February 2016

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Cover Story

All On A Mardi Gras Day: New Orleans' unique carnival traditions
Mardi Gras coming and it won’t be long!!! Dead Man walking gonna sing his song. I don’t wear no feathers. I… – John Swenson and Frank Etheridge

Features

Michael Cerveris: From Tommy to Piety
Michael Cerveris’ grand struggle between theater and music. Last year, when Michael Cerveris won for Best Actor in a Musical… – John Swenson
Carnival Tales
Musicians tell their favorite Mardi Gras stories With Carnival season approaching, we’ve once again asked some musicians to tell us… – Brett Milano
Ronald Lewis: Mysteries and Magic
Ronald Lewis’ lifetime journey in New Orleans’ African-American cultural traditions. Through the decades, Ronald Lewis has played numerous roles in… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Stars Within Reach: The Winners at Best of the Beat
The Best of the Beat Awards, honoring Louisiana musicians, were held on January 21 at Generations Hall. Nominees in over 50… – OffBeat Magazine
Jam Cruise: A Festival Junkie’s Dream
There really is no place like Jam Cruise. Jam Cruise is essentially Jazz Fest on a boat. Or maybe it’s… – Jan Ramsey

Letters

February 2016 Letters to OffBeat Magazine
CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS I am not a passionate advocate of tearing down Confederate statues, though I understand all the sensitivities that one… – OffBeat Magazine

Mojo Mouth

All Philosophical Assumptions Aside…
I find myself getting into a lot more philosophical discussions these days, with people I barely know. I’ve developed into quite… – Jan Ramsey

Fresh

My Photography: Marc Pagani
Capturing the crazy of carnival Photographer Marc Pagani's first fine art solo show, "Faces of Mardi Gras," is currently on… – Elsa Hahne
Aaron Neville: The No-Ballad Playlist
Everybody knows that Aaron Neville sings a ballad like nobody else, but some casual fans think that’s all he ever does.… – Brett Milano
Five Questions with Joe Lauro, producer-director of The Big Beat: Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock ’n’ Roll
American Masters is presenting the broadcast premiere of your Fats Domino documentary on February 26, his 88th birthday. Why is the… – John Wirt
My Music: Marc Paradis
How would I describe my music? The shorthand answer is ‘eclectic funk rock.’ Really anything people can dance to. Anything that… – Laura DeFazio
Five Questions with Phil Collen, guitarist for Def Leppard
Def Leppard released its latest album in October. It’s the band’s first album in seven years. What was the studio atmosphere… – John Wirt

Obituaries

Obituary: Anthony “Tony Oulaboula” Bazley
Anthony “Tony Oulaboula” Bazley (1934–2015) "I consider myself a bebop drummer,” Tony “Oulaboula” Bazley once accurately declared. “In Europe they… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Obituary: Jimmy Glickman
Jimmy Glickman (1964–2016) Jimmy Glickman, owner of the New Orleans Music Exchange, passed away in January at the age of… – OffBeat Magazine

In The Spirit

Jonathan Shock at Loa
"I spent some time thinking about the musician I wanted to do this for, and my first inclination—which is always your… – Elsa Hahne

Dining Out

Black Label Icehouse
Damian Brugger first gained notoriety for his barbecue during a pop-up stint at Barrel Proof. But the Texas native’s barbecue roots… – Peter Thriffiley

The Spot

Andrew Wiseman Hits The Spot
What did you order today? A vegetarian quesadilla with cheese and vegetables, and rice and beans on the side. It was… – Elsa Hahne

BackTalk

David Bowie - 1971
Readers may be shocked by some of the comments Bowie expresses here, but Bowie later disavowed many of these kinds of… – John Swenson

Reviews

REWIND: Buckwheat Zydeco, On a Night Like This (Island Records)
Buckwheat Zydeco’s longtime manager and producer Ted Fox reflects on launching zydeco’s first major label release. "I was a senior… – Dan Willging
Jason Marsalis, Heirs of the Crescent City (ELM Records)
From the drums’ opening cadence and the joyful exuberance of the music, it’s immediately evident that New Orleans is at the… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Confetti Park Players, We’re Going to Confetti Park (Independent)
Often childrens’ records suffer from two problems: They are either too cute and cloying or too hip. This new kids’ record… – David Kunian
So Long Storyland, So Long Storyland (Independent)
You can’t beat a great backstory. Andrew deBuys, a.k.a. Rathbone, was an aspiring songwriter teaching at a girls’ private school in… – Robert Fontenot
Charlie Musselwhite, I Ain’t Lyin’… (Henrietta Records)
You really do have to be a living legend—supposed harp heir to Sonny Boy Williamson I, inspiration for Elwood Blues, and… – Robert Fontenot
Bob Malone, Mojo Deluxe (Delta Moon Records); Aaron West, 504 Soul (Independent)
Living in New Orleans one has regular opportunities to meet international players making a pilgrimage. Some visit to slip in the… – Tom McDermott
Bionica, Future Settlers (Independent)
At first blush, Bionica seems like any other jazz-rock outfit with a clear-throated, clear-headed, and somewhat winsome female lead vocalist, but… – Robert Fontenot
Lil’ Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers, Face 2 Face - Nate the Great (Cha Cha Records)
Though the title of Lil’ Nathan Williams’ 9th CD could be interpreted as chest-thumping braggadocio, it’s really more about self-understanding before… – Dan Willging
Tyler Kinchen & the Right Pieces, Acoustic Disdrometer (Independent)
Tyler Kinchen is a talented guy. The leader of the Right Pieces, a group hailing from Ponchatoula, Louisiana, Kinchen boasts a… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Seth Hitsky and Black Dragons, Rain all Day (Independent)
Even for a twenty-first century NOLA transplant, Seth Hitsky took a strange path here, moving from Detroit’s rock clubs to playing… – Robert Fontenot
Michael Cerveris, Piety (Low Heat Records)
Producer Mark Bingham shuttered the Piety Street studio two and a half years ago, long enough to reflect on the range… – John Swenson
Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns, Bad Kids Club (Independent)
Before the critics and marketers started using the term rock ’n’ roll (the phrase itself goes back to the earliest days… – David Kunian