FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2007
PONDEROSA STOMP ANNOUNCES SHOW SCHEDULE FOR MAY 2 NEW ORLEANS ROOTS FEST
Set to Rock are Roky Erickson, Dan Penn, Dave Bartholomew, Little Jimmy Scott, Dale Hawkins, Barbara Lynn, Bobby Rush, Roy Head, Augie Meyers, Wardell Quezergue, Lazy Lester, Willie Tee and Henry Gray
NEW ORLEANS, La. – Ponderosa Stomp, the renowned New Orleans roots festival has announced its artist schedule (see below.) The sixth annual Stomp is set to roll on Wednesday, May 2, at New Orleans’ House of Blues, encompassing three separate stages with non-stop music from 5:30 p.m. til 2 a.m. Tickets for the Stomp are now on sale through Ticketmaster outlets and a www.ponderosastomp.com
Wednesday, May 2 rests comfortably between the two weekends of JazzFest in new Orleans, and many Fest-goers stay late or come early to experience Ponderosa Stomp.
This year’s Stomp promises to bend ears with the inclusion of many legends of blues, r&b, soul, garage rock, New Orleans music, traditional country, rockabilly and swamp pop. Among the featured artists are garage rock legend Roky Erickson, rockabilly wild man Dale Hawkins, R&B soprano Little Jimmy Scott, master arranger Wardell Quezergue, Texas Tornado Augie Meyers, Texas shouter Roy Head, keyboardist extraordinaire Willie Tee, Mississippi Hill Country bluesman Kenny Brown, chitlin’ circuit kingpin Bobby Rush, and “Mr. Big Stuff” soul songstress Jean Knight, among dozens of others.
“The Ponderosa Stomp is rock n roll in the truest sense. Nowhere else will you see such a historied but eclectic bunch of musicians on the same bill. Only in the universe of the Ponderosa Stomp do Dave Bartholomew, Roky Erickson, Little Jimmy Scott and Dale Hawkins exist together. Many of these artists do not tour and the Stomp is the only place to see them.” says Dr. Ike. Ike is executive director of the Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau, the 501c3 nonprofit organization which produces Ponderosa Stomp along with selected New Orleans roots shows throughout the year, plus a “mini-Stomp” at SXSW in Austin. Since the organization’s 2000 inception, the Knights have considered it their mission to rediscover and celebrate America’s overlooked musical pioneers and re-educate the community about their impact on music.
CNN has declared the Ponderosa Stomp “history in the making,” while New York Times music critic Jon Pareles calls it a “dream” event that “plunges into the obscure byways of rock’n’roll past.” Of the 2005 festival, Gambit magazine joined MSNBC, the Associated Press, Mojo, the No Depression, Harp, Paste, Christian Science Monitor, High Times, Blues Revue, Living Blues, the Chicago Sun-Times, and more, with praise, writing, “For roots aficionados, the Stomp was nirvana; you almost had to pinch yourself to make sure it wasn’t a dream.”
