September 2017
BackTalk
- Derek Trucks talks back
Derek Trucks met his wife Susan Tedeschi in July 1999 in New Orleans at the Saenger Theatre. Already an accomplished prodigy…
Cover Story
- Arcade Fire’s New Neighborhood: Indie rock’s biggest act is infinitely content in the Crescent City
In the music video for “Electric Blue,” Arcade Fire multi-instrumentalist and sometimes-frontwoman Régine Chassagne takes a stroll down Napoleon Avenue, walking,…
Features
- A Utopian Environment: Stax Records employee Deanie Parker celebrates 60 years
This year is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the mighty Memphis soul music label Stax Records. Originally named Satellite… - Musical Landscapes: The Crooked Vines take risks and detours while remaining cohesive
Mikayla Braun is beaming. It is not because her band, local funk-pop group the Crooked Vines, is playing to a large… - Dreamlike Scenarios: Ed Volker has always been looking for the song
Hammer out those words burnt red from the coals. Scrape the bark off those gnarly melodies and bend them to your… - A View From Lubbock: The poetic songwriting of alt-country pioneer Joe Ely
Joe Ely’s talent and tenacity earned him a place among such Texas singer-songwriter peers as Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Willie… - Gold Standard: Saffron NOLA brings upscale Indian cuisine to Magazine Street
The large, high-ceilinged dining space at 4128 Magazine Street has had ax rough few years. As Baie Rouge, it struggled to… - Second Lineage: The season of the street begins
When the second line season ends in June each year, enthusiasts of the city’s social aid and pleasure clubs’ annual anniversary… - Serving Us Right: Ashley Roussel left the volleyball court for the kitchen
Growing up in Lafayette placed Ashley Roussel in close proximity to food, farms and sports. Her dad was a quarterback for…
Fresh
- The Fried Chicken Festival returns with more space, more vendors and more music
Scoff all you like about the deluge of new festivals popping up all over town these days. Whether it was the… - Soundcheck: Five Questions with Actress Aadyn Encalarde
You’re in Girls Trip, one of the hottest summer movies, and TNT’s Claws. How’d you explode on the scene? I’ve acted… - A TALE OF TWO TALENTS: Powerhouse DJs come together
"When I got the call, I was thrilled,” Melissa Weber—DJ Soul Sister—says of a recent chat she had with Mannie Fresh.… - Paz Fest: Celebrating Joni Mitchell at the Civic
As one of the city’s legendary production managers, stage managers and soundmen, Michael Paz has had his finger on the pulse… - My Music with Shawn Williams
“Some folks say they like my music because they can tell I don’t really have a filter. That could stem from… - Soundcheck: Five Questions with Kathryn Rose Wood, singer-songwriter and music therapist
How does music apply to psychological healing? Music is a non-confrontational medium to address difficult issues. Conventional talk therapy can be…
In The Spirit
- In the Spirit: John Slavich at Effervescence
“Right after Hurricane Katrina, I worked at the Copeland’s on the Westbank. This was right after Fats had lost his house…
Letters
- Letters to the Editor
Jazz Fest with the LA Times The following letter is in response to Sam D’Arcangelo’s news post, “You Probably Shouldn’t Spend…
Plan A
- Whitney White Linen Night
The Arts District’s annual block party will return to Julia Street in the Warehouse District from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.…
Mojo Mouth
- Redheads and Mayors
Notice anything different? Do I look my age? Got tired of the flaming red and decided to go platinum, which is…
Obituaries
- D.L. Menard, 1932-2017
Cajun music lost its most beloved and colorful character, Doris Leon “D.L.” Menard, on Thursday, July 27, 2017, after he succumbed… - Dolores Ferdinand Marsalis, 1937-2017
Dolores Marsalis was a remarkable woman—beautiful, intelligent, determined and funny. She and her husband, pianist/educator Ellis Marsalis Jr., raised six boys—Branford,…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: Central City BBQ
Over the last several years, the number of Saints pre-game drinking and dining options has exploded along with the development of…
The Spot
- Key LaBeaud hits the spot at Melba's
How often do you come? With my band, the Key Sound, Melba’s has always been one of these places I come…
Reviews
- Steve Judice, "Loose Ends" (Independent)
Steve Judice is a full-time lawyer and part-time musician who’s taken a simple but rather brilliant approach to making his name… - Kyle Huval and the Dixie Club Ramblers, "Straight Allons" (Valcour Records)
Kyle Huval contends that if you add a few scratches to his new disc, you get an old Cajun record that’s… - Aden Paul, "Bad Seeds & Precious Stones" (Independent)
Something about going full Americana always seems to sharpen your songwriting focus—probably has something to do with the fact that when… - Big Easy Playboys, "Preview" (Independent)
You can’t be something you’re not, which is certainly the credo of New Orleans’ Big Easy Playboys (BEP). BEP isn’t from… - Jeff McCarty, "Step Out" (Whiskey Bayou)
Singer-guitarist Jeff McCarty is Tab Benoit’s discovery, a Houma native with a big expressive voice and guitar skills to match (though… - Renshaw Davies, "The Heat" (Independent)
Musicians often speak of surrendering themselves to the music they create. On The Heat, local indie folk/Americana duo Renshaw Davies take… - Quintessential Octopus, "All Hallows Barking" (Independent)
We all miss David Bowie, don’t we? If there was anybody on the local scene more fit to craft a tribute… - The Huval-Fuselier Cajun Trio, Self-Titled (Independent)
The Huval-Fuselier Cajun Trio formed when the distance between Lafayette-based teenagers Zach Fuselier and Huval brothers Phillip and Luke became too… - Tony Dagradi, "Oneness" (Astral Music)
Saxophonist Tony Dagradi, who remains most noted as a founding member of New Orleans’ all-star modern jazz ensemble Astral Project, multi-tasks… - Joe Lastie's New Orleans Sound, "Jazz Corner of the World" (Independent)
Drummer Joe Lastie, a member of New Orleans musical Lastie family who perhaps remains most recognized for his years with the… - Gravy, "Get Busy Living" (Independent)
Gravy announce a new sound, a new vibe, on this stellar recent release with blissful authority right from the start: The… - Bantam Foxes, "Pinball" (Independent)
“Blood in the Water” captures that 120-proof bubblegum feel perfectly, “Bombshells” exploits the old quiet-loud alternative dynamic with fidget spinner verses… - Stanton Moore, "With You in Mind: The Songs of Allen Toussaint" (Mascot Records)
The late Allen Toussaint wrote hundreds of songs, many never recorded, many turned into local and national hits. He’s now entered…
