rock." Finally, I saw a bit of life in my friend Rob's eyes when I said "He also wrote 'The Rapper.'" "The Jaggerz?" I love that song!" "The Rapper" was how I convinced the guys to hang around for the music. And Iris, did indeed, play "The Rapper."

Donnie Iris also did a short stint with Wild Cherry, famous for "Play That Funky Music."

Iris was 83 and passed after dealing with bladder cancer. It's only a shock to me because I just saw a clip of Iris at a college football game in Pittsburgh just last week and he seemed to have the same energy he did back in 1981.

Give his first two records "Back On The Streets" and "King Cool" some time. There is greatness on both.

 

 

 

Still One Of The Best Songwriters In The World?

Let me start by saying I really can't stand Joe Caramanica and I have been an ardent non-supporter of the Smashing Pumpkins since day one, though I have come to truly respect Billy Corgan after watching a number of his interviews on The Maginifcent Others. 

All that said, there is a lot to talk about in the brief clip.

"Its the decline of the gatekeeper class and I am laughing as their bodies float down the river because they did it to themselves." 

 

 

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Songs Of The Week, 2026: 10/17-10/23

 

Hard Times- Boz Scaggs
Viva La Money- Allen Toussaint
White Sugar- Peter Frampton
I Get So Excited - The Equals
Five Foot One- Iggy Pop
When You Walk Through Me- Ultravox
My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms- Tuff Darts

Your Songs Of The Week!

I'll say this, I hadn't heard the Tuff Darts album in ages, but thanks to a nudge from hpunch, I took it for a drive. I knew every word to "My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms." I surprised myself. I either played that track to death back in the day, or maybe included it on a favorite mixed tape. But it was great to hear it again. Also, it's no secret how much I adore the John Foxx Ultravox records, but I never loved "Systems Of Romance" as much as the first two...until recently. A great, great album.

Grab the mix HERE 

BW's Saturday #91

 

New Stones Or Solo Jagger?

 

I think I like it either way.