[Site editor's note: As many of you probably know, Chip Schramm has relocated both literally and editorship-wise to the Southeast. If you would be interested in joining us and helping Mike with the South region please send us an email- jambands@jambands.com]

Ah, spring is in the air and the may festivals are just around the corner. Surely everyone knows about Music Midtown in Atlanta, Jazzfest in New Orleans, River Stages in Nashville, and the Beale St. Festival in Memphis, right?!?!! Each festival has it's own respective website and updates are coming in almost daily from Pollstar.com. So if you are thinking about hitting some of these festivals this year, go check out the listings now. I can tell you hotels are all booked up in Memphis, but there's always hope, right?

I've got just a few notes and news for you this month. The bad boys of South Mississippi, King Konga, are back in the studio touching up their upcoming album for its long awaited release. The band is also currently out on the road when they can get away from the studio for a few minutes. Check out their website, which is excellent by the way, at http://www.kingkonga.com.

Nashville-based Will Hoge are still out on the highway and are headed to the South By South West festival in Austin later this week and will then swing back up in to the New England area towards the end of the month, hitting The Wetlands in New York among other venues. The guys also landed an one night opening slot for alt-rockers Train. I'm sure this will help get them a little more exposure because Train is very big in the Birmingham area and the show is just outside of Birmingham. Be sure to check out the newly revamped website at http://www.willhoge.com and look up the tour dates. Definitely check these guys out if they are in or near your town.

Also, seemingly back from the ashes, the Charlie Mars Band is rumored to be reforming in some form or fashion. I don't have any concrete details for any fans out there just yet but I've heard rumors of some dates in the very near future. Charlie has still been playing solo acoustic shows here and there but he does have a lot of new material and has been eager to get the band rolling again, now that his batteries are recharged and ready to go. It will be good to see him back on stage doing what he does best once again. http://www.charliemarsband.com.

In case you haven't heard yet, one of the regions favorite jambands, Hannaward Pass, has broken up. They are playing a few farewell shows and then that will be it for the band. Sad news but I'm sure some of the guys will continue to pursue music.

Later this month, I will be seeing Edwin McCain w/ Kevn Kinney and Gibb Droll. I'll have a full report for you on that next month as well as a preview of the shows I plan on hitting at the Beale St. festival. By next month, they should have most of the lineup for the weekend announced.

Til Next Month......

Mike

Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the Soul Kitchen, Mobile, AL

Saturday, February 24, 2001

by Chip Schramm

By far the hottest and most exciting addition to the Dauphin St. bar scene down in Mobile, Alabama is the Soul Kitchen. Aptly named after the Doors song of the same title, Soul Kitchen opened its doors at the end of 2000, sprucing up a space once inhabited by a club called Southside. Soul Kitchen shares architecture and style with buildings throughout Mobile and the central Gulf Coast in general. It's classic décor gives an appealing flavor to offset the sometimes frantic atmosphere of dancing and drinking that takes place inside. The front is squared to the street, taller than it is wide. There is a balcony overlooking the street from the second floor, giving the patrons room to spill out in search of fresh air. The second floor is somewhat reminiscent of Tipitina's, as it wraps around the sides of the stage so that everyone in the house can get a great view of the music, no matter where they are standing. There's even a small deck on the back of the first floor receiving cover from some of the large oak trees ubiquitous to the Mobile landscape.

All that said, Soul Kitchen is a great place to hear live music. In the 3+ short months the bar has been open, they have already seen the likes of North Mississippi All-Stars and Larry, packing the room to capacity both nights. On this night, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band was playing a return engagement after rocking the house 'till 4am the previous month. This Saturday was the high-point in Mardi Gras weekend, so the DDBB's performance was all the more apropos. Their good-time brass and funk anthems have been part of the Mardi Gras soundtrack in New Orleans for nearly three decades. I viewed it as a compliment that the old-school groove masters would grace Mobilians with their presence, lending their spirited tunes to the weekend party of the original Mardi Gras celebration.

Mobile being Mobile, parades and balls were taking precedence over the bar scene, giving way only later in the evening. By the wee hours of the morning, as the band hit their full stride, the bar was filled in equal part with visitors covered with beads, hipsters dressed in tie-dyes and hemp jewelry, and tuxedo-clad party-goers from the Mystics of Time ball, the biggest post-parade party of the weekend. By the time the night was winding down, the floor in front of the stage was packed, the upstairs was filled past the pool table, and even the back deck seemed to be buzzing with merriment.

The Dirty Dozen did not disappoint. They didn't depart too far from their usual song selection, but at this point, they are completely dialed in to what their fans want to hear. The first set was filled with many of their traditional and original songs, setting the mood and getting the early-comers started off on the right foot . The second set was their true time to shine. Though songs like "Superstition" and "Use Me" certainly weren't foreign to the Dirty Dozen before they met Widespread Panic, they have taken on a life of their own at DDBB shows year-round. The fans certainly enjoy them, so it should be no surprise that the Dirty Doz. continues to build their shows around monster jams with those songs in particular.

In Mobile, the Dirty Dozen fed off the crowd's energy and seemed to get stronger and stronger as the room filled to capacity with revelers spilling out onto the back porch and open-air balcony. The inviting personalities of the band had everyone in the room hooked. By the time they played "Africa," they had girls up onstage, dancing and grooving on all sides. The show didn't go quite as late as their last visit to Dauphin St., but the Dirty Dozen once again made their mark on the local music scene, as they do everywhere they go.

The patrons of the Soul Kitchen didn't end their party just because the band stopped playing. The party carried on into Sunday for Joe Cain Day, honoring one of Mardi Gras' founding fathers, and would end only on Tuesday night. After that it was it was time to repent. With the famed carnival season's excesses also comes the original reason for the celebration. The early Christians always made sure they got their celebration in before the somber season of Lent. Fortunately, music fans in the South don't have to repent for too long. There is plenty of good music to be found in Mobile and throughout the Gulf Coast this Spring.