Uncle Thom Wants You!

Yeah, I know... it's been a week without bloogging [that WAS a typo, b ut I decided to leave it]. Believe me, I've been feeling it myself.

Two weeks ago... well, actually it was two and half weeks ago, I was in San Francisco at a baseball game. The most strange and bizarre thing about that was the fact that, as the sign says here... there was no taking the beer from the bar to the ball field. to most people that wouldn't even cross their minds as something strange, but once you've lived in New Orleans and you've gotten used to the idea that such things are not the big deal they are everywhere else, it's hard to put your brain back in the rule bound strait jacket. It's not that it's such a big issue... but then that's the point... It's not such a big issue. Now I'm back in New Orleans where the beer going to the ball field (or anywhere else for that matter) is really not a major deal. On the other hand... getting the trash picked up... or people killing each other to the tune of seven just last night... well, that's kind of a big deal.

What else IS a major deal? Well... we're having this little mayoral election and I am very pleased this week because the guy who I really want to win, Mitch Landrieu did pretty darn well in his race against Ray Nagin (who frankly is not THAT bad a choice, either... at least he wasn't before he started losing his mind after Katrina), but under the circumstances, I think probably just about anybody might have a hard time holding on to his marbles.

In any case... Mitch is seriously in the running for the runoff which happens in three weeks and I keep trying to figure out ways to help get him elected.

We had French Quarter Fest last week and we have two weeks of Jazz Fest coming up hard on it's heels. Bruce Springsteen is playing on the big stage on Sunday and he's done an incredible job of coming out with an album that makes sense for Jazz Fest. his Seeger sessions album, which was just released today, is an amazing piece of work. Almost entirely made up of traditional folk songs, like Mary Don't Ya Weep. Where so many big artists just come to Jazz Fest and do their thing... The Boss is bringing a band of guitarists, fiddle players, and a brass band to play historical folk and protest music... music right for the times and right for the venue. To me, that puts him way up there in the "he seems to get it" category.

What's most frustrating - on a personal level - about the coming week and a half is that I live here now, so Jazz Fest isn't really feeling like the vacation it always used to be. In fact, it's feeling like a huge struggle to accomodate all the things I need to do to make it work... and to raise the money needed for the very projects that brought me here in the first place.

And new projects as well... Projects like "Wade In The Water," my musicians Katrina stories project, which I have been trying to put together since I sat in the North Carolina woods, getting chiggers and wishing I could go home, and which seems to finally, after almost nine months, be developing some legs. In addition the Mardi Gras Indian project, Big Chief is developing new life again... but finding the funds, especially now, is a tough sell and a tough market.

So here's my big appeal... I've really been diligent about keeping this part of my life out of this other part of my life, and I promise I'll return you to your regularly scheduled blogging shortly, BUT... If you've ever thought of contributing to these projects, if you've contributed before... or if you're just curious to see what their about, go to Mercury Public Media and join, or rejoin... or contribute just a little bit more... or tell all your friends to do so. Right now... this spring it really is a sort of make or break time on these projects and frankly, making feels a whole lot better right now than breaking.

So... NOW... would be the time to make a move... and I'll make it worth your while. Everyone who contributes $35 or more during this next two weeks of JazzFest season will receive your choice of a Mercury Public Media, or Blues Routes Logo T-shirt, which I will be sending out come the first of June (so make sure you give me your email address so I can find out your size). Hell... I'll even throw in some CDs of the special JazzFest edition Blues Routes shows we're working on as well.

JOIN UP NOW... and then go tell your friends to join too.

As the song says... "It's Jazz Fest time in New Orleans... come on everybody let me hear ya SCREAM!"