2006 Entries
December 14, 2006Seasons Greetings from Hurricane Gumbo! With the holidays upon us, we typically take this time at the end of the year to relax and prepare for the upcoming Mardi Gras and the road trips that accompany them. This year is different. Over the last few weeks, we gathered at Lunch Box Studios in scenic Woodridge and recorded a holiday themed ditty just for you. The idea came out of some random conversations and Hurricane Bill saying “Why don’t we do a holiday tune?” It is amazing how these items helped set a chain of events in motion that was eventually pulled together over the last few weeks. We are excited to announce that the song is complete and ready for download (free of charge) from our "tunes" webpage. All of us are very excited about the finished product and we hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Do us a favor … please send Hurricane Bill a note letting him know what you think. We always like to hear from our fans and wonder if a holiday-related tune is something we should in the future. You know Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day are just around the corner? Or maybe an Arbor Day tune? The holiday possibilities are endless. Looking ahead, new gigs are being finalized right now. But one important date is set. We will be performing at the Cubby Bear on Fat Tuesday. Get ready north siders, here we come. Keep checking back for final details and news on other 2007 gigs. It should be a great year and we are looking forward to getting back on the road. November 5, 2006As the year slowly comes to a close, we wanted to thank everyone for their support during 2006. This was one of the most exciting years for Gumbo in terms of playing many new clubs and festivals, and making new friends and contacts along the way. At the same time, we hit some of our favorite, established locations where we continue to be welcomed back with fantastic enthusiasm. Even though we are taking a little time off for the holidays, please keep in mind that while you may not see us out, everyone should be very prepared to be “Gumboized” come Mardi Gras. We are going into the Daly basement over the next two months to start writing some new tunes and medleys for 2007 so watch out. Speaking of Mardi Gras, keep checking the site for new 2007 gigs. Our management team is already coordinating new gigs in and around Chicago and other exotic locations. As soon as details are finalized, it will be on the site. We also recommend signing up for our mailing list. Just go to “Contact Gumbo” above and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Please be aware that we NEVER sell or share your personal information to third party vendors. Your information is used for Gumbo purposes only … which means the latest gig and band information along with short philosophic ramblings from our resident philosopher, Hurricane Bill. Thanks again to everyone who came out and supported Hurricane Gumbo in 2006. We look forward to seeing you in 2007. October 10, 2006We Need Your E-mail Addresses!! Sorry for the exclamation points, but we just found out that our crack Web Server completely lost our e-mail address book. While Hurricane Bill is following up directly with the server team, we would appreciate you sending an e-mail directly to Bill (hurricanebill@hurricanegumbo.net) with your first and last name or log onto the “Contact Gumbo” heading above and join our mailing list directly. While we are repopulating our address book with one of our past lists, we just want to make sure that everyone has the chance to rejoin themselves and stay in touch as Mardi Gras 2007 gains speed. Speaking of Mardi Gras, we want to thank everyone who came out this past Sunday for the Gumbo video shoot. It felt like Mardi Gras for a few hours and we got some great footage for our upcoming DVD. According to one inside source, the project will be completed by end of the year and we will get some footage on this site in the upcoming weeks. See you Oct. 27 at Oak Lawn’s TC Pub October 3, 2006Thanks to all of you who came out and supported the New Orleans benefit at the Cubby Bear on September 24. We sent a good chunk of money to help the brothers and sisters of New Orleans. But now, we want you to help us out. Sunday, October 8, 2006, from 4-8 p.m., we are doing a video shoot for a new promotional DVD and we need you to be in the audience. Show up at The Benton House (3034 S. Gratten Avenue in Chicago) and drink our beer, eat our snacks and listen to the crew's instructions. We'll be recording two tunes for the promo DVD so come and be part of the fun. If you plan on attending the video shoot, and so we can ensure the proper amount of refreshments, please send a note to hurricanebill@hurricanegumbo.net with your name and the number of people planning to attend. Hope to see you there and thanks for the help. September 13, 2006With the passing of Labor Day we say goodbye to a great summer season. We would like to thank all the fans who came to see us at the festivals and clubs across the Midwest. So with our white shoes and belts cleaned and stored away until next summer (remember you cannot wear white after Labor Day), we begin to look toward Mardi Gras 2007. