Legends - October / November 2015 by Legends Magazine

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the scenic Mississippi Coast at the historic White House Hotel. on an open rooftop terrace as the sun sets on the shimmering shoreline. fine dining – breakfast, lunch and dinner – at Cora’s Restaurant & Bar.

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1230 Beach Blvd. | Biloxi, MS 39530 www.whitehousebiloxi.com

The Largest Selection of Reclaimed Lumber in Mississippi

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Coming Soon!

Any museum can display a few works, but it takes a truly special place to showcase the quirks. Visit the showcase at Greenville - Washington County: Greenville History Museum 409 Washington Avenue, Greenville William Alexander Percy Memorial Library & Delta Writer’s Exhibit 341 Main Street, Greenville “Century of History” Hebrew Union Temple & Museum 504 Main Street, Greenville 1927 Flood Museum 118 South Hinds Street, Greenville The Patriot at Greenville Cemetery South Main Street, Greenville E.E. Bass Cultural Arts Center / Armitage-Herschell Carousel 323 South Main Street, Greenville Highway 61 Blues Museum 307 North Broad Street, Leland Jim Henson Delta Boyhood Exhibit 206 Broad Street North, Leland Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Museum Leland, (Coming Soon Fall of 2016) Winterville Mounds 2415 Highway 1 North, Winterville Greenville Air Force Base Museum Mid Delta Regional Airport, Greenville

Greenville - Washington County. More than meets the eye. www.visitgreenville.org 1-800-467-3582

Convention & Visitors Bureau

PUBLISHER AND PRESIDENT ��Marianne Todd CREATIVE DIRECTOR / LEAD DESIGNER �� Shawn T. King GRAPHIC DESIGNER �� Adrienne Dison DIRECTOR OF MARKETING ��Ken Flynt WEBSITE DESIGNER ��Scott Mire ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER ��Chris Banks Contact LEGENDS 601-604-2963

CONTENTS OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2015

MUSIC 6

The Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Center

Paul Thorn, Homemade Jamz Blues Band play historic groundbreaking

Still Falling

The Backbone of the Foo Foo

Contributing photographers: Rory Doyle, Joe Worthem, Chuck Cook, Michael Spooneybarger, Julian Rankin, Michael Barrett

To Dance Like a Gypsy

LEGENDS welcomes your calendar submissions. Submissions are posted free of charge on our website at www.ReadLegends.com. Calendar submissions for consideration in LEGENDS’ print calendar may be sent to

Saving South Louisiana

Marketing - 601-479-3351 | Ken@ReadLegends.com Editorial - 601-604-2963 | Editor@MississippiLegends.com Contributing writers: Riley Manning, Meghan Holmes, Adrienne Dison, Kara Martinez Bachman, Julian Rankin, Stephen Corbett

Chris@ReadLegends.com. Copyright 2015. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without express permission from the publisher. The opinions and views expressed by our contributors, writers and editors are their own. Various views from other professionals may also be expressed. Neither LEGENDS nor Blue South Publishing Corporation is endorsing or guaranteeing the products or quality of services expressed in advertisements. All advertisers assume liability for all content (including text representation and illustration) of advertisements printed and assume responsibility for any resulting claims against LEGENDS or its affiliates. Materials, photographs and written pieces to be considered for inclusion in LEGENDS may be sent to P.O. Box 3663, Meridian, MS 39303. Unsolicited materials will not be returned. LEGENDS is sold on bookstore shelves in 38 states. Additionally, Blue South Publishing Corporation provides more than 20,000 free copies in its coverage area to tourism offices, welcome centers, hotels, restaurants, theaters, museums, galleries, coffee shops, casinos and institutions of higher learning. If your business, agency or industry would like to be considered as a LEGENDS distribution point, or for a list of retailers, please contact us at Editor@MississippiLegends.com. For more information, write to Editor@MississippiLegends.com. More information, including a comprehensive, up-to-date calendar, may be found at

www.ReadLegends.com ABOUT OUR COVER The fashion behind the popular FX television series, American Horror Story: Coven, was inspired by the retro clothing styles found throughout New Orleans. Here, vintage pieces from Century Girl and Bambi DeVille Vintage on Royal Street, worn by Bambi Engeran and Tonya Excho, take center stage. Wardrobe coordinated and styled by Leah Blake and Bambi Engeran, centurygirlvintage.com, antiquesartcollectibles.com Make-up by Midori Tajiri-Byrd, midorimakeup.com Hair by Madeline Brown, albertbrownsalon.com/ madeline-brown.html

6 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

The music of Scott McQuaig Pensacola’s Frank Brown Songwriters’ Fest The Flamenco-inspired CD of belly dancers The Voice of the Wetlands

CULTURE 8

The Meridian Craft Beer Festival

Rate your favorite brew!

Cover Story: American Horror, New Orleans’ Style

Louisiana’s “Thriller”

Those Soaring Blue Angels

Reunion Time in the River City

48 58

The Deep South’s 8 Most Haunted Places

Skylar Fein, Fellow Struggler

The inspired fashion behind the classic FX television series, Coven Rougarou Fest 2015 Pensacola’s prime spots to view the Blues Vicksburg’s Courthouse Flea Market

Destin Fires up the Grill

The 8th Annual Brews, Blues and BBQ Art in the wake of Katrina

CULINARY 60

BBQ ala Good Times

Memphis’ Blues City Cafe

Festivals and fun. Grand historic homes. Birthplace of America’s greatest playwright, Tennessee Williams. Run or bike along

Share the Bounty by P. Allen Smith

the scenic Riverwalk, winding around and over the Tombigbee River. Shop, dine, and savor in the ultimate Southern experience.

The city that has it all... Tennessee Williams Home & Welcome Center 300 Main Street • 800-920-3533 www.visitcolumbusms.org

YEAR-ROUND Daily Historic Home Tours OCTOBER 16-17 Caledonia Days | OCTOBER 22-24 Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium NOVEMBER 5-7 Decorative Arts & Preservation Forum / Antiques Show & Sale FEATURING NOVEMBER 6 - 10:30 am: “Share the Bounty” by P. Allen Smith, an award-winning designer, gardening and lifestyle expert MARCH 28-APRIL 9, 2016 76TH ANNUAL SPRING PILGRIMAGE

Go to www.visitcolumbusms.org for complete attraction and event listings. READLEGENDS.COM •

STORY STORYFROM FROMMERIDIAN, MERIDIAN,MISS. MISS.

Paul Thorn to headline MAEC groundbreaking Mississippi’s own Paul Thorn and the Homemade Jamz Blues Band will help usher in a creative economic boon for Mississippi on Oct. 3 as the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center breaks ground on its $45 million state-wide museum. The MAEC’s mission is to use interactive technology to feature the artists, musicians, writers and performers who hail from Mississippi and who have made an indelible mark on the world. Although the MAEC isn’t planned for completion until the fall of 2017, the groundbreaking ceremony marks a major milestone in the project, which began in 1998. The Center will no doubt inspire people, said Tommy Dulaney, president and CEO of Structural Steel in Meridian and a former president of the Mississippi Economic Council. “There aren’t many who haven’t heard of Elvis Presley and know his story, or that of Eudora Welty. But there are many unsung artisans, who through sheer grit may not be on center stage, but found a pathway to a career and a good life which they share with us in food, a painting, a written song, a play or a noteworthy building or design that betters our own.” Planned at the corner of Front Street and 22nd Avenue in downtown Meridian, the MAEC is expected to encompass 58,500 square feet, including 22,000 square feet of exhibition space. Executive Director Marty Gamblin said the exhibitions will be organized around five themes: land, home, community, church and people. The center’s 2017 opening will coincide with the state’s bicentennial celebration. “We consider it to be the ultimate arts and entertainment experience,” Gamblin said. “After a few years of research and development, this magnificent statewide project has evolved into a world-class experience to be only enjoyed in Mississippi.” Once complete, the center is estimated to receive 165,000 visitors annually, directing guests to other museums and locales throughout the state. L

Want to go? Hosted at the corner of Front Street and 22nd Avenue at the foot of the downtown bridge, the groundbreaking event offers free admission for families and guests. The event is slated from 1 to 4 p.m.

8 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

Top, Paul Thorn and the Homemade Jamz Blues Band, center, will perform at the Oct. 3 groundbreaking ceremony for the Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Center museum. The center, depicted above, is expected to open in 2017.

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STORY FROM MERIDIAN, MISS.

RATE YOUR FAVORITE BREW at the

Meridian Craft Beer Festival By ADRIENNE DISON

Michael Davis, vice president of Magnolia Beverage Co., said the festival Photography by Marianne Todd is also a great way to introduce craft beer to first-timers. “There’s a lot of excitement with different brands, styles and flavors that are either new to the ith roughly 25 state, regional and national breweries represented, the beer category or are being revived in the beer category. It’s not just the one first-ever Meridian Craft Beer Festival promises enthusiasts a chance style of beer,” Davis said. to sample more than 100 craft beer varieties, including a few newly released With the groundbreaking for the Mississippi Arts & Entertainment and a handful brewed specifically for the Center slated the same day, festival event. planners are expecting a large turnout for Presented by Brickhaus Brewtique, the inaugural event. Recent changes in the Oct. 3 festival also will feature live state laws allowing greater ABV (alcohol entertainment by The Strays and others, by volume) content have enabled the a home brew exhibition and Arts in the area’s emerging craft beer culture to Courtyard, Brickhaus’ monthly arts and expand. Before the 2012 legislation was crafts fair. Mitchell Distributing representatives Cole Clopton, Ryan Godwin and Bo passed, Mississippi’s craft beer market “Our brewers will each have a full Tanner, left, raise pints with Michael Davis and John Morgan of Magnolia was limited with only one brewery in Beverage Co. at Brickhaus Brewtique. portfolio here to represent their products. operation. Today, there are 11 statewide. It’s a great chance for them to interact with consumers and get their feedback, “The beautiful thing is with the MAEC groundbreaking on the same and for the consumers to try their products. It’s the best sampling opportunity day, people are going to really see a Meridian that maybe they haven’t seen you’ll ever have,” said Bo Tanner, craft beer manager for Mitchell Distributing. before,” said Bill Arlinghaus, who co-owns the Brickhaus with partner

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Below, Brickhaus co-owner Bill Arlinghaus, left, and general manager Alan Debolt, enjoy a Candy Bar Pinstripe Porter from Blue Pants Brewery while co-owner Ken Flynt, below left, pours from one of Brickhaus’ 63 taps.

