OffBeat Magazine July 2017 by OffBeat Magazine

The Deslondes In a hurry to take it slow

Bubbling Up!

New Orleans’ beer scene is on the rise LOUISIANA MUSIC, FOOD & C U LT U R E — J U LY 2 0 1 7 Free In Metro New Orleans US $5.99 CAN $6.99 £UK 3.50

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Sexy Dex and the Fresh Stanton Moore Samantha Fish Gregg Allman in New Orleans

Let It Flow!

BLAST FROM THE PAST

New breweries are reshaping our city’s beer landscape.

“Backtalk with Irma Thomas”

Page 30

LETTERS

MOJO MOUTH

FRESH

Five Questions with Ms. Charm Taylor; My Music with Andre Lovett; Seven Three Distilling; New Orleans Beatles Festival; Five Questions with Phil Frazier, Governor of the 2018 Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club and more.

A TICKET TO ROCK ROYALTY

Sexy Dex and the Fresh are using the past to shape the future.

WITH YOU IN MIND

The Deslondes and the Old Lonesome Go.

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Wyatt Lowrey mixes up the Babymaker for Harry Connick, Jr. at Vessel.

Beth Patterson is In the Spot at Ikura Hibachi & Sushi and Peter Thriffiley reviews St. James Cheese Company—Warehouse District.

King James & the Special Men, Water Seed, Benjamin Booker, Sweet Crude, Sonny Landreth, Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes, Alex McMurray, Lynn Drury, Darcy Malone & the Tangle, The Monocle and more.

REWIND

Kermit Ruffins presses rewind on the Rebirth Brass Band’s Do Whatcha Wanna album from 1991.

Stanton Moore’s tribute to Allen Toussaint.

DRESSED THE HARD WAY

IN THE SPIRIT

REVIEWS

Irma Thomas talks about recording “Time Is On My Side” in 1964.

NOTHING COMPARES 2 U

Using Louisiana cane sugar, Lula keeps local spirits up.

OFFBEAT EATS

Gregg Allman’s Midnight Ride through New Orleans.

HIGH FIDELITY

SUGAR RUSH

LISTINGS

BACKTALK with Samantha Fish

by Robert Fontenot May 2003 The rumor is that you were unhappy with the Rolling Stones for covering “Time Is On My Side.” Thomas responds: “It’s not that I was unhappy about the cover, but people assumed that I had covered “Time Is On My Side,” not the other way around. Hell no! I’m doing my song.” To read more, this issue can be purchased at www.offbeat.com/issues/ may-2003/. JU LY 2017

Letters

“What these men have created has enriched our music scene in their own funky rhythm and ‘get up and move’ sounds that have cross generational appeal.” —Mark Romig, CEO, New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp, New Orleans, Louisiana

NOLA Lawlessness? We were in NOLA this weekend and went by Kermit’s Mother-in-Law Lounge and spent a little time under the bridge listening to the music and getting a bite to eat. While under the bridge, we noticed a car doing some type of donut on Claiborne, spinning in a circle, and then blasting off heading east. There were also dirt bikes (not street legal) riding between traffic on Claiborne with loud exhaust and the riders did not have helmets. All while there appeared to be NOPD right in that area and they did not appear to be taking any action. It had an eerie feeling of lawlessness, which I had never experienced before in the city. I rode my bike to Kermit’s Lounge the Sunday of Mardi Gras and had a great time. For Mardi Gras we went out on St. Claude in the area of the Hi-Ho Lounge and felt comfortable. This past weekend has me concerned about my future trips to NOLA and going out into the less touristy areas of the city. I’m starting to wonder if I may be feeling too confident. Do you have any comments or anything you can share with me on this subject? —Aaron Mestayer, Loreauville, Louisiana If I were you, I wouldn’t change my visits to New Orleans. A lot of really great music and New Orleans celebrations occur in neighborhoods that some people (who aren’t used to New Orleans) might consider “dicey.” There are always going to be knuckleheads who could cause a problem, but the NOPD is trained to spot troublemakers, and I’m sure that if anyone was in actual danger, they would have acted to curb any potential violence.—Ed.

Flow Tribe The cover story [June 2017] on New Orleans’ Flow Tribe written by John Wirt helped to make me doubly proud of New Orleans and the music that has emanated from our city. I also claim happiness as a fellow graduate of Brother Martin High School with applause to Jesuit’s John Michael Early. What these men have created has enriched

our music scene in their own funky rhythm and “get up and move” sounds that have cross generational appeal. Here’s to a successful nationwide tour and a sunny date next time at Jazz Fest. —Mark Romig, CEO, New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corp, New Orleans, Louisiana

Reviews The following letter is in response to Robert Fontenot’s review in the March 2017 issue, of Meant to Be by Burris. Robert Fontenot observes that “too often Burris’ improvisation distracts from the mood they want to create.” I agree! Good review. They are a really talented band. They really have good songs but tend to overdo it with the jam band rhetoric. They cover the Rupert Holmes [song] “Pina Colada” and really genuinely put themselves in it and truly make it their own. Thanks Robert for an honest review! I have always appreciated your reviews. You don’t hand out participation trophies like some other critics. —Jason Bishop, New Orleans, Louisiana

Jazz Fest Today, I received in the mail and listened to the Cowboy Mouth Live at Jazz Fest 2017 CD that I purchased at Jazz Fest. Fred and friends’ performance that day was awesome. I bought their CD with the idea that it would be the perfect antidote for any moments of sadness or depression. One listen confirmed the astuteness of this decision. For me, Sunday, May 7 was a perfect Jazz Fest day. Started at the Acura Stage with the Soul Rebels followed by Cowboy Mouth—next up was the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and then Buddy Guy at the Gentilly Stage. Last was Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue at the Acura Stage. I got to see five great acts, with no overlap in their start times. When does that ever happen? —Mark Goldberg, Cambridge, Massachusetts

OffBeat welcomes letters from its readers—both comments and criticisms. To be considered for publication, all letters must be signed and contain the current address and phone number of the writer. Letters to the editor are subject to editing for length or content deemed objectionable to OffBeat readers. Please send letters to Editor, OffBeat Publications, 421 Frenchmen St., Suite 200, New Orleans, LA 70116.

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Louisiana Music, Food & Culture

July 2017 Volume 30, Number 8 Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Jan V. Ramsey, janramsey@offbeat.com Managing Editor Joseph L. Irrera, josephirrera@offbeat.com Consulting Editor John Swenson Food Editor Elsa Hahne, elsahahne@offbeat.com Listings Editor Katie Walenter, listings@offbeat.com Contributors Rory Callais, Laura DeFazio, Robert Fontenot, Elsa Hahne, Alex Johnson, Nora McGunnigle, Brett Milano, Jennifer Odell, Randy Savoie, John Swenson, Peter Thriffiley, John Wirt, Geraldine Wyckoff, Michael Allen Zell Cover Elsa Hahne Art Director/Food Editor Elsa Hahne, elsahahne@offbeat.com Web Editor Sam D'Arcangelo, sam@offbeat.com Copy Editor Theo Schell-Lambert, theo@offbeat.com Advertising Sales/Promotions Coordinator Camille A. Ramsey, camille@offbeat.com Advertising Design PressWorks, 504-944-4300 Business Manager Joseph L. Irrera Interns Emily Carmichael, Gracie Davis, Alex Guior, Marine Laval, Elina Tons Distribution Patti Carrigan, Doug Jackson OffBeat (ISSN# 1090-0810) is published monthly in New Orleans by OffBeat, Inc., 421 Frenchmen St., Suite 200, New Orleans, LA 70116 (504) 944-4300 • fax (504) 944-4306 e-mail: offbeat@offbeat.com, web site: www.offbeat.com facebook.com/offbeatmagazine twitter.com/offbeatmagazine Copyright © 2017, OffBeat, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. OffBeat is a registered trademark of OffBeat, Inc. First class subscriptions to OffBeat in the U.S. are available for $45 per year ($52 Canada, $105 foreign airmail). Back issues are available for $10, except for the May issue for $16 (for foreign delivery add $6, except for the May issue add $4). Submission of photos and articles on Louisiana artists are welcomed, but unfortunately material cannot be returned.

MOJO MOUTH

here’s a new name and face in music media. It’s one you may be familiar with, but in another context and in another media. It’s Beth Arroyo Utterback, a face you’ve seen and voice you’ve heard for years during membership drives at WYES–TV. But first some background. If you’ve read OffBeat or our website over the past year, you’ve been aware that there have been some serious changes at WWOZ. WWOZ—New Orleans’ station devoted to our indigenous rootsy music—is a non-profit community radio station whose content is produced by a cadre of devoted unpaid volunteers: people so passionate about music that they give up their free time to share the music that they love with listeners all around the world. The station was started by brothers Walter and Jerry Brock upstairs at Tipitina’s. They donated the license of the station to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, and it currently owns it today. WWOZ is overseen by a Governance Board that’s a subsidiary of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation. WWOZ started very small, but has now grown into a powerhouse that promotes local music worldwide. In 1991, former Jazz and Heritage Foundation board member David Freedman resigned from the board and became the station’s General Manager. Freedman had experience in community radio, so he was a natural choice to run the station. Freedman is and was a visionary, and he branded WWOZ

J U LY 2 0 1 7

By Jan Ramsey

as the go-to radio source for New Orleans music. Moreover, Freedman could see the future of radio, and started converting the station to an internet powerhouse, with active social media and video capabilities; he even acquired technology and trucks to record music offsite, and exploited the station’s ownership and the relationship the Jazz and Heritage Foundation

alienated many of the volunteers and staff of the station, and ultimately, there was a mutiny. Key staff members left the station suddenly. OffBeat published a letter from a former staff member that pointed out the issues at WWOZ. After that, the board moved Freedman out of operations and hired an experienced radio professional, Arthur Cohen, as an interim

Beth Arroyo Utterback, WWOZ’s new General Manager

with the sale and distribution of Brass Passes. Most importantly, WWOZ acquired more listeners via digital streaming versus the radio airwaves. This was the golden age of growth for WWOZ. Over two decades, Freedman took WWOZ to heights that no one thought could have been achieved. WWOZ was so financially successful that Freedman was ostensibly given carte blanche to run the station. But all was not well in WWOZland. After a time, Freedman

manager. But the WWOZ Governance Board knew that the station needed a change, and ultimately they sought a new general manager for the station. On June 1, WWOZ welcomed a new General Manager: Beth Arroyo Utterback, whose media experience includes 35 years of experience at New Orleans public television station WYES. Beth started her media career at WDSU as an intern, and advanced to Executive VicePresident and Chief Operating Officer with responsibility

for overall management and direction of the station. Utterback oversaw all station programming, local and national productions, promotions, special projects and community outreach. She created beneficial community partnerships and was the regular host of 30 years of successful membership drives. She’s also executive-producer of 11 cooking series which have been aired on public radio stations nationwide. She’s received multiple Emmys and Press Club of New Orleans Awards. Beth is a New Orleans native and has deep familial roots in the founding of New Orleans and even Colonial Louisiana, and is obviously very tied into the New Orleans community. She is thrilled to have been able to become the new General Manager of the station because she sees so much potential in WWOZ’s future. Beth—whom I feel like I’ve already known for years, even though we just met not long ago—came to visit me in OffBeat’s office last week. She admired my Frenchmen Street view (everyone does), and we chatted for quite a while like old friends, mostly about music, the community, OffBeat, and of course, WWOZ. “I admired WWOZ and the incredible work it does serving a worldwide audience as flagbearer of New Orleans culture and musical heritage,” she said, but since becoming the station’s head honcho, she’s realized the tremendous reach of the station that she wasn’t totally aware of until recently. And she was stunned. “I was amazed to see that we have so many listeners www.OFFBEAT.com

Photo: charlie steiner

It’s Not Easy Being Queen

“There’s something we call the “church of New Orleans” —people who love the city so much they come here multiple times during every year (and not just during Jazz Fest).” — Beth Arroyo Utterback worldwide,” she said. She knew that WWOZ reached a lot of listeners but discovered that “about 75 percent of the traffic on wwoz.org comes from outside Louisiana and 13 percent from outside the U.S. We have over 110,000 listeners each week from here and around the world. We have almost 150,000 social media followers. [OffBeat’s reach via offbeat.com mirrors WWOZ’s; the people who love New Orleans and New Orleans music don’t necessarily live in New Orleans!] “Our biggest Facebook post reached over 18 million people and that post had over a million shares,” she said. “Because of our unique programming, WWOZ

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has an enormous reach. This is something our community partners need to be aware of.” “I can see the problems, too,” Utterback said. “But right now I’m still getting the lay of the land. I know what I have to do to keep WWOZ on the right track and I want to work with the board, staff and volunteers to keep the station growing.” When Utterback first heard about the job opening, she was excited. “These are all my favorite people,” she said. “James Rivers, Leah Chase Kamata, Deacon John—music people I’ve known through the years. I have always been so deeply committed to all things New Orleans; this

opportunity came along and I had to apply for the job. “Knowing what I do now about the reach of the station to listeners all around the world, a great slogan came to me: ‘If you can’t live in New Orleans, let New Orleans live in you.’ This is what WWOZ means to our listeners.” It’s refreshing to hear a new voice marvel at the appeal of our music and culture to the world. This is something that we’ve known for a very long time: There’s something we call the “church of New Orleans”— people who love the city so much they come here multiple times during every year (and not just during Jazz Fest). They want to

JO MO

UT H

live here, but can’t, for whatever reason. Any connection to the city’s music and culture is rabidly sought after by these “church” members. WWOZ and OffBeat are almost like peas in a pod: We have the same mission; we just do it in different ways. Hopefully, we’ll be able to re-develop a strong relationship so that both entities can work closely to achieve a common goal. It’s really heartening to know that Beth Utterback—a New Orleanian, born, bred and rooted in the city’s rich culture—will be leading a cultural treasure like WWOZ into the future. We’re looking for great things ahead. O

JU LY 2017

FRESH

Photo: elsa hahne

Aurora Nealand’s Monocle Ensemble at the Music Box Village

MY MUSIC

OffBeat.com Photo: LANCE WAGNER

Andre Lovett

SWEET TWEETS

“I

grew up singing all my life—kind of classical stuff. My dad was in the Air Force, so we moved around a lot. I was in the Nebraska Children’s Choir, I was in the Colorado Springs Children’s Choir, and then once I got to college I started playing guitar and writing songs. My style is kind of like folk-soul-R&B, I guess you could say—those three styles smushed together. It’s not really any one of them. I don’t want to just stick to playing quote-unquote ‘New Orleans music’ or straight jazz. I want to put my style on music I like or a song that I think would sound cool done a different way. Usually I write lyrics before music, but there are times where I do both together. Sometimes I sit down with a riff and write words to it. Every song is different. Sometimes somebody will say a phrase, and I’ll turn it into a song, whereas sometimes it’s something I’ve gone through. A lot of times it’s easier to write about it than talk about it. In terms of my covers, I might hear something on YouTube or on the radio and think it would sound good done in my style. I take suggestions sometimes, too, from people who come to all the shows and say that this or that would sound good with my voice. Sometimes it’s just—we’re joking around about some song and then we’re like, ‘Well, we might as well cover this.’ I started playing the mashup of all the pop songs as a joke, but so many people liked it, I just kept it going and added more songs as we went along. Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Drake, Rihanna, Fetty Wap and ’N Sync are some of the artists... When I first moved here, I was street performing. I started getting gigs after two months, which was nice. I’ve been living here two years as of last January. I was playing in Seattle for about five-and-a-half years before that. The two cities are kind of similar, but I think… there’s more culture here. And you get to meet more people. Everybody is so ready to get involved musically with people they don’t know. If they see you with an instrument they’re like, ‘Hey, do you wanna come sit in with us?’ Or, ‘Hey we’re having a party, everyone’s bringing their instrument, come by and play something.’ It’s very inclusive. I’m coming out with two albums soon. One’s gonna be acoustic, one’s gonna be with the full band. The current lineup is me, Matt Gibson, Fox Capone, David Ginger and Colin Provensal. There are going to be some songs on both of the albums, but they’ll have a very different feel.” —Laura DeFazio Andre Lovett plays the Apple Barrel twice a week: Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. with drummer Colin Provensal and Mondays at 10:30 p.m. with the five-piece band.

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@AlisonF_NOLA “I feel like disco is a girl and funk is a boy” is a thing I just said. @daynakurtz Am fueling the will to fight American fascism by eating the contents of my entire refrigerator. @KeithSpera Singer of local band @flowtribe was carjacked last night after performing at a benefit concert @Tipitinas @gregoryagid Making the clarinet great again! @dougmaccash So if I want some of that Whole Food rhubarb yogurt that I like, can I download it on Amazon Prime? @BantamFoxes Ooh. @ParleauxBeerLab is super tight. @GalacticFunk Addicted to poke. Is it a fad or here to stay? @FleurtyGirl A hangover cure in a bowl from New Orleans.

