Chickie Wah Wah will once again open its doors to the public on December 7. Spending several months in flux after the passing of the founder/proprietor Dale Triguero on July 8, 2021, the venue has been restored by local investors and music industry leaders.
Opening in 2006, Chickie Wah Wah was born in a New Orleans still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Many musicians and their families had fled the city and only hardcore tourists would visit the city to see what music acts were left. However, Triguero, who established himself as a club manager/talent booker in New Orleans at the Old Point Bar in Algiers, was unfazed. He booked musicians and often paid the bands out of pocket to keep a part of the music scene alive at the time.
Playing with folks like Kirk Joseph and Paul Sanchez in 2006, Alex McMurray grew to know Chickie Wah Wah and Triguero very well.
“I remember thinking this is never going to work,” said McMurray, “It was right after Katrina and that part of town was like a wasteland… But this crazy club opened up and it was like going to the moon.”
McMurray continued to play at Chickie Wah Wah for several years as part of many different bands and eventually solo as well. During that time, he witnessed how Triguero built the space. Pulling from his preference for music that told stories, Triguero curated a style of music that didn’t have a consistent home in the city. McMurray described him as a “stocky New Yorker with a ‘take no shit’ persona but a creamy vanilla center.”
Chickie Wah Wah. Photo by Paul Costello.
His softer qualities came out in his music tastes and his attention to detail, guiding Chickie Wah Wah’s growth from a neighborhood dive bar to a high-quality listening room. Beyond the music, the bar’s location just off Canal’s streetcar line made it a tourist stop. Older adult crowds were also attracted to the venue thanks to its listening room set-up, clean bathrooms and parking lot.
“He loved maintaining the facility, but when people would come, it kind of ruined it for him,” McMurray explained, “One time, he had a party of 50 people coming, so Dale [Triguero] had all the tables and chairs arranged with everything all spotless and perfect. He went to unlock the door and he said to Paul [Sanchez, another regular musician], ‘This is the part I hate the most.'”
Although Triguero didn’t always like people and could be abrasive with his perfectionism, his attention to detail earned the venue a reputation as one of the most musically consistent and comfortable venues in town. It grew into a hub for roots music, singer-songwriters and music lovers living in Mid-City.
“It only took him about 12 years to warm up to me,” McMurray said, “He was a notorious shit about who could use the piano… there’s a whole lot of musicians who wouldn’t talk anything nice about the guy but in the end, he was pretty harmless.”
When Triguero passed away, the venue fell to his family’s estate and eventually changed hands. But the legacy of the venue impacted 20 members of the community enough that they agreed to purchase it for over $900,000 as co-owners.
“I never had a particular desire to own a music club but I always loved the place,” said Patrick Templeman, one of the co-owners, “I really liked what Dale [Triguero] had going on there … When I heard the tragic news that he had passed away, I said to myself that if nobody else will help this club continue on then I’ll raise my hand and help. But I wasn’t the only person that felt that way.”
The new owners have been busy upgrading the venue over the summer, replacing the sound system and lights. In addition, they’ve expanded the floor space by removing the kitchen and have expanded the bar menu to include more cocktails, local beers and wine.
“We have various owners who have various talents,” Templeman said.
Different skill sets from the new owners have allowed the venue to return with experts in IT, AV, graphic design and music business leading the way.
“It’s a significant undertaking which makes what Dale did so impressive that he did all himself pretty much,” Templeman said.
A local residing in Mid-City, Templeman has booked the grand reopening show with the vision of a Mid-City celebration. It will feature a second line with Big Six Brass Band, the Warren Easton Marching Band and a show highlighting Mid-City-based acts Johnny Sansone, Johnny Vidacovich, James Singleton, Rob Wagner, rock band Greazy Alice and hip-hop group SaxKixAve. Tickets to the event are available here.
Chickie Wah Wah has several events planned for the next two months including a performance featuring McMurray on December 9, the return of John Prine-apalooza and a “Donna’s revisited” celebration remembering the defunct venue with free red beans and trad jazz. For more information on upcoming events, visit Chickie Wah Wah’s website.
