October 2016

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BackTalk

Taj Mahal talks back
The name of musician Taj Mahal can bring to mind any number of tunes, genres or instruments, depending on what period… – Geraldine Wyckoff

Cover Story

Sarah Quintana: Eternity in the Interval
In the last few years, several locally-based musical artists have forged ahead in somewhat new and unconventional ways to gain not… – Michael Dominici

Features

Lil Poochie/Hezekiah Early: Two Legends
Robert Lee “Lil Poochie” Watson, 65, and Hezekiah Early, 82, have some years between them, though they’ve shared decades of playing… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Cedric Burnside: Raw and Real
The late R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough—guitarists, vocalists and composers—remain legendary as master purveyors of “hill country” blues, a style specific… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Festivals Acadiens: Cosmic Moments
“If you had told me in 1974 when we were doing that very first one that in 2016, we would have… – Dan Willging
John Gros: With a Little Help From His Friends
In mid-August John Gros was preparing to drop his first solo album in 12 years, River’s on Fire, when he got… – John Swenson
Kenny Neal: More to Life
Kenny Neal, one of Baton Rouge’s internationally known blues artists, grew up in the country. His bluesman father, the late Raful… – John Wirt
Acadiana Floods: We’re Going To Need Help
A week after an unprecedented volume of rain fell in Louisiana in August, causing floodwaters to ravage homes and businesses from Baton… – Jennifer Odell

Fresh

Nickel-a-Dance Kicks Off October 2nd at Maison
Two very different female vocalists sharing some unique ties are featured during this autumn’s Nickel-A-Dance series. Thais Clark kicks off the… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Five Questions with Steve Rivera
Steve Rivera is the Executive Director of Project Lazarus, a New Orleans–based organization which cares for people living with HIV and… – OffBeat Staff
Greensky Bluegrass: Serenade for Strings
Greensky Bluegrass may take the stage with a banjo, mandolin, dobro, upright bass and acoustic guitar, but don’t let the name… – Jan Ramsey
Nesby Phips
“From cutting hair to painting to making music, I was always self-taught and always had my own method. When I cut… – Holly Hobbs
Ten Songs You Didn't Know Were Recorded in Louisiana
Correction: An earlier version of this article was titled "Ten Songs You Didn't Know Were Recorded in New Orleans." This was an… – Brett Milano
10th Annual Oak Street Po-Boy Festival Moves to October
No longer held in November, the 10th Annual Oak Street Po-Boy Festival will take place on October 23. The festival is… – OffBeat Staff
Five Questions with Chef Daniel Esses of Three Muses
Congratulations on the new venue! Thank you. Is the new location a replica of the Frenchmen Street location, or are you… – Holly Hobbs

In The Spirit

Craig Seaman at Bar Frances
“It’s fun to think about a person as an influence as opposed to a spirit or a style of drink. Helen… – Elsa Hahne

Letters

October 2016 Letters to OffBeat
Too Many Festivals? The following letters are in response to Jan Ramsey’s blog post, “Spread Too Thin?” questioning if we have… – OffBeat Readers

Mojo Mouth

Oh, the Irony
I had lunch today with a client of ours, who’s the district manager for a large retail operation. We were discussing the… – Jan Ramsey

OffBeat Eats

To the Bitter End
Chicory coffee runs in high doses through the bloodstreams of south Louisiana, and has for generations. Chicory may be considered a… – Elsa Hahne
The New Expressionism
What is she doing in there? A woman in her early twenties, brown hair, sitting in a parked car at a… – Elsa Hahne

Dining Out

Bao & Noodle
When Sound Café closed in the summer of 2014, Marigny residents collectively sighed over the loss of their beloved coffee shop… – Peter Thriffiley

Plan A

Plan A: Buddy Guy at Tipitina's
Buddy Guy may have been born in Lettsworth, Louisiana, but his name will forever be associated with the Chicago style of… – Jan Ramsey

