Issue Articles — Features
Unapologetically Rock and Roll: Michael Mullins and Zita channel rock and roll energy
The first time Zita frontman Michael Mullins heard the classic Led Zeppelin track “The Ocean,” he wondered why these English guys were stealing a song from his dad’s band Bonerama.
No Limit: Kings of Brass Polish Up the Scene
This marks the debut appearance of the Kings of Brass at the French Quarter Festival.
Eponymous Debut Redux: Davis Rogan celebrates 25 years since All That’s debut
Davis Rogan first had visions of the band that would become his groundbreaking hip hop, brass band, funk hybrid All That while still in college. The 1985 Ben Franklin graduate matriculated through Reed College in Portland, Oregon. But before graduating, he took a year off and returned to New Orleans.
Saving Snug: Jason Patterson buys Snug Harbor
Because Jason Patterson booked the music at the Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro and seemingly was always at the highly regarded jazz club many people outside of those who worked or hung there, understandably presumed that he owned the business. Not so. That is until mid-December 2022 when he bought it.
James Booker Behind The Iron Curtain: A five-CD box set features the piano genius’ East German concerts
A sprawling document of James Booker’s borderless genius, Behind The Iron Curtain plus… contains three complete and previously unreleased solo concerts by the New Orleans piano prodigy.
Fresh Twists on Mardi Gras: Delfeayo Marsalis goes to the Mardi Gras
“The essence of Carnival music is the dance groove for sure,” declares Delfeayo Marsalis. “If folks don’t feel like dancing to it, it’s not Mardi Gras.”
On Marsalis’ new release, Uptown on Mardi Gras Day (Troubadour Jass Records), the trombonist, band leader and composer and his talent-packed Uptown Jazz Orchestra continue that long-held required tradition by offering fresh twists on New Orleans much-beloved Mardi Gras classics and adding new tunes to the Carnival catalog.
Birth of a Krewe: Krewe of King James makes Mardi Gras funky
Brilliance is when one has an idea for something that doesn’t currently exist, and upon implementation it feels completely natural. As if it’s always been there. So, it was ten years ago to the date when Melissa Weber a.k.a. internationally known DJ Soul Sister birthed a krewe.
Krewe du Vieux Beats Off: Jan Ramsey named Queen of Krewe du Vieux
After picking OffBeat founder and published Jan Ramsey as the 2023 Queen, the folks at Krewe du Vieux tread a little lightly when telling her what they had decided on for the theme.