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SOUNDCHECK

Five Questions with Ms. Charm Taylor

hy did you make New Orleans your home? I came to New Orleans to gut houses after the storm. I was still in school at the time. On one of the trips that I took to the city I was in the Ninth Ward, and they remembered me. They served me up some food. It was love and felt like community. When I graduated I decided this is where I want to be. I moved here in 2007. You’re quite an eclectic vocalist with a signature of kinetic energy. How would you describe your sound? Channeling something raw is what I strive for as a creator. The music I was creating with the Honorable South was to charge, to move the crowd. The Road Within and the current projects are all in the future soul category. The similarity between the two genres is the element of charging, except now I’m charging the listener to go beyond and exist in a limitless sort of way—to pursue something higher from the inside out. You have a recent single, “UFO.” What influenced it and your music in general? The Road Within was all about the next world. It was very heavily in the Afro-future narrative. I’m still very much interested in the future

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wave. I’ve found a lot of people on a very similar trajectory. We’re living in some dark ages, but the future isn’t this cold do-for-self world that it appears to be. I see consciousness rising. I see people showing up for one another. ‘UFO’ is all about that. What happened with the Honorable South? The Honorable South was one of the most beautiful, powerful, wild, adventurous, electric times of my life. It is a door that we’ve closed. Nothing happened. It just was time. We evolved to represent different things and express ourselves in different ways. I’ve been told, ‘How could you just throw it all away?’ We didn’t throw anything away. We started something and we completed something. The music is still alive. What can we look forward to with the upcoming She Is the Future? There’s an effort in some of it to be tightly arranged, and at the same time it’s balanced with a very third-eye type of otherworldly production. I call my music ‘journey music.’ I’m gonna take you somewhere and teach you the ways of my people. It’s still music you can move to but also meditative, steeped in the old world. Sinking City Records is looking at a release somewhere around Voodoo Fest. They’re also doing a re-release of The Road Within on vinyl around July. —Michael Allen Zell

JULY 2017

Photo: JOSE COTTO

FRESH

SEVEN THREE DISTILLING

Five Questions with Rebirth Brass Band’s Phil Frazier, Governor of the 2018 Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club

A bottle for every neighborhood

Photo: Phil frazier

SOUNDCHECK

hen did you become a member of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club and what inspired you to join? It was 10 years ago. It was something outside of music— like a hobby for me; something else to keep my mind going. Just hanging around the [Zulu] club I thought one day I wanted to join—Rebirth played Zulu beaucoup times—playing at the parade, the club and parties. We started playing for Zulu’s Mardi Gras parade sometime in the 1980s. Why did you run for Governor this year? The Governor’s krewe—they like having a lot of fun. I was unopposed. I didn’t campaign, but I like campaigning because I don’t want to take things for granted—so I was in a limo van and my krewe was walking on the ground at the [Zulu’s annual anniversary] parade before the elections. What are the Governor’s duties? To be a face of the club. It’s stated that “If you’re friends with the Governor, you’re friends with the King.” Because you are so well known, what kind of reaction do you get from the crowd? I go to a lot of activities throughout the year. The crowd gets excited. They treat me like Zulu is Louis Armstrong’s club. There are a lot of musicians in the club, but I’m the most popular one because I won a Grammy. There are a lot of brass band musicians in Zulu like [members of] the Pinstripe Brass Band, but I’m the most popular. As Governor do you have a special outfit? What do you look forward to the most now that you’re Governor? Yeah, we have special outfits come ‘round Mardi Gras day. During the year there are a lot of things going on like the Governor’s Ball. The Governor wears a suit with a special sash. When I was a [regular] member, I wore a grass skirt, but I’ll wear the Governor’s outfit this year—the Governor is more distinguished. I look forward to just enjoying the ride—enjoying my term. Up top of the float [as a member], you don’t hand out coconuts. I’ll be closer to the ground now. And it’s very powerful. Zulu is 108 years old and I’m part of 108. The Rebirth will play the Lundi Gras Festival. I’ll play, no matter what. I’ll walk around in my Governor’s outfit, too, and I’ll just change my clothes. I know that may sound crazy. —Geraldine Wyckoff

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iding in plain sight in a warehouse on the corner of Claiborne Avenue and Bienville Street in the Treme, Seven Three Distilling has grand plans for New Orleans. Reflected in the company name, these plans involve creating a spirit for each of the city’s 73 official neighborhoods, such as St. Roch Vodka, which is the first in the lineup that’s available for purchase. This month, Seven Three will bottle two more: Gentilly Gin and a cucumber-infused version of St. Roch Vodka with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves—presumably not different enough to get its own neighborhood. “We can go back and forth and all disagree on what the official neighborhoods really are,” says Sal Bivalacqua, co-owner. “But what we wanted to do was pay tribute to the history of many of them, and include some of that on the back of each bottle.” There are already designs for Irish Channel Whiskey, Bywater Bourbon (which will take at least three years to age), Black Pearl Rum and Marigny Moonshine. “Our moonshine will actually be a Louisiana rice whiskey that’s unaged, and clear,” says Bivalacqua. “Some people say you can’t use the term ‘moonshine’ for anything other than corn, but that’s up for debate since it’s not an actual classification. For us it’s a nod to old moonshiners in the swamp and sugarcane fields.” When asked when they began distilling in earnest, Sal Bivalacqua blurts “Yesterday?!” before admitting that it’s actually been four months since they became fully licensed and hosted their soft opening the very next day. Seven Three hopes to offer more than booze and traditional distillery tours in their newly renovated space. Working with the Historic New Orleans Collection on gathering photos from the old neighborhood, including from Storyville across the way before it was shut down in 1917 at the start of Prohibition, Seven Three plans to educate guests about local history. Eileen Bivalacqua, co-owner and Sal’s wife, points out one of her favorites—a portrait of a group of guys at the Terminal Café by the train station, just off the train and now enjoying a few cocktails, ready to go party in Storyville in 1911. Seven Three also wants to highlight Louisiana agriculture, including their own farm partners: Robichaux in Labadieville for sugarcane, James Farms in Opelousas for rice and Schexnayder & Sons in Erwinville for corn and wheat. The Bivalacquas’ ambitious endeavor is already well under way, despite the fact that he works days and she works nights and weekends for the Poydras Street law firm Galante & Bivalacqua. “We get asked a lot why we launched a distillery while running a law practice,” Eileen Bivalacqua says. “The answer is simple: job security! And if you worked in law all day, you’d start making booze too. I joke, of course... We just believe in the distillery project so much that it’s worth the sacrifice.” —Elsa Hahne Seven Three Distilling, 301 N. Claiborne Ave., distillery tours Tue–Sat at 3:30 p.m., happy hour Thu–Fri 5–8 p.m. with rotating food trucks on Thursdays and pop-ups on Fridays. www.OFFBEAT.com

FRESH

NEW ORLEANS BEATLES FESTIVAL

With a little help from my friends

he New Orleans Beatles Festival celebrates its 15th anniversary this year with a 50th anniversary performance of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Taking place Saturday, July 22, the festival is also marking its 10th year at the House of Blues. Performers at the 2017 New Orleans Beatles Festival include Deacon John Moore, Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr., Alex McMurray, the Topcats, Mixed Nuts, Jimmy Robinson, the 504 Horns and the festival’s founder, singerguitarist Chuck Credo IV. “It has been incredible to take this album apart,” Credo said after the start of Sgt. Pepper rehearsals. “Deconstructing the album, down to guitar lines, the sitar lines and the progression of animal noises in ‘Good Morning Good Morning,’ it’s a challenge. But it’s also a labor of love.” The festival will feature Sgt. Pepper in its entirety as well as hits by the Beatles and B-sides. “There’s added pressure every year,” Credo said of the annual festival. “The audience knows every note, every word. We’re preparing to play Sgt. Pepper, one of the greatest albums of all time, for a rabid audience.” The New Orleans Beatles Festival began in 2002 at Rock ’n’ Bowl. Credo, having noticed the venue’s Elvis Presley tribute nights, asked owner John Blancher if he’d try a Beatles night.

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“I said, ‘John, we’re not going to do the impression thing. We’d like to just play a set of Beatles songs for an audience that may want to hear them.” Although a Beatles night at Rock ’n’ Bowl was his own suggestion, Credo wasn’t confident that Beatles songs performed by local musicians would draw a big crowd. “Because we weren’t a Beatlesimitation act like RAIN or Beatlemania,” he said. To Credo’s surprise, 600 people, rather than the 100 he’d expected, attended the Beatles Night debut at Rock ’n’ Bowl. In 2007, Credo renamed Beatles Night the New Orleans Beatles Festival. He also moved the event to a larger venue, the House of Blues. “From a format standpoint,” he said, “it’s always been the same concept of Louisiana artists paying tribute to the Fab Four. It’s amazing how many musicians in our local scene have been influenced by the Beatles. But they don’t get to play Beatles songs at their gigs, because those songs don’t fit the normal New Orleans–type set. No one dances to ‘Helter Skelter’ or ‘Yer Blues.’” Even without dancing, Credo said, “response to the Beatles Festival has been, from day one, over the top. And when the musicians are on stage, we perform with the same love for the music that the audience has. It’s a big love fest. The audience is as much a part of the show as we are.” The New Orleans Beatles Festival starts at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 22, at the House of Blues. —John Wirt

JULY 2017

GREGG ALLMAN

A Ticket to Rock Royalty Gregg Allman’s Midnight Ride through New Orleans. PHoto: sidney smith

t’s the Summer of ’69 and the Allman Brothers are opening for Dr. John at the Boston Tea Party. They’re just 18 months away from the first of three consecutive legendary concerts at The Warehouse in New Orleans. And, although Gregg Allman and Dr. John would go on to develop an enduring bond over the years, their friendship hardly got off to a rousing start.  “I thought he was a dork,” said Gregg in his 2012 autobiography My Cross to Bear. “The way he talked, I thought he was jive, because I figured he was just putting it on. I mean, ‘They call me Doctor—Dr. John.’” When Allman walked back to the New Orleans witch doctor/musician’s dressing room and witnessed three women tying scarves around Dr. John’s arms, popping his biceps and giving him what he called his “conniption drops,” he realized that Dr. John was putting on no act.  Things didn’t get any better between the two when Dr. John started tossing gris-gris all over the place and a handful of it landed in Allman’s brand-new B3 organ. “Basically, they were these bags he had hanging around each shoulder which were leather or goatskin and smelled kinda funky,” Gregg told author Alan Light. “He threw that gris-gris shit all in my Hammond. Gris-gris my ass. It was gold glitter and it went down through the keys, down into the stops, gumming the oil up.” It cost Gregg just south of two hundred dollars to fix it—a small fortune in those days—rendering him without cold beer money for the foreseeable future. According to Allman in My Cross to Bear, things took a fast turn for the better after one of those Boston gigs when Dr. John approached

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By Randy Savoie

www.OFFBEAT.com

GR EGG A

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Gregg told him those New Year’s Eve concerts at The Warehouse... that lasted until sunrise and are the stuff of legend, occupied a special place in his heart.

the band after the show. “You all are pretty good. You all from Alabama? I’m from Nawlins. You know, you got off to kind of a slow start tonight, and I was getting a little paranoid there, but after a while you all got it cookin’ Jack. Them folks out there, boogying in the house and they wasn’t leaving.”  After that encounter, Gregg realized that this witch doctor from New Orleans named Dr. John was his kind of people.   It’s November 1970 and the Allman Brothers are seven weeks away from that first New Year’s Eve concert at The Warehouse. They’re playing Tulane’s homecoming dance at the Kendall Cram room. Some hardcore Allman Brothers approach the band and ask if they can get in and the band agrees, allowing those fans to walk in alongside them. Sidney Smith was there that night taking in the Allman Brothers for the first time. Smith was a 16-year-old Fortier High School student dreaming of being a rock star photographer. Smith’s father, an amateur photographer, died, leaving him with a stash of cameras, and he had no intention of using them to take pictures of birds or trees or flowers or sunsets. He was going to photograph rock stars for a living. He knew intuitively that those cameras would one day be his ticket into the inner sanctum of rock royalty. Smith couldn’t help but laugh when he realized those Tulane frat boys had no idea who they had in their presence. These were the Allman Brothers—the group Rolling Stone would call the best band in the country less than two years later. They were screaming, “Play ‘Wipeout’!” “Play ‘Gloria’!” The Brothers were little more than one year old as a band that night

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at Tulane. All these years later he still can’t believe how clueless those frat boys were but he admired that the Brothers were accommodating them. They were just having fun onstage. That was their way and always would be. “The band was very easy to talk to at the time. They were outgoing and they were having fun just like everybody else was. There were no superstar attitudes. They were all affable guys. I had my camera in hand and I was just taking pictures. It was the very first band I would ever take pictures of in concert,” remembers Smith. “I remember Berry Oakley offering me what I thought were illegal drugs. It was actually just snuff and I said, ‘No Berry, I never touch the stuff,’ and Berry said, ‘It’s just snuff, kid.’” Sidney met their road manager at the time, met all the roadies. That would serve him well in the not-too-distant future. After that performance at Tulane he wouldn’t see the Allman Brothers Band again for a year but when he saw them again he was ready. He showed them all the pictures he had taken of them a year prior. They all loved those pictures. Gregg loved them so much he paid Sidney one hundred dollars to send them to his grandmother in Florida. By the tender age of 18, Sidney Smith had landed in the Allman Brothers’ inner circle. Smith said the band was addicted to playing in the days before restrictive contracts. “In 1972, the band got arrested at City Park Stadium, and at the time they were doing a lot of drugs. I remember that they bashed in Dickey’s door at the Marie Antoinette Hotel and Dickey didn’t recognize them as being cops so he just started fighting with them. They cracked him

in the face with a billy club and he went down. But the whole band ended up staying in jail all night long. The next day Dickey and Gregg went out and played for free in City Park. Dickey had a crack over his eye at the time. They were addicted to playing. They would come out. They would play at the concert. They would go back to the hotel and play at the bar. They would come and play the next day for free.” Smith saw them every time they came to New Orleans, and followed them to a few other cities. So, he had this large collection of Allman Brothers photographs. He would take pictures of the road crew and show them pictures of themselves and they got off on it. He realized all that schmoozing stopped him from getting thrown off stages. This was a biker road crew, after all. They were rough and tumble guys, and Sidney saw more than one photographer go flying. But the road crew was good to him and he still knows them all to this day. Duane’s death had taken a severe toll on Gregg and he battled addiction for years.  Yet Sidney said Allman had cleaned up his act in the last twenty years and played at an exceptionally high level in the final years of his life. Gregg told him those New Year’s Eve concerts at The Warehouse—1970, ’71 and ’72, that lasted until sunrise and are the stuff of legend—occupied a special place in his heart. “I grew up with the Beatles— until the Allman Brothers,” says Smith. “The Allman Brothers became the soundtrack of my life the rest of the way.” Former WDSU-TV Sports Director Rich Lenz sits back in a comfortable sofa at the studios

of KOTV in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the hometown of the late Leon Russell, and reminisces about coming of age listening to Gregg Allman. Lenz, an accomplished guitarist when he’s not delivering the news, speaks of Allman with a reverence he reserves for no other musician. “He was soooooo underrated. That’s the word to describe him,” says Lenz. “Some of the vocal performances—go listen to ‘My Cross to Bear.’ It’s like you’re 21 years old singing something as good as that! They hated the term Southern Rock but they created the genre. The Allman Brothers were an amalgamation of something that had never really been put together before but it had a lot of New Orleans origins in it. Jazz, blues, the whole Fats Domino rock ’n’ roll and improvisation—dare I say like a Louis Armstrong would improvise. They soaked up New Orleans music. The band that meant the most to my life, put the biggest changes in my life... I cried when Gregg died.” Gregg Allman remembered those early days in New Orleans fondly in his 2012 heartfelt biography My Cross to Bear. The man who once aspired to be a dentist and was once accepted to college in Louisiana said, “The Warehouse was always a good gig for us, because it wasn’t that far, it paid pretty well and we knew that we would have plenty of fun. There wasn’t a whole lot of work to playing New Orleans. Anytime you’d mention New Orleans, everybody’s eyes would light up— even the roadies, because they knew that after they were done hauling them amps, they could go pick up some good-looking filly, eat some red beans and rice, and have a good time.” O www.OFFBEAT.com

HIGH FIDELITY Soul Queen of New Orleans and Grammy Award winner Irma Thomas had spent five years on the Billboard charts when she covered a jazz tune by trombonist Kai Winding called “Time Is On My Side” in 1964. The Rolling Stones covered it shortly after and had their first U.S. top ten hit. Irma Thomas “Time Is On My Side” 1964

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was only 23 years old when I recorded ‘Time Is On My Side.’ It was offered to me when I did the Wish Someone Would Care album sessions in California. I wasn’t told Jimmy Norman was the writer. Jackie DeShannon was there. The Blossoms (with Darlene Love) were the backup singers. H.B. Barnum was the producer and director. The drummer was Earl Palmer, who moved to California from New Orleans and played on my sessions as well as a lot of others. The lady who played [bass] guitar on there was Carol Kaye. I just told the story in the lyrics. I was a married woman with children. When you have life experiences, it’s pretty easy to tell it. When I did the tour of England in 1964, I was in Manchester. Two of the Rolling Stones—Mick Jagger and Keith Richards—came to one of my shows. We sat on the side of the stage and chatted for a while. They said they were gonna cover the song, and they did real quick. It matters not to me whether they covered it or not. It wasn’t their fault that the general public decided it was their song, but it pushed my version to the side. I stopped doing it. When the Rolling Stones came to the States, they didn’t invite me to be their opening act. They invited Tina Turner, which was a bit much, but she was more of a rocker than I was. She used to dress a lot more risqué than I would, so that might’ve been what did it. My career was just beginning to climb a little bit before the British Invasion came along and killed it. I didn’t get a lot of major work after those groups came to the United States. It was really quite difficult. That’s life. I didn’t start playing the song again until 1992 when Bonnie Raitt came to New Orleans and invited me to be a part of her New Year’s Eve show. She said that time had been on our side, and I should start singing the song again. I sang it with her and now I do it again. It had been a long time. In recent years, people have recognized the fact that I did it, and I have been asked to do it more.” —Michael Allen Zell

