Issue Articles
Tempest in a ‘tit Pot
This is kind of local news, but it’s so typical “New Orleans.” The Rex organization is threatening to sue the Krewe of ‘tit Rex (that’s “petit” or “small” in French, […]
Bobby Charles, Bobby Charles (Rhino Handmade)
Bobby Charles’ 1972 self-titled album is his masterpiece, an album recorded in Woodstock, New York with members of The Band, Amos Garrett, Dr. John and David Sanborn backing him. The […]
Ira “Dr. Ike” Padnos
The Ponderosa Stomp is a record collector’s library come to life. The classic—and occasionally obscure— R&B, rockabilly, blues, garage and swamp pop songs that shaped pop music history are performed […]
Meschiya Lake: Worms, Light Bulbs, Champagne!
She’s the picture of self-possession. It’s Tuesday night and Meschiya Lake is standing to the left of her band, the Little Big Horns, with perfect posture, her hands squarely on […]
GIVERS, In Light (Glassnote Records)
It’s surprising that a band like Lafayette’s GIVERS (their all-caps) didn’t happen sooner. In a time when major music festivals have the musical breadth of most people’s iTunes file, sooner […]
Terranova, Tried & True (Independent)
Terranova’s an all-woman trio that walks the line between punk and metal like L7 once did, but there’s nothing that obviously marks Tried & True as female in the performance […]
Treme Bloggers
The second season of Treme ended last month, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you really should set this story aside until you have. The series is unusual in […]
City Songs: John Swenson’s New Atlantis and Keith Spera’s Groove Interrupted
Television before Treme treated musicians as outsiders—frequently as degenerates, at least as self-absorbed and often predatory. The HBO drama implies that they’re just as much a part of a city […]
Johnny Sansone, The Lord is Waiting and the Devil is Too (Shortstack Records)
In the wrong hands, the blues are a quick trip to Cliché City, a place where there’s no lyrical or musical problem that can’t be solved in the exact same […]
The Scorseses, Presenting the Scorseses (Independent)
Ska’s the launching pad for the Scorseses, and it’s never clearer than on “Drink the Blood of Spacely Sprocket,” a Jetsons reference that seems done once it connects us to […]
