March 2007
BackTalk
- Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis
In early January, Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis came to town to do damage control. As the public faces of…
Cover Story
- Modern Times
The 2005 Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival was everything Jazz Fest used to be: small, local and funky. Out-of-towners made up maybe…
Features
- Classic Songs of Louisiana: "Ooh Poo Pah Doo"
- The Big Beat
Art Neville, Dr. John and Mayor Nagin January 27, OffBeat held its Best of the Beat Awards at the House of…
Fresh
- A Cajun Encyclopedia
Ryan Brasseaux and Kevin Fontenot were both deep into research on Cajun music when they compared source material over Guinness and… - An Update
In our February "Fresh" section, "Tent Sale" considered who might operate the music retail tent at the New Orleans Jazz and… - Tablas Master Comes to New Orleans
The innovative tablas player Badal Roy comes into town for a performance at the Sandbar and two nights at Snug Harbor… - Loyola New Home for Monk Jazz Institute
A combination of persistence and circumstance led to the prestigious partnership between Loyola University and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz… - No Damsels in Distress
Cleoma Breaux Falcon’s daughter Lulu once told the story of her mother kicking a man in the eye while she performed… - Just for the Hell of It
Bill Davis concedes that for Dash Rip Rock, “It’s not important to the health of the band to continue making records.”… - Still Waiting
This month, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will induct Van Halen, R.E.M, Grandmaster Flash and the Ronettes in a…
Letters
- March 2007 Letters
WITH LOVE IN MY HEART I wanted to thank you [Jan Ramsey] and all the folks working with you at OffBeat…
Live Wire
- Albert Hammond, Jr. and Incubus, House of Blues, January 21, 2007
Mere hours after the Saints lost the final playoff game, several hundred people slowly filled the sold-out House of Blues as… - Lindsey Buckingham, House of Blues, January 29, 2007
When interviewed on television, Lindsey Buckingham always seemed like the sane member of Fleetwood Mac, the one who put up with…
Mojo Mouth
- Getting Caught Up In It
I’ve met a lot of people in my career as a publisher. Many times I’m asked how long I’ve been “doing…
Obituaries
OffBeat Eats
- Don't Fear the Green Space
It’s seven o’clock at night in the Lower Ninth Ward. What is there to eat? “Nothing is open,” says Greta Gladney,… - Dining Out: Tucker's Tavern
Two guys jogged past me as I approached Tucker’s Tavern. They were getting a midday workout and I was headed to…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: Tucker's Tavern
Two guys jogged past me as I approached Tucker’s Tavern. They were getting a midday workout and I was headed to…
Reviews
- The Silos, Come On Like the Fast Lane (Bloodshot Records)
It seems like the Silos were Americana before the country was discovered, merging punk-powered guitars with country and folk sensibilities—that… - Gary Lucas' Gods & Monsters, Coming Clean (Mighty Quinn)
New York guitarist Gary Lucas is one of those guys who has the good taste and Hendrix-meets-Tom Verlaine guitar chops… - Eleni Mandell, Miracle of Five (Zedtone)
I appreciate Eleni Mandell, even if I’m not personally moved by her, and Miracle of Five crystallizes why. She can… - Charlie Louvin, Charlie Louvin (Tompkins Square)
Last summer, Charlie Louvin performed at the Americana Music Association Conference in Nashville, and it was a throwback to a world… - Various Artists, A Date With John Waters (New Line)
In movies, books, fine art and—starting in 2004—CD compilations, John Waters has turned dubious taste into his signature. A John… - Money Mark, Brand New by Tommorrow (Brushfire)
Money Mark is best known for his stint as keyboard player for the Beastie Boys, and he has released three albums… - Lewis Taylor, The Lost Album (Hacktone)
Lewis Taylor made his reputation—such as it is—with his second album, 2004’s Stoned, a really good psychedelic soul album. The… - Sloan, Never Hear the End of it (Yep Roc)
You don’t have to have lived in Canada to get Sloan, but it seems to help. They’re unassuming pop classicists… - Diana Krall, From This Moment On (Verve)
Diana Krall’s lack of self-consciousness is the chief virtue of From This Moment On. Big band swing feels dated, but… - Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, Traveling Man (Sound of New Orleans)
In the zydeco world, the acorn doesn’t seem to fall far from the tree. Nearly every major zydeco artist from the… - Gill Landry, The Ballad of Lawless Soirez (Nettwerk)
This here’s a tale of two country albums. Gill Landry’s new record is a walk on the wild side, while the… - Bourbon Cowboys, A Taste for Whiskey (Independent)
This here’s a tale of two country albums. Gill Landry’s new record is a walk on the wild side, while the… - Heritage Hall Jazz Band, Live at the American Theatre (Heritage Hall)
Recording live concerts is always a challenge, and not one that is guaranteed to be met as it should be. The… - Lafayette Rhythm Devils, Les Clefs de la Prison (Zaffaire)
When you’re a devil, eventually you’re going to have to do the time. Luckily for these devils, this episode was only… - Larry "Love" Hamilton, The Soulman (LJH)
It looks like New Orleans soul brother Larry Hamilton sho’ nuff found himself some love. Primarily known as writer, Hamilton’s been… - Charles Mann, Pushing Your Luck (Jin)
For being one of the pioneering papas of swamp pop, Charles Mann has had surprisingly few full-length releases during his 46-year… - Kenny Bill Stinson, F-Earl (Independent)
A good man recognizes when someone has made his life easier. After Shreveport rocker Kenny Bill Stinson’s son traveled the… - Mista Allen, Area 504 (Smacktite)
The indie hip-hop of Mista Alien is a very different animal. He seems to recognize that hip-hop has become yet… - Truth Universal, Move the Crowd Mixtape (Truth Universal)
Truth Universal’s Move the Crowd Mixtape starts powerfully, with a turntable scratching before letting a talking head say, “God did… - Lisa Lynn, Call Me Baby (Independent)
Torch singer Lisa Lynn manages to light a few fires on her latest disc, including a couple of country and western… - Irma Thomas, Wish Someone Would Care/Take a Look (Collectables)
Personally, this reissue is a godsend as I lost both these autographed vinyl albums when the levees failed. (One of my… - Harry Connick, Jr., Oh, My Nola (Columbia)
Harry Connick, Jr. has been making records for 20 years now, but there are still many New Orleanians who don’t know… - Otis Taylor, Definition of a Circle (Telarc)
All of Definition of a Circle are evident on “They Wore Blue,” which Taylor describes in the liner notes thusly:… - Travis Matte and the Zydeco Kingpins, Booty Zydeco (Mhat)
Though Travis Matte and the Zydeco Kingpins were simmering on the Southwest Louisiana scene when their sophomore effort Zydeco Train hit… - Dash Rip Rock, Hee Haw Hell (Alternative Tentacles)
How do you review a Dash Rip Rock album? It’s hard to compare it to other Dash albums because the… - Various Artists, The Mercury New Orleans Sessions 1950 & 1953 (Bear Family)
This fascinating double CD documents New Orleans R&B during its formative years. Mercury, a Chicago label, was one of several independents… - The Eames Era, Heroes + Sheroes (Independent)
“Indie rock” tends to conjure up thoughts of recordings that sound intentionally underproduced made by people so suspicious of the…