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PHoto: ELSA HAHNE

HIGH FIDELITY

SEXY DEX AND THE FRESH

Nothing Compares 2 U Sexy Dex and the Fresh are using the past to shape the future.

exter Gilmore is the frontman of the exhilarating ’80s funkmeets-rock-meets-shoegazemeets-indie-pop band Sexy Dex and the Fresh. He sings in a soaring voice that ranges from velvety to screeching. He plays sizzling guitar lines over his band’s slap bass, driving drums, electric synth lines and female vocal foil. His live shows feature no small amount of gyrating, occasionally synchronized dance moves. He often wears a leopardskin vest with little underneath. So let’s just get it out the way: The dude reminds you of Prince. “It’s only obvious because I’m a light-skinned black male with an edgy haircut who sings in a high range and plays guitar in a dance band,” says Gilmore of the relationship. “He is the closest link in the chain to me in every way.” Gilmore accepts the comparison mainly because he sees more than two links in this “chain.” “I mostly take from Prince’s performance, but I embrace that because he was such a good performer,” explains Gilmore, “and there are dudes who came before him that he’s emulating too. You have to give credit to Little Richard, to James Brown, to Sly and the Family Stone. If you’re going to talk about me being Prince, I’m catering to that because he did it so well.” Gilmore does not have the hubris to see himself in that rarified air. Rather, he just wants to see more of what he loves. “There’s a reason why people see performance like that and they legitimately feel something in their heart,” says Gilmore. “Why should that ever stop? I don’t care if people are going to compare me to that. No one else is doing that right now.” The music actually being performed also came from

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Gilmore following his muse with little regard for outside opinion. While he was a member of local shoegaze band Glish, he spent his free time developing his passion project by working on pop and R&B demos in his bedroom. Former Glish and current Fresh drummer Evan Cvitanovic— Gilmore’s roommate at the time—offered to play drums on the songs, providing the push Gilmore needed. From there, the band came together by finding people who already shared a personal connection. Cvitanovic’s close childhood friend and former Glish bassist Andrew Landry was soon recruited. Keyboardist Ben Buchbinder was an old college friend from Gilmore’s short stint in Loyola’s Music Industry Studies program. And once the band was formed, Gilmore visited his hometown—the Washington D.C. area—and returned to New Orleans with vocalist/guitarist Gabrielle Washington, his By Rory Callais

longtime girlfriend. “It all just fell into place,” says Gilmore. “We already had the chemistry.” That chemistry is apparent in both the band’s energetic live shows and feature length debut Plus One Edition. But performances—both live and recorded—show there is far more to Sexy Dex and the Fresh than Prince. Glish’s wall-of-sound shoegaze has carried over into this new band, with Gilmore’s fiery guitar and Buchbinder’s electric synth building thrilling sonic landscapes. And with both Glish and the Fresh being on local punk label Community Records, punk plays a huge role in shaping the band’s sound and image. “We play funk and dance music,” says Gilmore, “but it’s through a lens of heaviness and a punk attitude.” The band’s visual aesthetic underscores this punk DIY attitude. Sexy Dex and the Fresh have multiple music videos shot in warbly VHS-era effects. The frantic, image-saturated videos—

which are defiantly contradictory, featuring cheeky comedy alongside horror film imagery and ’80s production values portraying modern technology—represent, according to Gilmore, “the will and the need.” “We could just buy a VHS camera for cheap and make our own interesting and compelling music video.” It is no accident that one of Gilmore’s projects would feature a strong visual arts element; he has been a visual artist since he was a baby. Literally. “My mom would carry me around in a stroller and I had a pencil and pad,” recalls Gilmore. “I’d draw people’s faces and give them the pictures. Some people even gave me money!” Even as a small child, Gilmore was performing for others. Music was also part of Gilmore’s life from a young age. His father was a guitarist and radio deejay in Washington D.C. who wanted to eventually pass down his musical knowledge to his son. However, tragedy intervened. When Gilmore was 14, his father was in a car accident that severely impaired his short-term memory. With his father in the care of assisted living, Gilmore was compelled to learn music anyway. “After the accident, I naturally picked up his guitar and taught myself to play,” says Gilmore. Pop music is often about lineage. Each of the performers Gilmore lists has taken what he liked from his predecessors and added his own spin to reflect his time. Gilmore is no different, taking Prince’s ’80s funk, melding it with a punk attitude and blending it all into video content for the digital age. From Little Richard down to Prince—and from father to son—Gilmore is stepping into a long tradition of using the past to shape the future. O www.OFFBEAT.com

STANTON MOORE

With You in Mind PHoto: marc pagani

Stanton Moore’s tribute to Allen Toussaint.

n the fall of 2015, drummer Stanton Moore, along with pianist David Torkanowsky and bassist James Singleton, had booked studio time to record a follow-up to the trio’s 2014 release, Conversations. The plan was for it to contain primarily original compositions. On November 10, 2015, they and the rest of the world heard the shockingly sad news of the death of the legendary pianist, composer, producer and arranger Allen Toussaint. “It didn’t feel right not to acknowledge his passing,”

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remembers Moore. “We just started thinking it would make sense to pay tribute to him on the whole album as there was so much amazing material.” The result is With You in Mind: The Songs of Allen Toussaint, which will be released on July 29, 2017. The album, which was co-produced by Moore and Torkanowsky, finds the three artists, who have been performing and touring together for several years, at the core of the music. It’s easy to imagine that, considering the project’s theme and with these highly respected musicians putting it together, it By Geraldine Wyckoff

wasn’t difficult to recruit guests for the project. Some of New Orleans’ finest artists play significant roles throughout the disc. Moore and percussionist Mike Dillon lay down the rhythm on the opening cut, “Here Come the Girls,” with a rousing response from the horn section, which includes trumpeter Benny Bloom, trombonist Mark Mullins, saxophonists Aaron Fletcher and Skerik. Trombone Shorty, who recorded the tune on his latest album, Parking Lot Symphony, gets in on the action as a featured soloist. Cyril Neville, who was the first artist called in for the

session when the guys deemed they needed a vocalist, takes the lead on this and four other cuts on the album. Background vocals for this enthusiastic number are supplied by, well “the girls”—Erica Falls and Jolynda Kiki Chapman. “Cyril’s been a hero of mine and somebody I wanted to work with since I was a kid,” says Moore, who previously had that opportunity when Neville toured with the jam-driven band Galactic. Interestingly, Galactic has performed two Toussaint compositions, “Bacchus” and “Muss the Hair.” www.OFFBEAT.com

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Choosing which Toussaint tunes to include on the album was the first task. “Stanton and I kicked it around and we suggested songs to each other,” Torkanowsky explains. “We wanted tunes that we could organically interpret—to reinterpret Allen’s music in a new way,” Moore adds. “We were basically looking for tunes that had humidity because that was Allen’s signature,” says Torkanowsky, who then clarifies the definition of the term in relationship to music. “New Orleans piano players—from Louis Moreau Gottschalk through Professor Longhair to James Booker and Allen Toussaint—their playing has humidity in it. It feels like the air feels during the summer. It has that aesthetic to it. We were also looking for vehicles for the guest artists that we had to play on them. We were looking for griots of the culture. We were looking for people who Allen would have called himself to do this record.” Some rare and wonderful combinations of musicians like trumpeter Nicholas Payton, saxophonist Donald Harrison and Trombone Shorty turn up on With You in Mind—though, say Moore and Tork, the teamings weren’t necessarily strategically planned. “I’ve heard Tork say in interviews that being a musician in New Orleans is like living inside the world’s greatest toy box that you can imagine,” Moore says of the availability of talent to call in for the album. “I prefer tool box,” he adds. “Want one of the greatest trumpet players? We’ll call Nicholas. What would happen if I blend this with this? Call Donald. Call Shorty. We have heaven’s horn section.” This terrific horn triad turns up on one the disc’s best-known numbers, “Java,” which was made famous by trumpeter Al Hirt. Though it begins with its signature

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To end the album, Wendell Pierce’s rich voice, backed simply by Moore’s drums, narrates the lyrics of “Southern Nights.”

opening melody provided by Torkanowsky’s piano and Payton’s trumpet, its jingle-like, not-tobe-taken-too-seriously character is eventually totally transformed. “Java” goes straight-ahead. More obscure is Toussaint’s “Riverboat,” which originally included lyrics and was played at a quicker tempo. Here it is a leisurely cruise and, using Tork’s terminology, drips with humidity. Simply and beautifully produced, this song stands as a highlight of the album and displays the composer’s romantic melodic insight. The core trio is featured on the lovely, moving title cut, “With You in Mind.” With Toussaint’s passing, it holds new meaning—it’s his genius that is remembered. Toussaint was a musician and man of great elegance and Torkanowsky captures that magnificent essence. Singleton’s sparsely placed bass notes add further emotional impact and he takes a rare solo that spiritually “sings” the lyrics. Moore’s tasteful brushwork and use of cymbals display his reverence for the tune and the moment. The

driving drummer that most people know kicks in on the fun and funky “Night People,” which features saxophone great Maceo Parker. “I wanted to make sure that we served the song first and foremost,” Moore offers on the title cut. “There was nothing ‘drumistically’ macho about it. We wanted to ride the delicate balance of paying homage to Allen and stating his work but also reinterpreting it in our own way without straying too far from the original visions. Tork really is a student not only of all of the New Orleans piano players but all of New Orleans music,” he adds on how Torkanowsky was able to capture Toussaint’s soulful and elegant musicality. It’s easy to understand why some people would expect that the focus of an album in tribute to Allen Toussaint would be on the piano. However, pre-Katrina, Toussaint’s primary work was behind the scenes in his studio and behind the scenes as a songwriter. He blossomed as a performer and the great pianist that he always was when the storm’s tragic destruction urged him out into the world.

“We wanted to focus on his compositions and spotlight them in the best way,” Moore explains. Torkanowsky agrees, saying that the concept was “a tribute to Allen the composer and songwriter as much as it was a pianist.” That With You in Mind stands as a Stanton Moore album also might cause some confusion as it is obviously a collaborated project, with the main characters being Moore, Torkanowsky and Singleton. There are two logical reasons, for this. One is that Moore led a wellknown trio with organist Robert Walker, so calling it the Stanton Moore Trio was out. Torkanowsky, being Torkanowsky, shares another, updated and rather coherently philosophical explanation. “Stanton Moore has a history of featuring the players that he’s with,” Torkanowsky explains. “So his audience is trained to drill down and find out who is with him. The jam band tradition that he comes out of has a different aesthetic than the old-fashioned ‘featuring.’ We’re featured whether it says it on the marquee or not. That’s why we’re there, to make music.” To end the album, Wendell Pierce’s rich voice, backed simply by Moore’s drums, narrates the lyrics of “Southern Nights.” Payton then takes over on organ, offering a deliciously slow rendition of the famous song. He then picks up his trumpet to voice the tune’s steamy temperature and deep yearnings. “I learned everything I know about the studio from my years with Allen both from a production standpoint and a technical standpoint,” declares Torkanowsky, who was the studio keyboard player and musical director with Toussaint during the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. “I really think that he would have loved this record. His spirit is all in it.” O www.OFFBEAT.com

PHoto: tamara grayson

Dressed the Hard Way The Deslondes and the Old Lonesome Go.

By Robert Fontenot

“I set down with my back against the wall looking all through the troubled, tangled, messed-up men. Traveling the hard way. Dressed the hard way. Hitting the long old lonesome go. Rougher than a cob. Wilder than a woodchuck. Hotter than a depot stove. Madder than nine hundred dollars. Arguing worse than a tree full of crows. Messed up. Mixed-up, screwed-up people. A crazy boxcar on a wild track. Headed sixty miles an hour in a big cloud of poison dust due straight to nowhere.” —Bound for Glory, Woody Guthrie

welve years on from Katrina, no one could have expected the diaspora of twentysomethings headed to, not just from, New Orleans—a flood of young cultural expats looking for something they couldn’t find at home. For Sam Doores, nominal frontman for a very democratic five-piece of Americana musicians called the Deslondes, his personal journey began with a copy of folk legend Woody Guthrie’s biography— practically a sacred text for the generation of restlessness that produced the ’60s counterculture

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movement, and one that still held enough power to get Sam to ditch all his possessions and start train-hopping and hitchhiking with nothing but his guitar. “I can’t imagine what my life would look like now if I hadn’t read that book,” he says now. It was a journey that took him to Austin, Nashville, Woody’s hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma, and back to his West Coast home, but the Crescent City kept calling him back until he finally put some roots down. The Deslondes are the result of five different journeys to discover America, and their musical pastiche, while rooted in traditional country and folk music, incorporates everything from Memphis soul to the New Orleans piano tradition. Their brandnew second album, however, is entitled Hurry Home, suggesting, both in title and content, that their vagabond days are numbered. Sam Doores was kicking around Austin just after Katrina decimated the Gulf Coast when he met New Orleans saxman Dominick Grillo, then with King James & the Special Men and lately with the Frenchmen Street All-Stars. It was Dominick who first convinced Sam to come to New Orleans, and while he didn’t return with them at the time, the suggestion took hold. Soon he found himself crashing on the couch of Sean Kelly’s Irish Pub. “I was only 19,” he remembers. “But I never got IDed. He let me stay there if I’d play guitar—Guthrie, Johnny Cash, Dylan, and of course some Irish stuff like the Dubliners and JULY 2017

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the Clancy Brothers. Anything that sounded good on acoustic, really. But he wanted me to keep it upbeat. Not too many sad songs.” From there he graduated to an apartment tucked away a few blocks over on Madison Street, then to the musicians’ havens of Bywater and the Treme. There was a brief hiccup of responsibility where he returned to his West Coast roots and enrolled in Olympia, Washington’s Evergreen State College, but that lasted all of three months before the lure of the City That Care Forgot drew him back in. “I always loved Down By Law,” he says now, referring to the 1986 classic Jim Jarmusch film about escaped New Orleans convicts. “The city kept calling to me.” The third time back was the charm—Doores found himself on a street called Deslonde in the still-ravaged Lower Ninth Ward back in 2010. “Me and my buddy used to just go there and sit on that levee, waiting to watch the sun go down,” he remembers. “There were two houses left that were uninhabited, and my friend eventually got up the gumption to leave a letter in the landlord’s mailbox, asking if we could move in. He said yes. But we had to do a lot of work on that house.” He’d finally found a home, but that didn’t stop him from making the yearly trip back to Okemah for its Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, and that’s where he met guitarist Riley Downing. Armed with a batch of originals similar to Doores’ own, they soon picked up extra musicians, including bassist and former schoolmate Dan Cutler, and became the

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“Settled down” they aren’t, though. At least, not yet. “Everybody in this band is just so itchy all the time,” says Sam.

