| July
We hope that everyone is doing well and getting geared
up for a wonderful holiday weekend. Gumbo is not playing
this weekend and will be celebrating July 4 with family.
You may even see Mr. Errant and Mr. Green down near
Lake Michigan for Chicago’s annual fireworks display.
Word has it Kenny grills up a mean skirt steak.
For those of you asking about the CD, here is the deal.
We hit a small delay with one of the song’s licenses
and we are waiting to hear from Nicky Rhodes from Louisiana.
Nicky, if you read this, please send the material we
need so we can get this wrapped up quickly. We will
also shoot you a copy when done. (Special note to Mike
and Mary Love-you will also be notified personally when
things are wrapped up.)
When the CD is complete we will also announce a date
for a CD release party. We have had many folks ask about
a gig and details will be forthcoming.
Regarding upcoming gigs…next week we are playing
a benefit in Canton, Illinois and then Aug 8 at Chuck’s
BBQ bash. Check the dates’ page for more details
and pertinent links.
Have a great Fourth of July.
June 8, 2008
As of this writing I assume that the Hurricane Gumbo
crew is back in Chicago and in one piece after the little
mini tour this past weekend. I can only account for
Lunchbox and myself as we were the first to get out
of town Sunday morning in search of a McDonald’s.
The tour began Friday night at Po’Boys in Peoria
as part of their crawfish boil. With the temps as humid
as they were, those crawfish and cold Abita went down
great. We look forward to coming down and playing again.
Hopefully, the next time we play, we will see our new
friend Ed, a south-side Chicagoan now living in Peoria.
It was great to meet you Ed and stay in touch.
After grabbing some breakfast and a few coffees the
next morning, we headed to the Gumbo Ya Ya festival
in Rock Island, Illinois for our Saturday night performance.
This New Orleans-themed event features the music, food
and beads that comprise a trip to New Orleans and is
set over a few blocks of downtown Rock Island.
As we rolled into town so did a huge thunderstorm,
but after a few hours, the sun came out and things were
back to normal. The show went well and the crowd seemed
like they were having a good time with all the beads
being thrown. Even Dikki Du Carrier (a fabulous accordion
player who was playing right after us) got into the
act and came out to throw some beads with us. We had
a blast, as always, so thank you to Catherine for allowing
us to be a part of the great festival that she and her
team put together this year and we would love to be
back next year.
It was also great to meet Gumbohead, a wonderful band
from St. Louis. We hung out with them while in Rock
Island and caught some of their set. If you are in St.
Louis, check them out. It was nice to meet all you guys
and hope to see you in the future.
Thanks to Dr. Don and Bob Reed for coming out and playing
with us. And also a special shout out to all the southsiders
who made the trip including the folks from the Oak Lawn
Raiders and Chuck from Chuck’s BBQ. (Speaking
of Chuck’s, we are playing at his summer bash
the weekend of August 8, so clear your calendars.)
This week we are playing Friday, June 13 from 6:00
p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in downtown Freeport, Illinois for
the Concert in the Park series with Dennis Stoughmatt
and Creole Stomp. The following week, on June 20, we
are at the Taste of Champaign. Check out the dates'
page for more details.
We also anticipate having the new CD in our hands in
the next week and have been discussing a possible CD
release party so keep checking back for details.
HG
May 18, 2008
What do you get when you add 500 people, 1,000 lbs
of New Orleans crawfish, a beautiful sunny Saturday
afternoon and Hurricane Gumbo? One hell of a party at
McGee’s Headsuckers Ball.
Over the weekend we opened this 19th annual event at
this Lincoln Park bar in Chicago and it was a blast.
Cold beer, super strong hurricanes and lots and lots
of crawfish and people made this a great way to spend
an afternoon.
Special thanks to RJ, Phil and all the folks at McGees
who kept us filled with drinks and food. We look forward
to coming back next year.
Looking ahead … this Saturday, May 24, we will
be playing at Blue Bayou at 3734 N.
Southport in Chicago from 4-7. Come out and enjoy some
great New Orleans food and cold Abita on tap.
Then the summer begins with our Trail of Guilt Tour
2008. First stop, June 6 at Po’Boys
in Peoria and June 7 at the Gumbo Ya Ya Festival
in Rock Island.
See you there
May 2008
Spring is here and the Crawfish are running straight
to Chicago for the biggest, hottest Cajun Party north
of I-10.
Join us this Saturday, May 17 for the19th annual Headsucker’s
Ball at McGee's Tavern located at 950
W. Webster in Chicago. These folks fly in more than
1,000 pounds of crawfish, direct from the bayou, served
up with jambalaya, red beans & rice, and a mighty
fine gumbo to make this the best spring time Cajun Party
in town.
Cost is $20.00 for all you can eat and doors open at
10:00 a.m. We hit the stage at 2:00 p.m. until 5:00
p.m. For more details, call McGee's at 773-868-8073
Come join in the New Orleans style celebration and
shake your party pole or anything else that wiggles.
April 2008
 We
begin the month of April on a high note after snagging
an opening slot performance with the King of New Orleans,
Dr. John. The Arcada Theater in St.
Charles, Illinois (just west of Chicago) was the spot
for the March 30, Mardi Gras party as we shared the
stage with Dr. John and his backing band, the Lower
911.
