December 2003
BackTalk
- Deke Dickerson
No matter which way you look at it Deke Dickerson is cut from a rare musical cloth. Guitarist, vocalist, producer, bandleader,…
Bayou Boogie
- Bayou Boogie: Investing in Michot
Want to have friends in high places? Invest in a La Roue Qui Pend (The Hanging Wheel) CD by Les Frères…
Blues Hound
- Blues Hound: Anders in Tradition
People have been asking about Anders Osborne, whose band of several years is no longer working together regularly. Osborne has been…
Cover Story
- Eric Lindell: An "Old Soul" from California Reinvents New Orleans R&B
There’s a new burrito joint in town. It’s across the river in Algiers Point, but don’t let the Mississippi stop you.…
Dis 'n' Dat
- World Champion
The term “world music” is a curious designation since, other than the sounds of Yma Sumac and Juan Garcia Esquivel, most…
Features
- Billy Boy Arnold: The Roots of the Revolution
Pinpointing the roots of the ’60s garage rock revolution that was kick started by British bands like the Yardbirds, the Rolling… - Masters of Louisiana Music: Harry Choates
Born: DECEMBER 26, 1922 Vermillion Parish, Louisiana Died: JULY 17, 1951 Austin, Texas When Cajun fiddler Harry Choates died in… - Gift Wrapped: The Tricou Treasures
The lovely damsels in red on our Yuletide cover are the Tricou Treasures, who perform at the Tricou House on Bourbon… - Clubhouse: The Circle Bar
The Circle Bar, formerly known as Fleur de Lee, the Colonial Room, Traveler’s Post (after Robert E. Lee’s faithful steed, Traveler)… - Casandra Faulconer: Ms. Bassman
Bassist Casandra Faulconer is not home too many nights of the week. She’s a regular player in Eric Lindell’s combo and… - 10 x 10
It’s the toughest annual assignment OffBeat proposes to its select cadre of ten regular contributors: a list of their ten favorite…
Feed Me Something, Mister
- Feed Me Something, Mister: Have Corkscrew, Will Travel
In New Orleans there are certain movie theaters, drive-up windows and alleyways where you can buy a stiff drink, yet there…
Jazzin'
- Free Love
Obviously, reigning baritone saxophone king Hamiet Bluiett didn’t plan a trip to New Orleans just to play and gig.“It was Kidd,…
Letters
- Letters December 2003
TWO ART FORMS While I have been enjoying OffBeat for many a hoodoo moon, your October issue was particularly satisfying. Featuring…
Live Wire
- The Asylum Street Spankers, the Parish at House of Blues, October 11, 2003
- Junior Senior and Electric Six, the Parish at House of Blues, October 25, 2003
- Papa Henry Butler & the Steamin' Syncopators, Snug Harbor, October 24, 2003
- Vernel Bagneris with the Orange Kellin Trio, Snug Harbor, November 13, 2003
- Gene Bertoncini, Snug Harbor, October 16, 2003
- Lizz Wright, Contemporary Arts Center, October 19, 2003
- Happy Ending for the Blues
- Ricky Sebastian Quintet, Sweet Lorraine's, October 17, 2003
- For the Real Rock 'n' Roll Junkies
- Blue Oyster Cult, Gretna Heritage Festival, October 5, 2003
Mojo Mouth
- Moving and Changing
Some really exciting news was emailed to us last week: Preservation Hall, the legendary traditional jazz venue in the French “Quarters”…
St. Rock
- St. Rock: Keeping Up with The Joneses
Timing is hell. The Joneses just released their debut album, Revolution Blues, and just as quickly as that, everything changed. They…
Reviews
- Timothea, I'm Still Standing (Blue Soul Records)
It took five albums, but someone’s finally hit upon the perfect showcase for local R&B goddess Timothea’s smoky vocal technique. Earlier… - J.J. Caillier and the Zydeco Knockouts, The Good Bad and Ugly (Caillier Records)
J.J. Caillier never really dropped out of zydeco; he just went AWOL for a while. Well, he’s back in the barracks… - The Kevin Mahl Project, Swamp Pop Brew (CSP Records)
This compilation, which centers around the songwriting and production of drummer Kevin Mahl, is a perfect microcosm of every aspect of… - Poncho Sanchez, Out of Sight! (Concord Picante)
Sure, there was a lot of Latin music surrounding conga player, vocalist, bandleader and super prolific recording artist Poncho Sanchez when… - Ken Marvel, Mr. Swamp Pop (Tamm Records)
