This is a real treat for fans of the Radiators as well as anyone interested in understanding the legacy of New Orleans piano.
Ed Volker, aka Zeke Fishhead, frequently performed back in the day under pseudonyms. Some of the bands that he appeared in while not playing with all of the members of the Radiators had whimsical names such as Bwana Dik and the Headhunters and Waldo and the Peppers.
On June 15, 1981, Volker played a solo piano and voice show at Tipitina’s under the moniker Annaconda Smith.
That show, recovered from his personal archive of cassette tapes, has just been released as a download. Physical copies will be available soon. It features all cover tunes including the Grateful Dead songs “Friend of the Devil” and “Deal” and blues classics like “Death Don’t Have No Mercy.”
The picture below of the Radiators is from the period. Volker is in the center at bottom.
The Zeke Fishhead production team and the folks at nugs.net have retouched the original analog recording, digitized and made it ready for 21st century digital distribution.