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we need to send a Hurricane Warning to Wrigleyville as we invade the Cubby Bear as part of the Rebuild and Revive New Orleans Benefit on September 24 from 2 until 6. Through the efforts of the Faculty and Staff of the Management of Public Services Graduate Program of DePaul University, the Rebuild & Revive New Orleans Benefit will benefit the Homeless Relief Programs in Mid City New Orleans. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door and can be purchased via phone (312-362-5564) or online at www.publicservice.depaul.edu Besides getting to listen to the funky sounds of Hurricane Gumbo, you also receive two hours of open bar, (which covers beer, wine and soft drinks), New Orleans style appetizers and lots of beads. Additionally there will be a silent auction and a chance to win some great door prizes. Please contact one of us directly or go to www.publicservice.depaul.edu for additional details. Yeah we know it is football season, but come out and be part of the fun, while doing your part to help our New Orleans brothers and sisters. August 11, 2006The summer festival season is almost to an end, but we still have a date at this year’s Sweetcorn Festival in Urbana, Ill. This is the first time playing the festival, but those of you who saw us at the Taste of Champaign and Fat City Saloon earlier this summer; we expect to see you August 25 at 6:00 pm If you are looking at the calendar and saying “Where are you guys going to be after that?” … well don’t worry. While the fall and winter seasons serve as recovery time, creation of new music and preparation for Fat Tuesday 2007, which falls on February 20 next year, there are some late 2006 gigs in the works so check back to the site every week for updates. Also, keep checking the site for new pictures and new sounds courtesy of Webmaster Sleepin Jon. July 17, 2006To say it was hot at Milwaukee’s Bastille Days would be an understatement. It definitely felt more like New Orleans than a typical summer day in the city by Lake Michigan. But given the conditions, the audiences for both of our sets were exceptional, showing that it is ok to have a little Mardi Gras in the middle of July even when the heat index hits triple digits. We have the pictures to prove it. The band would especially like to thank Mary and Neil for helping us stay cool backstage by providing air conditioning, drinks and food. We always enjoy playing this festival and look forward to a return engagement. Looking ahead, we are taking this weekend off and then it is off to Danville for two jobs on July 28. Check the dates’ page for all the information about these jobs and future ones that continue to be booked. HG PS- We are almost done mixing down the 20 plus hours of music from all of our Mardi Gras shows earlier this year. Stay tuned … a new CD is coming. July 11, 2006Gather up your best French accent and beret and head to Wisconsin with us this weekend for Milwaukee’s 25th annual Bastille Days. Located in Cathedral Square Park, we are playing two sets (2-3:30 & 7-8:30) on Sunday July 16. Besides the music, come sample fancy French Cuisine, such as cheese curds and corn dogs; climb the 43 foot replica of the Eiffel Tower and taste imported French wines from the fine folks at Miller Brewing Company. We’ve got the beads so come party with us this Sunday. Also … just booked is a return trip to Champaign Urbana for the 31st Annual Sweet Corn Festival. Check the dates page above for more information about this and other upcoming Gumbo adventures. June 26, 2006What a weekend! First we opened the St. Josaphat festival in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. We have played this fest the past few years and it is always a blast. Thank you Richard for having us out this year and we hope to see everyone at next year’s event. After a few hours of sleep, we hit the road for Champaign, Ill. First stop was West Side Park and an afternoon gig at Taste of Champaign. After searching for the beer tent for three hours, we realized there were no libations on site. With that in mind, we want to give a special shout out to Aquafina for keeping us hydrated during the event. Also need to thank disc jockey Mary Lynn for her intro at the concert and nice complements on her personal blog. After tearing down, we headed to Fat City Saloon for an evening gig in their beer garden. While we would have loved to of seen more people come out, we know that the folks (especially the south side’s own Sandy and Nancy) had a great time and we hope to be back in the future as part of other Fat City music events. Special thanks to Rich and all the folks at Fat City for keeping the band fueled up with great-tasting Abita beer the entire evening. Looking ahead, if you are in town over July 4 weekend come check us out in Chicago Heights at Lot 4 from 9 till 1 this Saturday, July 1. There’s nothing wrong with a little Mardi Gras in July is there. June 6, 2006Greetings Gumboheads, This week marks the beginning of our busy summer festival season... First off is a Friday, June 9 gig at 115 Bourbon St. We start playing at 8 until 10 so come out and here some Louisiana bayou/swamp blues before heading over to Grant Park on Saturday morning for Chicago’s 23rd annual Blues