August 2024

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Cover Story

Stand Up—Can You Hear Me?: ÌFÉ makes a different musical offering
The usual reaction upon hearing ÌFÉ for the first time is incredulous joy. You can simply enjoy it for the sake… – Michael Allen Zell

BackTalk

Steve Cropper Talks Back
From Memphis with Soul As a producer, guitarist, songwriter and artist-and-repertoire man at Stax Records in Memphis, Steve Cropper helped generate… – John Wirt

Features

Genres Be Damned: Steve Lands and Kosmi(k)rewe makes his Satchmo SummerFest debut
How one might musically perceive trumpeter Steve Lands primarily depends on where you caught him—at a live show, on a recording… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Vibes and Wisdom: The Eye of Ben E. Hunter
Ben E. Hunter is back with Cross Roads, his ninth album, continuing down his unique lane with “New Orleans Afro-Caribbean Folk… – Michael Allen Zell
The Deezle Chronicles: Part I
Darius “Deezle” Harrison is not only a multi-Grammy-winning producer who is now shaping the best and brightest musicians at The Throne,… – Michael Allen Zell

Fresh

Deacon John's Jump Blues: A great night in New Orleans makes its Vinyl debut
In 2003, Cyril Vetter and his Vetter Communications in Baton Rouge released one of the finest New Orleans music projects ever… – John Wirt
Loose Cattle fans stampede over to Snake and Jake’s for a video shoot
Snake and Jake’s Christmas Tree Lounge, the iconic late night dive, is the perfect stage set for Americana cowpunks Loose Cattle… – Cree McCree
Vintage vinyl treasures (Episode 41)
This month’s installment could be named, “More from 1974,” expanding upon last month’s theme. Given my current record collection, it appears… – Joseph Bondi

Dining Out

Dining Out: Tacos del Cartel
The husband-and-wife team of Danny Cruz and Vilexys Salas are expanding their Mexican restaurant brand, Tacos del Cartel. The pair at… – Marielle Songy

Reviews

Zita: Alive (Independent)
For all the wise-asses who like to shout “Whippin’ Post” at live gigs, here’s a band that will actually play it.… – Brett Milano
Charlie and the Tropicales: Jump Up (Nu-Tone Recordings)
Jump Up, the new album from Charlie and the Tropicales, the pan-Caribbean band led by trombonist Charlie Halloran, starts off in… – Jay Mazza
Miles Berry: Lost for You (Independent)
Saxophonist Miles Berry makes his recording debut as leader on the fine release Lost for You. Impressively, the up-and-coming New Orleans… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Carmela Rappazzo: 9 (Independent)
On 9, vocalist Carmela Rappazzo returns to the same territory she explored on her critically-acclaimed 2023 album, Whispering. It’s her ninth… – OffBeat Staff
Bria Skonberg: What It Means (Cellar Music Group)
Trumpeter and vocalist Bria Skonberg’s What It Means gets off to a terrific start on the jazz classic “Comes Love.” Herlin… – Geraldine Wyckoff
4Horses Cajun Dancehall Band: Live at La Poussiere - Part Two (Swallow Records)
Following Cajun supergroup sextet High Performance’s blueprint of releasing two live CDs from the same 2008 performance, spin-off quartet 4Horses adheres… – Dan Willging
Claire Givens: Live From the Marigny Opera House (Independent) / MoPodna: I Can Save Me (Independent)
Claire Givens Live From the Marigny Opera House (Independent) MoPodna I Can Save Me (Independent) The trajectory of People Museum over… – Michael Allen Zell
Chris Smither: All About the Bones (Signature Sounds)
Chris Smither is just the opposite of many musicians who migrate to New Orleans to further their careers. He grew up… – Dan Willging
$uicideboy$: New World Depression (G59 Records)
Underground rap group $uicideboy$ are back with New World Depression, their fourth full-length album. Despite an enormous fan base who will… – Michael Allen Zell
Jon Hébert: Flash in the Pan (Rouxbadour Music)
Songwriter and guitarist Jon Hébert doesn’t write songs with a specific genre in mind—he just writes them and lets ’em fall… – Dan Willging
Antoniette Costa: Pitupatter (Independent)
Sabrina Carpenter is having a hell of a summer with the ’60s-esque Italiano flavored hit single “Espresso,” but Italian American chanteuse… – Veronika Lee
Bubba Hebert: Mais Oui! (Independent)
As the great-grandson of the legendary Iry LeJeune, a cornerstone of Cajun music, and grandson of accordionist and cultural traditionalist Eddie… – Dan Willging
Ingrid Lucia: The Big Time: A Memoir (Westview Publishing)
At one point in her memoir, Ingrid Lucia confesses that she’s been dissed in New Orleans for writing “novels” on social… – Brett Milano