Issue Articles — Features
OffBeat Magazine’s Best of the Beat Awards 2014
In early December, OffBeat solicited nominations from musicians and others in the music community. We gave these results to our writers and editors and, with input from both, determined the […]
Heartbeat Award: Pat Jolly
A December day in the life of Pat Jolly included attending the Jefferson City Buzzard’s Christmas party and a stop at the McKenna Museum for the opening of the Mardi […]
Lifetime Achievement in Music Education: Roger Dickerson
It wasn’t long after a teenaged Terence Blanchard began piano and composition lessons from Roger Dickerson, Sr. that Blanchard experienced the holistic nature of the composer’s teaching style. “He asked […]
Lifetime Achievement in Music Business: Gary Edwards
It’s somewhat appropriate that this year Gary Edwards is the recipient of OffBeat’s Lifetime Achievement Award, annually given to a member of the New Orleans music-business community, since he recently […]
The Strangest Album Covers of 2014
2014 was a tough year for album design. Maybe we can blame the economy for that. Not enough money for musicians means not enough money to pay photographers and designers […]
Top 50 Louisiana Album Releases of 2014
OffBeat writers and editors have assembled here for your reading, listening and scoffing pleasure a list of what we consider the best 50 albums released in 2014 by Louisiana artists. The […]
New Orleans Jazz Landmarks Languish in Disrepair
New Orleans is known as the birthplace of jazz, but that general statement needs some refining in terms of location. Specifically, where in the Crescent City did this music come […]
Face to Face with Doug Kershaw and Steve Riley
Take one monumental figure from the history of Cajun music. Combine in equal portions with the reigning master of contemporary Cajun music. Blend in a couple of 90-year-old accordions and […]
The Killer’s Tale: Rick Bragg Examines the Life and Legend of Jerry Lee Lewis
“One thing that struck me about Jerry Lee,” Rick Bragg recalls from the scores of in-home interviews he conducted over the summers of 2011 and 2012 while crafting his exquisite, […]
All I Want for Christmas
OffBeat approached a variety of local musicians and asked them: If you had to choose just one album—by any artist of any genre from any time period—to give as a Christmas […]
