March 2011
BackTalk
- Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars
The music world lost a great maverick when producer Jim Dickinson died two years ago of heart complications, at the age…
Bookmark
- Herman Leonard, Jazz (Bloomsbury)
While a legend before he moved to New Orleans in 1991, the late Herman Leonard (1923-2010) did not achieve that legendary…
Cover Story
- Mac's Tracks: A Guide to the Dr. John Discography
It’s pretty simple. The place to start with Dr. John is where he started—before he was Dr. John, before he was… - Dr. John: A Mac for All Seasons
Dr. John’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shows how far he’s come from the time when manager…
Features
- Lots of Zeroes and Ones: The Modern Local Record Labels
“I want to be at the forefront, whether it’s art, music, or fashion. I want to be at the round-table when… - Alternative Krewes: A-Krewe-ing Interest
Zulu introduced satire to Mardi Gras. By giving its king a lard can crown and a banana stalk scepter as signs… - Talkin' About My Generationals
Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer, writing partners and core members of indie-pop band Generationals, are not related. But having played music… - Simply the Best: The 2010 Best of the Beat Award Winners
This year was Trombone Shorty’s year. He swept this year’s Best of the Beat top awards, being voted by OffBeat readers…
Fresh
- Louisiana at SXSW
A decade ago, a handful of Louisiana bands were included in South by Southwest’s music showcases. This year, the annual music… - Hurray for the Riff Raff Gets Loose
Hurray for the Riff Raff will have a busy spring. Apart from appearances at Jazz Fest and South by Southwest, the… - David Greely: Playboy No More
It was a cybershot heard around the Cajun world when an email sent to Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys’ distribution… - A Threadhead Mystery
What? Mystery Street Records, the sister label to Threadhead Records, which on February 1 released its first album, Sounds of New… - Consortium of Genius: Four Colors and a Plan to Take Over the World
Their mission? To “rock the earth to oblivion.” Their handbook? Music for Supervillains. Their favored mode of publishing? Comic books. When… - Big Rock Candy Mountain's Got Game
Indie rockers Big Rock Candy Mountain scored big this season. The New Orleans outfit’s surging prog-pop single, “Rocketship,” landed on the…
Letters
- March 2011 Letters
PRIDE ON BOURBON I have lived in New Orleans for about two years and some of the first gigs I got…
Mojo Mouth
- Culture on a Pedestal
Went to a nice party last week presented by the Preservation Resource Center to discuss their “Ladies in Red” gala on…
OffBeat Eats
- Cliff Hines Hits the Spot at Hana Japanese Restaurant
Hana Japanese Restaurant 8116 Hampson St. (504) 865-1634 What are you ordering today? The half Rainbow and half Hana roll. How… - Dining Out: Sammy's Deli
If we could replicate the quintessential neighborhood New Orleans joint, Sammy’s would be our muse. While the interior is post-Katrina modern…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: Sammy's Deli
If we could replicate the quintessential neighborhood New Orleans joint, Sammy’s would be our muse. While the interior is post-Katrina modern…
Photo Op
- Super Sunday
Photographer: Syndey Byrd I know how to disappear, that’s the key. You step over a line. I learned that…
The Spot
- Cliff Hines Hits the Spot at Hana Japanese Restaurant
Hana Japanese Restaurant 8116 Hampson St. (504) 865-1634 What are you ordering today? The half Rainbow and half Hana roll. How…
Reviews
- Various Artists, Nine Lives (Mystery Street Records)
Nine Lives is an attempt by Paul Sanchez and screenwriter Colman DeKay to adapt Dan Baum’s account of the lives of… - Nicholas Payton, Bitches (mixtape)
Those of you expecting Nicholas Payton’s new record to sound like his great records Dear Louis or Doc Cheatham and Nicholas… - Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Grand Isle (Independent)
It’s always intriguing to see where Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys will evolve to next. Over the course of a… - Panorama Brass Band, 17 Days (Independent)
It’s that time of year again, when the parades roll, the beads fly and the Panorama Brass Band emerges from its… - Lucinda Williams, Blessed (Lost Highway Records)
As heard here, Lucinda Williams’ voice seems to be losing shape, a battered piano, muddled at some places, strangely fitting at… - My Graveyard Jaw, Coming Winds (Independent)
When we speak of New Orleans bands owing a debt to Tom Waits, more often it’s really to Kurt Weill. With… - Various Artists, The Ace Story Volumes 1 & 2 (Ace Records UK)
While these tracks have been around the block more times than the mailman, it’s great to know they’re available again, conveniently… - Kim Carson, Classic Twang (Banks Street Records)
Kim Carson has great taste in country music. This much you know just looking at the track listing on her latest… - Curren$y, Return to the Winner’s Circle (mixtape)
Curren$y, the JETS leader, is its MVP. This fact is evidenced by his latest mixtape, Return to the Winner’s Circle. Spitta...well...spits… - Trademark da Skydiver, Super Villain Issue 3: Reign Supreme (mixtape)
Jay-Z had Memphis Bleek. Nas had QB Finest. Busta Rhymes had Spliff Star. They’re called “weed carriers”—“rappers” that were friends of… - Elespee & Prospek, The Trip EP (Guerilla Publishing Co.)
On their latest collaboration, rapper Elespee and producer Prospek set off on a hallucinogenic trek through the decadent and depraved streets… - International Jones, Tennis Shoes & Tuxedos (mixtape)
If you’ve listened to Fiend from his No Limit Days, then this latest mixtape will come as a surprise. Gone are… - Various Artists, Hear Me Howling!—Blues, Ballads, and Beyond (Arhoolie Records)
For the last half-century, Arhoolie Records has recorded and released an astounding assortment of folk, blues, Tejano, brass, string band, Cajun,… - Michel Navedo Quartet, New Orleans on My Mind (Parlour Trick Records)
Michel Navedo might be best remembered, up to now, for fronting legendary local noisers, Nipples of Isis. The release of the… - Roomful of Blues, Hook, Line and Sinker (Alligator Records)
Roomful of Blues’ latest continues a string of outstanding albums that stretches back nearly four decades. The New England-based band’s trademark… - Gregg Allman, Low Country Blues (Rounder Records)
Appropriately, on Gregg Allman’s first solo outing in over a decade, he’s chosen to record a CD that’s essentially a blues… - Exploding Star Orchestra, Stars Have Shapes (Delmark Records)
Maverick composer and cornetist Rob Mazurek formed the Exploding Star Orchestra in Chicago in 2005, drawing on some of the city’s…