Ken Flynt. “There really is an emerging artistic entertainment and food and beverage culture here in Meridian. It’s an opportunity for people around the Southeast to see and experience a lot of the local flavor that exists here, and there’s a tremendous amount that doesn’t always get publicized as much. “We are going to do some things a little bit differently than other festivals in order to enhance the guest experience. By setting up earlier, our guests and our brewers will have greater interaction ability,” he said, noting that guests will be able to publicly rate each beer sampled on site. Craft beer is itself an art form and a tremendous economic driver with the industry creating new jobs locally and throughout the state, Arlinghaus said. “You never know, we might get people here who enjoy the festival and who really like the experience and may join a brewer in the future or maybe even become a brewer themselves later on down the road. There are tremendous networking opportunities here within the beer community, and this festival will be a significant one,” he said. “We’d love to have a brewer here in Meridian,” Flynt echoed. As craft beer aficionados, Arlinghaus and Flynt hope to see the festival grow to more than 1,000 in attendance over the next two to three years. “The more people who learn to appreciate craft beer versus standard American beer, the better they will be able to really appreciate some of the finer things in life. Craft beer really is one of them. A bottle of fine wine, a great bottle of scotch and a fantastic craft beer – they are all acquired tastes, but all worth acquiring,” Arlinghaus said. L Want To Go? General Admission at Brickhaus Brewtique, 2206 Front St., Meridian, is $35 and includes a commemorative collector sample glass with unlimited

beer sampling from 3 to 7 p.m. A limited number of VIP tickets are available for $70 and include early admission at 2 p.m. with exclusive beer samples, catered food in a climate-controlled area and souvenir festival merchandise. Designated Driver tickets are $10 general admission or $25 VIP, with nonalcoholic beverages, food and souvenir merchandise included. Advance tickets can be purchased online through www.brickhausbar.com. The event is for ages 21 and older. For more information, call (601) 490-5242.

Contemporary Women Artists October 17 – November 30, 2015

J. HORNE ART & ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN GALLERY 2921 5TH STREET

MERIDIAN, MS

601.486.3232

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STORY FROM MERIDIAN, MISS.

12 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

BY STEPHEN CORBETT

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIANNE TODD

he punch line of the title track on Scott McQuaig’s “I’m Still Falling,” at first might leave listeners guessing. He could be falling in love, falling out of love, falling off a bar stool. Twenty-five years, three wives, the loss of a son and tours with the likes of George Jones, Vern Gosdin, Merle Haggard, Marty Stuart and Freddie Hart have passed since his self-titled debut on MCA/Universal Records. These life experiences – both personal and musical – have infused his new music, soon to be released on his own Scott McQuaig Records. McQuaig hails from Meridian, Mississippi, birthplace of the “Father of Country Music,” Jimmie Rodgers and countless other gifted and diversified artists, including honky tonker Moe Bandy, singer-songwriter Steve Forbert, Paramore frontwoman Haley Williams and hip-hop artist Big K.R.I.T. At Mississippi State University, a young McQuaig joined The Daybreakers. “I’ve got the dirt on Scott,” laughed Britt Gully, The Daybreakers’ bandleader who these days is widely known for his personification of Rodgers. They played hard country covers, blues and Southern rock throughout east Mississippi and west Alabama. “Beer joints, Legion Halls, private parties, you name it,” McQuaig said. “We were both into that heavy backbeat that Waylon Jennings had,” Gully said. “So we made sure that everything had a driving beat. Scott was also really into Muddy Waters and Marshall Tucker and Bob Wills. I didn’t know a whole lot about Western Swing at the time, so he really got me into that.” McQuaig also started working on his own music. “He was already writing good songs in college,” Gully says, “but before too long, he was writing great songs.” Back in Meridian, McQuaig became friends with talent promoter Ken Rainey, who brought him to the attention of artist manager Tex Whitson. “Back in the ‘80s, the talent show portion of the Jimmie Rodgers Festival in Meridian was a huge deal. You’d have as many as 250 people entering this thing,” McQuiag said. “I had been in it twice and lost and was just pissed off about it, so I decided that I was done with it. In 1987, I got talked into going out for it one more time, and I actually won with an original song. A lot of people think I immediately got a record deal after winning that, which isn’t true. It certainly didn’t hurt, but it didn’t lead straight to a contract.” While it didn’t seal the deal with a record label, it did boost McQuaig’s confidence. It also caused Whitson to work harder at

finding a spot for McQuaig on a Nashville-based label. The hard work paid off, and McQuaig was signed to MCA/ Universal by label president Jimmy Bowen. Bowen was also a formidable producer, having worked with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Merle Haggard and Hank Williams Jr. He personally took on the task of recording McQuaig’s debut album. Bowen assembled a mighty band of studio musicians to support McQuaig, including such legends as bassist Leland Sklar (James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt), guitarist Reggie Young (Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, Willie Nelson), pedal steel guitarist Sonny Garrish (George Strait, Vern Gosdin, Mickey Gilley), and drummer Eddie Bayers (George Jones, Rosanne Cash, Ricky Skaggs). Also present for the sessions was fiddle player Mark O’Connor, whose prowess has garnered him two Grammys as well

as seven Country Music Association awards for Musician of the Year. Bowen and McQuaig whittled down a list of a possible 300 songs to ten for the album, half of which were written or co-written by McQuaig. They went into the studio in late 1988. “He gave me some freedom on the song selection, so he picked five and I picked five,” McQuaig said. The song chosen as the first single for the album was “Honky Tonk Amnesia.” With full faith in their new roster addition, MCA/Universal released the single and music video in 1989, with the full album following in 1990. Unlike Moe Bandy’s version, McQuaig’s cut on “Honky Tonk Amnesia” stalled at No. 46 on the Billboard country charts, although it was a respectable showing for a debut single from an unknown artist. McQuaig made appearances on Ralph Emery’s Nashville Now, On Stage and The Shotgun Red Variety Show. He also put READLEGENDS.COM •

“Back in the ‘80s, the talent show portion of the Jimmie Rodgers Festival in Meridian was a huge deal. You’d have as many as 250 people entering this thing. I had been in it twice and lost and was just pissed off about it, so I decided that I was done with it. In 1987, I got talked into going out for it one more time, and I actually won with an original song.” —Scott McQuaig

together a backing band which he dubbed The Dreamers, hitting the road and playing sold-out coliseums as the opening act for a number of huge acts. In the May/June 1990 issue of Country Music, McQuaig was featured in an article of newcomers alongside Garth Brooks. The article praised both his singing and songwriting talents, likening him to one of his biggest heroes, Merle Haggard. Despite the strong promotion and backing of one of the most powerful labels in Nashville, none of the recordings made a huge impact on the singles charts. In 1990, Bowen took his Universal label and McQuaig from MCA to Capitol for distribution. “We had already begun working on the follow up album when I got the news that I had been dropped,” McQuaig said. “James Stroud was producing, and we had remade one of the songs from the first album that we probably should have released as a single, but didn’t, “Take the Smile From Your Face,” which I co-wrote with Thom Schuyler. It’s very much in the tradition of the sad country ballad and was my favorite song on that album. The one they never released. Imagine that.

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“For years, I’ve never really understood exactly what happened,” McQuaig said. “We had one of the biggest labels, one of the biggest producers and a really good album. And then we were gone. It just didn’t make sense to me. “We kept touring even after we got dropped. We weren’t playing coliseums anymore, but we stayed on the road doing casinos and clubs. We made great money, but after a while it got to be boring as hell. The band line-up changed a lot, but I was always blessed to be surrounded by great musicians.” McQuaig was on the verge of getting a second chance at a major label when CBS Records (parent company of Epic and Columbia Records) expressed interest in signing him, but he decided to head in a different direction. “I was playing in Canada, and I just made the decision to go back home,” he said. “My wife had filed for divorce, and I had two small kids. That was more important to me than anything else. I was just tired of dealing with record labels telling me what to do and what not to do. I wasn’t able to save the marriage completely, but I was able to save it for five more years.” At home again, McQuaig played as a side-man or not at all. “It was refreshing, because I just got to sit back and play guitar. Not as much pressure on me. The thing is, I always had more intentions of being a songwriter - not a front man.” He married again, and divorced again. “But then he fell under the spell of Sonny Landreth and just took it to a whole new level,” Gully said. “He was playing that kind of stuff that left you staring and thinking, ‘There’s no way he’s making that sound with just two hands and one guitar.’ I couldn’t believe it.” “I had mostly used slide on the more blues based stuff, but as I got more into Sonny Landreth, I started using it more on everything,” McQuaig said. “I play it a lot on what we’re doing these days.” When McQuaig began playing some of his newly written material it caught the ear of session musician Chris Ethridge, a founding member of The Flying Burrito Brothers and longtime member of Willie Nelson & Family. “He really liked my song. He was constantly telling me that I needed to record it, and finally I came to the conclusion that this cat knows what he’s talking about.”

At the behest of Ethridge and with the support of wife Kelly, McQuaig went into the studio to record “I’m Still Falling.” He enjoyed recording it so much that he kept on recording until he had finished the entire album. “That’s how we ended up doing that album,” McQuaig laughed. “There are no fiddles or steel guitars on it, because we don’t have any in the band. We wanted it to sound like we sound live. Scott McQuaig and the Tomcats – that’s our band, and that’s our sound.” “I’m Still Falling” has a distinct bluesy feel, and “Snake in My Kitchen” is a bonafide gritty, electric Delta blues number, yet the majority of the albums’ songs are structured as traditional country songs, with the blues feel coming from Steve Smithson’s harmonica playing and McQuaig’s slide guitar work. Were it not for the unique instrumentation of the album, songs like “One Drop of Water” would sound as though it could have come straight out of 1960s era Bakersfield. “A lot of people’s favorite song on the album is “When a Train Whistle Blows the Blues,” which I wrote before the album we cut in Nashville,” McQuaig said. “I wrote it coming back home from a show in Alabama at two or three o’clock in the morning. I didn’t even realize that I was driving parallel to a train track until I heard the sound of the train coming by and saw the lights of the train shining across the field. It scared me at first, because I was so close that I could feel the ground shaking. I pulled over and ran up to the trestle, and even after the train was gone, I could still hear it rolling down the tracks.” Another highlight on the album is “1862,” inspired by a dream of harmonica player Smithson in which Union army members burn his Southern home to the ground. “That’s a song that I sometimes have to sing three times in one night – especially in the South,” McQuaig said. “It really resonates with people. I wrote it from the prospective of a grandson having been told this story by his grandfather.” The reception of “I’m Still Falling” seems to have landed Scott McQuaig, the recording artist, in his most comfortable spot yet. He still keeps in touch with his Nashville friends, but he doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to return to the whirlwind lifestyle of a major label artist. “I was hanging out with Marty Stuart,” he said, “and he was introducing me to a friend of his. He was telling the guy about me, and he’s saying ‘Scott does this song, and Scott does that song’ – talking about some of the older songs we still do in our show. Marty does a lot to keep country music alive, and he helped me realize that we’re doing the same thing. Honestly, I’m having more fun now than I ever have. I don’t have to worry about labels, radio, managers. We just do what we want, and we’re having a ball.” L READLEGENDS.COM •

