Country Roads September 2020 "Performing Arts" Issue

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Aug. 1 - Sept. 30, 2020

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Contents

SEPTEMBER 2020

Events

Features

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24

A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER

Invitations to join in as a new kind of audience

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VO LU M E 37 // I SS U E 0 9

27 30

REFLECTIONS

by James Fox-Smith

NEWS & NOTEWORTHIES

Publisher

THE FUTURE FOR PERFORMING ARTS

James Fox-Smith

Associate Publisher

What is Louisiana without live entertainment?

Ashley Fox-Smith

by Lauren Heffker

Managing Editor

BACH TO SCHOOL

Jordan LaHaye

Kids’ Orchestra continues to enrich young lives through music education

by Jordan LaHaye

THE LOST PERFORMANCES Honoring the work and art of regional dance companies in the age of COVID-19

by Jordan LaHaye & Raegan Labat

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“The idea,” explained Tianna Pourciau Sykes, “was to start a new dance company that would tell the stories of Louisiana through dance.” Set to debut in Fall 2020, NOLA Contemporary Ballet company had plans for dramatic evocations of Marie Laveau, of Louisiana’s wetlands, of French Quarter second lines, mystical ghosts, and—in the production titled “Requiem,” of Roman Catholic funeral rites. Of course, like so much of Louisiana’s rich—if fragile—performing arts industry, the company was unable to meet an audience anywhere in this 2020th year of COVID-19. In our photo essay, “The Lost Performances,” on page 30, photographer Raegan Labat captures momentary essences of the works five of our regional dance companies had prepared for us this year, which have had to be retooled or shelved as a result of the pandemic, the toll of which to the entire performing arts industry in Louisiana—as is explored in Lauren Heffker’s story on page 24—is greater than we could have imagined. In this unprecendented performing arts issue, we hope to honor the great work of our artists while shining an honest light on the plight they now face. Who are we, after all, in this South Louisiana region, without our dancers, our musicians, our storytellers, our joie de vivre?

Cuisine

Culture

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40

LITTLE FREDDIE KING Eighty years young, the musician knows well the art of keepin’ on.

by Jason Christian

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HOUSE OF MUSIC

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Live performance, refurbished instruments, and vinyl—a triune haven for music lovers in Baton Rouge

by Kristen Kirschner

WILL WESLEY

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The story of a Baton Rouge bluesman

by Tom Scarborough

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Contributors:

Chris, Briscoe, Jason Christian, Kristen Kirschner, Raegan Labat, Kimberly Meadowlark, Tom Scarborough

Raegan Labat

Photo by Raegan Labat

by Alexandra Kennon

Creative Director

Cover Artist

“REQUIEM”: HANNAH BAHNEY

On the Tchefuncte River, Chef Michael Gottlieb debuts two new restaurant concepts

Alexandra Kennon

Kourtney Zimmerman

On the Cover

TCHEFUNCTE’S GOT TASTE

Arts & Entertainment Editor

Escapes

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MORE TO MORGANZA

Revitalization efforts breathe life into this sleepy town.

by Alexandra Kennon

54

PERSPECTIVES Beauty in the Mundane: Inside Jacob Mitchell’s Photographic Worlds

Sales Team

Heather Gammill & Heather Gibbons

Custom Content Coordinator

Lauren Heffker

Advertising Coordinator

Baylee Zeringue

President

Dorcas Woods Brown

Country Roads Magazine 758 Saint Charles Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Phone (225) 343-3714 Fax (815) 550-2272 EDITORIAL@COUNTRYROADSMAG.COM WWW.COUNTRYROADSMAG.COM

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Country Roads Supper Club returns with "Beyond the Boat" — a progressive seafood tasting tour and seated dinner designed to showcase the bounty of fresh Louisiana seafood, and the creativity and resilience of those who bring it to us.

• 7 Acres of Socially Distanced Splendor Guests will explore Houmas House's exquisite 30,000-square-foot gardens, discovering Seafood Tasting Stations presented by celebrated Louisiana chefs • Seafood Supper on the Lawn Guests will be seated out-of-doors, at tables spread across Houmas House’s sweeping lawns, for a 3-Course Seafood Feast by Houmas House Executive Chef Jeremy Langlois • Raise a Glass (or Two) All courses paired with notable wines and creative cocktails provided by Constellation Brands • Join Us! For an unforgettable outdoor evening of fresh air, fine food & wine, amid glorious gardens

Tickets on sale at // S E P 2 0

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Reflections FROM THE PUBLISHER

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omething about which my wife and I tend to agree is that our family should eat dinner together as often as possible. Before covid, when the kids were still living normal, overscheduled teenaged lives (they’re fifteen and seventeen), getting everyone to the same table at the same time on a nightly basis was proving difficult.

But now, with few other places to be but home, there is rarely a good excuse for either of them not to be with us for dinner. This is good.

Much has been written about the benefits of eating together as a family, among them being a tendency for kids to develop healthier eating habits; lower incidences of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse; a stronger sense of belonging; improvements in self-esteem; and unsurprisingly, the development of better communication skills. One thing it does not seem to improve is comic timing. As they’ve gotten older and their senses of humor bawdier, and without any other audience at the moment, the kids seem to be treating family dinnertime as a beta-testing site for comic routines—gauging how

badly they freak their parents out before rolling them out on social media.

Charles, especially, relishes dramatically presenting bizarre adolescent memes or incomprehensible song lyrics chosen to provoke maximum parental anxiety, then carefully analyzing various family members’ responses to determine their efficacy. Watching this “performance” puts me in mind of all the sociallydistanced performances I’ve watched or listened to since the pandemic began.

You know: the ones with awkward silences where the audience applause and laughter used to be. From virtual concerts to radio comedy to political convention speeches, I had never really considered the fundamental importance of the relationship between performer and audience, and between individual members of the audience, until that audience was gone.

I am no scientist, but it occurs to me that much as the act of gathering for dinner creates social cohesion within a family, so too does gathering for a performance create cohesion within society. Whether the event is musical, theatrical, sporting, political, or religious hardly seems to matter. The important

thing is that any kind of performance provides an invitation to join a group of people united in shared appreciation for the event at hand. It acts as a kind of filtering mechanism, drawing a disparate group of people together out of our large, diverse, pluralistic society and showing them what they have in common. It reminds us that, in our love for this, whatever it may be, we are not alone.

This goes both ways. Performers need audiences too. Just as our kids use our feedback at the dinner table to finetune their routines, so do musicians, comedians, and politicians need the feedback of their fans to make their performances complete. What’s a joke without laughter? An applause line without applause? A touchdown without the cheering? The “being there” makes us into participants, not onlookers, reflecting energy back to the performers in the form of appreciation. Everyone benefits when this feedback loop is

complete.

We’re now living in the unwanted experiment that asks the question: What happens when a society is deprived of the opportunity to gather to experience live performance? The good news is that performing arts organizations are a creative lot, and they’ve come up with all sorts of ways to bring stages and spectators together across the digital divide. Since fall traditionally marks the beginning of a new season in the arts, we’ve been devoting the September issue of Country Roads to coverage of the performing arts for more than twenty years. This year is no different.

This month we explore the ways in which the performers and performing arts organizations of Louisiana and Mississippi are rising to the challenge, coming up with diverse, effective, and beautiful ways of reaching their audiences, wherever they are. As they persevere, experiment, and evolve, it falls to us as audience members to sign in, show up, and offer our support until we can gather again. I’m not sure what the alternative looks like, but I suspect it might be the societal equivalent of eating microwaved ramen noodles alone in your bedroom.

—James Fox-Smith, publisher

hospitality you can live with

NATCHEZ

On the Patio or Porch? Around the Pool? In the Sunroom or Kitchen?

What does your hospitality look like?

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31 Montebello

209 Arlington

202 Dana Road

406 Orleans

111 Stuart

910 Main

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Radio Radio WRKF/WWNO

CAFÉ

LOUISIANA

NPR’s biggest names, with local hosts, taking your questions live. Listen at 12 noon on 89.3 WRKF or at WRKF.org.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 10 AT NOON Steve Inskeep host of NPR’s Morning Edition

THURSDAY, SEPT. 17 AT NOON Nina Totenberg

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25 AT NOON Peter Sagal host of Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!

Share your questions at WRKF.org/radiocafe.

In honor of our stations’ founders.

Each program will be rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Noteworthy

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CURIOSITIES

LO O K C LO S E R

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West Side Story

A QUARANTINE PROJECT TURNED ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION, COMING SOON TO THE WEST BATON ROUGE MUSEUM

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month into the “new normal” of isolation this spring, Founder of the River Road African American Museum and current Director of Interpretation for the West Baton Rouge Museum Kathe Hambrick pulled out her record collection. “I was just going crazy,” she said. “And it just happens that Bill Summers, Leo Nocentelli, and Don Vappie were some of the music I was listening to.”

Close friends with all of them, Hambrick met these Louisiana music legends while curating the Rural Roots of Jazz exhibit, which has been on display at the River Road African American Museum for fifteen years. “I called them on the phone just to see how they were doing,” Hambrick said. The cancelation of Jazz Fest had just been announced; devastating news for most Louisiana musicians. She was happy to learn that

her friends were healthy and doing as well as could be expected, and eventually the conversation drifted to their family ties in the Donaldsonville area. “I told them, ‘Hold on, wait a minute. Let’s see if I can get a videographer. We’ve gotta figure out how to social distance, so I can capture this interview on video.’”

In no time, Hambrick had secured a videographer from the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, who agreed to collaborate with her on the project.

In the oral history interviews, collectively titled “The Rural Roots of Jazz,” and available for free on YouTube, Bill Summers, Don Vappie, Marshall Cooper, Leon Nocentelli, and other musical icons from the west side of the Mississippi tell stories of their childhoods, families, early music careers, and more. Despite the social distance, the conversations are intimate and touch on everything from preparation of family meals to facing racial tensions to

childhood hijinks. Off to an auspicious start, the “Rural Roots of Jazz” online interviews will now expand to encompass the “Rural Roots of Music,” in collaboration with the West Baton Rouge Museum: including artists from country, Cajun, blues, and bluegrass genres, in addition to jazz. “We’re not talking about Cajun music in Lafayette, we’re not talking about the blues of Mississippi, we’re not talking about the jazz of New Orleans,” Hambrick explained. “We’re talking about those musicians living today in the rural parishes on the west bank of the river, who have roots tied to the river parishes.”

Hambrick sought a way for the two museums on the west side of the river to collaborate. The bridge, it turns out, is music: “There’s all this music between us,” Hambrick explained. According to Director of the West Baton Rouge Museum Angélique Bergeron, the “Rural Roots of Music” interview series

will be released ahead of Sugar Fest, which will take place virtually this year on October 3 and 4, featuring more long-form interviews and music sets. The comprehensive “Rural Roots of Music” oral history collection will undoubtedly continue to serve as a valuable contribution to Louisiana’s music history archives for generations to come. “It was really a result of me being quarantined and pulling out old record albums and just calling a few friends,” Hambrick said. “That’s how it all started.”

Search “Rural Roots of Jazz” on YouTube to watch the interviews, and keep up with the museums’ websites for more information on the “Rural Roots of Music” interviews as they unfold:

africanamericanmuseum.org westbatonrougemuseum.org.

—Alexandra Kennon

How Does Your Garden Grow?

GARDENERS BY THE THOUSANDS DIG UP LSU AGCENTER ONLINE COURSES

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ith time seeming more arbitrary than ever, April sometimes feels like yesterday: temperate spring weather and mounting pressure to develop a productive hobby from the safety of home. Unsurprisingly, gardening was—and is—at the top of the quarantine activity docket for many. In response, horticulturists from LSU’s AgCenter were inspired to offer a Home Gardening Certificate Course online. “We thought, ‘We can do this,’” said Horticulture Agent Chris Dunaway, “‘We can make a class.’”

Dunaway, along with AgCenter Horticulture Agents Anna Timmerman and Joe Willis, did just that. Beginning in early June, both novice and experienced gardeners could sign up for a ten-week series of online classes, entirely free of charge. The horticulture agents, who serve Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, and St. 8

Charles Parishes in the Greater New Orleans area, thought the courses might garner around two-hundred-fifty participants. When the first session took place not even ten days later, over 25,000 individuals had signed up. Eventually, that number increased to 35,000; since then, even more.

Interest in the online program made its way to Mississippi, then Alabama, and eventually as far as New Jersey and Michigan. “We even have foreign students,” Willis said. Particularly in Australia, which has a similar climate to Louisiana, gardeners have made use of the virtual green thumb braintrust.

Nearly as comprehensive as inperson Master Gardener Classes, lessons include labs to be completed in the garden, as well as lectures. “We started with the basics—soils and botany— and went on from there,” Willis said.

Participants not only varied widely in horticultural skill-level, but in age: the thousands of students who partook

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ranged from children to the elderly.

COVID-19 has provided good reason for many to learn new and often unexpected skills, whether in creating online content or helping plant life flourish. If you missed out on the initial rush, not to worry: the last online gardening class wrapped up mid-August, and all courses are currently available online. A Master Gardener Certification class, both in-person at Burden in Baton

Rouge and online via live stream, is set to begin on September 1 for those looking to raise the floral ante even further.

To access the Home Gardening Certificate Courses: bit.ly/GNOhomegardening To register for the Fall Master Gardener Certification Courses:

bit.ly/ebrmastergardener.application.

—Alexandra Kennon

A Deeper South Still

NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR RICHARD GRANT TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO NATCHEZ

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hen New York Times best-selling author Richard Grant first visited Natchez, the Mississippi he found there was not the one he thought he had come to know, the one he described in his 2015 memoir Dispatches from Pluto, which chronicled the author’s experiences trading a tiny New York City apartment for a 1915 farmhouse outside the flyspeck community of Pluto, Mississippi. The nuanced, affectionate portrait Grant drew of Pluto, its people, and the rich oftmisunderstood Delta culture that surrounds it, made Dispatches the bestselling book in Mississippi for two years and won its author a Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize.

In Natchez, Grant found a different Mississippi—a place of faded fortunes and deteriorating mansions; where race relations are complex, eccentricity is elevated to an art form, and a cryogenically frozen relic of high society still celebrating the Old South in hoopskirts and Confederate

uniforms co-exists with a community progressive enough to elect a gay black man for mayor with ninety-one percent of the vote. Confronted by this maze of contradictions, Grant was already thinking about another Mississippi book when he met members of an armed African-American self-defense group that faced down the Klan here in the Sixties, and learned of the West African prince sold into slavery before being freed by President John Quincy Adams.

That Mississippi is the subject of Grant’s new book, The Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi. It will be released on September 1.

The Deepest South of All is a different animal from Grant’s previous books, explained the author by phone from Tucson, Arizona, where he now lives.

“This book is episodic, with alternate chapters about my experiences in Natchez interspersed with episodes from Ibrahima’s life.” He’s talking about Abdulrahman Ibrahim Ibn Sori, the African prince and Emir who was captured in Guinea in 1788, sold to British slavers, and ultimately enslaved by a Natchez cotton plantation owner named Thomas Foster for almost forty

years. Between the chapters about Ibrahima, who rose to a position of overseer of the plantation, married a fellow slave, and fathered a large family—the descendants of whom still live in Natchez—the book recounts the author’s experiences mingling with the diverse cast of characters who call Natchez home today. These include: descendants of both Ibrahima and of Foster; society grande dames who own the antebellum mansions for which the town is famous, who continue to dress in hoopskirts and open their homes to visitors for the biannual Natchez Pilgrimages; members of feuding garden clubs who remain at loggerheads over depictions of antebellum life at the annual Natchez pageant; founders of the Deacons of Defense—an African American paramilitary organization that still meets regularly; and members of a prominent and progressive gay community striving to remake Natchez into an attractive destination in a postplantation-tourism world. “The overall theme is that of a deeply Southern town finally struggling to confront the legacy of slavery,” said Grant. “And to confront change. The weight of history is so heavy.

I’m trying to suggest that Natchez is still living in the shadow of slavery.”

Like his time in Pluto, Grant finds there’s much to miss about Natchez now that he’s moved on. “I miss the conviviality,” he observed, “and the storytelling. When the booze is flowing and the stories are getting more and more funny. I did a lot of laughing at the stories people told.” Asked whether he anticipated still being welcome in Natchez after The Deepest South of All makes its debut, he said, “That’s a very good question. I imagine that I’ve made some enemies. But I couldn’t tell you who that might be. I can’t help hoping Natchez likes the book, because I like Natchez.”

The Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi goes on sale September 1. On August 31, all are welcome to join a virtual book launch and discussion with authors Richard Grant and Greg Isles (also of Natchez), hosted by Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi.

squarebooks.com/event/ deepest-south-all-richardgrant-and-greg-iles —James Fox-Smith

50th Anniversary Exhibition Series A Yardman's Art:The Inspiration of Steele Burden September 18 - November 20, 2020 • 8:00am to 5:00pm

This exhibition will explore Steele Burden's sculpture, paintings and use of his art to enhance the themes of the LSU Rural Life Museum.

Regular admission prices charged.

*Harvest Days Saturday, October 3, 2020 • 8:00am to 5:00pm

Living history demonstrations will interpret activities that took place on Louisiana farms and plantations during harvest time in the 1800's.

Regular admission prices charged.

