Today we look back to November 9, 2006…

Papa Mali Enlists New Orleans Notables For Next Recording

It has been over six years since Malcolm Papa Mali Welbourne recorded his debut, Thunder Chicken, for Fog City Records. His Fog City follow-up, Do Your Thing, is scheduled to hit on January 23. On his studio effort Papa Mali is joined by a core band that includes celebrated New Orleans players Kirk Joseph, Henry Butler and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux along with Victoria Williams and JJ Grey. Some of this material may well be showcased when the Papa Mali performs two shows at the Parish Room in Austin on November 16 and 17, along with Topaz and the Greyhounds.

Dave Matthews, The John Popper Project, New Orleans Social Club To Join Warren Haynes X-Mas Jam

Our second Asheville story of the day focuses on Warren Haynes annual area event. Warren Haynes Presents: The 18th Annual Christmas Jam will return to the Asheville Civic Center on Saturday December 16. In addition to the host and his group Govt Mule, other artists set to perform include: Dave Matthews, The John Popper Project featuring DJ Logic, Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, New Orleans Social Club (featuring Henry Butler, Ivan Neville, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter Jr. and Raymond Webber), Dave Schools, the Taj Mahal Trio, Col. Bruce Hampton, Mike Barnes, Brendan Bayliss, Randall Bramblett. Audely Freed, Kevn Kinney, Edwin McCain. Tickets for the event which serves a benefit for Habitat for Humanity will begin on Monday November 13.

Enrollment is High at Phil Lesh University

Last evening at New York City nightclub SOBs, Phil Lesh took the stage with a number of musicians who had enrolled in a Master Class with the bass player. The show at SOBs served as something of a graduation ceremony for these players, who joined a band that consisted of Lesh, John Scofield, Rob Barraco and drummer Jaz Sawyer. Lesh and Scofield opened the evening which was billed as Phil Lesh University with a discussion on improvisation and music. Two sets from Leshs group then followed, with the guest players joining in for a number of songs long associated with the bassist, including: I Know you Rider, Lovelight and ‘Dark Star.’ The night closed with the core quartet delivering a set of jazz and rock exploration in the flavor of electric Miles Davis (not surprising since Scofield recorded and toured with Davis in the early 80s).

New Orleans Social Club and Futureman to Join Yonder

Yonder Mountain String Band is currently off the road until its three year-ending shows in Denver. The group will perform on Dec 29-31 with a serious of other artists participating as well. As we reported earlier, Keller Williams will open the action on Friday the 29th. The Saturday night show will feature an opening set from the New Orleans Social Club, a stacked line-up that features George Porter Jr., Ivan Neville, Leo Nocentelli, Henry Butler and Raymond Weber (apparently Jeff Sipe will remain in the Trey Anastasio drum set for the near future). Yonder wont have an opener on New Years Eve however the quartet will bring out some additional players over the course of the evening including the Flecktones’ Futureman.

Wetlands Preserved on Screen in Asheville, On Air in Greensboro

In it is latest public screening after the Woodstock Film Festival, Wetlands Preserved will run twice on Friday as part of the Ashville Film Festival. The Asheville Community Theater will host a screening on Friday at 10:30 PM. Earlier in the day, the film also will screen in a much less formal setting as part of a festival program at Ashevilles Wild Wing Cafstarting at 2PM. Wetlands Preserved incorporates archival footage, soundboard recordings and the efforts of a dozen digital animators to chronicle the clubs tenure from February 1989 through September 2001. The film features music from Phish, Blues Traveler, moe., The Disco Biscuits, Dave Matthews Band, Sublime, Ben Harper, Spearhead, 311, Ani DiFranco, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Spin Doctors, Fishbone, Agnostic Front and many additional artists.

In addition, the films director (and site editor) Dean Budnick will appear on North Carolina radio today for 90 minutes from 5:30-7PM along with some of the films cast and crew. Wetlands will be on the focus of Allan Handelman’s program which airs on FM Talk 101.1, WZTK in 100,000 watts of glory from Greensboro on through Raleigh and Chapel Hill.