Emerging swamp pop recording artists don’t come along every day but when one does in this old man’s game, it’s worth… - Various Artists, Patchwork: A Tribute to James Booker (STR Digital Records)
Patchwork is an enjoyable homage to the extraordinary and unforgettable James Carroll Booker III. Gathering seven pianists and special guest vocalist… - Goldman Thibodeaux, Gumbo at Goldman's (Louisiana Radio Records)
Gumbo at Goldman’s was never intended to be quite like this but given the project’s extenuating circumstances, it’s a good thing… - Sybil Kein & Charles D.S. Moore, Gardenias & Rosas (Gumbo Records)
In the early ’80s, noted scholar/author/poet/playwright/musician Sybil Kein, then a University of Michigan professor, set out to write a conference research… - Eddie & Frank Thomas, Angels on the Backroads, Volumes 1-4 (Misty Owl Music)
Angels on the Backroads was inspired by the novel idea of two brothers from Iuka, Mississippi who wanted to retread the… - Joe Hall and Mitch Reed, Joe Hall and Mitch Reed (Independent)
It wasn’t that long ago that Creole lala music appeared to be cliff hanging with all its musical youth swarming to… - Deftones, Deftones (Maverick)
After releasing their masterpiece, 2001’s White Pony, the Deftones left fans expecting either a further excursion into that album’s ethereal metal… - Van and Grace, The Original 1960s Recordings (CSP Records)
There’s a bit of a debate over who actually “invented” swamp pop, and like the similar unresolved debate about rock ‘n’… - Freak Mountain Ramblers, Freak Mountain Ramblers III (Woodrose Records)
They don’t make hippie folk-rock like this no more. Now on their third album, the Freak Mountain Ramblers have basically become… - Jackie Caillier and the Cajun Cousins, Let's Kick Up Some Dust (Lanor Records)
Oftentimes when a Cajun record is released, it’s impossible to tell which song will become the radio airplay darling since the… - Paul Burch, Fool For Love (Bloodshot Records)
Nashville based alt.country rock crooner Paul Burch has a voice as sweet as Roy Orbison delivered with the point-blank incisiveness perfected… - Mike Marshall & Chris Thile, Into the Cauldron (Sugar Hill Records)
Into the Cauldron brings together two of the most innovative mandolin players on the bluegrass fringe. Mike Marshall is a veteran… - Kim Wilson, Lookin' For Trouble (M.C. Records)
Soulful, dynamic harmonica player, singer and front man Kim Wilson continues his tradition of sticking to the tried-and-true blues he knows… - The Strokes, Room on Fire (RCA Records)
The hype is justified. With nearly everyone assuming and praying the snotty rich Manhattan boys crumple and wither into Next Big… - Miles Davis, The Complete Jack Johnson Sessions (Sony/Legacy)
Following Sony/Legacy’s other recently issued Complete Sessions box sets (In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew) this new five-disc collection cements… - Various Artists, Box of the Blues (Rounder)
Box of the Blues, indeed. Any 4-CD set that begins with Mississippi Fred McDowell and ends with Walter “Wolfman” Washington has… - Lafayette Rhythm Devils, Pray For Us (Z'affaire Records)
“Never play cards with a guy named Doc, never eat at a place called Mom’s,” Nelson Algren once wrote, but if… - Beau Jocque and the Zydeco High Rollers, Beau Jocque Classics (Rounder)
Released in conjunction with Buckwheat Zydeco Classics, this is almost the tale of two zydeco compilations. Beau Jocque Classics represents Rounder’s… - Buckwheat Zydeco, Buckwheat Zydeco Classics (Rounder)
Unless you flunked Zydeco 101 or spaced enrolling all together, you’re probably aware that Buckwheat Zydeco has single-handedly elevated Louisiana’s indigenous… - Various Artists, Gospel Brunch Classics (Rounder)
On their first release of their new Classics series, Rounder has created a likable, if slightly unimaginative compilation of gospel music.… - Roomful of Blues, That's Right! (Alligator)
One of the best and busiest blues bands going, this is Roomful of Blues’ 17th album. As per their usual formula,… - Steve D. Cohen, Steve D. Cohen (Digitalia Media)