*Event dates and times are subject to change due to COVID-19

LOCATED AT BURDEN MUSEUM AND GARDENS OPEN DAILY 8:00–5:00 • I-10 AT ESSEN LANE, BATON ROUGE, LA FOR MORE INFO CALL (225) 765-2437 OR VISIT WWW.RURALLIFE.LSU.EDU // S E P 2 0

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Events

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HERE WE

ARE

AT SUMMER’S END—WITH

M U S I C , L O C A L H I S T O R Y, A N D

A R T A N YW H E R E

PERFORMANCES, ART SHOWS, LIVE

MORE—FOR YOU, OUR

FRIEND

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A father and his son admire a sculpture by artist Frank Hayden, on display now at LASM. September brings gallery openings galore, but don’t forget to check our online events page at countryroadsmag.com for more continually running exhibits, event updates, and more. Photo courtesty of LASM.

UNTIL

SEP 7th

MOVIE MAGIC GREYHOUND

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

If you’re a World War II buff and/or Tom Hanks fan, you’ve likely already seen the feature film Greyhound streaming on AppleTV+. This period drama, based on novel The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester, featuring none other than Tom Hanks as Navy Commander Ernest Krause, and was filmed right in Baton Rouge on the USS Kidd. Now that the film is released for streaming, the USS Kidd/ Veteran’s museum is offering a more tangible exhibition featuring one of Hanks’ costumes, along with several props used during filming. The exhibition is currently available for viewing with regular museum admission during the museum’s typical hours of 9:30 am—3:30 pm. For more information, visit usskidd.com or phone them at (225) 342-1942 . k

UNTIL SEP

13th

GOOD EATS COOLINARY NEW ORLEANS New Orleans, Louisiana

Now perhaps more than ever, supporting

local restaurants is crucial to their survival. COOLinary, a program started

by New Orleans & Company, always encourages restaurant patronage this time of year with special offers, menus, and discounts. Now it’s back in a large way, with the exciting new addition of take-out options for those still hesitant of dining in. A broad array of fine dining and casual restaurants alike are participating this year, offering great deals and excuses to skip cooking for all tastes. Classic staples such as Galatoire’s, Brennan’s, and Court of Two Sisters are partaking; as well as modern favorites like Toups Meatery, The Munch Factory, and Meauxbar. For a full listing of participating restaurants and their tempting, discounted menus, visit neworleans.com/coolinary. k

UNTIL SEP

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PICTURE PERFECT NEW PHOTOGRAPHY: CREATE, COLLECT, COMPILE New Orleans, Louisiana

In less than twenty years, the cultural concept of a photograph has evolved to something almost— almost—unre cognizable. What was once a private, treasured, physical object is now a public, ubiquitous

tool. Photographs are simultaneously less real—in terms of physicality and of authentic representations of a moment— and more directly a medium through which we perceive, and construct, our reality. In the New Orleans Museum of Art’s exhibition New Photography: Create, Collect, Compile, four photographers engage and critique the new world of photographs. Collectively asserting that photography today currently exists as a kind of open-source language, the four artists use various approaches to exploring the new aspects of creation, collection, and compilation when it comes to narratives of identity, community, and power. This month is the last chance to check it out. noma.org . k

UNTIL SEP

19th

ART SHOW MALAIKA FAVORITE: THE ALCHEMIST Lafayette, Louisiana

In an exhibition at the Hilliard University Art Museum, artist Malaika Favorite’s depictions of living scenes—typically recollecting days inhabited by her ancestors, working in the sugarcane fields—burst and bustle with her signature sense of // S E P 2 0

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Events

Beginning September 1st

energy. Integrating elements of folk and contemporary art in a sort of alchemy, Favorite’s found object paintings are both down to earth and elevated, relatable and mystical. Often painting on washboards rather than canvases, she has long been concerned with humanity and its symbols. The washboards represent the labor and the intimacy of her ancestors, of her grandmother and her aunt who worked as laundresses while her mother ran the household, layers and layers of country, faith, memory, and racism. hilliardmuseum.org. k

UNTIL SEP

26th

ART SHOW ELIZABETHAN GALLERY SUMMER ART SHOW Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Each summer the Elizabethan Gallery showcases works by the talented artists of the Associated Women in the Arts. For the 33rd anniversary this year, the theme is “Blue Skies and Happy Memories,” which are certainly always welcome.

Images of Baton Rouge and other landscapes throughout the South, as well as waterscapes, plant life, and historic

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architecture will be highlighted in the exhibition via various mediums. Works

by Virginia Donner, Kathy Daigle, Kay Wallace, Claire Wilson, Pat Wattam, Kay Lusk, and many other local artists will be included. Select works will be available for sale, as well. The gallery asks kindly that attendees wear masks. 11 am–5 pm. Free. lizgalry@bellsouth.net . k

UNTIL SEP

27th

EXHIBIT VAN GOGH, MONET, DEGAS, AND THEIR TIMES Jackson, Mississippi

The seventeenth presentation in the Annie Laurie Swaim Hearin Memorial Exhibition Series is Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, and Their Times. The Mellon Collection of French Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts showcases French Impressionist paintings, along with masterpieces from every important school of French art—from Romanticism through to the School of Paris, all at the Mississippi Museum of Art. The exhibition includes works by Pierre Bonnard, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Henri Rousseau,

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PHOTO

Mignon Faget designs like this Symmetry Almond Pearl Chained Necklace are now on display at the West Baton Rouge Museum (see pg. 13). Photo courtesy of the West Baton Rouge Museum.

and Vincent van Gogh. $15 per person; $13 for seniors and groups of ten-plus; $10 for college students with ID; Free for members, children age five and younger, and for K-12 students on Tuesdays and Thursdays. msmuseumart.org. k

UNTIL SEP

30th

ART SHOW OPENING OF HBCU ART SHOWCASE Online

For the seventh consecutive year, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art has teamed up with Xavier University and

The Links, Incorporated to present The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Art Showcase. This curated exhibition of art by eleven artists who attend Xavier will not only be on display at the Ogden later this fall, but is currently available online, too. Featured artists this year include: Kennedi Andrus, Allana Barefield, KaLya Ellis, Barriane Franks, Lauren Gray, Ashley A. Miller, Reid Hobson-Powell, La’Shance Perry, Makeda Wells, Bryce Williams and Maliya Vaughan. Find the exhibit and more information about the artists and their work online at ogdenmuseum.org. k

UNTIL SEP

30th

PICTURE PERFECT WHAT IS FRENCH IN LOUISIANA Online

Creole or Cajun (and don’t get ‘em confused, now), Louisiana’s culture is heavily rooted in the French language in various forms. In recognition of this, New Orleans Photo Alliance, the French Chamber of Commerce, the Alliance Française, the French Consulate of New Orleans, and The Historic New Orleans Collection present the online exhibition What is French in Louisiana.

Photographers from across the state have answered this question in their photos, since a picture is worth a thousand words (in this case, the words they depict are “en Français”). View the exhibit for free online at neworleansphotoalliance.org. k

UNTIL SEP

30th

GREEN THUMBS 2020 VIRTUAL HORTICULTURE FIELD DAY BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA Like many folks, the pandemic has inspired the staff of the LSU AgCenter to get creative with their programming.

One big way they’re doing that is by bringing their horticultural research right to home computers statewide with a Virtual Horticulture Field Day, broadcast on YouTube from the Hammond Research Station. Join horticulture specialist Jeb Fields and other AgCenter staff members on garden tours, plant-care lectures, and plenty more—anytime, anywhere. lsuagcenter.com. k

UNTIL DEC

13

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EXHIBIT CAPITOL CITY CONTEMPORARY 5: WATER Baton Rouge, Louisiana

If there’s something we have plenty of in Louisiana, it’s water. It comes as no surprise that the many waterways of our state have provided inspiration to countless artists of the past and present, hence the theme of this year’s Capitol City Contemporary exhibition. Works by twelve artists from around the state are featured. “At once risky and nourishing, water dictates life in Louisiana”—in this case, it dictates art, as well. On display in the Colonnade Gallery. lasm.org. k

UNTIL DEC

31st

MUSIC HISTORY RURAL ROOTS OF JAZZ Online

In a vibrant online exhibition from the River Road African American Museum, the stories of River Parish and Donaldsonville musicians the likes of Don Vappie, Bill Summers, and Leo Nocentelli

are presented by the fellows themselves.

In documentary-style interviews sure to join the finest oral history archives of our state, each musician discusses their roots, their careers, and their music. africanamericanmuseum.org.

Read more about the Rural Roots of Jazz in our Noteworthies section on page 8. k

UNTIL JAN

3rd

DESIGN ON DISPLAY THE COLLECTIBLE LIFE OF MIGNON FAGET Port Allen, Louisiana

Mignon Faget’s name and designs are prolific throughout Louisiana, with many private collectors of her work.

Despite this, there has never been a comprehensive exhibit displaying these private collections—until now. Titled The Collectible Life of Mignon Faget, this exhibit at the West Baton Rouge Museum will feature over eighty of Mignon Faget’s designs, curated entirely from personal collections, including many rare and vintage pieces. Admission will be limited to accommodate social distancing guidelines, and masks are required inside the building. Mignon Faget designs, including home ware and jewelry, will be available in the gift shop. To allow ample opportunity for patrons to view the exhibit, it will be on display until January 3, 2021. k

SEP 1st - SEP 30th

COCKTAIL HOUR SAZERAC HOUSE COCKTAIL WORKSHOPS Online

Get your cocktail shaker ready: The Sazerac House Museum in New Orleans is hosting a series of educational virtual happy hours this fall. Savor a refreshing Southern classic cocktail without worrying about a designated driver, as the event will take place online; hosted by drinks historians and house distillers and cocktail experts of the highest degree.

Cocktail kits available for curbside pickup. Events begin at 5 pm. All participants must be 21.

• September 1: Walking with Whiskey; Free • September 2: Old Fashioned Virtual Tasting; Free • September 8: Drink & Learn: Ice and Its Influence; $35 per kit • September 9: “Gold Rush” Virtual Seminar; Free.

• September 16: Eastern Sour Virtual Tasting; Free • September 22: Cocoa and Cocktails: Bourbon; $40 per kit • September 23: Revolver Virtual Tasting; Free • September 30: Maple Leaf Virtual Tasting; Free. sazerachouse.com. k // S E P 2 0

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Events

Beginning September 1st - September 9th SEP 2nd - SEP 16th

PICTURE PERFECT EYE WANDER BEGINNER PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Professional photographer Aaron with Eye Wander Photography is offering beginner photography classes for aspiring shutterbugs. Wednesday classes will be held in the Eye Wander studio, and the Sunday class will be a “Photo Field Trip” to the Rural Life Museum to hone participants’ skills out in the wide, photogenic world.

Wednesday in-studio classes are from 5:30 pm–9 pm, the Sunday “Field Trip” class is 9 am–11:30 am. $400. Email hello@eyewanderphoto to register. k

SEP 2nd - SEP 30th

WINE & DINE NEW ORLEANS WINE & FOOD EXPERIENCE SUMMER WINE DINNER SERIES New Orleans, Louisiana

Because the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience had to cancel its usual festival this year due to COVID-19, in the festival’s stead the group has curated several special wine dinners throughout the summer, ending this month. Dinner dates not yet sold-out include: • Wednesday, September 2: Justine, "Old World-New World Challenge—Wines of Burgundy, California, and Oregon". (504) 218-8533.

• Wednesday, September 9: Ralph’s on the Park featuring La Crema Winery (504) 488-1000.

• Wednesday, September 23: Café Reconcile featuring Hendrick’s Gin. (504) 934-1946.

• Wednesday, September 23: The Bower featuring K Vintners. (504) 582-9738.

• Wednesday, September 30: Domenica featuring Banfi Wines of Italy. (504) 6486020.

Dinners will be served adhering to all safety protocols. Start times and prices vary by restaurant. Reservations made directly with each restaurant by phone. nowfe.com. k

SEP 4th - SEP 5th

FUN FUNDRAISER DERBY DAY FOR GAITWAY Online

Get out the bourbon and don your best hat! For the fifth year, GaitWay Therapeutic Horsemanship hosts its fabulous Kentucky Derby fundraiser—this time virtually. Tune in on September 4 and 5 for contests, raffles, auctions, and all 14

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the thrill and decadence of the Kentucky Derby—from the comfort and safety of your own home. All proceeds will go towards the therapeutic services offered by GaitWay. gaitway.org. k

SEP 5th - SEP 6th

ANTIQUING ANTIQUES AND UNIQUES FESTIVAL Covington, Louisiana

Two days of pure, unabashed eclecticism await. Antique furnishings, period collectibles, random knickknacks, and adorable hats. The Covington Heritage Foundation’s Antiques & Uniques Festival returns for the sixth year, featuring the exciting addition of the St. Tammany Association’s Art Market, which will display locally-made fine art, jewelry, photography, paintings, woodwork, fiber art, pottery, and more. Per phase two guidelines, masks will be required for all attendees, who will also be asked to maintain social distancing measures. 10 am–5 pm Saturday and Sunday at the Covington Trailhead. covingtonheritagefoundation.com. k

SEP 5th - SEP 30th ART SHOW LOUISIANA WILD New Orleans, Louisiana

Baton Rouge native and artist Elayne Kuehler is known for her plein air paintings and still lifes, which colorfully capture the beauty of the Louisiana landscape. Her work will be on display this month at Gallery 600. Exhibition opens September 5, with a sociallydistanced artist reception from 4 pm–7 pm. gallery600julia.com. k

SEP 5th - FEB 7th

EXHIBIT LOUISIANA CONTEMPORARY New Orleans, Louisiana

The Ogden Museum of Southern Art will once again produce its state-wide, juried exhibition, Louisiana Contemporary, curated for its ninth year by René Morales, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Chief Curator at Pérez Art Museum Miami. The comprehensive exhibit features fifty-six artists commenting on everything from the trauma of the pandemic to the ongoing struggle for justice and reform, all through the lens of their Louisiana culture. Morales has selected works submitted by Louisiana artists, choosing four award winners to receive further recognition. ogdenmuseum.org.

Read more about one of the exhibit's featured artists, photographer Jacob Mitchell, in this

Those who want to focus on improving their photography skills can register for a beginner photography class with Aaron from Eye Wander Photography (see pg. 14). Photo courtesy of Eye Wander Photography.

month's "Perspectives" column on page 54. k

SEP 7th - SEP 9th

PARLEZ VOUS LEARN FRENCH WITH ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE Online Starting in September, the knowledge hungry (or even the knowledge curious ...) can dive into the language of the ancestors.

Alliance Française Lafayette is offering lessons in the language of romance ranging from beginner to advanced, Cajun to Creole, group to private. There is even an immersion course designed to help parents turn the home into a tiny corner of Paris.

All courses are online, with classes held weekly for eight weeks. Visit aflafayette.org for prices and dates. k

SEP 8th - SEP 15th

FUN & GAMES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS AT THE LIBRARY Galvez, Louisiana Calling all warlocks, paladins, and wizards: Dungeons & Dragons is coming to the Ascension Parish Library. Whether you're an experienced dungeons master or still level one, all are invited to create a character and participate in a book-themed adventure campaign. All necessary supplies will be provided. Meetings will be at 6 pm. If you are interested in joining the campaign, call the library to register at (225) 622-3339. myapl.org. k

SEP 8th - JAN 9th

ART SHOW ART EXHIBITIONS AT THE GLASSELL GALLERY Baton Rouge, Louisiana

In September, three exhibitions open at LSU School of Art’s Glassell Gallery.

Don’t forget to stop by on your next stroll through downtown Baton Rouge.

• September 8–11: Doctor in Design and Cultural Preservation student Theodoros Bargiotas has conceptualized a universe in which a “Digital Messiah” is the world’s only connection to its humanity, endlessly wandering through a virtual desert. The exhibit, titled The Digital Messiah, explores this concept via charcoal drawings, contemporary icons, oil paintings, and digital paintings on wood.

• September 15–January 9: The work of the talented professors who instill their skills and creativity into the next generation of fine artists will display their own recent works they’ve created outside of the classroom.

• September 22–November 24: MFA Thesis exhibition by Chris Burns titled Sodium Vapor, with guest artist Tamrin Ingram. design.lsu.edu/student-life/galleries/ glassell-gallery. k

SEP 9th

LOCAL HISTORY RESEARCHING SOPHIE: FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM Online

Madame Barbara Trevigne contributed to the earliest research on the lives of the enslaved people that lived and worked at the Hermann-Grima House in her article for the Genealogical Research Society of New Orleans titled, "SophieResident of the Hermann-Grima House (In Memory of Judith Bethea).” In this Gallier Gathering, Trevigne will discuss her article and the research process for piecing together the lives of those enslaved in New Orleans during the antebellum period. Trevigne received her Master’s in Social Science from Tulane University School of Social Work. She holds several professional licenses, is a New Orleans Tour Guide, and former docent of the Hermann-Grima house. Online; 6 pm–7 pm. Free. hgghh.org. k // S E P 2 0

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Fresh Air & Friendly Locals

Events

Beginning September 10th - September 18th

Striking black-and-white images are featured in Randy Roussel’s photography show The Year of No Azaleas, on display starting September 10 at Firehouse Gallery. Image courtesy of Firehouse Gallery.

SEP 10th

SEP 11th - SEP 13th

Online

New Orleans, Louisiana

The second Thursday of each month, the Friends of the Cabildo presents a book talk, now entirely virtually.