Following is an hour-by-hour schedule for Ponderosa Stomp 2007:
Main Stage
5:30-5:45 Lil Buck & the Top Cats With Stanley Buckwheat Dural
5:45-6:30 Dennis Coffey backed by Lil Buck & the Top Cats
6:30-7:15 Lazy Lester backed by Lil Buck & the Top Cats
7:15-8:00 Barbara Lynn backed by Lil Buck & the Top Cats
8:00-8:30 Roy Head backed by Lil Buck & the Top Cats
8:45-9:15 Little Jimmy Scott backed by Lil Buck & the Top Cats
9:30-11:00 Wardell Quezergue & His New Orleans Rhythm and Blues Revue with Dave Bartholomew, Tony Owens and Jean Knight
11:15-11:45 Dan Penn and Bobby Emmons
12:00-1:00 Roky Erickson & the Explosives
1:15-2:00 Augie Meyers
2:10-2:30 Guitar Lightnin’
TBS – David Batiste, Ernie Vincent
Parish Stage
5:30-6:00 Ralph Soul Jackson
6:00-6:30 Eddie Kirkland
6:45-7:15 Jay Chevalier with Grace Broussard
with the Haunted Hearts
7:30-8:00 Henry Gray
8:15-9:00 Dan Penn and Bobby Emmons
9:15-10:00 Kenny Brown and Bobby Rush
10:15-10:45 Little Freddie King
11:00-11:30 Dale Hawkins backed by Deke Dickerson & the Eccfonics
11:30-12:00 Joe Clay backed by Deke Dickerson & the Eccofonics
12:00-12:30 Matt Lucas backed by Deke Dickerson & the Eccofonics
12:45-1:30 Willie Tee
1:30-2:00 Rockie Charles
2:00-2:30 Al Johnson
Patio Stage
8:00-830 Skip Easterling
8:30-9:00 Jay Chevalier
9:00- 9:30 Eddie Kirkland
930-10:00 Henry Gray
10:00-10:30 Al Johnson
10:30-11:00 Kenny Brown and Bobby Rush
11:00-11:30 Rockie Charles
11:30-12:15 Lazy Lester
12:15-12:45 Little Freddie King
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Photo of Roky Erickson © Stephanie ChernikowskiFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2007
YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME, BABY: CULT HERO ROKY ERICKSON TO MAKE RARE OUTSIDE-AUSTIN APPEARANCE AT PONDEROSA STOMP
Reclusive, iconoclastic performer joining originators of blues. garage, rockabilly, R&B, and rock’n’roll in welcoming the Ponderosa Stomp back home to New Orleans on May 2, 2007
NEW ORLEANS, La. — Roky Erickson's biggest hit, "You're Gonna Miss Me," with his band the 13th Floor Elevators, only reached No. 56 on the national pop chart, yet the lyrics and music composed by this reclusive — and at times mysterious — musician still reverberate today. And this spring, Erickson will make a very rare foray outside of his hometown of Austin, Texas to play a concert-length set at the Sixth Annual Ponderosa Stomp, set for New Orleans' House of Blues on Wednesday, May 2, 2007. Backing him will be The Explosives (Freddie Krc, Waller Collie and Cam King) who played with Roky in the '80s.
At the Ponderosa Stomp, Roky Erickson will be surrounded by legendary performers, including master arranger Wardell Quezergue and the New Orleans Rhythm & Blues Revue, soul songwriter supreme Dan Penn, rockabilly wild man Dale Hawkins, R&B soprano Little Jimmy Scott, Texas Tornado co-founder Augie Meyers, Stax sessions guitarist Skip Pitts, Gulf Coast guitar empress Barbara Lynn, Mardi Gras king Al "Carnival Time" Johnson, Excello harp master Lazy Lester, keyboardist extraordinaire Willie Tee, President of soul Rockie Charles, hillbilly bopper Jay Chevalier, tough Texas shouter Roy Head, and rockabilly wailer Joe Clay, with more to come.
One of the first artists to refer to his music as “psychedelic,” Roky Erickson eclipsed Sun Ra as a legal resident of Outer Space. Since charting that Top 100 hit in 1966, Roky has become famous, and infamous, for drug use and mental health issues. These fits and stops have punctuated his career. Still, Roky has managed to emerge from the murk time and time again, producing classics like "Two Headed Dog" and "Don't Slander Me."
Now, thanks to diligent work both on his part and that of his legal custodian, younger brother Sumner Erickson, Roky is back in full force, as witnessed by the lucky fans who attended the 2006 Austin Music Awards or Roky's Ice Cream Social during SXSW and got a taste of his revived energy and spirit.
Says Dr. Ike, executive director and founder of the Ponderosa Stomp, "Roky's appearance . . . is a truly special occasion. It is only the fourth gig he has played out of Austin since his stupendous comeback. It is his first gig in New Orleans in more than 20 years. It will truly be a night to walk with the zombies under starry eyes."
