April 2012
BackTalk
- Roddie Romero and Eric Adcock
2007’s La Louisianne Sessions put Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars on the map. The ambitious album earned them a…
Cover Story
- Royal Southern Brotherhood's Royal Families
On the afternoon of February 25, just four days after Mardi Gras, the Louisiana Music Factory celebrated its 20th anniversary with…
Features
- French Quarter Fest Focus: Mia Borders
“I get bored and make companies,” says Mia Borders. Borders, who has a passion for a lot of things, also likes… - French Quarter Fest Focus: King James and the Special Men
Jimmy Horn did not reconvene New Orleans downtown R&B cover group the Special Men two years ago to preserve a tradition.… - French Quarter Fest Focus: Colin Lake
“I was captivated by the city’s sights and sounds and after the whole experience, I thought, ‘Man, I’d be a fool… - French Quarter Fest Focus: Orange Kellin
The cover charge never changed for Woody Allen’s regular gig at Michael’s Pub in Midtown Manhattan, but the director’s day job… - French Quarter Fest Focus: Les Frères Michot
Any band that lasts 25 years is an institution, which certainly applies to Les Frères Michot. The band celebrated its silver… - French Quarter Fest Focus: Olga Wilhelmine
In 2000, Olga Wilhelmine Munding packed her car with water and an emergency aid kit. She was headed for the Hill… - French Quarter Festival 2012 A to Z Guide
With four days of music on more than 20 stages, keeping track of all the performers at the 2012 French Quarter… - Alexis and the Samurai: Two by Two
It is a common trope in rock 'n' roll that couples should never work together. When/if things go sour between the… - Joe Krown, Walter "Wolfman" Washington and Russell Batiste: A Meeting of the Minds
The Joe Krown Trio with Walter “Wolfman” Washington and Russell Batiste is what New Orleans is all about: Three musicians, none… - Jon Cleary: All By Myself
Jon Cleary has three pianos. There’s nothing obviously antique, historic or novel about them. They reside in his home studio in… - Debauche's Gulag Songs
Singer and guitarist Yegor Romantsov, leader of New Orleans’ “Russian Mafia Band,” Debauche, has his doubters. Romantsov’s particular Russian charm and… - Pedicab Confidential
After a few weeks of operating a pedicab in the French Quarter, you develop a sixth sense for likely customers. Families… - Professor K-Doe: Excerpt from Ernie K-Doe: The R&B Emperor of New Orleans by Ben Sandmel
Ben Sandmel’s book, Ernie K-Doe: The R&B Emperor of New Orleans, is due out this month, published by the Historic…
Fresh
- Musicians for Obama
On May 1, a star-studded lineup will play “New Orleans Musicians for Obama”, an effort to lend support to President Barack… - Blue Train Production's Brass Band Week: A Lot of Brass
Ben Coltrane started his label, Blue Train Production, as a place for young jazz musicians to experiment. Starting Monday, April 23,… - Ingrid Lucia's Female Vocalists Compilation: Ladies Only
No boys allowed. That’s the stipulation for Ingrid Lucia’s upcoming compilation of present-day female New Orleans singers. “There is not a… - Quintron and Miss Pussycat's Universe on Tour
Quintron and Miss Pussycat tour regularly, but on November 8, they take their “Parallel Universe” art installation to Le Dojo Gallery… - Abita Springs Music and Art Festival Has Sprung
Abita Springs has more than just water and beer. The annual Abita Springs Music and Art Festival is in its third… - Community Records Block Party: On the Block
“It’s better than Christmas,” says Community Records’ co-founder Daniel “D-Ray” Ray of the punk/indie label’s annual Block Party, which is set… - Marigny Opera House: Let Us Pray
Push open the white and faded double doors of the Marigny Opera House, and you’ll find yourself in one of those…
Letters
- April 2012 Letters
MUSIC OR NOISE? The following letters are in response to Jan Ramsey’s blog post "Cracking Down on Frenchmen Street Begins Anew".…
Mojo Mouth
- New to the Quarter Fest
The French Quarter Festival (FQF) is the little festival that could. It's always seemed to have taken a back seat to…
Obituaries
