It’s starting to get a little sweaty, there’s a little sizzle in the air, and things are heating up all over for your humble Brothers.

First of all, a huge thank you to all of you who took the ride with us at Festival International and Jazz Fest! We had a tremendous time and are glad you were able to share those good times with us. (Where my Threadheads at?)

But now, it’s gettin’ into summer, and you know what that means… road trip! We’re taking the tent back to Texas in June, then up into the Rockies of Colorado for a high-altitude, low-down throwdown in July! The higher the stage, the closer to Heaven! Mercy!

Folks, we’re on top of the world right now, so it’s about time to share that feelin’ beyond the humid bonds of home. Our mountain jaunt is only the beginning, because the rest of the world is callin’ out for some salvation! Holy Ghost Power! has hit the charts at number 5 in the June Americana & Roots chart in Holland and May’s EuroAmericana chart! We’re humbled and grateful and can’t wait to spread the good word in the Old World later this summer! Allons!

Oooooh yeah! Festival time is here, so what’re you gonna do? We’ll be stompin’ our heels and letting the sun kiss our babyfaces at Festival International in Lafayette, Jazz Fest in NOLA, and the Tropical Heatwave in sunny Tampa, and that’s just in the next few weeks! We’ll see you there, brother! Woooo!

Sorry to break kayfabe, but we’re feeling kinda like World Champions after a great pre-Jazz Fest writeup in NOLA’s own Offbeat Magazine where a parallel is drawn between your humble Brothers and pro wrestlers, an examination of the blurry line between sincerity and spectacle. Friends, we’re here to tell you that if you like what you see, you’ll see what you like. It don’t matter as long as you’re dancin’. The sinner and the saved can each whoop it up and feel better than they did when they walked in. And ain’t that what it’s all about? Amen to that.

Anyway, the road calls, so we must answer. We’re having a Festival International kickoff service with the great David Egan at the Feed & Seed on Friday, April 26th, a huge revival at 12:15 on Sunday morning at Scène Chevron Heritage, then a party to honor the wonderful volunteers who keep the Festival rolling on Sunday night at the Blue Moon Saloon. Then, it’s Jazz Fest time. We kick things off on Wednesday, May 1st at Chickie Wah Wah with the incomparable Paul Sanchez, and hit the Fairgrounds at the Gentilly Stage bright and early Thursday morning at 11:15. After that, we’re hither and yon well into summer. Keep an eye on our calendar to see when we’ll be putting up the tent in your town soon!

Calling Europe and all ships at sea! We are bustin’ at the seams with the news that, thanks to our good friends at Rootsy, Holy Ghost Power! will be available in all of Europe on March 6th!  And come this fall, we’re packin’ up the tent and taking the good word across the pond to our European brothers and sisters!

Mercy!

Hallelujah!

Praise be… ooh, I’m gettin’  a little woozy. I think I need to set for a spell. Too much good news too fast… Oh, my tender constitution… Can somebody get me a tea?

…

Much better. Phew. Anyway, come on out and help us celebrate the good news at our Mardi Gras services (Saturday night Feb. 9 at the Blue Moon with Feufollet and Sunday afternoon Feb. 10 at Cajun Field) and our Texas Swing through Austin and Dallas later this month. And don’t forget Festival Season is on the horizon!

Have Mercy (and stay hydrated)!

Brothers and sisters, grab your tambourines, dust off your parasols, dig out your finest beads and throws, and shake off the cold, because spring is fixin’ to be sprung! And you know what that means…

Festival and Carnival season is almost upon us, dear hearts, and we’re taking the good word to the great outdoors and pitchin’ our tent all over this great land! First off, close to home, we’ve got two big shows the weekend before Mardi Gras in Lafayette, at the Blue Moon with Cajun treasures Feufollet on Saturday, and Sunday afternoon at Le Festival de Mardi Gras a’ Lafayette at Cajun Field in the belly of the beast!

In early March, we’re off to sunny Florida to play the WMNF Rockin’ the Ranch Festival, then we’re headed back to Austin for SXSW. And on May 2, we’ll come stompin’ back into NOLA for our debut at the legendary New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival! Mercy!

Stay tuned for more details and good news to come. We ain’t restin’ till this whole world is sanctified!

Looks like the End of the World™ has come and gone, and we’re still standing! Big thanks to all of you who helped us shake off the apocalypse blues at the Blue Moon Saloon.

Big news: Holy Ghost Power! has been nominated in the “Best Country/Folk/Singer-Songwriter Album” category in NOLA’s OffBeat Magazine Best of the Beat 2012 Music Awards! This is a reader’s poll award, so your votes count! Vote here by January 9th, 2013! While you’re at it, drop a vote or two for some of our fellow Lafayette musicians. Represent!