CRAFT BEER. LIVE MUSIC. GREAT FOOD. 2206 FRONT ST. | MERIDIAN, MS | 601.490.5242

FRIDAY, SEPT. 25TH – 9 PM Markus Pearson Concert & Live Music Video Shoot SATURDAY, SEPT. 26TH – 8:30 PM The Weeks with Special Guest Light Beam Rider THURSDAY, OCT. 1ST – 8 PM Comedy Night featuring Louis Katz SATURDAY, OCT. 3RD – 3-7 PM / VIP 2-7 PM

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additional shows @

brickhausbar.com events calendar

THURSDAY, OCT. 22ND – 8 PM Mississippi Comedy Night SATURDAY, OCT. 24TH – 8 PM Christone “Kingfish” Ingram SATURDAY, OCT. 31ST – 8 PM Halloween Bash with Costume Contest

10.31.15

COURTYARD 11:30P

TICKETS @

brickhausbar.com 16 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

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No one comes to Clarksdale looking for the ordinary, and it’s a good thing. That’s what makes us special–there’s a surprise around every corner–whether it’s one of many Mississippi Blues Trail markers, frequent festivals, great southern food or unique shopping opportunities. We’re the perfect starting point to venture in all directions looking for the real deal: north to Friars Point and Muddy Waters’ homesite at Stovall; south toward Hopson Planting Company’s commissary; and right in the middle you’ll be at Ground Zero of the blues world, both literally and figuratively. Come for a fabulous meal, an interesting stroll downtown to see our galleries and museums, or take a canoe trip down the Mississippi River. Whatever you choose, make a deal with yourself to have a really great time here.

662.627.6149 • visitclarksdale.com 18 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

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STORY FROM NEW ORLEANS, LA.

20 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

By Meghan Holmes

Photography by Marianne Todd

he streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter run the gamut from gauche to grandiose. The same can be said of the city’s fashion sense. Ursuline nuns, Storyville pinup girls, and Mardi Gras Indians all traveled on the same streetcar. It still lumbers up and down Canal Street, past the daiquiri stands, t-shirts shops and the remnants of the city’s grand 20th century department stores. Tourists make up most of the streetcar’s passengers today, snapping pictures of oddly dressed transients as they migrate downriver from Canal into the French Quarter. Royal Street begins at Canal and bisects the Quarter, continuing past Esplanade into the Marigny. New Orleans’ art and antiquities often find their way here, where galleries

and historic homes coexist with gay bars and street musicians. The area provided both wardrobe and locations for the popular FX television series American Horror Story, which crafted its third season from the city’s history and fashion sense. Among American Horror Story’s five outrageous anthology thrillers featuring mind-bending twists and gore is Coven, a 13-episode mini-series focusing on witchcraft and voodoo in the Crescent City. Two famous New Orleanians inspired the main roles: French Quarter villain Madame Delphine LaLaurie (Kathy Bates) and famous voodoo queen Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett), who are embroiled in a 200-year feud. READLEGENDS.COM •

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Opposite: 1960s mod two-tone minidress (left) and vintage 1960s mod tuxedo minidress. Left, vintage Victor Costa striped gown. Above, Diane von Furstenburg black minidress with 1960s black marabou jacket and 1970s red turban.

LaLaurie’s mansion occupies Royal Street’s 1100 block, a popular character, Fiona Goode, reigns as the coven’s Supreme witch, a position stop on ghost tours moving up and down the street nightly. Guides, she should soon abdicate as she ages but stubbornly clings to, murdering standing in front of the building’s imposing wrought iron gates, describe younger witches to retain her power. mutilated slaves found chained in the attic following a house fire in the Exterior shots of Robicheaux’s Academy were filmed at Buckner Man1830s. Ghosts continue to haunt the place as the madam of the house sion on Jackson Avenue in the Garden District, built by a cotton magnate in presumed responsible for the crimes escaped and fled to France, living 1856. Location scouts chose sites all over the city, including the exterior of there until her death. LaLaurie’s mansion on Royal as well as several 19th century historic homes Laveau was a Creole woman and contemporary of LaLaurie, “AHS designers created a wardrobe unique to each character accentuated although historians debate the exwith local touches. Fiona (Jessica Lange) wears couture. Designers like tent of their real life interactions. She conducted voodoo rituals in Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent supply her chic, all black ensembles. Many Congo Square (now Armstrong of the witches fittingly wear black, with the exception of Misty Day (Lily Park on Rampart in the Treme) and also worked as a nurse and Rabe), whose obsession with Stevie Nicks lends itself to white, fringe-heavy, hairdresser in the French Quarter. festival wear and 1920s piano shawls. It’s a look commonly sported at the Her daughter, Laveau’s namesake city’s late spring and summer festivals, like Jazz Fest.” and spitting image, also became a priestess. Their similar appearance fueled rumors that Laveau could live forever. Some still argue that she nearby for that building’s interior shots, including Gallier House (also on has eternal life, and that her frequently-visited tomb at St. Louis CemRoyal) and the Hermann-Grima House (on St. Louis). etery is empty. “With LaLaurie and Laveau, the history influenced the fashion,” In Coven, LaLaurie never made it out of New Orleans and Laveau says Costume Supervisor Elizabeth Macey. “We built the majority of continues to style hair and practice voodoo in the Lower Ninth Ward. their period costumes, because that clothing was created specifically for The show also incorporates a group of young witches descended from individuals and little of it exists today. Marie also wears a lot of modern Salem, studying Uptown at Miss Robicheaux’s Academy. Jessica Lange’s looks.” READLEGENDS.COM •

Macey, along with Lead Costume Designer Lou Eyrich and Assistant Costume Director Kevin Van Duyne, won a 2014 Emmy for work on the series. Macey’s dress on awards night came from a Royal Street boutique. “I got a lot of compliments. Most people were in black – I stood out,” she says. “Elizabeth’s dress was a gorgeous couture hand-painted silk chiffon by my favorite designer Zandra Rhodes,” says Leah Blake. “It came from the estate of Mickey Easterling, a New Orleans socialite and bon vivant. Those are the kinds of pieces that capture the mysterious appeal of New Orleans.” Blake’s vintage boutique, Century Girl, sits three blocks upriver from the LaLaurie mansion on Royal’s 800 block. She shares the space with Bambi DeVille Engeran, also known as the Bakelite lady. The two provided clothing and jewelry for AHS’s third and fourth seasons. “I loved working with Bob (Sparkman, a buyer for the show) and Elizabeth. They would come into the shop, and it was like I was part of the show’s narrative in a small but significant way. Sometimes it felt like we were all connected on the same path – I would bring in a rare piece like a double fox fur stole or 1920’s lingerie the day before they came in and it would be exactly what they were looking for,” says Blake. “The first time I met Bob he was looking for a monkey fur coat for Jessica Lange, which we never found,” says Engeran. “New Orleans style is dramatic and bohemian. As a result I had a lot of oddities which accented the aesthetic of AHS – like an albino baby alligator necklace, for example.” “Ryan (Murphy – the show’s creator) is obsessed with furs,” says Macey. “And capes, and feathers. He has a distinct aesthetic and is very involved in the design process. He and Lou have worked together for 15 years, and she knows how to create the looks that he likes. She mixes new and old to create something unexpectedly modern.” Other nearby shops including Retro Active Vintage, Prima Donna’s Closet and Lili Vintage Boutique also contributed pieces. “They used a beautiful red cape from my shop, along with several 1920s piano shawls,” says Laura Hourguettes, owner of Lili. “Some of the pieces would have to be used for multiple, gory, takes, so they were also Left, antique Victorian silk chiffon dress with 1970s floppy hat and vintage alligator sterling pendant. Opposite, antique Victorian black mourning silk blouse with gold lurex scarf and antique sterling coral cuff and ring, vintage Zuni sterling turquoise necklace.

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26 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

Opposite: antique Victorian sheer blouse with 1950s black pleated skirt and 1950s black crystal necklace (left) and vintage 1930s poet sleeve gown. Right, 1950s red strapless gown.

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28 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

making replicas of vintage pieces they found around the city.” AHS designers created a wardrobe unique to each character accentuated with local touches. Fiona (Jessica Lange) wears couture. Designers like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent supply her chic, all black ensembles. Many of the witches fittingly wear black, with the exception of Misty Day (Lily Rabe), whose obLeak Blake session with Stevie Nicks lends itself to white, fringe-heavy, festival wear and 1920s piano shawls. It’s a look commonly sported at the city’s late spring and summer festivals, like Jazz Fest. “New Orleans is a wonderland for fashion,” says Blake. “Our city dresses up and wants to stand out. Locals take more risks and their outfits can be very theatrical.” Engeran agrees, and traces part of the city’s penchant for parties and costumery to Mardi Gras, celebrated for more than 300 years in the region. “We like to celebrate during Carnival, but also year round. Women like to wear big hats and statement jewelry. We aren’t afraid of bold looks. When you drive past mansions in the Garden District, realize that in every stately manor the mistress of the house has a costume closet somewhere full of years’ worth of Carnival attire,” says Engeran. “In New Orleans you see people walking down the street dressed as pirates and vampires. A woman might wear a Victorian mourning skirt, cashmere sweater, cowboy boots, and a top hat. She could be next to a woman in head to toe couture. People aren’t afraid to wear anything,” she says. In addition to an appreciation for fashion fearlessness, New Orleanians respect their city’s lengthy history. It’s hard to separate fact from fiction, and that’s all part of the mysterious allure. Vintage pieces have the same appeal – representing a piece of the past and the opportunity to tell a story. L Century Girl and Bambi DeVille Vintage 818 Royal St. (334) 332-6544 • centurygirlvintage.com Retro Active Vintage 8123 Oak St. (504) 864-8154 • retroactivevintage.com Prima Donna’s Closet 927 Royal St. (504) 522-3327 • primadonnascloset.com Lili Vintage Boutique 3329 Magazine St. (504) 891-9311 • lilivintage.com Opposite, scenes from Century Girl and Bambi DeVille Vintage on Royal Street in New Orleans. The shop is one of several that provided clothing and accessories to the creation of FX’s American Horror Story. Right, 1960s chevron striped mink coat over a Vivienne Westwood corset and 1970s black hot pants.

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30 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

STORY FROM HOUMA, LA.

trange creatures reside in the bayous of southern Louisiana. The region’s folk traditions tell of swamp monsters and wandering spirits, beasts with the ability to tear men limb from limb and powerful mists leading travelers to their death deep in the cypress forests. The Rougarou Festival in Houma sets out to preserve and glorify these horror stories of the Cajun canon. Before European settlement Chitimacha and Attakapas tribes in the region spoke of “wolf-walkers,” man-eating creatures part human and part beast. Legends of werewolves persisted following French settlement as tales of the loup garou spread throughout the marshes. Cajuns in the area eventually interchangeably referred to the creature as both loup garou and Rougarou, an amalgam of French and Frankish meaning “A man who turns into a wolf.”

