December 2015
Cover Story
- Rejoice! 20 Years of the Panorama Jazz Band
On July 4, 1985 Ben Schenck experienced the moment that would change his life. The 22-year-old music student went to the…
Features
- A Disappearing Breed: Breton Sound’s Classic Pop-Rock
A few hours before I was set to interview Breton Sound frontman Jonathan Pretus, I happened to run into him on… - Corks Out
Local couples make ballsy wine—in Lakeview Neil Gernon and his wife Monica Bourgeois, along with his sister Laura Gernon and… - The Language of Music: Jonathan Freilich
"Stop talking about culture and experience it!" A prolific musician and composer—and founder of the Naked Orchestra and the New… - From Congo Square to Bamako
When Jeff Klein went to Africa for the first time in January this year, after playing African drums all over the… - Lawdy Miss Clawdy: Lloyd Price in New Orleans
Lloyd Price, the Kenner-born R&B star who recorded numerous pop and R&B hit singles including “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” “Stagger Lee” and… - Cyril Neville’ s Christmas poem
The Night Before Funkmas It was the night before Funkmas and all through the city. The whole town was gettin’ ready… - Home To Play
Three New Orleans bands strengthen their ties to the local music community by building new studios. New Orleans often raises a…
Letters
- December 2015 Letters to OffBeat Magazine
"DIDN’T HAVE IT" My very first week with Gate back in 1977, he took me to this shack of a shotgun…
Mojo Mouth
- Peace Out—May It Reign In This Ever-Changing World
It may be a little too early for you to think about New Year’s resolutions, but since this is my last…
Fresh
- Santa, Run
Mayor of the North Pole Bob Dautrieve—described by Running of the Santas spokesman Matt Willard as “a guy in his 80s… - Celebrating Tito and Celia
Margie Perez has been something of a Jill-of-all-trades on the New Orleans music scene, but her new band Muevelo could be… - Holiday Playlist
It’s time once again for our holiday playlist, featuring 10 seasonal songs with a distinct local slant. Fats Domino: “I… - Armstrong House honors Dr. John and Cyril Neville
New York City’s Louis Armstrong House Museum will honor New Orleans musicians Dr. John and Cyril Neville at this year’s annual… - Oh, Crap, It’s Christmas Again (Cancelled)
[Letter to the editor, Tuesday, December 1, 2015:] Due to circumstances beyond our control, we have had to cancel Oh Crap… - My Music: Corey Henry
I started out on drums, actually—I come from a family of drummers. My grandfather, Chester Jones, played in the Preservation Hall,… - Five Questions with Tom Piazza
Why does New Orleans matter? I wrote one nonfiction book [Why New Orleans Matters], one novel [City of Refuge], and three…
Obituaries
- Obituary: Allen Toussaint
(1938–2015) Allen Toussaint, the widely influential New Orleans composer, arranger, producer and pianist, died at age 77 in the early hours…
Dining Out
- Chris’ Specialty Meats
During his career as a salesman, New Orleans native Rich Graham traveled throughout the Gulf South hawking beer and booze from…
OffBeat Eats
- Chris’ Specialty Meats
During his career as a salesman, New Orleans native Rich Graham traveled throughout the Gulf South hawking beer and booze from…
In The Spirit
- Bazil Zerinsky at El Libre
I started with the name of the drink and worked backwards from there. There are so many great New Orleans musicians,…
The Spot
- Leroy Jones & Katja Toivola Hit The Spot
How did you find Café Dauphine? Partly because Freddie Lonzo lives around the corner. And it’s such a nice space! Classy,…
BackTalk
- Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste
As a founding member of The Meters and a pioneer of the syncopated drumming style, Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste has earned a…
Reviews
- Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys, Never Trust the Living (Independent)
They hole up on Frenchman, mainly at the Apple Barrel, with occasional forays into Mid City’s heart of darkness. They hail… - Brint Anderson, Covered in Earl (Independent)
New Orleans is a city of musical surprises. Let your ears lead you as you stroll down the street and alluring… - REWIND: Red Rockers, Condition Red (415)
Lead singer/guitarist (and current Cowboy Mouth member) John Thomas Griffith hits Rewind on one of New Orleans’ first punk artifacts, the… - Nigel Hall, Ladies & Gentlemen... Nigel Hall (Feel Music/Round Hill Records)
Soul and funk have long been kissin’ cousins. On his debut recording, Ladies & Gentlemen... Nigel Hall, the Washington D.C. native—and… - Joyful, We’ve Got a River to Cross (Rampart Street Music)
The name of this veteran New Orleans gospel group, Joyful, also describes the way it delivers its musical and spiritual message:… - Doghill Stompers, We On the Rise (Independent)
The long-awaited debut from Lake Charles’ Doghill Stompers, a zydeco collective consisting of the grandsons of late Boozoo Chavis, probably won’t… - The Garden District Trio, Then and Now (DHMP Records)
As Then and Now opens with Cole Porter’s 1929 classic, “What Is This Thing Called Love,” followed by another standard, “Red… - Mitch Woods, Jammin’ On the High Cs (Vizztone)
Pianist Mitch Woods has long been under the sway of the New Orleans piano tradition and has recently moved to the… - The Pentones, Don’t Leave Nothin’ Behind (A Major Record La&bel)
It’d be easy to assume that this is solely a power trio, guitar-dominated affair based on the amped-up, fuzzed-out opening track… - Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band, Zydeco Stuff (Swampadelic Records)
Why fix it if it ain’t broke? That’s been Chubby Carrier’s credo of late when it comes to making records. Just… - The Junior League, Also Rans (Kool Kat Musik)
Joe Adragna, the North Shore-based mastermind behind one-man (with help from an extensive list of friends) band the Junior League, understands… - Harry Connick Jr., That Would Be Me (Columbia)
The big news and big difference in That Would Be Me is that Harry Connick Jr. used two producers/songwriters with whom…
