Issue Articles — BackTalk
BackTalk: John Waters
John Waters has achieved the rare sort of sustained celebrity that imbues his name with an aura of recognition, no matter who you are. After five decades in the public […]
BackTalk: Glen Hansard
As a musician and storyteller who channels his heart and soul to his fans using nothing more than his voice and acoustic guitar, Glen Hansard has developed a singular knack […]
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 of an upright following the whims of a drummer—has […]
BackTalk: Hunter Hayes
Hunter Hayes never stops moving, but he’s always in the driver seat. The 23 year old multi-instrumentalist can barely contain the undercurrent of crackling energy that propels him through his […]
BackTalk: Maria Muldaur
Although she’s probably best known for the massive 1974 pop hit “Midnight at the Oasis,” Maria Muldaur is also a highly prolific and versatile recording artist. Over a career that […]
Backtalk: Jimmy Cliff
The voice of Jimmy Cliff is that of reggae music. With its Jamaican lilt, it holds the history of the music’s evolution and its socially conscious purpose. Cliff, 66, was […]
Backtalk: Paul Thorn
Paul Thorn’s backstory is so good that someone would’ve had to make it up if it wasn’t all true. Born in Elvis’ hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi, Thorn grew up as […]
Backtalk: Henry Butler and Steven Bernstein
Piano virtuoso and vocalist Henry Butler agrees that the music on his and trumpeter/arranger Steven Bernstein’s album, Viper’s Drag, represents the meeting of two great musical cities: New Orleans and […]
Back Talk: Chris Smither
Even though he left New Orleans nearly a half-century ago, acoustic legend Chris Smither has practically been a local fixture of late. Last year found Smither in town to record […]
Back Talk: Sean Ardoin on Why Zydeco Makes Him “Happy”
Will the real Sean Ardoin please stand up? Ardoin carries the most historic name in zydeco, yet he’s a chameleon of relentless reinvention that’s starting to bear big fruit. Sean […]
