Live Crawfish
Big Al & The Heavyweights
by Alex Vagelatos

I'm a little prejudiced. Okay, I'm a lot prejudiced. I've spent too manynights eating New Orleans cooking and then swilling cold beer, all to theaccompaniment of New Orleans blues, jazz, Zydeco and Cajun music, not to have asoft spot of major proportions for groups such as Big Al & The Heavyweights,who mix all those styles as skillfully as an overweight Louisiana chef makes hisgumbo.

In recent years, New Orleans music has enjoyed a trendy sort of revival amongBaby Boomers who are looking for music a little more appealing and ideal thanthe corporate rock n roll they have outgrown. To this, I raise a plastic go cupand say, far out.

Recorded live on February 28 of this year at the Bourbon St. Blues and BoogieBar in Nashville (see the story on Stacy Mitchhart, page 5, for an interestingconnection), Live Crawfish showcases this veteran band at its best, withnearly 70 minutes of music. And the sound is pretty darn good, more like arecording studio than a bar. The CD opens with Cajun Roux,î which, as the titlesays, sets the scene for the music to follow. It is quickly followed by twoclassic Chicago blues cuts, bound by Love and wrestling With the Blues' On each,Tim Wagoner, who handles lead vocals as well as lead guitar, proves himself asproficient in each category as anyone on the blues scene. Big Al ó drummerAlbert J. Lauro Jr. ó joins bassist Calvin Johnson in providing a seamlessrhythm section, neither sparse nor intrusive.

But the biggest pleasure on the CD may well be Harmonica Red (George Heard).He can play the blues harp either slow and easy or fast and frenetic. Check out hey,Hey Mardi Gras All in all, this CD is a treat with or without the gumbo.

On the CDs' liner notes, Big Al & the fellas encourage you'll to supportcollege and public radio, various blues societies, the Arbor Day Foundation,Earth First, freedom and NORML. Hey, that's what the blues are all about.

Big Al & The Heavyweights began in 1992 as a collaboration between Lauroand guitarist Warren Haynes, who were then playing in David Allan Coeís band.The new band gained a lot of notoriety from their ability to play lengthy sets,fusing many musical influences into their brand of blues. Haynes was soon luredaway by Dickey Betts, playing with The Allman Brothers and later Govt Mule. BigAl brought Wagoner on board to play guitar, and it was one of the best things hecould have done.

Dan Akroyd played a large role in moving the bands career along, featuringtwo of their songs on his blues radio show, earning him some good karma pointsto help offset the bad karma points he received from founding the corporateHouse of Blues clubs, a Wal-Mart-type place which tends to crowd out smaller,local clubs. But hey, that's also what the blues are all about