June 2014
BackTalk
- Back Talk: Sean Ardoin on Why Zydeco Makes Him "Happy"
Will the real Sean Ardoin please stand up? Ardoin carries the most historic name in zydeco, yet he’s a chameleon of…
Bookmark
- Holly George-Warren, A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton (Viking)
Alex Chilton loved New Orleans, even though he had to wash dishes to live here. Actually, washing dishes wasn’t the first…
Cover Story
- 20 Feet From Stardom: Erica Falls Steps Up
It's a question that Erica Falls hears often enough: “If you’re this good, how come I never heard of you before?”…
Features
- Beauty and Diversity: Celebrating Jazz Fest 2014
Celebrating Jazz Fest 2014 made all the better with delightful weather. By Frank Etheridge, Jon Garelick, David Kunian, Stephen Maloney, Brett… - George Porter Jr. Defines Funk
When the Meters were formed in New Orleans in 1965, with crooner Art Neville as their frontman (who had already been… - Bruce Daigrepont: A Cajun in New Orleans
Not many people can single-handedly take credit for popularizing a genre but Bruce Daigrepont rightfully can for introducing Cajun music and… - Papa Grows in a New Direction: John "Papa" Gros Finds Balance
In the year since Papa Grows Funk disbanded, John “Papa” Gros has managed to find something that eludes most working musicians:…
Fresh
- Top Selling Albums During Jazz Fest 2014
LOUISIANA MUSIC FACTORY 1. Rebirth Brass Band: Move Your Body (Basin Street) 2. Eric Lindell and Co.: Indian Summer (Ind.) 3.… - Get Ready for the French Market's 28th Annual Creole Tomato Festival
The two-day, two-stage French Market 28th Annual Creole Tomato Festival is held in the French Market, between Dumaine Street and Barracks… - Tom McDermott Writes Music for Steven Soderbergh's "The Knick"
In 1900—decades before the advent of antibiotics and blood banks—surgery was still an evolving, experimental field defined by high mortality rates… - Beer Tastings on Tap
This month, WYES hosts two fundraisers, a private beer sampling and an international beer-tasting event, that together offer an excellent opportunity… - It's Five Somewhere: David Doucet of BeauSoleil
Since BeauSoleil formed in the 1970s, the band has released scores of albums. How does the group continue to dig deep… - Prospect.3 Gets Ready for Now
Prospect.3: Notes for Now, the third incarnation of the international contemporary-art biennial founded by Dan Cameron in the wake of Hurricane… - My Music: Mario Abney
"My compositions, in everything I do, I try to deal with me, in terms of my musical experiences in a way… - A Fitting Tribute to Dr. John at the Saenger Theater
Dr. John didn’t go to Jazz Fest this year, but Jazz Fest came to him. Many of the festival’s key players…
In The Spirit
- In the Spirit: Steve Yamada of Bar R'evolution
"I was working at Tivoli & Lee recently and we were doing live music for our brunches, and Josh Paxton was…
Letters
- June 2014 Letters to OffBeat Magazine
UNBEARABLE While I recognize what having Bruce Springsteen at the festival did for the Fest, having some of his fans there…
Mojo Mouth
- An Opportunity Awaits Someone with Vision in New Orleans
Just today, we got the news that New Orleans was passed over for the Super Bowl in 2018. That’s too bad,…
Obituaries
- Obituary: Big Chief Larry Bannock
Feathered-and-beaded Mardi Gras Indians and those in street clothes rang their tambourines and chanted as they gathered near the large City…
OffBeat Eats
- Dining Out: Fulton Alley
With an extended winter season long behind us and the last breezes of spring quickly fading away, entertainment options for both… - Ricky Ostry Hits the Spot at Horn's
What did you order today? Basic breakfast, two eggs with hash browns, bacon and biscuits. I like the basics, especially when… - In the Spirit: Steve Yamada of Bar R'evolution
"I was working at Tivoli & Lee recently and we were doing live music for our brunches, and Josh Paxton was…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: Fulton Alley
With an extended winter season long behind us and the last breezes of spring quickly fading away, entertainment options for both…
Photo Op
- Photo Op: Zack Smith has One Foot in the Swamp
As a musician and a photographer, Zack Smith combines two passions for his exhibition, One Food in the Swamp: Portraits and…
