January 2015

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Cover Story

Lifetime Achievement in Music: Ellis Marsalis
Ellis Marsalis makes it clear that his impressive, 60-year-plus career as a musician was not planned. The noted pianist, educator and… – Geraldine Wyckoff

BackTalk

BackTalk: Don Was
Improvisation has always been at the core of jazz music. Collective improvisation—a piano player riffing on a bass line thumping out… – Stephen Maloney

Dining Out

Dining Out at The Half Shell
As seasons are measured by the corresponding zenith in the quality of a particular local seafood, the winter solstice marks the… – Peter Thriffiley

Features

Online Local Grocer Good Eggs Continues to Count its Greens
About this time last year, Good Eggs New Orleans was a bright one-year-old with 10 employees selling products from roughly a… – Elsa Hahne
OffBeat Magazine's Best of the Beat Awards 2014
In early December, OffBeat solicited nominations from musicians and others in the music community. We gave these results to our writers… – OffBeat Staff
Heartbeat Award: Pat Jolly
A December day in the life of Pat Jolly included attending the Jefferson City Buzzard’s Christmas party and a stop at… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Lifetime Achievement in Music Education: Roger Dickerson
It wasn’t long after a teenaged Terence Blanchard began piano and composition lessons from Roger Dickerson, Sr. that Blanchard experienced the… – Jennifer Odell
Lifetime Achievement in Music Business: Gary Edwards
It's somewhat appropriate that this year Gary Edwards is the recipient of OffBeat’s Lifetime Achievement Award, annually given to a member… – Jeff Hannusch
The Strangest Album Covers of 2014
2014 was a tough year for album design. Maybe we can blame the economy for that. Not enough money for musicians… – Elsa Hahne
Top 50 Louisiana Album Releases of 2014
OffBeat writers and editors have assembled here for your reading, listening and scoffing pleasure a list of what we consider the best… – OffBeat Staff
New Orleans Jazz Landmarks Languish in Disrepair
New Orleans is known as the birthplace of jazz, but that general statement needs some refining in terms of location. Specifically,… – David Kunian
Face to Face with Doug Kershaw and Steve Riley
Take one monumental figure from the history of Cajun music. Combine in equal portions with the reigning master of contemporary Cajun… – Roger Hahn
The Killer's Tale: Rick Bragg Examines the Life and Legend of Jerry Lee Lewis
"One thing that struck me about Jerry Lee,” Rick Bragg recalls from the scores of in-home interviews he conducted over the… – Frank Etheridge

Fresh

Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival Brings Legend into Spotlight
The inaugural Danny Barker Banjo and Guitar Festival is set to take place in New Orleans on January 16th and 17th.… – Laura DeFazio
WHIV: A New Kind of Radio Station
One of the first songs played on New Orleans’ new station, 102.3 WHIV, was Vince Vance’s “I Am New Orleans.” Self-described… – OffBeat Magazine
Louisiana Artists up for 2015 Grammy Awards
The 2015 Grammy Nominations were announced, and a mix of Louisiana musicians made the cut. From Ledisi to Hunter Hayes to… – OffBeat Staff
Ten Buried Allen Toussaint Treasures
Collecting Allen Toussaint can be a full-time occupation, but one that turns up its fair share of rewards. You already know… – Brett Milano
Soundcheck: Five Questions with Bryan Bailey
What drew you to becoming involved in the renovation of the Civic Theatre? I’ve always had a curiosity and a fascination… – Frank Etheridge
Born to Lose: Johnny Thunders Crashes Down in New Orleans
Proto-punk, songwriter, guitarist, New Yorker, junkie pin-up, colossal fuck-up: Johnny Thunders was all that and more. He came up in early… – David Kunian
My Music: Daria Dzurik (Daria & the Hip Drops)
My sister played [steel pan drums] when I was younger. I was in elementary school and she was in our high… – Frank Etheridge