This month author Sandy Rosenthal presents a lecture on her book Words Whispered in Water: Why the Levees Broke in Hurricane Katrina. Described as, “a horror story, a mystery, and David & Goliath story all in one,” Rosenthal tells about her investigation into the true reason the levees broke following Hurricane Katrina, and her quest for accountability. 6 pm. Free. To register, email volunteers@friendsofthecabildo.org. k

Come bid on a plethora of period furniture, fine artwork, and other collectibles at the Neal Auction House Fall Estates Auction. Their expert curators have already found the treasures, come decide which you want to bring home. nealauction.com. k

BOOK TALK SECOND THURSDAY LECTURE: WORDS WHISPERED IN WATER

SEP RIDGELAND IS READY WHEN YOU ARE WITH • 25 Miles of Trails for Cycling, Walking, Running and Exploring • 105 Miles of Barnett Reservoir Shoreline • Natchez Trace Parkway National Park • Boutique Shopping, Outdoor Dining and Brand Hotels committed to safety pledges For more information about visiting Mississippi, explore visitmississippi.org, #VisitMsResponsibly Save the Date for October 10, 2020!

- Eurofest Automobile & Motorcycle Show - Natchez Trace Century Ride

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10th

- SEP

28th

PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW THE YEAR OF NO AZALEAS Baton Rouge, Louisiana

What is Louisiana without azaleas?

Well, quite a great deal still, and the theme will be explored in photographer Randy Roussel’s exhibition The Year of No Azaleas, opening this month at Firehouse Gallery. Each photograph featured in the exhibit will be for sale, with all proceeds going to the Cary Saurage Community Arts Center: the future home of the Arts Council, which will include a collaborative artist workspace, gallery, black box theatre, recording studio, rooftop terrace, and more. There will be a socially-distanced opening reception on September 10 from 4–6 pm, and thereafter the exhibit will be on display during gallery hours from 8:30 am–4:30 pm Monday–Friday, as well as Saturdays from noon–4 pm. artsbr.org. k

ANTIQUING NEAL AUCTION HOUSE FALL ESTATES AUCTION

SEP 11th - JUN 30th

LOCAL HISTORY ACADIAN BROWN COTTON: THE FABRIC OF ACADIANA Lafayette, Louisiana

Coton jaune, or Acadian brown cotton, is one of the idiosyncratic regional heirlooms the Nova Scotian exiles inherited when they chose South Louisiana as their home. An important facet of the region’s agricultural, economic, and anthropological history, brown cotton’s relics are today being reconsidered as revered cultural totems, and in some cases, works of art. A landmark exhibition synthesizing the crop’s influences from soil to craft to textiles, the Hilliard’s Acadian Brown Cotton: The Fabric of Acadiana is the most comprehensive project on the subject to date. Visitors will explore the genealogical value of passing craft from mother to daughter, learn about the process of weaving, and about the economic conditions of the region that spurred a revitalization of brown cotton weaving over the last century. Social documentary photographer Leah Greaff’s photographs offer a perspective on woven works in terms of artistic intention, symbolism, art as commodity, and distinctions between decorative and fine art. And finally, work by local weavers, including—Elaine Larcade Bourque, Austin Clark, Ben

Koch, Lena Kolb, LaChaun Moore, and Francis Pavy—will be displayed in an illustration of how craft traditions have gained symbolic relevance in the twentyfirst century. hilliardmuseum.org. k

SEP 12

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LOCAL HISTORY CAPITOL PARK WALKING TOUR Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Time travel through significant moments in Louisiana’s history with the Capitol Park Museum on this walking historical tour. The Old War Skule, the footprint of a Spanish Fort, the home of a former United States President, and other mysteries of the past will be uncovered on this ninety-minute walking tour that meets in the museum’s lobby at 9:30 am. Dress for warm weather, with good walking shoes. $10; free for Friends of the Capitol Park Museum. louisianastatemuseum.org. k

SEP 13th - OCT 11th ART SHOW LAMENTATIONS

New Orleans, Louisiana

Tina Freeman has spent the better part of a decade photographing the stark landscapes of two very different climates: the hot, sticky marshes and swamplands of Louisiana; and the frigid, icy glaciers of the Arctic. The juxtaposition weaves a story about climate change, ecology, and the inherent connectedness of the “Blue Marble” we call home. Her diptych series, titled Lamentations, will be on display at NOMA this fall. Find more information at NOMA.org. k

SEP 15th

ART & CRIME COUNTERFEIT CLEMENTINE HUNTER PAINTINGS INVESTIGATION Port Allen, Louisiana

Ever watched a true crime show and fancied yourself an ace detective? Ever seen a piece of art and wondered how to tell if it was a fake? If either of these applies to you, you’re on the right trail: the West Baton Rouge Museum is offering the opportunity to join FBI Special Agent Randolph Deaton for “An Evening of Art and Intrigue”: a discussion on counterfeit art, how it’s made, and how to identify it. Louisiana folk artist Clementine Hunter’s work is frequently counterfeited, and Agent Deaton is personally responsible for taking down one of the most prolific forgers of her work, making for the perfect case study to investigate. This after-hours event will take place from 6:30 pm–8:30 pm. Free. Visit the West Baton Rouge Museum Facebook Page for event details. k

SEP 17th - SEP 29th

BOOK TALK NOMA BOOK CLUB: THE FORGOTTEN ROOM New Orleans, Louisiana

Each month, bookworms gather at NOMA to discuss a different selection of literature in a way that is casual, fun, and also stimulating. This month fiction is on the docket, with the New York Times Bestselling novel by Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig: The Forgotten Room. Touching on moving themes of love and loss, this multigenerational romantic suspense covers more than half a century of women falling in love in the same room of the same house. Each of the three esteemed authors writes a different woman’s story. The monthly book discussions are organized by NOMA’s Felix J. Dreyfous Library, and are informal—those who have never been are welcome, and those who must leave the program early are, too. A curatorial program will be held September 17 from noon–1 pm, with the discussion of the book September 29 from noon–1pm. noma.org. k

SEP 17th - MAR 15th EXHIBIT THIS SAME DUSTY ROAD Baton Rouge, Louisiana

This month the LSU Museum of Art opens a new exhibition, presenting work by artist Letitia Huckaby titled This Same Dusty Road. Huckaby expresses family, faith, and Louisiana cultural heritage in the exhibition via her quilted photographic works.

Huckaby incorporates heirloom fabrics, photographs, and hand-quilting techniques to present the matriarchal legacy of her family and confront the inequities they have, and still, face.

In addition to family portraits, one series features the Sisters of the Holy Family Motherhouse, one of the earliest convents for African American women founded by Henriette DeLille as an alternative to entering a placage contract in 1842. A virtual artist talk featuring Huckaby in conversation with LSU MOA Curator Courtney Taylor will take place via Zoom on September 24 at 5:30 pm. lsumoa.org. k

SEP 18th - SEP 19th

LIVING WELL BIRTH & WELLNESS PAST AND PRESENT: CARING FOR WOMEN CREATING LIFE Port Allen, Louisiana

Childbirth can be a truly empowering, beautiful experience. Doula Nanette McCann helps countless women ensure that is the case, and continues to enlighten and empower mothers with // S E P 2 0

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Events

Beginning September 19th - September 28th a comprehensive retreat at the West Baton Rouge Museum. She will educate attendees on everything from the local history of birthing practices, to stress identification and relief, to tips on how to boost the immune system. Class size is limited, and paid registration of $65 in advance is required. For more information or to register, contact the WBR Museum: (225) 336-2422. westbatonrougemuseum.org. k

SEP

19th

CLASSIC CARS SPRING STREET FESTIVAL & CLASSIC CAR SHOW New Roads, Louisiana

The fun-lovin’ folks on False River postponed the spring event, and will now welcome fall with this eleventh annual antique car and motorcycle show that attracts upwards of three hundred vehicles amid a day of food, music, arts & crafts, children’s activities, and plenty of fall fever festivities. The car show is open to all categories of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, with top-fifty awards, mayor’s choice, and sponsors’ awards all up for grabs. 9 am–2 pm throughout downtown New Roads. Day-of registration only. newroadscarshow.com or (225) 638-5360. k

SEP

20th

GET CRAFTY BRACELET MAKING WORKSHOP Port Allen, Louisiana

5713 Superior Drive, Suite B-1 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70816

Plenty of us have fond memories of making friendship bracelets as kids.

Update and improve upon the nostalgic

fun with a class in high-quality, artisan bracelet-making with Pamela Smith of Writstful Thinking. Not only will you express your creativity and crafting prowess, but you’ll leave with your own custom-designed bracelet. Masks are required, and social distancing will be practiced at the free workshop. Space is limited, and advanced reservations are encouraged to insure a spot by calling (225)336-2422 Ext. 200. westbatonrougemuseum.org. k

SEP 24th

FUN FUNDRAISER OFF THE WALL Monroe, Louisiana

The Masur Museum’s annual fundraiser also functions as Monroe’s premiere silent auction of fine art, and one of the best arty parties around. Enjoy a special curated gallery of high-end art by local artists, a raffle for a live painting by Nicole Duet and for a Bon Voyage Trip (travel voucher worth up to $3,000), local eats, complimentary beer and wine, and live music provided by Mississippi roots artist Cary Hudson.

All in addition to a silent auction featuring artists local and beyond. 6 pm–9 pm. $50. masurmuseum.org. k

SEP 25th

FUN FUNDRAISER LASM’S H2O VIRTUAL GALA Online

Support the arts and sciences in Louisiana by attending LASM’s 35th annual gala, entirely virtually on Facebook Live. Auctions will take place

Heirloom fabrics, photographs, and a variety of mediums are utilized by artist Letitia Huckaby to depict the maternal legacy of her family in her exhibition This Same Dusty Road, on display now at the LSU Museum of Art. See event listing on Pg. 17. Image courtesy of the LSU MOA. 18

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August 30 and every Sunday in September leading up to the gala on September 25 and the silent auction will be open for online bidding beginning on September 20, until it closes the night of the gala.

The raffle winner of a diamond, quartz, and sapphire bracelet donated by Lee Michael’s Jewelry will also be drawn on the night of the main event; alongside live entertainment and messages from the museum’s supporters and sponsors. lasm. org/gala . k

SEP

26th

FUN FUNDRAISER RUNNING OF THE BULLS New Iberia, Louisiana

The excitement! The danger! The bloodshed! Okay, definitely not those last two—but excitement will certainly abound at La Asociación Española Nueva Iberia’s Running of the Bulls 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run. Usually held in spring in conjunction with El Festival Español de Nueva Iberia, the festival has been canceled due to the pandemic, but the action-packed race will go on. Race proceeds will be dedicated to New Iberia and Alhaurin de la Torre, its Spanish twin city, as well as Spain student program activities, and more.

Dogs are allowed to participate, so put some horns on your furry pal and run for a great cause. $30 to participate in the 5K for those over 15, $20 for 14 and under and for the 1-Mile Fun Run. Register at newiberiaspanishfestival.com. k

SEP

28th - OCT 2nd

ART ENRICHMENT 2020 LOUISIANA ARTS SUMMIT

The 2020 Louisiana Arts Summit will take place in small gatherings throughout the state, and online.Image courtesy of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge.

Enjoy an oasis in the heart of the city. Stroll through the beautiful gardens and walk the many trails of the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens and Windrush Gardens.

Step back in time to 19th century rural Louisiana at the open-air LSU Rural Life Museum.

Upcoming Events

Statewide

Just like artists to be creative with event planning: The 2020 Louisiana Arts Summit will be a hybrid event this year, with virtual events and small gatherings throughout the state. For the fourth time annually, artists, innovators, advocates, and business leaders will come together for a five-day arts event.

Speakers include award-winning playwright and performance artist Marty Pottenger, who will speak on this year’s summit theme “Art at Work”. Other speakers include Jessica Stern (Americans for the Arts), Alma Robinson (California Lawyers for the Arts), Carrie Cleveland (CERF+), and Julie Kline and Annie Montgomery (Lifetime Arts, Inc.). Dance, piano, and spoken word performances will take place between sessions. Small in-person gatherings will be held at Regional Arts Councils across Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houma, Lafayette, Alexandria, Shreveport, Lake Charles, Ruston/Monroe, and Covington. For those who would rather attend from home, however, all content will be live streamed. artsbr.org. k

50th Anniversary Exhibition Series

A Yardman's Art: the Inspiration of Steele Burden September 18-November 20 . 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

LSU Rural Life Museum

Rural Life Alive!

Living History and Artisan Demonstrations Wednesdays and Fridays . Oct. 2 – Nov. 20 . 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

LSU Rural Life Museum Visit our website for a schedule of topics: lsu.edu/rurallife

Harvest Days

October 3 . 8 a.m.-5 p.m LSU Rural Life Museum

Corn Maze at Burden

October 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 . 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens

Tickets available for two-hour scheduled experiences.

Advanced tickets required. Available at BonTempsTix.com

Haints Haunts and Halloween October 25 . 3-6 p.m.

LSU Rural Life Museum

Wine & Roses at a Distance

An extraordinary online raffle of art, gifts and other unique items.

September 14-November 23 LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens

Learn more at LSUAgCenter.com/BotanicGardens

Due to Covid 19, events are subject to change.

For details about these and other events, visit our website or call 225-763-3990. Admission may be charged for some events.

Burden Museum & Gardens . 4560 Essen Lane . 225-763-3990 . DiscoverBurden.com . Baton Rouge . Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily // S E P 2 0

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V irtu al P er f o r ming A rts Even ts The transformative power of local music, theatre, and dance— brought to the comfort of wherever the WiFi is

UNTIL SEP 30th STEPPIN’ OUT BATON ROUGE BALLET THEATRE VIRTUAL PERFORMANCES Online

Clear away your living room furniture and give yourself some room to twirl, because Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre is bringing you three works of dance art—all viewable online—to lift up your day. These three unique pieces of choreography, previously slated for BRBT’s now-cancelled spring concert, She Moves . . ., will certainly lift your spirits. Available on YouTube until September 30, for $10. batonrougeballet.org. k

SEP 3

rd

LIVE MUSIC WWOZ’S VIRTUAL GROOVE GALA Online This year, award-winning NOLA radio station WWOZ's fundraising gala proves you can’t stop the groove, and will continue in full swing as a virtual event. Throw on

your favorite festival attire, pour yourself a drink, and tune in to some of New Orleans’ most iconic music. This year’s lineup includes Irma Thomas, Tank and the Bangas, John Boutté, Samantha Fish, Kermit Ruffins, Amanda Shaw with Rockin’ Dopsie Jr., and Tuba Skinny—so put your second line shoes on! The gala will stream at 7 pm on WWOZ 90.7 FM New Orlean’s Facebook page, YouTube, at wwoz.org, and of course broadcast on 90.7 FM. k

SEP 4th - SEP 5th LIVE MUSIC SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA ZYDECO MUSIC FESTIVAL Online

Nestled in the heart of Cajun Country, Opelousas once again hosts the world’s largest Zydeco and LaLa music festival, celebrating the rich culture of Louisiana Creoles by highlighting, documenting, preserving, and enhancing their fun-loving heritage. Held virtually this year, details are still forthcoming, but festival-goers can certainly look forward to performances from some of the region’s best Zydeco

MASK NOW so we can

artists. lafayettetravel.com/events/festivals/ zydeco-festival. k

SEP 4th - SEP 25th LIVE MUSIC FRIDAY NIGHT VIBES MUSIC SERIES Online Louisiana’s favorite four-mallet jazz vibraphonist, Dr. Charles Brooks, is bringing weekly live music entertainment to the masses with his free Friday Night Vibes music series. Each Friday night at 8 pm, Brooks will stream a one-hour concert on Facebook and Periscope live from his music dojo in Central. Shows stream live on Facebook @thecharlesbrooksmusic and on Periscope.tv @theCBDMA . Previous Friday Night Vibes shows can be found online at TheCharlesBrooks.com/music under Live Performances. k

Hansel are to host a lively night of showtune performances and theatrics by beloved local actors, with special guest appearances from Broadway stars, and an auction offering the opportunity to win jewelry, art, and VIP experiences. No need to find parking in the French Quarter, because the event will be broadcast right into your living room.

Tickets start at $150, and all proceeds go toward supporting the historic theatre. 6:30 pm. lepetittheatre.com. k

UNTIL SEP 19th LIVE MUSIC TIPITINA’S TV Online

Online

Tipitina’s, the famous New Orleans music venue founded as a residency for Professor Longhair, is hopping off of Tchopitoulas and into living rooms everywhere. Tipitina’s TV, presented by Crystal Hot Sauce, is a new web series broadcasting exclusive musical content produced from the legendary venue itself. The six-week concert series that makes up the inaugural season will air every Saturday night, with the lineup for September as follows:

Le Petit Theatre might be petite, but their fundraiser is “trés grande”. This year’s gala will be held virtually since audiences can’t gather in the historic French Quarter theatre. Chairs Joey Brown and Dana

• September 5: Tank and the Bangas • September 12: Samantha Fish • September 19: The Radiators 8 pm. $11.99 per show; $49.99 for the full six-episode season. tipitinas.tv. k

SEP 10th FUN FUNDRAISER LE PETIT THEATRE’S CURTAIN CALL BALL

In Louisiana, we love our football games and tailgate parties.

Let’s work together so we all can get back to enjoying the traditions that make us special. Wear a mask or face covering now to protect yourself, your neighbors and the way of life we love in Louisiana.

01MK7374 R08/20

Learn more about ways to protect yourself at bcbsla.com/covid19

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later!

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In -Pers on Per f o r ming Arts Even ts This month promises some return to normalcy with these performances for socially-distanced audiences

SEP 17th STEPPIN’ OUT BYRDE’S DANCERS SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON Baton Rouge, Louisiana or online

Baton Rouge dance company Of Moving Colors is consistently devoted to ensuring aspiring dancers of all backgrounds are given the opportunity to pursue the art of movement and performance. With the goal of providing scholarships to as many dancers as possible in 2021, OMC is hosting a fundraising luncheon at the timelessly beautiful Old Governor’s Mansion at noon, with a virtual option, as well. Tickets are $30 for individual seats; $500 for a table, in person or virtually. For more information on how to purchase tickets or sponsor a dancer, visit ofmovingcolors.org/byrdes.