The Spot

Craig Klein hits the Spot at JuiceNOLA
[of Bonerama, the New Orleans Jazz Vipers and the Storyville Stompers] When did you start coming here? Actually, I lived in… – Elsa Hahne

Reviews

John Paul Daniel, All is Well (Independent)
Songwriter Daniel has been kicking around country music for years now, his most famous moment coming via shared credits on Pam… – Robert Fontenot
Christian Serpas & Ghost Town, Favorites (Independent)
Christian Serpas likes to call his band a combination of Led Zeppelin and Johnny Cash, but it’s really more like AC/DC… – Brett Milano
Rewind: The New Orleans Social Club, Sing Me Back Home (Burgundy Records)
Producer Leo Sacks hits rewind on the New Orleans Social Club’s Sing Me Back Home. “I was sitting in a pizza parlor… – Brett Milano
Lost Bayou Ramblers, Rue Vermilion Revival (Independent)
With the release of 2012’s Mammoth Waltz, a lush set of sonic explorations that gracefully exploded preconceived notions about the Cajun… – Jennifer Odell
Robin Barnes, Songbird Sessions (Rhythm Elevation Records)
A guitar often offers certain elegance when it’s employed in a jazz combo backing a vocalist. Songbird Sessions teams singer Robin… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Alfred Banks, A Beautiful Prelude EP (Independent)
Don’t look now, but there’s a whole raft of up-and-coming hip hop artists on the New Orleans scene, most of them… – Robert Fontenot
The Good for Nothin’ Band, Maniac World (Independent)
Their PR sounds like someone ate way too much Bohemian mythology, from Kerouac to Burroughs, and then went out drinking all… – Robert Fontenot
Kumasi, Togetherness (Independent)
Kumasi smacks you in the booty with Fela Kuti. And that’s a good thing. The nascent New Orleans collective acknowledges “the… – Frank Etheridge
Rusty Metoyer and the Zydeco Krush, In Due Time (Back Porch Entertainment)
Rusty Metoyer started playing accordion at age 14 to fill a musical void at family parties after his grandfather’s passing. Nearly… – Dan Willging
Zeke Fishhead, Look Glass Trick & Gone World, (www.Livedownloads.com)
Everything in the deckhouse of Volker’s magic carpet is designed to supplicate whatever muse inspires his art, from his one-man recording… – John Swenson
Various Artists, Alligator Records—45th Anniversary Collection (Alligator Records)
I’m showing my age here, but as a tenth grader, I hitchhiked to Toronto and bought the very first Alligator LP… – Jeff Hannusch
Various Artists, Stony Plain—40 Years (Stony Plain Records)
Not to be outdone by Alligator’s recent double CD 45th anniversary collection, along comes a three CD set celebrating Stony Plain… – Jeff Hannusch
Doublewide, Doublewide (Carhouse Records)
The old adage “too rock for country and too country for rock” used to be the death knell for any band… – Dan Willging
Ana Popovic, Trilogy (ArtisteXclusive Records)
It’s hard to set yourself apart in the blues world these days. Concept remains an effective way of doing it, and… – John Swenson
Seth Walker, Gotta Get Back (Royal Potato Family)
Ever notice that modern-day Americana is far too short on party songs? Pouring out your darkest secrets is fine and all,… – Brett Milano
Barry Jean Ancelet & Sam Broussard, Broken Promised Land (Swallow Records)
For decades now, retired ULL professor Barry Ancelet has written French language poems and lyrics under the pseudonym of Jean Arceneaux.… – Dan Willging
MarchFourth!, Magic Number (Independent)
If for some reason you’re not yet familiar with the brilliant multimedia assault that was heretofore known as the MarchFourth Marching… – Robert Fontenot
Bobby Rush, Porcupine Meat (Rounder)
Bobby Rush’s Rounder debut is the closest thing to a major-label release in his 50-year career, and it may be the… – Brett Milano