In The Spirit

In the Spirit: Lynn Burgett at Ten Eleven
I went to school for chemical engineering, working for a prototyping company, and my boss was also a rep for a… – Elsa Hahne

Letters

January 2015 Letters to OffBeat Magazine
PROLIFIC RUSH That has got to be a typo, 327 records! [Bobby Rush feature "Louisiana Homeboy," October 2014] I went to… – OffBeat Readers

Mojo Mouth

Mojo Mouth: Best of the Beat Awards 2014
With all the ranting I’ve done over the past 25 years about the importance of music, it’s sort of appropriate to… – Jan Ramsey

OffBeat Eats

Dining Out at The Half Shell
As seasons are measured by the corresponding zenith in the quality of a particular local seafood, the winter solstice marks the… – Peter Thriffiley

The Spot

Tarriona "Tank" Ball hits the Spot at Zea
What makes Zea one of your favorite places? They have really good grits. I grew up on white farina grits, which… – Elsa Hahne

Reviews

Paul Sanchez, The World Is Round Everything That Ends Begins Again (Independent)
Paul Sanchez’s transformation from corporate rocker in Cowboy Mouth to one of the most distinctive New Orleans songwriters was among the… – John Swenson
Boyfriend, Love Your Boyfriend: Pts. 1 & 2 (Independent)
If you’re one of those people who were pissed that Lady Gaga became a superstar and Peaches didn’t, you might be… – Robert Fontenot
Big Chief Alfred Doucette, Originals (Independent)
It is ironic to call this five-song CD Originals as Big Chief Alfred Doucette does what folk singers and blues musicians… – David Kunian
Ken Swartz & the Palace of Sin, While I Was Waitin’ (Independent)
By the time Ken Swartz gets to his Neil Young cover—track 11, “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” for those Luddites… – Robert Fontenot
Patrick Sylvest, Lonesome Troubadour (Independent)
Gramercy-born singer/songwriter Patrick Sylvest remains firmly rooted to his beloved home state on his third effort, Lonesome Troubadour. With an acoustic… – Laura DeFazio
Various Artists, Ain’t It the Truth!: The Ric & Ron Story, Vol. 2 (Ace Records)
On the heels of You Talk Too Much: The Ric & Ron Story, Vol. 1, follows the similarly entertaining release of… – Jeff Hannusch
Kyle Roussel, Rookie of the Year (Independent)
Kyle Roussel opens Rookie of the Year, his debut release as bandleader, with great power and determination. It’s as if the… – Geraldine Wyckoff
Seva Venet, Revisiting New Orleans String Bands: 1880-1949 (Threadhead Records)
In addition to playing hundreds of gigs in his 15 years in the Crescent City, guitarist/banjoist Seva Venet has done some… – Tom McDermott
The Ugly Beats, Brand New Day (Get Hip)
If Austin’s Ugly Beats borrow anything from the mid-60s, it’s the idea that your song should make its point and get… – Brett Milano
Swamp Dogg, The White Man Made Me Do It: Best of Swamp Dogg’s Soul & Blues Collection (Alive)
As the title of this one indicates, Swamp Dogg (a.k.a. Jerry Williams) isn’t—and never was—afraid of writing material that’s politically and… – Jeff Hannusch
G String Orchestra, Time (Independent)
One shudders to think of the consequences if the G String Orchestra had been just another drunken NOLA rock band. (Imagine… – Robert Fontenot
Clint Kaufmann, All I Know (Independent)
It’s not immediately obvious if you’re busy studying the song titles, but the debut release by local singer-songwriter Clint Kaufmann has… – Robert Fontenot
Atta Kid, East Basics (Independent)
Atta Kid’s connection to New Orleans is largely spiritual, though members of the Bay Area band have played with local icons… – Brett Milano
Various Artists, Through the Streets of the City: New Orleans Brass Bands (Smithsonian Folkways)
The Liberty Brass Band, Treme Brass Band and Hot 8 Brass Band are the three New Orleans brass bands featured here.… – Roger Hahn