Though this is officially Steven Cohen’s debut disc, this is hardly his first trip around the block. The Lafayette singer-songwriter has… - Dani, When It Rains (Dani Girl Records)
Dani is the stage name of Danielle Marie Rudolph Burleigh and she is a native Westbanker—Harvey and Marrero to be exact.… - J.B. Lenoir, J.B. Lenoir (MCA/Chess)
Besides the fact that this is a Martin Scorsese “presentation,” and his PBS series on the blues has just aired, this… - Denise Mangiardi, Naked Truth (Crow Hill Publishing)
Denise Mangiardi is a name folks haven’t heard around these parts for some time. However, during the vocalist/composer/pianist’s off-and-on five-year tenure… - The Marvels, Don't Pony with Tony, Do the U-T with The Marvels (Night Train)
The Marvels so perfectly embody the magic of ’61-’65 Southern campus-soaked R&B that from the initial blast of “The U-T” (short… - Wanda Jackson, Heart Trouble (CMH Records)
With Heart Trouble, her first U.S. studio release in 15 years, Wanda Jackson returns to the musical landscape with an explosion.… - Ryan Adams, LloR N kcoR & Love Is Hell Pt. 1 (Lost Highway)
Would the real Ryan Adams please show yourself? Alt.country hero, Dylan mime, classic rock revivalist, and now raging rocker-Adams obviously has… - Little Hercules, Little Hercules (Independent)
I’ll trust Leo Nocentelli and June Yamagishi. If they’ll record with Boulder, Colorado’s Little Hercules, then the band’s good enough for… - Luther Wright and the Wrongs, Guitar Pickin' Martyrs (Back Porch)
Canada’s finest alt-country “punkgrass” quintet had already released two fine indie albums (Hurtin’ For Certain and Roger’s Waltz) when they dropped… - Deke Dickerson, In 3-Dimensions (Major Label)
Anyone who saw Deke Dickerson flat-out kill it at the recent Ponderosa Stomp will testify as to the man’s versatility. Having… - Reunion 69, Days Together (Evergreen Records)
The PBS blue’s documentary led us over the roads of Mississippi, to the town of Memphis and down Beale Street introducing… - Bipolaroid, Transparent Make-Believe (Surreal But Kind)
The last few years have seen a renaissance in American psychedelia, with Mercury Rev, the Flaming Lips, and Grandaddy all achieving… - OTEL, Criminal (Independent)
While we await the full-length release of OTEL’s official first album, the band tempts us with its modern version of ’70s… - Redd Skyy, Naked in Memphis (Independent)
When listening to Redd Skyy, it’s hard not to imagine yourself outdoors, sprawled on a blanket with a freshly cracked Budweiser,… - The Eddy Redd Band, Caronna's Bar (Independent)
Yes, we all love eclecticism. After all, in large part it’s what makes our fair city such a cool place to… - Leroy Jones, Leroy Jones' Wonderful Christmas: A Brass Salute to the King of Kings (LJM Records)
The old adage, you can judge a book by its cover, certainly applies to this album. It would be natural to… - Johnny Earthquake and the Moondogs, Reflections on the Cane: A Very Special Louisiana Christmas (Independent)
Christmas is a special time of year, one we often spend in moments of quiet reflection, pondering the spiritual questions of… - The Blind Boys of Alabama, Go Tell It On the Mountain (Real World/Virgin)
- Thais Clark & Her Palm Court Serenaders, That Old Feeling (GHB Records)
Thais Clark is often stereotyped as a raucous vocalist—and yeah, she can be flamboyant and a real hoot on rowdy numbers.… - Jonno, South to Louisiana (New Range Records)
After two decades in the trenches with such notable Cajun bands as Mamou, Charivari and Beau Bassin, the long overdue solo… - Pleasure Club, Here Comes the Trick/Live: Out of the Pulpit (Purified Records/Sixthman)
The night of May 18, 2002 lives strong in my memory. With good reason, because that night I finally discovered a… - Matt Wake, Set Yourself Free (Black Moon Records)
Crunchy guitars are great. However they do not make a record. Matt Wake’s Set Yourself Free is collection of riff heavy… - Harry Connick, Jr., Harry for the Holidays (Columbia)
You’d have to be Scrooge himself not to find something to like within this sparkling gift of an album. At once,…