As part of Rougarou Fest, Houma’s residents dress and reenact Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

Accounts vary but the majority describe a bipedal beast, covered in shaggy black-brown fur with talons as fingers and toes and the head of a wolf or dog. Said to be a terrifying sight to behold, the Rougarou’s eyes glow an eerie red or yellow above razor sharp teeth filling an elongated snout. It is an unlikely mascot for a family festival in a small town, but Rougarou Festival founder and executive director of the South

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Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center Jonathan Foret says folk legends like the Rougarou connect festival attendees to a disappearing Cajun culture. “The Rougarou lives in the swamp. If we lose the swamps then what happens to the Rougarou? We want to teach our traditions to local youth as well as share them with visitors in an effort to preserve them,” he says. The two-day event is held October 24-25 in downtown Houma. In addition to the Rougarou, the festival celebrates other Cajun legends like the Lutin – a trickster character responsible for disappearing car keys and inexplicable minor inconveniences. “The Lutin is the spirit of a deceased child who was never baptized and engages in mysterious tricks on the living. We use a Leprechaun cardboard cut-out to represent him at the festival. It’s not scary for kids, but they learn about the name and get the essence of the legend,” Foret says. The Wetlands Discovery Center’s philosophy emphasizes the connections between Cajun culture and the environment of southern Louisiana. “Folklore is inevitably tied to the land, and that’s what we want to communicate. How does coastal land loss impact our culture?” he says. The first day of the festival focuses primarily on what Foret calls “the gross and creepy.” There will be a haunted house, a zombie fun run and a parade celebrating the wetlands and the creatures within. Participants dress in costume, wearing flag football belts and running through downtown evading zombies. The Krewe Ga Rou parade is a grand spectacle. Foret recalls one memorable float requiring five people to support it. “Standing back behind most of the crowd, all I could see were white wings spanning the width of the street. It was a giant egret that looked like it was flying through downtown Houma,” he says. In addition to floats, large costumed groups perform choreographed dances together, tossing candy to attendees. Zombies from the day’s earlier run provide the finale: a tribute to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video. Community members comprise the group, rehearsing in advance and performing together in full makeup and costume. “Day two is more about relaxing and enjoying music and a bloody mary,” says Foret. “The entire community unites in preparation. We start picking blackberries for the blackberry dumplings in early spring and summer. It might be on the side of the road or at your grandma’s house. Then, we get together and juice them. We freeze that until it’s time. We do the same with our Pop Rouge ice cream (a concoction flavored with strawberry soda and condensed milk), after the threat of hurricanes has passed.” Other seasonal culinary offerings include jambalaya and seafood gumbo. Hundreds of pounds of crabs will be picked clean; dozens of coolers of shrimp will be peeled. “We get together and we laugh and we clean shrimp. It’s a reason for us to come together.” L

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WANT TO GO? Houma’s Rougarou Festival is scheduled for October 24-25. Proceeds from the festival benefit the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, where Foret hopes to teach the region’s residents how to maintain their cultural traditions as the environment changes. For more information, visit rougaroufest.org.

During Rougarou Fest, residents in the City of Houma dress in elaborate costumes as a way to connect with tradition and the swamp lands surrounding their region.

Fall into Fun on the Northshore

Three Rivers Art Festival

We celebrate

Everything

in St. Tammany Parish, 45 minutes

north of New Orleans. Mark your calendar for these exciting upcoming events. For more info or to find your fun, just log onto www.LouisianaNorthshore.com/lgd. Follow us on:

Oct. 9, 23, Dew Drop Jazz Hall & Nov. 6, 20 Fall Concerts in Mandeville Oct. 10, 24, Jazzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;n the Vines & Nov. 28 Fall Concerts at Pontchartrain Vineyards

Dew Drop Jazz Hall

Oct. 9-12 Kayak Fishing Boondoggle at Fontainebleau State Park Oct. 10 Fall for Art in Covington

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LOUISIANA S NORTHSHORE 1- 8 0 0 - 6 3 4 -94 4 3

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Oct. 10-11 Wooden Boat Festival in Madisonville Oct. 17 Wild Things at Big Branch Marsh NWR Nov. 14-15 Three Rivers Art Festival in Covington

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Im ports from the Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most exotIc places

4300 Poplar Springs Drive | Meridian, MS | 601.483.7707

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Folk Art & Antique Museum

The Alice Moseley Folk Art and Antique Museum honors nationally acclaimed folk artist, humorist and story-teller Alice Latimer Moseley, (1909-2004). Alice Moseley Prints are available for purchase.

Located on the 2nd Floor of the Historic Train Depot across from the Blue House (from I-10, exit 13 South to Highway 90) Bay St. Louis, MS

228-467-9223 Free Admission, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

“The House is Blue, But the Old Lady Ain’t” The museum is an IRS 501(c)(3) corporation and all donations are tax deductible.

34 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

Learn more about Alice and her museum at www.alicemoseley.com •

STORY FROM PENSACOLA, FLA.

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“

It’s a remarkable thing to watch a performance and know that what you are seeing are military tactics that all naval aviators are trained in. Americans can truly rest easy knowing their country is being protected by the finest military in the world, and the Blue Angels demonstrate that tactical capability firsthand at every performance.” —LT. AMBER LYNN DANIEL

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The Blue Angels soar over the National Aviation Museum and Pensacola Beach during practice maneuvers. Residents and visitors to Pensacola, where the Angels are housed at NAS, don’t have to go far to see a show as they train several days a week.

When a synchronized diamond of jets flies overhead, you know something special is happening. What’s more, when this roaring constellation of improbably-aligned aircraft bears the yellow and blue hues of the U.S Navy’s Blue Angels, rest assured you’ve just witnessed the pinnacle of aerial precision and patriotic grandeur. Michelle Martin actually chanced upon the Angels when she was in San Francisco, far away from the flight demonstration team’s home at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. Martin knows as well as anyone that when it comes to viewing the overhead show, location can be everything. “We were biking across the Golden Gate Bridge while they were performing over the bay,” said Martin, who lives in Metairie, Louisiana. “The sound of the jets echoing across the bay and their aerial acrobatics were spectacular. It was a truly amazing coincidence that I will never forget.” For Southerners, there’s no need to travel far to catch the most beloved airborne acrobatics team in the U.S. There are ample opportunities to see the jets while they zoom and align over their own home turf on the Florida Gulf Coast. “There’s no show like they do over Pensacola Beach,” said communications manager for the Pensacola Bay Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Brooke Fleming. She said the best show of the year happens in July, when the jets boom over familiar beaches of home, filled with 100,000 spectators, all looking upwards. Unlike many other beaches, there are no high rise condos in Pensacola, so there’s nothing to block the view. “You don’t miss a second,” she said. The Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show is slated for Nov. 7-9 at NAS. After the July spectacular, homecoming is the next-to-biggest

event of the year. That Friday will feature an array of sky-borne displays from visiting performance teams and will be capped off by “the largest fireworks display in the Pensacola area.” On Saturday and Sunday, a full lineup of demonstrations lead into the main event, the Angels. They’ve been doing their thing since 1946, and it’s been viewed by an estimated 260 million spectators. Comprised of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps members, the team showcases the skill of select, but “representative” pilot volunteers. The famous diamond formation the team is known for is created with four modified Boeing F/A-18 Hornet aircraft, with two additional solo jets added to complement the iconic aerobatic display. Another element is an aircraft Fleming describes as a “fan favorite,” the the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules called “Fat Albert.” “We have the first ever female Blue Angels pilot this year. She flies Fat Albert,” Fleming said of Katie Higgins, who pilots the big plane used to transport crew and gear. “You actually reach zero gravity with some of the maneuvers,” Fleming explained. Although the two big yearly shows are a highlight, Fleming suggests visitors not overlook other opportunities: rehearsals. These might not be full shows, but they give a taste of the excitement without need to brave crowds during the big weekends. Rehearsals take place most Tuesdays and Wednesdays, March through November, at 11:30 a.m. and are generally viewed by the public from the flight deck behind the NAS Museum. Fleming said Ft. Pickens – the pre-Civil War structure located just across the water from the museum – also makes for a nice viewing spot. Following Wednesday rehearsals, the pilots meet with fans to sign autographs and pose for photos. READLEGENDS.COM •

Above, Capt. Corrie Mays, a U.S. Marine, talks to a young fan during an autograph session after a Blue Angels practice over Pensacola NAS. Bottom, Capt. Tom Frosch, U.S. Navy, gives a young fan a high-five during the session, which takes place weekly at the National Aviation Museum, NAS Pensacola. The Angels sign autographs each Wednesday through November after practicing over the base.

The best viewing experience, however, has got to be from the

catwalk atop the historic lighthouse at the NAS. It might not be as exciting as an unexpected flyover echoing across the Golden Gate Bridge, but it sounds as if it comes awfully close. On select practice days, the Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum offers viewings to a handful of fortunate fans. Watching it all from 150 feet in the air no doubt offers unparalleled romance for those in love with all things aviation. “You can still climb the 177 steps to the top,” Fleming said. “It’s still an active lighthouse,” she said, adding that the circa 1859 structure “survived six shots from cannons during the Civil War, hurricanes and one earthquake.” Viewing the action from this vantage point costs $20 and the dozen available slots per rehearsal fill up fast. Reservations must be made well in advance. “There are times when you literally feel like you can reach out and touch them,” she said, of the aircraft roaring through nearby airspace. According to Fleming, Pensacola offers much more for visitors to do, even during the “off season.” On Tuesday nights from April through

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October, the Bands on the Beach concert series delivers local music at a pavilion overlooking the surf. A perfect overnight visit during early fall might involve taking in a 7 p.m. beachside concert on Tuesday, followed by breakfast the next morning and an 11:30 a.m. glimpse of the Angels in action. After the show, enjoy meeting the pilots and then explore the extensive collection of aircraft and memorabilia housed indoors at the National Naval Aviation Museum, which is free of charge and open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fleming said hotel rates are lower during the off season, and restaurant menu pricing is often better. What’s more, just as homecoming is happening, the local arts community is celebrating FooFoo Fest (Nov. 5-16), a city-wide showcase of talent including music, theater, dance, art, film, food and … the artistry of the Angels. According to public affairs officer for the Blue Angels, Lt. Amber Lynn Daniel, the American public has a genuine passion for the military, and the team allows them to connect with it all “up-close and in person.” “It’s a remarkable thing to watch a performance and know that what you are seeing are military tactics that all naval aviators are trained in,” she said. “Americans can truly rest easy knowing their country is being protected by the finest military in the world, and the Blue Angels demonstrate that tactical capability firsthand at every performance.” For Fleming, it’s also about the artistry. She mentions the words “precision” and “pageantry.” “I have seen the Blue Angels more times than I can count, and it will never get old,” she said. “There’s just something so incredibly patriotic about it.” L WANT TO GO? Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum: www.pensacolalighthouse.org The Blue Angels: www.blueangels.navy.mil NAS Pensacola Air Show: www.naspensacolaairshow.com Pensacola NAS Museum: www.navalaviationmuseum.org Pensacola Tourism: www.visitpensacolabeach.com

The Blue Angels take center stage at the National Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola as fans view planes and line up for an autograph session after practice maneuvers over the base.

