February 2023
Cover Story
- We All The Way Outside: Flagboy Giz tells his Mardi Gras Indian story
Confederate flags, old plantations, pirogue boats and shuttle busses inspired Flagboy Giz, the hip-hop vlogger/activist turned Wild Tchoupitoulas Mardi Gras Indian,…
BackTalk
- Amy Ray talks back
Famous for being one-half of the Indigo Girls, Amy Ray also has a parallel solo career. She’ll perform with the Amy…
Features
- Fresh Twists on Mardi Gras: Delfeayo Marsalis goes to the Mardi Gras
“The essence of Carnival music is the dance groove for sure,” declares Delfeayo Marsalis. “If folks don’t feel like dancing to… - Birth of a Krewe: Krewe of King James makes Mardi Gras funky
Brilliance is when one has an idea for something that doesn’t currently exist, and upon implementation it feels completely natural. As… - Krewe du Vieux Beats Off: Jan Ramsey named Queen of Krewe du Vieux
After picking OffBeat founder and published Jan Ramsey as the 2023 Queen, the folks at Krewe du Vieux tread a little… - My Music with James Singleton
James Singleton is a bass player who groomed himself from the beginning to be an accomplished accompanist, the supposed purpose of… - The Unfortunate Saga of Irvin Mayfield
Irvin Mayfield was sentenced to 18 months in prison in January 2022, but was released on January 9, 2023, after serving…
Fresh
- An Ode To Mardi Gras with Parade Schedules
For OffBeat’s Mardi Gras issue, February 2004, OffBeat editor, the late, great Bunny Matthews, wrote the following ode to carnival joy.… - How “Mardi Gras Mambo” Became An Unlikely Carnival Anthem
Down in New Orleans where the blues was born / it takes a cool cat to blow a horn On LaSalle… - Vintage Vinyl Treasures (Episode 23)
This month’s installment of Music Quest for vintage vinyl treasures features five more albums with train-related songs from the 1970s. For…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: Seaworthy
Seaworthy, the seafood restaurant and oyster bar in the Ace Hotel, 630 Carondelet Street, opened in 2016 and quickly made a…
Reviews
- The Secret Six, Chicken You Can Roost Behind the Moon (Independent)
The Secret Six continue to be one of the most prolific bands recording in New Orleans today. This new collection of… - Ernie Vincent, Original Dap King (Cornelius Chapel Records)
Guitarist, vocalist and composer Ernie Vincent has been a staple on the New Orleans music scene since the 1970s. One could… - Michael Doucet and Tom Rigney, Roll On (Parhelion Records)
For several years running, Bay Area fiddler Tom Rigney would coordinate a handful of gigs with BeauSoleil’s Michael Doucet, supported by… - Geovane Santos, Ciranda (Independent)
New Orleans-based Afro-Brazilian guitarist Geovane Santos returns with his first album of all original music. His initial release was a collection… - Kevin Naquin & Cajun Preservation, La Musique Traditionnelle Débranchée (Swallow Records)
Kevin Naquin’s previous two albums, 2014's No Guarantees and 2018's Man in the Mirror were somewhat progressive as various songs from… - Ranky Tanky, Live at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz Festival (Munck Mix)
This past spring the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival returned for the first time in three years following cancelations due… - Christian McBride, Christian McBride's New Jawn: Prime (Mack Avenue)
Christian McBride’s much anticipated latest release, Christian McBride's New Jawn: Prime, has definitely been worth the wait. It stands as the… - The Hungry Williams, Let's Go! (Independent)
Fans of classic New Orleans rock and roll and rhythm and blues know the name Charles “Hungry” Williams. One of the… - Barbara Blue, From the Shoals (Earwig Music Company/Big Blue Records)
Barbara Blue, a blues and soul singer from Pittsburgh who performed on Beale Street in Memphis for nearly 25 years, recorded…
