The New Orleans Swing of Maison du Malheur

Maison Du Malheur

It's the Dust  Bowl Depression Era Jump Jive Blues- it's the sounds of a jump jive jalopy, broken down banjos and rumble seat sinners fueled up on jungle juice and the churn of the crank shaft as the Model-T lurks into motion  along the dusty  hobo  highway.  Pre-War  Blues and rockin'  rhythm  & blues  rages of  the stage and rumbles through the festival grounds. Maison du Malheur has arrived.

The music of Maison Du Malheur can best be described as old Jazz in combination with Rockin’ Rhythm & Blues and a little bit of Gypsy. No one will sit at a concert of these kids, a swinging band with great feeling for the Blues, Jazz an Gypsy rhythm. Lika a New Orleans Mardi Grass parade party Maison du Malheur walks through time, and five or maybe eight beers later they are done. 

The first time I saw this band was in Delft at the de Koninck Bluesfestival. In front of the stage a group of dancers triggered my attention. They didn´t quit during the entire concert. And justly, it was one of the most swinging concerts I have seen in a long time.

Maison du Malheur is the swinging troupe around songwriter JP Mesker. In 2011 the rocksolid seven-­piece band played their first show and immediately got the attention from clubs and festivals all over Europe. Within a year they played over a hundred shows, opened for blues icon C.W. Stoneking and while touring the band wrote a new album. Stomping Pre-­‐War drums, honky-­‐tonk piano and cracking copper horns call the shots on their new album Wicked Transmission. 

Maison du Malheur is an out of control house party by Fats Waller, where Professor Longhair takes a seat behind the piano and Howlin' Wolf sings out his misery. The universal dance music, traditional roots and storytelling character of the ten songs are packed with musical saw, manic theremin and mariachi trumpet.

Live at Record Store Day in Rotterdam