Member Since: 10/9/2007
Band Website: http://www.mrsmokermusic.org
Band Members: Jonathan Freilich, Scott Jackson, Keng, Olga, Eddie X-mas, Dave Rosser, Marc Stone, Walter Harris, Jason Butler and Sean C
Influences: Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Sly Stone, Chuck D., Jim Croce,Outkast, Willie Nelson, John Coltrane, Chuck Brown, Kermit Ruffins, Shannon Powell, Herlin Riley, Stevie Wonder, DeBarge, Curtis Mayfeild, The Roots, Common, Erykah Badu, Counting Crowes, Led Zepplin, Tribe Called Quest, Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, George Clinton, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Steeley Dan , Taj Mahal, Elvis Cosstello, Quincy Jones, Ween, Earth,Wind& Fire, The Bee Gee's, Player, The Meters, Louis Armstrong, Johnny V., Critters Buggin, Jon Cleary, Eminem, Ice Cube, Ice T, Mos Def, De La Soul, The Spinners, Lou Rawls, Theryl DeClouet, George French, Bob French, John Boutte and Sista Teedy.The singing drummers: Don Henley, Buddy Miles, Phil Collins, Levon Helm, Steven Tyler, Dave Grohl, Peter Criss, Maurice White, Tommy Lee, Questlove, Sheila E and the Dude who sang Brickhouse
About The Album:
FREEMAN PICKS COTTON, MATHUS BALES HAY:
What do Wynton Marsalis, Lionel Ritchie, Bobby Gentry, and the Cars all have in common? They all influence the New Orleans underground world of Derrick Freeman (a.k.a. Mr. Smoker) on his new self released CD “It Is What It Isâ€.
Derrick eschews the more expected approach of a premier Crescent City drummer by employing a Memphis horn section, Mississippi production, weeping pedal steel, and a genre crossing array of material, to create a CD that sounds like it was recovered from a Trans-Dirty South time capsule with blunt included. (Instructions to aliens: smoke this; play this loud!) Yeah, “It Is What It Is†could save the Universe. Imagine space aliens making out in the backseat of an ’80 Caprice, high on Budweiser and reefer and you’ll get an idea of what Mr. Smoker is all about.
Derrick hooked up with producers Jimbo and Olga Mathus at Delta Recording Service in Como, Mississippi to record “It Is What It Is.†“It’s a truly beautiful record,†says Jimbo. I’m a huge admirer of Derrick’s work, as well Jonathan Freilich (guitarist). Working with them, Keng (vocalist), and Adam Matasar (keyboard) in Mississippi was too cool. Derrick’s producer, arranger and songwriting skills blew me awayâ€.
“I was called to do this recording†says Mr. Smoker. “These songs represent a whole interpretation of early musical and life influences, some even before I was born, but only realized later in life. Songs that reflect my family background in Houston, Memphis, and Mississippi. Songs in the sub-consciousâ€.
This becomes apparent when you hear Mr. Smoker’s interpretation of “Ode to Billie Joe,†the classic song/fable of Deep South tragedy and suppression. Derrick, a young African American, has his own patriarchal roots lying somewhere in the Mississippi Delta, near the Tallahatchie Bridge. Time and racism buried these roots deeply but Derrick knows they are there and honors them in this recording. His version of the Cars “Let the Good Times Roll†(a song any kid in 1983 would have heard), is completely off the chain. Shannon McNally appears on Jim Croce’s “Operator†in a beautiful duet.
Derrick Freeman puts some missing pieces back in the musical puzzle on “It Is What It Is†and shows how simple pop music, both black and white, can be truly meaningful and moving. This CD will take you back and prepare you for the future. Wake Up Everybody!
~Jimbo Mathus