- Obituary: Ernest McLean (1926-2012)
Ernest McLean, a musician considered by many the best guitarist ever produced in New Orleans, died in Los Angeles February 24…
OffBeat Eats
- Dining Out: Sylvain
In recent history, dining options in the French Quarter could be represented by a reverse bell curve, with most restaurants falling… - Lynn Drury Hits the Spot at Domenica
Domenica 123 Baronne Street (504) 648-6020 What did you order? I got the prosciutto pizza, which has prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, tomato… - Blue Dot Donuts: Out of the Blue
For locals and visitors to New Orleans, a morning ritual of “coffee and doughnuts” connotes the image of a steaming cup…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: Sylvain
In recent history, dining options in the French Quarter could be represented by a reverse bell curve, with most restaurants falling…
Photo Op
- Little Freddie King
Photographer: Marie-Dominique Verdier Little Freddie King was one of many New Orleanians who agreed to pose by a wall…
The Spot
- Lynn Drury Hits the Spot at Domenica
Domenica 123 Baronne Street (504) 648-6020 What did you order? I got the prosciutto pizza, which has prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula, tomato…
Reviews
- Dr. John, Locked Down (Nonesuch Records)
Dr. John’s Gumbo is one of the great New Orleans albums, but it made Dr. John subtly smaller. It made New… - Paul Sanchez and Colman deKay, Nine Lives: A Musical Story of New Orleans (Mystery Street Records)
[Updated] Here we have the complete “score” for Nine Lives: A Musical Story of New Orleans, combining the 24 songs released… - Joe Krown, Exposed (Independent)
Just in time for festival season, local club stalwart Joe Krown has a new release. While many are familiar with Krown… - Lost Bayou Ramblers, Mammoth Waltz (Bayou Perdu Records)
Think you know what Cajun music sounds like? Think again. For the past couple of years, the critical response to live… - Truckstop Honeymoon, Steamboat in a Cornfield (Squirrel Records)
Truckstop Honeymoon’s fourth album since its post-Katrina relocation to the bleached Kansas prairies is more of a New Orleans record than… - Kynt, The Whole World Is a Stage (Independent)
Since 1992, Kynt has been possibly the only New Orleans artist recording and performing electronic house music. A rocky childhood in… - Leroy Martin, My Old Swamp Pops, My Old Friends and Some New Stuff (Jin Records)
It’s virtually impossible to summarize Leroy Martin’s eight-decade career in professional music succinctly: musician, writer, bandleader, producer, engineer and historian. In… - Christian Serpas and Ghost Town, Open Road (Independent)
Little things make a big difference with Christian Serpas and Ghost Town. Serpas can write the sort of clever song that… - The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown, Volume 1 (Getdown Entertainment)
During the late ‘60s/early ‘70s heyday of Parliament/Funkadelic, George Clinton would regularly herd a few dozen musicians into the studio without… - Sir Patrick and the Swamp Bottom Boys, Sir Patrick and the Swamp Bottom Boys (Independent)
A great thing about Louisiana: across the state, everyday people play instruments for the entertainment of everyday people. America 2012, you… - Keith Jarrett, Rio (ECM Records)
Keith Jarrett has been putting out solo piano records for 40 years now. I’ve tried to keep up with his vast… - Brass Bed with Allison Bohl, On Nilsson (Crossbill Records)
Harry Nilsson is no stranger to album-length cover projects. At his creative peak, the hedonistic early ’70s in L.A., Nilsson dragged… - Domenic, Get Your Soul Right (Independent)
Pittsburgh guitarist Domenic Fusca now calls New Orleans home and is a Frenchmen Street regular. Although Get Your Soul Right is… - Voodoo Town, Come Out and Play (Independent)
Although the songs on Come Out and Play are predictable and reminiscent of too many songs to mention, they are nevertheless… - The Acadias, The Acadias (Independent)
The Acadias’ self-titled release contains well-written songs with courteous harmonies, with banjo, accordion, and acoustic and electric guitars. A song such…
