February 2006
Cover Story
- The subdudes—What Goes On Behind the Levee?
Tommy Malone of the subdudes sits on an old rocking chair on the rear second story porch of his Mid-City home.…
BackTalk
- The Detroit Cobras
The Detroit Cobras 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6 House of Blues Baby, the third album from The Detroit Cobras, is…
Features
- Classic Songs of Louisiana: “Walking to New Orleans”
- Didn't They Ramble
Boston, Massachusetts is not exactly Cajun country. Nonetheless, dancers fill a cramped stage on an otherwise quiet Tuesday evening in Red…
Bayou Boogie
- The Life of Riley
Steve Riley talks about Burke Guillory the way many young men talk about LeBron James, Tom Brady or Eminem. Words like…
Jazzin'
- TCB with TBC Brass Band
Even if you aren’t familiar with the name To Be Continued Brass Band, chances are you’ve heard this young, hotshot group…
Mojo Mouth
- Homecomings
I’m no journalist and never claimed to be one. But, I’m fortunate enough that I have a forum to express my…
Letters
- Letters February 2006
BACK ON THE ’BEAT I am a longtime subscriber to OffBeat and Jazz Fest attendee and Louisiana music lover. My heart…
OffBeat Eats
St. Rock
- Interrupted Lives
The aftershocks of Hurricane Katrina continue to be felt throughout New Orleans’ entire music community, especially on the local rock scene.…
Reviews
- Travis Matte and the Zydeco Kingpins, Zydeco Train (Mhat Productions)
Any zydeco CD that features originals titled “Booty Call” and “Vibrator” is probably not out to please purists, especially when that… - Steve Howell, Out Of the Past (Independent)
Texas native and Shreveport mainstay Steve Howell is one of those musicians who do double duty as scholars of a sort.… - Deadboy and the Elephantmen, We Are Night Sky (Fat Possum)
For a former heavy metal dude, Dax Riggs sings his richly evocative lyrics in a husky, soulful, exceedingly listenable voice. He’s… - Sleek & Horizen, Cheap Wisdom (Independent)
Now that the phrase “Where you at?” has taken on a whole new, post-Katrina meaning, it’s worth sending out the call… - Buckwheat Zydeco Ils Sont Partis Band, 100% Fortified Zydeco (Shout! Factory)
Having been involved in the pre- and post-production of these recordings, as well as being present when it was recorded, I… - Trey Anastasio, Shine (Columbia)
Now here’s irony for you: the first mainstream-accessible album by former Phish head Trey Anastasio comes tied down to a player… - Patty Hurst Shifter, Too Crowded for the Losing End (Evo Recordings)
There something bracing about good old-fashioned, straight-ahead, Rolling Stones-style rock, and this young Raleigh, North Carolina outfit has it in spades.… - The Gourds, Heavy Ornamentals (Eleven Thirty Records)
The Gourds are to Austin what the Morning 40 Federation is to New Orleans – a hellbent krewe of carnival hucksters… - Jason Frey & Al Berard, Old Style Cajun Music (Old Man Records)
Two of Cajun music’s most understated heavyweights find out that they’re long, lost soulmates when Al Berard (fiddle, guitar) teams… - Otis Rush, All Your Love I Miss Loving, Live At the Wise Fools Pub (Delmark)
Because of the sheer brilliance of Rush’s 1950s and 1960s recordings, I was always disappointed the times I saw him live.… - Various Artists, From the Lone Star To the Gulf Coast (Rabadash)
Half of the artists involved in this release are New Orleanians who evacuated to Texas immediately after Hurricane Katrina. The other… - Lucky Playboys, More Luck Than Sense (Ossun Music)
Cajun-Creole hipshakers Filé ended their prodigious 20-year run with a bang with a much-ballyhooed New Year’s Eve gig in 2002. While… - Various Artists, Impulsive! (Impulse!)
Remixes of pop songs for nightclub dance floors seem dully utilitarian as listening experiences – they’re faster and thump harder… - Various Artists, Southern Funkin' (Louisiana Funk and Soul 1967-1979) (BGP)
- Cowboy Mouth, Voodoo Shoppe (Eleven Thirty)
Fred LeBlanc gazes across the House of Blues dance floor at an audience of his peers. LeBlanc and Cowboy Mouth partner…