July 2018

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BackTalk

Ledisi Talks Back
Ledisi, whose name means “to bring forth” in the Yoruba language, will be in a very familiar setting when she performs… – Geraldine Wyckoff

Cover Story

Leap of Faith: Quiana Lynell’s phenomenal ride
“The last year of my life has been phenomenal,” Quiana Lynell says. It stands to reason. In the past 12 months,… – Raphael Helfand

Features

Power Players: Nayo Jones Raises Standards in Jazz
Nayo Jones is a vocalist who frequently performs with Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers, and appears on their 2015 album… – Amanda "Bonita" Mester
Power Players: Sabine McCalla Speaks From The Heart
Sabine McCalla can handle her own. After years of providing backup vocals to bands around town, she’s finally ready to push… – Noé Cugny
Power Players: Delish Da Goddess Opens Doors
The leader of New Orleans’ DIY hip-hop movement lives half an hour outside city limits. Gabriel Major (a.k.a. Delish Da Goddess)… – Raphael Helfand
Power Players: Billie Davies plays her own music
Freedom and expression. These are the things that matter most to Billie Davies, who has used the drums as a means… – Noé Cugny
Shaken & Stirred: Neal Bodenheimer serves up a new Tales of the Cocktail
With Tales of the Cocktail coming up July 17–22, OffBeat checks in with Neal Bodenheimer, proprietor of both Cane & Table… – Elsa Hahne
Grape Expectations: Local wine stores pick their favorite grapes and wines
French wines are famously all about the terroir, that magical mixutre of soil, sun and slopes—and the occasional eau du pied,… – Elsa Hahne
Diving In: Snake and Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge sets the bar
Nestled on an unassuming block in East Carrollton, Snake and Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge is a dive bar which has managed… – Amanda "Bonita" Mester
Street Parade: Runnin’ Pardners guitarist Brint Anderson has a new menu
On the final day of the 2018 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Brint Anderson played his final show with George… – John Wirt
A Second Chance at a First-Class Life: Mike Zito aspires to even greater things.
Mike Zito is making the most of his second chance at a first-class life. In May, the Memphis-based Blues Foundation’s Blues… – John Wirt

Fresh

Back to School: CR Gruver opens the area’s first School of Rock
There’s little doubt that the 2003 film School of Rock starring Jack Black was a smash success at the box office… – Frank Etheridge
My Music With Alex Pian (Greazy Alice)
“Some people write third-person lyrics that are stories about other things. What I write is all relatively personal to me. I… – Frank Etheridge
New Orleans Jazz Museum launches Gallatin Street Records
Earlier this year, the New Orleans Jazz Museum issued Gallatin Street Records’ debut release. Gypsy-jazz band Bon Bon Vivant recorded Live… – John Wirt
Five Questions with DJ Captain Charles
DJ Captain Charles spins at Essence Festival again. The immensely popular deejay and Old School 106.7 FM radio host, who made… – Geraldine Wyckoff

In The Spirit

Devon Hall at Beachbum Berry's Latitude 29
“Harry Choates played the music I grew up with—Cajun music that my grandfather used to play for me, when I was… – Elsa Hahne

Letters

Letters To The Editor: Frenchmen Street Blues And More
Frenchmen Street The following letter is in response to Jan Ramsey’s blog post, “Does Less Beer Mean Happier Musicians?” sharing the… – OffBeat Readers

Mojo Mouth

New Orleans: A Music City Like No Other
Greater New Orleans (GNO), Inc.—the organization that’s concerned with economic development in New Orleans—has issued a request for proposal for a… – Jan Ramsey

Obituaries

In Memoriam: Clarence Fountain (1929-2018)
Clarence Fountain, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner who led the Blind Boys of Alabama for nearly 70 years, died… – John Wirt

Dining Out

Cure
For those New Orleanians with memories shorter than a decade, it’s hard to fathom that there once was a time when… – Peter Thriffiley

Reviews

Amanda Shaw, Please Call Me Miss Shaw (Album Review)
Please, Call Me Miss Shaw finds Miss Shaw rocking out and continuing to evolve into a fiercely independent musician who refuses… – Christopher Weddle
Yvette Landry & The Jukes, Louisiana Lovin’ (Soko Music)
The roots of this Yvette Landry–Roddie Romero collaboration began when they performed Dale & Grace’s number one hit “I’m Leaving It… – Dan Willging
Darcy Malone & the Tangle, Pure as Gold (Independent)
This is Malone and the Tangle’s third release in two years, and the sound and confidence of the band continue to… – Brett Milano
Cha Wa, Spyboy (UPT)
The easy hook on Cha Wa is that they’re a fusion of Mardi Gras Indian and brass band music. That’s true… – Brett Milano
Lane Mack, Swampodisiac (Independent)
Lane Mack’s sophomore effort Swampodisiac is sonic proof that his auspicious 2015 debut wasn’t a fluke but a solidly constructed foundation… – Dan Willging
John Mooney, Truth of the Matter (Independent)
John Mooney is part of the last group of New Orleans musicians to have worked alongside and learned from departed masters… – John Swenson
Crossing Canal, Lowdown Runaround Fool (Independent)
Ruby Ross of Charlottesville and Patrick Cooper of Shreveport make up the singer/songwriter duo Crossing Canal. They interpret their original tunes… – Stacey Leigh Bridewell
Ted Hefko and the Thousandaires, Gas Station Guru (Onager Records)
A veteran of the New Orleans music scene since he hopped on a Greyhound bus bound for the Crescent City from… – Frank Etheridge
Paul Sanchez, One More Trip Around the Sun (Independent)
Paul Sanchez keeps turning out classic albums like its 1966. Sanchez may be the perfect example of how New Orleans musicians… – John Swenson
James Carr, The Best Of (Kent Records)
James Carr reissues have appeared over the past three decades on vinyl and CD. While all of the tracks here can… – Jeff Hannusch
Kevin Naquin and the Ossun Playboys, Man in the Mirror (Flat Town Music)
Considering this is Kevin Naquin’s 11th album of his 23-year career, he manages to pack plenty of artistic firsts into these… – Dan Willging