Fest. While we would love to go down to Grant Park and listen to some of best blues musicians in the world, we unfortunately have other plans. We are headlining the main stage at the 14th annual Gumbo Ya Ya festival in downtown Rock Island. We have performed here in the past, but this year’s festival is bound to be the best with a mixture of Cajun, Creole, and southern food, zydeco and jazz music, and of course beads. Catch us at the east stage from 10 till 12:30 … or maybe longer if the folks want more. Hope to see you this weekend May 1, 2006Greetings Fun Fans of Hurricane Gumbo: We continue adding new dates for the summer and look forward to seeing all of you in the upcoming weeks. (In fact we just added a May 27 date at Captain’s Quarters in Antioch. Check out the dates’ page for more information.) As part of the upcoming summer festival season, we are organizing two bus trips to Rock Island’s Gumbo Ya Ya Festival and the Taste of Champaign. While the exact details are being finalized, each trip will include round trip Coach Bus transportation, refreshments (i.e. beer and jerky from our friends at Abita and Kip John’s) admission to the event and overnight lodging. Check back in the upcoming weeks for final details and learn how you can be a part of the Gumbo 2006 Bus Tour. We are also going through the hours of music from our recent Mardi Gras shows in an effort to release a CD of live Gumbo. It is a long process so please be patient … it will be well worth the wait. We also wanted to remind everyone that the second weekend of New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival is coming up May 5-7 so you still have time to get down there. In fact our own Hurricane Bill is packing up his “krewe” and heading down this week. Each of us has spent time in New Orleans and knows what to expect … we are just hoping that he makes it back in one piece. Over and out till next time. March 27, 2006We played in Madison last Friday (special thanks to the Badger Bowl for its Band Break shots special) so check out the latest photos. Additionally, we are listening to every Mardi Gras show we recorded in an effort to create a CD of Gumbo Gras Shows from 2006. This is not the official title, but a work in progress. If you came to a show and have a suggestion as to what to call this upcoming CD, go to the “Contact Gumbo” link above and send a note to Kenny or Bill. If we decide to use your title, you will get a free CD when completed. Just think, your creative idea could become a part of Gumbo history … or be found at a future Swap-a-rama event. Summer is not that far away and we are booking dates fast. Please note, if you are interested in booking the band, please contact Bill Green as soon as possible. Many dates that look “open” according to our calendar might actually be blocked out awaiting final arrangements. The sooner you call, the sooner we can confirm a date and time with you.) Click above to see the current list of dates and keep checking back. Over and out March 1, 2006Ash Wednesday After five gigs in five days, we are looking forward to a little rest before the summer festival season. (We continue adding new summer gigs so click on the show dates section above to see the latest listings.) The three Fat Tuesday gigs-one on the north side (Home of your fourth place NL Central Chicago Cubs) and two on the Southside (Home of your World Champion Chicago White Sox)-were fabulous. Our day began at 4:30 am as headed to the WGN Morning Show. After getting 3 minutes and 37 seconds of airtime, we packed up and drove to the Southside for our early show at 115 Bourbon St. Our apologies to the folks on the short performance time, but we hope you had fun while it lasted. (Keep in mind we will be back at 115 Bourbon on June 9 as part of Blues Fest weekend.) Finally, it was on to B.J. McMahon’s for the final gig of Mardi Gras 2006. We have played this place for years (thanks Roger and Jan) and the crowds grow larger and larger each time. This year the place was completely packed, but that didn’t stop the folks from dancing up a storm. So after many miles, numerous Abita beers, little sleep and lots of stories, Gumbo will be taking a little rest and recovering from a very busy Mardi Gras. Thanks to everyone who came out to see us and keep coming back to the site to learn when we will be visiting your neighborhood. February 27, 2006
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2006 GumBlog Entries December 14 November 5 October 10 October 3 September 13 August 11 July 17 July 11 June 26 June 6 May 1 March 27 March 1 February 27 February 12 2008 | 2007 | 2005  Delicious food in Utica, IL  Everything New Orleans  A donation of one dollar for every six pack of Abita's new Fleur-de-lis brew sold will be made by the Abita Brewing company to the LDRF. Also 100% of all net proceeds from their new merchandising products will be donated to the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation.  Tipitina's Foundation To Commemorate Katrina One-Year Anniversary By Delivering Over Half Million Dollars Of New Instruments To New Orleans Schools.  Tipitina's Foundation To Commemorate Katrina One-Year Anniversary By Delivering Over Half Million Dollars Of New Instruments To New Orleans Schools. |