Oooooh, there’s so much more good stuff coming down the pike that we wish we could tell ya… it’s like we got a peek into Santa’s bag, but spilling it now would ruin the surprise. Good things come to those who wait, so hang on, brothers and sisters! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to one and all! Mercy!

We’re pleased as punch to welcome the newest member of the Mercy Brothers family, booker/manager Jeb Schoonover! Introduce yourself, Brother Jeb!

Jeb Schoonover has been a stalwart in the American Roots music community for over 28 years. In 1995 Schoonover teamed up with Paul Bear, the founder of KXCI Radio, to purchase and restore the historic Rialto Theatre. For ten years Schoonover and the Rialto Theatre produced over 750 concerts and events bringing over one million people downtown. Highlights include shows with The White Stripes, Black Crowes, Merle Haggard, String Cheese Incident, Dave Chappelle, Steve Earle, Cake, Ween, Afro-Cuban All-Stars, Lucinda Williams, Sam Butera, King Sunny Ade, Dwight Yoakam, Galactic, Rat Dog, Lewis Black, Baaba Maal, Modest Mouse, Morrissey, Ziggy Marley and Leon Russell to name a few.

Schoonover is currently operating Honkytonk Hacienda, a company he started back in 1990 to manage and book national touring acts. From his work as a promoter, he soon realized that most bands were in search of trustworthy and hardworking management. Over the years Honkytonk Hacienda has specialized in representing Americana Music. Schoonover has handled dozens of bands during that time period including The Hacienda Brothers, The Stone River Boys, Candye Kane, The Weary Boys, Billy Bacon & the Forbidden Pigs, Kim Wilson, and The Tailgators. In 2007 Schoonover was inducted into the Tucson Musicians Museum for his work as a promoter and band manager.

Welcome to the congregation! Amen!

Whoo! What a time we been havin’! Thanks to our friends at the Times of Acadiana for the wonderful cover story:

Also, thanks to you who helped us rock the tent at Festivals Acadiens et Créole. What a time!

We are also pleased to announce that “Holy Ghost Power!” has been added to the list of potential nominees for the Best Americana Album category at the Grammys! Keep your fingers crossed for us!

As always, we thank you for your support. Keep telling your friends they need a little savin’! Bring ‘em to services so we can lay some Holy Ghost Power on ‘em! Amen!

Can you feel the heat? The dog days are upon us, brothers and sisters, and things are getting all het up for your humble Brothers as well.

First, we’d like to welcome some new members to our fold. Brothers Matt Thornton and Dave Nezat have hopped on board to help power this train down the tracks. Give them a warm welcome next time you drop by for services!

Also, we are pleased to announce that Holy Ghost Power! has now officially been released worldwide! Get your digital copies at iTunes, CDBaby, Amazon, Google Play, eMusic, and more to come!

We’ve been humbled by the great support we’ve been getting from you, our faithful brothers and sisters, and we’ve also been blessed with some great mentions in the press lately. The Times-Picayune has given us a nice writeup in advance of our recent shows at Chickie Wah-Wah, a great review from the fine folks at OffBeat, and Louisiana label Valcour Records recently named us Artist of the Month! Thank you all for the kindness and support!

HALLELUJAH! Brothers and sisters, all the true and new believers that witnessed with us at Festival International, thank you so much for a wonderful bunch of services on stages big and small, in the darkness and in the light!

It’s been a busy few weeks for your humble Brothers, and we ain’t stoppin’ now! Those who have been out to our recent shows might have noticed some swanky new t-shirts available for sale. We’ll be offering those online soon, but for now, you’ve got to come find us to swath yourself in fine cotton emblazoned with Holy Ghost Power!

Speaking of such, our debut CD Holy Ghost Power!  is now available! You can pick it up at our live shows, and at such fine independent establishments as Cheapo Discs in Austin, Louisiana Music Factory in New Orleans, and Johnson’s Boucaniere and Barnes & Noble in Lafayette, with more to come. We’ll have more details on wider release and digital downloads as we have them.

Get on board!

Man, what a time! We hope you had as much fun as we did at Carnival, whether you were a float rider or a bead catcher, a Krewe baller or a homebody hermit, a saint or a cautionary tale… Extra special thanks to those of you that made it out to the Blue Moon on a wet Mardi Gras weekend with the Lost Bayou Ramblers and danced yourselves dry. Merci, chère!

We’ve finished cutting tracks for our debut record, and it’s a HOT one, brothers and sisters! We’ve released one more preview track, “309″. Head over to our Facebook page or our Reverbnation portal to give a listen and let it whet your whistle. Also, our friends at The IND have given us a great writeup in anticipation of our impending release. Check it out!

Now that Carnival is over, it’s time for Festival season! We’re kicking things off with a whole mess of free public shows in Austin during the SXSW festival (no badges or wristbands necessary!), then allons à Lafayette for Festival International! Check our calendar for the latest updates…

Shake your tambourine!