In the myth of Narcissus, the vain son of Endymion and Selene rejects the advances of the nymph Echo, who sets a curse upon him. He becomes ensnared by his own beauty and is doomed to gaze at his reflection until his sorrow takes him across the River Styx to Hades. In much the same way, we here at OffBeat magazine are so enamored with our vastly superior music coverage that we’ve taken it upon ourselves to throw a monthly party in our own honor. Our pridefulness has taken us across Esplanade to the Blue Nile on Frenchmen Street.
If for some strange reason you happen to pick this up on or before the release date of August 29, please saunter over to the Blue Nile for free pizza by Rotolo’s and a free concert by this month’s cover subject, talented country-rocker Shannnon McNally. If it’s after August 29 or you missed our fete for some stupid reason, then you missed a rip roaring good time and everyone was gossiping about you. At the same time, my gentle friends, do not dismay. For we said it was a monthly party, which means that there’s another one just around the corner and ample time to promote it in these very pages.
The next OffBeat Magazine Showcase is at the Blue Nile on Saturday, September 16 at 10 p.m., featuring none other than perennial OffBeat subject Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and first time OffBeat subject Michael “Chappy” Wagner. Wagner, the transplanted younger brother of transplanted saxophonist Robert Wagner, gave up an engineering career three-and-a-half years ago to pursue folk guitar and ukulele in the Deep South.
“I was 23 at the time and in charge of the main research laboratory of the North American headquarters of this giant auto-supplier,” says Wagner. “I was in there way over my head. Eventually, I realized that my position was a very glorified sales position. I was making PowerPoint presentations, and it really wasn’t what I was after.” His brother offered him an out—to get out of Michigan and move to New Orleans with him to pursue music.
“All my life, I’ve loved music—listening and playing,” says Wagner. “So I decided it was now or never to get into the scene and play music. Until I moved here, I was just making demos at home. I’d do a coffee shop gig here and there, but that was it.” After a year of writing songs with his brother, Michael recruited drummer Dave Sobel and bassist Greg Schatz (a.k.a. Schatzy) for his group, the aptly named Chappy, and started hustling for gigs.
“What I didn’t realize, due to my limited exposure to the New Orleans scene before moving here was that there are, relatively speaking, a small number of musicians for the large number of bands down here,” says Wagner. “It’s a small town, it’s therefore not easy to just walk in somewhere with a demo and get a gig. It was my first band experience, so between that and working around other people’s schedules, it was tricky. I learned you had to be persistent, that club owners weren’t just going to call you back.” Naturally, his persistence paid off. Chappy began gigging regularly about two years ago and now has a weekly slot at Alley Katz above the Blue Nile. At 8 p.m., Wagner plays with violinist Denise Bonis. At 10 p.m., the full band comes on and plays what Wagner describes as “Contemporary Folk,” a finger picking heavy slice of Americana with just a dash of humor—not to be confused with irony.
“I was pretty much a science kid in high school,” says Wagner. “I have a pretty good ear, and I started hearing all these songs on the radio, and I started practicing off of what I heard. At first, I wanted to play Nirvana. Then it was Dave Matthews. When my brother moved to New Orleans, he started throwing all these records at me, telling me to play like that. When I was playing piano it was James Booker. When I started playing guitar ten years ago, he threw me a Mississippi John Hurt record, and that was it. I’ve pretty much been on that kick for the last ten years, with all the finger picking heavy stuff.”
“Right now, I still have a shift at d.b.a., which is what I did for money when I first moved down here,” says Wagner. “I also do database programming in the daytime. Fortunately, it’s the kind of job that affords me enough time to flyer and write music. Right now, I’m trying to do more band, less day job. I’m still a very practical minded person. I’m still trying to let go of the side of me that’s like, ‘You need a day job Chappy!’ But I think I’m moving at a nice pace.”
HEY WHAT?
It’s a belated and oft’ repeated eulogy, but one that can’t be repeated enough. Kelly Keller, who died a year ago this month, was a pillar of the local music scene. Between her work with the Mystic Knights of the Mau Mau breathing new life into the careers of musicians that had long faded from the spotlight and creating the Circle Bar, her impact on New Orleans was immense. This month, Kelly Keller Music Foundation is celebrating her memory from September 19 to 25 with a series of concerts benefiting the New Orleans Musicians Clinic. The series, called The Hey Now, will feature many of the acts that Kelly fostered and/or resurrected, often at her own expense.
Nightly shows at the Circle Bar from September 19 to 22—featuring a cast of local Circle Bar regulars that will include the Detonations, the Stacks, the Geraniums, Hazard County Girls, Happy Talk, the Interlopers and the Buttons—will serve as a build up the main events on September 23 and 24.
Many of the younger rock ‘n’ roll acts Kelly booked, knew or admired will perform at One Eyed Jacks on the 23rd, including Tyler Keith and the Preacher’s Kids, C.C. Adcock, Rock City Morgue, Dr. À Go-Go and the Upper Crust. The 24th at House of Blues will be more roots oriented and will include performances by Barbara Lynn, Classie Ballou, Lazy Lester, Nathaniel Mayer and the Bad Roads. The minimum donation for each of these nights is $20.
The patron party will be held on September 25 at the Bultman Home on Louisiana Avenue and will feature music by Kelly Hogan, appetizers by Bayona, Herbsaint and Lillette, among others, and a silent art auction. The minimum donation is $40, with all proceeds going to the New Orleans Musicians Clinic.
SKATE UPDATE
Last month, utilizing my vast network of deep cover operatives, I reported on the Big Easy Roller Girls’ attempts to bring hot girl on girl punk rock roller derby action to New Orleans. Of course, being that I had just missed all the associated fund raising events at press time, the exposé was of limited utility.
Fortunately, dear reader, I have unearthed some new information regarding this secretive cabal of be-wheeled gladiators. The Rollergirls are holding two benefits to raise money for their league, both of which occur on Friday, September 2. The first is the reinauguration of the Roller Girl carwash at Pal’s Lounge, starting at 4 p.m. and occurring the first Friday of each month from now until forever. Ten dollars buys you two kinds of suds—a Pabst and the soapy kind—and a gander. The second happens later that night and actually has something to do with music (other than some abstract sense of punkness). Beginning at 9 p.m., TwiRoPa will host the second Big Easy Roller Girls Rock ‘n’ Roll Fundraiser, featuring Jackson, Mississippi garage punks the Tuff Luvs in addition to local metal/punk rock bands Suplecs, Die Rötzz and Kondor.
SON OF FATS
Speaking of Die Rötzz, Antoine Domino, Jr., a.k.a. the unfortunately nicknamed “Son of Fats,” will play the Circle Bar on Sunday, September 18, backed by the punk act in what’s sure to be a spectacle to remember. According to Die Rötzz drummer Paul Artigues, “Antoine, Jr., is a better pianist than his father!” Genius.
As always, please direct all news, gossip, well wishes and naysays to [email protected].
