St. Francisville/New Orleans, LA - March 1 - 3, 2003
~ REH
Monday, March 3, 2003 - The Return to Lucy's Retired Surfer's Bar in New Olreans, LA
Monday - yeah so anyhoo… its Monday and its raining and its cold and I’m getting my war paint on for another trek down I-10 with G & T (who, by the way, made this trip what it was - A BLAST! Check out the pix from Lucy's - way too cool!)
We get to Lucy’s and get the parking spot right out front! No way! Way! Is this an indication of a slow bummed out night? Hardly- we get out of the car, walk about 5 steps and run smack into the Clown Prince of Stanley Idaho (and all points south), Cody Braun! Yep... out in the rain sinnin' and grinnin'... We chatted briefly and decided that it'd be a lot cooler to be inside Lucy’s instead of outside (like Fonzie, we are cool)… besides it was raining like hell!
It was pretty much bidness as usual at Lucy’s (which if you haven't been to, next time you are in NOLA go! Tell' ‘em REH sent ya!) Pretty soon ol’ Jam motors on in and sez his bit about this and that... he is just good as gold ya know? - Those wheels in his head are constantly turning. Simon and his crew show up next and then a few M&MC boys looking... well, like someone who might have been out late on Bourbon street. In other words, ready to rock. But perhaps first a little drinky-poo... its N’awlins right?
The gig on Monday was a great big Cajun buffet and live music fandango and ol’ M&MC hit the stage and gripped it and ripped it! Joseph was getting that slide of his working like he knew he was in the Delta and the ghost of Elmore James might heave been slinkin' around out there in the Big Easy night. Travis was giving that snare a whippin’ usually reserved for redheaded stepchildren* (Editor’s Note: We do not recommend the beating of anyone – so just don’t).
Gary "Good Luck" Braun really is coming into his own as a vocalist. I really have grown quite fond of the songs off of Which Way From Here - seems like Mick and I seem to run into the same wimminfolk. I also have found that big Mark on bass is a hoot to hang out with. It’s also a little known fact that he is Stanley royalty – Mark’s dad used to be the mayor of Stanley. So if you get pulled over in Stanley, ID just drop his name – I’m sure he's still got pull.
As you may have guessed, it was now parade time in the Big Easy. The one thing you know for sure in NOLA is that if it’s raining and all the tourists are staying in, then the locals are coming out with a vengeance. You also know that fewer peeps on the parade route means more beads for the window and balcony rowdies. It also seems like the float nuts were way drunker and way more likely to peg you because you weren’t looking!
It was mayhem – and then the real bombardment started! I mean real howitzer/mortar fire - Stalingrad street fighting stuff and it was coming from EVERYWHERE!
Guess who were playing along? Yep – NOLA’s finest were huckin' beads at us (and with some heat on 'em too)! Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw a ton of blue bolting in the doorway from downstairs and its more cops - with beads! Now they are whipping 'em down at their brothers in blue still in the streets – way, way too funny! By the way, it was the two officers from the parade/van miracle that started this firefight (more on them later).
After the dust settled and the stage was swept clear of beads and other assorted war trophies, RK took the stage. David ironed out the PA glitches from the day before and it sounded pretty tasty! I'm pretty sure it goes with out saying that the “Heals on guitar/Willy and Micky lounge act” would kill in Branson MO (see pix) but it was rather...I dunno…comforting to see the boys singing “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” arm in arm - Hillbilly Karaoke at its finest.
Once again, things are about to get weird - Mick and I are hanging out of the windows watching the cops clear the streets (almost as bad-ass an operation as the parade itself) and the two officers from van/bead war are told by their commander to beat feet! They tear over to their unmarked car and start tearing off cop gear! Guns, cuffs, vests, hats, boots, it goes on and on. I figure that they are changing to go undercover. Well, in a sense they were. Micky and I can’t believe our eyes - they are headed this way… Wait a minute; what’s that one wearing? Is that a RK shirt? Nawww... it can’t be… BUT IT IS!!!!!!! This was very very surreal and summed up the weekend perfectly - you knew right then that it was gonna be alright.
And ladies, let me tell you this- these boys could cut a rug like you read about. They stayed until the wee hours and there was even talk of some post Lucy’s hi-jinks with full uniforms for the RK boys. Alas, the boys in blue skipped out with out any free NOLA leather cop jackets for any of us but a boy can dream right?
“So Lonely” was again dead on rocking but the highlight of the night was “Crazy Ed” - the ladies up on the bar getting their groove on. Add me, Gregg, Tracy, Mick, Gary, Mark, Trav, Joseph, Heals, Simon, Rags etc. all singing along at the top of our lungs.
WAIT. JUST. A. MINUTE. Rags?!?!? What the heck is he doing upright? THE BET – DANGIT! I FORGOT THE BET!!! It seems that some enterprising young buck from... oh, lets say Idaho, had come up with “a buck gets ya in" pool on whether ol’ Rags would make it through another night of debauchery. Well, he did…big time. For the record, I had 11:45PM. An open bar and we couldn’t get ol’ rags horizontal - talk about embarrassing!
The night and the weekend was starting to turn into a big "I love you man! No, I love you man” night. Everyone was having a ball talking to everyone about everything. Hell, I even think Mark invited the band I play in to play at the Braun Bros. Reunion. I’m not holding him to it but if you see HALLING ASS & THE RINGERS on the line up card… well I don’t know how that happened.
It was getting a lot further away from PM and a lot closer to AM and as we had to get on the road. We said our goodbyes and paid Rags his winnings. "The Sarahs"… sigh - ya'll are the goods! I'll be back for the open mic kick off at Lucy's!
Simon and Co.- well you know what for... peace.
Heals - you are pretty dang rockin’ on that sick electric twanger.
Kirk - well my brother, thanks for everything. You went above and beyond. You know where to find me… you need anything? Just find me.
RK& M&MC - thank you for a stellar weekend. It was one of the best times ever.
So there ya go. It went some thing like that. If you want to know more... well ...NOLA is that way. Go & then you can tell what YOU can and keep the rest to yourself. Trust me - no one will believe you anyway.
Get good and Recked
Go back to Sunday night at Lucy's
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