Feature

Many of you have gris-gris bag of preconceived notions concerning New Orleans voodoo. You’ve taken the tour, or stepped into the French Quarter voodoo shops. In one ritualistic aspect of voodoo, music and rhythm is used to conjure up spirits both malevolent and kind.

The ZEWtopia festival this coming weekend will give thousands of you the chance to have a taste of this voodoo when Dr. John “the Night Tripper” takes the stage. Experiencing the Dr. John “Night Tripper” show will truly be a once-in-a-blue-moon experience that the audience won’t soon forget. But many have asked, “What exactly is a Night Tripper show”? To get into its origin, we have look back to 19th Century NOLA.

The name Dr. John Montaine (aka Dr. John Creaux) was quite well known in the New Orleans voodoo community of the 1800s. Montaine was said to be African royalty and a powerful houngan (male priest) revered for his infinite powers and wisdom. Think of him as a male version of Marie Laveau.

Montaine spent his days concocting potions, weaving spells and lifting hexes while his nights were spent lurking under the gas lamps of the Big Easy into the cities of the dead to commune with the powerful loa (spirits). After running out of time in this reality, his body gave up his gro-bon-ange (eternal spirit) into the netherworld, but this would not be the last time Montaine would make himself known. Fast-forward to the 20th Century.

Malcolm (Mac) Rebbenack had been making a name for himself across the Crescent City for being a skilled session guitarist and pianist. He had worked with some very big names like Professor Longhair, Frankie Ford and Joe Tex. Like many people, Mac was drawn to the muddy underbelly of New Orleans and ran in some rough circles. It was during this time Mac was involved in a gun accident that injured his hand. It was also during this time Rebbenack was perusing through a book of the occult in his sister’s antique shop and developed a fascination with voodoo. It’s no surprise voodoo fascinated Mac since music is a powerful catalyst for many voodoo rituals.

He submerged himself into the voodoo culture. His nights were filled with candlelit ceremonies and rhythmic drumbeats and he spent his days reading all he could about this religion. It was within these pages that Mac found Dr. John Montaine, later claiming he found a “dark kinship” with the former voodoo figure. Mac focused his occult studies on Montaine, and the connection strengthened. Then, in the mid-’60s, Mac decided to leave his home for Los Angeles.

Mac couldn’t escape New Orleans, as it found him while working a session job with Crescent City native Harold Battiste. This brush with his mystical home awoke something within Mac. From then on, he was no longer Malcolm Rebbenack; he was Dr. John Creaux the Night Tripper. Dr. John Montaine had caught up with him and made Mac his serviteur (loa server).

Mac released his first album called “Gris-Gris” under his new name, and the Night Tripper show was born. Dr. John would emerge onto the stage dressed in a Native American chief Mardi Gras costume and begin to summon the loa with psychedelic music and drum beats inspired by voodoo rituals.

I can make one prediction with a ritual such as this: you will dance. Dancing is one of the keys in a ceremony such as this. I’ve witnessed first-hand the effects of these beats on the human body. Many of you will begin to contort and gyrate with the rhythm but don’t let these actions scare you. You’re probably just playing host to the loa.

Stephen Centanni is Lagniappe music editor. Contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com.

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