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STORY FROM PENSACOLA, FLA.

BY KARA MARTINEZ BACHMAN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

o Roberts met Buddy Holly as a child. Inspired by the great, Roberts got himself a guitar and landed his first paid playing gig with John Fogerty, apparently before there was such a thing as Credence Clearwater Revival. “John and I lasted about a month together, and we only knew eight songs,” laughed Roberts. These days, the audience at the legendary Flora-Bama Lounge and Oyster Bar, a honky tonk at Perdido Key, just at the Florida-Alabama state line, may not recognize his face or name, but they appreciate Roberts as his set gets underway. He has been a faithful patron at the Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Fest for more than 25 years and between Nov. 5 and 16, Roberts will join with more than 200 fellow songwriters as they converge upon 30 venues in

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Pensacola, Perdido Key, Orange Beach and Gulf Shores for the 31-year-old event billed as the oldest songwriters’ fest in the nation. “I love to go and listen to my buddies, and hear their new songs,” Roberts said. “Great songwriters blow me away.” Roberts penned the Gene Watson song, “You’re Out Doing What I’m Here Doing Without,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard charts, and “Ten with a Two,” recorded by Willie Nelson and later, by Kenny Chesney. “Living for a Song,” co-written with Hank Cochran, was recorded by Jamey Johnson with guest vocals from Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson, and its album earned a Best Country Album Grammy nomination in 2013. The concerts and workshops have come to be connected to the cultural arts celebration, Foo Foo Fest, which happens

Joe Gilchrist, co-owner of the Flora-Bama, says visitors to the Frank Brown Songwriter’s Fest can listen—or leave. The festival is known for its respect for musicians and music lovers.

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“

The fest, Gilchrist said, is meaningful, attracting writers from across the United States and internationally from Australia, Norway and Belgium. “These people can get onstage and talk about how deeply their heart hurts. They come here because there are not many places in the world where they create this special environment … In Nashville, in New York … they rarely get the kind of respect in a room that we can get at the Flora-Bama.” —Joe Gilchrist across Pensacola November 5 through 16. In addition to the songwriters’ Fest, Foo Foo offers local culturally diverse entertainment options. “It kind of showcases the fact that we’re not just a summer destination,” said Brooke Fleming, of the Pensacola Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We really have such a vibrant arts and culture community, and we really wanted to celebrate it.” For 2015, there is slated a Pensacola Ballet performance of The Headless Horseman and a juried Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival, which Fleming said is “consistently getting national attention.” Runners will enjoy the 11th Annual Pensacola Marathon, a qualifier for Boston and classical music fans can take in a concert by the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. There are art exhibits. A Japanese flower-arranging show. The list goes on and on. Even the name, “Foo Foo” recalls the area’s musical and nautical past. According to Fleming, it derives from impromptu bands created

from 19th-century ship’s crews. To honor this idea, the fest rounds up a local arts “crew” to create its own “Foo Foo,” pulling from various disciplines and genres. But for country, blues and folk music fans, the Songwriters’ Fest will probably be the locus of everything that matters most. Roberts, who hails from Oregon these days, said coming back to Pensacola where he lived for eight years is a reunion of people who truly care about music. “It’s just one of the best events,” he said. “You don’t get a lot of ego. There’s not a lot of competition. There’s just sharing music.” The list of his favorite fest performers is too long to share in its entirety, but included are Scotty Emerick, co-writer with Toby Keith who penned tunes recorded by Sawyer Brown, Ronnie Milsap and George Strait; Sugarcane Jane, the Alabama-based Americana group which Roberts describes as “just incredible,” and Larry T. Wilson, whose songs have

Guests who attend the Frank Brown Songwriter’s Fest at the Flora-Bama Lounge and Oyster Bar in Perdido Key are in for a treat. While some may be unknowns, others have written hits for major recording artists—all are sure to please. Picture right, The Smokin’ Elvis’ perform for a packed house.

44 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

been recorded by Sammy Kershaw among other artists. “Certain ones are down there every year,” he said. “But I like new talent, too.” Roberts said audiences at these shows are special, too. “You could hear a pin drop,” he said. “It’s totally different from an average night. Any other time, you can go down there (at the FloraBama Lounge) and whoop and holler. But this … this is a listening audience.” That respectful atmosphere was created by Flora-Bama co-owner, Joe Gilchrist. “I said, here’s the deal for these ten days,” reminisced Gilchrist. “You can either listen, or leave.” They listened. Now, they listen at 30 different venues. They listen to singer/songwriters who are famous, and to those who have never sold a tune. The Fest took the name of the roadhouse’s nightwatchman, Frank Brown, who worked at the Flora-Bama for 28 years until he retired in 1984 at the age of 91. Even in the festival’s early years the Flora-Bama began to attract talent such as Hank Cochran, who penned “Make the World Go Away,” recorded by Eddy Arnold, and co-wrote “I Fall to Pieces,” which Patsy

Cline brought to No. 1 on the Billboard charts. He also had a hand in songs recorded by George Strait, Vern Gosdin, Ronnie Milsap and Mickey Gilley. The fest, Gilchrist said, is meaningful, attracting writers from across the United States and internationally from Australia, Norway and Belgium. “These people can get onstage and talk about how deeply their heart hurts,” he said. “They come here because there are not many places in the world where they create this special environment … In Nashville, in New York … they rarely get the kind of respect in a room that we can get at the Flora-Bama.” L For more information, visit foofoofest.com and frankbrownsongwriters.com.

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46 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

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STORY FROM VICKSBURG, MISS.

By KARA MARTINEZ BACHMAN

he graying, aged courthouse stands grandly in downtown Vicksburg, a stately building that contrasts its stillness and solid form with the light busyness happening nearby. During the Old Courthouse Museum Flea Market, buyers inspect goods and sellers offer deals. Now in its 33rd year, this biannual gathering of crafters, growers, collectors and creators – and the buyers who patronize them – is back for another rendition of the event that helps support the work of this Vicksburg museum and brings the grounds to life for all to see and enjoy. This year’s fall rendition is slated for October 3 as 18 food booths and more than 200 vendor booths will set up a stone’s throw away from one of the more historic buildings in town. “The courthouse encompasses a square city block,” said

48 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

museum director and curator Bubba Bolm, explaining the layout of the grounds. “There are vendors of all types. There are Civil War relics, plants, flowers … a little bit of everything.” Shop for collectibles, local food or rare antiques; the choice is yours. Since the museum receives no federal or state grants, the event

Photograph by

Michael Barre

tt.

provides critical funding for this Vicksburg landmark. Anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 visitors will attend each flea market, which happens from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the courthouse, 1008 Cherry Street. “It’s the most historic building in Vicksburg,” Bolm said, explaining its construction in 1858. It has played host to everyone from Jefferson Davis to Ulysses S. Grant to Booker T. Washington. Named among the “20 Most Outstanding Courthouses in America” by the American Institute of Architects, both the building itself – and the historic collection of arts and artifacts it contains – are worthy of a visit any day of the year. “Thirty-two years is a long time to hold any kind of event, and it’s always been successful” Bolm said. “It has always raised money for the courthouse.” Bolm said there may – or may not – be music during the flea market. It’s not usually arranged and happens more as an impromptu, spur-of-the-moment thing, a welling up from the community, so it can’t be predicted. “Sometimes we have music in the yard,” he said, adding that a banjo or fiddle will occasionally appear with its owner. It’s all a bit down home and friendly, lacking in pretense. Kind of like Vicksburg. Bolm said vendors come from Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas and several other Southern states. Most of the crowd, however, are from right there in the river city. Just as the courthouse was a center of town in its heyday, it again becomes the focus of local life for the one day in spring and one day in fall, when the muchwelcomed peddlers of crafts, antiques and general goods

Clockwise, more than 200 craft vendors will participate in the Oct. 3 Vicksburg Courthouse Museum Flea Market, including goods like this handmade jewelry from Lady Jane’s Vintage and Fabulous Finds, pottery, art, photographs and antiques, and handmade knives from artist Billy Foster.

come to town to sell their wares. “It’s like a reunion time,” he said.

WANT TO GO? The Old Courthouse Museum Flea Market is slated for Oct. 3 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Planned are 18 food booths and more than 200 craft and art booths. For more information, visit oldcourthouse.org.

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STORY FROM MISSISSIPPI, LOUISIANA, ARKANSAS AND ALABAMA

1. The McRaven House, Vicksburg, Miss. During the Seige of Vicksburg “The Most Haunted House in Mississippi” was a field hospital, said to be the deathbed of countless soldiers’ deaths, who still haunt the 1797 home. It also is believed that at least five of the house’s inhabitants died in or near the house. One owner, John H. Bobb, is said to have died violently at the hands of federal soldiers outside McRaven. Owner Mary Elizabeth Howard’s spirit is said to grace the home as well. She is believed to be responsible for antics with the bedside lamp in what was her bedroom. Her figure has also been seen on the flying wing staircase and in the dining room. To book a tour, visit mcraventourhome.com.

2. The Temple Theater for the Performing Arts, Meridian, Miss. The Moorish revival style theater, built in the 1920s, is known for its ghostly sightings and tales of underground catacombs, now the source of audible voices. One alleged sighting is believed to be a woman who was organist of the theater’s prized Robert Morton Theater Pipe Organ, which made the music to accompany silent films in the

50 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

late ‘20s. Another story involves a group of workers who, while staying inside the downtown theater, were run out in the middle of the night by strange apparitions and ghostly sounds. The building’s history has led to a growing public search for paranormal activity. To book a tour, phone (214) 938-5656.

3. Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham, Ala. There have been more than 100 reports of suspected paranormal activity at Sloss Furnaces filed with Birmingham police ranging from minor incidents such as steam whistles apparently blowing by themselves to major sightings and one physical assault. The majority happen during the months of September and October at night. Some believe the occurences are the spirit of the reckless graveyard foreman, James “Slag” Wormwood. During his reign, 47 workers lost their lives, ten times more than any other shift in the history of the furnace. In October 1906, Wormwood fell from the top of the largest furnace into a giant pool of melting ore. According to the legend, the workers may have been driven too far, and for revenge “fed him to the furnace.” Since then, it is said the ghost of Wormwood has continued to torment from beyond the grave, shoving people from behind and screaming, “Get back to work!” To book a tour, visit slossfurnaces.com.