Tumbleweeds, releasing an excellent debut in 2012 called Holy Cross Blues, named after the section of the Ninth Ward where Sam had watched the Mississippi roll. Full of originals (and a jaunty take on Leonard Cohen’s “Passing Through”), it showed a remarkable natural affinity for worksong, country blues, bluegrass and honkytonk weepers, and it was good enough to get noticed by Alabama Shakes, who asked the Tumbleweeds to join them on tour. That lucky break led to two major changes. The first happened when Sam ran into old hometown friend (and former collaborator) Cameron Snyder in Seattle, who despite being known for his chops on piano and upright bass was asked to join them on tour as a drummer. “It just felt right,” Sam claims now. “Although he’s still playing just a snare and a kick drum.” The other, more unsettling change was learning that the Tumbleweeds name was already taken. Again turning to their adopted neighborhood, they rechristened themselves the Deslondes, proper pronunciation of “dez lawns” and all. “Now I get to explain how to pronounce our name to everyone I meet,” he chuckles, grumbling like a native son. Around that same time, Sam and Dan made another important fan connection—fellow Guthrie enthusiast and one-time train hopper Alynda Lee Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff. “I first met Alynda at the Dragon’s Den just after I dropped out of college,” Sam recalls. “When I walked in Alynda was singing some of her songs, just her and a banjo in front of the stage

with no mics… I was floored. We ended up trading stories and songs all night.” Such was her mutual rapport with the pair that they ended up part-time members, touring with her and backing her on several albums including Look Out Mama and her major-label debut Small Town Heroes. “We’re sort of like sister bands,” Sam muses. “But then both bands started getting more work. We all got busier and busier. With the Deslondes, Dan and I were two of the songwriters and so we had more creative control. Breaking out on our own was a natural progression.” Now free of any other obligations, the newly-christened Deslondes set about recording their debut proper, rehearsing and laying down basic tracks at the Living Room in Algiers. When the tracks were done, off they went with the band to the Bomb Shelter in Nashville to be polished by Shakes and Riff Raff producer Andrija Tokic. The dozen songs on 2015’s The Deslondes were less folk and more country, perfect for sand-covered dance floors and swinging-door saloons, and all set off by the band’s secret weapon, pedal steel guitarist and fiddler John James Tourville. (He was also found on a Tumbleweeds tour: “He was just learning how to play fiddle and steel at the time,” says Sam. “I remember being blown away at how quickly he was improving and developing his own style.”) And while classic country was definitely the main motif—“Less Honkin’, More Tonkin’” was specifically designed as a homage to classic George Jones—for the first time there were hints of other influences working their way into the mix: Sam’s piano on “Fought the Blues

and Won” struck many with its authentic New Orleans stroll. Now comes Hurry Home, recorded in Tigermen Den in the Bywater—not quite a mile across the canal from Deslonde the street. An old corner store repurposed as an event center, it proved to have the perfect downhome ambiance. But first the band had to agree to meet in yet another bastion of cultural weirdness—Athens, Georgia—in order to write. That’s because the Deslondes have once again been strewn to the four winds—not only did wanderlust kick in again for many of them, some are also married and raising children. “Settled down” they aren’t, though. At least, not yet. “Everybody in this band is just so itchy all the time,” says Sam. “It’s our common thread. We’ve covered a lot of ground, and it’s so complex, feeling tired from that but yet still having it kind of running through your blood.” Suddenly Dan pipes up over speakerphone, where the band is relaxing after “driving as fast as we can through the desert with no air conditioning” to make a radio interview in Tucson: “I’ve never lived anywhere more than three years. I don’t feel like I’m from anywhere.” Hurry Home is even more accomplished, perhaps due to the entire band sharing the writing and the microphones for the first time, and it wanders musically, too: There’s a large amount of Tex-Mex in the mid-tempo songs and surf whammy in the guitar, the uptempo numbers come off more rockabilly than bluegrass, and Cameron adds a swirly, squirrely Booker T.–type organ to his resume. This is all by design: “We’ve always loved the Stax and Sun labels,” explains Doores. www.OFFBEAT.com

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“We really wanted to add that element.” It’s still refreshingly real, with the familiar country twang and occasional Appalachian harmonies intact. And everything was recorded live in the studio in good old analog, on a Tascam 388 8-track reel-to-reel (though it was “bounced down” to digital in Nashville strictly for mixing and mastering, according to the band). Yet Hurry Home feels different for another reason, one that the band is ready to identify before it’s even brought up. “It’s more subdued, thematically,” says Dan. “What is the theme of the album?” he goes on. “I don’t think we had an inkling of a theme. But at some point we started figuring the songs had a thread—nostalgic, longing, a bit more introspective. With our first album, there were some points where it was bombastic but uplifting.” He talks about the cover of the new album, a picture which was painted by Riley’s father, Tim, of the South C Highway near the Missouri town where Riley grew up. “When I look at it I think, we travel around, see the old idealistic life, and our own lives seem distorted.” Dan calls the dichotomy “that old push and pull... there’s always that desire, finding that kind of balance of a healthy home life but pursuing our dream.” It’s telling that the video for the album’s leadoff track, “Muddy Water,” features the band wandering near the Mississippi on the other side of the Holy Cross levee at the foot of Deslonde Street as adults, but also as children. “The fact is, we’re from all over the place,” says Dan, as the band prepares for its next West Coast gig in www.OFFBEAT.com

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a tour that will take them through Canada, around to New York, and then even to Sweden. “We tour so much and we just pull musical influences from everywhere. The only thing we share in common besides the music is a longing for home.” Still, the Deslondes remain a band no matter where everyone is—and also an idea. Sam explains the bond: “Riley, Dan and Cam have all lived with me at the end of Deslonde at different times. They all have their own spots now, but It’s always been a gathering place for friends, bands passing through town, campfires, recording, house shows, rehearsals… we just naturally grew out of all that.” But as long as they share their love for the impossibly vast network of genres known as “Americana,” they’ll still have reason enough to occasionally go back to traveling the hard way. Dressed the hard way. Hitting the long old lonesome go.

“The world is filled with people who are no longer needed. And who try to make slaves of all of us. And they have their music and we have ours. Theirs, the wasted songs of a superstitious nightmare. And without their music and ideological miscarriages to compare our songs of freedom to, we’d not have any opposite to compare music with—and like the drifting wind, hitting against no obstacle, we’d never know its speed, its power.” —Woody Guthrie JULY 2017

O THE LOCAL BEER (R)EVOLUTION

Let It Flow! New breweries are reshaping the beer landscape of New Orleans. By Nora McGunnigle

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here’s nothing like a cold beer on a hot New Orleans summer day. The condensation on the bottle can or glass is a visual reminder of the refreshment that’s sure to follow. The aroma varies from bread to bananas to pine to citrus to coffee and everything in between. The color ranges from the palest straw gold to burnished copper to the satisfying black of a wellseasoned cast iron skillet. Beer’s no longer just for summer days, crawfish boils and football games—it’s found a place at fine dining restaurants as well as casual eateries, from the beer geek bar to the neighborhood dive. Events and festivals and beer-themed weeks are now part of the annual calendar. Local beer drinkers suddenly find themselves in heaven with the new, vast array of beer styles created by a multitude of breweries throughout the state. The everincreasing sophistication of Louisiana beer aficionados has led to a large variety of production breweries, brewpubs and tiny “nano” breweries opening in the area, with each brewer contributing something unique and dynamic, sharing a vision of not just beer, but a philosophy of life in the South. But where did this come from? And how did we get here? By the end of 2016, over 5,300 breweries were in business nationwide, according to the Brewers Association, a non-profit organization that tracks data on a national as well as statewide level. That’s 17 percent more than the year before—an incredible growth. Looking further back, the change is even more dramatic. In 2012, the U.S had 2,475 breweries—less than half of what we have today. The number of Louisiana breweries has increased in similar fashion over the past five years. By the end of 2012, Louisiana had eight breweries: six production breweries and two brewpubs. New Orleans at that time had only one production brewery (NOLA Brewing) along with two brewpub-restaurants downtown: Crescent City Brewhouse in the French Quarter and the New Orleans location of the national chain Gordon Biersch in the Warehouse District. Today, the total number of production breweries, brewpubs and service-only microbreweries has risen to 34 in Louisiana and 12 just in New Orleans. More than half of the growth in New Orleans has occurred since March 2016, a veritable explosion. Urban South Brewery in the Lower Garden District opened to the public in March 2016, followed by Wayward www.OFFBEAT.com

Caps off! Owl Brewing Company in Broadmoor in December, and then Brieux Carré Brewing Company, Parleaux Beer Lab, Port Orleans Brewing Co. and Royal Brewery since April this year. They’re scattered throughout the city: Brieux Carré is just off Frenchmen Street in the Marigny, Parleaux Beer Lab is in the Bywater, Port Orleans has set up on the river side of Tchoupitoulas just off Napoleon Avenue and Royal Brewery is in New Orleans East. Urban South, Wayward Owl, Port Orleans and Royal Brewery are all production breweries, meaning they do not only sell beer in their on-site tasting rooms; the bulk of their brews are packaged in kegs, bottles and/or cans for wider distribution. Brieux Carré and Parleaux Beer Lab fall under a different category—they only serve their beers to customers in their own taprooms; they’re not distributed to other retailers. The only way to try their product is to go to the brewery and check it out. The New Orleans and Louisiana beer scene might have been slow to grow at first, compared to national trends, but the number of breweries is now growing at an exponential rate. Part of this development has involved educating local palates With local brews come Louisiana-inspired and building a beer names, such as 40 Arpent’s Duckweed steady customer base looking for flavorful, well-made and locally brewed beer—and willing to pay a little extra for it. The Gulf South has traditionally been partial to American light lagers from big breweries such as Budweiser, Miller and Coors. They’re easy to drink in the heat and humidity and the low amount of alcohol in them means people can drink them all day long (like at a parade or a tailgate), and they’re considered perfect crawfish beers. Local breweries are now having a lot of success brewing alternative styles, but it did take a while to widen the comfort zone. Early on, German styles were popular at places like Crescent City Brewhouse, Gordon Biersch, Covington Brewhouse (formerly Heiner Brau) and even Abita, whose Amber (the most well-known beer from Louisiana) is a Munich-style lager. www.OFFBEAT.com

Our guide to all of New Orleans’ breweries, their signature beers and recommended brews. For a roundup of the complete offerings, head to offbeat.com. 40 ARPENT (since 2014) 6809 N. Peters Street (Arabi); 40arpentbrewery.com; (504) 444-3972, Thurs 5-11p, Fri 4-11p, Sat 11a-11p, Sun 11a-6p (closed Mon-Wed) Signature Brew: New Basin Milk Stout This dark beer is surprisingly light-bodied and pleasant to drink in warm weather. It was the first of 40 Arpent’s beers to be released, and the first to be bottled. A little lactose gives the beer some sweetness, but not too much. Our Pick: Oktoberfest It’s a cool tradition when a local brewery provides the official beer for the Deutsches Haus Oktoberfest celebration every year, and even cooler when it’s excellent. German lagers aren’t generally my go-to, but this one is great and I always order one when I see it.

BRIEUX CARRÉ (since 2017) 2115 Decatur Street; brieuxcarre.com; (504) 304-4242; Mon-Sun 11a-10p Signature Brew: Pomeranian Fight Club Imperial Saison The brains behind Brieux Carré asked, “Everyone makes a Saison, so why not make it bigger?” The goal for this brew was to create a high-ABV beer with an intense floral aroma that sneaks up and nips you as you sip, much like a feisty Pomeranian might. Our Pick: StarHazer IPA I admit it, I’m a sucker for an easy-drinking, flavorful IPA (or pale ale) and StarHazer is great. Apollo, Challenger and Galaxy hops taste great together, and they all have space-themed names. JULY 2017

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It was rough going at the start, but now, expectations for permits are more clearly explained by city staff.

COURTYARD BREWERY (since 2014) 1020 Erato Street (Lower Garden District); courtyardbrewing.com; Mon-Wed 4-9:30p, Thurs-Sat 11a-10:30p, Sun 11a-9:30p

Moving into other styles, like IPAs, stouts, porters, saisons and sour/ wild beers, took some time, but the area’s adapting palate wasn’t the biggest hurdle to overcome. Instead, it was state and city bureaucracy. The appointed position of the Louisiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission (ATC) head has given one person the authority to interpret the laws as he/she sees fit, and enforce them accordingly. With beer and brewing, there are many gray areas shifting back and forth, depending on who’s in charge. Without naming names, PHoto: nora mcgunnigle

Signature Brew: Baby IPA This beer’s been on tap at Courtyard since the beginning. It’s a low-gravity session IPA, originally brewed for a pregnant beer lover to enjoy every now and again. It’s a great starter IPA at a brewery with many different IPAs on tap. Our Pick: Preach! I don’t love double IPAs—they’re boozy and have a lot of hops and bitterness to chew through. But Preach! is a gorgeous beer, hopped with both Citra and Mosaic. It’s like the finest liquid gold going down your throat, and when on tap, I find myself going back to it again and again—sometimes in less than a straight line, due to the 8% ABV.

CRESCENT CITY BREWHOUSE (since 1991) 527 Decatur Street (French Quarter); crescentcitybrewhouse.com; (504) 522-0571; Sun-Thurs 11:30a-10p, Fri-Sat 11:30a-11p Signature Brew: Pilsner Brewmaster Wolfram Kohler points to the Pilsner as the quintessentially perfect style. It’s his personal favorite to brew and drink, and it’s the most popular beer sold at Crescent City Brewhouse. It embodies Kohler’s brewing philosophy about the grand tradition of brewing: “Beer is a very sacred and simple concoction of four ingredients,” he says. “What I’m doing is what people have been drinking for the last 500 years.” Our Pick: IPA Crescent City Brewhouse has produced traditional German styles exclusively during most of its 25+ years, but Kohler recently bowed to the popularity of the IPA in the beer-drinking world and has had one on regularly for the past year. CCB’s IPA is a traditional, balanced version, somewhere between the British and West Coast styles.

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The taproom at Royal Brewery

it’s safe to say that there haven’t been a lot of beer-positive people in the ATC over the years, which has influenced the industry in fits and starts. Although it’s been legal for a brewery to obtain a retail license and sell its beer directly to customers in a taproom or tasting room environment since 1993, it was widely discouraged to such an extent that, by the time new breweries started popping up postKatrina, brewers and owners believed selling any beer on-site was illegal. The Louisiana statute that permitted on-site sales, R.S. 26:273C, was finally clarified by the ATC in 2012 under the leadership of former commissioner Troy Hebert. Since then, breweries around the state have been able to take advantage of the law, which increases profit margins and makes new business plans more financially viable. The City of New Orleans has been catching on over the past couple of years, and newer breweries have reaped the benefits of their predecessors’ hard work. NOLA Brewing and Courtyard Brewery in particular have worked patiently with city employees trying to get a handle on these new businesses. To hear the tales, it was rough going at the start, but now, expectations for permits are more clearly explained by city staff, and there’s a template to follow, shaped by the growing local industry, where everything doesn’t have to be figured out www.OFFBEAT.com

COVER STORY

GORDON BIERSCH (since 2004) 200 Poydras Street (Warehouse District); gordonbiersch.com; (504) 552-2739; Sun-Thurs 11amidnight, Fri-Sat 11-1a Signature Brew: Czech Pilsner While it can be difficult to distinguish between pilsner substyles, Gordon Biersch’s Czech Pilsner is a beautiful example and one of the best outside the Czech Republic. Light-bodied and clean, it provides an explosion of subtle flavors. Our Pick: Citra IPA Although Gordon Biersch is a chain with locations all over the country, the beer for each spot is made on-site, and in recent years, brewers have had more latitude to create their own recipes beyond the German-style flagships. Brewer Nick Anzalone has experimented with different IPA styles as well as barrel-aged beers. He’s found success in recreating the hazy, less bitter and more hop-juicy style pioneered in Vermont and Western Massachusetts known as New England IPA. This Citra IPA is regularly on tap and a great example of the style.

NOLA BREWING (since 2008) 3001 Tchoupitoulas Street (Lower Garden District); nolabrewing.com; (504) 8969996; Mon-Sun 11a-11p Signature Brew: Mecha Although NOLA Blonde and Brown were the first two beers created at NOLA Brewing, the Mecha came about when founder Kirk Coco realized that there was a growing sophisticated beerdrinking population here. Formerly known as Mecha Hopzilla, this hopforward double IPA was the first in NOLA Brewing’s line of high-gravity beers. Upon its release, it sold more than three times as quickly as Coco had dared hope, pointing to the evolution of Louisiana craft beer culture. Our Pick: Sauvage One of the tent poles of NOLA’s sour/wild yeast beer program (the Funk Series), Sauvage is the only Brettanomyces-fermented beer in the portfolio. Using Brett in a beer imparts an earthy, barnyard flavor, and subsequent dry-hopping creates a home run with notes of citrus and tropical fruit. This beer won a silver medal at the prestigious World Beer Cup awards in 2016 in the “Brett Beer” category. www.OFFBEAT.com

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Breweries made beer to pair with food, and restaurants slowly began embracing this in the context of their beer lists and menus. PARLEAUX BEER LAB (since 2017) 634 Lesseps Street (Bywater); parleauxbeerlab.com; (504) 702-8433; Mon, Thurs, Fri 3-10p, Sat 1210p, Sun 12-8p (closed Tue-Wed)

Signature Brew: Rooibos Alt The “Lab” part of Parleaux’s name is an important one. Experimentation is central to the brewery’s identity, and this rooibos tea-infused German alt beer captures that perfectly. It was one of the first four beers Parleaux made when they first opened up. Our Pick: Here Gose Nothin’ Just because it’s hot out doesn’t mean light-bodied blondes or pilsners are the only option. Sometimes you want something thirst-quenching with some flavor to it. Gose is an old-school German style making a crazy comeback in the beer world over the last few years. Traditionally brewed with salt and coriander, Parleaux’s version also includes lime zest and ginger—a cooling concoction that’s bright and stimulating, which is important these dog days!

PORT ORLEANS BREWING CO. (since 2017) 4124 Tchoupitoulas Street; portorleansbrewingco. com; (504) 266-2332; Wed-Mon 11a-11p (closed Tue) Signature Brew: Slack Water Brown Ale Brewmaster Brian Allen’s focus is solid, low-gravity, classic styles. This brown ale delivers. Our Pick: Zwickelbier A taproom-only beer for now, this Zwickelbier (also known as Kellerbier) is a solid, food-friendly choice that’s perfectly balanced between hops, grain and yeast. The style is traditionally unfiltered, which brings all of the beer’s notes to the nose and tongue without interference.

