ok, so these guys aren't good musicans. only one of em claims to have been one before hand. but they're getting better, which could prove to be their ultimate fate b/c their utter lack of musicanship is why they're endearing. at least they're in the same key now. the singer of "corkscrew" is their guitarist, ryan scully, and his falseto to is more like prince, to me. otherwise, the leader, josh, is the oddity vox. i've not heard the album yet, but i can't wait.

I say again, make no mistake

"To begin with, I watched Intro, the video first, and it was admittedly kinda cool and funky with a New Orleans feel. Make no mistake; these guys are good musicians to be sure."

I'm glad you liked the video at least.
It was a fun project shooting it.

I'm glad you liked the video at least.
It was a fun project shooting it.

Yes I did,and it looked like alot of fun, maybe that's one of the differences, I got to see it. Josh Mills sent me a note that said I did not "get it" when it came to the album, and you know what? I am not God, mine is simply an opinion, I like that you and your fans are logging in with your two cents. Keep the faith!

I used to live in the same Bywater neighborhood that these boys hail from, and actually saw them play in an old alley once when they were only 3 of them.. until upset neighbors threatened to call the police on all of us.
There is no 'hook' by these guys saying they live in the ninth ward. The bywater is and always has been known to all as the ninth ward. It's only after Katrina that the rest of the world has come to know of the part of the ninth that received the severest of flooding... so who's jumping on bandwagons now? There is a lot of history to this band and the ninth ward way of life (not to be confused with being a ninth ward soldier) is a unique an ecosystem unto itself as an isolated underwater cave 200 meters under Israel... albino crawfish and everything.

Before you accuse a band of something a serious as capitalizing on a national disaster, please do some homework.

Morning 40 live in the 9th Ward. Period. They have for years, just like artists in NYC live in Bushwick and Bed-Stuy. They have always been proud of their neighborhood and have always sung about the 9th Ward.

You cynical bastards (Paul Jordan and Todd Price) should really do some research before opeing your smelly pie-holes.

hey dude you are just wrong...why are you writing and what qualifications do you have...how many shows have you been to? You mention that the Morning 40 Federation doesn't stick to one genre of music...thank god they don't. They are CREATIVE and INVENTIVE one thing that most bands are not...you fail to recogize the originality of this band...
I make my living as a musician, promoter, venue owner, writer,and sound engineer..I have been
working in the music industry and earning a living in the industry for 10 years. I have worked with groups like Medeski, Martin, and Wood and Henry Gray, Shanon Wright to name a few..what the hell do you know about music???

Another great musician who worked in different genres of music was Ray Charles, and here is another one for you Beck.

good luck and why don't you do something else with your time instead...you are obviously not qualified to write about music...

So you and "Doode" have a new job? Pretending to be serious music buffs when you are actually on Morning 40's payroll, come on guys, just state your case and get on with it.

it's a shame that when someone googles "morning 40 federation ticonderoga" your review is the first to come up because your ignorance is obvious and your opinions are nearly invalidated by your utter lack of understanding of some basic facts. first, there are TWO singers (and sometimes more based on how many naked people jump on stage, grab the mic, and join in). the falsetto, as "elvis" said, is scully....that's his trademark sound. he has solo recordings, if you're more comfortable with a single vocalist. josh provides the deeper vocals, often distorted by a megaphone.

second, and most important. you and todd price don't understand the 9th ward neighborhoods. you obviously only know what mainstream media has spoonfed you...much of which was wrong. it took them many days before they figured out that they were incorrectly referring to the lower 9th ward as simply the 9th ward. these were days that i spent worried sick that MY neighborhood and friends were underwater when in actuality it was a completely different neighborhood. they are two separate places. trust me, when we want to refer to the lower 9th, that's what we have always said, the *LOWER* 9th. when we want to refer to the "upper 9th" as yall called it, we just say ninth ward. i have never heard anyone casually call it the "upper ninth ward." i suspect the only time it's referred to like this is in zoning hearings and city planning meetings when such a distinction is necessary. it's just the ninth ward. and the forties are, and have been for years, our ninth ward band.

