February 2017
Cover Story
- Naughty Professor: All On a Naughty Gras Day
In some ways New Orleans has a reputation for being a tough nut for outsiders to crack. Considering our reaction to…
BackTalk
- Brian Blade talks back
“Sometimes I think New Orleans might as well be Paris,” says Brian Blade, 46, a Shreveport native who moved back to…
Features
- Indian Secrets: Old and new Mardi Gras Indian traditions face off
“I’m not going to tell you my secrets now,” warns Clarence “Chief Delco” Delcour of the Creole Osceola Mardi Gras Indian… - Musicians' Tattoos: Ink Tells the Tale
Musicians tell their stories through sound, but also on their skin. OffBeat invited six Louisiana musicians to talk about their tattoos,… - Dennis Paul Williams: Zydeco’s Chordiologist in Residency
“I was never a zydeco guitar player,” explains Dennis Paul Williams, guitarist with Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas. “Back in the… - The Winners at Best of the Beat
The 22nd annual Best of the Beat Music Awards and party were held on January 19 at Generations Hall. The house… - Celebrating Louisiana Music: Best of the Beat in Photos
The Best of the Beat Awards enjoyed great support this year from many local sponsors and media partners: Generations Hall, the…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: The Delachaise
On New Orleans’ most famous avenue, at the confluence of Aline and Delachaise Streets, lies an oasis of Parisian life where…
Fresh
- Soundcheck: Five Questions with Germaine Bazzle
How has scat singing made you a better teacher/singer? I didn’t set out to be a jazz singer; I set out… - My Music: Mike Doussan
I started playing when I was eight years old, on guitar, but never really saw it as a viable way to… - Soundcheck: Five Questions with Jimmy Armstrong, Co-captain of Krewe of Dreux
When did the Krewe of Dreux begin? 1972.We had a bunch of people who were living in a four-plex at the… - Soundcheck: Five Questions with Barry Jean Ancelet
University of Louisiana-Lafayette professor emeritus Barry Jean Ancelet talks about his involvement in two Grammy-nominated projects: Valcour Records’ I Wanna Sing… - "I got it ... and I'm overcoming it": What’s Next for Henry Butler
"My physical energy is still good,” says piano and vocal genius Henry Butler, who continues to work and compose despite his…
In The Spirit
- In the Spirit: Lauren Holton at Turkey and the Wolf
“I love unusual ingredients. The basis behind all the cocktails I make is that I want there to be some kind of…
Letters
- Letters to the Editor
Crescent City Connection I have been an OffBeat subscriber for many, many years. I used to live in New Orleans and…
Mojo Mouth
- What’s Mardi Gras, if not for Bunny?
In 1835, James R. Creecy described New Orleans Mardi Gras in his book Scenes in the South, and Other Miscellaneous Pieces:…
Obituaries
- Thomas W. Jacobsen (1935-2017)
Thomas W. Jacobsen, OffBeat contributor and author, died at home in St. Louis of lung cancer on January 15. Jacobsen was… - John Boudreaux Jr. (1936-2017)
John Boudreaux Jr., the drummer who perhaps embodied the sound of New Orleans most perfectly, and who played on many of…
The Spot
- Marc Paradis hits the Spot at The Ruby Slipper
Are you a regular here? I’ve been here lots of times; I live just down the road. I love the food…
Reviews
- REWIND: Various Artists, "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" (Mardi Gras Records)
Warren Hildebrand hits rewind on the compilation Mardi Gras in New Orleans, which introduced New Orleans Mardi Gras music to the… - Billie Davies, "A Nu Experience: On Hollywood Boulevard" (Independent)
Despite the best efforts of James M. Cain, Chinatown and BoJack Horseman, L.A. noir still doesn’t get the respect it deserves… - Margie Perez, "Love Is All" (Threadhead Records)
This album’s title track (which Perez co-wrote with Paul Sanchez) was high on my personal playlist toward the end of the… - Harmonouche, "NolAmour" (Independent)
There’s a lot going on in Harmonouche’s music—for one thing, they’re about the only non-blues band I can think of that’s… - Mysterious Blend, “Harold and Friends” (Independent)
“Wisdom comes in funny ways/ Not in books or art or plays/ But falling hard and feeling pain,” sings professional life… - Brass Mimosa, "Stay Sharp" (Independent)
Originally, Lafayette’s Brass Mimosa was aiming at the blues rock market. But when Alex Camel switched to bass from guitar, allowing… - Gene & Eddie, "True Enough: Gene & Eddie with Sir Joe At Ru-Jac" (Omnivore)
During the ’60s—the golden age of soul music—there was a plethora of male duos that lit up the R&B charts. Sam… - Keith Porteous, "Sound Refuge" (Independent)
The woman on the cover of this deeply spiritual set is neither a saint or Keith’s muse; Porteous is indeed female,… - Jamie Bergeron & the Kickin’ Cajuns, "Comin’ In Hot" (KC Entertainment)
Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin’ Cajuns were recently voted Times of Acadiana’s Best Cajun Band for the 13th straight year, amazing… - Organic Trio, "Saturn’s Spell" (Jazz Family)
The organ trio has come a ways from when I listened to the format regularly. Back in the day, Jack McDuff… - Forest Huval, "Forest Huval" (Independent)
Forest Huval’s eponymously titled debut has strong ties to Al Berard, one of his influential Cajun music mentors. All of the… - Fr. Ron and Friends, "This Land" (Independent)
Lots of musicians talk about the folk aesthetic as a shared bond, but Father Ronald Clingenpeel, an Episcopal minister and consultant… - Wendell Brunious, "In the Tradition" & Louis Nelson New Orleans, "All Stars April in New Orleans" (GHB Records)
For reissue purposes, these two albums, trumpeter/vocalist Wendell Brunious’ In the Tradition (recorded in 1986) and trombonist Louis Nelson’s April in… - Unc Imo, "60 Year Old Rapper w/ a Bad Knee" (Independent)
Unc Imo has some fame in the rap game, at least to an extent: This retired postal worker and Vietnam vet… - Jeff Chaz, "This Silence is Killing Me" (JCP Records)
Something must have uncorked Jeff Chaz when he recorded Sounds Like the Blues to Me, his previous album, because this is… - The Revelers, "Play the Swamp Pop Classics, Volume 2" (Independent)
The Revelers have it figured out: Drop vinyl-only, four-song EPs (Volume 2 includes a complimentary CD containing all eight tracks from… - Noah Young, "Start the Reactor" (Independent)
As the bassist for local favorites Naughty Professor, Noah Young usually keeps it pretty funky, if exploratory; their version of New… - The Masakowski Family, "N.O. Escape" (Independent)
Given the amount of talent involved, the Masakowski clan didn’t need to stretch very hard to make a good record. But…