Read more about how OMC has kept dancing in the wake of COVID-19 in the feature "xxx" on page 30. k

SEP 4 - SEP 25 th

th

LIVE MUSIC LIVE MUSIC AT RED DRAGON Baton Rouge, Louisiana

A little ol’ pandemic can’t seem to

stop the music from flowing at Red Dragon Listening Room. Though their usual venue is temporarily out of commission due to COVID-19 guidelines, organizers have been finding creative ways to host outdoor and otherwise substantially-spaced concerts.

September’s lineup is as follows: • Friday, September 4: Slim Bawb! with Steve Judice, 8 pm • Friday, September 11: Matt the Electrician, 8 pm • Tuesday, September 22: Albert Cummings Band, 8 pm • Friday, September 25: Third Street Hit Songwriters Showcase, 8 pm Performances will take place on the back porch of the Red Dragon. Check out their event listings on Facebook for more information. k

SEP 1st- SEP 29th LIVE MUSIC BALCONY CONCERT SERIES AT THE JAZZ MUSEUM New Orleans, Louisiana

Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre’s She Moves . . . is available to watch online until September 30. Image courtesy of Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre.

on atop the Jazz Museum’s balcony, serenading all of Esplanade Avenue in true NOLA spirit. Watch and listen, socially-distantly, from the streets or from home via the New Orleans Jazz Museum’s Facebook Page livestreams.

See the schedule below: • September 1: Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson • September 8: The Nayo Jones Experience • September 29: Cha Wa Visit nolajazzmuseum.org for links to the musicians’ Zelles, Cashapps, and Paypals for tipping. k

Every Tuesday at 5 pm, appearances form New Orleans’ best can be counted

SEP 10th - SEP 17th LIVE MUSIC LIVE MUSIC AT LA DIVINA Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Live music will once again mingle with the smell of coffee and fresh bread at La Divina Italian Café this month, with two performances by Baton Rouge music scene staples. Though originally Italian, it seems gelato was made to quell Louisiana summer heat—come cool off with a scoop and a song (or several): • Thursday, September 10: Daniel Lee Comeaux • Thursday, September 17: The Dirty Rain Revelers 6 pm–8 pm. Free. facebook.com/ladivinabatonrouge. k

Cypr ess Table Sale 10% to 50% Off All IN S tock Tables.

s e e o u r w e b s i t e fo r w h a t ’ s i n s to ck. s ta t e w i d e d e l i v e ry ava i l a b l e .

Handcrafted cypress furniture // S E P 2 0

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Features

SEPTEMBER 2020 24 THE

FUTURE

PANIES

COPE WITH QUARANTINE

FOR

PERFORMING

ARTS

IN

LOUISIANA

// 2 7

A

DROP OF GOLDEN

State of the Scene

FOR A REGION WHOSE IDENTITY IS STEEPED IN PERFORMANCE, WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

by Lauren Heffker

Live entertainers are having to come up with alternative avenues for performance. In July, Voodoo Music and Arts Experience hosted a drivein, socially-distnaced concert series featuring The Revivalists (pictured is bass guitarist George Gekas), Tank and the Bangas, and Galactic. Photo by Erika Goldring, courtesy of Voodoo Music and Arts Experience.

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ix days after David Bowie died in January of 2016, I found myself second-lining in the French Quarter, singing along to his chart-topping 1983 single “Let’s Dance” with my then-new friend, Beth, and hundreds of brightly-costumed strangers as Arcade Fire bandleaders Win Butler and Régine Chassagne led the packed procession from Preservation Hall. Just two days before, members of Arcade Fire and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band had announced they would celebrate Bowie’s life and legacy in the traditional New Orleans fashion. So we went, and ended up elbow-to-elbow with Butler’s hot pink jacket and red megaphone,

DRAMA

following the brass band’s unmistakable sousaphone like a guiding beacon. By the time the throng of fans and spectators arrived at One Eyed Jacks on Toulouse Street, so many people had gathered that NOPD had to disperse the crowd for traffic to resume. It goes without saying, and for that reason is worth reiterating, that this sort of thing doesn’t happen everywhere.

In Louisiana, live entertainment certainly plays a fundamental role in our economy, but its contributions go beyond attracting robust tourism revenue. Here, the performing arts are woven into our collective cultural identity in ways more permanent and prominent than anywhere else.

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They inform our sense of place, and by extension, the pride with which we call it home. The allure of Mardi Gras—perhaps the most elaborate of productions, typically spanning six to eight weeks—is largely within its emboldening of personal alchemy. Not only is it encouraged—and at times required—to don a costume, but the custom celebrates the freedom to shed your inhibitions and become someone, or something, else if only temporarily.

From the balls and parades of Carnival season in New Orleans to the courir de Mardi Gras processions held on the rural Cajun prairies, performance is an essential element of the festivities.

Louisiana has been disproportionately

affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in more ways than one, including within the performing arts sector. Even before the pandemic, the industry has always been a precarious entity; performers and crew members are usually contract workers, and venues and organizations tend to operate along thin profit margins with limited reserves. Production seasons and show schedules are often planned far in advance, and can be massive logistical undertakings that require the coordinated effort of many different managers, artists, and crew to pull off. Besides being difficult to reschedule, the act of a performance involves a shared, communal experience that isn’t possible to execute within the current confines of the pandemic.

Additionally, because gig money is often not enough to live on by itself, many performers hold other jobs within the hospitality or service industries and have thus been doubly financially impacted by the shutdown.

With no end to the pandemic or government relief in sight for the near future, at least, venues and organizations are already seeing the ramifications of remaining in a state of prolonged limbo. Workers in the performing arts sector must rely on unemployment or find another source of income, arts budgets for the upcoming year are on the chopping block, and historic venues are at risk of closing permanently. Gasa Gasa and d.b.a, two independent New Orleans music venues, are up for sale.

Opéra singers who normally perform under Opéra Louisiane are traveling to Europe to find work. As the upcoming season approaches, and Louisiana remains in Phase 2 of reopening, a timeline for resuming full capacity productions remains unclear.

Still, as a society we’ve seen, again and again, that the arts are resilient.

Given our region’s experience with Hurricane Katrina, performers and organizations here are especially adept at brainstorming innovative solutions— which at the present moment includes exploring the virtual landscape as a distribution platform, reinventing business models, and re-thinking the

anatomy of a performance.

When our beloved festival season was first put on hold in the spring, organizers rolled with the punches to make the best of a bad situation. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival pivoted quickly to promote a “Jazz Festing in Place” campaign, while Lafayette’s Festival International de Louisiane put on an entirely virtual three-day fest. When it became clear that New Orleans’ annual Voodoo Music and Arts Experience would not happen this year, the festival’s organizers got creative and instead presented a drive-in concert series at the Lakefront Arena in July. The lineup of powerhouse local talent included The Revivalists, Tank and the Bangas, and Galactic; all three dates sold out of the two-hundred-and-fifty available car passes. In August, the band members of Galactic, who own Tipitina’s, launched “Tipitina’s.TV,” a six-week online streaming series featuring new, taped performances by local musicians in the legendary club. The ticketed webcasts are the newest initiative to save the famed Big Easy venue from shuttering altogether as it faces an uncertain future.

Along with music venues, local theatre companies are embracing technology as a new medium due to an abrupt end to their 2020 season. Le Petit Théâtre Du Vieux Carré, New Orleans’ most historic playhouse, is producing a radio play series with three installments thus far. Similarly, The NOLA Project—an ensemble theatre company in the city—will release “podplays” this fall until its next staged production in 2021. For its season opening program, Shifting Gears, Opéra Louisiane is moving outside and bringing the ultratraditional art form to the public in a

to need these options for the next two years, or beyond that. To me, that means reworking not just our initial offerings, our performances, but also reworking how our organization is focused. The challenge with keeping these kinds of events sustainable is to not only change the event itself, but to change the system that supports it. We recognize that in order to sustain the arts, the base has to be broader.”

For Clare Cook, the founder of Basin Arts, a Lafayette creative incubator that emphasizes dance and the visual arts, the answer lies within community partnerships. Instead of going virtual this fall, Basin Arts is collaborating with Downtown Lafayette to use the sprawling stage at Parc International as an outdoor studio space for dancers to conduct classes and train.

“I also see this as an opportunity, because we can keep our local community in this bed of creative energy,” said Cook. While dancers normally flock to bigger cities with more opportunities to advance their craft, the pandemic has forced many to return to their roots. Cook believes their talent can be harnessed as a force for good. “Why not mobilize the creative energy of the people who are connected to this place and returning home, even if it’s only temporarily, to show our community what the next level looks like in terms of professional artistry or creative collaboration? Let’s mobilize the amazing artists who are sharing space and time in our community right now, because they are the vessel to help the greater world understand human experience. Now more than ever, artists are necessary.”

The crux of the virtual landscape is

HERE, THE PERFORMING ARTS ARE WOVEN INTO OUR COLLECTIVE CULTURAL IDENTITY IN WAYS MORE PERMANENT AND PROMINENT THAN ANYWHERE ELSE. THEY INFORM OUR SENSE OF PLACE, AND BY EXTENSION, THE PRIDE WITH WHICH WE CALL IT HOME. series of free hour-long serenades by masked singers. The company is also experimenting with its casting format by conducting a “Fantasy Opera Draft,” allowing fans to vote on their picks for the coveted roles in The Barber of Seville, which will be broadcast virtually in October. “We have to pursue it with a long-term mindset,” said General Director Leanne Clement. “We’re going

that while it is a practical alternative to live performances, it rarely surpasses that—serving as merely a substitute for the real thing. As technology expands organizations’ abilities to connect with new audiences, local groups also find themselves competing with larger, nationally-backed institutions for attention, especially as many audiences start to tune out due to the

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oversaturation of virtual events.

For the 325-seat Manship Theatre in Baton Rouge, holding a show at a diminished capacity in the already small-scale venue will rarely cover the cost to host it. “We didn’t think we’d still be here at the end of August,” said John Kaufman, the venue’s Director of Marketing and Programming. “We thought we would be able to do at least live music at a diminished capacity, but we’re still not able to.” They will continue to screen films through the end of the year and are hoping to resume shows in January.

“Not having a season was not an option for us, because so much of organization depends on the sponsors, an—you know—on making money.

That’s the only way we function as an organization,” said Clayton Shelvin, who serves as the Performing Arts

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long-term consequences of the pandemic reverberate beyond the absence of live entertainment alone, and are far more insidious. Less public funding combined with the loss in revenue normally generated from ticket sales doesn’t just mean fewer performances—dwindling

THIS IS NOT A QUESTION OF IF THE PERFORMING ARTS WILL SURVIVE, BUT WHAT THEY WILL LOOK LIKE IN A POSTPANDEMIC WORLD. HOW FAR-REACHING WILL THE DAMAGE BE? WHO WILL RECOVER? MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHO WILL NOT? WHAT WILL THIS MEAN FOR THEM, AND IN TURN, US?

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Director for the Acadiana Center for the Arts. In Lafayette, the arts are the second largest economic driver behind oil and gas, and as the ACA faces potentially steep budget cuts to its public funding, the center’s predicament—like so many others—illustrates how the

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resources drastically hinders ACA’s ability to do community outreach.

Besides operating a venue space and gallery, ACA also functions as an arts council, offering culturally enriching programs and arts education for children who otherwise may not be exposed to the arts. At stake are not only the futures of today’s gifted entertainers and performers, but of an entire generation; the impact on emerging artists, who may not find opportunities or support to pursue creative work as a result, cannot be overstated.

This is not a question of if the performing arts will survive, but what they will look like in a post-pandemic world. How far-reaching will the damage be? Who will recover? More importantly, who will not? What will this mean for them, and in turn, us?

When the dust does eventually settle and companies can open their doors again, companies will face two unique challenges, said A.J. Allegra, the artistic director at The NOLA Project.

With the pressing need to recoup lost revenue, they will have to stage shows that are cost-effective to produce, popular enough to sell tickets, and will appease a base of affluent, oft-older and majority white donors. “That first show has to try and thread a virtually impossible needle,” Allegra said. It not only has to entice people to spend money on entertainment when that will not be their first priority, but it also has to ensure people feel safe enough to attend and reinstate their confidence. “As much as we, as administrators, want the arts to be virtually free for all, they do come with a cost and unfortunately that cost, as it’s prioritized by the American populace, is considered an excess, a luxury item.”

As an organization with a low overhead and small staff, The NOLA

Project is lucky in that it can weather the storm (“we’re like artistic cockroaches,”) Allegra said, but not every institution will be able to pull itself up by the bootstraps because some are simply too heavy. Allegra predicts mid-size companies—those with budgets between two and ten million—will be the ones to suffer most, will be the ones forced to close or consolidate with other bankrupt organizations.

“You know, the arts are constantly at odds with our funding sources when we’re trying to expand access in order to reach more people,” Allegra said.

“Louisiana is a very poor state. So, the arts have to be accessible to those below the poverty level, and when we’re faced with such a dire economic crisis, we’re forced to do so much of our programming in a for-profit model of reliance on ticket sales and asking the wealthy for money. You’re going to see a decline in diversity and a decline in access. And that’s the worst thing of all, because when you decrease access, then your art becomes elitist.” As an artistic director, Allegra’s job entails creating something stunning out of nothing, to flip the script on its head, he said. To say the industry itself can do the same, to persevere and emerge better than ever, is to deny the potent reality it faces. “The arts are in serious danger.”

In the opening line to her iconic 1969 essay “The White Album,” writer Joan Didion offered a simple and undeniable truth: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” Our storytellers and culture bearers help us to grapple with the spectrum of human emotion, to participate in an exchange of beauty, and to remember the joie de vivre. When all is said and done, we will need to remember. h

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Prior to the pandemic, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Dufrocq Elementary School, students ages four to twelve from all around Baton Rouge would gather for Kids’ Orchestra’s music classes, which are taught by local teaching artists. Note: All photos were taken in early March 2020, weeks before schools were closed due to state social distancing measures.

CHILDREN & CELLOS

All Together Now

IN ITS TENTH YEAR, KIDS’ ORCHESTRA CONTINUES TO BRING LOUISIANA TOGETHER THROUGH MUSIC

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Story by Jordan LaHaye Photos by Raegan Labat n an afternoon in early March in Mid City Baton Rouge, down a back hallway of Dufrocq Elementary School, and inside a classroom with the desks shoved elsewhere, eight children under the age of seven banged on buckets with drumsticks, screaming at the top of their lungs, “Tee tee tee tee tee tee tap. Tap. Tee tee tee tee tee tee tap!” It was a recipe for ruckus, a war on peace, a homemaker’s nightmare. It was music.

Music is, after all—at its most basic form—organized sound, a definition to which I’d argue the amendment: evoking an emotional, physical, or cognitive reaction. Think: perfectly crafted oldies playlists drawing out our most precious nostalgias; a saxophone’s sonorous dribbling pouring into the busy street; the unsurpassable intricacy of Hendrick’s “Little Wing,”; an iPod nano 26

you can’t throw out because it holds the soundtrack of your youth; tripping over ankles to match a fiddle’s melodic line; sitting in the back of a dark auditorium, every particle of air vibrating within you and without you with a Liszt Concerto; the one single lullaby that will get the baby to sleep, every single time. The list goes on, mine and yours too, of the instances that music has elevated our individual existences, even shaped them.

What is the bumper sticker? “Music is life.” Children banging on buckets, screaming to the heavens in imperfect, ecstatic rhythm.

Over the past decade scholars, doctors, and educators have striven to get to the core of something that’s been universally understood for millennia: Music enriches our lives. Studies have shown that simple exposure to music, as early as in utero, can assist in building neural bridges, stimulating brain waves, and developing

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perceptual skills, spatial reasoning, and fine motor coordination. It can also help in building relationships. And that’s just listening to it.

Baton Rouge’s Kids’ Orchestra takes it a step further, putting instruments directly into people’s hands from the moment they are big enough to hold them. And even then, we’re talking about some tiny instruments. Founded in 2010 on the belief that music education can positively influence children’s lives, the organization has since grown into what was once one of the largest after-school music programs in the country, serving over three hundred fifty elementary-age students across East Baton Rouge Parish.

In the organization’s “Foundations” class at Dufrocq last March, the teaching artist leading the class began with movement, encouraging each student to stand and demonstrate a dance move for the rest of the class to

imitate. In short order, eight tiny bodies were throwing their arms in the air, jumping up and down, bobbing their heads. Built on the teaching methods of the Gameplan Curriculum, Zoltán Kodály, and Carl Orff—who once said, “Since the beginning of time, children have not liked to study. They would much rather play, and if you have their interests at heart, you will let them learn while they play.”—Kids’ Orchestra’s “Foundations” class is where it all begins.

Through songs, games, and exercises, young children are infused with the musical tools of rhythm, harmony, and melody—as well as in proper musical etiquette, such as sitting up straight with your drumsticks folded into your lap when you are not playing.

After “Foundations,” Kids Orchestra offers group lessons in violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, and percussion for grades

second through fifth. Students are given the opportunity to try out all of the available instruments and to choose the one they’d like to pursue. Then, the organization provides the instrument on loan to each child for the entirety of the program year.

“That is probably one of the most exciting parts of the program,” said Education Director Sam Trevathan.

