Baton Rouge is the musical no man’s land between funky New Orleans and canaille Lafayette. It has one thing neither city has—the Red Dragon Listening Room—a venue concept that will never make it in Uptown New Orleans or in the Hub City because it’s a club that is not designed to make a profit, ever. [...]
Tag Archives: clubs
Something’s Missing
August 2, 2011 – 9:22 am
Last night, WWL-TV ran a story about “illegal bars” causing noise complaints on Frenchmen Street. Which clubs are they? Reporter Scott Satchfield spoke to our own Jan Ramsey (who doesn’t own a club), Jesse Paige (whose Blue Nile is licensed for live music), one man who loves Frenchmen Street and one neighbor who’s had enough [...]
Paying Musicians on Frenchmen–How Do We Do It?
July 7, 2011 – 12:50 pm
Received a call from a local musician, complaining about the pay musicians receive when they play at clubs on Frenchmen Street. “Sometimes I’ll drive in [he lives in a suburb] to play a gig, and I’ll leave with maybe $10 in my pocket for the evening. By the time I subtract out the gas money, [...]
June 2011 Letters
June 1, 2011 – 12:01 am
CULTURE ON A PEDESTAL I am a native Louisianan who grew up in Baton Rouge and Hammond and I’m an avid music lover (especially any music with roots in Louisiana). After moving to Atlanta to attend college, I moved to Washington, D.C. to begin working at the U.S. Department of Labor. I recently returned home [...]
Irvin Mayfield, J.W. Marriott Partner Up for New Music Club
May 16, 2011 – 2:27 pm
Today, trumpeter Irvin Mayfield expanded his Mayfield entertainment brand, this time to Canal Street. On a windy eighth-floor patio, he and Ted Selogie, General Manager of the J.W. Marriott Hotel, announced that they have partnered up to develop the Irvin Mayfield I Club. Expected to open in July, the I Club will be an intimate [...]
Dining Out: Three Muses
April 1, 2011 – 12:27 am
It could be the start of a joke: “A jazz singer, bartender and a chef take over an abandoned building in the Marigny…” Such was the scenario when Sophie Lee, Christopher Starnes and Dan Esses partnered up last spring to start building a hybrid restaurant, bar and jazz club. In fact, perhaps the best recognition [...]
Valentine’s Day Shows in New Orleans
February 10, 2011 – 3:05 pm
New Orleans needs little excuse to party, and Valentine’s Day—coming this Monday—is no exception. Whether you’re married, single, or looking for an activity to make an awkward date easier, there are plenty of opportunities this weekend to feel the musical love. On Saturday, Tipitina’s starts getting in the mood with “Big Love”, featuring Big Sam’s [...]
Kermit Ruffins: All Aboard the Mother-in-Law Lounge
February 1, 2011 – 12:03 am
Kermit Ruffins is set to take over the Mother-in Law-Lounge on Claiborne Avenue in the Treme, saving another endangered landmark on the New Orleans musical landscape. While the Treme neighborhood and the working musicians that call it home have received worldwide attention over the past year thanks to the eponymous HBO series, too many of [...]
Kermit Ruffins to Open Club in Mother-in-Law Building
January 7, 2011 – 5:14 pm
Since Antoinette K-Doe’s daughter Betty Fox announced the final closing of the Mother-in-Law Lounge last month, many have wondered what would become of the iconic building. That mystery has now been laid to rest, as trumpeter/singer Kermit Ruffins announced yesterday that he had negotiated a lease with the building’s owner and plans to open a [...]
The Bourbon Street Blues: Interview with Earl Bernhardt
January 1, 2011 – 12:13 am
Earl Bernhardt is the co-owner of the Tropical Isles, the Bayou Club and the Funky Pirate. He spoke with OffBeat publisher Jan Ramsey about what needs to be done to improve Bourbon Street. What kind of music do you have at your bars? At the Tropical Isles, we have what’s become known as “trop-rock,” music [...]