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from scratch. It’s been a challenge, but the current process is a marked improvement compared to just two years ago. For some time, local distributors weren’t sure how to sell these small breweries’ beers—they required a radical shift from the brewing conglomerates the distributors were used to marketing and selling around town. It took significant collaboration between brewers, retailers and distributors to get a handle on the product and its potential market. The saving grace for local breweries was always the city and state’s entrenched food culture—breweries made beer to pair with food, and restaurants slowly began embracing this in the context of their beer lists and menus. Beer-pairing dinners have become a popular way to introduce inexperienced beer drinkers to the flavor diversity and foodfriendliness of Louisiana beers. As noted, six breweries have reshaped New Orleans’ beer scene in swift measure over the past 15 months. Urban South Brewery found immediate success with its three flagship beers—Charming Wit, Holy Roller IPA and Coop’d Up—along with a wide variety of seasonal selections and special releases. The brewery doubled its capacity within the first six months of operation due to market demand. It took a year for them to produce enough beer to be able to distribute outside of New Orleans to the Northshore and Baton Rouge. Each new release further solidifies the brewing chops of the Urban South team, and their family-friendly and dogwelcoming tasting room has become a popular spot for local events and fundraisers. Wayward Owl Brewing Company opened late last year to holiday cheer in the stunningly renovated Gem Theater in Broadmoor. The former neighborhood movie theater is now a huge open space with the bar and communal tables toward the front and the brewing equipment in the back. The two sections are divided by a row of theater seats—a nod to the building’s history. Co-founder Justin Boswell returned home to Louisiana after brewing beer in the Pacific Northwest with a mission to bring his experience and knowledge to New Orleans. “It’s an exciting time to be making beer here,” says Boswell. “People Wayward Owl breware listening to the master Justin Boswell brewing community [in the state www.OFFBEAT.com

PHoto: KRISTIN BOSWELL

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Taps at Parleaux Beer Lab

legislature], the Brewers Guild has banded together stronger than it ever has before, and we’re making progress every day.” “The culture of the beer consumer in Louisiana is so new compared to Washington State, where it’s established and entrenched,” he continues. “People here are so excited when they discover new beer—not that there wasn’t excitement in Washington, but it’s the difference between getting excited about a new beer release in a huge sea of beer and breweries, and getting excited about new beer because it’s new.” Brieux Carré Brewing Company is poised to become the top go-cup craft brewery with its heavily trafficked, pedestrian-friendly location. It’s a tiny space for both patrons and brewing equipment (even with the outdoor space), but the ever-changing selection of beer keeps people coming back. Founder Robert Bostick says expansion into the upstairs space will happen sooner than anticipated, but in the meantime, the camaraderie, fun names of tasty beers and—most importantly—New Orleans’ alcohol consumption laws will keep this place jamming. Beer is only sold onsite and not distributed to other retailers. Parleaux Beer Lab, true to its name, is a brewery dedicated to tinkering with ingredients and flavor profiles. Out by the Industrial Canal next to the deep Bywater train tracks, Parleaux offers an inviting space with a huge beer garden surrounded by fruit trees. Both the inside and outside have a DYI, repurposed vibe that makes the experience almost intimate, like you’re hanging out in a friend’s backyard. Parleaux only sells its beer on-site, but has the leeway to distribute down the line. Port Orleans Brewing Co. is in an enormous converted warehouse near the Port of New Orleans building—thus its name. This brewery has six 60-barrel horizontal lagering tanks in addition to eight upright 60-barrel fermenters (a barrel is roughly 31 gallons), and has an inhouse kitchen called Stokehold, with a menu that complements the beers on tap. www.OFFBEAT.com

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Breweries have brought economic opportunities for adjacent industries as well, such as the three different beer bus tour companies and the increasing number of food trucks and pop-ups.

ROYAL BREWERY (since 2017) 7366 Townsend Place; royalbrewerynola.com; (504) 7234151; Thurs-Fri 4-9p, Sat-Sun 11a-9p (closed Mon-Wed) Signature/Our Pick: Culicidae Ale Royal offers only one beer at press time, but it’s a flavorful ale that’s pleasant to drink in the heat. American hops lend a fruity bitterness while British ale yeast pumps up the floral characteristics.

SECOND LINE BREWING (since 2015) 433 N. Bernadotte Street (Mid-City); secondlinebrewing. com; (504) 248-8979; Wed-Fri 4-10p, Sat 1210p, Sun 12-8p (closed Mon-Tue) Signature Brew: Batture Blonde Ale This was an accidental creation that went on tap at the brewery and became an instant hit. It’s sort of a hybrid between a golden and blonde ale and a kolsch. Our Pick: Route 47 Red This red IPA is indicative of Second Line’s careful attention to its malt bill—even in beers with low malt presence. Route 47 is big, bold and aggressively hopped with classic West Coast hops, anchored in easy-drinking malt. It’s named after the nearby Route 47 Canal Street streetcar line that goes all the way up to the cemeteries.

URBAN SOUTH (since 2016) 1645 Tchoupitoulas Street (Lower Garden District); urbansouthbrewery.com; (504) 267-4852; Mon 4-9p, Wed-Thurs 4-10p, Fri 12-9p, Sat-Sun 11a-9p (closed Tue) Signature Brew: Holy Roller IPA Holy Roller has gained a place as one of the most solid, consistent and tasty IPAs produced locally. Grapefruit Holy Roller is a taproom-only favorite.

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Royal Brewery hopes to be part of the revitalization of New Orleans East’s Lakefront area. With entertainment venues and restaurants scheduled to open in the next year, it’s in a great spot to capitalize on an area of the city long left neglected. With a newly opened taproom, Royal Brewery is working on perfecting its first beer, Culicidae Ale, before starting on any new ones. “We’re a natural fit for this area,” co-owner Mandy Pumilia says. “The zoning has accommodated companies like Folgers, Luzianne and Bunny Bread and when the City Council issued a proclamation for us, they officially described the area as the ‘Beverage and Yeast Belt of New Orleans.’” “We realized we wanted to open a taproom for the community and have done a lot of outreach,” Pumilia continues. “Two local neighborhood associations want to hold meetings here, the Pines Village community wants to walk over all together one day to hang out in the tap room, and we’ve distributed about 300 flyers in the area that offer a dollar off the first beer.” Breweries have brought economic opportunities for adjacent industries as well, such as the three different beer bus tour companies and the increasing number of food trucks and pop-ups. The New Orleans Brewery Tour (brought to you by the folks behind the Gators and Guns swamp tour) was the first to take advantage of the fact that breweries opening in industrial areas don’t lend themselves to a pedestrianfriendly experience. They launched after Urban South opened in March 2016 and now tour Courtyard Brewery, Urban South and NOLA Brewing every day. NOLA Brew Bus is a party bus that books a lot of bachelor’s parties and other private tours focused on local history, and not just beer history. NOLA Brew Bus goes to three different breweries in New Orleans twice a week, and to Abita Brewing each Friday. The company runs a walking go-cup tour of the French Quarter and Marigny once a week as well. New Orleans Brews Cruise, meanwhile, is the newest player and offers www.OFFBEAT.com

COVER STORY

Our Pick: Modillion This is a lovely, full-flavored and hoppy beer that’s a pleasure for all of the senses. Urban South’s Architecture series of limited-edition beers is a tip of the cap to the beautiful architecture of the South. Although Modillion is the beer most frequently produced in the series, there are an additional two beers yet to be seen—Colonnette, a hoppy saison, and Quatrefoil Grand Cru.

WAYWARD OWL (since 2016) 3940 Thalia Street (Broadmoor); waywardowlbrewing.com; (504) 827-1646; Tue-Fri 3-9p, SatSun 12-9p (closed Mon)

PHoto: nora mcgunnigle

Signature Brew: Family Tree Kristallweizen This was founder and head brewer Justin Boswell’s father’s “gateway beer,” earning it its name. The kristallweizen is a littleknown German style with a flavor profile similar to the more popular hefeweizen, which has a cloudy appearance while this one is crystal clear. Our Pick: Tawny Twit Tawny Twit was never meant to be in Wayward Owl’s lineup. It was originally brewed to create the yeast needed for the Scops Scotch Ale, but once in the taproom, customers loved it (as did the staff). It’s categorized as an English Pale Bitter, which isn’t actually a thing, but pretty close to the traditional British ESB (Extra Special Bitter) style. I love it because the malt bill has a bit of spice from the inclusion of rye.

Wayward Owl is located inside the Gem Theater in Broadmoor

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tours to three rotating New Orleans area breweries (chosen with client consultation) four times a week. It also offers weekly tours to the Northshore to visit Abita, Covington Brewhouse, Chafunkta Brewing and Old Rail as well as monthly tours to Baton Rouge–area breweries Gnarly Barley Brewing, Tin Roof Brewing and Southern Craft Brewing.

Mandy and Raymond Pumilia at Royal Brewery

As far as food is concerned, the only area breweries that have a permanent kitchen are NOLA Brewing (with McClure’s BBQ) and Port Orleans (with Stokehold). Others—Courtyard Brewery, Parleaux Beer Lab, Second Line Brewing, 40 Arpent, Wayward Owl and Brieux Carré—employ food trucks and pop-ups to provide food for hungry customers. Some of the food trucks found regularly at one or more of these breweries include Saigon Slim’s, Taylor Made Wings, Taceaux Loceaux, Foodies Destination, Bonafried, La Cocinita, Diva Dawg, and The Red Stove. Pop-ups include Brügger’s BBQ, Skillet Pop Up, Lucille’s Roti Shop, Midnight Noodle, We’ve Got Big Bowls and La Monita. Schedules change, so check social media (both the food truck/pop-up and the brewery) to see who’s where when. Food trucks and pop-ups have become such a regular feature that newer breweries like Parleaux Beer Lab include a dedicated space (and power!) in their building plans. More and more, small breweries try to connect with their immediate neighborhood communities to be a solid partner there. With at least two more breweries and one cidery due to open within the next year, it’s safe to say that the appeal and availability of local brews will continue to grow and increasingly influence our social calendars. O

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PHoto: ELSA HAHNE

Co-owners Jess and Erin Bourgeois

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Sugar Rush

PHoto: ELSA HAHNE

Using Louisiana cane sugar, Lula keeps local spirits up.

hen Lula opened its doors last February, New Orleans and all of the Deep South got something new—a restaurant that’s also a distillery. Operating much like a brewpub, the making of alcohol constitutes the disciplined business in the back while its consumption shapes the party up front. Through a floorto-ceiling glass wall, guests can watch the giant copper still in action, with base spirit flowing from one of the two 3,000-liter fermentation tanks. Lula makes three types of alcohol: vodka, gin and rum. Despite what many think, the establishment isn’t named after anyone’s grandmother, but after the sugar mill in Belle Rose, Louisiana where the distillery gets its raw cane sugar (near Donaldsonville, where Jess Bourgeois, one of the three owners, grew up). Nonetheless, Lula gets frequent requests for branded tees by customers with a more familial connection. “‘My aunt, my great grandmother…’” Erin Bourgeois, co-owner and Jess’ wife, recalls. “After the family went to New York recently and were seen on the Today Show wearing our T-shirts, just waving, we had so many people email us. ‘Can you mail me a T-shirt?’” In the room that holds the still, the comforting smell of raw cane sugar shines almost brighter than the copper. The taste, as well, dominates Lula’s entire line of spirits—including the vodka, which traditionally is praised for more or less an absence of flavor. On the wall in the dining hall, clear glass jars display the botanicals used to flavor the www.OFFBEAT.com

house gin: bitter lemon and sweet orange peel, angelica root, coriander, orris root (which smells like violets), black pepper and, of course, juniper. For those who think gin tastes like pine trees, juniper is usually the reason. At Lula, the distillers tone down the woodsy flavors, focusing more on florals and citrus instead. “My dad always drank gin— London dry gins—and I never took to them,” Jess Bourgeois explains. “Frankly, I found them offensive. And I think a lot of

Bees Knees here every time she comes.” The Bees Knees, one of Lula’s most popular cocktails, is made with gin, lemon juice and honey. It’s batched and served on draft, like in a brewpub. Lula also bottles cocktails. They currently offer two: a classic gin and tonic and a Negroni. Jess Bourgeois just acquired a pump to replace the centrifuge he’s been using to clarify fruit juices for cocktails, where, through finer and finer filters,

Bottled gin and tonic is ready to go

people do. That’s why we chose to use the ratio of botanicals that we use because we wanted our gin to be approachable and more like a flavored vodka. My mom would have never put gin in her mouth—ever—but she drinks a By Elsa Hahne

even ruby red grapefruit comes out a pale yellow. Discussing endless possibilities, he displays the enthusiasm of a kid with a new science kit (back when there were no iPhones). That energy came in handy when the

custom still they ordered came in from Germany—in thousands of parts. “They shipped it over in pieces with pictures of how to put it together, like an Ikea project,” Erin Bourgeois remembers. “It took six months to a year to build.” “Everything either fits together or it doesn’t,” Jess Bourgeois continues. “You can’t just put a pipe up there and make it fit. It’s all about exactly where things go. I think we had 50 or 60 different pipes alone, so the further along we got, the easier it was to find where they went.” He admits that if he’d known in advance just how difficult it would be to put the still together, he might have passed on the whole distilling idea. “But it was a progression,” he says. “Three steps forward and two steps back still keeps you moving forward.” Part of the process of opening Lula involved making a change to state law. In order to have a distillery adjacent to a restaurant, the Bourgeoises along with their business partner—distiller and Baton Rouge physician Bear Caffery—worked to have a bill passed in the Louisiana legislature in 2015. “It was like civics class in high school all over again,” Erin Bourgeois remembers. “How does a law get made? How do you pass a bill? We found a representative who sponsored our bill and it took about a year before it finally passed on the very last day of the legislative session.” The Bourgeoises met Caffery on a trip to New Zealand with mutual friends in 2009. Caffery had been an avid home brewer until he realized he was allergic JULY 2017

“Every time we make a rum we can make the same recipe taste different by utilizing our still differently...” —Jess Bourgeois

to gluten and switched to home distilling, which is legal over there. The distillers clearly share an experimental approach, as Jess Bourgeois explains: “Every time we make a rum we can make it taste different by utilizing our still differently, which is neat, but also makes you wonder—always—is it going to be the same, and why don’t we make it different, and could we make it better? How can we make it cleaner and smoother while keeping the same flavor profile?”

Guests who enjoy Lula’s spirits in the bar and restaurant can buy bottles of gin, vodka or rum from the distillery in the back. Because of Louisiana’s distribution laws, they can only be sold at Lula’s, and therefore won’t appear in local stores any time soon. On July 20, Lula will host a Tales of the Cocktail spirited dinner, offering its own spirits in classic cocktails paired with Southernstyle courses, including shrimp, greens, scallops and quail. O 1532 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, 504.267.7624, lulanola.com.

the custom-built Co-owner Bear Caffery by German copper still

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PHoto AT TOP: ELSA HAHNE, photo AT bottom: erin bourgeois

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photos: Elsa Hahne

Wyatt Lowrey/Vessel

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essel opened with three key components—proper glassware, a focus on community and a coastal theme. We have 28 different kinds of glasses because glassware is important; you should drink from the proper glass for everything we serve, so we have five different glasses for wine, five for beer, and everything from tiki mugs to coupes. We have communal tables so you can come with a big group and not feel like you’re taking over the whole place, plus our food is shareable and we have large format beers [bombers] with two and a half beers in each, and also carafes of cocktails. ‘Vessel’ could also be a ship, so the menu ties into different coastal cuisines from around the world and all of our wines are sourced from a coast, or within 50 miles of a coast. I’m a big ‘name’ kind of person; I like names. I named all of the cocktails on our menu. My

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personal favorite is the Night’s Dirty Lightning, which was a pirate ship in the 1800s, and for that we use two different kinds of rum, a 20-year Mocambo Solera and an Appleton Estate rum and an apple spice shrub that we make with three different kinds of apples [Red and Golden Delicious and Granny Smith], two vinegars—apple cider and rice wine vinegar—and spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, allspice and vanilla. Shrubs are basically drinkable vinegars. It’s not surprising that someone who preserved fruit in vinegar realized the vinegar took on some of the fruit flavor and then mixed that with alcohol. Another cocktail we have on the menu is called the Song & Story, which is a play on a hymnal. I’m not looking to offend anyone, but quite frankly—I run a bar inside of a church, so it’s hard not to play on that. The cocktail I’m making for you is an homage to Harry Connick, Jr.

By Elsa Hahne

It’s basically a boilermaker, which is a beer and a shot—something you’ll find in every dive bar around the city. I call this the Babymaker, and our shot is a little bit more complex than a neat spirit. I based it off of the beer, using local Urban South Holy Roller IPA, which needs citrus and sweetness because it’s an IPA. The vodka we’re using is St. Roch Vodka from Seven Three Distilling, which is brand new. Why the Babymaker? I mean... it’s Harry Connick, Jr.! Every girl I know loves Harry Connick, Jr. There are few musicians you can have playing in a bedroom, and Harry Connick, Jr. is one of them. There are many reasons I like Holy Roller. I’m not much of a beer drinker, but I really like this beer. And I really like the name Holy Roller. Being that Vessel is in a church, and a holy roller is someone who goes out to party on Saturday night and then rolls into church on Sunday morning, still hung over, it’s perfect.”

