July 2011

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BackTalk

Mavis Staples
“Stand flat-footed, and sing from your heart.” These were the words Roebuck “Pops” Staples used to motivate a young Mavis Staples.… – Aaron Lafont

Bookmark

Preservation Hall by Shannon Brinkman and Eve Abrams (LSU University Press)
Preservation Hall is renowned worldwide for its music and spirit. In their new book about the Hall, photographer Shannon Brinkman and… – David Kunian

Cover Story

Big Freedia: Do Azz I Say
The last time I met with bounce rapper Big Freedia, in 2009, I’d picked up her and DJ Rusty Lazer… – Michael Patrick Welch

Features

Lionel Ferbos: The Century Mark
On Sunday, July 17, the incomparable Lionel Ferbos will be one hundred years old. In order to maintain his chops, he… – Thomas Jacobsen
Cover Bands: What Do You Want?
It’s 10:30 on a Wednesday night. Rob Schulte emerges from the darkened dance floor and settles in behind his expansive drum… – Stephen Maloney
Idris Muhammad: From Here to Hair
Born Leo Morris—a relative of the Nevilles, a resident of the 13th Ward—Idris Muhammad was destined to make an impact. At… – Hank Cherry

Fresh

OffBeat in the Club
This year’s Excellence in Journalism Awards banquet presented by the Press Club of New Orleans takes place Saturday, July 16 at… – OffBeat Staff
Open Hall
On June 18, Perseverance Hall opened as part of the New Orleans Jazz Historical Park in Armstrong Park—just a few years… – Annie Weldon
Geno Delafose: King Creole
Geno Delafose is nothing if not hard working. Last Mardi Gras season, Delafose spent 10 days playing 11 gigs that stretched… – Herman Fuselier
Mr. Ghetto Talks Walmart
“This is our culture,” Mr. Ghetto says, calmly but defiantly, “just like Mardi Gras or jazz. Bounce is a major part… – Robert Fontenot
Essence Festival: The Funk You May Have Missed
This year, Essence Music Festival brings an especially strong lineup of old-school funk artists, from England’s Loose Ends to perennial Essence… – Alex Rawls
Spyboy Ricky on Ice
[UPDATED] Spyboy Ricky Gettridge, a New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian associated with the Yellow Pocahontas, tried to vote on May… – Annie Weldon
The Grammy Up Sides
Earlier this year, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) decided to reduce the number of Grammy Awards that… – Alex Rawls
Tea and Tales of the Cocktail
On July 23, a funeral procession will throng through the French Quarter. The second liners won’t be in funeral attire; they… – Kate Russell

Letters

July 2011 Letters
ADVERTISING MUSIC This is in response to Jan Ramsey’s blog post “Pick Your?”.—Ed. Right on about increasing Louisiana tourism by advertising… – OffBeat Readers

Mojo Mouth

What's The Difference Between Bourbon and Frenchmen?
Last year at this time, there was a serious issue concerning the so-called “noise ordinance,” which prohibits street musicians on Bourbon… – Jan Ramsey

Obituaries

Obituary: Benny Spellman (1931-2011)
Benny Spellman, who accounted for the wonderful two-sided 1962 national hit “Lipstick Traces” b/w “Fortune Teller,” and supplied the baritone interjections… – Jeff Hannusch

OffBeat Eats

Dining Out: 12 Mile Limit
During the dark, dry years of prohibition, enterprising men would embark on a nautical journey 12 miles out to sea to… – Peter Thriffiley & Rene Louapre
Rusty Lazer Hits the Spot at Cake Café & Bakery
Cake Café & Bakery 2440 Chartres St. (504) 943-0010 How often are you here? I’ve been coming steadily for the last… – Elsa Hahne
The Booze Tube: Home Bars
According to the people who track these sorts of things, real cocktails are the new black. A genuine cocktail made with… – Rene Louapre
Across the Bar: Music Venue Bartenders
Nobody knows New Orleans music like its bartenders. Those at local music clubs serve musicians and fans and see a different… – Kelcy Wilburn
Jeremy Thompson of Eiffel Society: Simple Isn't Simple
Anyone who has had a drink at the Eiffel Society has probably noticed Bar Manager Jeremy Thompson. He is hard to… – Andy Cook

Dining Out

Dining Out: 12 Mile Limit
During the dark, dry years of prohibition, enterprising men would embark on a nautical journey 12 miles out to sea to… – Peter Thriffiley & Rene Louapre
Jeremy Thompson of Eiffel Society: Simple Isn't Simple
Anyone who has had a drink at the Eiffel Society has probably noticed Bar Manager Jeremy Thompson. He is hard to… – Andy Cook
Idris Muhammad: From Here to Hair
Born Leo Morris—a relative of the Nevilles, a resident of the 13th Ward—Idris Muhammad was destined to make an impact. At… – Hank Cherry

Photo Op

Paul McCartney, Earl King, and Benny Spellman
Photographer: Sidney Smith February 1975: Benny Spellman, Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney, Wings guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and Earl King pose… – Sidney Smith

