Years ago, Jazz Fest was shot for television broadcast, some of which we saw, mostly not. All that has changed with the entry of AXS TV. Every night when I got home from the Fest, I had the opportunity to relive it, and also to see acts that I couldn’t get to on AXS, available [...]
Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne will unveil Fats Domino’s newly-restored white Steinway grand piano today at 4:30 p.m. at the Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans. Heavily damaged during Hurricane Katrina, the piano was salvaged from Domino’s Ninth Ward home and restored with $30,000 in donations to the Louisiana Museum Foundation from music fans worldwide. The [...]
For anyone who attends anoutdoor music festival or special event in New Orleans:You know you love it. We know you really do; you keep coming back for more. Virtually every festival in New Orleans has grown in size over the past few years, thanks to you. Do you know how much work it takes to [...]
In 1984, then-mayor Dutch Morial organized a little event that was supposed to draw locals back to the French Quarter, since the streets and sidewalks had been torn up in preparation for the World’s Fair. It consisted of a stage with a little trad jazz and a parade. That event has blossomed over the past [...]
After a year of the city cracking down on bars and clubs that present music, it’s been awfully quiet lately. I suppose the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras squelched the naysayers who don’t want music in their neighborhoods but who have little to say when it means a lot of money coming into the city—either [...]
I don’t know about you, but by the time we hit the first week of February, I’m gonna be worn out. The overwhelming brouhaha and feeding frenzy that is the Super Bowl obviously can’t be underestimated as a cash infusion for New Orleans, but damn! There’s already a lot going on in New Orleans on [...]
The year 2012 has been tumultuous, for sure. About halfway through, our longtime editor left unexpectedly, as did another staff member who had been with us for a long time—to go to law school in New York. It’s always hard to lose staff people whom you trust, and who support the magazine. But life goes [...]
If you read my columns and blogs on a regular basis, you know how I feel about tourism related to music. New Orleans does not really spotlight music in its tourism and advertising campaigns; I think there’s too much other stuff going on in the city that the hospitality people feel is a lot more [...]
Happy holidays to all. This issue is a momentous one for OffBeat, because it’s a celebration and a retrospective of our 25-year anniversary. Frankly, friends and supporters of OffBeat, I am amazed at where this journey has taken me. I got it in my red head that music was a lot more important to New [...]
I received some welcome news yesterday: the Funky Butt is reopening. But not on North Rampart Street. Long a staple of North Rampart, the Funky Butt at Congo Square — named after the club where Buddy “King” Bolden played — was operated by the quirky and music-loving Richard Rochester. Rochester, seeking more adventures, reportedly moved [...]
