October 2017

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BackTalk

Gary U.S. Bonds Talks Back
When Gary U.S. Bonds recorded “New Orleans,” his breakout hit from 1960, he’d never been to New Orleans. Nonetheless, the young… – John Wirt

Cover Story

A Musical Menagerie: Jimmy Horn’s Tales of King James & the Special Men
Jimmy Horn is the kind of character you only find in New Orleans. America used to turn them out everywhere, but… – John Swenson

Dining Out

Dining Out: Bratz Y'all
For over a decade, a local taste of German food and culture was a fleeting experience found only on weekends in… – Peter Thriffiley

Features

They Sashay By...From Bourbon Street to Esplanade—LeRoux is Back
In the ’70s and ’80s, Louisiana’s LeRoux released five major-label albums. The band’s biggest hit, “Nobody Said It Was Easy,” reached… – John Wirt
Celebratory Music: Mario Abney Reaches on a Human and Intellectual Level
“In New Orleans, you can live after a jam session if you didn’t have a good night,” Mario Abney says with… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Festival Focus: Robert Finley at Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival
For decades, blues, soul and gospel singer-guitarist Robert Finley stayed in north Louisiana. A resident of the small town of Bernice,… – John Wirt
Festival Focus: Don Bryant & the Bo-Keys at Ponderosa Stomp
Don Bryant, one of the architects of the classic Memphis soul sound of Hi Records, made a spectacular comeback album, Don’t… – John Swenson
A Pop Masterpiece: For Evie Sands, Making Music is Like Breathing
As any Ponderosa Stomp-goer knows, there are certain records that you need enlightened ears to appreciate. Evie Sands’ 1965 near-hit, “Take… – Brett Milano
Ready For More: Bobby Rush celebrates his first Grammy at the Blues & BBQ Festival
Bluesman Bobby Rush is living high off the hog, or at least that’s how the down home, Louisiana native might describe… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Here’s Looking At You, Dick
This story starts in Starkville, Mississippi, in an ordinary lunch café. I’m having meatloaf, I think, when a woman walks through… – Elsa Hahne

Fresh

Online Exclusive: The Big Cheezy - NOLA Mac N Cheese Fest Debuts
So you thought that New Orleans had a festival for every kind of food? Not quite, since macaroni and cheese somehow… – Brett Milano
One Track at a Time: Amanda Shaw's Digital Releases
In the age of digital media, everybody talks about going outside the traditional album-release model and releasing new music online. Cajun… – Brett Milano
Blackpot Festival: Building Community
One of South Louisiana’s most distinct festivals, Blackpot Festival & Cookoff returns to Lafayette’s Historic Vermillion Village this month. Besides the… – Dan Willging
Alex Chilton Lets Them Scream
OffBeat Magazine is celebrating 30 years and will reach that milestone with our November 2017 edition. To mark the anniversary, over… – Keith Spera
My Music with "Lucky" Lee Hendler
"I got the nickname when I was working with Lucky Peterson, a blues artist that I started touring with in my… – Frank Etheridge
Soundcheck: Five Questions with Doug Kershaw
What does it take to be a good fiddle player? Well, talent doesn’t hurt. I come from a fiddle-playing family—I started… – Frank Etheridge

In The Spirit

In the Spirit: Jeff Schwartz at Bakery Bar
"I worked at Twelve Mile Limit and Coquette, and this is a very different clientele [here at Bakery Bar]. We get… – Elsa Hahne

Letters

Letters to the Editor
Houston Floods Thanks for your [Jan Ramsey’s] kind words today—it’s been a devastating week with 30 inches of rain. We rode… – OffBeat Readers

Mojo Mouth

Blasted Festivals
The weather will have turned a bit cooler, hopefully, by the time this October issue hits the street. At least it… – Jan Ramsey

Obituaries

Royce Osborn, 1958-2017
"This is the story of New Orleans’ black Mardi Gras,” says filmmaker Royce Osborn at the beginning of his award-winning 2003… – Geraldine Wyckoff
"Washboard Lissa" Driscoll, 1963-2017
When I rolled into town twenty-some odd years ago as a teenager with nothing but a busted-up old saxophone and a… – Jimmy Horn

The Spot

Jason Jurzak Hits the Spot at Nine Roses Cafe
What do you eat at Nine Roses Cafe? I order [over the phone] all the time and say, “Can I have… – Elsa Hahne

Reviews

Lost Bayou Ramblers, "Kalenda" (Rice Pump)
When Cajun music gets progressive—and we’re thinking of a couple landmark albums that the Bluerunners and Steve Riley made in the… – Brett Milano
Sweet Cecilia, "Sing Me a Story" (Independent)
Sophomore slump? Not hardly with Sweet Cecilia. Sisters Laura Huval and Maegan Berard and first cousin Callie Guidry went gangbusters here,… – Dan Willging
Kathryn Rose Wood, "In the Ashes" (Independent)
How do you cope with the monumental grief of losing a loved one? Some unfortunately escape into destructive habits, isolation, depression,… – Stacey Leigh Bridewell
Spyanage, "J.F.T.F.O.I. 4: The Sneak Attack 20 Yrs in the Makin’" (Independent)
“Just For the Fuck of It” may be his crew, his mixtape blueprint, and his motto, but local rapper Spyanage (that’s… – Robert Fontenot
Johnny J and the Hipshots, "Below the Bible Belt" (Tall Tail)
On Johnny J’s previous effort, in the review this scribe posted, I recommended he immediately take a lengthy trip to the… – Jeff Hannusch
Jenna Guidry, "Back to Me" (Independent)
Jenna Guidry was 11 when she released “Cajun Angel,” her first song to make a local impression. At the time she… – Brett Milano
Various Artists, "New Orleans 1961–1964" (504 Records)
The dozen selections on New Orleans 1961–1964 by some of New Orleans finest musicians and ensembles were originally released as two… – Geraldine Wyckoff
The Tomb of Nick Cage, "The Pharaoh of New Orleans" (Independent)
In a city known for its meticulously preserved examples of classic architecture, the tomb of Nicolas Cage sticks out like a… – Robert Fontenot
Various Artists, "Bluesin’ by the Bayou - Ain’t Broke, Ain’t Hungry" (Ace Records)
This CD marks at least a dozen releases in Ace’s “by the Bayou” series. This time there’s more blues in the… – Jeff Hannusch
Kermit Ruffins and Irvin Mayfield, "A Beautiful World" (Basin Street Records)
In celebration of Basin Street Records’ 20th anniversary, label mates and trumpeters Kermit Ruffins and Irvin Mayfield join forces on A… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Shake ’Em Up Jazz Band, "Le Donne Mangiano Zucchero" (Independent)
The new kids on the block, Shake ’Em Up Jazz Band have actually been around for quite some time and it… – Stacey Leigh Bridewell
Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers, "Top of the Mountain" (Crew Records)
Dwayne Dopsie is always stylin’ whether he’s kicking in on a hot, uptempo two-step, showing his roots as an accordionist and… – Geraldine Wyckoff