Reviews
- Craig Brenner, Live at the Old Mint (Independent)
This album’s subtitle promises “Blues & Boogie Woogie Piano” and it’s accurate in at least that respect: Pianist Craig Brenner is… - Jack Brass Band, For Your Body (Independent)
The Jack Brass Band’s claim that it is the only New Orleans-style brass ensemble hailing from Minneapolis is undoubtedly true. Despite… - Billy Pierce & Friends, Take Me back to the Delta (Independent)
Johnny Sansone, Sonny Landreth, and the Bonerama horn section are just some of the impressive friends who give their blessing to… - Pontchartrain Wrecks, Pontchartrain Wrecks (Independent)
Strange as it seems to contemplate now, the Causeway that stretches across Lake Pontchartrain was originally laid down in two pieces—the… - Lil’ Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers, Darkness to Light: It Is What It Is (Cha Cha Records)
Since releasing his debut Zydeco Ballin’ at age 14, Lil’ Nathan has progressed to headliner status alongside contemporaries Keith Frank and… - Tony Dagradi, Gemini Rising (Astral Music)
In late ’80s, Tony Dagradi played and recorded with the New Orleans Saxophone Ensemble, an all-star group that was modeled after… - Eden Brent, Jigsaw Heart (Yellow Dog Records)
Mississippi blues woman Eden Brent has an interesting backstory. Early in her career she befriended blues elder Boogaloo Ames, and was… - Jamie Bernstein, WhoonDang (Independent)
Despite hailing from the Appalachians and spending the last two decades in the Crescent City, Americana artist Jamie Bernstein has exactly… - Johnny Angel & Helldorado, Ready … Set … Hold on! (Deuce Records)
There’s a rollicking offshoot of classic country music called psychobilly that pairs old school twangs and rhythms and train track percussion… - Jon Roniger, Gypsyland (Nola Baby Records)
A songwriter with a folkie’s approach who plays trad-jazz-flavored pop in acoustic as well as en français, Jon Roniger’s milieu is… - Kris Tokarski, Drop Me Off in Harlem (Independent)
If the name Kris Tokarski is not yet familiar, that’s because the pianist moved here just two years ago to pursue… - Poor Man’s Fortune, Bayou Curious (Speak Jolly Music)
Although Poor Man’s Fortune, which includes New Orleans’ singer-songwriter-bouzoukist Beth Patterson, is best known for its Breton music from Brittany, France,… - Rusty Yates Band, Passion (Independent)
From the jump start, Passion comes on as ear-opening. Although in the music business for some 30 years, Baton Rouge vocalist… - Matthew Davidson, Cross My Heart (Magnet Music)
There are certain expectations placed on a 14-year-old when he wins the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation New Generation Award. Matthew Davidson… - Smoking Time Jazz Club, I Need Someone Like You (Independent)
The Smoking Time Jazz Club has established itself as a regular at Maison and the Spotted Cat on Frenchmen Street and… - Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Evolution (Independent)
Who knew Big Sam’s signature “Noladelic” dance party could get even better? Big Sam’s Funky Nation’s fifth album, Evolution, takes its… - Lemon Nash, Papa Lemon (Arhoolie Records)
Though his commercial discography has been scant, this 27-track collection recorded 1959-1961 by folklorist Dr. Harry Oster and jazz archivist Dick… - Black Feratu, Evil Is the New Good (Independent)
Drummer Mac Black calls Black Feratu’s sound metal “ … that goes from punk to sludge and doom,” but Black Feratu’s… - Aurora Nealand & Royal Roses, The Lookback Transmission (Independent)
Aurora Nealand is one of the most exciting young musical talents in the city these days. She came to town nearly… - The Magnolia Sisters, Love Lies (Arhoolie Records)
Over the course of three decades and six albums, the Magnolia Sisters has become an institution of integrity, one not interested… - Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Goin’ Home (Concord Records)
Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s Goin’ Home doesn’t refer to Shreveport. Yes, the record was made in his hometown, but it is a… - Rebirth Brass Band, Move Your Body (Basin Street Records)
Can a band be sophisticated and funky? The Rebirth Brass Band says, “Yes it can!” on its new release, Move Your…