June 2020
BackTalk
- Dave Pirner talks back
After residing in New Orleans for 17 years, Soul Asylum leader Dave Pirner moved back to Minneapolis in 2018. The Grammy-winning,…
Cover Story
- Tragedy or Opportunity? Louisiana musicians take stock of their new reality
by Max Bonanno, Matt Hughes, Brett Milano and John Wirt TO ALL LOUISIANA MUSICIANS! Louisiana musicians tell OffBeat how they are…
Features
- A record for our time: Write Brothers’ testament to Spencer Bohren
Spencer Bohren came from the open sky and the cold hard realities of prairie fundamentalism. His early life was a routine… - Remembering “Uganda” Roberts
He grew up in the shadow of Congo Square in Tremé, New Orleans, in the neighborhood of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.… - Sam Price and the True Believers’ Message Through Music
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response… - Sabra Guzmán comes home to the foreign land of French Louisiana
Sometimes it happens out of the blue: an unexpected event illuminates a path forward. Lafayette musician Sabra Guzmán, front-woman for Sabra…
Fresh
- Jimmy Ballero’s trio is back playing in the French Quarter
Being that libation, cuisine and live music are the top attractions in the French Quarter (well don’t forget the peelers at… - Zachary Richard's digital release benefits the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic
It doesn’t take an esteemed scientist like Dr. Anthony Fauci to remind you that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a tsunami…
Letters
- Letters to the Editor, OffBeat Magazine June 2020
Super Potluck Thank you so much for sending the Super Potluck. I am excited to have some things to read that…
Obituaries
- Alfred “Uganda” Roberts (1943-2020)
New Orleans percussionist Alfred "Uganda" Roberts passed away from lung cancer on May 5 at age 77. Roberts grew up in… - Richard “Little Richard” Penniman (1932 –2020)
Little Richard, a rock ’n’ roll trail blazer, whose flamboyant style was instantly recognizable and became a dominant musical influence for…
Reviews
- Sweet Crude, Officiel // Artificiel (Verve Forecast)
The first really grabbing moment on Sweet Crude’s sophomore album happens midway through the opening track, “COGO.” At the point where… - Goldman Thibodeaux & The Lawtell Playboys, La Danse à St. Ann’s (Nouveau Electric Records)
This live recording by 87-year-old Goldman Thibodeaux & The Lawtell Playboys is significant in countless ways and will likely grow in… - The Revealers, Pray Chant Sing (Independent)
The Revealers (not to be confused with Cajun band the Revelers) are probably New Orleans’ longest-running reggae band by now, and… - Shaggadelic, Twilight (Independent)
Shaggadelic is the stage name for rapper, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Ryan Batiste, whose latest album Twilight was recorded during the… - Funky Butt Brass Band, Onward (Independent)
The St. Louis-based Funky Butt Brass Band’s fourth studio album is one of the most diverse contributions to a genre that… - Joe Satriani, Shapeshifting (Sony/Legacy)
Having sold ten million records, guitar star Joe Satriani is the world’s most popular solo guitar instrumentalist. Satriani shredded his way… - Victor Wainwright and the Train, Memphis Loud (Ruf)
Based in Memphis, Georgia native Victor Wainwright has a shelf full of Blues Music Awards and a Grammy nomination. Memphis Loud… - Snake Hat, Snake Hat (Independent)
Who says university professors can’t rock? As evidenced by this eponymously-titled, five-track EP, this quartet of Southeastern Louisiana University faculty members… - Junko Beat, Satirifunk (Drumparade)
Drummer and keyboardist Chris Lacinack leads the cosmic funk-electronica-jam band Junko Beat. Lacinack also composed the seven convention-defying songs and instrumentals… - The Jackson Square Allstars, Live at Heartwood Soundstage: The Saints and Sinners of Jackson Square (Independent)
The Saints and Sinners of Jackson Square, the highly amusing name for this album and this group of well-known musicians, was…
