Daily Loaf

Routes Music is a documentary film acting as a roving music census, taking in the true musical passions (and disgusts) of the American people. We’re traveling all across the country, stopping along the way to interview local bands, take footage of live performances and chat with anyone and everyone. Learn more about the documentary here; check out all previous entries here.

It’s 8 p.m. and Phil is driving through a torrential rainstorm in an abandoned part of New Orleans’ West End. He’s running his hand through his hair, bent over the steering wheel, trying to find Magellan Road. The GPS isn’t working and every street seems to lead back to the interstate we just exited. A tiny brown Chihuahua looks lost, too, as it darts across the road and between two houses.

It’s enough rain to make a New Orleans native nervous.

After another run around the neighborhood, we finally arrive at our destination: a large white church under an underpass.

But this is no house of God; the only thing worshiped here is the musical stylings of rock and jazz bands from all over Southern Louisiana. This is Living Room Studio, a 3,500-square-foot space filled with seven pianos, half-dozen guitars, a few drum kits, over two dozen microphones, horns, pedals, analog tape machines, digital consoles and all manner of amps, monitors, processors and compressors (some built in-house).

We’re welcomed by Dan Fox, the associate editor of local music and culture mag Antigravity and drummer for the Lovie Dovies. For the last week, the Lovie Dovies trio have been at the studio cutting a new album. Fox ushers us inside and points out Chris George, who renovated the 1930s-era church with his business partner, Daniel Majorie, in 2006. The project took two years, thousands upon thousands of dollars and more than a little elbow grease from George and Majorie. The effort shows: brand new hardwood floors, wood paneling, perfect lighting and amazing acoustics.

“This was a dream that was years in the making,” Fox says.

Before refurbishing the church, Living Room Studio was just that: a studio in Chris George’s tiny two-bedroom house.

“You could fit his whole house into the live room here,” Fox says. “The control room was in his bedroom. People really cut albums in that place.”

More than 150 albums by 100 bands, I find out later.

As we talk, Lovie Dovies’ Isidore Grisoli stands behind a mic and belts out a harmony for one of their songs. Inside the control room, George bends over a massive console, checking and correcting levels. While Grisoli works on one of the more difficult takes, Fox leads us outside so our cameras don’t distract him.

Although the Lovie Dovies is Fox’s most recent project, he’s played with the other band members in various incarnations for years. “The local music scene here is …” he pauses and Lovie Dovies’ James Hayes finishes, “. . . incestuous.”

But that’s not a bad thing, Fox explains: “New Orleans is just a musical city. … I’m 31 and I guess in other cities that’s old to be playing in a band, but I’m in New Orleans. People play in a band ’til they die here”

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They say it’s all about who you know and it’s no different on the Routes Music tour.

A family tree of local bands could be drawn from St. Augustine to Denver, Tampa to a street performer in Chicago.

Example: We would have never known about the Living Room Studio if we had not met up with the Blackbelt Band the night before.

That night, we arrived in New Orleans with only a first name (Kevin) and a band name (the Blackbelt Band). After a few calls, we ended up on the outskirts of the French Quarter at La Maison de la Musique. The Blackbelt Band was opening for post-rock band Maserati and they agreed to a short interview before heading on stage.

The Blackbelt Band is made up of four New Orleans natives: Kevin Comarda (vocals, baritone guitar, synths), Ryan Iriarte (drums, keyboards), Travis Thompson (bass, vocals) and Shea Mansfield (percussion, synths). On MySpace, the band describes their sound as “four guys who don’t want to wait tables.” In person, individual influences shine from Latin rhythms to blues to experimental rock.

After chatting with us for an hour about their musical influences, Hurricane Katrina and the problem with vocoders, the Blackbelt Band played an awesome, moody set.

Afterward, over a few Abita beers, they introduced us to Fox – the Antigravity editor – and told us about Living Room Studio.

Kevin Bacon may be have six degrees of separation, but the Routes Music crew is coasting on two.

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You can’t document New Orleans music without finding a street performer — or ten. While strolling the French Quarter, we came across several musicians, but Delicious Gloom– a female duo on guitar and drums — were our favorites. Check out Terrence Duncan’s video of those girls playing here.

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On our last night, the Routes Music crew wandered the French Quarter (it was Terrence’s first time in the city). As drunk tourists flooded Bourbon Street, Phil and Terrence decided the Routes Music tour would stop in Austin next. Thirteen hours later, we arrived in “the musical capital of the world.”

(music courtesy of About Blank)

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