“Seeing how a child gets to experience an instrument for the first time.”

In classes, which normally take place twice a week from 3:30 pm to 5 pm at six elementary schools across East Baton Rouge Parish, area musicians teach students technique, instrument care, and performance, as well as a collection of beginner repertoire. Students who demonstrate especial aptitude in certain instruments are invited to audition for additional classes in the Kids’ Orchestra Honors Program, which includes a wind ensemble, a string orchestra, and a symphony orchestra.

Honors student Treazure Flowers has been attending Kids’ Orchestra classes for three years, starting in violin, then moving to flute—her favorite—and then last spring, she picked up the clarinet.

“She’s trying to learn all of them,” said her mother, Shalese. “But she was really intrigued by the flute. I think she’ll stick with that one.”

In April, Kids’ Orchestra launched KO@Home, a virtual platform where students could access pre-recorded video lessons from their teachers, as well as a wealth of other music resources. Photos courtesy of Kids’ Orchestra.

Shalese described her daughter as a “spit of fire,” brimming with confidence and energy and an inclination towards leadership. “But a great leader requires being able to follow,” she said. “Those qualities can either hinder her in life, or they can make her more successful.

Kids’ Orchestra has really channeled that energy into something positive.”

In addition to a growing passion and knowledge of music, Shalese has observed in her daughter an increase in perspective, listening skills, and thoughtful reaction. “The teachers take

more time with her than they are able to in her regular classes,” she said. “And the experience has taught her teamwork, how to help others—not just herself—to succeed. She’s more relaxed, more freespirited. Her self-esteem is through the roof. She’s able to communicate with adults, stand up and look them in the eye. Her path is so wide open.”

“I think, for me, one of the longstanding impacts of our program—a byproduct of what we are doing with music—is that parents are realizing what afterschool activities

can be for kids,” said Trevathan. This component of Kids’ Orchestra—giving kids a safe, enriching space to be in between the end of the school day and the end of their parents’ workday— ties in with the organization’s larger mission to build a more creative, confident, and socially engaged community in Baton Rouge. Before each lesson, students are given supervised time to work on homework and to eat a nutritious snack provided through community partnerships. “It’s time where children are being cared

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for, believed in, and given access to the arts, all while learning skills driven by social-emotional learning.” said Trevathan. “These are things they’ll take with them as they grow into adults.”

Kids’ Orchestra also strips away the elitist perceptions of who classical musical education is for. The emphasis on inclusion is what most attracted its current Executive Director Jody Hanet to the organization in the first place. “This is not a conservatory,” she said. “A lot of kids don’t get this experience if their parents can’t afford private lessons. We can offer these great musical opportunities to any child that we can reach, regardless of ability, socio-economic status, household income, or where they live.” Tuition for Kids’ Orchestra works on a sliding scale, striving to meet the specific needs of each child and their family so that the program doesn’t have to refuse anyone on the basis of affordability.

“In addition to just giving everyone access to music education, it’s been amazing to see all of these kids coming from all the different areas of Baton Rouge, all these different backgrounds, for the sole purpose of making music,” said Hanet. “Everything else goes out the window.”

Since March, of course, coming together to make music—or at all—has become somewhat wistful thinking.

With schools closed and gatherings banned, Kids’ Orchestra spent the first few weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown coordinating with its twentyfive teaching artists—many of whom returned to their home state or country for the quarantine—to launch KO@ Home. The virtual learning platform, rolled out in mid-March, delivered one hundred and fifty pre-recorded mini28

lessons from teaching artists to Kids’ Orchestra students.

Going virtual also presented an opportunity, explained Marketing and Communications Manager Kristina Pepelko, to engage a wider community all around the world. “We provided instrument care guides, which were originally Kids’ Orchestra kicks off students’ musical education with “Foundations” class, which focuses on music games, rhythm, made for our students’ use, and movement. From there, students can pick one of nine orchestral instruments to pursue. and realized that they could Garcia, a fifth-grade honors student, to help every kid be enriched in this be used as a resource for kicked it off with Suzuki’s “Allegro” on educational sphere.” the community,” she said. “We also While music education has—in so shared social-emotional learning cello. Payton, a “Foundations” student, followed with a rendition of BINGO, many instances—come as an “extra,” lessons for parents, with resources on a “bonus” segment of the curriculum, how to talk with kids about managing featuring spoons as ornamentation.

Student after student: “Twinkle Trevathan thinks that the challenges of emotions, especially during difficult the pandemic highlight its significance times; as well as activities, projects, Little Star”, the LSU fight song, even a rendition of “Billie Jean”.

Moms in a new way. “Now more than ever, and games for the whole family.” The people are going back to what they virtual platform also opened the door interjecting “You’re doing great!s” and “Keep Going!s”.

And viewers from all know makes everyone feel good, or for collaboration with LSU School makes their child excited in engaging in of Music’s Sunshine Project to create around the community, and beyond, applauding from their homes. learning,” he said. “Music and culture “Music for All” videos, designed as For the fall, with COVID-19 come together in this beautiful way that family-friendly musical exercises and unfortunately still lingering in the reminds people—’I can feel good in activities for all students, especially air, Kids’ Orchestra maintains its this moment.’ We want to be a part of those with different learning needs. commitment to bringing the richness that.”

For their final mini-lesson, the Like so much in these utterly Spring 2020 Kids’ Orchestra students of music into young people’s lives, and plans to build on its first-ever virtual reframed days, music is now heard focused on performance, and in lieu of differently, made differently, their traditional Spring Neighborhood season. Still in the works, the fall promises a more fine-tuned program, taught differently. But thanks to the Concert Series, learned how to put on innovations of our digital age and— a concert at home for their families, offering options for live group and private lessons via Zoom in addition even more so—to the determination dubbed KO@Home Concerts. “The and creativity of organizations like teachers guided them on how to bow, to weekly pre-recorded lessons for each instrument.

“Private lessons Kids’ Orchestra, the power music how to introduce themselves, and holds is as potent, as universal, as encouraged them to showcase the have been a request for many years,” said Trevathan.

“And now—working ever. And the children of Kids’ music they’d been working on all Orchestra—growing up in this sure-tosemester,” said Pepelko. Across Baton virtually—we have more bandwidth, with staff spread all out throughout be generational shift—will hold their Rouge, families sat down in their living own lists of musical moments. Starting rooms to celebrate the achievements our community in Louisiana and beyond.

And in this virtual setting, with Suzuki in the living room, family of their tiny musicians. Each family gathered all around. h was invited to submit a video of the some kids don’t thrive in a group. They need specific moments of instruction mini-concerts to be featured in a final kidsorchestra.org virtual Showcase on July 31. Miguel directed to them, and we want to try

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P H O T O E S S AY

The Lost Performances IN AN ERA OF ISOLATION, DANCE COMPANIES SEEK OUT NEW AVENUES FOR AUDIENCE Story by Jordan LaHaye • Photos by Raegan Labat

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or dance companies, spring usually ushers in a new season of ideas, growth, long hours, sore feet. Vulnerability and expression, agility and precision. All to culminate in the adrenaline rush of sharing it—the bright lights, the applause, the team celebrations afterward. In 2020, much of the work Louisiana dancers had prepared for the spring, and now for the fall, went unseen, or seen through screens. Here we hope to celebrate that work, as well as the new work being done every day as dancers and directors navigate this standstill pandemic world. From living room practice studios and audience-less auditoriums, our region’s dancers are still moving, still creating. And constantly searching for new ways to share their art with us.

Pictured: Kennedy Simon of the New Orleans Ballet Association.

New Orleans Ballet Association Since joining New Orleans Ballet Association’s Center for Dance PreProfessional program, dancer Kennedy Simon has been training for upwards of thirty hours a week with some of the world’s most renowned choreographers and teachers. Among her achievements are appearances in Ballet Hispanico’s New York Gala and in NOBA’s fiftieth anniversary gala in January, where she presented a performance of David Parsons’ choreography to the music of Allen Toussaint.

A showcase of her remarkable acomplishments, along with those 30

of other NOBA Center for Dance participants, was planned for May 2020: a Spring Concert featuring works created

by New Orleans faculty members and by internationally renowned choreographers including Parsons, Darrell Grand Moultrio, Jae Man Joo, Christopher Huggins, and more. Simon would have performed the “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux” female variation, an addendum that Tchaikovksy composed for a ballerina unsatisfied with the original choreography of Swan Lake. The later work was forgotten for seventy years until discovered by choreographer

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Pictured: Calvin James Row of Of Moving Colors

George Balanchine, who used it to craft a new ballet altogether. The New York City Ballet describes the work as “an eight-minute display of ballet bravura and technique.” With the cancellation of the Spring Concert, Simon performed the work as part of a video montage for the #NOBAtogether Virtual Spring Showcase on Zoom.

In the meantime, her commitment to the consistent practice and study of her art has not wavered, even from virtual lessons confined to the limits of her home or masked intensives at the studio within six-foot blocks. “These

are such extraordinarily disciplined young artists,” said Executive Director Jenny Hamilton. “They have such a dedicated approach to their art form and their bodies. Their bodies are their instruments, and they really honor that, even when it’s hard.”

NOBA is currently offering free virtual dance classes for adults and youth via Zoom—ranging from Senior Dance Fitness to Classical Ballet—as well as virtual on-demand videos available at any time. h nobadance.com

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In a fortuitously ironic twist of fate, Of Moving Colors’ spring season was always intended to be non-traditional. Taking their art to the streets of Baton Rouge, the company’s dancers had planned to honor the Pictured: Julian Guillory of Of Moving Colors Capitol City with performances staged in its most iconic locations in an alternative season titled City Bound. “We were so incredibly fortunate the way that worked out,” said Artistic Director Garland Goodwin Wilson. “We were already planning for this to be consumed digitally.”

Once the city shut down in March, it felt all the more poignant to bring hope and beauty to its empty streets—“It was actually really inspiring for me,” said Wilson. “What was lost though, was the ability to create unified expression. We lost our tactility.” Group performances were off the table and had to be reworked into choreography for solos or duets. “We really felt the isolation of our dancers.”

Tied into its City Bound projects, Of Moving Colors gave dancers an opportunity to respond to this isolation with their art through the “Movement Interviews,” a series of videos created by dancers in quarantine. The company also launched an educational program called “The IttyBittys,” described as “bite-sized movement sessions” led by dancers all over the world. These free videos offer tutorials in short dance phrases of every genre—many designed to work in small spaces—in addition to classes in things like “Movement to Heal,” stretching, Pilates, posture, and more.

“There was a lot of fragmentation going on at the height of it,” described Wilson of the challenges of navigating the quarantine. “But at the same time some of that fragmentation was really amazing. There was this balance of feeling isolated and not knowing what to do and having the ability to do things you might not have ever done.”

While OMC was able to move forward with a version of their 2020 season, they did have to cancel their major fundraising event, the “Bloom” Gala, scheduled for March 26. “We were so excited about the theme,” said Wilson. “It was going to be really beautiful and we hope to get a chance to do it again in the future. And it’s certainly been a challenge navigating how to fundraise during a time when many people in the community have lost their jobs and feel displaced. Dance companies all over the world are closing today, they closed yesterday, and they will close tomorrow. The support of the dance industry in a city like this one is so vital. It feels like climbing a mountain without a map, but I feel like we will get there.”

This fall, Of Moving Colors is moving forward with its Byrde’s Dancers Scholarship Luncheon, which will be held on September 17 at the Old Governor’s Mansion and virtually. All proceeds will go towards funding scholarships for children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to train as dancers. h ofmovingcolors.org.

NOLA Contemporary Ballet

Pictured: Hannah Bahney of NOLA Contemporary Ballet

“The idea,” explained Artistic Director Tianna Pourciau Sykes, “was to start a new dance company that would tell the stories of Louisiana through dance.” She originally planned to give the project a few years for development before launching. “Then, we decided—let’s go all in, let’s do this.”

And so it was settled—the company would kick off its inaugural season in the Fall of 2020 with a mixed rep “Premiere” show featuring excerpts from its repertoire, including: “Ghosts of the Past,” a reflection on South Louisiana’s supernatural mystique; “Suite Orleans,” a multimedia experience synthesizing

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The Lost Performances continued ...

the Afro-Caribbean and European cultures that inform the heart and soul of New Orleans culture, history, and identity; “Native Swamp,” a multimedia experience exploring the rich and fragile landscapes of our home; and “Requiem,” a nod to Louisiana’s cultural traditions surrounding the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass for the Dead.

When the pandemic hit, though, Sykes had to reconsider more than just new practice schedules, cancelled

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performances, and cancelled funding.

She had to strategize a new way to introduce her infant dance company to the world. “People don’t know us yet,” she said. “They don’t know what we stand for. How do we introduce ourselves to the world? Do we do it through an entirely virtual season?

Do we try for a dance film? It’s this constant question of how to, as an emerging company, locally connect with our audience when we can’t meet them in person?”

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As of now, NOLA Contemporary Ballet has reset its debut “Premiere” for March 2021. “It’s all very tentative, but we hope to at least be able to present our work virtually by then.

We are working from this unique palate of Louisiana culture that is embodied in our being here and in our research, and we are really stoked to share these stories with an audience. Hopefully sooner than later.” h nolacontemporaryballet.com

Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre On May 1, Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre was set to close out their 20192020 season with a powerful ode to “strong women real and imagined.”

The show, titled She Moves ... featured a series of performances of new choreography. including Giulia Fedeli Barker’s “The Silent Sentinels”—a contemporary work inspired by the group of women who protested in front of the U.S. capital from 1917-1919 for voting rights—and Emelia Perkins’ “The Lily,” based on the first print publication edited and produced by a woman during the suffrage period of history. Featured alongside these were some old classics, including an excerpt from Adolphe Adam’s Giselle called “The Wilis”. For those unfamiliar with the story—these white tutu-ed beautiful haunts are “the quintessential female evil spirit from folklore,” according to Molly Buchmann.

Betrayed by their lovers, these spirits enact their revenge by dancing men to death under the darkness of night.

Giselle—meeting her own fate as a Wili—possesses a love so pure that she frees her deceitful lover. “And that,”

laughed Buchmann, “is where everything goes downhill for women.”

That the performance couldn’t take place was an enormous disappointment, she said. “You know, I’m seventy years old and growing up, we heard all these stories about the men who changed the world,” she said. “We didn’t hear the stories about the women who made a difference, or even what they went through. We have some wonderful men in our

Pictured: Ty’ Juan Bovie and Adrienne Simmons of Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre

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The Lost Performances continued ...

company, but we are predominately women here. We were really thrilled to share these stories with the world.”

In July, Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre presented “Silent Sentinels,” along with excerpts of other previously planned performances including Jonna

Cox’s “Inspirata” and “The Lily”. “It was important to us to get this out,” explained Buchmann. “The day before we filmed, the fire marshal told us they would have to wear masks throughout the entire production. And in the end, I found something interesting about

that. It’s a time stamp on today, but it also renders them faceless—standing in not just for individual women, but all women.”

Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre’s virtual summer performance is available for viewing online until September

30 for a fee of $10. In October, the company will release another performance featuring “spookier” repertoire, including “The Wilis”. h batonrougeballet.org.

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Basin Arts Dance Collective After completing their 2019 season with last September’s performance of Sports Suites, Basin Dance Collective was just starting to workshop plans for a performance in Fall of 2020. When the pandemic began, and then lingered, Artistic Director Clare Cook made the difficult decision to release her contracted dancers and to hold off on operations until further notice. “So, right now, it’s just me.”

But, she emphasized, that doesn’t

mean that activity at Basin Dance Collective has ceased. Taking advantage of the newly found space and flexibility of this season, Cook has committed herself to a work of solo artistry, currently being developed as we speak. “It has no title, no formality right now,” she explained. “It’s a commitment to myself and to the process, and I’m hoping that’s enough.” A new mother, Cook explained that she’s been reflecting on the observation of growth and change, particularly

with no foreseen end in sight. “It has been so beautiful to be able to, like, circumstantially really, really focus in on this new role of motherhood, and observing a little person grow, learning where her feet are. So I’m considering that practice, but also in a more global way. I’m now a mother to a daughter, but I’m also a mother to an arts community.

How do I relearn how that role changes? I’m deeply interested in sitting with that, asking those questions, re-cultivating soil—the soil of your life’s work, the soil of your community. This piece will have threads of motherhood, of community building, disaster response, BLM—all of these things happening right now.” h basinartslafayette.com.

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The Art of the Staycation

Getting to know St. Martin Parish like never before

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hether you’re a born-andbred local or just visiting our corner of Acadiana for a day (or two), there are still plenty of adventures to discover in St. Martin Parish. From spellbinding swamps teeming with wildlife, to culturally enriching sites, and some unforgettable places to stay, we’ve got everything you need for a perfect day in Cajun Country.

That’s the beauty of loving where you’re at—you’ll never want to leave.

Waterborne Wildlife Tours There’s no better way to discover the parish than by getting a closer look at its wetlands and waterways teeming with diverse wildlife. The Cypress Island Nature Preserve at Lake Martin is home to one of Louisiana’s most biodiverse ecosystems, including a natural rookery that welcomes thousands of nesting egrets, herons, and majestic roseate spoonbills each year. Take a guided tour with a local professional from Champagne’s Cajun Swamp Tours or Swamp Tours of Acadiana and you’re virtually guaranteed to meet a gape-

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mouthed gator or two. But that’s scarcely the only place you’ll find them.

For an unforgettable experience that’s fun for the whole family, tour the basin by airboat with Atchafalaya Basin Landing & Marina Air Boat Tours.