Born Roger Kynard Erickson in 1947, Roky Erickson has exerted influence on such diverse artists as ZZ Top, Television, Zakary Thaks, R.E.M., Jesus & Mary Chain, the Butthole Surfers, the Cramps, Radio Birdman, Janis Joplin, Patti Smith, Mike Watt, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the White Stripes, Witchcraft and Primal Scream. Roky began playing guitar with The Spades when he was 12 years old — and it is with them that he first recorded "You're Gonna Miss Me," of which only 100-200 copies were minted. That rare slab of wax is the Holy Grail among collectors of garage rock records.
The Austin-based 13th Floor Elevators were formed in 1965 by electric-jug player Tommy Hall, who wanted to set his LSD-inspired lyrics to outer-space sounds. He recruited a rhythm section, but the missing piece was Roky. When the band recorded "You're Gonna Miss Me" for the Contact label, Lelan Rogers of International Artists caught wind and picked up the record. It charted No. 56 on the Billboard pop singles chart, and spawned an album, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, prompting the group to leave Austin and play the Fillmore and Avalon in San Francisco, and appear on TV's American Bandstand and Where the Action Is. When asked by Dick Clark who was the head of the band, Roky replied, "We're all heads."
A second long-player, 1967's Easter Everywhere, was widely regarded as the watershed psychedelic album. Says Dr. Ike, " it's truly a record for Martians fueled by LSD-coated sugar cubes." However, love of marijuana and LSD were not just the stuff of lyrics — police constantly harassed the band, and the Elevators were busted twice. Roky pleaded insanity to avoid a ten-year jail sentence for one joint. He found himself sentenced for five years to Rusk State Hospital, a mental institution. While at Rusk, he wrote more than 100 songs, and after his 1972 release, he attempted to reform the 13th Floor Elevators. However, a feud between Erickson and Hall stalled the Elevators on the ground floor.
Roky soon formed a new band, Blieb Alien ("blieb" being an anagram of bible and the German word for "remain") which was heavier in sound, with lyrics more steeped in sci-fi imagery. From a 15-song session produced by Creedence Clearwater Revival member Stu Cook came such nuggets as "Creature With The Atom Brain" and the extraordinary "Two Headed Dog." An original version of the song had been produced by Doug Sahm. During this episode of his career, Roky also declared that he was a space alien and not a human being. A combination of encroaching mental illness and unscrupulous managers sidelined him once again.
Emerging briefly in 1986 to record the critically acclaimed Don't Slander Me album for Pink Dust Records, Roky seemed closer to success than ever, but again, his demons would haunt him. In 1990, then-Warner Bros. Records executive and native Texan Bill Bentley organized a tribute album to Roky titled When The Pyramid Meets The Eye, featuring ZZ Top, Bongwater, R.E.M. Jesus & Mary Chain, Primal Scream and Doug Sahm.
His appearance at the 1993 Austin Music Awards was hotly anticipated though ultimately disappointing — Roky seemed distracted. Yet 13 years later, in March 2006, Roky played the Austin Music Awards once again — this time an incredible six song set that brought the house down. He played about 10 shows later that year, including the Intonation Music Festival in Chicago, which was his first out-of-town gig in more than two decades. Once Little Steven featured him on his "Underground Garage" Halloween special broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio, the world had good reason to suspect that Roky is back for good — all of which brings us to the Ponderosa Stomp, the world's premiere roots romp festival, which has always reserved a space for psychedelic and garage rock pioneers among its celebration of true and unique American music.
Since its inception in 2000, the Ponderosa Stomp has featured killer performances by world-renowned garage veterans the Fabulous Wailers and Ventures guitarist Nokie Edwards, mind-slaying reunions of Gulf Coast-based garage rock groups like the Bad Roads and Zakary Thaks, and appearances by head pharaoh Sam the Sham, Midwest rockers the Alarm Clocks, and more. In 2004, Dr. Ike presented the two-night Tryin' To Mess My Mind garage and R&B festival, which included performances from ? and the Mysterians, Sky Saxon and the New Seeds, the Better Half Dozen, and New Orleans cult favorites Dr. Spec's Optical Illusion.