4. The USS Alabama, Mobile, Ala. The retired World War II-era battleship, the USS Alabama, welcomes thousands of visitors each day at its dock in Mobile Bay. Officials claim the ship is not, nor has ever been, haunted. Oddly, many claim to have seen ghosts on the ship, with countless reports of phantom footsteps and odd noises. It is said that late at night bulkheads open and close by themselves. The battleship’s first two deaths were men in the Norfolk shipyard as she was under construction. Completed in 1942, the ship served 37 months with no deaths due to enemy fire. There were, however, eight deaths under friendly fire on gun mount No. 5 when gun mount No. 9 fired

upon them. The safety feature preventing the turrets from firing upon each other reportedly failed, annihilating the men. In recent years, Scout troops camping out on the ship have claimed to see a barefoot ghost by turret No. 5. Learn about this ship’s tours at ussalabama.com.

5. The Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville, La. This 10-acre, 18th century plantation is known for the ghosts abounding on the property that was purchased in 1796 by Judge Clarke Woodruff. The most popular ghost to haunt the Myrtles is Chloe. In the 1800s, Woodruff had an affair with Chloe, the household servant. When he began an affair with another girl, Chloe feared she would be banned from the house. She baked a cake with poisonous crushed oleander leaves, hoping to make Woodruff’s daughters sick so that she would be needed to nurse them back to health and secure her spot in the home. Her plan backfired when the children to died. Fearing they would be accused of murder by association, Chloe’s fellow slaves dragged her from her bed, hanged her, then threw her body into the Mississippi River. In 1992, the proprietress of Myrtles photographed what appeared to be a slave girl standing between two of the buildings on the plantation. A postcard made from the photograph is referred to as the “Chloe postcard.” In recent years, a young girl dressed in antebellum clothing has been photographed peering through a window. She is referred to as “The Ghost Girl” of the Myrtles Plantation. Book a tour by visiting myrtlesplantation.com or by writing to chloe@myrtlesplantation.com.

6. The Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs, Ark. It is said America’s Most Haunted Hotel is the 1886 Crescent Hotel, which allegedly harbors the ghosts of those who checked out but never left. Spirits include Michael, the Irish stonemason who fell to his death while building the hotel in 1885; Theodora, the cancer patient of the hotel’s former Dr. Norman Baker hospital days, who seems to need help finding her room key; Norman Baker in his white suit and lavender shirt; Morris the cat; and a mystery patient in a white nightgown who appears in the luxury suites at the foot of the bed, among others. The Crescent offers one of the best-attended ghost tours in the United States, starting on the top floor and winding down to the notorious Norman Baker’s morgue. See it for yourself at crescent-hotel.com.

7. The LaLaurie House, New Orleans Situated in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter is an ornate 1800s mansion that belonged to physician Louis LaLaurie and his socialite wife, Delphine. The couple was rumored to treat their slaves viciously, with evidence pointing to Delphine LaLaurie in the murder of a 12-year-old girl. The rumors were confirmed when a fire broke out one night in the mansion’s kitchen. Responding firemen were aston-

ished when they kicked down a door and found several slaves chained to the wall in a makeshift dungeon. Later, rumors circulated that the LaLauries were performing grotesque surgical experiments on their slaves. Modern evidence suggests the rumors were unfounded. Either way, the couple reportedly fled the city soon after. Among the spirits reportedly sighted there are both Delphine and the young slave girl she is said to have murdered. Get more information at hauntedneworleanstours.com/lalaurie.

8. Merrehope, Meridian, Miss. Meridian, Mississippi’s, only remaining antebellum home, Merrehope, was one of three houses left standing after Gen. William Sherman burned Meridian in 1864. Today, the mansion serves as a historic house museum and is said to be home to the spirit of Eugenia Gary, daughter of a former master of the house. Eugenia is considered a benign and comforting spirit. Visitors have reported frequent sightings of Eugenia, with dark hair and a green flowing hoop dress. She has been seen staring out windows both downstairs and upstairs, often appearing when people have been ill or during social functions. Eugenia died of consumption at an early age, but not at Merrehope. Her family moved there after her death in Alabama and eventually brought her portrait to the home. It is believed that the portrait is why her spirit remains there. READLEGENDS.COM •

Marie Hull (1890-1980), Bright Fields (detail), 1967. oil on canvas. Collection of the Mississippi Museum of Art. Mississippi Art Association purchase. 1972.008.

MISSISSIPPI MUSEUM of ART

A M Y R A H A M I L T O N G R E E N A N D LY N N G R E E N R O O T M E M O R I A L E X H I B I T I O N AND

ON THE ROAD with

MARIE HULL

Unseen sketchbooks from the artist’s far-ﬂung travels

Traveler. Trailblazer. Teacher. Mississippi Master.

ON VIEW SEPTEMBER 26, 2015 – JANUARY 10, 2016 CELEBRATING THE 125TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARTIST ’S BIRTH

THESE EXHIBITIONS present nearly 150 works by beloved artist Marie Hull (1890-1980) – the most ever assembled – drawn from the Museum’s unsurpassed collection of Hull’s work and from those found at Delta State University, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the University of Mississippi Museum, and many private collections. Bright Fields: The Mastery of Marie Hull is sponsored by MEREDITH & JIMMY

CREEKMORE BETSY & WADE

CREEKMORE

On the Road with Marie Hull is sponsored by Dea Dea and Dolph Baker

52 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT MSMUSEUMART.ORG

380 SOUTH LAMAR STREET JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI 39201 601.960.1515 1.866.VIEWART @MSMUSEUMART

www.bcbsms.com Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, A Mutual Insurance Company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® Registered Marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an Association of Independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.

KT.Legends1-4page.pdf

8/27/15

9:41 AM

NOVEMBER 7th • 11:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.

CMY

Vietri Master Artisan Stefano Roselli will join us for this special event. See the maestro’s magic at the potter’s wheel as well as his extraordinary handcrafting. Have Stefano sign a unique piece for yourself or for that hard to buy for person – or both! Also set for our Holiday Open House will be our Bi-Annual Mignon Faget Trunk Show, including her newest collection “Hardware.” You are sure to love it as much as we do!

Text “kitchen” to 955-77

3720 Hardy Street, Hattiesburg, MS • 601-261-2224 • www.kitchentablenow.com

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W E LO V E H A V ING T H E NEIGH BO RS O V ER. T A ST E OF NEW ORLEA NS GET A W A Y Enjoy deluxe accommodations for two, $10 0 gift voucher for Drago's Seafood Restaurant, and breakfast for two in W ellingtons the following morning. For room reservations please visit hilton.com or call 60 1-957-280 0

1001 East County Line Road | Jackson | MS 39211 | USA

VB.HistoryMusicCharmAd2015.3.85x9.875.qxp:Layout 1 6/29/15 2:23 PM Page 1

2015-2016 F A L L / W I N T E R

PerformingARTSseries UPCOMING SHOWS

AMERICAN HISTORY

Sara Evans

Thursday, September 24, 2015 7:30 p.m. | Pre-Show Party at 6 p.m. Sara Evans pours her heart into her music. Lyrics about love and heartache ﬁll her latest album, Slow Me Down, including the yearning title song. She says strong emotions inspire her: “I try to give my fans a little bit of everything that I am and everything that I like, but nothing is ever contrived.” The 1998 album, No Place That Far, launched Evans to stardom. The title single became her ﬁrst number-one hit. Four others (so far) have followed: “Born to Fly,” “Suds in the Bucket,” “A Real Fine Place to Start,” and “A Little Bit Stronger.” In concert, Evans showcases country-girl charm (she grew up on a Missouri farm), her powerhouse voice – and a lot of heart.

Sponsored By:

For Fans Of: Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill, Martina McBride

MISSISSIPPI MUSIC

Grammy Winner

PETER FRAMPTON RAW, An Acoustic Tour

Friday, October 9, 2015 7:30 p.m. | Pre-Show Party at 6 p.m. One of rock’s most charismatic concert performers is bringing an acoustic show to the MSU Riley Center. Peter Frampton came to fame singing and playing guitar with Humble Pie, the British band he co-founded in 1969 at age 18. In 1976, his solo live album Frampton Comes Alive! made him a superstar. It has sold more than 8 million copies in the United States alone. Frampton remains restlessly creative. His most recent album, Hummingbird in a Box, features music he composed for the Cincinnati Ballet. And he still brings audiences alive performing such classic hits as “Show Me the Way,” “I’m in You,” and “Do You Feel Like We Do.”

SOUTHERN CHARM

For Fans Of: Joe Walsh, Steve Miller Band, Fleetwood Mac /VisitVicksburg

MSU Riley Center Box Oﬃce | 2200 Fifth Street | Meridian, MS 39301 601.696.2200 | www.msurileycenter.com Facebook.com/RileyCenter

Scan this QR to visit our mobile site and get your keys to Vicksburg.

VisitVicksburg.com READLEGENDS.COM •

More than your average Joe! Breakfast until 2 p.m. Lunch until 4 p.m. u Free Wi-Fi u Book Exchange u Local Art & Photography u u

Folks love our “killer” breakfast, but you’ve gotta try our “knock-out” lunch, desserts, and healthy smoothies!

509 Franklin Street ~ Natchez, Mississippi ~ (601) 304-1415 56 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

in NATCHEZ s t n e v e l fal

VISITNATCHEZ.ORG is your “go-to” source for events, shopping, dining, accommodations and everything else you need for planning the perfect trip to Natchez. Fall Pilgrimage September 25 - October 12 Great Mississippi River Balloon Race October 16-18 Featuring Dr. John & The Nite Trippers Anders Osborne, Mingo Fishtrap, and New Breed Brass Band Natchez Antiques Forum November 5-7 Angels on the Bluff Cemetery Tour November 5-7 Christmas in Natchez November 28 - January 1

For a full calendar of events or a free visitor guide, go to visitnatchez.org. Plus, ask us your travel questions and share photos of your trip using #visitnatchez.

SAVE DATE 2016

Join Us for Natchez’s Tricentennial Celebration!

visitnatchez.org

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Check out our great deals at visitnatchez.org/stay/deals READLEGENDS.COM •

STORY FROM MERIDIAN, MISS.

