By the time you read this, local musicians and music businesses will have submitted their nominations for the best music in New Orleans and Louisiana: their nominations for OffBeat’s Seventh Annual Best of The Beat Awards.
This year’s awards show is going to be really spectacular! We’ll have two stages with bands including Mem Shannon & the Membership, Anders Osborne, Eddie Bo, Rosie Ledet, MuleBone, Papa Grows Funk, Henri Smith & His Allstar Band, Myself, Smiley Ricks and surprise guests. Restaurants from all over town will provide food for the masses of musicians and other music freaks who want to hobnob with their musical idols and enjoy a killer show. WWOZ will broadcast the show live.
The Best of The Beat Awards is on Friday, January 25, and has moved this year to Generations Hall, located at 310 Andrew Higgins Blvd. (formerly Howard Avenue). The event has traditionally been for the music industry only, but demand has been so great that this year, we’re selling tickets for only $35 each for the entire evening of entertainment. Bands, invite your fans! All ticket buyers are eligible for a chance to win a brand-new very cool Fender Jaguar guitar. Ticket proceeds will benefit WWOZ 90.7’s building fund (anyone who’s seen the WWOZ offices and studio knows that what they do from their facilities is nothing short of amazing—they definitely need a new building!) WWOZ is considering broadcasting the event live.
Call OffBeat at 504-944-4300 (toll free 1-877-944-4300) to buy tickets or log on to www.offbeat.com. All major credit cards are accepted. You can also buy tickets at the Louisiana Music Factory at 210 Decatur Street and at the Louisiana Room at Tower Records.
THE RACE IS ON
The public is invited to OffBeat’s Mayoral Candidates’ Forum on Music & Economic Development, January 14, 2002 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Loyola’s Nunemaker Hall (Nunemaker is on the third floor of Monroe Hall, the building behind the Music Complex at the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Calhoun). The Loyola Music Business Studies Program will co-sponsor the event. Eight candidates have confirmed that they will be present to answer panelists’ questions and to respond to a Q&A session from the audience. If you are involved in the music industry, and want to see a change in attitude from the local city government in the next administration, now is your chance to make your voice heard!
The only way that we will be able to have an influence on government is if we make them understand that we demand their attention, and that we deserve it. If you don’t get involved in the process, then please don’t bitch when we get people in a new administration who don’t understand music, and don’t care. It’s up to you to make a change.
LOUISIANA ROOTS?
I like and support the idea of a Grammy Hall of Fame. However, if NARAS doesn’t guarantee us a substantial amount of square footage to celebrate Louisiana musicians in the exhibition space, I have a real problem with that.
Britney Spears may promote herself as the “Pride of Louisiana,” but really, don’t make me laugh. She is no more Louisiana-rooted than I’m from Brooklyn! Wow, she’s ambitious, and her manager and record label are really doing a killer job at promoting her career. Thank goodness she’s been a success! But is that image representative of Louisiana music in the Grammy Hall of Fame? I don’t think so.
Let’s keep it real, and by that I mean authentic. Britney Spears could have been spawned by any little town anywhere in the U.S. There’s absolutely nothing “Louisiana” about her music at all, and for her to claim to be our pride and joy, well, it’s a great promo campaign for Pepsi in Louisiana, but it’s way too L.A. for my tastes. In fact, the only person who’s made it into the so-called big time who seems to revel in their New Orleans roots is our cover boy this month, Harry Connick, Jr., and to a lesser extent (now that he’s older and mellowed a bit and has a little more appreciation for his roots), Wynton Marsalis.
Not even the great rappers who’ve come from Louisiana really carry their heritage with them. What we have here is the real thing, the authentic spirit of musical culture and art, and I for one want to keep it that way. Surely there’s a way for us to combine the authenticity of our culture with success in the mainstream. It can be done!
If Britney wants to lead a campaign that champions all the brass bands, zydeco and Cajun musicians, jazz, funk and other rock bands (I guess Better Than Ezra don’t look as good with their bellybuttons showing as Britney), than please, be my guest!
THE RIGHT THING
By the time you read this, it will be well after Christmas and into the first of what we hope will be a better, more peaceful and prosperous year ahead. Every once in a while, something happens that touches me and gives me lots of hope for us all. I went to a meeting at the little WWOZ office on St. Philip Street in Tremé the week before Christmas. As I was leaving, an African-American lady approached us and said, “Please can you help me?” All of us probably thought that she was looking for a handout, but before we could say anything, she said, “I found this on the sidewalk on Royal Street, and want to try to do the right thing, because I wasn’t raised to steal. A lot of people think that all black people do is steal money, but that’s not true. I want to make sure that the right person gets this, but I don’t have any money to make a phone call to track it down or even mail it back.”
She held out a check for almost $900, issued on the payroll of the New Orleans School Board. It was obviously the payee’s paycheck that had been lost, perhaps had fallen out of a pocket. Not only had it been lost, it was endorsed, and it could have been cashed by anyone who found it. This wonderful lady—Ms. Donna Riggins—did the right thing, and chose to find the rightful owner of the check. Dwayne Breashears of WWOZ took the time to mail the check to its rightful owner.
That’s the kind of story that gives me hope for the human condition. Bless you, Ms. Donna. May we all have your spirit and generosity into the next year. A Happy New Year to you all!
