Issue Articles — Features
Joy, Celebration and Comfort: Connie and Dwight Fitch married in life and to gospel music.
Connie & Dwight FitchSaturday May 6 at 11:15 a.m., Gospel TentSunday May 7 at 4 p.m., Alison Miner Stage Connie and Dwight Fitch, a married couple in life as well […]
Steve Miller’s Musical Garden
Steve Miller was a mainstay of commercial radio in the 1970s based on his steady flow of endurable hits—“The Joker,” “Livin’ in the USA,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Rock’n Me,” “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Jet Airliner,” “Jungle Love,” and “Abracadabra” among them. But most people may not know that his musical roots go beyond the psychedelic rock sound he honed with the Steve Miller Band.
New Beginning: Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. is keeping his father’s legacy alive
It’s not always easy following in the footsteps of your major dad, especially when he’s the legendary Buckwheat Zydeco (1947-2016) who brought zydeco to worldwide prominence— more so than his mentor and genre founder Clifton Chenier. After spending three years playing organ in Chenier’s Red Hot Louisiana Band, Buckwheat Zydeco, a.k.a. Stanley Dural, Jr., founded his own group, Buckwheat Zydeco and Ils Sont Parti Band. (Ils Sont Parti means “they left,” a commonly heard cry when the horses sprint out of the chute at a local racetrack.)
A Forever Family: For the Continental Drifters the story is not over
The Flatlanders once claimed they were “more a legend than a band,” but the Continental Drifters are a little of both. Anyone who followed the Drifters in the ’90s-’00s can vouch for the volume of terrific songs, the onstage spirit and camaraderie, and the inexplicability that a band this good never got massively big.
Homegrown Indie Pop: Joe Adragna and The Junior League’s melodic songs
Any talk with Junior League mastermind Joe Adragna is bound to come around to the glories of classic pop. He’s been immersed in that world since he heard “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on the radio at age four, and his knowledge of pop’s back pages informs his savvy as a songwriter. Name a deep track by the Monkees or the Cyrkle and he can probably sing you the chorus hook, and then he might go off and write one of his own.
Fresh and Unique: Christian McBride’s new thing
Christian McBride’s New JawnFriday May 5 at 5:45 p.m., Jazz Tent In 2015, Christian McBride was ready for a new adventure. With two Grammy Awards under his belt (he’s now […]
French Quarter Festival Celebrates 40 Years: Sandra Dartus and Emily Madero reminiscence
French Quarter Festival Celebrates 40 Years
Wendell Brunious: Roots in the past century and vibrancy today
Trumpeter, vocalist, and bandleader Wendell Brunious is the epitome of lineage, tradition, and consummate professionalism.
Roderick Paulin leads the congregation
Though multiple reedman Roderick Paulin has performed at the French Quarter Festival numerous times, including with his father, the late trumpeter Ernest “Doc” Paulin, his siblings in the Paulin Brothers Brass Band, bassist Mark Brooks, trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and others, this appearance marks the first time leading his own band at the fest.
