sweartotellthetruth

Swear to Tell the Truth for Tuesday, February 9th  (1:00 to 2:30pm)

This show sits in the Tuesday schedule of CFMU so we can’t very well ignore Mardi Gras. Of course, as the beginning of Lent, the date that Mardi Gras falls upon depends upon the date of Easter Sunday. We did actually miss one Mardi Gras in the past four years because it fell in the same week that the station does fundraising.

Mardi Gras is inextricably tied to the Christian calendar of observance but Carnival has not always enjoyed the support of the church, or of secular authorities, for that matter. A day or days of excess before a period of abstinence has not always been seen as desirable by religious or civil authorities. As well, the rites of Mardi Gras include pre-Christian elements and Mardi Gras puts a spotlight on the distinctions between rich and poor. According to Samuel Kinser in his book Carnival American Style, African-Americans sense of Mardi Gras has been “opportunistic”. His choice of words is perhaps unfortunate but we guess that he means  that Mardi Gras was an opportunity for African Americans in New Orleans to break loose from the normal restrictions of prevailing social and racial norms and of the usual enforcement of law without having much concern over the religious significance of Carnival.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans was like two parallel but still inter-related events, white and black, each with their own symbols and traditions. Part of the black tradition is reflected in the songs of the Mardi Gras Indian bands which have to do with battles fought between the bands in the years before the authorities took measures to control and limit the combat. 

On our program, we’ll be playing some of the R&B and funk connected to the tradition of the Indian bands as part of a selection of New Orleans jazz, blues, R&B, gospel and parade music. 

We’re playing music recorded between 1946 and 2012 for this Mardi Gras program.

On the Show

Roy Byrd (Professor Longhair) – Clarence Garlow & His Band – Sugar Boy Crawford – Lizzie Miles – Wild Tchoupitoulas – James Booker – Zion Harmonizers – Hot 8 Brass Band – Raymond Anthony Myles Singers – Allen Toussaint & the Stokes

Listen to the program at FM 93.3 in Hamilton or on CFMU online at cfmu.msumcmaster.ca. The program will be available to stream or as a podcast until March 7th.

Contact Us:

To reach us with comments or queries, write us at sweartotellthetruth@gmail.com.

You can also follow the program at sweartotellthetruth@nosignifying on Twitter.

Next week (February 16th)

TBA. 

CFMU’s Fundraising Week is coming up! Our fundraising program will be February 1st.

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