March 2019
BackTalk
- Leyla McCalla Talks Back
“You keep telling me to climb this ladder. I’ve got to pay my dues. But as I rise the stakes get…
Cover Story
- Dancing at Her Funeral: Boyfriend is exploring life beyond rap cabaret
The rollers in her hair, the vintage wardrobe, the cerebral wit, the feminism—all are hallmarks of Boyfriend, the Tennessee-raised songwriter, singer…
Features
- A Day In The Life of McDonogh 35 High School Marching Band
- Man in the Mirror: Kevin Naquin is staying true
“Man in the Mirror” is more than a song title for Cajun musician Kevin Naquin. When Naquin looks in the mirror,… - Branford Marsalis: Melody is at the base of all music
“I play music, I love playing music,” tenor and soprano saxophonist Branford Marsalis simply states while talking about his longtime quartet’s latest,… - Cuba’s Havana Jazz Festival: Divorced in 1960 but still madly in love
Politics divides, but jazz unites. —Ronell Johnson, Preservation Hall Jazz Band trombonist. The Havana Jazz Festival is probably best-known as the… - AF The Naysayer is finally telling his story, in three parts
This month, producer AF The Naysayer will release the first installment of a three-part series of music titled PARTS. Its arrival…
Online Exclusive
Fresh
- Longhair Revelation: Per Oldaeus’ scrapbook
Per Oldaeus heard Professor Longhair for the first time in 1973. Longhair’s 1959 Ron Records release, “Cuttin’ Out,” was in a… - My Music: Nancy Gros
“As a child the radio was my favorite toy. I sat in front of it whenever I could, listening to pop… - Soundcheck: Five Questions with FREEWATER
At this year’s BUKU Music + Art Project, the multi-faceted platform FREEWATER will make its debut. Offering services in photography, filmography,…
Letters
- Letters to the Editor, OffBeat Magazine March 2019
“I need to tell you ‘natives’ just how important New Orleans is to the rest of the world. It gives us…
Mojo Mouth
- MOJO MOUTH: Party On!
Happy Mardi Gras, St. Paddy’s Day, Super Sunday and all the other big New Orleans parties. We have a unique way…
Obituaries
- IN MEMORIAM: Ricky Paulin (1959 – 2019)
Ricky Paulin, the seventh of 13 children of trumpeter Ernest “Doc” Paulin and his wife Betty, loved the clarinet, traditional jazz… - IN MEMORIAM: Connie Jones (1934 – 2019)
The singular trumpet/cornet player Connie Jones passed away in New Orleans on February 14 at age 84. Jones played with giants…
OffBeat Eats
- Dining Out: Meril
In the ’70s, percussionist Emeril Lagasse was awarded a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music, but a stint he…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: Meril
In the ’70s, percussionist Emeril Lagasse was awarded a scholarship to the New England Conservatory of Music, but a stint he…
Reviews
- Bookmark: Bruce Iglauer and Patrick A. Roberts, Bitten by the Blues: The Alligator Records Story
The Perfect Weekend Read If you’ve subscribed to, or even randomly leafed through, a couple of issues of Living… - Cousin Joe, James Booker and Snooks Eaglin, Rhapsody in Bronze (504 Records)
Pure New Orleans Genius This gem of an album represents three previously unreleased “short sessions” by a trio of this… - Watermelon Slim, Church of the Blues (Independent)
His given name is William P. Homans III. He calls himself Watermelon Slim. Born into a Boston blueblood family, Homans left… - The Amazing Nuns, Chicken Little Was Right (Independent)
Lafayette cult band the Amazing Nuns are practically a Hub City institution given their 17-year existence and 6-album discography. Ironically it… - The Dirty Rain Revelers, Spark (Independent)
Gently floating, half-asleep, somewhere between Mazzy Star’s So Tonight That I Might See, the Cowboy Junkies’ The Trinity Session, and Robert… - Roderick Harper, Perfect Imperfections (Independent)
A vocalist since early childhood, Roderick Harper sings with elegance and ease. The Washington, D.C., native studied jazz with the late… - Dale Watson, Call Me Lucky (Compass Records)
You can’t fault Dale Watson’s credibility as a rock-ribbed country traditionalist. Born into poverty, on the road at 14, owner of… - Kris Tokarski, Ragtime - New Orleans Style, Vol. 2 (Big Al Records)
Most of the traditional jazz players in New Orleans try and reproduce the music from the ’10s through ’40s by emulating… - Big Al and the Heavyweights, World Full of Trouble (EllerSoul Records)
Despite its title, Big Al and the Heavyweights’ latest is the CD that care forgot (sorry), a collection of exactly the… - Jacye, That Was Then (Crazy Chester Records)
Jacye Guerin, a skilled songwriter and passionate singer from Plaquemine in Iberville Parish, goes all out for her album debut. That… - Ric Robertson, The Fool, The Friend (Independent)
Throughout his debut release, Ric Robertson pairs well-crafted songs with an easy going vocal performance reminiscent of Paul Simon. The fact… - Borealis Rex, Cut Your Teeth (Independent)
Why wait for the Stones to come around when you can get some hellraising rock ’n’ roll from these guys right… - Louie Ludwig, The Things You Done on a Mardi Gras Day (ZZI Music)
The great Mardi Gras anthems all physically sound like a parade is underway—it’s not just about the beat, but the atmosphere,… - The Asylum Chorus, Blue Sunshine (Independent)
The Asylum Chorus are back with their second EP, Blue Sunshine. Over the years they have been crafting their sound, layer… - The Rayo Brothers, Victim & Villain (Nouveau Electric Records)
The Rayo Brothers’ third CD, Victim & Villain, released on Louis Michot’s Nouveau Electric Records and recorded at Dockside Studio with…
