THE STREET VIEW
Just want to take a minute to thank you [Jan Ramsey] for your commentary on the city, the music scene and pretty much everything else. I love the street view and I appreciate that you speak your mind. I also want to thank everyone at OffBeat for their views of artists, records, and venues. My husband and I visited Café Istanbul during the first weekend of Jazz Fest because I had read about it in OffBeat and wanted to support it. We caught Cedric Burnside and Theresa Andersson—it was great. We made a point of stopping by Jazz Fest stages to listen to a number of folks that were new to us that I only knew about because of reviews and or articles I had read.
Please keep up the good work. Keep supporting your city and working tirelessly to make it even better. What you do is appreciated more than you can know.
—Cynthia Struthers, Carthage, IL
KEEPS ME SANE
I arrive Saturday for my eighth visit. I’ve been everywhere, brought everyone (my daughter started at eight years old, she’s now 23 and will be getting engaged on a carriage on Sunday—she doesn’t know it.) Brought my 80-year-old mother once and of course the hubby.
Like every other nut that faithfully reads Mojo Mouth (and every once in a while adds my two cents) I feel like I know you and your my only “friend” that I know in New Orleans. Anyway, the one thing that has eluded me is the “second line.” How does one find one?
I receive my OffBeatand schedule like a crazy person as much music as I can, and everything else works around it. These trips to New Orleans keep me sane! I love that you work tirelessly to keep New Orleans what it is—the best place in the world for incredible music for every age!
—Deb Kyle, Souderton, PA
When second lines resume after Labor Day they will be published online at OffBeat.com. As a member of the Backstreet Cultural Museum you will receive an annual second-line parade calendar and emails announcements of routes and schedules.
—Ed.
SPLENDID JOURNEY
I just wanted to say my potluck purchase has been a splendid journey through New Orleans and Louisiana’s music history! I’ve learned a huge amount; it’s a great source of background for the artists I’ve been hearing on WWOZ the last six years.
I’m hoping to catch Voodoo Experience this fall or French Quarter Festival in 2013. I’d certainly like to grab another back issue potluck at some point.
—Randy Berge, Berkeley CA
HARDEST WORKING BAND
Thanks for a great article on Bas Clas [June 2012]. Having missed the Beatles in Hamburg, the Stooges in Ann Arbor and in Austin, it is with great pride that I can say I was in attendance at Grant Street Dancehall for that first gig.
By the way, the annual Bas Clas parties to celebrate the Watergate break in at the Bas Clas Country Club were also legendary and I attended all of them, along with many, many Bas Clas performances.
Their Monday Night Madness gigs at Mother’s Mantle actually started in 1978-1979 whereas the Grant Street Dancehall performance was somewhere in the 1981-1982 time frame. I should know since I was the assistant bar manager responsible for updating the weekly lineup on the marquee.
A great article and another legendary, three-hour performance. It may have been the finest I’ve ever witnessed by Bas Clas. I’m saddened and disappointed that the music fans of south Louisiana continue to ignore or just plain miss, one of the best songwriters, one of the tightest, most unique and hardest working bands to ever emanate from the bowels of south Louisiana. To be able to sit on the wooden benches outside the Maple Leaf and chat one on one with Dickie Landry about his career and travels alone was worth the trip from Houston to see this wonderful band.
I’m truly fortunate to be able to call the members of Bas Clas my friends for the past 35 plus years and counting.
—Richard Sheeren, Houston, TX
