Different Each Night
You can play a song the same way every night. The composer wrote the songs, wrote the notes and the goal is to recreate it every night as it was originally written. This comes from the classical music tradition. Our approach comes from the New Orleans jazz tradition,...
A Rewarding Process
The process for recording my vocals on "River's On Fire" was to record each song a bunch of times -- 10, 15, 20 times — then figure out what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong. I would practice the song for a day or two, then re-record it another 10, 15, 20...
Voice Work
Towards the end of Papa Grows Funk, I started working with a vocal coach. I knew that my throat was a complete wreck. My vocal cords were shot. I needed to learn how to sing so my true self could be heard. So ever since PGF ended, one of my personal goals was to...
Great Song To Play Live
One of the new songs that's been fun to play live is "Cocaine and Chicken Fricassee". It's got a great groove and it gets people moving. It's also fun to watch the audience's reaction to the opening lines. You can see it on their faces. "Did he say what I think he...
Her Love Can’t Be Denied
"Her Love Can't Be Denied" is another song I enjoy playing live. It's a simple song with a thick, lush arrangement, which makes it a challenge to perform live. The risk / reward is high, so it's a great barometer as to how we are playing as a band.
Drew Brees
“You can accomplish anything in life that you’re willing to work for.” - Drew Brees #9 NFL All Time Passing Leader #GOAT
The Commitment
I call my Hammond B3 organ “The Commitment.” I bought it about a year (maybe two years) after I bought my first brand new car, a Honda Civic Hatchback. I could pack all my keyboards, speakers, really my entire rig in it. My two daughters were young at the time and...
Have More Ideas Than You Need
When I'm coming out of the shower or driving in the car, if a musical idea comes into my head, I immediately sing and record it into my phone. If I'm sitting at the piano and happen across something, good or bad, I recorded it. I learned from Allen Toussaint that...
Various Instruments
When songwriting, I write using various instruments: piano, organ, guitar, bass or voice. Each instrument brings something different out of me. Since I'm not very proficient at either, writing on guitar and bass forces me to keep things very simple. Composing at the...