September 2014
BackTalk
- Backtalk: Paul Thorn
Paul Thorn’s backstory is so good that someone would’ve had to make it up if it wasn’t all true. Born in…
Cover Story
- Sarah McCoy Storms Frenchmen Street
You don’t necessarily have to walk into the Spotted Cat to fall under Sarah McCoy’s spell. On a clear day, her…
Features
- A Day in the Life of Burlesque Diva Bella Blue
It is 11:50 p.m. on a Saturday at the Allways Lounge—10 minutes before cutting-edge burlesque spectacle the Dirty Dime Peep Show… - Checkpoint Charlie Bar Fight Spawns Independent Film "Laundry Day"
The whole place launched into a melee. A bar stool struck the bartender; pint glasses flew; instruments were thrown aside; people… - Tuba Skinny Stays on the Street
It's easy to understand why musicians who can’t get indoor gigs would play on the streets for tips. It’s harder…
Fresh
- Southern Decadence Glams Up the French Quarter Labor Day Weekend
New Orleans’ largest gay street fair, Southern Decadence, is back for another round, kicking off the Wednesday before Labor Day and… - The 78 Project Captures History as it Happens
As much of music-making and the music business plows recklessly into the future, certain producers are looking into the past. Director… - Ken Vandermark in New Orleans
Composer and reed player Ken Vandermark is a busy man. But, lucky for us, he is making time for a short… - Soundcheck: Sasha Masakowski Takes 5
As we speak, you are currently in Europe, where you just performed with your father and brother at the Ascona Jazz… - My Music: CR Gruver
We had an upright piano in my house growing up, outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I took classical lessons from time I… - Hurricane Hit Parade
Hurricane season is at its peak once again, and it’s going to require a soundtrack. Assuming you charged your mp3 player… - Kevin O'Day and Live Animals Return September 26
There was a time, in the years before and after the turn of the century, when drummer Kevin O’Day was everywhere.…
In The Spirit
- In the Spirit: Murf Reeves at Erin Rose
I started out as a bouncer in Boston. The first question they asked me was, ‘Can you handle yourself in a…
Letters
- September 2014 Letters to OffBeat Magazine
HEARTBREAKING Thanks Shamarr for sharing your story [Video Interview: Shamarr Allen on his Encounter with State Troopers, July 31, 2014]. We…
Mojo Mouth
- We're All In This Together
It's that time of year again. I sincerely hope that when this issue of OffBeat hits the street—scheduled for August 28—it…
Obituaries
- Obituary: Johnny Ray Allen
Johnny Ray Allen, songwriter and original bassist for the subdudes, the local beloved roots-rock group, passed away on August 8 at… - Obituary: Jim Russell
Russell J. Birnbach, better-known as Jim Russell, died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, July 20, 2014. Russell had suffered a… - Obituary: Idris Muhammad
In the heyday of New Orleans rhythm and blues, it was rare that sidemen on recording sessions were credited. That’s…
OffBeat Eats
- Dining Out: Tracy's
Many a city describes itself as a “drinking town with a football problem,” but few embody that description better than New… - In the Spirit: Murf Reeves at Erin Rose
I started out as a bouncer in Boston. The first question they asked me was, ‘Can you handle yourself in a… - Vietnamese Cuisine in the Big Easy
The Vietnamese population in New Orleans has been growing steadily since the 1970s, and with it, so too has Vietnamese cuisine.… - Phillip Lopez Gets to the Root of Things
When you take one of the 16 reservation-only seats at Square Root, you won’t see knives or drops of sweat flying… - Carrollton Market is Goodenough
If it's true that less is more, the simple, modern approach to fine dining on display at Carrollton Market will come…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: Tracy's
Many a city describes itself as a “drinking town with a football problem,” but few embody that description better than New… - In the Spirit: Murf Reeves at Erin Rose
I started out as a bouncer in Boston. The first question they asked me was, ‘Can you handle yourself in a… - Vietnamese Cuisine in the Big Easy
The Vietnamese population in New Orleans has been growing steadily since the 1970s, and with it, so too has Vietnamese cuisine.… - Phillip Lopez Gets to the Root of Things
