Issue Articles — Features
20 Years of Satchmo SummerFest: How It All Began
It was 2000, the first year of the new millennium, and just like in years past, tourism during the summer in New Orleans was dismal. At the time, OffBeat had […]
What Does Louis Armstrong mean?
What Does Louis Armstrong mean? For the first Satchmo Summerfest in 2000 we asked “What does Louis Armstrong mean?” It is an interesting question, yet a vague one. The question […]
Robert Lyall reminisces about his 22 years as Artistic and General Director of the New Orleans Opera
You’ll be stepping down as general director of the New Orleans Opera at the end of this season? Yes. I’ll be continuing on indefinitely as the Artistic Director [of the […]
Altering Course: 79rs Gang are ’bout to blow
This had to happen. Mardi Gras Indian music is one of the few remaining signifiers of New Orleans culture. So is hip-hop, from its national heroes to its local strain […]
Troubled Men: Bassist René Coman is figuring it out on the fly
Prior to the season of social distancing, René Coman was one of the busiest musicians in New Orleans. His band the Iguanas were holding down a weekly residency at the […]
Throw All Your Racist Stuff in the River: A Convo with Pastor Gregory Manning
A conversation with Gregory P. Manning, pastor of the Broadmoor Community Church in New Orleans and a community activist with organizations such as Justice and Beyond and the Greater New […]
Who’s Your Mac Daddy? Singer Gregg Martinez swung for the fences on his new album
The last few years must seem like a tsunami of change for blue-eyed, paint-peeling soul singer Gregg Martinez (pronounced Mart-nez). A few years back, the “Stone Cold Steve Austin” doppelganger […]
Grayson Capps and Trina Shoemaker’s personal and professional histories spark magic
Grayson Capps, a literary singer-songwriter whose songs exemplify hardscrabble existence, considered releasing a “best of” collection. His companion, Trina Shoemaker, had a better idea. With his blessing, the Grammy-winning recording […]
A record for our time: Write Brothers’ testament to Spencer Bohren
Spencer Bohren came from the open sky and the cold hard realities of prairie fundamentalism. His early life was a routine of relentless sun, strong winds, drenching rains and miracle […]
Remembering “Uganda” Roberts
He grew up in the shadow of Congo Square in Tremé, New Orleans, in the neighborhood of Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. His destiny became a reincarnation of his African ancestors […]