The Babymaker 1 ounce Seven Three Distilling St. Roch Vodka ¼ ounce Giffard Pamplemousse Liqueur ¼ ounce fresh lemon juice ¼ ounce Orange oleo-saccharum 2 dashes Bittermens Hopped Grapefruit bitters 1 can Urban South Holy Roller IPA Shake vodka, grapefruit liqueur, lemon juice, oleo-saccharum and bitters with ice. Strain into a shot glass and serve alongside the beer. www.OFFBEAT.com

FRENCH Café Degas: 3127 Esplanade Ave., 945-5635 La Crepe Nanou: 1410 Robert St., 899-2670

GERMAN Jaeger Haus: 833 Conti, 525-9200

ICE CREAM/CAKE/CANDY Aunt Sally’s Praline Shop’s: 2831 Chartres St., 944-6090 Bittersweet Confections: 725 Magazine St., 523-2626 La Divina Cafe e Gelateria: 621 St. Peter St., 302-2692 Sucré: 3025 Magazine St.,520-8311 Tee-Eva’s Praline Shop: 4430 Magazine St., 899-8350

INDIAN Nirvana: 4308 Magazine St., 894-9797

AFRICAN Bennachin: 1212 Royal St., 522-1230.

AMERICAN Barcadia: 601 Tchoupitoulas St., 335-1740 Brown Butter Southern Kitchen: 231 N Carrollton Ave., 609-3871 Poppy’s Time Out Sports Bar & Grill: 1 Poydras St., 247-9265 Port of Call: 838 Esplanade Ave., 523-0120 Primitivo: 1800 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., 881-1775

BARBECUE The Joint: 701 Mazant St., 949-3232

COFFEE HOUSE Café du Monde: 800 Decatur St., 525-4544 Morning Call Coffee Stand: 56 Dreyfous Dr., (504) 300-1157, 3325 Severn Ave., Metairie, 885-4068

CREOLE/CAJUN Cochon: 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2123 Cornet: 700 Bourbon St., 523-1485 Galatoire’s: 209 Bourbon St., 525-2021 Gumbo Shop: 630 St. Peter St., 525-1486 K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen: 416 Chartres St., 524-7394 Mulate’s: 201 Julia St., 522-1492 New Orleans Creole Cookery: 508 Toulouse St., 524-9632 Restaurant Rebirth: 857 Fulton St., 522-6863

DELI Stein’s Market and Deli: 2207 Magazine St., 527-0771

FINE DINING Bombay Club: 830 Conti St., 586-0972 Broussard’s: 819 Conti St., 581-3866 Commander’s Palace: 1403 Washington Ave., 899-8221

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IRISH The Irish House: 1432 Saint Charles Ave., 595-6755

NEIGHBORHOOD JOINTS Biscuits and Buns on Banks: 4337 Banks St., 273-4600 Cake Café: 2440 Chartres St., 943-0010 City Diner: 3116 S I-10 Service Rd E, 8311030; 5708 Citrus Blvd., 309-7614 Cowbell: 8801 Oak St., 298-8689 Dat Dog: 601 Frenchmen St., 309-3362; 5030 Freret St., 899-6883; 3336 Magazine St., 324-2226 Live Oak Cafe: 8140 Oak St., 265-0050 Parkway Bakery and Tavern: 538 Hagan Ave., 482-3047 Sammy’s Food Services: 3000 Elysian Fields Ave., 948-7361 Tracey’s: 2604 Magazine St., 897-5413

ITALIAN

Chiba: 8312 Oak St., 826-9119 Mikimoto: 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., 488-1881 Seoul Shack: 435 Esplanade Ave., 417-6206 Sukho Thai: 4519 Magazine St., 373-6471; 2200 Royal St., 948-9309 Wasabi: 900 Frenchmen St., 943-9433

LOUISIANA / SOUTHERN Fulton Alley: 600 Fulton St., 208-5593 Mondo: 900 Harrison Ave., 224-2633 Praline Connection: 542 Frenchmen St., 943-3934

MEDITERRANEAN Byblos: 3218 Magazine St., 894-1233 Mona’s Café: 504 Frenchmen St., 949-4115

MEXICAN/CARIBBEAN/SPANISH Barú Bistro & Tapas: 3700 Magazine St., 895-2225 Juan’s Flying Burrito: 2018 Magazine St., 569-0000 El Gato Negro: 81 French Market Place, 525-9846

MUSIC ON THE MENU Banks Street Bar & Grill: 4401 Banks St., 486-0258 B.B. King’s Blues Club: 1104 Decatur St., 934-5464 Buffa’s: 1001 Esplanade Ave., 949-0038 Chickie Wah Wah: 2828 Canal St., 304-4714 Dmac’s Bar & Grill: 542 S Jefferson Davis Pkwy, 304-5757 Gattuso’s: 435 Huey P Long Ave., Gretna, 368-1114

PIZZA Midway Pizza: 4725 Freret St., 322-2815 Pizza Delicious: 617 Piety St., 676-8482 Slice Pizzeria: 1513 St. Charles Ave., 525-7437 Theo’s Pizza: 4218 Magazine St., 894-8554; 4024 Canal St., 302-1133; 1212 S Clearview, 733-3803

SEAFOOD Basin Seafood and Spirits: 3222 Magazine St., 302-7391 Crazy Lobster Bar & Grill: 1 Poydras St. 569-3380 Deanie’s Seafood: 841 Iberville St., 581-1316; 1713 Lake Ave. Metairie, 834-1225 Pier 424 Seafood Market: 424 Bourbon St., 309-1574 Royal House Oyster Bar: 441 Royal St., 528-2601

SOUL Praline Connection: 542 Frenchmen St., 943-3934

STEAKHOUSE La Boca: 870 Tchoupitoulas St., 525-8205

VIETNAMESE Namese: 4077 Tulane Ave., 483-8899

WEE HOURS Buffa’s Restaurant & Lounge: 1001 Esplanade Ave., 949-0038 Mimi’s in the Marigny: 2601 Royal St., 872-9868

Beth Patterson hits the

Adolfo’s: 611 Frenchmen St., 948-3800 Little Vic’s: 719 Toulouse St., 304-1238

JAPANESE/KOREAN/SUSHI/THAI

Ye Olde College Inn: 3000 S. Carrollton Ave., 866-3683 Warehouse Grille: 869 Magazine St., 322-2188

Spot

Is there any sushi you won’t eat? Lately, on principle, I’ve stopped eating octopus because they’re so intelligent and I love the animal so much. Also, it’s a symbol of the best thing that’s happened to me in my adult life [possibly referring to her dating pianist Josh Paxton], so I can no longer eat octopus. That looks like a fresh octopus tattoo on your leg? Yes. I specifically wanted a mimic octopus. They have these stripes on their legs, and they can look like many other creatures, like a sea snake or a stingray. If you look closely, you’ll see how Jimmy [Black at Abracadabra on Freret Street] laid out the stripes.

Two-three, two-three? I wanted them to look like the black keys on a piano. And there’s a reason I wanted him to make the eye blue... Call me smitten. —Elsa Hahne Beth Patterson’s new book The Wild Harmonic is at the Louisiana Music Factory.

Ikura Hibachi & Sushi 310 N. Carrollton Ave. (504) 485-5658 www.OFFBEAT.com

Photo: ELSA HAHNE

Kingfish: 337 Chartres St., 598-5005 Mr. B’s Bistro: 201 Royal St. 523-2078 Restaurant R’evolution: 777 Bienville St., 553-2277

Hard Rock Café: 125 Bourbon St., 529-5617 House of Blues: 225 Decatur St., 412-8068 Howlin’ Wolf’s Wolf Den: 907 S. Peters St., 529-5844 Le Bon Temps Roule: 4801 Magazine St., 895-8117 Little Gem Saloon: 445 S. Rampart St., 267-4863 Maison: 508 Frenchmen St., 289-5648 Mid City Lanes Rock ‘N’ Bowl: 4133 S. Carrollton Ave., 482-3133 Palm Court: 1204 Decatur St., 525-0200 Rivershack Tavern: 3449 River Rd., 834-4938 Southport Hall: 200 Monticello Ave., 835-2903 Snug Harbor: 626 Frenchmen St., 949-0696 Three Muses: 536 Frenchmen St., 298-8746 Three Muses Uptown: 7537 Maple St., 510-2749

DINING OUT

St. James Cheese Company —Warehouse District According to a recent survey, advocates on either side of the climate change debate unanimously agree on one point: When it comes to summertime in New Orleans, cold foods rule. For more than a decade, the fiends de fromage at St. James Cheese Company have delighted the taste buds of customers without raising their core temperatures. A year and a half ago, Richard and Danielle Sutton expanded beyond their original Uptown roots with the opening of a second location in a bright and lofty space in the Warehouse District. While the original store caters equally to retail and dine-in customers, the Downtown location offers an expanded café menu for the office workers and conventioneers on their lunch breaks and the young professionals residing in the neighborhood. You can still choose one of the greatest hits, like the Hooks Cheddar with smoked turkey and avocado on French ciabatta

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or the Brie de Meaux and French ham on a toasted and buttered baguette. But an expanded kitchen allows for more intricate offerings, like the double-decker Croque Monster on Texas toast or the Lomo Bocadillo, an open-faced sandwich of crispy grilled La Quercia Lomo and Manchego topped with a fried egg and drizzled with pimento aioli. A long cheese bar allows customers to interact with the cheesemonger and order a procession of composed cheese bites from a rotating list of selections that in the past have included chèvre with lemon curd, or Point Reyes Blue with seasonal fruit and black lava salt. Priced around $3 for a pair of bites, this format allows customers to experiment with a variety of cheese pairings and garner knowledge for creating their own combinations at home. Saturday brunch is another distinguishing offering at the Warehouse District location (which is closed on Sundays). In addition to the aforementioned Croque and Bocadillo, the kitchen churns out fluffy lemon ricotta

Photo: RENEE BIENVENU

EATS

pancakes and a breakfast version of Raclette— rich, melted Swiss cheese heaped over crispy potatoes and caramelized onions sprinkled with chopped bacon and crowned with a fried egg. A summer special of burrata served with fresh tomatoes and basil pesto is the apex of summer flavors and pairs well with a glass of wine or one of the half-dozen beers on tap. Save room for the goat cheese bread pudding drizzled with warm caramel. It’s worth enduring the heat wave. —Peter Thriffiley 641 Tchoupitoulas Street; Mon–Wed: 11a–6p, Thur–Fri: 11a–8p, Sat: 9a–8p; (504) 304-1485; stjamescheese.com

JULY 2017

REVIEWS

Reviews When submitting CDs for consideration, please send two copies to OffBeat Reviews, 421 Frenchmen Street, Suite 200, New Orleans, LA 70116

CDs reviewed are available now at 421 Frenchmen Street in the Marigny 504-586-1094 or online at LouisianaMusicFactory.com

An Alternate Universe Boogie”), and where Horn gets the most gravel in his mighty voice. It all seems to come from an alternate universe where Ernie K-Doe is God—but yes, we realize that he already was. —Brett Milano

Water Seed We Are Stars (Independent)

King James & the Special Men Act Like You Know (Independent) If one song could encompass everything great about New Orleans music… Well, it would have to be a really long song. “9th Ward Blues,” which closes King James & the Special Men’s mini-album, is plenty long and plenty wild: It starts out as a cross of Indian chants with punk rock (the main riff isn’t far from the Stooges’ “1969”) then erupts into a brass band jam that enters free-flowing Sun Ra territory before it’s through. You have to be in the right frame of mind to take in all 14 minutes—i.e., not sitting down at a computer writing about it—but this is one exhausting performance. The rest of the disc is closer to the band’s trademark sound—shorter tunes steeped in vintage New Orleans R&B—and every bit as raucous. Despite the band’s repertoire of lost 45s, everything here was written by frontman Jimmy Horn, but most of them could pass for obscure nuggets: “Eat That Chicken” may be a sexual innuendo, or it may really be about food—as everybody knows, those two things are equally worthy of a song. The two slower, bluesier tracks are fine, but it’s the livelier R&B that the band really nails (check the secret-agent break on “Special Man

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“Open Sesame,” the first track on Water Seed’s fifth album, isn’t the Kool & the Gang club hit from the early Seventies, but that’s not for lack of trying: The extremely jazzy funk of Kool’s first incarnation is an intricate part of this band’s musical makeup, airbrushed just a bit with the professional positivity of classic Earth, Wind & Fire and with just a touch of Prince’s famed Minneapolis sound in some squiggly synth lines. This is the kind of band that does a scat-only instrumental called “Duke’ish” and makes it a homage to keyboardist George, not pianist Ellington (at least, that’s what it sounds like). There are some gospel touches here and there, but the jazzy funk underscores everything they do. It’s sort of their roots music. This cadre of Xavier students considered themselves songwriters first and foremost when they formed, and it’s only helped them bring their blend into sharper focus in the time they’ve been in exile post-Katrina. Now that they’re back from Atlanta with a whole lot of roadwork under their belt, it feels like they’re trying to go nextlevel: They may even have come up with a potential hit with “Work It Out,” which is both light and retro enough to get some of that Bruno Mars shine on it. Constantly upbeat, improvisational only within

a rigid groove and structure, Water Seed is a big funk party band with a purpose. The goofy comic relief streak of Sly and the Family Stone feels a little too self-consciously cute on tracks like “I Forgot to Have Fun Today” and the otherwise heartfelt “Messed Up,” but that’s a minor flaw next to the staccato horn workout of “Brand New Day” or the rave-up of “We Gon’ Get It Right.” It devolves into pure fusion halfway through, as if to free your ass first and your mind later. Some Seventies lessons bear revising. —Robert Fontenot

Benjamin Booker Witness (ATO Records) When OffBeat last checked in with then New Orleans–based rocker Benjamin Booker, he was riding high on the success of his self-titled debut album. Born from local punk shows, 2014’s Benjamin Booker was a lo-fi raucous affair, mixing punk with early rock ’n’ roll and soul ballads. However, in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Booker revealed his subsequent struggles with anxiety, depression and violence. In late 2015 Booker was shot at and chased as he was riding his bicycle to his Bywater home. The incident, along with Booker’s frustration with the city’s inability to curb crime, led to him leaving New Orleans. Through these hardships, Booker crafted Witness, his expansive and exposing new album. Witness is, in many ways, a natural sophomore release. A successful debut typically leads to a larger recording budget for the follow-up, and Witness’s higher production values reflect that. The sound is crisper and features more lush instrumentation, bringing in strings, keyboards, hip-hop drums,

and even gospel choirs led by Mavis Staples, as heard on the title track. Booker brings the rootsiness of his debut to its next logical step, now exploring funk, gospel and soul. What makes Witness an unconventional sophomore effort is Booker himself. While the album’s instrumentation and production signal confidence, the emphatic growl and kicking-open-thedoor attitude of Booker’s debut are gone. Here, Booker sounds defeated and world-weary in both vocal performance and lyrics. “Truth Is Heavy,” a tale of running away from a meaningful connection, features a slow, methodical funk guitar riff before menacing power chords intrude into the chorus to signal impending doom as Booker sighs, “I don’t ever get this far/ By now I’m always gone.” However, by the song’s end he says “I’m trying to hold on” before those same power chords hit a more triumphant note. Sometimes trying is a victory in and of itself. Trying can still lead to failure, as Witness is at its lyrical bleakest when the music is most sweet. “Believe” feels like a lost Sam Cooke song, with Booker even somewhat smoothing the edges of his usually raspy voice. But as the song’s gospel ballad groove and celestial strings lift the listener into the heavens, the lyrics portray a desperate speaker www.OFFBEAT.com

REVIEWS looking to “believe in something/ I don’t care if it’s right or wrong.” The lonely faith seeker (“I cannot make it on my own”) eventually finds his belief, but tragically discovers his inner void unfulfilled, admitting “I don’t know what I’m missing.” Themes of misery and disillusion permeate the album until even Booker has had enough. The closing “All Was Well” is the album’s most sonically brazen and adventurous track. As the song’s futuristic funk intensifies, Booker sings that he has “made excuses all my life/ Until I believed that all was well.” In the closing moments, the brash fuzz of the guitars gives way to a warm, Radiohead-esque synth bath where Booker almost whimpers “You know

this won’t be easy/ But I’m trying now/ I’m going to tear this building down.” Looking to finally break free of his inertia and depression, Booker does not suddenly offer a convenient ray of hope. Rather, he suggests that if he tears down the bad things in his life, he can perhaps finally make room for some good. —Rory Callais

Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes sketch (Full Frontal Records) You’ve got to love anybody this hyphenated. Johnny Sketch and his Dirty Notes were pioneers in the local funk-rock bad-boy jam-band

Bayou-Rhythmics Sweet Crude Créatures (Rhyme & Reason) The sound that Sweet Crude have isn’t one that you can sit down and design: If you throw Cajun traditional music, Gabriel-esque world pop, tribal drumming and ’60s sunshine harmonies into a blender, odds are you’re going to come up with a mess. Sweet Crude makes it work together beautifully, and that seems more a product of the chemistry of the individuals in the lineup than any calculated plan. For their first full-length CD, there were two things the band needed to get right: They needed to capture it properly, and they needed to show where they might take this sound over time. Capturing it proves to be no problem: The CD sparkles sonically, with the drums just as overwhelming as they are live, and the balance of melody and rhythm is maintained. They have, however, polished the choral vocals in a way that doesn’t always come through live: Songs that sound like group chants onstage reveal layers of harmonies here, and that makes all the difference in a song like “Ancient Maps”—one of a few songs here that shows an appropriate ecological theme and gets a haunting touch from the wordless chorus (it also doesn’t hurt that the repeated drum part is oddly reminiscent of “Tomorrow Never Knows”). But the spirit of the band is unashamedly joyful, and the inclusive, celebratory feel of a song like “Weather the Waves” is true to both the Cajun and harmony pop traditions. As for where they’ll go next, the disc offers some intriguing possibilities. They could throw Alexis Marceaux more upfront as lead singer, since her solo turn on the single “Mon Esprit” is a grabber whether you speak French or not. Then again, Sam Craft does a good job playing the arena frontman on “On Est Paré,” the album’s one swing into full-tilt, guitar-driven rock. They could even get deeper into synth-pop, as they do on “Laces”—which sounds remarkably like Eurythmics gone to Cajun country. We guess that’s what you’d call Bayou-Rhythmics. —Brett Milano www.OFFBEAT.com

