June 2024

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Cover Story

Where the Wild Seed Grows: Amina Scott Mines Her Mind
Those in the packed WWOZ Jazz Tent were thrilled to hear an exceptional performance by bassist Amina Scott and her stellar… – Michael Allen Zell

BackTalk

Ani DiFranco talks back
Ani DiFranco knows what it means to miss New Orleans. She’s been away from the city since January. Performing eight shows… – John Wirt

Features

2024 Jazz Fest Redux
OffBeat has published a Jazz Fest recap since the magazine started in 1988. Headlines like “Squeezing Out Sparks at Jazz Fest”… – OffBeat Staff
Happy Father's Day: Carrying on the Music with Corey Henry, Kid Chocolate and Sunpie Barnes
In celebration of Father's Day, June 16, 2024, we put the spotlight on three of New Orleans well-known musical dads—trombonist Corey… – Geraldine Wyckoff
The Zydeco Sweetheart Makes 30 Years: Rosie Ledet at the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival
In any field, longevity isn’t guaranteed. This is doubly so in the music industry, which is often pushing the new, and… – Michael Allen Zell
Sweet Magnolia Continues to Blossom
Ask Meg Dwyer where she’s from, and you’ll get a complicated answer. “That's the hardest question, so we'll get it out… – Dan Willging
It’s Time For Sozi
Rapper Sozi has an ambitious new album dropping on June 12 called Revenge of the Time, launching at Couches on June… – Michael Allen Zell

Fresh

Louisiana Super Group the River Road Collective Leaves a Legacy Album
Louisiana’s River Parishes traditionally encompass the Mississippi River-bordering parishes between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. In 2016, singer, guitarist and songwriter… – John Wirt
Professor Longhair, Rugged and Funky: A Long-Awaited Documentary
Two recent New Orleans screenings of Professor Longhair, Rugged and Funky, the marvelous full-length documentary about the New Orleans singer-pianist who… – John Wirt
Vintage Vinyl Treasures (Episode 39)
This month’s installment of Vintage Vinyl Treasures (Episode 39) features five albums picked up during the first weekend of this year’s… – Joseph Bondi

Dining Out

Dining Out: Copper Vine
Since 2018, Copper Vine—the gastropub and wine bar—has been serving a menu packed with New Orleans fare with a bit of… – Marielle Songy

Obituaries

Chris Stafford (1988-2024)
Chris Stafford, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, and founding member of the band Feufollet was killed in a car crash in Lafayette, Louisiana,… – OffBeat Staff
Nick Daniels, III (1956-2024)
Nick Daniels, III, the beloved New Orleans funk and R&B bassist and vocalist, died Friday, April 26, 2024, following complications from… – OffBeat Staff

Reviews

007: The Return of Ben Downlow (Independent)
The vaults of Jamaican rocksteady are still a great source of undiscovered and usually uncovered songs. This was the sound that… – Brett Milano
Byron Asher's Skrontch Music: Lord, When You Send the Rain (Sinking City Records)
Byron Asher, who plays multiple reed instruments, leads his 11-piece ensemble, Skrontch Music, in a program of his compositions and concepts.… – Geraldine Wyckoff
The Desert Nudes: Keep A-Movin’, Dan (Lazy Dan Records)
The cover of the debut recording from the Desert Nudes features three smiling gents in cowboy hats and promises “songs of… – Jay Mazza
Sweet Magnolia: Miss Missed Connections (Independent)
Maybe Sweet Magnolia’s saxophonist Meg Dwyer is on to something by combining her New Orleans Brass Band experience with original compositions… – Dan Willging
Ben Fox: The Pavanist (Independent)
One thing is quite certain. As a bandleader and composer, it would be difficult to put bassist Ben Fox into any… – Geraldine Wyckoff
James Martin: From Here. (Independent)
Saxophonist and singer/songwriter James Martin’s latest release, From Here., opens with a piano riff right out of the old school New… – Jay Mazza
Leroy Thomas & The Zydeco Roadrunners: Rockin’ the Bayou (Hardcore Records)
Leave it to Leroy Thomas. Nearly a decade after his 2015 release We Love You Leroy, Thomas returns with a dance… – Dan Willging
Wade Hymel: Who Said That? (Independent)
Anybody who quotes a Yes song title during a rockabilly song is automatically okay by me (the line in question: “Now… – Brett Milano
Bill Robison and Friends: Vestigial Limbo (Independent)
When Hammond-based rockers Snake Hat slithered away for good, the group’s guitarist and songwriter Bill Robison had beaucoup originals dangling aimlessly… – Dan Willging
Dr. John: Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya: Singles 1968-1974 (Omnivore)
As if anyone can forget the singular genius of Dr. John, a new collection of his ATCO singles reminds us of… – John Wirt