Irma Thomas, variously known as the “Soul Queen of New Orleans” and “The Voice,” is truly one of the most beloved of New Orleans musicians, not only for her phenomenal vocal gifts, but for her gracious, down-to-earth manner and her commitment to the local community. She’s also our “Cover Girl” for this year’s Jazz Fest [...]
Just as this issue went to press, the city’s tourism marketing agency announced a new advertising campaign that’s designed to convince potential tourists to visit New Orleans to “unleash their suppressed fun side.” Geographically, the campaign will focus on large drive-in cities like Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Memphis and Chicago (Chicago is a drive-in market?). The [...]
I have so enjoyed the weather lately, and the spring. In the past few weeks, we’ve celebrated Mardi Gras (can we make it late every year?), St. Paddy’s Day, St. Joseph’s Day and Super Sunday. I hope you’ve had a chance to check out OffBeat’s Flickr page because our “on the street” photographer Kim Welsh [...]
One of New Orleans’ success stories is the New Orleans Center for The Creative Arts (NOCCA), which has just added a culinary program to its curriculum. NOCCA is a regional, pre-professional arts training center that offers students intensive instruction in dance, media arts, music (classical, jazz, vocal), theater arts (drama, musical theatre, theatre design) , [...]
Went to a nice party last week presented by the Preservation Resource Center to discuss their “Ladies in Red” gala on June 10. I love going to small parties and hanging out with interesting, intelligent people who make me think. Now, you say, everyone likes to do that, but I differ in that opinion. Sometimes [...]
In OffBeat’s pages, we’ve covered the struggles that our musicians face as they age: illness and incapacity to work; bad business decisions that have impacted royalty income. Many Americans have a safety net of savings or pensions or investments that can keep us afloat in our later years. Most musicians do not. More often than [...]
Earl Bernhardt is the co-owner of the Tropical Isles, the Bayou Club and the Funky Pirate. He spoke with OffBeat publisher Jan Ramsey about what needs to be done to improve Bourbon Street. What kind of music do you have at your bars? At the Tropical Isles, we have what’s become known as “trop-rock,” music [...]
I thoroughly enjoyed going to Cleveland to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last week. But I’ve always been a museum buff. It’s interesting to see what’s come before and see it happen again and again. You just have to be cognizant of the patterns that emerge as time goes by. Music is [...]
Many books have been written about New Orleans, particularly since Katrina. I just read Dan Baum’s brilliant Nine Lives, and it’s one of the best books I’ve read recently about the city. It follows the lives of nine New Orleanians from the time of Hurricane Betsy to Hurricane Katrina, bookmarks, if you will, of destruction [...]
