March 2008
BackTalk
- Glen David Andrews
The late January afternoon shadows shiver across the flagstones on Jackson Square as a crowd of about 50 tourists in winter…
Bookmark
- Ned Sublette, The World That Made New Orleans (Lawrence Hill Books)
Four years ago the writer and musician Ned Sublette published his first book, the magnificent Cuba and Its Music. This work…
Cover Story
- Decisions, Decisions
She doesn’t have to do this. As a member of the Cowsills, Susan Cowsill performed on Playboy After Dark, countless talk…
Features
- Blind Boys of Alabama: Just One of the Boys
After 69 years in the business of singing gospel, Jimmy Carter still had something new to learn about his music when… - Bach, Bach, Bach 'til the Broad Daylight
- Johnny V: The Hands of the Master
Fresh
- Horns and Wires
In the city where traditional jazz is still king, the phrase “electronic improvised jazz” may raise a few eyebrows. But a… - Vinyl Comeback
There was once a time where albums were not downloadable packages with PDF cover art. They were carefully crafted masterpieces; music… - Taking Back the Banjo
If there was a moment where the banjo was branded with a stereotype, it would have to be when Burt Reynolds… - Tennessee Sings a New Song
- Louisiana in the Land of BBQ
It’s March and with the spring comes another South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas on March 7-16. Since its inception… - The City Life: Sophomore Jump
A new local indie rock scene has slowly emerged in the years since Katrina, and one of the more prominent bands…
Letters
- March 2008 Letters
BEST OF THE BEAT Terrance and I want to thank you for your love and commitment to Louisiana music culture and…
Mojo Mouth
- Keeping the Faith
One thing Katrina taught us in New Orleans is that this city has a spiritual pull that is unbelievably strong. There…
Obituaries
- Obituary: John Brunious (1940-2008)
We were saddened by the passing of trumpeter John Brunious of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. On February 12, he suffered…
OffBeat Eats
- Dining Out: World's Healthiest Pizza
World’s Healthiest Pizza, a New Orleans-based chain, is far from meek. Its Web site preaches the miracles of fiber. Customers don’t… - Search for Tomorrow
Anyone who has visited Laurentino’s in Metairie knows the owner, Xavier Laurentino. He is a gregarious Spaniard, a self-trained chef and…
Dining Out
- Dining Out: World's Healthiest Pizza
World’s Healthiest Pizza, a New Orleans-based chain, is far from meek. Its Web site preaches the miracles of fiber. Customers don’t…
Reviews
- Bayou Riders, Volume One (Flight Life)
I really want to recommend this album. “Got Ya Fire” samples “Fire on the Bayou,” the beat for “March Step”… - Adam's Attic, Skylines and City Lights (Independent)
Adam’s Attic has mastered the Goo Goo Dolls sound. Unfortunately, they’ve nailed it down at a point when not even… - Cowboy Junkies, Trinity Revisited (Latent/Zoe)
The Cowboy Junkies didn’t so much burst onto the roots-rock scene with The Trinity Session in 1987 so much as they… - The Afromotive, Scare Tactics (Harmonized)
On its debut record, Scare Tactics, the Afromotive takes on the choppy, brass-punctuated style of Afrobeat conceived and perfected by Nigerian… - Don Cavalli, Cryland (Everloving)
Cryland is the sort of album that will find a cult—a French singer who has figured out how to make… - The Waco Brothers, Waco Express Live & Kickin' at Scuba's Tavern Chicago (Bloodshot)
A few Waco Brothers shows are among the most memorable sets I’ve seen at South by Southwest—part political rally, part… - Shelby Lynne, Just a Little Lovin' (Lost Highway)
Many cover records seem largely superfluous; Just a Little Lovin’ doesn’t. Country/soul singer Shelby Lynne’s album of Dusty Springfield covers… - The City Life, Gone is the World (Independent)
Second albums can be tricky business. For every band that matures with its sophomore effort, there are countless others who fail… - Hart McNee, Mimi's Rumba (Frenchmen Street)
The bulk of Hart McNee’s recorded work is as a saxophonist, including sessions with blues icon Mike Bloomfield and one of… - Otis Taylor, Recapturing the Banjo (Telarc)
If I’d have been drinking milk, I’d have snorted it through my nose when a Telarc PR rep said she… - Groovesect, On the Brim (Independent)
One New Orleans musical tradition that is in no danger of disappearing in the wake of the flood is the funk… - Beautiful Bells, Phantom Pleasure (Mindworld)
Somewhere, Stanley Crouch’s brain is exploding. If John Coltrane and free jazz represented a repudiation of everything Crouch holds dear,… - Box3, Prototype (Ears & Eyes)
Somewhere, Stanley Crouch’s brain is exploding. If John Coltrane and free jazz represented a repudiation of everything Crouch holds dear,… - Lisa Lynn, I'm No Angel (New Orleans Angel)
As the title suggests, I’m No Angel presents Lisa Lynn in the red hot momma tradition. From the album opening… - Various Artists, Umalali: The Garifuna Women's Project (Cumbancha/Stonetree)
As a CD, Umalali: the Garifuna Women’s Project offers the kind of cross-cultural immersion that an mp3 can’t match, a complete… - T-Sale, Une Autre 'Tit Bout (Swallow)
Spend any time at all in the dancehalls of southwestern Louisiana and inevitably you’ll hear cries of “Une Autre ’Tit Bout”… - Cat Power, Jukebox (Matador)
A good cover is never really a cover, but a unique insight into the lives of the artists who record them.… - Slewfoot & Cary B., Louisiana Time (Music Maker)
The strength and weakness of Louisiana Time is that it’s really folk music. In the simplest sense, its instrumentation—acoustic guitar, harmonica,… - Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, The Big Awesome (Full Frontal)
Periodically, writers submit reviews lauding an album’s variety, and I always wonder why. Variety seems overrated. What really good restaurant serves…