it's irresponsible of you and todd price to make the ridiculous suggestion that claiming status as a ninth ward band is a marketing gimmick. do you really think that those of us who lived through katrina are ready to make something so trivial of our ordeal? the forties' status as a ninth ward band is nothing new. look at their last cd...there is even a song titled "9th ward." they are the veritable champions and flag bearers of this eclectic community made up of artists, musicians, bartenders, and drunks (often all 4 in the same package) who live the debauchery they sing of. (which i'm sure you find extravagant and unnecessary to the music....but anyone in the ninth ward will tell you different)

there is nothing katrina geared about this release or the marketing campaign. i personally heard early mixes of ticonderoga BEFORE katrina. there is little difference, except the cover art...subtle enough that i believe many people outside of post katrina new orleans will not understand since they probably have never had that symbol emblazoned on their front doors or had to duct tape their seeping, reeking, disgusting fridge together and drag it out to the street (or as frontman josh cohen did, kick it over the porch railing)

it's sad that you just completely missed it here (and then posted a highly visible review that may dissuade other listeners). the forties are a fantastic band, good friends of mine, and some of the greatest live shows i've have ever been to. it's exciting to see them coming up and getting big (great review in the monday new york times, by the way) and making a name for themselves outside of new orleans....ambassadors of ninth ward culture. they don't deserve the unfounded criticism you gave them...but i think it's pretty obvious to anyone who reads this that you are oblivious. yes, entitled to your opinion, but completely oblivious. let me know if you ever want to come to new orleans and go to a forties show because that's where you will find me tomorrow night...dancing in the front row....possibly naked....probably drunk...definitely having a fantastic time.

i noticed you said you are a texan (as am i). the forties just announced tour dates in texas coming up. they will be opening for slightly stoopid so you won't get the full picture of a 40s show, but you really should check it out if any of these are near you. go, see what they are about....maybe then you'll get it. or not. but at least you can say you tried. you might even have a good time...

Jul 18 8:45P
Club 101
El Paso, TX

Jul 20 9:00P
House of Rock
Corpus Christi, TX

Jul 21 8:45P
Stubbs Bar-B-Q
Austin, TX

Jul 22 9:00P
Warehouse Live
Houston, TX

I don't usually point out the absolute lack of research done by a writter, but if he's going to throw stones somethings should be clarified. Morning 40 Federation has been representing the 9th ward sense the begining, so thats like 1997. Katrina hit in 2005. You do the math. So eather this band is full of psycic marketing geniuses or they just sing about where they live. I'm voteing for the later. Also if you ever get to go to the area that the 40's live, which I seriously doudt you'll make it that far into the ninth ward, you'll notice how impoverished it is.

Paul, you don't get it. Its not about agendas or payrolls (I'm just a fan of the band).

You accused this band of capitalizing on the worst disaster in US history. That's a big stone to throw. And you hide behind the quote of a freaking food critic? Shameful.

Lazy journalism. I don't care that you don't like the record. I care that you are a lazy writer.

saying that there is a marketing hook to them claiming to be from the ninth ward just shows what a total idiot you are. This band has been around for 10 years and yes they are from the ninth ward. They reflect the fabric of the neighborhood and vice versa. You are not very intelligent and obviously have never been to New Orleans.

You don't get it and you never will. I will second the lazy writer comment. The 40's are straight from the 9.
No peace without Justice,

I bet you guys that wrote this article look like Comic Book Guy from the Simpson's. Come on. Be honest. You do don't you?

Not impressed by being from the 9th Ward? I'm sure where you live is even less impressive.

Being a 9th ward band isn't sleazy marketing, it's the truth, and they'be been representing the 9 since they started out, it's just that nobody knew anything about the 9W until Katrina.

The upper 9th ward is a predominantly black neighborhood too, that has been slowly gentrifying, but we're still treated like the city's whipping boy down here. We lost power again today, for instance, 14 months after the storm.

I'm neighbor's of these guys, and I can tell you that Josh's place got a hole in his place that you could drive a truck into, and he got looted badly. The guy that produced their video? I watched his slate roof blow away. I've got video of it. It's very impressive, but I'm sure some people are too jaded to be impressed by such trivial matters when 1/2 mile away houses were washing down streets.

I'd like to see you walk through the best part of the 9th ward during the day. I'll buy you a 40 if you do it.

Let me say that you know nothing of New Orleans or New Orleans history. We are districted into wards, the ward names were more prevalent than "neighborhood" names used currently.

The 9th ward is where morning 40 live and have lived, long before "the storm". If you had done your research or had ever been here, you would know this. Just ask anyone who grew up in this neighborhood their entire lives, and they will tell you this is the "9th ward".