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REVIEWS

The Monocle (Aurora Nealand) KindHumanKind (Independent)

department, but they’ve continuously refined their sound like old jazz heads to the point where they’re now a firstclass big-band rock-and-soul outfit with the potential, musically and otherwise, to go just about anywhere. Their confidence on this, their tellingly self-titled fourth studio album, is absolutely through the roof: These are the Notes at the peak of their powers, the kind of band so improvisational and yet so hivemind that the horn section leads the rhythm section around by the nose. 2013’s experimental 2,000 Days seemed like it was pointing the way to a more cerebral group, but turns out they’re partying harder than ever, at least in the groove: Lyrically, they’ve fully matured, both in function and form. “Goliath” gets his point about partying across with one hook (“Just a single stone can make you bleed”); in fact, the basic lyrical theme of the album is about egos, not necessarily parties, getting out of control. Witness also the more traditionally Sketchy “Fine Time,” with a rap way more intricate than you might imagine and a mention of Air Force One that may or may not bring current political shitstorms into the mix. They’re still stretching out stylistically, but it’s mostly upbeat—“Vieux Caribe,” as its title suggests, manages to weld a second-line rhythm to a frenetic samba, while “Last Train” may be the funkiest southern rock homage ever created. There’s even a fullon prog-rock instrumental called “The Dragon” replete with Bernard Herrmann cellos. If the band has toned down some of its recreational excess, its musical excess has only gotten more pronounced. Overdosing on the NOLA party rock record of the year is a pretty satisfying way to blow your mind. —Robert Fontenot

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The stunning first album from Aurora Nealand’s solo, art pop–driven Monocle project opens with a somber series of bells tolling, interspersed with angsty snippets of sound that feel cinematic—a call to attention that pulls images and hints of narrative into the mind’s eye of the listener. That call to attention is key. With KindHumanKind, Nealand, a centrifugal force on New Orleans’ traditional jazz, modern jazz and rock scenes, incorporates more elements from her vast artistic arsenal than on any recording to date. The results are electrifying. Using accordion, along with drums, guitar, piano, organ, saxophones, flute, trumpet, percussion, voice and powerful lyrics that unfold like poetry, Nealand explores big questions about humanity, gender, mental health, power and more. How do we deal with time, memory and loss? How we take responsibility for one another and for our words and for ourselves? What happens when we don’t? References to demagoguery and lies—and a powerful treatise on whistleblowing in America— contextualize these questions within today’s divisive, one percenters-versus-everyone-else climate, although Nealand writes in the liner notes that “this music was written and fleshed out over the past few years.” KindHumanKind isn’t all weighty issues and darkness, though; there are also plenty of moments of sheer musical beauty, many of which ride a tide of contrasts. On “Shall Not Want,” a soft and eerie accordion motif accented by percussive clangs feeds the state of unease that permeates much of the album. Above it, Nealand sings with crisp phrasing in tender tones about relishing a feeling she’ll force herself to let go. Before long, both her voice and the music that accompanies it has turned from vulnerable to triumphant,

McMurray’s New Orleans tributes Alex McMurray Sings His Greatest New Orleans Hits (Independent) Back in the 1950s through the early ’70s New Orleans was known as much for songwriting as for its great music. Perhaps because the city lacked the music industry infrastructure to nurture songwriters, that reputation subsequently waned, but in recent years New Orleans has become a songwriters’ haven. Alex McMurray is one of the prime movers of that renaissance, turning out a torrent of original material as both a solo singer-songwriter and a member of numerous local groups. McMurray’s songs are pretty wide-ranging content-wise, but few people have written as tellingly about New Orleans over the last two decades. McMurray’s New Orleans songs capture the wistful, carefree nature of the city with a wry attention to detail and an acute sense of the absurdity that surrounds many of the stories emanating from its peculiar denizens. Now we have a collection of McMurray’s New Orleans tales, culled from various albums with Royal Fingerbowl, the Tin Men and under his own name, as well as one new song. The oldest of these songs are at the beginning of the record, three tracks pulled from Royal Fingerbowl’s 1997 debut, Happy Birthday, Sabo! The tales cover a neo-bohemian lifestyle that has become a cliché 20 years later, annotating the carefree woes of a party animal with “Nothing But Time,” a man who hasn’t “had a dollar since Mardi Gras day.” “The Rosy Fingered Dawn,” a song about the regret and ecstasy accompanying an all-nighter that builds to a powerful crescendo and includes the Dylan-esque line “I’m stuck behind a semi on Soniat Street.” You can imagine some growth in McMurray’s songwriting but the key to his talent is his gift for storytelling, which continues to unfold in the three Tin Men selections. “Turn My Lights Back On,” from 2013’s Avocado Woo Woo, tells of an Entergy lineman who blacks out an entire neighborhood to get revenge on his girlfriend. “If You Can’t Make It Here” has become something of an anthem for the desperate characters depicted in the RF songs, a true song of New Orleans: “If you can’t make it here/ You’d better not leave.” On “Our Kind of Rain,” from McMurray’s 2003 release Banjaxed, his voice has matured, clear of the rasp of the RF days, which is perfect for delivering such great lines as “Man it ain’t no fun stealin’ for one at the Circle K.” For “The Day After Mardi Gras Day,” from the same album, McMurray recruits a brass band including Perrine, Rick Trolsen on trombone, Joe Cabral on saxophone and Duke Heitger on trumpet to play some ill-sounding accompaniment to his bittersweet reminiscence. “You’ve Got To Be Crazy To Live in This Town,” from the 2009 release How To Be a Cannonball, is another of McMurray’s backhand tributes to New Orleans. On the same album is “Where K-Doe Lives,” one of his greatest compositions. Like a lot of his Ninth Ward neighbors, McMurray became friends with Ernie K-Doe in his latter days and this tribute captures the mysterious inspiration that this master of New Orleans vibe gave to everyone in his orbit. This track is also notable for an unforgettable tenor saxophone solo from the late, great Tim Green. You say you don’t need this record because you have all the albums? Well, think again because “Ninth Ward Chickens,” a heavy metal track recorded with Morning 40 Federation, is worth the price of admission alone. The album closes with the beautiful “Land of Dreams” from the Paul Sanchez 2011 release Reclamation of the Pie-Eyed Piper. —John Swenson www.OFFBEAT.com

REVIEWS “Goodbye was all you wrote upon the wrecking ball,” Nealand sings, “Goodbye, goodbye/ I loved us most of all.” This is multi-layered, moving pop that demands we think about what it means to be human in 2017. In a nutshell: Wow. —Jennifer Odell

Darcy Malone & the Tangle as Nealand cries out above the pulsing current of drums. The determination in her lyrics, along with the music, becomes anthemic by the end. A tinkering, childlike piano on “Arcade Lights” sets up a less tangible contrast. What at first sounds like a nursery rhyme becomes almost an allegory about a god who casts down angels for acting on their impulses to protect and love others. On the lovely, mind-gone-awry “Bells,” a woman wrestles with her thoughts— murmurs we can hear beneath the main vocal as she parses loss:

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Make Me Over (Independent) Now this is the way to do it: When your band is hot from a year of continuous gigging, you head into the studio and make a slam-bang, knock-you-overthe-head EP. The Tangle’s Still Life album last spring put the band’s diversity forward, but this disc is more focused: It’s celebratory rock ‘n’ roll from start to finish. Not that they don’t work some different grooves into these four songs. “Time to Be Free” is full-tilt arena rock (the main riff keeps teasing “When the Levee Breaks”).

“You’ll See” is funky, and the title track combines heavy riffage with a Latin break. “Never Wanna See You Alone” is the odd song out, with Christopher Boye’s only lead vocal here and chorus harmonies that hark back to ’60s sunshine pop. but lyrics that reference a slightly later era—there are mentions of Bowie, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane.” I take it as a song about how your rock ’n’ roll heroes are always there in times of need. All four tracks show the band at its most aggressive: Darcy Malone does some of her bluesiest wailing (the choruses of “Time to Be Free” get into serious roof-shaking territory); guitarist John Paul Carmody and saxophonist Jagon Eldridge both get chances to blast. I’m not usually a big fan of EPs—if you’ve got the stuff, it makes more sense to go for an album—but this one works as something live and immediate, a band feeling confident for good reason. —Brett Milano

Lynn Drury Rise of the Fall (Independent) Lynn Drury’s eighth album continues the exponential growth as a songwriter that began in earnest with Sugar on the Floor and her most recent release, Come to My House. The John Porter–produced Come to My House was the culmination of her steady rise into rock diva territory, an aggressive, guitardriven statement of purpose. Having reached that feisty vista, Drury decided to pull back a bit for this new release and concentrate on the songs themselves rather than a specific sound. It’s another breakthrough because when they’re allowed space to breathe, Drury’s songs are beyond category, touching everything from classic folk singer-songwriter to country, white girl soul and roots rock. Rise of the Fall is the virtual definition of that slippery catch-all genre called Americana.

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REVIEWS

Kermit Ruffins presses rewind on the Rebirth Brass Band’s Do Whatcha Wanna album from 1991.

Rebirth Brass Band Do Whatcha Wanna (Mardi Gras Records)

“E

ach record we did was by mistake. We had no plans. We would walk to the French Quarters and make up songs, play for tips every day after school, walk back from the French Quarters and make up songs, or sit around drinking beer at the second line making up songs. Totally spontaneous. We never sat down and said, ‘We need to do this for this record, or that for that record.’ When it was time to record, we’d just put together all the songs we hadn’t recorded yet. We’d get a lot of dance response from people back in the Sixth Ward. We’d play one of those tunes and the crowd would react, scream, or holler. It made us do different riffs. Anything to have fun. We played a lot of stuff at the Glass House, at Ruth’s Cozy Corner. Then when it was studio time, we’d figured it all out without having a rehearsal. Sometimes we did rehearse, but for the most part all that stuff happening in front is what I call ‘good mistakes.’ We’d play second lines all the time, and there were three or four guys as we marched up the street—they’d be real close to us dancing to the point where our horns were about to ram our lips. We’d ask them to get the hell out the way and they would always reply, ‘I’m

gonna do what I wanna.’ Those guys kept driving us. Maybe a year later, we were warming up for a gig and Phil [Frazier] started playing that old riff they use down in the Treme, and I just started saying ‘Do whatcha wanna,’ and before you know it, we were marching around the Sixth Ward playing that song all day long. It was right before we recorded with Milton Batiste. Probably an 8-track in a shed or small room in his house. The song ‘Do Whatcha Wanna’ was number one on the countdown on one of the major radio stations every day for eight months or longer. We thought nothing of it. It took us a while to realize we needed to get a publishing company and collect. A lot of those late checks came years later thanks to Allison Miner managing Rebirth. The biggest blessing ever was me and Phil Frazier to meet in 11th grade at Clark High School and form the Rebirth Brass Band. Me, him, and his little brother Keith. We listened to Olympia Brass Band and Dirty Dozen records day and night, and came up with Rebirth. That’s what we studied, as well as a lot of Louis Armstrong once we realized he was the king of everything.” —Michael Allen Zell

“Totally spontaneous. We never sat down and said, ‘We need to do this for this record, or that for that record.’ When it was time to record, we’d just put together all the songs we hadn’t recorded yet. We’d get a lot of dance response from people back in the Sixth Ward. We’d play one of those tunes and the crowd would react, scream, or holler. It made us do different riffs. Anything to have fun.”

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Drury’s growing self-confidence is reflected in the fact that she coproduced this album with Iguanas bassist Rene Coman, her bandleader on the session. She is no longer looking for musical guidance in the studio—she is confident in her writing and knows what she wants her songs to sound like. As a result, the material really gets to breathe and show its contours. “Lifetime of Living” is a statement reflecting worldly wisdom without sounding world-weary. “Don’t you forget it,” Drury sings, admitting mistakes made along the way as the words flow over a gorgeous bed of sound highlighted by Jack Craft on cello and Sam Craft on violin, Derek Huston on baritone sax and Jake Gold on B3 organ. She’s always had a knack for a catchy chorus but here they grow like wildflowers—“Anniversary,” “Cold Feet” and “Taking All the Good People” all sport the kind of sing-along refrains that have inspired Drury’s fan base. “Cold Feet” should be a country hit for somebody if not Drury herself. Adkins plays a beautiful guitar accompaniment and a perfectly articulated one-chorus solo on the song. Elsewhere he employs a slide sound that delightfully recalls George Harrison. When the understated “Water Your Words” follows, the context makes it sound like another country tune (great backing vocals from Arsene DeLay) but in another setting it could be a blues or folk tune. “What’s the worst that could happen?” Drury asks. If not exactly an answer song, “What Good Is the Rain” (“if it don’t wash away the pain”) continues the country miniset with a stirring, heartfelt vocal performance and a great slide solo from Adkins. www.OFFBEAT.com

REVIEWS From here it’s a buildup through the second half of the album beginning with the dramatic ballad of a title track, which includes a well-designed guitar solo from Alex McMurray, and continuing through the angry kiss off of “Tuesday Lover” (“he was nothing...”); “Freedom Tree,” which belongs on a David Lynch soundtrack; the slinky New Orleans R&B of “I Need You”; the elegiac “Taking All the Good People” and the emotionally powerful finale, “Shutter.” Drury ends as she started, with a warning to keep an open, but not foolish, heart. It’s the lesson that comes from a lifetime of living. —John Swenson

Hot 8 Brass Band On the Spot (Tru Thoughts Records) The Grammy-nominated Hot 8 Brass Band blows hard on tunes from its new release, On the Spot, many of which either sound like or already are anthems on the streets of New Orleans. The ensemble, formed in 1995, notably accomplished this often-difficult feat despite the fact that it recorded the album in a studio setting. “We’re the H-O-T… too hot, too hot,” the band announces on the opening cut, “8 Kickin’ It Live,” which includes hand clapping and a lot of whoopin’ and hollerin’. Designed to engage a crowd, whether at a second line parade or in a club or concert hall, this exuberant tune is purposely the group’s go-to first number, according to leader/tuba man Bennie Pete. Next up is another mover, “Get It How You Live,” that has all the essential traits of a street anthem. Adding a change of tone to the brass-heavy band, this original features the saxophone of Drew Calhoun. The trombones work in fine unity on “Bottom of the Bucket,” which finds its hook instrumentally and includes guest artist, conga drummer Alfred “Uganda” Roberts. “This is real life,” shouts bass drummer Harry Cook, who along with Pete is an original Hot 8 member. Towards the end of the tune, it becomes clear that the title references what occurs when you put a bunch of www.OFFBEAT.com

crabs in a bucket—they crawl over each other to get to the top. Clarinetist Michael White, a keeper of the traditional jazz flame who has befriended and collaborated with the Hot 8 particularly following Katrina, steps in for the album’s only classic jazz selection, “St. James Infirmary.” Cover tunes have long been a part of the Hot 8’s repertoire (and those of other brass bands). The group wisely chose to adapt Stevie Wonder’s hit “That Girl” for the album. The beauty is that Wonder’s presence is preserved while the Hot 8 gives it a brassy twist. The Hot 8 Brass Band’s fine tonal qualities, precise ensemble work and hip arrangements are On the Spot. —Geraldine Wyckoff

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit The Nashville Sound (Southeastern Records) Produced by Dave Cobb, who also works with Grammy winners Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson, this record is their third collaboration (after 2015’s Something More Than Free and 2013’s Southeastern). These ten new songs shore up any doubt critics may have had that Isbell is one of the best singer-songwriters of our time. On “Last of My Kind,” Isbell shows the musical and lyrical influence of his friend and mentor, John Prine. The tune is reminiscent of Prine’s “In Spite of Ourselves,” but its narrator is more serious behind the rhymes. “Old men sleeping on the filthy ground/ Spend their whole day just walking around/ Nobody else here seems to care/ They walk right past them like they ain’t even there.” “White Man’s World” is a bluesbased election elegy sung for Isbell’s JULY 2017

REVIEWS daughter, grateful for the “fire in my little girl’s eyes” that keeps hope alive. Isbell sings a verse, “Thought this world could be hers one day, but her mama knew better,” and Shires answers with a defiant fiddle whine. “I’m a white man living in white man’s town/ Wanna take a shot of cocaine and burn it down/ Mama wants to change that Nashville sound/ But they’re never gonna let her.” But Isbell and Shires decided to carry on and change it together. They leave us with a powerful sense of peace, the kind of feeling shared

“on the porch on Sunday nights.” Isbell ends his fight with “Hope the High Road” and finishes the record with a string blessing, “Something to Love,” singing: “I hope you find something to love/ Something to do when you feel like giving up/ A song to sing or a tale to tell/ Something to love, it’ll serve you well.” The Nashville Sound is Isbell and Shires’. It’s their porch we sit on listening, witnessing their music spread across the horizon all over Americana. —Alex Johnson

Transcending the Instrument Sonny Landreth Recorded Live in Lafayette (Provogue) As great a concert performer as Lafayette slide guitar ruler and singer Sonny Landreth is, Recorded Live in Lafayette is only his second in-concert CD. A double-CD release, it features Landreth and his band, bassist Dave Ranson and drummer Brian Brignac, plus guests Sam Broussard, guitar, and Steve Conn, keyboards. The group recorded the album in January at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Grammy-winner Tony Daigle co-produced the project, recording it on a 48-channel API 1608 console recently used by U2. The all-acoustic disc one, featuring Brignac playing the Peruvian cajón and Ranson’s ukulele bass, sounds especially warm and resonant. Disc one opens with “Blues Attack,” the title track for Landreth’s 1981 album debut. “Blues Attack” sets the template for the selections with expansive solos from Landreth, Broussard and Conn. Landreth’s vocals and individual instruments are wonderfully clear. Even in their acoustic settings, songs that should rock, such as the zydeco road song “The U.S.S. Zydecoldsmobile,” truly do rock. But disc one leans to the softer, bluesy side of Landreth’s repertoire. He revisits the classic “Key to the Highway” like it’s an old friend. “A World Away,” despite its mournful tone, gets a passionate performance. The almost country “Creole Angel,” one of the album’s best tracks, is another acoustic rocker. Landreth and the band switch to electric instruments for disc two, opening with a powerful zydeco-Cajun rocker, “Back to Bayou Teche.” The performance stars Landreth’s alternately singing, screaming, percussive guitar work. He transcends the instrument. A trio of instrumentals on disc two carries the musicians far from their Louisiana roots. They make an intragalactic journey in “The Milky Way Home.” The dreamy grandeur of “Brave New Girl” suggests Pink Floyd. The racing “Überesso” features the album’s most technically impressive musicianship, but the performance often sounds close to flying off the rails. Landreth comes home to Louisiana with the swamp-pop tune “Soul Salvation.” Conn sings lead vocals for the final track, a hot zydeco throw-down, “The One and Only Truth.” In the end, Landreth’s second in-concert album is right on time. —John Wirt

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These listings are abbreviated. For complete daily listings, go to offbeat.com. These listings were verified at the time of publication, but are of course subject to change. To get your event listed, go to offbeat.com/add-new-listings or send an email to listings@offbeat.com.

