July 2016

Buy Now

BackTalk

Leyla McCalla talks back
Leyla McCalla, a singing, songwriting cellist and former member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, once aspired to being a classical musician… – John Wirt

Cover Story

Treme Funk: Corey Henry's Universe
“We do our own style of New Orleans Treme funk, that consists of funk, New Orleans brass band music, a little… – Geraldine Wyckoff

Features

Find That Girl: Robin Power Royal and Prince
The singer, rapper, actress, New Orleans resident and model known as Robin Power Royal was known by another name until she… – Robert Fontenot
His Purple Majesty: A Local Tribute to Prince
Here in the world’s music capital, many of us, whether we knew it or not, lived just one or two degrees… – Michael Patrick Welch
Roots and Beyond: Stephen Marley Returns to New Orleans
Laughter sprinkles through the very amiable Stephen Marley’s conversation. Though when he speaks about the value of reggae music’s one love,… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Prime Royalty: Lena Prima follows in her dad’s footsteps
Lena Prima, the singing daughter of New Orleans and Las Vegas music star Louis Prima, is so obviously his musical child.… – John Wirt
Jazz Fest Redux 2016 (Continued)
➼ Original Jazz Fest Redux 2016 by Rory Callais (RC); Sam D’Arcangelo (SD); Laura DeFazio (LD); Frank Etheridge (FE); Brett… – OffBeat Staff

Fresh

The Music Box: Boxed In
"We like to do what turns us on artistically,” Delaney Martin, artistic director of New Orleans Airlift, declares of the nonprofit… – Frank Etheridge
My Music: Nick the Swede
"I got my first drum set—if you don’t count the pots and pans my mom let my bang on the kitchen… – Frank Etheridge
Mohawks Before Mystikal and More: Sugar Bear at the House of Blues
Big Chief Walter “Sugar Bear” Landry, Jr. of the Black Mohawks Mardi Gras Indians has been masking since the early ’50s,… – Holly Hobbs
10 Prince Songs that Local Artists Should Cover
Much as we love “Purple Rain,” we’d hate to see it become the one Prince song everybody starts covering—not when there… – OffBeat Magazine
Five Questions with Ron Canedo, Director of the New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society
What is the perfect cocktail to you? It’s an easy one: bourbon. Could be a splash of water if you need… – Frank Etheridge
Cool Brew
“I love a great stout or porter,” Jacob Landry, founder and president of Urban South Brewery says, “but a beer must… – Frank Etheridge
Five Questions with Cyril Neville on Playing Essence Festival
This is the first time you are performing at the Essence Festival. That seems surprising since it began 22 years ago.… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Old Glory
Even in a city filled with lore and legend, the Pontchartrain Hotel still stands tall. Rising high in the sky at… – Frank Etheridge

In The Spirit

Richard Odell at Tujague’s
Richard Odell, bartender (RO): I’m Richard. Marc Paradis, musician (MP): That’s my middle name! RO: Dick in the middle. Got it.… – Elsa Hahne

Letters

July 2016 Letters to OffBeat
Minos the Saint I loved your feature about one of my favorite Baton Rouge bands, Minos the Saint [May 2016]. John… – OffBeat Magazine

Mojo Mouth

Free To Be You & Me
I’m writing this now as my puppy is sleeping on the sofa in my office, the AC is on and I’m… – Jan Ramsey

Obituaries

Obituary: Michael Sklar (1945–2016)
Guitarist Michael Sklar passed away after a brief battle with cancer. Born in New York City, Michael was playing guitar by… – OffBeat Staff

OffBeat Eats

Bar Stories: Local musicians report from the drinking front
New Orleans musicians, on average, spend lots of time in bars, both playing and drinking. Here, OffBeat serves up a dozen… – Elsa Hahne
Brewer/Bassist: Brian “Bruiser” Broussard makes beer and plays music
Brian “Bruiser” Broussard has had a foot in both the beer and music worlds since he was a teenager. He began… – Nora McGunnigle

Dining Out

Ideal Supermarket
The immediate influx of Latin American workers after Hurricane Katrina has had and will continue to have an indelible impact on… – Peter Thriffiley