Take a walk through the 9th ward at night, I triple dog dare you but I bet you're most comfortable in front a computer screen speaking of something you know nothing about.

As a writer myself I am appalled at the cavalier way in which you throw misinformation around. I met the 40's when they were first starting out back around '96-'97. They were living in the 9th Ward then and have represented that neighborhood vibrantly for a long time. I suppose that the song "9th Ward," off of the Tekito release Your My Brother was simply prescient marketing?

I am forced to agree with the comments made above, they are pretty solid and accurate across the board. I doubt I shall bother looking here for reviews again.

Lazy, sloppy, AND offensive. Good job boys.

This has got to be the most narrow minded review I have ever read. I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but why is someone with no understanding of music publishing musical reviews? I guess the critic would have liked it better if every song on the album sounded like a Pat Boone song.
Another thing I don't understand is why he brought up Katrina. This band has been glorifying the colorful life of the Ninth Ward for years. To say that Morning 40 Fed is guilty of sleazy advertising is one of the most profound statement of ignorance I have ever heard. Why would you someone publish something so blatantly false? Maybe the author thought he could use this disaster to stir up some contoversy in order to get publicity. Now that is sleazy. Thanks for using the greatest tragedy to befall our great city for your own personal gain.
On a more positive note, this album is very diverse, and has a lot of groove and funk to it. A very unique piece, delicious food for the soul.

Maybe I don't need to at this point, but I kinda feel I ought to chime in. I used to live in the 9th ward (bywater). As a result, I too was worried about my friends when I first heard the news stories. It is what everybody has been saying it is. One of the reasons I love Morning 40, is that it captures the feel of the neighborhood perfectly. I'm not as poor anymore as I was when I was living there, and many of my newer friends have lived a, well, more sheltered life. I can use Morning 40 to tell them about what it was like to live in NOLA in ways which words and stories alone can never express. Telling friends of mine about NOLA bands is always a gamble. So many of the songs and lyrics intimately reflect life in the city which, when listened to in the abstract, ungrounded in personal experience, can make them appear mystifying, silly, or over-the-top. Believe me, they take on a much more visceral meaning when you've had the experience. Look at the CD as a window on a cultural experience, and then visit the neighborhood to ground it in reality. Take up 413X on his offer. You'll be a better person for it. (By the way, I don't know the band personally; I did go to a couple of their shows when I was down there.)

Really is a shame that you just don't get it. I live in the nin't ward and am overjoy'd to call these guys neighbors. About time they get the recognition they deserve. Actually it is'nt a shame that you just don't get it. Many believed that the world was flat for a long time. CAUTION: please keep arms and legs inside your vehicle at all times when listening to these guys : )

i haven't been in N.O. for quite a while now (i have lived on the west coast since 2000) but one of the best memories i have of the 9 or so years i lived there were of the morning 40s playing at the hi-ho lounge on st.claude ave in the 9th ward and being damn proud of the neighborhood and that was 6 years before katrina so any accusations about these guys cashing in on or trying to use the 9th ward as a markeeting ploy is full of shit and you obviously don't really know the band or their history so why talk shit!?!?!

critics are cowards

Morning 40 Federation is one of the most unique bands anywhere. They jump from stlye to style because they are the styles of music you hear at any given time in New Orleans, all of which influenced thier sound. No band I have ever seens comes close to the sheer joy and power of them playing live, at say some small club like One Eyed Jacks on Toulouse Street. I can say this because I have seen everyone from Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead to Rage Against the Machine and New Orleans own Meters. The Morning 40's live shows are just as fun, sweaty and drunken as the songs suggest. Go grab a 40, preferably first thing after waking up, throw this CD in on high volume levels and LISTEN to it!!! The lyrics "God help me to love normal people, but I don't love them" were written about the kind of people that make us members of the Confederation of Ounces nervous - nervous 9-5ers with no concept of fun!!!

Saw these guys last year at House of Blues Myrtle Beach..They opened for Slightly Stoopid...and Stoopid should have opened for them..Not only are they musically sound, they put on one hell of a show....When you see M40F, YOU WILL BE ENTERTAINED!!!

Ok man Morning 40 are good friends of mine, they also are my neighbors and let me tell you as a resident of the bywater these guys arent sleazy marketing there just singing about what we do evryday and you have to experince a day in the ninth