Meet Dr. Ike....The Man Behind The Ponderosa Stomp!

Meet Dr. Ike. By day he’s a doctor. By night, he’s the indie-est man in the music business.

For the past six years, a New Orleans anesthesiologist named Dr. Ike (née Ira Padnos) has produced the world-renowned annual roots music romp in New Orleans called Ponderosa Stomp — just for the pleasure of seeing his vast vintage record collection come to life onstage.

He uses every waking hour while not in surgery to track down forgotten legends of blues, R&B, rockabilly, garage rock, traditional country and swamp pop whom many of us didn’t even know were still alive. If they can still evoke magic onstage, Dr. Ike brings them to Ponderosa Stomp. Even Katrina couldn’t stop the Stomp — although it did put it in exile for one year to another great roots music city, Memphis. This year it’s it’s back home in New Orleans on Wednesday, May 2 at the House of Blues.

Funded from his paycheck as well as an array of sponsors who “get it,” coordinated by a loose but devoted band of music freaks known as the Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau (a non-profit foundation), Ponderosa Stomp is easily the “indie”-est music festival in America. No concert conglomerates are involved. In fact, most of the artists aren’t even on labels at this point and have come out of retirement at Dr. Ike’s persuasion, just to play the Stomp — only to surprise themselves that they still have it. You won’t see them anywhere else. And you may never see many of them again.

Among the artists who have played or will play Ponderosa Stomp are Lazy Lester (whose song “Ponderosa Stomp” lent the festival its name) Roky Erickson, Link Wray, Roy Head, Archie Bell, William Bell, Blowfly, Dale Hawkins, the Tennessee Three, Little Jimmy Scott, Rudy Ray Moore, Jean Knight, Dave Bartholomew, Brenton Wood, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Hubert Sumlin, Billy Lee Riley, Bobby Rush, Dan Penn, Augie Meyers, Sun Ra Arkestra, Sam the Sham, Hi Rhythm Section, Syl Johnson, ? & the Mysterians, Eddie Bo, Arch Hall Jr., Sam Carr, Tony Joe White, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Ace Cannon, Howard Tate, the Bad Roads, John Fred, William Bell, DJ Fontana, Scotty Moore, Earl King, Bobby Patterson, Matt Lucas and more. It’s a sick amount of fun.

Truly now, does it get “indie”-er than that?

Anyone crazy enough to invest themselves so fully in such an odd, money-losing but musically gratifying festival year after year should probably have their head examined. There’s a dynamic story to be written about this man. Dr. Ike is available for interviews — if he’s not administering surgery, he’s yours. Let us know at cary@conqueroo.com.

Ponderosa Stomp is May 2 in New Orleans. Once you’ve recovered from SXSW, let’s talk.
And make your airline reservations soon!