There’s Always Camping You can practice open air social distancing while enjoying all the perks camp life in South Louisiana has to offer, so get your tent, camper or motorhome ready for a long weekend of fishing, campfire cooking, card games, fireside brews, and stargazing with the family— you’ll be glad you did. Poche’s RV Park & Fish-N-Camp, Cajun Heritage RV Park, Cajun Palms RV Resort, and Catfish Heaven Aqua Farm & RV Park are only a few of the spectacular sites in St. Martin. Just don’t forget to pack plenty of hand sanitizer, and bug spray, too. Happy camping!

Home Away From Home If pitching a tent isn’t your thing, live as the early Acadians did at Au Bayou Teche Bed and Breakfast, the beautiful

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restored Breaux Bridge home and the oldest historical building in St. Martin.

Also in downtown Breaux Bridge is Josephine’s House, a picturesque property more than a century old.

For guests seeking a slower pace of life, Bonne Terre’s ten-acre farm just outside of Poche Bridge is the ideal artist’s retreat, while the secluded Cajun Country Cottages provide a renewing lakefront respite.

Unique Gifts & Antiques You’ll find a treasure trove of both within St. Martin’s retail and antique shops.

Within the funky, vibrant exterior of Louisiana Marketshops at the 115 in Henderson, every ware and work of art was handcrafted by a local maker, while in neighboring Arnaudville, the Deux Bayous Gallery at NUNU’s Collective showcases mixed-media work by resident artisans. Breaux Bridge’s Lagniappe Antique Mall in the historic downtown district simply oozes small town charm—although there’s nothing small about its 17,000 square feet of art, antiques, and collectibles.

Cultural Enrichment: “Where Cajun Began” We’re not called “Where Cajun Began” for nothing! Our history is alive and well in St. Martin, where many residents can trace their family tree back to the first Acadian settlers. The Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site in St. Martinville presents an authentic recreation of the ways in which early Acadians lived and worked.

In St. Martin Square, St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church, founded in 1765 and the oldest church parish in Southwest Louisiana, is known as the “Mother Church of the Acadians.” If all this Acadian history inspires you to brush up on your French, Tante Marie’s in Breaux Bridge has partnered with local nonprofit Teche Center for the Arts to present La Table Française, a weekly French conversation round table at which French speakers of all levels gather (virtually or in person) to drink coffee, chat, and learn to speak like a local.

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Cuisine

SEPTEMBER 2020

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DROPPING

ANCHOR

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FRESH

LOUISIANA

SEAFOOD

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R E S TA U R A N T S

Rollin’ on the River

CHEF MICHAEL GOTTLIEB MASTERS DOCKSIDE TAKEOUT & FINE DINING ON THE TCHEFUNCTE

Story and photos by Alexandra Kennon

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oating culture is a way of life in Madisonville, particularly on the Tchefuncte River.

Passion for food is a way of life, well, anywhere in Louisiana. Chef Michael Gottlieb melds both local loves into an experience boaters and gourmands alike can wholly appreciate at recentlyopened casual dockside restaurant and bar The Anchor, as well as its fine dining counterpart, Tchefuncte’s.

Originally from Savannah, Georgia, Chef Gottlieb hails from a long line of bakers: his family bakery Gottlieb’s first opened in Savannah in 1884. “I come from many, many genera-tions of foodies,” Gottlieb said. “So, I really had no choice in where my path was going to lead.” Attending Johnson & Wales Culinary School certainly assisted in clearing that path, as well.

Though he hails from Savannah,

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Gottlieb familiarized himself with Louisiana and its cuisine during a sixyear stint living and working in New Orleans fine dining. There, he worked under Ralph Brennan: first at Ralph’s on the Park in Mid City, then at Redfish Grill on Bourbon Street. After leaving the Brennan Group, he served as Executive Chef of the Rib Room inside the Omni Royal Hotel in the heart of the French Quarter for multiple years, before putting in his notice and returning to his hometown of Savannah to lend his expertise towards reopening the historic family bakery.

While working with family at Gottlieb’s in Savannah, he was also developing other restaurant projects around the country—eventually landing on The Anchor and Tchefuncte’s. “Then I got involved in this project here, designing it, developing it, and just kind of fell in love with it,” Gottlieb said.

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D O C KS I D E D E L I G H TS

Already enamored and comfortable with New Orleans from his previous time there, he leaped at the opportunity to manage two destination restaurants just on the other side of Lake Pontchartrain.

“When it came time to hire management, I decided that I wanted to step in and run this one,” Gottlieb said.

“Because it’s a two-pronged project: We have the casual Anchor, we have the high-end fine dining at Tchefuncte’s, and it sits on a really awesome river really close to one of my favorite cities in the world, so it was kind of hard to not do it.”

Between the variety of the two restaurants and the proximity to the river, it is undenia-ble that The Anchor and Tchefuncte’s offer a unique opportunity for the chef and diners alike. Both endeavors are housed in a massive three-story building that sits on the site of a historic cottage destroyed in a 2012 hurricane. The cottage, and

briefly the larger current structure, once housed former Madisonville fixture Friends Coastal Restaurant. Because of the first floor’s position below flood level, Gottlieb and his staff have equipped the restaurants to each be potentially evacuated with little more than a moment’s notice.

The Anchor, which opened June 26 and offers more casual fare such as po-boys, appetizers, and a bar including frozen daiquiris, is situated in the shaded, open-air portion of the first floor on the water. Though current CDC restrictions regarding COVID-19 have mandated that diners must be seated to place cocktail and food orders, the goal is to eventually offer dock-side takeout service, where boaters and their crews can call in to-go orders and drinks to be brought directly to their vessels. In the meantime, dine-in service at The Anchor has been incredibly popular, even given that it can only operate at fifty percent capacity for now. “We’ve had a line out the door since the day we opened. We’ve never not been on a wait,” Gottlieb said.

Even at half capacity, The Anchor can seat one hundred fifty diners, which allows for social distancing precautions as well as steady business. “Our staff is still able to work full steam ahead and make plenty of money for themselves, so it works out well,” Gottlieb said.

Opening a restaurant, let alone two, during a pandemic is far from ideal, but Gottlieb and his team have in certain ways been able to use the government mandates to their advantage. Gottlieb prefers to open a new venture at half capacity to ensure service and the kitchen are prepared, so that particular guideline worked surprisingly well. “We’ve been really lucky that it hasn’t been that difficult for us, because they’re laying out the guidelines as they go, so we’ve been able to change and do what we need to do,” Gottlieb said. The Anchor has even implemented precautions beyond what St. Tammany Parish mandates, such as having temperatures checked upon entering and regular COVID-19 testing for the staff. “It’s something that we’re doing because we want to protect ourselves and our guests,” Gottlieb said. “So we get a little bit of push back for that, but other than that we’ve been good.”

The menu of The Anchor reflects

Chef Gottlieb on the balcony at Tchefuncte’s.

Chef Gottlieb’s various culinary influences, and what the Madisonville community enjoys. A fried shrimp or oyster po-boy, still fully dressed, is elevated by replacing the classic, flaky Leidenheimer French bread with a buttered-and-toasted steamed bun; more akin to what enrobes lobster rolls in New England. A local supplier of soft-shell crabs provides hefty, meaty crabs, which Gottlieb’s team expertly fries before dousing in a subtly-sweet, impossiblytasty bacon dressing and nestling onto a house-made brioche bun. Fried seafood on bread is a centuries-old staple in South Louisiana, but Gottlieb trans-forms the concept into something familiar and simultaneously of a different place entirely.

The variety of frozen daiquiris spinning colorfully behind the nautical bar have a similar air of a Louisiana favorite elevated to something novel.

Unlike the saccharin sweet, boozy frozen drinks offered in drive-thrus throughout the state, the craft daiquiris created by bar manager Nicholas Karel are as carefully cultivated as the food offerings.

Natural fruit juices, quality liquors, and unexpected additions such as hibiscus syrup make for libations as complexly delicious as they are refreshing (and yes, still boozy).

The Anchor’s more elegant sister restaurant Tchefuncte’s finally opened its doors on August 14.

Tchefuncte’s, located on the second floor, also overlooks the gentle currents of the River, but offers more of a

fine dining atmosphere and menu than the poboys and frozen drinks available at the bar downstairs.

Fortunately, the layout is predisposed to allow for ample social distancing, with private rooms available for parties and events, as well. Gottlieb describes Tchefuncte’s menu, which changes frequently, as “American regional, with some worldly influence and a nod to Louisiana”. Though the dishes are original and unique, often incorporating flavors from far beyond the Northshore, Gottlieb hopes that diners will find it approachable enough to want to return and try multiple dishes. “The past couple days my favorite dish has been the crab-boudin-stuffed lobster,” Gottlieb said. “That’s been rockin’ our worlds, everyone who’s eaten it is lovin’ it, and they can’t seem to get enough of it.”

Since the Tchefuncte River is such a prominent feature of the restaurants’

atmospheres, local boat captain Mike Jones, who owns Louisiana Tours and Adventures charter company, is excited at the prospect of partnering with Chef Gottlieb. A Madisonville native and history buff who grew up on the Tchefuncte himself, Jones currently offers threeor five-hour chartered boat experiences catered to the party’s interests. For example, a group interested in the history of the river and area can learn while taking in the breeze and scenery, while a bachelorette party can enjoy the leisure ride to various bars along the water with their aquatic designated driver (when precautions allow, of course). “Just sit back, relax, and have a good time,” is a motto of Jones’s.

Soon, Chef Gottlieb and Captain Jones hope to be able to send a couple or small group out on a sunset boat tour with a bottle of Champagne and perhaps an hors d’oeuvre, before they return to Tchefuncte’s for a meal. In the meantime, Jones is more than happy to dock at The Anchor to allow his guests to grab lunch before shoving back off.

In the era of social distancing, the safety of a boat on the water is a breezy option to have—particularly when paired with quality food, drink, and company. h

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Culture

SEPTEMBER 2020 40

LITTLE

FREDDIE KING’S EIGHTIETH YEAR

49 WILL WESLEY SAYS “LET IT ALL BURN”

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F E E L I N ’ B LU E

MEETS VINYL &

PRE-LOVED VIOLINS

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NOLA BLUES

Ain’t Down No More THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF LITTLE FREDDIE KING

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Story by Jason Christian • Photo by Christopher Briscoe

ittle Freddie King hadn’t planned to ride out Katrina in the swanky Hotel Monteleone. His friend Alabama Slim’s wife, Dixie, worked at the four-star hotel— most famous, perhaps, for its Carousel Piano Bar—and in exchange for extra shifts, she was offered a room for the run of the storm. The hurricane was drawing near, and the reports were grim. The couple beseeched King to join them on higher ground. But he had seen the worst the world could offer and always came out in one piece, and so he declined. The couple, being good friends, wouldn’t let up with their plea, and, finally, King gave in.

He rode his bike through heavy rain and fierce gusts, and managed to arrive to safety without breaking his neck.

“The whole hotel was vibrating and shaking,” he recalled. “Knocked a lot of windows out the east side.”

The streets beyond the high ground of the French Quarter of course were flooded, but the building remained intact, and by the grace of God, or just a bit of luck, King and his friends survived.

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I sat with Little Freddie King and “Wacko” Wade Wright (King’s longtime friend, manager, and drummer) at BJ’s Lounge in the Bywater neighborhood of the Upper 9th Ward. BJ’s is the kind of bar you while away Sunday afternoons with your neighbors and pals.

It’s also known for lively, loud local gigs. In other words, it’s King’s kind of place, unvarnished and familiar, and his band has played there most Friday nights for the last twenty years. As we sat around a tall round table in highbacked chairs, King sipped on a Coca-Cola and I nursed a whiskey and soda. Although it was a Friday evening, the three of us and the bartender were the only ones there. Four months into a deadly coronavirus pandemic, the future of the city’s bar scene and music communities remained imperiled and unforeseeable.

Just the Sunday before, on July 19, King had celebrated his eightieth birthday right here—he and his quartet performing a set of “gut bucket blues” as he calls it: raw, upbeat, electric blues that owes heaps to his distant Mississippi roots. Due to COVID-19

restrictions, no audience was allowed to attend, but the set was transmitted on the Facebook pages of the celebrated radio station WWOZ and the Frenchman Street record store, Louisiana Music Factory.

And King wasn’t dismayed, far from it.

“I thank God that He let me live to see eighty years old,” he said. “I felt good. They gave me a big cake and everything.”

He also had some thoughts about the moment the whole country has been pondering. “I have faith it will be back like it first was,” he said, referring to overcoming the pandemic. “But it’s gonna take time.”

And time, too, is something King knows a lot about.

Little Freddie King is a true bluesman, one of the last.

He has more than paid his dues. King lost everything in Katrina, and later fled to Dallas to one of the apartments the federal government set up to house evacuees. A

church donated furniture, and other private and gave him the musical bug. As though WHEN KING PERFORMS, HE LIKES TO donations came in. Wright helped King to jumpstart his musical career, Freddie GUSSY UP IN ECCENTRIC, COLORFUL acquire a new cherry red Gibson B.B. King built his first guitar from a discarded cigar SUITS. A PLASTIC SKELETON HANGS Lucille electric guitar from Music Maker box, a fence plank for a neck, and clumps of Relief Foundation, a nonprofit out of North horsehair for strings.

FROM HIS MIC STAND, AND SKULL AND Carolina dedicated to helping Southern In those days, McComb, Mississippi CROSSBONES ADORN HIS GUITAR STRAP. American roots musicians in their times of was a viciously segregated railroad town.

HE WEARS SHADES INDOORS. HE IS need.

Racist murders and beatings were common.

SHORT AND COMPACT, BUT WITH THE “I was happy as a fee lock in whistling But on their side of the tracks, the Black time,” he said of the guitar. With shelter and community could find some relief in live PRESENCE OF A GIANT. his instrument, he was ready to get back on entertainment, food, and drink in the string stage. of juke joints along Summit Street, which For two years, Wright brought King to New himself to his craft, and became one of the most was a popular stop for Black touring artists in the Jim Orleans for weekend shows. Wright helped King apply important bluesmen of his generation: a New Orleans Crow South. Freddie’s father sat in with various blues for a residence in a new housing development called fixture, with a following from Brazil to France. For acts at some of those joints. But he passed away when Musician’s Village in the Upper 9th Ward, a project decades, he has graced the stage annually at Jazz Fest. Freddie was still young, before he could teach his son spearheaded by Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Ten years ago, he was inducted into the Louisiana Hall the guitar.

Freddie yearned for something easier than his current Marsalis, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. of Fame. His music has been featured in TV shows and Sometime later, Wright flew King to New Orleans for films. He performed alongside Beyoncé in her 2016 life and looked beyond those cotton fields. After a school what King thought was another gig. When they drove “visual album” Lemonade. He’s toured all over the trip to New Orleans, he knew he’d found the answer. As past all the usual haunts, King knew something funny planet. And still, King remains humble, grateful, and soon as he was able, he hopped that train to the Crescent City, moved in with his older sister, who lived Uptown, was afoot. Soon they pulled up to a new double shotgun aware that his life could have easily gone another way. and got on with his new life. He saved up to buy his first house where a crowd awaited them, with decorations electric guitar and taught himself to play by listening and balloons. Someone handed King the keys to his new house, gave him a Bible, and welcomed him home.

King was born in 1940 as Fread Eugene Martin, to a couple of Lightnin’ Hopkins and Jimmy Reed 45s This is how King’s life has gone: up, down, because of a misspelling on his birth certificate—he slowed down. He got a job at a generator shop and kept sideways, and back up again. He’s been stabbed, shot, grew up Freddie Eugene Martin. His deeply religious honing his chops, and in time found himself playing in and beaten to within an inch of his life. He drank booze parents worked from before sunup until well past dark, front of small crowds—shy at first, but improving— like a fish. In his youth, his friends called him Rough but with six children—the other five girls—there was and gaining an audience.

At some point in the 1960s, Freddie Eugene Martin and Tumble. “I was always fightin’ and I was always still not much money to go around. Freddie milked in jail,” King said to me with a grin. “The jail was my cows in the early mornings and picked cotton with his changed his name to Little Freddie King, a nod to the second home, when I wasn’t in the hospital.” father Jessie James Martin—a bluesman in his own original Freddie King, a Texas bluesman that people But he eventually grew up, sobered up, devoted right—who taught his young son how to work hard said Freddie’s playing resembled. In a city mostly known

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Ain’t Down No More continued . . . for jazz and R&B, King eventually found his people: a small group of other blues players that included “Boogie” Bill Web, Polka Dot Slim, Arzo Youngblood, and an old friend of his father’s: Babe Stovall.

“New Orleans never reached the critical mass to develop an explosive blues culture like in Memphis or Chicago,” writes Barry Yeoman in “The Gutbucket King,” an essential sprawling essay for King fans about his life. “It was an underground Mississippi crowd,” Wade Wright told me, elaborating Yeoman’s point. “They all knew each other. They worked on the river. And if they could get a barroom gig, great. If [King] got a gig, he’d invite his friends. If they got a gig, they’d invite him.”

King sometimes played the renowned Dew Drop Inn, an uptown hotel and nightclub that hosted the crème de la crème of Black performers in its heyday, everyone from Sam Cooke to Ike and Tina Turner. But more often than not, he played the rougher nightclubs and bars in town, or played until dawn on somebody’s porch. He finally got a regular spot at a dive called the Busy Bee, long since torn down, where a guy once tried to sell him a rifle and accidentally shot him in the leg. Another time he witnessed a man shoot a woman down in cold blood, and

King took a bit of shot into the back of his neck. Part of King’s legend is that he dubbed this place the “Bucket of Blood” because of all the bloodshed he witnessed splash onto the floors, including his own.

