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 [...]
Business owners on Frenchmen Street are up in arms about the granting of a special events permit that apparently allows sales of liquor and food and also allows live music in a vacant lot located next to the Blue Nile at 532 Frenchmen St. The lot is owned by the Laborde family, whose printing business at [...]
Donna’s On Rampart—the old Donna’s Bar & Grill, which closed in August—has been leased by optometrist Dr. Eugene Oppman, who also owns the Carver Theater on Orleans Avenue. Oppman started his optometry career in the Carver Theater in 1987 and operated a clinic there until Hurricane Katrina hit. Morris Kahn, a tax specialist who’s working [...]
We take an enormous amount of pride in OffBeat, and we put a lot of time, effort and money into our editorial content, photography, design, distribution and even into our ad design. We are dedicated to our mission of promoting local music and culture, presenting new music and ideas, and also to paying tribute to [...]
I’ve heard older people say many times that they’re lonelier because all of their friends have passed on. Once they’re gone, all you have are memories. It’s the nature of life: things change, people die, old familiar faces and places pass away. That happened this month, with the passing of someone I was proud to [...]
The last mainstay of live local music on North Rampart Street has closed its doors. Donna’s Bar & Grill, which has been the home of brass bands for almost 20 years, is closed forever. “We’re done. We turned in our license,” said Donna Poniatowski, for whom the club was named. “When we went to city [...]
I am very sad to report the death of Herman Leonard, one of the world’s great photographers, and a longtime friend. Herman moved to New Orleans in 1992, and immersed himself in the New Orleans music scene. He lost his house and some of his work to Hurricane Katrina, and subsequently moved to Los Angeles. [...]
We play in the August heat, too. Satchmo SummerFest celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Originally funded by the Louisiana Office of Tourism, Satchmo SummerFest is more than just a local festival; its intent was to inform and educate locals and visitors on the heritage and legacy of Louis Armstrong, and the importance of New [...]
