As necessity would have it, I was reading a good deal of eighteenth-century British literature over the past couple of months and I was coming across many instances where I would read about “Men of Learning”, or “Men of Industry”, or “…of Science”, or “…of Pleasure”. Anyways, sometimes words or phrases poke out at me and I’ll highlight them like a madman. When the BMOL name came about, naturally I went to the internet to see what was already there. I discovered that “men of learning” had much to do with Buddhism. We are not secretly a spiritual band, nor are we secretly a band of Restoration nuts either! What I am sauntering towards is that this weekend’s Racket by John Nova Lomax gave the rundown on where to be for the NYE weekend and one act was the “Black Men of Labor”. He was also nice enough give good mention to our show with de Schmog and Jug of Lightning (both of which completely made my weekend before anything even got started Sunday night, but that’s a whole ‘nother story). So then…reading “bright men of learning” in bold print shortly followed by “Black Men of Labor” had me wonder how this peculiarity came to pass.

Black Men of Labor is a social aid and pleasure club. They have a step team that does a marching routine with umbrellas in parades such as the Mardi Gras parade in NOLA. So perhaps they are Men of Pleasure, but aren’t we all in some way? Really though, this club does a lot for the community. They were at the forefront of evacuation during Katrina. Read this great article that interviews Fred Johnson, co-founder of the Black Men of Labor: http://www.csindy.com/csindy/2005-10-13/webextra.html

And in the picture below, Fred Johnson is the gentleman to the far right and to the far left is co-founder Greg Stafford.