When you take one of the 16 reservation-only seats at Square Root, you won’t see knives or drops of sweat flying… - Carrollton Market is Goodenough
If it's true that less is more, the simple, modern approach to fine dining on display at Carrollton Market will come…
The Spot
- The Spot: Annie Gaia at Del Fuego Taqueria
What did you order today? I wanted to order something dashing, something I couldn't pronounce so I got the Nopales and…
Reviews
- Henry Butler Steven Bernstein & the Hot 9, Viper’s Drag (Impulse)
Henry Butler is an unquestioned virtuoso, the player who’s pushed the New Orleans piano sound forward the last 30 years. Like… - Carsie Blanton, Not Old, Not New (So Ferocious)
Sex sells in almost any form of popular music, but it’s a rare bird who can create a truly sensual atmosphere… - Brad Webb, Making Faces (Independent)
There is a certain timelessness to Brad Webb’s Making Faces. The music, although recorded in 2013, could be from any time… - Antoine Diel & the Misfit Power, On the Corner of Hope and New Orleans (Independent)
Vocalist Antoine Diel quietly, though with great expressive elegance, opens On the Corner of Hope and New Orleans with a heartfelt… - The Cons and Prose, Famous Last Words (Independent)
Rik Slave, the magnetic lead singer of New Orleans rock ’n’ roll outlet the Cons and Prose, seems like he would… - Kevin Naquin & the Ossun Playboys, No Guarantee (Swallow Records)
It’s hard to image Kevin Naquin and the Ossun Playboys sounding any better than it did on 2010’s Cravin’ Cajun, where… - Royal Southern Brotherhood, heartsoulblood (Ruf Records)
After a fine, but ultimately stop-gap, live album, here’s this rock-soul supergroup’s first true follow-up to their debut. The exciting news… - Various Artists, You Talk Too Much: The Ric & Ron Story, Vol. I (Ace)
With a formidable roster that included Professor Longhair, Johnny Adams, Irma Thomas, Chris Kenner, Robert Parker, Tommy Ridgley, Al Johnson and… - Dom Flemons, Prospect Hill (Music Maker Relief Foundation)
Best known for his work with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, singer and multi-instrumentalist Dom Flemons has learned his trade the old-fashioned… - Nikka B., Poison Girl, Inc. (Upper Ninth)
“Nikka,” like “nukka,” holds a special place in the vernacular of the streets. But Nikka B., who hails from Oakland, grew… - James Clark, Cloudwalker (Independent)
We’ve all heard the joke before: What was the last thing the drummer said before being kicked out the band? “Check… - Mud Morganfield & Kim Wilson, For Pops: A Tribute to Muddy Waters (Severn)
Mud Morganfield is the now-middle-age son of late blues icon Muddy Waters. Former turban-styling frontman of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kim Wilson… - Smoky Babe, Way Back in the Country Blues (Arhoolie Records)
Unlike his Baton Rouge-area contemporaries Robert Pete Williams, Butch Cage and Willie B. Thomas, Smoky Babe (aka Robert Brown) never made… - Arséne DeLay, Comin’ Home (Independent)
If you haven’t yet stumbled upon Arséne DeLay, it only takes about 30 seconds of listening to her newest release, Comin’… - Sundog, Space Criminal (Community Records)
Pop music is a creature that thrives on gimmicks and enigmas, and that bodes well for Sundog’s future outside the Crescent… - The Psycho Sisters, Up On The Chair, Beatrice (RockBeat)
Score one for lasting friendships. Susan Cowsill and Vicki Peterson began singing together in the early ’90s, when both were based… - Terry & the Zydeco Bad Boys, Back on Track (Lockdowne Records)
Back on Track is Terry and the Zydeco Bad Boys’ first disc in the six years after frontman Terry Domingue took… - The Quintessential Octopus, Mother (Independent)
Don’t look now, but there’s a whole indie-pop scene mushrooming—sometimes literally out of the bedrooms of New Orleans, but, more often… - The Rayo Brothers, Gunslinger (Independent)
The recent neo-folk boom calls to bring modern music back home to its roots. This can have mixed results, as acts… - Travis Matte & the Kingpins, X (Mhat Productions)
Travis Matte’s 10th release, X, commemorates his cross over the river to zydeco. Think of this one as a composite sketch…
