EDITOR’S NOTE: We were deeply saddened to hear about the death of Jacqui Stavis, a New Orleans resident who was killed when lightning struck her tent at the T-Bois Blues Festival over the weekend. The incident, which also left two other women injured, is an unfortunate reminder that life is fragile. Our hearts go out to Stavis’ family and friends.
Despite the tragedy, T-Bois Blues Festival continued through the weekend with plenty of music, food, art and more. OffBeat contributor Frank Etheridge was on-site to review the fest. Here’s his list of memorable moments, along with Megan Casey and Kim Welsh’s photos.
Road Tripping through Bayou Country
No matter how fully one embraces the NOLA-fied life, it’s vital to take breaks from the Big Easy. Bounding over the bridge at Des Allemands, cruising along the banks of Bayou Lafourche, absorbing the bucolic setting of green pastureland, wondering about life inside white Acadian Plantation-style homes with wrap-around porches enshrouded in the shaded mystery of live oaks and Spanish moss. Jump-starter bloody Marys from Frank’s Lounge on Hwy. 90 and life-sustaining grease from Waffle House. All this soothes the soul while rejuvenating mind and body.
Brad Walker as MVP
Did this dude take a break all weekend? A familiar face on the New Orleans live-music scene—showing up as the saxophonist for Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, during sit-ins such as Gravity A’s Grateful Dead show last week at the Maple Leaf, or with his own quintet, which features the likes of James Singleton (bass) and released its debut album late last year—Brad Walker stretched his considerable saxophone skills to the max at T-Bois, performing with seemingly every act on the two-day roster of artists.
No Breaks in On-Stage Action
Why doesn’t every single-stage festival do this? By setting up space for two bands on its stage under the big white tent, T-Bois offered a solid musical line-up that did not suffer from lulls in live music as bands started off their set as soon as the preceding act finished. This fan-friendly stroke of logistical genius fostered such magical moments as Billy Iuso shredding his guitar as he ran over to greet Jonathan “Boogie” Long while the Baton Rouge bluesman ripped some warm-up licks that ushered in a blistering set that was nothing short of a clinic on how to play modern blues guitar.
Nigel Hall
No matter the lethal weather swirling around his set—or his on-stage announced phobia of such storms—Nigel Hall, backed by a band featuring the likes of searing, soulful guitarist Derwin “Big D” Perkins, put on one hell of a performance as he worked the keys and sang deep, loud and proud in a deft mix of funk, rock and R&B that thrilled a hard-grooving, full-capacity crowd.
Kindness of Strangers and Neighbors
In a sad, surreal scene eerily reminiscent of Katrina (even if in a parallel universe at a festival down the bayou), the grassy campground fields on late Friday night held entire campsites submerged in giant pools of stagnant water. Yet, similar to Katrina’s aftermath, a silver lining came shining through as festival-goers lent a humble helping hand to those around them on Saturday morning. Repairing broken tents, loaning out camping gear, offering shelter from the storm, giving away wool hats or delivering dry socks from the city, the professional party crowd of T-Bois, a convivial mash-up of good-timin’ Cajuns and heady city slickers, proved to be a compassionate, karma-cleansed bunch more than wiling to lend a helping hand to their fellow man.
Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds cover the Doobie Brothers
A bit of an anomaly at the festival in that they don’t hail from the Deep South, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, a young brother-and-sister-led band out of upstate New York, play an enchanting (if a bit disjointed) mix of pop, psychedelic rock and blues that was previously unfamiliar to most ears at T-Bois. But by selecting a choice cover of the Doobie Brothers’ “Long Running Train”—the “talkin’ bout love” tune everyone can sing along to—the band whipped the water-logged crowd into a shared frenzy Saturday night.
Colin Lake’s “Mellow Mood”
Though beginning his career in Portland, Oregon, beatific bluesman Colin Lake has been a cherished staple at T-Bois for several years now. Equipped with stunning good looks, soul-stirring vocal prowess and lap-steel guitar chops (showcased especially at this late-night set on Saturday), Lake had the ladies swooning and the guys singing along as he sailed through Bob Marley’s “Mellow Mood” and its “love sweet love, darling” refrain.
Burning of Big Al
In what has evolved into the defining ritual of T-Bois, the Saturday-evening climax of setting ablaze “Big Al”—the giant alligator effigy erected each year at T-Bois, a well-branded symbol now cast above the stage as well—arrived in full glory to the roaring delight of a crowd desperate for both warmth and the life-affirming primal meditations only achieved by a big, burning fire.
Anders Osborne’s “Back on Dumaine”
In a rousing, festival-closing set performed a day after the release of his 12th studio album, Anders Osborne and band tapped into a tender, up-tempo tone not over-whelmed by the thundering guitar frenetics of recent-year vintage. While showcasing tracks from his new album, Spacedust & Ocean Views, such as its first single, the soaring, sing-along rocker “Lafayette,” Osborne dug into this catalogue to perform such gems as “Back on Dumaine,” a heartfelt paean to his house, his family and his city. Written by a constantly touring musician in the strange-days wake of Katrina, the tune struck a chord with fest-goers, still showing plenty of enthusiasm late Saturday night but certainly weather-worn and craving the comforts of home.
Life is Precious
No review of T-Bois 2016 could be complete without addressing the mournful vibes permeating the soaked festival site and its heavy-heart attendees following the tragic death of 28-year-old Jacqui Stavis from the same lightning strike Friday night that also killed a dog and injured two women. Clichés are oft-repeated for good reason: they hold eternal truths amid broader bits of wisdom. So here’s this one: Life is precious. Love one another and live that shit up.
All photos by Megan Casey and Kim Welsh. Click here to view the full gallery on Flickr.
Billy Iuso and the Restless Natives at the 2016 T-Bois Blues Festival. Photo by Frank Etheridge.