To Dance like a Gypsy Story and photographs by MARIANNE TODD “I danced around as Isadora Duncan at four years old. I’d pay my brother 50 cents a week, just to dance with me, because I loved to dance so much.” – Stevie Nicks

nspired by Fleetwood Mac’s musical genius to create her own CD, Gypsy Rosehill dances “like Stevie Nicks sings,” she says. The selftitled “Queen City Gypsies” was recently released, paying homage to Nicks and to Kelly Mitchell, the queen of the gypsies who is buried in Meridian, Mississippi. Also featured on the CD is Rosehill’s “barbarian” army of musicians Ted Hennington and son, Vesper Williams. The release was co-produced and recorded by Neil Yearta at Sounds Like Audio Studios in Bowden, Ga. “This record brings to life the dances, travels and inspirations

58 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

linking three generations and embodies every facet of life, the pits and the pinnacles,” she says. The instrumental story lines are comprised of 13 years of Rosehill’s belly dance troupe, the love story of her mother and Spanish flamenco guitarist Juan Serrano and the untimely death of Rosehill’s cousin. “It was always a dream to have original music to dance to,” says Rosehill, who dances throughout the Southeast with partners Jamela Johnson and Kayla “Kalypso” Wheeler. Hennington said he began writing the music for the CD in 2012 when the Queen City Gypsies celebrated its 10th anniversary in Meridian. “Gypsy would tell me her traveling stories, and that was the inspiration behind it,” said Hennington of the flamenco-inspired music. “Pretty much every song has a story behind it … the castles in Europe and how happy they made her. ‘Malicious Mischief ‘ is about her mother dating Juan Serrano in the ‘60s.” Although Hennington was introduced to Serrano’s music by Rosehill’s mother, Dr. Kathy Baxter, his first taste of Spanish-infused

The Spanish-influenced flamenco tunes on “Queen City Gypsies” were inspired by the stories and travels of Gypsy Rosehill, who has led a belly dance toupe in Meridian for 13 years.

music came as a 9-year-old learning trumpet. “A lot of marching music I played back then was Spanish influenced,” he said. When not composing music for belly dancers, Hennington splits his time between his band, South of 20, and Scott McQuaig and the Tomcats. “When we started out I had live music from a death metal drummer,” Rosehill laughs of her troupe’s early beginnings. “He played middle eastern beats on a doumbek. But to be a gypsy you have to grab everything from every culture, every type of music.” And in keeping with the troupe’s namesake, Rosehill gives a respectful nod to Mitchell, whose grave she still visits in Meridian’s Rose Hill Cemetery. “We need to keep passing on to our children these important people,” she said. “From the time she started belly dancing she always wanted live music,” Hennington says. “The biggest influence for me has been watching her dance. From the first time I saw her dance, I knew it came from a different place, that no one taught her that. So the music had to either move her to dance, or it just didn’t go on the record. It really is Gypsy’s record.” L

Want to buy it? The Queen City Gypsies can be found on Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby and other digital outlets.

Gypsy Rosehill with her son, Vesper Williams, and musician Ted Hennington, right.

With Fall Comes Good Times and Fun for All Ages! It’s a Family Spoof-fair at the Haunted Holly Fall Celebration. Enjoy a three day event filled with thrills & treats October 29th-31st. For more information call Holly Springs Tourism at 662-252-2515. Rust College Annual Founder’s Day Parade November 8th Get down to the beat and see the decked out floats and rides Visit www.rustcollege.edu for more information. “Where Tomorrow’s Leaders are Students Today”

visithollysprings.com READLEGENDS.COM •

STORY FROM DESTIN, FLA.

Destin Fires up the Grills at the 8th Annual

BREWS, BLUES & BBQ Thousands of hungry tourists – and the BBQ chefs to feed them all – will converge on Destin, Florida’s, Harborwalk Village on Nov. 7 for the 8th Annual Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival. Sponsored by the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, the yearly event offers guests a lively barbecue competition combined with craft beer and small batch liquor tastings. Guests will also enjoy live blues music as they stroll from one end of the Harbor to the other. While the main act has yet to be announced, last year’s acts featured Mobile’s The Modern Eldorados and Mississippi’s The House Rockers. “There will be pulled pork, beef, ribs and signature coastal food, with the chefs adding unique touches that elevate the dishes,” says Jamie Hall, who coordinates the event. This year, HarborWalk Village is asking guests to vote at “tasting stations” to choose competition winners. In turn, restaurants donate their prize winnings to their favorite non-profit; $1,000 for first place; $500 for second and $250 for third. Guests to the event also will be served more than two dozen craft beers, hand-crafted cocktails, small batch bourbons and select tequilas, Hall says. “It’s really the perfect blend of great food, fun live entertainment, and refreshing beer and cocktails.” While strolling HarborWalk Village, guests can watch fresh catch coming in for the day, book their own cruise, or visit a number of art galleries, independent kiosks and retail stores. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door ($15/$20 for under 21), and include barbecue samplings and seven drink tickets for craft beer samplings. For more information, visit .www.harborwalkdestin.com.

Want to go? What: Brews, Blues & BBQ Where: Destin, Florida’s HarborWalk Village When: Saturday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost: $30 in advance buys music, food and spirit tastings for the day Lodging: Emerald Grande, www.harborwalkdestin.com (800) 676-0091

60 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

PhotograPhy by MARIANNE TODD

READLEGENDS.COM •

STORY FROM MEMPHIS, TENN.

62 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

BBQ ALA GOOD TIMES

BLUES CITY CAFE AT THE

BY RILEY MANNING PHOTOGRAPHY BY RORY DOYLE The Blues City Cafe sits at the top of Beale Street like a guardian of the good times. Seated on the corner, local boys flip endlessly down the road while the cops watch on. Plenty of neon eateries line the cobbled road, but the cafe is the real deal. It first opened its doors as “Doe’s Eat Place” in 1991, and it was the second branch of a Greenville, Mississippi, restaurant. At the time, it took up only a third of the space it does now. “At first it was a steak joint,” said general manager Jeff “Goose” Goss. “The chef back then, Chef Bonnie Mack, was always into steak. But one night, they featured ribs, and almost overnight, it became a ribs place.” Though it still serves steaks, the popular downtown Memphis cafe is a ribs place through and through. After a while, it became a catfish place, too. Mack hung in there as investors bought Doe’s in ‘93 and changed the name to Blues City Cafe. In a lot of ways, READLEGENDS.COM •

Blues City Cafe on Beale Street in Memphis is jamming most nights of the week until the wee hours of the morning. Begun as a steak place, the Cafe is now famous for it’s fall-off-the-bone rib meat, great music and cool atmosphere.

it’s still the house Bonnie Mack built, though he passed in 2006. “This place stays open until 3 a.m. during the week, and until 5 a.m. on the weekends,” said Richard Magevney, who handles public relations for Blues City. “We put out about 2,500 slabs of ribs on a given week, and the reason we have that demand is because we are consistently good. A lot of that is because of Bonnie Mack’s leadership.” Mack’s successor is a young cat in his early 30s, chef Larry Crawford. Crawford started as a dishwasher about 15 years ago, but by 2004, he had garnered a reputation as one of the best steak cooks in Memphis. “My step dad used to work in the kitchen, so he got me in the door,” Crawford said. “One night, they were busy on the line, so I came out of the dish room to help. After that, they never let me touch another dish.” Now he helms the kitchen for 60 hours each week, and there’s nowhere he’d rather be. “It’s fun. Every day is different,” Crawford said. “Mack’s recipe was handed to me on a silver platter, but they still let me try new things. I made some strawberry cobbler and have been working on a barbecue lasagna. They’re pretty good, so you might be seeing those on the menu soon.”

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Crawford’s ribs aren’t made for the world of competition barbecue. The tender meat falls off the bone so easily, it’ll make you wonder how they arrived intact in the first place. The catfish is sourced out of Yazoo City, Mississippi, breaded to crispy perfection. “We limit the cooks in the kitchen,” Crawford said. “From start to finish, only three people touch the ribs. And we do it the same every time.” In the early ‘90s, the owners bought the adjacent address on Beale Street to incorporate Blues City Cafe’s band box. The former bar was transformed into extra dining space – the Cadillac Room, where a pink, sawed-in-half Caddy juts from the wall. Nowhere else do musicians, celebrities, locals, and visitors feel quite so at home. “Historically, Beale Street is a place to have a good time. Back in the day you had the brothels and the gambling, a little bit of everything,” Magevney said. “We embrace that. It’s not uncommon for Blues City Cafe to be completely full at 6:30 on a Sunday morning with late-nighters eating catfish and ribs.” Around town, the place is a favorite of locals, like police officers, as well as the celebrities of Memphis – athletes and musicians. READLEGENDS.COM •

“When the Grizzlies were playing Golden State in the NBA basketball tournament, Golden State lost a game. Steph Curry was bummed out, but his teammates brought him here,” Magevney said. “The next night, Curry had his game back, and when they got to the finals the running joke was, ‘Does Blues City Cafe deliver?’ It was the catfish. Definitely the catfish.” Then there’s the story of Katy Perry’s bus pulling up to the back part of the restaurant – known as George Paul’s Last Call – to pick up their call in order. The rush never stops at the cafe. If it isn’t Elvis Week, it’s one music festival or another. Innumerable acts have taken the stage, from the Neville Brothers to Courtney Love to Albert King’s last gig. “I can’t tell you how many times a band has come in to eat, and they end up jumping up on stage and joining in,” Goss said. “It speaks to the vibe here. People are comfortable.” Picture frames line the wall of the dining room and the band box. Signs and banners proclaim “Steak so good, it’ll make a train take a dirt road.” Magevney said whenever the staff has to take down the wall decorations for paint or repair they’re careful to hang them up exactly as they were, as a superstition. It doesn’t take much more than a look around to know there’s some sort of voodoo at work. Maybe in the rib sauce. For Crawford, being caught up in the middle of it feels like nothing short of home. “We’re a family here, and when you eat here, you’re our family, too,” he said. “It’s always rockin’ and rollin’.” L

WANT TO GO? Located at 138 Beale St., Memphis, find more information at bluescitycafe.com, including a full menu and music lineup. A few of our faves include the sausage and cheese platter, gumbo cheese fries, the “World’s Best Tamales,” Larry’s “Down South” turnip greens, a full rack of ribs with all the trimmings and apple dumpling with ice cream.

66 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

VISIT

Download the VISIT CORINTH mobile app today to help you get the most out of your visit to historic Corinth, Mississippi. It’s the perfect way to discover countless attractions and hidden gems nestled downtown and around town.

Let us show you around! HISTORIC CORINTH, MISSISSIPPI (662) 287-8300 | visitcorinth.com CO R I N T H A R E A CO N V E N T I O N A N D V I S I TO R S B U R E AU

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FIND US. FOLLOW US. SHARE US.

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STORY FROM HOUMA, LA.