The Spot

Ann Tuennerman hits the Spot
What are you ordering? I’m going to get the yellow curry. I haven’t ordered it here before, but I had some… – Elsa Hahne

Reviews

Various Artists, I Wanna Sing Right: Rediscovering Lomax in the Evangeline Country Part Four: Good Women and Bad Girls (Valcour Records)
Valcour Records closes out its four-part series of reinterpreting jewels from the Lomax Archive with no shortage of surprises. Givers’ Tiffany… – Dan Willging
Various Artists, Zydeco: Black Creole, French Music & Blues 1929–1972 (Frémeaux & Associés)
Though there are many paths to take when examining zydeco’s evolution, it’s hard to imagine a more comprehensive compilation than France’s… – Dan Willging
The Nouveau String Band, The Great American Road Trip (Pu-Pun Dreams)
After a litany of departed marquee female vocalists, the Nouveau String Band (NSB) has focused on being its own entity with… – Dan Willging
Mike Dillon, Functioning Broke (Royal Potato Family Records)
The breadth and sheer number of different voices Mike Dillon has at his command is impressive in just about any setting.… – Jennifer Odell
Johnny Winter with Dr. John, Live in Sweden 1987 (MVD Visual CD and DVD)
This is a professionally recorded live set from 1987 cut in Stockholm’s Sonet recording studio before an audience of about 100… – John Swenson
The Relatives, Goodbye World (Luv N’ Haight)
The Relatives were a surprise sensation at Ponderosa Stomp in 2010, and in some ways they were that festival’s dream band:… – Brett Milano
Keith Stone, The Prodigal Returns (Keith Stone Music)
As one might surmise by the title, Keith Stone left the Crescent City only to return with an even greater appreciation… – Dan Willging
Alexis & the Samurai, Move Into View (Independent)
Gorgeous melancholy is one of those qualities that makes indie pop go round, and Alexis & the Samurai’s latest is practically… – Brett Milano
Will Porter, Tick Tock Tick (Ace Records)
This CD is so good I don’t know where to start. So I’ll start with the fact that it’s part… – John Swenson
Bamboula 2000, Up from Congo Square (Independent)
Bamboula 2000, formed in 1994, certainly lives up to its name in presenting rhythmic music with its roots in the past… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Boogie Kings, Legacy (MTE Records)
Legacy is the long-lost Boogie Kings record that was nearly completed in 2009. But when bandleader Ned Theall unexpectedly passed away… – Dan Willging
Davell Crawford Piano in the Vaults, Vol. I (Basin Street Records)
“This is the bare bones of Davell Crawford,” declares the Piano Prince of New Orleans on what listeners can expect from… – Geraldine Wyckoff
René Marie, Sound of Red (Montema Music)
On her 2013 Grammy-nominated album, I Wanna Be Evil—With Love to Eartha Kitt, vocalist René Marie relied on material associated with… – Geraldine Wyckoff
The Batture Boys, Muddy Water (Independent)
Add together one subdude and one Continental Drifter (that is, Tommy Malone and Ray Ganucheau) and you get this debut EP… – Robert Fontenot
Lena Prima & the Lena Prima Band, Live at the Dew Drop Jazz & Social Hall (Aftergroove)
Louis Prima’s shadow is a tough one to escape, but Lena Prima—daughter of Louis Prima and his last wife and singer,… – Brett Milano
The Spirit of Fi Yi Yi and the Mandingo Warriors, When That Morning Comes (Independent)
The personality and the strong inner character of Big Chief Victor Harris, the Spirit of Fi Yi Yi, really comes through… – Geraldine Wyckoff
John Broven, Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans (Pelican Publishing)
John Broven’s newly revised, expanded and updated Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans, originally issued as Walking to New Orleans, is… – Cyril Vetter
Dave Jordan and the NIA, No Losers Tonight (Independent)
Dave Jordan was the bassist and frontman of the late, lamented Dubyaera local jam band known simply as Juice, but his… – Robert Fontenot
Royal Southern Brotherhood, The Royal Gospel (Ruf)
No getting around it: I’m writing this review in the wake of the latest (at press time) horrific mass shooting, and… – Brett Milano