Cyril Neville (www.cyrilneville.net)
Neville Brother Cyril Neville comes to Ventnor this Saturday, Feb. 27 for a special Mardi Gras celebration and fundraiser for Access One. He spoke recently to Atlantic City Weekly.
Where were you when the Saints won the Super Bowl?
We were on tour [with Galactic], playing in Brooklyn. It was weird being in Brooklyn and not in New Orleans, watching the game on these big-screen TV sets with everybody in the audience dressed in Saints gear.
How about a new Neville Brothers album? It’s been a while.
I’m glad you asked that because we got something coming out at [New Orleans] Jazz Fest [in April]. We put together something that’s going to be the beginning of a series. It’s called The Neville Brothers: From the Beginning, Vol. 1. It’s live from 1977. And we’re packaging it ourselves. And we’re working on a studio record with none other than Allen Toussaint ... that will probably come out late summer/early fall.
How long has Tribe 13 been together?
Actually, we had just started right before Katrina.
How does it feel to be a displaced resident of your home?
Man, it’s really hard to describe. Just about every emotion you can imagine, you go through them on a daily basis. Anything — like seeing what went on in Haiti — [brings] it all back. I’m in between Austin and New Orleans now since last October so I have a first-hand look at what’s been done and what’s not been done. It’s really depressing.
Are you planning to go back home?
People always ask me if I’m planning to go back to live there and at this point it’s really harder [to live in New Orleans] than it was before the storm. ... And there’s no way to correctly convey what that feels like to be abandoned by your government. Everybody who had obligations to help out didn’t.
Over the past decade or so, the songwriter, singer, harmonica player and self-professed music-gear fanatic has received a slew of accolades, chart hits, awards and nominations — breathing a new life into his “still evolving” music career.
BILLY GARDELL’S THE STAR OF a hit sitcom, he just released a new DVD of his standup material, his latest slate of live gigs has been selling out wherever he goes — things are looking up for him so much, Gardell’s almost over the loss of his beloved Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Almost.
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1. Anonymous said... on Mar 11, 2010 at 01:42PM
“Many New Orleans tire of Cyril Neville's public statements about New Orleans. He continues to insist on telling the world that our city is no longer an appealing place to live. Of course, the truth is another matter. As someone who has lived here for many years and returned within one month after the federal flood, I can assure you that New Orleans is still a very speical place and the only city that many current residents could ever call home.”
2. Anonymous said... on May 9, 2010 at 03:27AM
“Just like some feel that New Orleans is flawless. There are those who are realistic and knows that New Orleans has flaws just like any other city. Cyril was born & raised in New Orleans and he was raised in the early fifties & sixties when there were racism, corruption & greed. He has witnessed the city's misgivings and you can pretend that all was perfect especially during the aftermath of Katrina I have to say you are in denial. So don't shoot the messenger for speaking the truth even if it's their truth. I wonder if you live where there are murders everyday. I wonder if you are raising children amongst the crazy violence in the city. Anyone who speaks this way definitely do not know Cyril. He represents New Orleans everywhere he go around the world. One misquote from a magazine and now Cyril is a New Orleans basher. New Orleans is our home and you are no one will stop that but you are no one will stop the truth either and it's an opinion just like yours.”