The Rads Radiate

30 Years Letting the Good Times Roll
:: The Radiators :: Conte’s Market & Grill :: Westport CT ::
MoBoogie.net

Words By: Rich Lieberman

The ultimate New Orleans party band is in its 30th year of entertaining their loyal fans across the country, touring relentlessly, and still pulling off some of the most intense live shows on the circuit. With a repertoire of way over 1,300 songs to pull from, The Radiators show no signs of slowing down any time soon.

At Sunday’s show at Conte’s Market & Grill in Westport, CT, The Radiators played their usual 2 marathon sets with plenty New Orleans good time music served up with a nice helping of crowd pleasing cover songs. I asked Reggie Scanlan, founding member and bass player for The Radiators, how they come up with their setlists and how they choose all of the great cover songs each night.

I have no idea” said Scanlan. “Well like tonight... we did “Play with Fire” (Rolling Stones). We had never played that before”. ...Click here to read the entire article.

All photos above © Dino Perrucci

Circle Sound ~ Bowery Ballroom Review, NYC

Rich Robinson & Luther Dickinson Rock The Bowery

Words By Rich Lieberman
Photos by Rich Lieberman
New York has been the scene of some really classic stealth-like gigs over the years. When you least expect it, your favorite artist or band may show up at some tiny club and take the stage to try out some new material in a live setting, warm up for a nationwide tour, or in this case… get together with some friends to kick down a bunch of rockin’ covers.

This past Friday night, the scene was NYC’s sold out Bowery Ballroom, which is smack in the middle of the Bowery on Delancey Street. The venue holds 575 people max. Circle Sound, led by Rich Robinson from the Black Crowes, and Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars, is a very talented five piece band. They electrified the packed house with a fiery brand of bluesy rock & roll that made for a very special performance.
Just a little past 10:00 the house lights went down and the band took the stage.

Accompanying Robinson & Dickinson that evening were Rob Clores (Keys) and Sven Pipien (Bass), both current members of the Black Crowes. Bill Dobrow, a former Crowe, also took the stage.

The crowd was ready for whatever these guys would throw at them, as Rich Robinson approached the microphone… “We are happy to be up here playing some songs for you guys. Hope you like them… and here’s the first one”. They then ripped into Neil Young’s “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere”. The vocals sounded great as both guitarists traded tasty leads for an exceptional opener.

The small room provided an intimate and electric vibe between the band and the audience. “We’re just gonna be playing some covers and some other songs. This is a Bob Dylan song. It’s called The Man In Me” said Rich Robinson, who seemed to lead the band throughout the night. Both Robinson and Dickinson shined on guitar and vocals, trading off on fronting the stage every couple of songs. It was clear that these guys were having a great time at the jam session, playing an assortment of classic songs with a handful of originals sprinkled throughout.

Read The Entire Review Here....

An Exclusive Interview with George Porter Jr!

Mexicali Blues Cafe ~ Teaneck N.J.
~ MoBoogie.net ~ January 13, 2007

Interviewed by: Rich Lieberman
Photos by: Rich Lieberman

I arrived at Mexicali Blues Cafe in Teaneck NJ Saturday night looking forward to meeting a New Orleans legend and experiencing an incredible group of musicians getting down and dirty with the funk. I was not disappointed. It turned out to be a night I will not soon forget.

I entered the small club and was immediately greeted by the sound of loud cheering and screaming. At next glance, I realized all of the noise was coming from George Porter’s Band, the Runnin’ Pardners, who were completely engrossed in the New Orleans Saints/Philadelphia Eagles playoff game. The entire band was rooting for the Saints and about half of them were wearing New Orleans Saints jerseys. I realized right away that this band would not take the stage until the game was over. Thank God the Saints won, because the band was then ready to throw down a serious party afterwards, New Orleans style, to celebrate.

On the drive out to the venue, I started trying to count the number times that I have seen George Porter Jr. play. It occurred to me that doing so would mean having to first remember what bands I may have seen him in over the years. I realized then what a tremendous career this man has had as I started to list the bands I’ve seen…The Meters, the Funky Meters, PBS (Porter Batiste Stoltz), Runnin Pardners, David Byrne, Gov’t Mule, and the All Star Group - Deep Fried.
I was interested to find out what new projects George Porter Jr. had on the horizon. I was curious how he, as N.O. resident, felt about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. I also wanted to ask him about the rumors that have been circulating, suggesting that we have once again heard the last from The Meters.

I sat down with George Porter Jr. backstage before the show (we could still hear the chants for the New Orleans Saints in the background) for a very candid one on one interview.

Click here to read the interview...

Photos © Rich Lieberman 2007

© Rich Lieberman Music Media, LLC