Ticket information for the 2007 Ponderosa Stomp, which will feature a very special performance from Roky Erickson and The Explosives, may be gleaned at http://www.ponderosastomp.com. Tickets will go on sale at Ticketmaster on Thursday, February 15.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2006
PIONEERS OF ROCK’N’ROLL, RHYTHM & BLUES AND AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC TO PERFORM AT THE PONDEROSA STOMP IN NEW ORLEANS IN 2007
Annual roots romp to take place May 2nd at House of Blues
NEW ORLEANS, LA - December 14, 2006 – After a year in exile in Memphis, the 6th Annual Ponderosa Stomp, a music festival that celebrates and pays tribute to the unsung heroes of
rock ‘n roll, rhythm & blues, and other forms of American roots music, will return home to New Orleans on Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at the House of Blues from 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. Already slated to perform at this year’s Ponderosa Stomp: Master arranger Wardell Quezergue and the New Orleans Rhythm & Blues Revue, soul songwriter supreme Dan Penn, rockabilly wild man Dale Hawkins, R&B soprano Little Jimmy Scott, Texas Tornado co-founder Augie Meyers, Stax sessions guitarist Skip Pitts, Gulf Coast guitar empress Barbara Lynn, Mardi Gras king Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, Excello harp master Lazy Lester, keyboardist extraordinaire Willie Tee, President of soul Rockie Charles, hillbilly bopper Jay Chevalier, tough Texas shouter Roy Head, and rockabilly wailer Joe Clay, with more to come.
“Put on your high heel sneakers 'cause were back in New Orleans – the Stomp's spiritual home and the birthplace of rock n roll,” says Ira (“Dr. Ike”) Padnos, executive director of The Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau, the 501c3 organization that produces the Ponderosa Stomp.
Since its inception in 2000, the Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau, a non-profit group organized by rock ‘n roll fanatics who consider it their mission to rediscover and celebrate America’s overlooked musical pioneers, has partnered with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Sun Studios, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, The New Orleans Musicians Clinic, and The New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund to help resurrect the careers of several legendary musicians.
“The Ponderosa Stomp is a one-of-a-kind celebration of the roots, derivatives and other offshoots of the art form that we call rock ‘n roll,” says Terry Stewart, President of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Over the last five years, guitar legends like Scotty Moore, Jody Williams and the late Link Wray; music iconoclasts such as Tony Joe White, Blowfly, and the Sun Ra Arkestra; and New Orleans heroes like Dave Bartholomew, Eddie Bo and Earl Palmer have made the stage their home for The Ponderosa Stomp, a true cultural celebration that honors these heroes of rock ‘n roll and beyond.
In addition to producing The Ponderosa Stomp, The Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau also produces events throughout the year, including showcases at Austin’s South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) New Orleans’ own Voodoo Music Experience and one-night-only concerts in New Orleans and Memphis. For example, revered arranger/songwriter Wardell Quezergue, “the Creole Beethoven” who arranged such beloved Crescent City tunes as “Iko Iko,” “Barefootin,’” “Mr. Big Stuff,” “Groove Me” and “Chapel of Love” is back at work due to the efforts of The Mystic Knights. Blind, Wardell is now working with his son Brian Quezergue to transcribe his arrangements and showcase his talents via the Wardell Quezergue Rhythm & Blues Revue, a project under the aegis of the Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau and the New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund.
“The Ponderosa Stomp is a great opportunity for the pioneers of the music industry to get
together and play for enthusiastic crowds and finally get the recognition they deserve. It was one of the highlights of my career,” says Dennis Coffey, legendary guitarist who has played with artists like The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and The Four Tops.
The Mystic Knights is partnering with the House of Blues, New Orleans Fine Hotels, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Factory to help sponsor the 2007 Ponderosa Stomp.
Additional sponsors will follow.
For more information, visit http://www.ponderosastomp.com
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