The most shocking chapter of King’s biography occurred in 1986, when lapsing into jealous rage, his wife Amy buried a butcher knife into his shoulder and fled to their nearby home. King staggered after her, leaving a trail of blood, and when he arrived to a locked door, he kicked it in. Fearing vengeance, Amy panicked, and blasted him with five rounds from King’s own pistol. The whole incident was a terrible misunderstanding, instigated by a mutual friend.

“Shows you how the devil works things,” King said of the matter. But he believes God intervened and yet again ensured that he and the marriage would survive. A judge gave Amy a chance to avoid prison time if she nursed her husband back to health, and that she did.

All wounds healed, but tragedy clung to the couple. Years later, during a horrific home invasion, Amy was beaten by a stranger with an iron pipe. King did the best he could to care for her, but she suffered brain damage and slid down into poorer health until she passed away.

It’s these and so many other hard knocks that inform King’s musical life.

He recorded some in the 1960s and put out a record with Harmonica Williams in 1971, but he wasn’t able to survive fulltime as a musician until the 1990s, after Wade Wright helped him form a regular band. Wright, turning seventy-six this year, got his start backing R&B outfits all the way back in the sixties, and he has been instrumental to King’s current success.

Not long after the band formed, they released “Swamp Boogie,” a comeback album of sorts, and a few years later the harmonica player, Bobby Louis diTullio Jr., secured them a steady gig at BJ’s, where he worked. Since then, King has delivered nearly a dozen albums, most of them on Wright’s own MadeWright Records label. The latest release, Jaw Jackin’ Blues, is a slight departure—“Just a change of pace,” Wright said—in the form of a spoken word collaboration with Detroit’s Tino G (formerly of Fat Possum Records), on which King tells his favorite stories backed by samples and hip-hop beats.

With all of this recent down time King and Wright have written around a dozen new tracks together, and recorded a vinyl LP back in March titled The New Orleans Collection for Newvelle Records

in New York that will be released this fall. But for now, live music is off the table, a sad reality all too familiar to musicians everywhere.

When King performs, he likes to gussy up in eccentric, colorful suits.

A plastic skeleton hangs from his mic stand, and skull and crossbones adorn his guitar strap. He wears shades indoors.

He is short and compact, but with the presence of a giant.

During his birthday performance, he chose a canary yellow shirt, baggy burnt orange trousers, a pale paisleycovered blazer, and bright red shoes. A straw hat sat atop a do-rag on his head, which hung past his shoulders. He looked glad to be back.

The music began with some guitar licks, and then came the backbeat, while the harmonica wove melody around the walking bass. King cradled his beloved guitar and ran through enough bars until it was time to approach the microphone.

He began the first song with the truest words he could have uttered that day: “I used to be down,” he growled, “oh, but I ain’t down no more.” h

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D E S T I N AT I O N S

House of Music ONCE A PLACE OF WORSHIP, THIS MID CITY MECCA HOSTS MUSIC LOVERS, MAKERS, AND PERFORMERS ALIKE

Story by Kristen Kirschner • Photos by Kimberly Meadowlark

I

n what is now often meme’d “the before times,” a ritual regularly took place. People gathered at night in the dim, liquid-blue light of some bar or another, crowded around a platform and swaying to a sonic serenade of hypnotic hymns. Mesmerized by melody, we passed tip jars like offering plates, and for an hour or two the “real” world that housed our worries, fears, and insecurities became buoyant and drifted away. A passerby glancing through the window might mistake the

“I just said, ‘Wow, this is our place.’ I called my thenpartner, and we bought it.”

When asked what made him so certain about the building, Fogle said, “the location, the aesthetic, just the whole vibe of the place.” After considerable renovations, which included the removal of the walls behind the main room’s expanded stage to expose the church’s original stained glass, the vision was

Photo by Lily LaGrange, courtesy of James Fogle.

“IT’S ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO COME, SIT, AND LISTEN—IT’S ABOUT THE FATHER WHO HAS HIS KID ON THE WEEKEND BRINGING HIM IN TO INTRODUCE HIM TO THE SMITHS. IT’S ABOUT THE YOUNG COUPLE ON THAT NERVOUS FIRST DATE, FLIPPING THROUGH ALBUMS AND GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER THROUGH THEIR SELECTIONS.” —CHARLOTTE SMITH scene for a raucous revival—so many hands raised heavenward, eyes closed as if in prayer. A parallel likening a live concert to a sacred experience is not difficult to draw, but is impossible to ignore against the backdrop of a literal church.

Mid City Baton Rouge’s multi-faceted musical mecca—equal parts Mid City Ballroom, Baton Rouge Music Exchange, and Pop Shop Records— lives in the red brick structure, nestled beneath the shadowy branches of a water oak, once known as The Mountain Faith Ministries.

“I live right around the corner,” said co-owner and proprietor James Fogle, whose parallel career as a realtor heightened his curiosity about the property. “I drove by it all the time.

There was this big “for sale” sign out front. So, one day I stopped and made an appointment.” After touring the old church, Fogle knew in spite of the work ahead in renovations, that he was home.

complete and ready to open for business.

At first, the space housed only Baton Rouge Music Exchange and Mid City Ballroom. The former was already a successful musical instrument resale and repair business, helmed by Fogle since 2015 at a muchless-suitable location on Perkins Road. “We outgrew In a red brick building in Mid City Baton Rouge—once the home of The Mountain Faith Ministries—three facets of that space immediately,” Baton Rouge’s music scene coalesce: Baton Rouge Music Exchange, Mid City Ballroom, and Pop Shop Records.

Fogle said. Now, with multiple rooms lined from ceiling to selling of instruments is the bulk of longtime dream, made a reality in part floor with high-quality, previously- Baton Rouge Music Exchange’s business, by the inspiration drawn from the old loved, and vintage instruments—as well they also are able to repair “just about church building. A lifelong musician as new items like strings, picks, straps, anything you can think of; from things himself, Fogle said, “I have always and drumsticks—Baton Rouge Music like a simple restringing to complete wanted to open a music venue, and when Exchange either has what a musician renovations to repairing turntables, I saw the space I thought, ‘Hey, this is is looking for, or they will find it. If you receivers, and amplifiers. I think we have great!’” Baton Rouge seemed to agree, want to sell your instruments, they will the only guy in town that will work on and prior to 2020’s social gathering mandates, Mid City Ballroom was more either buy your gear from you outright solid-state amps,” Fogle said.

The addition of the music venue, Mid often than not filled to capacity. “We’ve or put it up for consignment, depending on their needs. While the buying and City Ballroom, was the realization of a had some bigger indie bands—we were // S E P 2 0

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House of Music continued . . . .. the first stop on Black Pumas’ first tour ever, which was really cool. They’ve really blown up since then,” said Fogle. This past spring and summer were supposed to deliver some of the biggest names yet, but that plan was of course interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. “I was really excited,” said Fogle. “We were supposed to have Black Flag, and The Music of Cream touring show. We had a lot of big stuff planned.” While music venues have been hit hard by limitations on social gatherings, Fogle and his partner in Mid City Ballroom since 2019, Tom Coerver, are not discouraged about the future of the venue in Baton Rouge’s live music scene.

Coerver’s observations of the venue’s strengths highlight the unique appeal that contributes to its success. “I think the laid-back atmosphere and the intimate, close-up connection with the artist that comes from a smaller room are very exciting, all in combination with the warm sound of the space, it makes for a very appealing venue to see a show.” The stage and atmosphere of Mid City Ballroom are only part of experiencing live music in the space.

Since live concerts are primarily auditory experiences, a venue is only as good as its gear. With Mike Pinter running the board at Mid City Ballroom, quality is guaranteed. “The sound equipment and lighting are top-notch, and I think you can feel the inspiration that the performers get from having close contact with the audience, and a great presentation of their show that elevates the experience to ‘next level’ for all involved,” Coerver said.

It was exactly this “next-level” elevated music experience that enticed Charlotte

Before the rise of COVID-19, shows at Mid City Ballroom were most often filled to capacity. Its intimate setting and high quality sound equipment fostered a rare and memorable live music experience. Plans for a summer featuring several big name performances were, of course, canceled for the foreeable future. In the meantime, Baton Rouge Music Exchange and Pop Shop Records are opened to the public.

Smith to venture into the role as the proprietress of Pop Shop Records, which moved from its previous Government Street location into the old church at the end of last year. For Smith, the role music has played in her life reaches far beyond the superficial appreciation of sound. “I find a lot of peace in music.,” she said.

“I’ve always lived a very hectic life. I don’t sit easily for long. When do I sit, I find it incredibly relaxing when I have forty-five minutes to listen to a vinyl. I find myself very content,” said Smith. The almostmystic appeal that lures Smith to vinyl over other mediums goes back to her own childhood, when her mother would spin Fats Domino and Bo Diddley while she and her brother would act out the songs.

Much in the same spirit of the

pantomimes of her youth, Smith said, “I still like words and stories. I like living through the words of other people.”

And those stories, she maintained, are best served on wax platters. “I remember when I got my first CD: Ten by Pearl Jam. It just didn’t sound the same. It almost sounded too perfect, and I’ve never been a fan of perfect. I want to feel like I’m listening to the band—I don’t want to listen to a studio,” Smith said.

When the opportunity opened up to move her shop, Smith felt strongly that the businesses could benefit from each other. “I think it’s phenomenal to be able to have all this music under one roof. We sell so much more than records.

We sell hi-fi vintage turntables as well as brand new units, we sell local musicians’ albums, and books about music.” Right

Pictured left to right: James Fogle, Tom Coerver, and Charlotte Smith are the people behind the triune musical haven in Mid City.

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before the city stay-at-home orders, Smith added listening rooms to the shop, where customers can try before they buy. “It’s much more than just selling records,” she said. “To me, records are about an experience; about sharing something meaningful. To me, it’s about the people who come, sit, and listen—it’s about the father who has his kid on the weekend bringing him in to introduce him to The Smiths. It’s about the young couple on that nervous first date, flipping through albums and getting to know each other through their selections. It gives me so much joy to provide a place where this can happen.”

After a far-too-long hiatus from their brick-and-mortar operations due to the pandemic, Pop Shop Records and Baton Rouge Music Exchange are now open from noon until 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Both are also very much open online. More information on Baton Rouge Music Exchange inventory, Mid City Ballroom venue rental, and the range of services available can be found online at batonrougemusicexchange. com. Inventory for the vinyl and hi-fi lover can be found on popshoprecordsbr. com. Both are also offering free local delivery.

So the quaint little church, whose venue remains dark at the moment, is still experiencing some life and music in its retail areas. As for Mid City Ballroom, Fogle said plans for the immediate future are still somewhat uncertain. “I think our plan now is we’re just waiting to see what’s going on and what’s happening.

I don’t see a whole lot happening for the rest of this year.” One certainty, however, is that Mid City Ballroom will return— eventually. “We will be back.” h batonrougemusicexchange popshoprecordsbr.com midcityballroom.com

B AT O N R O U G E B L U E S

Let it All Burn

FOR BATON ROUGE BLUES MUSICIAN WILL WESLEY, PAIN IS JUST PART OF THE JOURNEY Story by Tom Scarborough • Photos by Alexandra Kennon

Will Wesley, pictured with his bassist Phil Chandler.

O

n a late-spring morning in St. Francisville so glorious that one almost forgets the national shitmare unfolding before us, Will Wesley scrutinized me across the table at Birdman Coffee. Dressed in black, with dark hair cascading from under his leather hat, he gave off the slightly-menacing vibe of a rock and roll bandolero—at least until he started speaking in his earnest, calibrated cadences. The longer our conversation ran, the more animated he became. These have been hard times for performing artists—even an audience of one is precious, and not to be squandered.

For the past four months, the thirtyfive-year old Wesley has not allowed the vaporization of live performance opportunities to slow him down. He’s spent the time recording his soon-todrop double album, entitled Both Sides of the Tracks, making and releasing videos, and relentlessly working social

media. The first half of the album is in the can and scheduled for release in late August (the second half of the album is scheduled for a January release). In July, Wesley even performed a sold out, socially-distanced concert at the Delta Music Museum Arcade Theater in Ferriday, alongside bluesmen Kern Pratt and Johnny Riley. Wesley promoted the show by traveling and personally making home deliveries of tickets to attendees living as far away as Arkansas and Florida. He has also played a handful of carefully selected club dates from Natchez to Gonzalez amidst the fluctuations of COVID-19 spikes, all adhering to various social distancing guidelines. Under the best of conditions, relentless self-promotion is a difficult proposition. But in the midst of a career-stifling pandemic, it is another Sisyphean climb altogether.

Still, Wesley has persisted.

Born in Baker, Louisiana in 1985, music found Will Wesley early by way of his father’s guitar. “My dad

was adamant about me learning all styles,” said Wesley. “He didn’t want me to just be a blues guy. He told me, ‘Son, be a student of music. Study it all.

Go see country. Go see jazz. Because music is all the same thing, just said in a different language.’” Regardless, as a young player, the blues captivated Wesley the most. “I loved the bareknuckled truth of it. As a kid I’d listen to Albert King, B.B. King, Freddie King—getting into the Stax records and all these people I was inspired by.

Playing the blues was all I wanted to do.”

Though Wesley did not grow up in the church, gospel music also made its impression upon him. “Ray Charles, the Allman Brothers, and so many others I admire came straight out of the church—I’ve always been inspired by gospel music.” Stevie Ray Vaughan and Junior Brown were also musical avatars for him. Wesley cited Austinbased Brown’s musical eclecticism––a synthesis of country, blues, rock,

bluegrass, and western swing–––as a defining element of his own musical signature.

Wesley made his professional debut at fifteen, playing in the Cody Teal Band, led by Terry Seals. “Luckily, I could always grow a beard because I wasn’t old enough to get into the clubs. I’d go into these clubs, man, fifteen years old.

I’m not going to lie to you—it was the lowest of the low—prostitutes, bikers, gang members—and I’m playing blues for these guys. But I have to say those experiences taught me how to handle myself in the clubs, and in the street— what to say, and what not to say. Keep your mouth shut or get shot—maybe get shot anyway. Shut up and play. It was a hell of an education.”

After playing with Seals for a couple of years, Wesley immersed himself in the Baton Rouge live music scene, at one point holding a spot in seven bands at the same time. Wesley then hired on with Baton Rouge bluesman, Larry Garner. Garner, who won the // S E P 2 0

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International Blues Challenge in 1988, gave Wesley his first experience going on the road. “We would go from New York to St. Louis to Chicago. Seeing how the blues was received in these different environments. . . In Louisiana, everyone plays the blues, but going up north, everyone was enthralled by it.

The experience with Larry made me want to see the world.”

That opportunity came when Wesley’s path crossed that of Mississippi-born bluesman, Grady Champion another winner of the International Blues Challenge (2010).

Remembered Wesley, “I met Grady on a music video shoot we were doing. I walked in and there’s Grady sitting in his pajamas. He had heard me playing guitar, and he said, ’Damn, boy, I gotta get you in the band!’ So I auditioned for him, and I wrote out some chord charts, and he was impressed enough to hire me as his music director.”

As part of Champion’s band, Wesley toured Europe for the first time.

“One of the greatest moments in my life was when Grady called me and told me we were going to Switzerland to play a blues festival in Lucerne,” he said. “The Swiss people love American blues music, but it was so different playing for such

a quiet audience. They wouldn’t even clap until the song was fully over. It was intimidating. I remember looking at Grady—and I was scared to death because these people weren’t making a sound—and he just kind of eased over to me with his harmonica and he said, ’Just keep playing, boy.’ When we got done with the song, these people were

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It’s almost axiomatic that if you want to play the blues, you’re going to have to do some suffering to earn the privilege. Baton Rouge’s flood of 2016 laid Will Wesley low and almost derailed his career. Living in Denham

Springs where the flooding was most devastating, all of Wesley’s personal possessions, including his musical equipment, were destroyed. At this personal nadir, the people of Natchez, Mississippi came to Wesley’s rescue. “I was so devastated,” he said. “I already had a great fan base in Natchez. Right about that time I got a phone call from

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the Under-the-Hill Saloon, asking me to come play a gig there. I told them my playing days were done for a while, that I had lost everything.” In short order, Wesley’s Natchez fans and the Saloon raised enough money for the musician to replace his equipment, and he kept the booking. “For the people of Natchez to believe in me that much and to put me back out there . . .,” visibly moved, he told me, “My love for them only grows.”

Wesley’s deep grounding in diverse musical forms is readily apparent in the music he crafts today. A Will Wesley song has more hooks than a charter fishing boat—in it one can hear elements ranging from Tom Petty to early Eagles, to Gram Parsons-era Byrds. One of Wesley’s soon-to-be released songs, “Attitude,” is a case in

bottom-line message of the tune is that this is the same old blues the world has always endured, but it’s in a new disguise.” An accompanying tour of France in 2021 in support of the release may also be in the works.

In the meantime, Wesley will write even more music. He and Chandler will co-produce Grady Champion’s next album. He will reach out and connect with every new fan he can. As the interview wound down, Wesley reflected: “A year and a half ago I had my heart smashed into a million pieces.

I experienced personal betrayal and the theft of my music by someone I trusted. But to me pain is a journey. As time passes, you begin to appreciate the growth that can come out of that pain.