While we know that the onsite crews were a little scared
about having such a large band opening for Dr. John,
the response we got from them, the audience and members
of Dr. John’s group was all positive. Special
thanks to Rocky and Jerry from Dr. John’s team
for allowing us the honor and spending some time with
us at the meet and greet afterwards. Special thanks
to Ron Onesti and everyone at Onesti Entertainment for
inviting us and we hope to work with this fine group
of folks in the future.
New CD …
Yes I know we have been talking about
it off and on for months, but the live Hurricane Gumbo
CD is being prepared for final mastering and all the
legal licensing items that need to be signed off on.
Bassist Jon Richter deserves special thanks for all
his efforts over the past few months in getting this
to its final state. The CD will feature 8 to 10 live
tracks from performances around the Midwest the past
year and a few tracks recorded in the studio. We anticipate
having CDs available at our upcoming summer gigs.
Speaking of summer gigs, click
here to see the growing list of upcoming gigs. Our
next job is at McGees Tavern’s May 17 Crawfish
Boil and then on the road every weekend in June, including
the Gumbo Ya Ya festival in Rock Island, Illinois on
June 7.
Please check out the latest Hurricane Gumbo branded
merchandise
by clicking on the merchandise link on the left-hand
side of the page. Nothing says you love Hurricane Gumbo
more than a pair of purple crawfish underwear.
Happy March 2008,
Things are moving along with the upcoming live CD.
The project will include 8 to 10 live tracks from various
Mardi Gras shows from around the Midwest and a couple
of studio tracks completed last month. So far, we are
very happy with the project and look forward to sharing
it fans during our upcoming summer festival season.
Speaking of festival season …
Dates are being booked for concerts and festivals around
the Midwest and many, many more are being finalized.
Please check back to the Web site for latest tour updates
and also for the unveiling of Gumbo-branded merchandise
for you or your home or office.
Happy Valentine's Day from
Hurricane Gumbo!
After a busy Mardi Gras, we are looking forward to a
little rest before the summer festival season. And right
now is perfect as we put the finishing touches on the
new recordings. Also we need to track down Lunchbox
Daly who was last seen with Britney in rehab. Just kidding,
he is fine and resting comfortable.
Mardi Gras began at Po?Boys in Peoria. Man talk about
throwing a party. Besides the girls, beads and beers,
we had a visit from the Loves, our friends from out
west who continue to show up and support us. This place
screams New Orleans and we can?t wait to get back down
there later this year.
On Fat Tuesday our day began at 6:30 am as we headed
to the NBC Tower downtown to serve as the house band
for the ?In the Loop with i-Village? television show.
After getting some great airtime, we packed up and drove
to Duffy?s in Lincoln Park. Fun was had by all as we
added our annual Fat Tuesday horn volunteers Dr. Maybe
and Bari Bob Reed.
Finally, it was on to B.J. McMahon?s for the final
gig of Mardi Gras 2008. We have played this place for
years (thanks Roger and Jan) and it was a great way
to end the evening. How can you go wrong with cold Abita
and shots of Jack Daniels; unless you had to work the
next day.
So after many miles, little sleep and lots of stories,
we will be taking a little rest. Thanks to everyone
who came out to see us and keep coming back to the new
look Website to learn when we will be visiting your
neighborhood. We continue adding new summer gigs (and
probably some in the next few months) so check back
regularly to see the latest listings or, better yet,
join the hundreds of Hurricane Gumbo fans who receive
regular updates via e-mail. Joining is easy. Just click
on the link above this message.
Regards
HG
Happy 2008 from Hurricane Gumbo!
Well, the holidays are behind us and we ate and drank
too much, but we are looking forward to an exciting
Mardi Gras.
We begin this year at St. Anne Church, on January
19 in Hazel Crest, Illinois. A limited number of tickets
are going to be sold and are going fast. Tickets are
$25.00 each and include the renowned all you can eat
St. Anne Mardi Gras Buffet and music by us. There
will also be a cash bar.
Tickets are available by calling 708.335.3221, or
e-mail Hurricane Bill at hurricanebill@hurricanegumbo.net,
and we can make some arrangements to get you tickets."Will
call" tickets will only be held with advanced payment.
After that we head to Chuck's Bar B Que Mardi Gras
Extravaganza in Burbank, Illinois on Tuesday, Jan
29. Chuck throws one of the biggest Mardi Gras parties
in the south suburbs and last year's party sold out.
Go to www.chuckscafe.com
or call 708.229.8700 for more information on how to
get tickets for this great event.
On Saturday Feb. 2 we head back to Peoria and headline
their annual Mardi Gras Party at Po' Boy's. We played
there at the end of last year and the place is a blast.
Check out http://www.poboysbourbonstreet.com
for all the details.
For Fat Tuesday, Feb. 5th, we are performing at Duffy's,
420 1/2 W. Diversey in Chicago. This is our first
time playing here but we anticipate a great evening;
especially since it is also Super Tuesday. Go to http://www.mcgeestavern.com/duffys/index.shtml
for information about Duffy's. Finally, we close the
week with the Annual Chubby Thursday Party on Feb.
7 at BJ McMahon's in Oak Lawn.
Keep in mind, this is only the beginning. We continue
fielding calls for the upcoming summer season and
will keep all of you abreast of new dates through
the new and improved Hurricane Gumbo Web site, which
should be up in the next few days.
Remember if you are interested in booking the band;
please contact Bill Green at Rough House Productions.
He can be contacted via e-mail (chicagowilly@sbcglobal.net)
or via phone at 773.247.4886.
More good times to come so stay tuned.
HG
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