March 2009
BackTalk
- The Knux
“Put me on the cover of OffBeat!” It’s Kintrell “Krispy Kream” Lindsey’s final request at the end of our conversation, and…
Bookmark
- James Sullivan, The Hardest Working Man: How James Brown Saved the Soul of America (Gotham)
To New York Senator Jacob Javits, trying to praise him, James Brown was “Jamie Brown.” To Boston mayor Kevin White, whom…
Cover Story
- Irvin Mayfield's Art of the Deal
It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon in February and the French Quarter is buzzing with celebrants preparing for the first Mardi Gras…
Features
- The Best of the Beat, 2008
At this year’s Best of the Beat events, the big winner was Irma Thomas. On the Wednesday celebration of business and… - From LA to L.A.
My Grammy week began Wednesday when I attended “Music in Focus” presented by the Grammy Preservation Committee. The event recognized the… - SXSW: Louisiana in the Lone Star State
- Luther Kent: Gimme Two Steps
It should be no surprise that Luther Kent’s latest CD, The Bobby Bland Songbook, pays tribute to the “Three B Blues… - Hurray for the Riff Raff: Love and Desperation
With an economic meltdown at home and endless wars abroad, the America of the early 21st Century is beginning to look… - Glasgow: Life on Earth
Fresh
- We Win!
This year’s Grammys were good to Louisiana. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences gave out its awards February 8… - Tip's Brings Cooperation to Lafayette
A business tool for musicians, born in New Orleans and existing in three other Louisiana cities, has finally made its way… - The Lost Ford
Frankie Ford’s latest album, On the Street Where You Live, presents the singer known for “Sea Cruise” in a swinging, big… - Satchmo Cuts and Pastes
In Satchmo: The Wonderful World and Art of Louis Armstrong, author Steven Brower presents readers with another side of the internationally… - Where the Winners Go
The Grammys and the south Louisiana town of Maurice (population 642) have as much in common as Lil Wayne and Alison… - The Missing Link
Admit it. You have needed a Cajun style, European-influenced charcuterie, meat market, sandwich shop, and wine bar in your life. The…
Letters
- March 2009 Letters
ALL THINGS OF BEAUTY I just wanted to say thank you for a great award show, both musically and for all…
Mojo Mouth
- Spicing Up Tough Times
I’ve seen too many “For Sale” and “For Rent” signs all over town; many more than last year, it seems. New…
Obituaries
- Obituary: Snooks Eaglin (1936-2009)
Hours before this issue of OffBeat shipped, we learned that Snooks Eaglin passed away on February 18. This is a sad…
OffBeat Eats
- Evan Christopher Hits the Spot at Luke
Lüke 333 St. Charles Avenue (504) 378-2840 When did you start coming to Lüke? A few months ago. Came here… - Dining Out: The Galley
Usually when choosing to dine at a restaurant, we have a particular dish or range of cooking in mind. While we’re…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: The Galley
Usually when choosing to dine at a restaurant, we have a particular dish or range of cooking in mind. While we’re…
The Spot
- Evan Christopher Hits the Spot at Luke
Lüke 333 St. Charles Avenue (504) 378-2840 When did you start coming to Lüke? A few months ago. Came here…
Reviews
- Miles Davis, Kind of Blue Legacy Ed. (Columbia/Legacy)
The 50th anniversary reissue of Miles Davis’ landmark Kind of Blue raises the question of how you review reissues. In some… - Buddy and Julie Miller, Written in Chalk (New West)
Buddy Miller has mastered the sound of ruralness. He and wife Julie sound like hill folk singing to each other in… - Chris Darrow, Under My Own Disguise (Everloving)
The Chris Darrow bio is one of a guy who played with a lot of cool people in the late 1960s… - Susan Tedeschi, Back to the River (Verve Forecast)
Ever since her breakthrough debut, Just Won’t Burn, it was evident that Susan Tedeschi would become one of her generation’s preeminent… - Various Artists, Swamp Pop Gold Volume 9 (CSP)
It’s been opined that if swamp pop isn’t dead yet, it’s certainly withering away on the vine. Whether its popularity pales… - Howlin' Wolf, Rocking the Blues: Live in Germany 1964 (Acrobat)
These tracks have been around the block several times since the late 1960s, but it’s great that they are available again.… - Silent Cinema, Fins and Feathers (Independent)
Silent Cinema’s debut album has been a long time coming. Since the band’s inception in 2004, it has morphed from a… - The Bad Plus featuring Wendy Lewis, For All I Care (Heads Up)
Over the years, jazz trio the Bad Plus has established itself as one of the most engaging and bewildering acts on… - Shemekia Copeland, Never Come Back (Telarc Blues)
With song topics that address water pollution, bad brakes, Bible-toting politicians, and the trials of single parenthood, Never Come Back definitely… - The Gourds, Haymaker! (Yep Roc)
Like the best of today’s roots-rockers, the Gourds burn with an honesty and simplicity that keeps the music in perspective. No… - Sam Myers and Anson Funderburgh, My Love is Here to Stay (Hep Cat)
This was the initial coupling between Sam and Anson that originally appeared on Black Top in 1984. As luck would have… - Justin Peake + Robin Boudreaux, Submerge (Independent)
Percussionist Justin Peake is behind these two albums of adventurous music—sound sculptures, as he refers to them, and the term is… - Touch, Touch (Ears & Eyes)
Percussionist Justin Peake is behind these two albums of adventurous music—sound sculptures, as he refers to them, and the term is… - Glasgow, On Earth (Independent)
Concept albums are risky business for any artist. Viewed by some as masterful and others as pretentious, the concept album is… - Robert Cray, Live at the BBC (Mercury)
Those of us lucky enough to have witnessed the arrival of Young Bob back in the early 1980s recall what an… - Various Artists, Downtown Alive! 25th Anniversary Compilation (Downtown Lafayette Unlimited)
Downtown Lafayette has come a long way in the last quarter century to have the thriving nightlife and art scene it… - Jeff Albert Quartet, Similar in the Opposite Way (Fora Sound)
It would be presumptuous to guess at the reason why Jazz Fest completely ignored the Frenchmen Street/St. Claude Avenue improvised music… - Phil Phillips, Sea of Love (Bear Family)
Perhaps because he hails from Lake Charles, Louisiana—slightly off the beaten musical path—Phil Phillips is probably the most overlooked and under-appreciated… - Jimmy Breaux & Friends, Live at Festivals Acadiens (Way Down in Louisiana)
Despite hailing from a dynasty of Cajun musicians—great-aunt Cleoma and husband Joe Falcon waxed the first Cajun side “Allons à Lafayette;”… - Banu Gibson, Banu Gibson Sings More Johnny Mercer (Swing Out)
Johnny Mercer’s songs are American treasures—clever, lively and relentlessly well constructed. Banu Gibson treats them as such on her new album,… - John Scofield, Piety Street (EmArcy/Decca)
For Piety Street, guitarist John Scofield assembles a New Orleans band that includes Jon Cleary, John Boutte and George Porter, Jr.…
