Tag: Blackbyrd McKnight

Fiya Fest 2014 Highlights – New Orleans, LA

Fiya Fest 2014

Fiyawerx Productions did it again for a 2nd year in a row, putting on a lineup of complete fiya, with all the proceeds benefiting The Roots of Music. Combining the best performers in New Orleans with other musical icons and up and coming acts in the contemporary funk scene, Fiyawerx Productions is pushing the storied history of New Orleans music forward while investing heavily in the cultural heritage of the city.

If you are in New Orleans for the Jazz & Heritage Festival, Fiya Fest is an event that is not to be missed. I’ve been very fortunate to be asked to helped document these once in a lifetime musical moments and below I’ve shared video clips from most of the acts that performed this year. I believe the music is for everyone and should be enjoyed and spread far and wide. I think the Fiyawerx krewe would likely agree with me, so I’ve shared quite a lot of footage in hopes that those that could not attend can enjoy these “once only” live collaborations.

Maceo Parker & Friends (Eric Krasno, Nigel Hall, Nikki Glaspie, Calvin Turner & The Shady Horns)
“Go Ahead” (inc. Mothership Connection & Sing A Simple Song), Uptown Up, Shake Everything You Got

The Headhunters Super Jam (Mike Clark, Bill Summers, Donald Harrison, Fred Wesley, Blackbyrd McKnight, Doug Wimbish, Eric McFadden, Ivan Neville & Karl Denson)
Four String Drive
Paging Mr. Wesley (with DJ Logic, and Will Bernard replacing Eric McFadden)
Shekere Intro > Watermelon Man (with Will Bernard replacing Eric McFadden, Donald Harrison replacing Ivan Neville, and ??? on Fender Rhodes)

The Nth Power
Waiting, Thank You (ending jam), Catfish [Four Tops cover]

The Midnite Disturbers Allstar New Orleans Brass Band
Baker’s Dozen [Galactic cover] (with Brandon “Taz” Niederauer)
Snowball [Dirty Dozen Brass Band cover] (with Brandon “Taz” Niederauer & Cyril Neville)
Who Took The Happiness Out? [Dirty Dozen Brass Band cover] > Jam > A Day At The Races (Chali 2na) > Freestyle (Chali 2na) > Who Took The Happiness Out? (reprise) (with Rahzel, Chali 2na, Brandon “Taz” Niederauer & Cyril Neville)

Eddie Roberts West Coast Sounds
unknown song

GRITTSS (George Porter Jr, Roosevelt Collier, Ivan Neville, Tony Hall, Terrence Houston, Big Sam & Sam Kininger)
The Chicken [The J.B.’s cover] (with Bernie Worrell)
Genius of Love [Tom Tom Club cover] (with Bernie Worrell) >
Let’s Get Fired Up [Zigaboo Modeliste cover] (with Bernie Worrell & Corey Glover)
Will It Go Round In Circles [Billy Preston cover] (with Bernie Worrell, Corey Glover, Billy Iuso, Norwood Fisher & Eric McFadden)
Welcome To New Orleans [Zigaboo Modeliste cover] (with Bernie Worrell)

101 Runners
Shoo Fly

The Revivalists
Masquerade (with Jennifer Hartswick, Carly Meyers & Khris Royal)
Stand Up (with Brandon “Taz” Niederauer)
Sunny Days (with Jennifer Hartswick, Carly Meyers & Khris Royal)
Whipping Post [Allman Brothers Band cover] (with Pete Murano on guitar)

Clint Maedgen (of Preservation Hall Jazz Band)
unknown song

The Heard
unknown song

Frequinox (Stanton Moore, Robert Walter, Will Bernard & Robert Mercurio)
Hunk (Robert Walter), Sprung Monkey (Stanton Moore), Penske (Will Bernard), Adelita (Robert Walter), Kickin’ Up Dust (Robert Walter), Chicken Lickin’ (Funk, Inc.)

Fiya Fest Schedule

You can also find my videos from the 2013 Fiya Fest here and the 2012 and 2011 Fiyawerx Family Funktion Crawfish Boils here and here.

Wild Fiya Super Jam brings black rock to the New Orleans Jazz Fest late night scene

WildFiya

Fiyawerx Productions put on an array of impressive “super jams” during the 10 days and nights of debauchery known as the New Orleans Jazz Festival. One of them was a dark amalgam of black rock heroes led by a musician who has been a staple of the Jazz Fest late night scene for no less than 10 years: Eric McFadden.

The group also included funk rock legends Bernie Worrell and Blackbyrd McKnight of Parliament Funkadelic, Doug Wimbish and Corey Glover of Living Colour, and Norwood Fisher of Fishbone, along with Stephen Perkins of Janes Addiction on drums and Mike Dillon on vibes and percussion.

Wild Fiya 5/2/14 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks (PART 1 of 5)
Funhouse > 1969 [Iggy & The Stooges covers]

Wild Fiya 5/2/14 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks (PART 2 of 5)
1969 (continued)

Wild Fiya 5/2/14 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks (PART 3 of 5)
Voodoo Child > Machine Gun [Jimi Hendrix covers]

Wild Fiya 5/2/14 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks (PART 4 of 5)
Machine Gun [Jimi Hendrix cover] > I Wanna Know If It’s Good To You [Funkadelic cover]

Wild Fiya 5/2/14 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks (PART 5 of 5)
Unknown Jam

Bootsy Collins & The Funk Unity Band – The Funk Unity Tour 2011

Bootsy Collins & The Funk U Band – July 9, 2011 – Jazz A Vienne, France:
The Pinocchio Theory, Hollywood Squares, Swing Down Sweet Chariot, Cosmic Slop

Bootsy Collins has assembled a monster band of P-Funk alumni (calling them the Funk Unity Band) for his 2011 Funk Unity Tour in support of his new album, Tha Funk Capitol Of The World. And if that sentence didn’t have enough Funk for ya, I’m about to hit you off with even more!

You can start by pressing play on the above audio track. Then move on to the full course, this 2 hour pro-shot video of the full show from July 9, 2011 in Vienne, France:

When you’re done with that i’ve got some downloads for you. I’ve ripped the above video and you can download the 800mb flash video file via: MEGAUPLOAD or TORRENT.

I’ve also got audio of the next night’s show at North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands from July 10, 2011. It’s a 103 minute untracked audio file and you can download it in either MP3 or FLAC. I recorded it from the NSJF webstream, so it is soundboard quality, although it was only streaming at 192kbps.

Bootsy Collins & The Funk Unity Band:
Bootsy Collins: space bass, vocals
Frankie “Kash” Waddy: drums
Bernie Worrell: keys
Joel “Razor Sharp” Johnson: keys
DeWayne “Blackbyrd” McKnight: guitar
Keith Cheatham: rhythm guitar
T.M. Stevens: bass
Brian Hardgroove: bass, vocals (of Public Enemy)
Garry Winters: trumpet (of the NastyNattiHorns)
Sarah Morrow: trombone (of the NastyNattiHorns)
Randy Villars: saxophone (of the NastyNattiHorns)
Dani “Razzberry Hershey” Cox: vocals
Candice “Candi-Yam” Cheatham: vocals
Kyle Jason: vocals
Ouiwey Collins (Bootsy’s son): MC