Music and food bring awareness to south Louisiana’s disappearing land BY MEGHAN HOLMES 68 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015

hen Grammy-nominated musician Tab Benoit grew up writing songs in the Louisiana swamps, his family could boast 300 acres of land. “We have 40 left,” Benoit says. “It’s not that somebody took the land. It’s not land anymore. The places I wrote my first songs are gone. The places I learned to play and camp and hunt and fish are gone. It’s open water now. It used to be cypress swamps and bayous and trees. That hits home when it happens so fast.” Benoit gave voice to the awareness of wetlands loss and salt water intrusion in 2003 with the creation of the Voice of the Wetlands Foundation. Along with other musicians, activists and local businessmen, Benoit a year later also decided to organize an annual festival in Houma that combines music and Cajun culture with presentations and discussions focusing on wetlands loss in southern Louisiana. This year, the festival is scheduled for Oct. 9-11. Houma is situated an hour southwest of New Orleans in Terrebonne Parish. A bayou slowly traverses the town’s center, one of the many nearby waterways. Water steadily encroaches in this part of the state, swallowing up young land created several thousand years ago as a former channel of the Mississippi River. The river no longer builds land here. Following decades of channelizing and leveeing the Mississippi’s sediment now washes out to sea. Residents of the area worry their unique culture washes away with it. In addition to founding the VOW festival, Benoit lobbied Congress directly and tours extensively with his group Voice of the Wetlands All Stars to raise awareness of coastal loss. Members of the super-group perform together yearly at the festival, including: Benoit, Dr. John, George Porter Jr., Cyril Neville, Corey Duplechin, Johnny Vidacovich, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Johnny Sansone and Waylon Thibodeaux. In 2005, the men recorded in New Orleans at Piety Street Studio months before Katrina, predicting the

dangers of hurricanes in the region just prior to the levees’ failure. In addition to performances from the All Stars, this year’s festival features music from Mia Borders, Southern Cross, Josh Garrett Band, Mason Ruffner, Honey Island Swamp Band, Raw Oyster Cult, Heath Ledet Band, Lightnin’ Malcolm, Mike Zito and the Wheel and Chubby Carrier. Previously held at Southdown Plantation, this year the event has a new location at 5403 West Park, and with it an additional stage as well as room for RV and primitive camping. The campground is open from noon Thursday until noon Monday for a fee of $150 for the weekend. With the addition of overnight guests the event will offer late night jam sessions Friday and Saturday nights. The festival also features amusement park rides and attractions, a petting zoo, face painting and balloon art. Regional nonprofits working to raise awareness of coastal loss will present information alongside vendors offering art and other products as part of the region’s rich culture. Cajun cuisine also plays a large part in the event, showcasing the culture of the disappearing coast in the hopes more people will deem it worth saving. Chicken and sausage jambalaya, shrimp etouffee over rice, alligator sauce piquant, gumbo and fried seafood will all be served. Airplane tours of the marshes surrounding the Mississippi River and the Atchafalaya arose from Benoit’s experiences as a pilot flying above the wetlands. “You can see things better from the air,” he says. “I’ve seen little islands disappear in a matter of months.” The tours begin over the Mississippi Delta south of New Orleans, where saltwater intrusion has extensively reduced plant life. West, in the Atchafalaya basin, the river builds land. Fresh water from the river carries sediment and meets the Gulf. Organizers of the festival (and many others) hope for a similar outcome in Terrebonne Parish. L

Opposite, Tab Benoit hosts the Voice of the Wetlands festival to raise awareness of disappearing wetlands in southern Louisiana. Above, the grounds of the Southdown Plantation House and Museum are filled with visitors. This year, the festival has been moved from Southdown to 5403 West Park.

READLEGENDS.COM •

STORY FROM NEW ORLEANS, LA.

A Fel low

StRUgGLer A R T

I N

T H E

W A K E

O F

K A T R I N A

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY

JULIAN RANKIN

he art career of Skylar Fein started ten years ago with the desperate need for a kitchen table. All of his furniture was gone, along with the roof of his house and the school he’d been attending. Six weeks after he had moved to the city in 2005 to study pre-med chemistry and biology at the University of New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina rerouted his life and made of him an “accidental artist.” There was wreckage everywhere, of every imaginable sort. From this debris, in the weeks and months after the storm surge receded, Fein began to make things. “Nothing comes from nowhere,” he says. “It comes from somewhere, and you have to add something of yourself. I thought my life path was going to be going into healthcare, and then I needed furniture and had to try building some. I’m still making things ten years later.” Iconic American artist Jasper Johns had a simple directive that governed his art-making process. Take an object. Do something to it. Do something else to it. For a long time following Katrina, recovery for New Orleans and the Gulf Coast seemed impossible. But a kitchen table – that was a place to start. It’s hard to describe how congested the streets were, Fein says.

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Skylar Fein

Anything and everything – beds, TVs, blenders, valuables and invaluables. People’s lives strewn about, unclaimed. Entire houses had been pushed off their foundations into the street. Fein found four matching legs and, as he dug deeper, gathered together beautiful boards in all different colors. “I didn’t know how to build anything, but I

thought, ‘If I put enough screws into this I can make a kitchen table.’” He made other pieces too, including a series of presidential portraits cut from found wood. It was, as Fein describes, a way of expressing the collective political anger and sense of betrayal that coastal residents felt - making something high and lofty like a presidential portrait out of the garbage and wreckage of an American city. One of these caught the eye of a representative from New Orleans’ Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, who sought Fein out and offered him a wall in an upcoming show. For the next three months, Fein toiled in his backyard with the mosquitos and mud, using only the most basic of hand tools, to make more than 30 pieces of artwork from repurposed materials. Exactly one year after Katrina had hit, he had his first gallery show and sold every piece. “I was taking the destruction, and by extension the pain and the loss, and making it a contained thing that you could have in your home,” says Fein. “Containing the destruction and making it a part of your life but also making it beautiful. So there was something therapeutic about it.” Fein, who never went to art school and grew up in the Bronx void of notions about art as a viable career, now found himself a working, self employed creator. He moved into a studio in the Marigny section of the city, where he still works. He made art from reclaimed Katrina materials until there wasn’t any left; until the piles disappeared. Then he taught himself sign painting and screen printing and added them to his repertoire. His work is schizophrenic in style and scope and media, from ambitious temporary installations that fill the room to pop-centric graphic iterations. Some hang on the walls of wealthy collectors and some are housed in museums like the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Skylar Fein grew up in the Bronx void of notions of art as a viable career. His sense of art was born from the post-Katrina debris found in New Orleans’ streets. These days, the artist’s work is housed in museums like the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Art pictured here is (clockwise) “Where the Hell Did I Get These” and “7Up,” 2015, both in painted aluminum, homasote and rubber, and “Back Lincoln” 2007.

READLEGENDS.COM •

He is a folk artist, a Southern artist, a New Orleans artist, an outsider artist, a painter. Now in his mid-40s, Fein has an impressive resume but remains rooted in the humbled city that sired him. “I do okay. I scrape by,” he says. “I don’t have health insurance. I don’t own a house. I’m not where I want to be. But I have the life that I really want. “I’m not speaking as someone who’s figured it out. I’m speaking as a struggler, for sure. I tell art students that when they come to the studio.

$50,000 from an immensely successful Kickstarter campaign. Plans are now underway to implement these new aesthetic infrastructures, ones that will be designed by the skaters themselves. “It’s the best thing I’ll ever do in my life,” says Fein. This art is different than the kind that hangs in galleries, to be sure, but as Fein explains, “There’s a common sentiment at the park that all skate ramps are sculptures. They’re set for a performance art of a certain kind. A popular performance art, a naive performance art, but still a highly elaborate and articulated one that is seen as an artistic thing by the people who are doing it.” In Fein’s home, that first table built in the wake of the hurricane still anchors his kitchen. It was a beginning, a point of departure, from which the artist has evolved. While most of Fein’s work over

“WE WERE LIVING IN THIS HUMAN DUMP TRUCK.

It was this post-apocalyptic landscape. In one swoop my house ceased to exist, my school ceased to exist, my job ceased to exist. And it’s funny, you probably think you have a stable identity independent of all those more-or-less trivial things. But when they disappear overnight, you see how unstable your identity is. You just become a floating point.” —Skylar Fein Don’t look to me as someone who has figured it out. Look at me as a fellow struggler.” Fein retains an eye for the trash and cultural debris that inspires him. He has a pile of curiosities in his studio that he’s collected recently: a mangled pistol of twisted metal, the end-product of the New Orleans Police Department’s process of destroying firearms; a Mexican kitchen implement; old children’s toys and vintage pamphlets about how to pledge allegiance to the flag; a bullwhip of unknown origin that he came upon in his van. Some of this garbage he finds at the site of his newest art project – a skate park under Interstate 610 off of Paris Avenue dubbed “Parisite” by those who frequent it. The park began as a unauthorized do-it-yourself refuge built by local skaters, and until recently, was under scrutiny from City Hall and various other government entities. Fein, a former skater whose body has outlived its usefulness on the ramps, stepped in when city engineers with wrap-around sunglasses threatened to tear it down. “I knew I was going to be the person that was going to prevent that from happening, whatever it took.” Over the past few years, he has served an an intermediary between the young contingent of skaters and the older, more traditional bureaus of local and state government. Due in part to his efforts, the park has now been legitimized and approved. Fein has spearheaded fundraising efforts, securing both a $15,000 grant from the Arts Council of New Orleans for construction of new skate-able sculpture and more than

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the past decade is not defined explicitly by Katrina, it all has some relation to that initial impulse to take the things left by the storm and do something new with them. Parisite is an important inversion of that process, indicative of the recovery of the city. Where Fein was at first taking New Orleans’ discarded remains and translating them, he is now helping to pull resources from beyond the streets in order to build up the city itself. “It seemed like it was an impossible thing,” Fein says of the city’s reinvention. “We were living in this human dump truck. It was this post-apocalyptic landscape. In one swoop my house ceased to exist, my school ceased to exist, my job ceased to exist. And it’s funny, you probably think you have a stable identity independent of all those moreor-less trivial things. But when they disappear overnight, you see how unstable your identity is. You just become a floating point. “We thought recovery was a fantasy,” he continues, standing outside his studio in the tepid afternoon. Around him, the city swirls and scoots and shouts on by, a fortified pastiche of its former self. “But look at it. We came back. I don’t have to make art about the storm anymore. I’m finally over it. Katrina was the making of me. I could have lived without it, but it was the making of me.” Find more of Fein’s work at jonathanferraragallery.com/artists/skylar-fein.

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november festivals and events Pensacola doubles down on the festival fun during the month of November with an amazing array of art and cultural events. For 12 days in November, Pensacola’s Foo Foo Festival celebrates the Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Festival along with events such as the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show at NAS Pensacola, the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, the Pensacola Marathon, and the Big Green Egg® Cook-Off. Book now for November 5–16, and come do the Foo Foo! For information on Pensacola’s festivals and events, go to visitpensacola.com

76 • OCTOBER // NOVEMBER 2015