SARAH MCCOY
Great to see the piece on Sarah McCoy in the August edition. I ran into Sarah and the Oopsie Daisies at the Spotted Cat during Jazz Fest this year. Sarah and Alyssa Potter are unique to say the least; it is not often that you get to hear a glockenspiel and watch yoga movements during jazz performances on Frenchmen Street. These folks are the real deal, street performers at their best. Sarah gave me the Oopsie Daisies CD and I have been playing it here in St. Augustine on WFCF 88.5 Flagler College radio, “radio with a reason.” I have a show called the Crescent City Connection which is heard every Thursday from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. You can tune in via the Internet at Flagler.edu or on your iPhone through iHeart Radio.com. We may not be WWOZ but we are striving to get there.
—Ralph Collinson, St. Augustine, FL
GOODBYE APPLE BARREL
These are in response to Jan Ramsey’s Blog post “Apple Barrel Is Not Closing, Just Going Through Changes.”—Ed.Let me see if I got this. One of the very few local clubs to regularly feature live blues will be “changing the music format, but it’ll still be the same place, only better?”
I guess that depends on what your definition of “better” is—or theirs. How is this “better” for blues fans, and the bands that are losing their gigs?
You can soundproof a club all you want, but you can’t replace the irreplaceable. Besides, if anyone should be responsible for soundproofing the building it’s the owner(s), who’ve been profiting from leasing out both spaces for the past 15 years. Maybe if they’d stepped up we wouldn’t be staring into an empty barrel now.
—Jef Jaisun, Seattle, WA
As a regular patron, I struggle to see how the gigs before 10 were a problem. I just think Adolfo’s wanted a place to house their customers before seating, and you could always tell which Adolfo’s customers were charmed and which preferred to take their drink outside. There’s a good list of the stars of the Apple Barrel who very much made it the place it has been all these years. I can only hope another venue familiar with these many talented acts takes it upon themselves to immediately start booking them. Sadly, it will probably be on St. Claude. I now have one less, very significant reason to go down to Frenchmen Street. It’s the last true townie/musician/service worker bar on the block and now it’s going away.
—Mark Folse, New Orleans, LA
BOOKER FILM
This is in response to Aaron Fuchs’ article “Booker on Film” September 2013.—Ed.
By all means, man, see it! I saw it at Lincoln Center in New York City in July. The music is magical, and while it illuminates the personality and brings out the humanity, it also accepts and honors the fact that Booker was largely a mystery and seemed to relish taking that role.
Though I’m one of the long-time Booker fans, saw him in person in the early ’80s, and know all the recordings, the film and footage still brought new insights to what I hear in his music and will continue to enhance my enjoyment and appreciation for years to come.
—Rick Luftglass, Brooklyn, NY
KATRINA
This is in response to Paul Sanchez’s Blog post “To Katrina: Without Whom We Would Not Be Here Right Now” offering some thoughts on the events following Hurricane Katrina.—Ed.
Beautiful and wise. The resignation to what the world throws at us is a useful survival technique, and brings peace and reconciliation. But painful as it is to look back, this disaster was within our collective control to prevent. Let’s hope something was learned, and not only by those who had to personally grow by putting their lives back together.
—Steve Rauworth, Durango, CO
KEEPING THE VIBE ALIVE
Thank you very much for your selection of OffBeat back issues and disks. It was well worth the wait. Since my family’s evacuation, I’ve been waving the flag for the Crescent City. When I got a chance to subscribe, instead of getting issues from friends and family, it was a great day. Thank you for keeping the vibe alive for those of us who couldn’t make it back.
—Timothy Ellis, Longmont, CO
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