Reclaim The Street

The Mecca" by bassist and bandleader Corcoran Holt fashions for us a world in which we all can find common ground. The title suggests for us that the Mecca is the meeting place for creative self-expression, for laughter, for joy, and for remembering and empowering the least of these. Holt has called upon some of his closest friends within his musical circle to record his debut album as they reflect on how their own personal journeys have intertwined to form one strong bond. It is a gathering where they find the space for vulnerability through a music-like conversation.

New Orleans legend Dr. John's Nonesuch debut, produced by Black Keys guitarist and uber-fan Dan Auerbach, distills half a century of this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee's picaresque musical history, melding his shamanistic stage persona with the authority of a consummate studio musician, the cosmic conjurer with the street-savvy poet. The ten new songs on Locked Down, written by Dr. John with Auerbach and a handpicked crew of backing musicians, combine incantatory chants ("Ellegua") and often politically charged raps ("Revolution") with candid and soulful reflections ("My Children, My Angels"), swaggering R&B ("Big Shot"), and a healthy dose of hypnotic, simmering funk ("The King Of Izness").

Gardening can be a political act. Creativity, fulfillment, connection, revolution—it all begins when we get our hands in the dirt.