Inside The Velvet Room, by Davin Michael Stedman

Justin Armstrong‘s recording palace on the edge of New Orleans is almost complete. This is where I hope to come back and record my long imagined album, Home Cookin’ with Eric Struthers.

The first time I came down here to see Justin, I recorded ‘Stop Crying at The Club’ and ‘Last Train to Houston’ with Justin and through he and the legend Lara Lavi-Jones I met a new Godfadda’ Mr. Struthers.

Now the vision many of you are making possible is coming down here – potentially – to put it all together on another visit.

Imagine recording an album down here in a week or three with the heavyweights then finishing the trip with a great show with some heavyweights.

Well this Saturday thanks to Armstrong and Struthers, and a city built for besting such musical visions with its own Natural Mystic, I test destiny as I turn 40 this Saturday at The Maple Leaf.

THE Maple Leaf. I was never much a gamer. I played video games with my friends as a kid, and I watched friends blowing into those Nintendo cartridges and thought,

“How do I get to meet the real bosses? Where are the real levels and where are these secret doors?”

They are here. In places like New Orleans. There are no cheat codes. No up up down down. Just the X factor and the will to show up on time and do your homework.

The day before the show we rehearse and I meet Eric’s band. We’re playing 14 of my songs spanning my career back to the first song I wrote on upside down guitar with a prechorus shouting out Bourbon St, back in Pullman 2001.

I came down here to see how the Big Boys to it, and to see what kind of fish I am in any sort of Pond.

…and as I am doing in Kingston, it’s about opening doors for everybody.

If you’re a singer and a songwriter, get yo ass down here and cut an album with Justin.

He’s busy today though. He’s backstage right now watching his friend Dave on the mainstage at Jazz Fest, and then tonight he’s on his 12th night of engineering and recording at Preservation Hall.

Each night at Prez Hall there has been a surprise guest from Jazz Fest and most often Justin doesn’t even know. He looked at the set list, and it’s not ______. Who is it? New Orleans knows. New Orleans knows everything.

New Orleans knows how I’ll do Saturday. This is the edge of Creole Empire stretching from Haiti to North Coast of Columbia and Guyana.

The otherworldly source of why American music matters, and why Justin Armstrong stole his lady’s walk-in shoe closet and made it a gateway lined in velvet to the recording world, where great songs and great singers can live forever.

Or at least as long as we still care about great performances and good songs.

– Musician and writer Davin Michael Stedman has many ventures, such as the AMAZING blog, 100milesofmusic.com. Davin’s new song has become a global earworm and Caribbean dancehall hit. Listen here on Reggaeville: DAVIN MICHAEL STEDMAN & ANTHONY RED ROSE – FREE YOUR MIND FEAT. SLY & ROBBIE WITH LENKY MARSDEN. The video is now available on Youtube: Tuff Gong Television. His single with British band Sherlock Soul is available here.