This song on the new album, ‘Let It All Burn,’ it’s really about letting go of

THE OPENING GUITAR LICK IS VINTAGE WAYLON JENNINGS, BEFORE WESLEY AND HIS BAND—PHIL CHANDLER ON BASS AND SETH HOWARD ON DRUMS—CRASH INTO SOME PETTY-STYLE CHORDAGE. THROW IN A NOD TO GUNS N ROSES ON THE CHORUS, AND THE FINAL RESULT IS A RELENTLESS, UNTREATABLE EARWORM THAT WILL HAVE YOU ENDLESSLY SINGING THE REFRAIN UNTIL YOUR SPOUSE FILES FOR DIVORCE. point. The opening guitar lick is vintage Waylon Jennings, before Wesley and his band—Phil Chandler on bass and Seth Jones on drums—crash into some Petty-style chordage. Throw in a nod to Guns N’ Roses on the chorus, and the final result is a relentless, untreatable earworm that will have you endlessly singing the refrain until your spouse files for divorce. It’s a potent admixture that is winning Wesley new fans and a growing regional presence.

At this moment, for Wesley—like the rest of us—the future is a cypher. After recently signing a promotional deal with ProMotions LLC, he is holding out hope for a 2021 tour throughout the Southeast and beyond, including dates in Italy and Brazil. In addition, Wesley has recently learned that Endless Blues Records has picked a song he co-wrote with Phil Chandler, his bassist and producer, for distribution throughout the US and Europe. Entitled “A New Kind of Blues,” the song also features Greenville, Mississippi guitar-burner, Kern Pratt. Chandler described it as, “… a song that confronts the isolation of the pandemic as the everyday normal is put on hold.” Wesley added, “The

all the pain. Writing the tracks for this album was like one big therapy session.”

Meaningful, durable art is not usually created from a place of safety and comfort. For whatever reason, the words, images and music that inspire are often pulled from some of the darkest, most toxic spaces within the human psyche. In musical terms, one need only to listen to Billie Holiday or Amy Winehouse, or put “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” on the turntable to hear the truth of this. Will Wesley has been to this place, and he is determined that from coal he will make diamonds. With songs like “Let It All Burn,” Wesley serves notice that there is no challenge too great—not even a global pandemic—to stay him from creating something from it, and coming out on the other side. Blue times usher in blue spirits usher in blue notes—a journey to catharsis and, eventually, relief. h

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SOMETHING’S STIRRING

IN

SLEEPY LITTLE

MORGANZA

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Serio’s Service Station, which has been in Morganza for a century, is a tiny window into the town’s histoy.

TIME IN TINY TOWNS

More to Morganza

REVITALIZATION IN ACTION, BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO A ONCE-BUSTLING TOWN Story and photos by Alexandra Kennon Morganza has two things in clear abundance: sugar cane fields and railroad tracks. These are the things that stand out most prominently when driving through Morganza, as one does, as Natalie Thompson did for most of her life—until recently.

Growing up in Baton Rouge, when she’d pass the tiny town her family was from each year to celebrate Easter Sundays in Innis, her mother would point out Morganza landmarks as they drove by: “There’s Granny’s house,” “There’s the service station your great grandpa owned,” “There’s the church.”

As a child, and even as a young adult, Thompson never gave much thought to the sleepy little highway town. After serving in the Air Force in the Korean 48

Conflict and in the Philippines, her grandfather had moved to Baton Rouge, which is where she grew up and eventually started a family of her own.

It wasn’t until she was engaged that she learned her now-husband’s family is from Morganza, too. “But I didn’t really care,” Thompson said of the discovery. “I was twenty when I got married. I didn’t give a crud about Morganza and ancestors.”

As her grandfather in Baton Rouge needed more assistance around the house, Thompson began spending more time with him, frequently hearing stories about their relatives and the “old days” in Morganza. “I just decided I had to go spend some time in this place that was so special to them and to my ancestors,” she said. About three years ago, Thompson

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told her mother she wanted to spend a day in Morganza. She listed off all of the places she wanted to visit: Melancon’s Café, where a seminal scene in Dennis Hopper’s cult classic film Easy Rider was shot; the Cedar Club, a dancehall her grandfather and great uncles frequented in the 1950s; St. Ann’s Catholic Church.

She was disappointed to learn that most of the places she listed were closed, if not demolished. One business that remained open, though the gas pumps have since dried up, was Serio’s Service Station, which her great grandfather had opened around 1920, and her great uncles still run today. When Thompson and her mother Allison arrived at the station for a Thursday visit, a whole group of relatives greeted them with memories and glass-

bottle Coca Colas. The history imbued into the small roadside building was, and is, absolutely palpable. “My grandpa and his brothers all worked at the station at some point in their lives—their dad built it, and there are so many stories there in that station,” Thompson recalled.

“I could feel how special it was. I had a lump in my throat the whole visit.”

Since that initial visit, Thompson has been evangelical about the revitalization of Morganza, and returns to the little town every single Thursday. “This town could really be something,” she thought.

“We could kind of bring it back to what it was like in the fifties and make it a little destination stop.” She has spearheaded a revitalization effort—starting with getting Morganza’s residents on board.

They have since started a non-profit and applied to be a Louisiana State Cultural District, with the goal of providing momentum for people in Morganza to reopen businesses, or at least spruce up old buildings.

“And it kind of worked,” Thompson said. “People started planting flowers, and saying ‘I’m gonna fix up that old building that I own. It just started happening.”

For one dollar a year, the Morganza Cultural District leases a vacant school building, built in the 1940s, where they hold their meetings and “Small victories,” like a fresh coat of paint and artwork, host events like town make a daunting restoration more manageable. tailgates, Christmas parties, and even a festival. When she Leche House / HM Design realized the Easy Rider connection to Just across the railroad tracks from Melancon’s Cafe, she said, “We gotta Serio’s Service Station is the Leche get these bikers in here!” And that House: one of the oldest homes in they did: last September, Morganza Morganza, built between 1880 and hosted a festival in honor of the fiftieth 1908. Hilary Meche and her mother anniversary of Easy Rider, which drew Lisa Robillard have always admired the more than three thousand bikers and house, but also recognized that restoring fans of the film from across the country. it would be a massive undertaking. “But The Easy Rider Festival is far from I’ve always loved it,” Meche said. When the only effort that has been made to the Leche House most recently went revitalize Morganza. As someone who on the market, several people made grew up across the Mississippi River offers, including some with the intent of in St. Francisville, I too have driven tearing it down. Meche approached her through Morganza more times than mother, proposing that they first save the I can count. Recently, I took a cue historical home, then utilize it as a hub from Thompson and decided to stop. for their respective businesses in interior I discovered a handful of creative, design and party rentals: HM Design industrious, and inspired individuals and LR Lagniappe Rentals. “We have all who have restored buildings or businesses sorts of ideas,” Robillard said. of their own, contributing to making As an interior designer, Meche Morganza once again a destination typically tackles one aspect of the process stop—only now fresher, more at a time: the renovations are completed, contemporary. the walls are painted, then come the furnishings and artwork. The Leche

Three generations of women on the porch of a house with a storied history, ready to contribute their own. Left to right: Lisa Robillard, Hilary Meche, and Elise Meche.

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Erika Wright and Lindsey Bizette in front of Salon 694, formerly Rudy Burke’s Barber Shop.

House was such a daunting undertaking, she and her mother decided to do things a bit more unconventionally. “When we first came, the excitement is what kept us going. But the house was so dirty, and so overwhelming once we started,” Meche said. There seemed to be an endless amount of cleaning. So, exhausted of that, Robillard suggested they “switch gears” and paint the smallest room in the house, off the back foyer. “It made no sense, but that’s just what we needed,” Meche said. “We put some paint on the walls, and [Robillard] hung a plant.

Everything is falling apart, but we just have this plant and this painted little room. And still, it’s not done, but we do fresh flowers, we have some candles, we have some art hanging. We’ve just had to motivate ourselves that way … just to bring a little hope each day.”

Certain areas, like a center hallway and the second floor, still exist as evidence of the extreme “fixer-upper” nature of the building—but Meche and Robillard have carved out several oases via cool, earthy paint colors on the walls, artwork, potted plants, and window AC units.

Birthday and Mother’s Day gifts to one another have consisted of milestones such as a new kitchen countertop, or a new sink. The features of the old home

that inspired them to purchase it in the first place, like its eleven-and-a-half-foot ceilings, ample windows, and hardwood floors, still shine. Though the pandemic has slowed down certain parts of the restoration process, since closing on the house in April Meche and Robillard have made considerable progress toward not only saving the home, but converting it into a comfortable, timeless space that will perfectly suit the spirited, creative women and their businesses.

The Red Apron Though the iconic Melancon’s Cafe from Easy Rider has long been demolished, the Spillway Café remains a community staple, serving comfort food favorites like fried chicken, po-boys, and bread pudding. A more recent dining development is The Red Apron—a catering company whose primary business is delivering plate lunches to farmers, situated cutely in a building that long-ago housed one of Morganza’s two banks. The menu, which is sent out early in the morning so orders can be placed before the farm deliveries, includes a plate lunch special, salad of the day, and burger of the day. Thompson swears by the daily salads with homemade dressing, in particular.

Lets plan your next

From the brilliant colors in the gardens of Houmas House Plantation to the vivid color in an Alvin Batiste painting. From the explosion of flavors in a bowl of Jambalaya to the explosion in retail at Tanger Outlets and locally owned shops. From Louisiana’s second largest historic district to a sugarcane distillery, there’s just so much to see, taste, experience and savor in Ascension Parish, the perfect spot for your next staycation!

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Salon 694 Lindsey Bizette and Erika Wright have been friends “forever”. The pair never had the opportunity to work together, however, until Bizette decided to move to Morganza from the comparative metropolis of New Roads. There, Rudy Burke’s Barber Shop, where Rudy Burke did predominantly men’s haircuts and shaves for sixty-five years, had finally closed, providing the perfect space for Bizette to open a modern hair salon and work with her life-long friend Wright.

At Salon 694, which opened last September and is named for the phone prefix for Morganza, Bizette and Wright offer cuts, color, and makeup services— quite a different business model than the former old-school barber shop, though Bizette said she’s never done more men’s cuts in her life. Salon 694 draws clients from all over Point Coupee Parish and beyond. Burke, who cut hair in the building for sixty-five years, even goes to Salon 694 to get his hair cut these days— though more contemporary styling for women’s hair makes up most of their business.

The Cedar Saloon Built in 1947 by the son of Sicilian immigrants Frank Sansone, many of the

older folks who grew up in Morganza and the surrounding towns have fond memories of what was, back then, called The Cedar Club. Jack Serio, Sansone’s cousin and Thompson’s great uncle— who owns the service station down the road—remembers serving beer there at age sixteen. Not much, if any, ID checking went on at the time. When Serio finished serving in WWII, he took Ann, his future wife of sixty-five years, dancing there on weekends. The dance hall was at one point the social epicenter of Point Coupee.

In 1992 the building was leased and later purchased by Donnie “Bear” Derbes, who changed the name to The Bear’s Den and ran it as a dive bar until 2016. Current owners Mark Allement, a cattle farmer, and Shane Shows, a consultant who used to work in oil fields and on pipelines, had the intent to renovate the space and reopen it as a live music venue, as it once was. On New Year’s Eve 2019, they did just that, and they hope that when gatherings are able to resume The Cedar Saloon will once again provide an outlet for live music, dancing, and general revelry to the community.

“We’ve had eighty-year-old people come in here and take their shoes off

Shane Shows, Co-Owner of the Cedar Saloon at the cedar bar.

and get out and dance,” Shows said.

There’s a considerable crowd of younger people who frequented the saloon once it reopened, as well. “I don’t know what it is, we don’t have a crystal ball,” Shows said. “But it’s just the environment, everybody feels comfortable here.” On New Year’s Eve, Jack and Ann Serio came back with their niece Natalie Thompson and danced, just as they did as teenagers decades ago.

Unfortunately COVID-19 has cleared the saloon’s schedule for the foreseeable future, but the goal is to eventually have a live band every Saturday night again.

“We’re happy to be here and they’re happy to have us, I can tell you,” Shows said. He hopes that once they reopen, the live music at the saloon will continue for many years to come. “I could see myself an old man sitting in the corner, smoking a cigar and shaking everybody’s hand.” h

Find HM Design and Salon 694 on Facebook.

The Red Apron: (225) 718-3104 thecedarsaloon.com

BRIDGING THE MISSISSIPPI: SPANS ACROSS THE FATHER OF WATERS ON VIEW AUGUST 4, 2020 – APRIL 3, 2021

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Baton Rouge, LA

Directory of Merchants Breaux Bridge, LA

All Wood Furniture 21 Alzheimer’s Service of Baton Rouge 27 42 Amy James Photography Becky Parrish 52 Blue Cross Blue Shield 20 Bob’s Trees 33 BREC 49 Burden Museum & Gardens 19 Calandro’s 11 Casual Creations 41 56 East Baton Rouge Library Elizabethan Gallery 35 46 Lagniappe Antiques Louisiana Center of the Book Louisiana Public Broadcasting 52 LSU Rural Life Museum 9 Pinetta’s 46 24 Seniors Helping Seniors Southside Gardens 47 14 Stafford Tile and Stone Visit Baton Rouge 15 18 Wilson & Wilson, LLC Window World of Baton Rouge 32 WRKF 89.3 FM 7

St. Martin Parish Tourism

Mandeville, LA

36

Grand Isle, LA Grand Isle Tourism Department

47

55

37 37

Jackson, LA Old Centenary Inn Olive Branch Furniture and Accents The Felicianas’ Store

29 29 29

Lafayette, LA The Hilliard University Art Museum

31

Morgan City, LA

10

Iberville Parish Tourism Department 12

46

Crye-Leike Stedman Realtors 6 Live Oak Construction 25 Natchez Balloon Festival 25 Natchez.com 17 United Mississippi Bank 23

New Orleans, LA Stafford Tile and Stone

14

2

Opelousas, LA St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission

West Baton Rouge CVB West Baton Rouge Museum

51 49

Ridgeland, MS

Natchez, LA

City of New Roads

Lake Charles, LA Lake Charles CVB

Avoyelles Commission of Tourism

New Roads, LA 51

Port Allen, LA

Cajun Coast CVB

Henderson, LA Crawfish Town USA Louisiana Marketshops at the 115

St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission 3

Mansura, LA

Hammond, LA Tangipahoa Parish CVB

Plaquemine, LA

Ridgeland Tourism Commission

16

Scott, LA Bob’s Tree Preservation

33

Sorrento, LA Ascension Parish Tourism Commission

50

St. Francisville, LA Bspoke 4U Daryl May Construction District Mercantile (book) Grandmothers Buttons Magnolia Café St. Francisville Inn

13 50 35 34 34 35

24

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Wednesday, September 9 • 7PM

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Sponsored by Tangipahoa Parish Tourism

P E R S P E C T I V E S : I M A G E S O F O U R S TAT E

Beauty in the Mundane

F

INSIDE ARTIST JACOB MITCHELL’S PHOTOGRAPHIC WORLDS

or Shreveport-based fine art photographer Jacob Mitchell, an image does not function merely to capture a subject, but to construct an entire world. Through the twenty-three-year-old’s lens, everyday mundane settings become supernatural.

With a keen eye for architectural symmetry and big, expansive backgrounds, Mitchell makes abandoned buildings and parking lots seem otherworldly, transforming them into whimsical, surreal, and sometimes eerie doppelgangers of their subaverage counterparts. His South series permeates with dreamy images lush with color permeate. In another collection entitled EMPTY SIGNS, derelict billboards and looming desolate signs for once-active businesses become dystopian remnants of corporate America. A play on prismatic light transforms a Waffle House logo into a glittering Oz just beyond the hill.

Through Mitchell’s use of intentional framing, steep contrast, and saturated neon hues, his inanimate subjects become characters, tempting the viewer to look closer. Mitchell’s artistic philosophy recalls the underlying logic with which anything is created, really: “I just thought it would look cool,” he said.

Sometimes it doesn’t need to be any deeper than that.

“I take photos of things that people normally overlook and turn it into something you can actually pay attention to; there's a lot of abandoned signs and buildings around town that just caught my eye,” said Mitchell.

“Likewise, there's so many commercial businesses people drive by every single day with For Sale signs in front, so I put that out there to show that there's beauty in the mundane and ugly, too.”

One of Mitchell’s shots entitled “Moon 002,” depicts a waxing crescent moon centered within a loop of barbed wire atop a rusted chain link fence, a cotton candy sky backdrop softening the harsh metal barrier. The photo was one of fifty-six works selected for the Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s annual juried exhibition, Louisiana Contemporary, opening September 5. Though Mitchell has been taking photos since he picked up his first camera at thirteen, this will be the artist’s first exhibition, and certainly far from the last.

Most of Mitchell’s work is taken in and around his native Shreveport, but you wouldn’t know it; his photos contain the 54

essence that they could have been captured not just anywhere, but everywhere. His fluid style is a product of lengthy experimentation in Photoshop, achieving a heavily artificial, film-like aesthetic by combining multiple images to form a composite photo. Because his process focuses on postproduction, when Mitchell is shooting he doesn’t aim to get the perfect shot, instead looking for elements that possess the “potential to be a great

photo.” His approach is freeing in its simplicity; it allows him to make old photos into something new, and to see a world of possibility within each frame. “I can create my entire world and make it look totally different.” h

You can find more of Jacob Mitchell’s work on his website, jacobmitchellphoto. com, or on Instagram @thesoggyblanket.

“Moon 002” Photo by Jacob Mitchell, on display at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in the annual juried exhibition, Louisiana Contemporary, opening September 5.

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