The Spot

Rusty Lazer Hits the Spot at Cake Café & Bakery
Cake Café & Bakery 2440 Chartres St. (504) 943-0010 How often are you here? I’ve been coming steadily for the last… – Elsa Hahne

Reviews

Davis Rogan, The Real Davis (Sousaphonk Records)
Davis Rogan has a flair for the dramatic. His last album, The Once and Future DJ, was rescued from the flood… – John Swenson
Dr. Michael White, Adventures in New Orleans Jazz, Vol. 1 (Basin Street Records)
The surprises on Adventures in New Orleans Jazz, Vol. 1 begin with the very first notes, a repeating figure on the… – Roger Hahn
Helen Gillet, Running of the Bells (Independent)
It’s hard to define what kind of music cellist Helen Gillet plays on this record. There is a contemporary classical vibe… – David Kunian
Johnny Sansone, The Lord is Waiting and the Devil is Too (Shortstack Records)
In the wrong hands, the blues are a quick trip to Cliché City, a place where there’s no lyrical or musical… – Alex Rawls
Koan, Chronicles of a Dying Breed (Independent)
The New Orleans hip-hop scene has enjoyed an interesting dichotomy over the last few years: you’re either rapping about partying and… – David Dennis
Henry Gray, Lucky Man (Blind Pig Records)
When blues pianist Henry Gray released Lucky Man in 1990, it was his first solo American album despite years of recording… – Jeff Hannusch
Stefon Harris, David Sánchez, Christian Scott, Ninety Miles (Concord Picante Records)
Ninety Miles is the distance between Miami and Havana, the closest points in the US and Cuba. This project, the companion… – Jacob Leland
Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters, Thirty Dobb Special (Fruge Records)
Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters’ last album, 2009’s Live at Nunu’s, was a show of brute force as the… – Dan Willging
Various Artists, Mardi Gras Parade Music From New Orleans, Volume 2 (GHB Records)
Compilations of New Orleans Mardi Gras music have a tendency to adjust themselves to outside perceptions of the holiday rather than… – Zachary Young
Don Vappie with the Hot Springs Music Festival Symphony Orchestra conducted by Richard Rosenberg, Jazz Nocturne: American Concertos of the Jazz Age (Naxos Records)
As a classical music buff, I purchased this CD being curious of the works of the so-called “Girl Gershwin” Dana Suesse… – Joseph Irrera
The New Orleans Bingo! Show, Volume 3: Memory Parade (Independent)
The circus came to town this summer. Elephants dumped in the streets of the CBD en route to their pedestals, and… – Brian Boyles
Kelly Carlyle, Stethoscope (Independent)
New Orleans, like the rest of the free world, has no shortage of folk-inspired singer/songwriters. As long as the acoustic guitar… – Mark LaMaire
A. Levy, Commercial Break (mixtape)
A. Levy is an incredible rapper. He has mic control, breath control, a tight, rapid-fire flow, and his voice simply sounds… – Sam Levine
Missing Monuments, Painted White (Sympathy for the Hardware Industry Records)
On Painted White, his first disc with Missing Monuments, singer and guitarist King Louie Bankston (here credited only as “Loomis”) combines… – Sam Levine
Various Artists, Acadian All Star Special: The Pioneering Cajun Recordings Of J.D. Miller (Bear Family Records)
The overwhelming success of Harry Choates’ immortal “Jole Blon” in 1946 resulted in national notoriety and evolution into a country staple… – Dan Willging
Reverend John Wilkins, You Can't Hurry God (Fat Possum Records)
It’s hard to believe that the same Fat Possum who put out the bad man blues of R.L. Burnside, T-Model Ford,… – David Kunian
Tha Cartel, Cartel Diem: Lifestyles of the Young & Reckless (Independent)
On “Dream,” the fifth track on Cartel Diem: Lifestyles of the Young & Reckless, Tha Cartel detail their music’s background and… – Jacob Leland
Impulss n' Bazooka Joe, Bronx, New Orleans: Respect Where it Started (Quarter Rat Musique)
Bronx, New Orleans: Respect Where it Started is an idea that more or less markets itself: using New Orleans samples, Bronx… – Jacob Leland
Etta James, The Essential Modern Records Collection (Virgin Records)
These were Miss Peaches’ first recordings from the mid-1950s, recorded for the legendary Los Angeles label. Discovered by bandleader Johnny Otis… – Jeff Hannusch
Stanton Davis' Ghetto Mysticism, Brighter Days (Cultures of Soul Records)
For a teenaged New Orleans trumpeter in 1967, a ticket to Berklee College of Music in Boston was an irresistible draw.… – Jan Ramsey
The Scorseses, Presenting the Scorseses (Independent)
Ska’s the launching pad for the Scorseses, and it’s never clearer than on “Drink the Blood of Spacely Sprocket,” a Jetsons… – Alex Rawls
Various Artists, Ace Story Volume 3 (Ace Records)
A couple of issues ago, we reviewed the first two volumes in this important series, both of which had a New… – Jeff Hannusch