RADIO REQUESTS
I was told that a guy from River Ridge was in the write-up on a band called the Missing Monuments. I don’t know him personally but I enjoyed reading the article.
To the person who wrote the article, Sam Levine, I want to point out something.
The comment on someone sitting by the radio all day to hear their requested song is a little corny and interesting.
My daughter is a beautiful popular singer in musicals and is a junior at Mt. Carmel. Her friends sit by the pool, call the radio station and sit back all afternoon waiting for their request to be played. Young people get a thrill out of thinking the disc jockey answered their request.
—Roxie Bruno, River Ridge, LA
FRENCHMEN VS. BOURBON
In response to Jan Ramsey’s blog post “Paying Musicians on Frenchmen—How Do We Do It?” in which she asks, “How do we keep great local music on Frenchmen and also make sure the bands are paid without raising drink prices to untenable levels, or charging cover charges that the market won’t pay?”
The music on Frenchmen Street must be preserved at any cost. Some of the city’s best young players can be heard there. In my view, apart from Fritzel’s and Irvin Mayfield’s, Bourbon Street is a musical has-been. The street musicians are, unfortunately, of varying quality and mostly inexperienced, and they make it tough for the professional musicians. But a number of good players got their starts on the streets. All musicians (i.e. the good ones) in this city are underpaid. We have a problem that clearly needs to be addressed.
—Thomas Jacobsen, New Orleans, LA
Wow. I didn’t realize “music on Frenchmen Street” had become its own genre worthy of preservation efforts. And “at any cost?” The irony of this perception that the “street musicians” are making it tough for the “professional musicians” is that the only way that this becomes possible is when “professional musicians” accept tips in lieu of actual payment.
—Evan Christopher, New Orleans, LA
Clubs are in the business of selling alcohol, but they want to make money on the door as well the drinks. If they insisted that the musicians are professional and have some idea of what entertaining is about, there would be a reason for people to frequent their clubs. What is happening is musicians have no concern for the music they play. They cover everybody’s material while living the myth that people come out to see them. They’ve been playing the same music so long they are bored with what they are doing and the boredom infects the audience! Give people a reason to attend your gigs other than getting a chance to see you play!
—George C. Green, Lawrenceville, GA
KEEPS ME GOING
I want to tell you [Jan Ramsey] that you’re one of my New Orleans heroes. Your magazine and emails are what keeps me going between trips to your wonderful city. Thanks for all you do and one day I will get the honor of telling this to you in person. You rock!
—Steve Lodgen, Madison, WI
LAGNIAPPE
I just subscribed for a year, and I want to say thank you for the lagniappe CD sample enclosed in my first issue. I love sample CDs. I’ve discovered some great music through them, and this one is no exception. In my case, sample CDs encourage me to go out and buy more.
—Mary Raymond, Hillsboro, OR
SPYBOY CORRECTIONS
We have two corrections for the story “Spyboy on Ice” [July 2011]. Spyboy Ricky went to register to vote, not to vote as reported; and the organization Norris Henderson founded and directs is “Voice of the Ex-offender” not “Voice of the Defender.” We regret the errors and have made these changes in the online version.