AF African AM Americana BL Blues BU Bluegrass BO Bounce BB Brass Band BQ Burlesque KJ Cajun CL Classical CR Classic Rock CO Comedy CW Country CB Cover Band DN Dance DX Dixieland DB Dubstep EL Electro FO Folk FK Funk GS Gospel GY Gypsy HH Hip-Hop HS House IN Indian Classical ID Indie Rock IL Industrial IR Irish JB Jam Band

MJ Jazz Contemporary TJ Jazz Traditional JV Jazz Variety KR Karaoke KZ Klezmer LT Latin MG Mardi Gras Indian ME Metal RB Modern R&B PO Pop PK Punk RE Reggae RC Rockabilly RK Rock RR Roots Rock SS Singer/ Songwriter SK Ska PI Solo Piano SO Soul SW Spoken Word SP Swamp Pop SI Swing VR Variety ZY Zydeco

SATURDAY JULY 1

Bombay Club: Kris Tokarski Trio (JV) 8:30p Buffa’s: Gentilly Stompers Jazz Band (JV) 11a, Rebecca Zoe Leigh (VR) 6p, Gentilly Stompers (JV) 9p Carver Theater: Essence of the Soul Festival feat. Earnest Pugh, Briana Babineaux, Casme and others (HH) 2p; Urban Soul Cafe Experience Show feat. Angel Taylor, Major, Tasha Page Lockhart, Leon Timbo, Casme, Jojo Martin, AJ McQueen (HH) 9:30p Chickie Wah Wah: Alejandro Escovedo with Pat Puckett (VR) 8p Crazy Lobster: Destiny Reggae (RE) 12p, Poppy’s Poppin’ Saturday Review (VR) 4p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Dinosaurchestra (JV) 7p, Cyril Neville and Swamp Funk (FK) 10p Dragon’s Den: Kaya Nicole Band (SS) 7p, Que, Deniro Ferrar (VR) 10p; Upstairs: Talk Nerdy to Me (BQ) 8p, Sexy Back with DJ Dizzi (VR) 10p Hi-Ho Lounge: Close Me Out (CO) 7p, Tradition (VR) 11p House of Blues: Grits and Biscuits: A Dirty South Set (HH) 10p Kerry Irish Pub: Van Hudson (FO) 5p, Chip Wilson (FO) 9p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: DJ Keith Scott (HH) 6p Maison: Chance Bushman and the Ibervillianaires, Leah Rucker, Gregory Agid (JV) 1p, the Essentials, Raw Deal (FK) 10p Maple Leaf: Phil Breen’s Mutiny Squad (VR) 11p NOSH: Joe Ashlar Trio (JV) 8p

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Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Karma, Donovan Keith and the Funky Feat (VR) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Donald Harrison Jr. (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Antoine Diel and Arsene DeLay (JV) 2p, Ecirb Muller’s Twisted Dixie (JV) 6p, Davis Rogan (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Alan Kamen (VR) 11a, Up Up We Go (JV) 6p Superdome: Essence Music Festival (VR) 6:30p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): Not-For-Sale with Lil Jodeci (HH) 10p Three Muses: Chris Christy (JV) 5p, Antoine Diel (JV) 6p, Shotgun Jazz Band (JV) 9p Time Out: Riverwalk Essence Dance Party (VR) 11a Tipitina’s: Big Freedia, Tank and the Bangas, Alfred Banks, CoolNasty (VR) 10p

SUNDAY JULY 2

Bombay Club: Kris Tokarski with Tom Fischer (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Some Like It Hot! (TJ) 10:30a, Jasmine Bariste (JV) 4p, Steve Pistorius, Orange Kellin, James Evans and Benny Amon (JV) 7p Bullet’s: Big Frank and Lil Frank (RB) 6p Chickie Wah Wah: Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns Quartet (JV) 8p Circle Bar: Micah McKee and friends, Blind Texas Marlin (FO) 7p, Country Night with DJ Pasta (CW) 10p Crazy Lobster: Destiny Reggae (RE) 12p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Palmetto Bugs Stompers (SI) 6p Dragon’s Den: Open Jazz Jam with Anuraag Pendyal (JV) 7p, Church (EL) 10p Hi-Ho Lounge: the Rip Off Show Sunday Edition (CO) 6p, NOLA Comedy Hour Open Mic (CO) 8p, Essence of Indie, A. Levy and friends (HH) 10p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): Grace Askew (VR) 8p, Hot 8 Brass Band (BB) 10p Little Gem Saloon: DJ Keith Scott (HH) 6p Maison: Chance Bushman and the NOLA Jitterbugs (JV) 10a, Tasche and the Psychedelic Roses (JV) 4p, Higher Heights (RE) 10p Maple Leaf: Joe Krown Trio feat. Russell Batiste and Walter “Wolfman” Washington (FK) 10p Morning Call City Park: Billy D. Chapman (JV) 10a One Eyed Jacks: Silencio presents the Soundtracks of David Lynch, Bionica (VR) 8p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Fais Do Do with Bruce Daigrepont (KJ) 5:30p Snug Harbor: Quiana Lynell (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: John Lisi and Delta Funk (JV) 2p, Kristina Morales and Bayou Shufflers (JV) 6p, Pat Casey and the New Sound (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Joy Clark (VR) 11a Superdome: Essence Music Festival (VR) 6:30p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): Soul in the Horn with Elle Varner and Natasha Diggs (SO) 9p Three Muses: Raphael et Pascal (JV) 5p, Linnzi Zaorski (JV) 8p Time Out: Riverwalk Essence Dance Party (VR) 11a Trinity Episcopal Church: Patriotic Music Festival feat. U.S. Marine Concert Band, Ellis Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Albinas Prizgintas (VR) 3p Tropical Isle Original: the Hangovers (RK) 5:15p, Late As Usual (RK) 9:15p

MONDAY JULY 3

Buffa’s: Arsene DeLay (VR) 5p, Antoine Diel (JV) 8p Chickie Wah Wah: Justin Molaison (VR) 6p

Crazy Lobster: the Insta-Gators (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Brother Tyrone and the Mindbenders (VR) 10p Dragon’s Den: Monday Night Swing feat. Loose Marbles (JV) 7p, DJ Ill Medina (VR) 11p Hi-Ho Lounge: Bluegrass Pickin’ Party (BU) 8p, Instant Opus Improvised Series (MJ) 10p Kerry Irish Pub: Patrick Cooper (FO) 8p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: DJ Keith Scott (HH) 6p Maison: Chicken and Waffles, Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses, Vegas Cola (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: the Porter Trio featuring George Porter Jr., Terrence Houston and Michael Lemmler (FK) 10p Morning Call: Valerie Sassyfras (VR) 10a Saenger Theatre: Rick Ross (HH) 8p Snug Harbor: Charmaine Neville Band (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Royal Street Winding Boys (JV) 2p, Sarah McCoy and the Oopsie Daisies (JV) 4p, Dominick Grillo and the Frenchmen St. AllStars (JV) 6p, Jazz Vipers (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Carolyn Broussard (JV) 11a Three Muses: Bart Ramsey (JV) 5p, Mia Borders (VR) 8p

Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Tin Men (RK) 7p, Walter “Wolfman” Washington and the Roadmasters (BL) 10p Dragon’s Den: Groove Therapy (HH) 9p, Reggae Night (RE) 10p French Market: Patrick Cooper and Natasha Sanchez (FO) 2p Hi-Ho Lounge: Progression Music Series (MJ) 9p Kerry Irish Pub: Beth Patterson (FO) 8:30p Little Gem Saloon: Marc Stone (BL) 7p Maison: Dominic Minix Quartet, Jazz Vipers, RnR Music Group (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: Organized Crime (VR) 10p Morning Call: Valerie Sassyfras (VR) 10a, Krewe du Two (VR) 1p NOSH: Tom Hook (JV) 7p Preservation Hall: Joe Lastie’s New Orleans Sound (TJ) 6p, Preservation All-Stars feat. Will Smith (TJ) 8p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: the Yat Pack (SI) 8p Snug Harbor: Delfeayo Marsalis and Uptown Jazz Orchestra (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Chris Christy (JV) 2p, Ben Polcer Band (JV) 6p, Antoine Diel and the Misfit Power (JV) 10p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): Helen Gillet and Carlos Grasso (MJ) 9p

TUESDAY JULY 4

THURSDAY JULY 6

Buffa’s: Tacos, Tequila and Tiaras with Vanessa Carr (VR) 8p Carver Theater: the Jamaica Experience Concert with Elephant Man (VR) 8p Crazy Lobster: Big River 4th (VR) 12p, AC and the Heat (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p Dragon’s Den: Not My 4th feat. DJ Chinua (HH) 8p Hi-Ho Lounge: Dappa, Don Flamingo (HH) 9p Jazz Playhouse: Nayo Jones Experience (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Jason Bishop (FO) 8p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: DJ Keith Scott (HH) 6p Maison: Slick Skillet Serenaders, Gregory Agid, Smoking on Some Brass (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: Rebirth Brass Band (FK) 11p Preservation Hall: July 4th with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band (TJ) 7p Snug Harbor: David Torkanowsky Trio (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Andy J. Forest (JV) 2p, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns (JV) 6p, Ecirb Muller’s Twisted Dixie (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Geovane Santos Brazilian Jazz (JV) 10a Tropical Isle Bourbon: Jay B. Elston Band (RK) 5p, Jezebels Chill’n (RK) 9p Vaughan’s Lounge: Prince Albert “the Dog Man” and his Royal Knights (RB) 3p

WEDNESDAY JULY 5

Bacchanal: Raphael Bas (JV) 12p, Jesse Morrow (JV) 7:30p Banks Street Bar: Major Bacon (BL) 10p Bombay Club: Josh Paxton (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Open Mic Night with Nattie Sanchez (SS) 7p Carver Theater: David L. Harris (JV) 8p Chickie Wah Wah: Lilli Lewis (FO) 5:30p, Meschiya Lake (JV) 8p, Mike Doussan Band (VR) 10:30p Crazy Lobster: Ken Swartz and the Palace of Sin (VR) 5p

Bombay Club: Kris Tokarski with Rex Gregory (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Tom Saunders and the Hot Cats (JV) 5p, Doyle Cooper Trio (JV) 8p Chickie Wah Wah: Phil DeGruy (VR) 6p, John “Papa” Gros Band (VR) 8p Dragon’s Den: Adam Schrubbe (SS) 7p, Upstairs: Crescent Fresh Stand-Up (CO) 7:30p, Baby Boy Bartels, Kuwaisiana, Blue Velvet (RK) 10p Hi-Ho Lounge: Yung Vul (RK) 10p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): Comedy Gumbeaux (CO) 8:30p Jazz Playhouse: Ashlin Parker Trio (JV) 5p, James Rivers Movement (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Chip Wilson (FO) 8p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Reid Poole Duo (JV) TBA Maison: Good for Nothin’ Band, Sweet Substitute, Dysfunktional Bone (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: the Trio feat. Johnny Vidacovich and guests (FK) 11p NOSH: Larry Sieberth and Ed Wise (JV) 7p Ogden Museum of Southern Art: Seva Venet (JV) 6p Preservation Hall: Preservation Legacy Band feat. Gregg Stafford (TJ) 6p, Preservation All-Stars feat. Mark Braud (TJ) 8p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Curley Taylor and the Zydeco Trouble (ZY) 8:30p SideBar NOLA: Alex McMurray and Jonathan Freilich (VR) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Davy Mooney Farewell Quartet (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Spotted Cat: Up Up We Go (JV) 2p, Sarah McCoy and the Oopsie Daisies (JV) 4p, Jayna Morgan (JV) 6p, Jumbo Shrimp (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Tom Witek Band (JV) 6p Three Muses: Steve DeTroy (JV) 5p, Bart and Company (JV) 8p Tropical Isle Original: the Hangovers (RK) 5:15p, Late As Usual (RK) 9:15p JULY 2017

LIVE LOCAL MUSIC Vaughan’s Lounge: DJ Black Pearl (VR) 9p, Corey Henry and the Treme Funktet (FK) 10:30p

FRIDAY JULY 7

Bombay Club: Linnzi Zaorski (JV) 8:30p Buffa’s: Cole Williams (VR) 6p, Marc Stone (BL) 9p Chickie Wah Wah: Michael Pearce (BL) 6p, Steelism (VR) 8p, Lost Bayou Ramblers (KJ) 11p Crazy Lobster: Ken Swartz and the Palace of Sin (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Hot Club of New Orleans (JV) 6p, Glen David Andrews (FK) 10p Dragon’s Den: Loose Marbles (JV) 7p, the Tipping Point with DJ RQ Away (HH) 11p; Upstairs: Comedy Fuck Yeah (CO) 8p, Latin Night (LT) 11p Hi-Ho Lounge: Relapse Dance Party with DJ Matt Scott (VR) 11p House of Blues: Freedom Live Tribute to George Michael and Wham! (CB) 8p Jazz Playhouse: Joe Krown (JV) 4p, Luther Kent (JV) 7p, Trixie Minx’s Burlesque Ballroom feat. Romy Kaye and the Mercy Buckets (BQ) 11p Kerry Irish Pub: Vincent Marini (FO) 5p, Jamie Lynn Vessels (FO) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Detroit Brooks D’Natural Effect (BL) 7:30p Maison: Swinging Gypsies, Eight Dice Cloth (JV) 4p, the Groove Faction, Big Easy Brawlers (FK) 10p Maple Leaf: Erica Falls (VR) 11p Morning Call: Valerie Sassyfras (VR) 10a NOSH: Tom Hook and Wendell Brunious (JV) 8p One Eyed Jacks: DJ Soul Sister presents Soulful Takeover (FK) 10p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: 90 Degrees West (CW) 9p Snug Harbor: Ellis Marsalis Quintet (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Arsene DeLay (JV) 2p, Washboard Chaz Blues Trio (JV) 6p, New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Russell Welch’s Mississippi Gipsy (TJ) 6p Three Muses: Royal Roses (JV) 5:30p, Doro Wat Jazz Band (JV) 9p Tipitina’s: Foundation Free Fridays feat. New Orleans Suspects, John Mooney (VR) 10p Tropical Isle Original: Down River (RK) 1p, the Hangovers (RK) 5:15p, Late As Usual (RK) 9:15p

SATURDAY JULY 8

Bombay Club: Mark Braud (JV) 8:30p Buffa’s: Red Hot Jazz Band (JV) 11a, Dave Ferrato (VR) 6p, Freddie Blue and the Friendship Circle (VR) 9p Chickie Wah Wah: Steelism (VR) 8p, Mulligan Brothers (VR) 9p Crazy Lobster: the River Gang (VR) 11a, Poppy’s Poppin’ Saturday Review (VR) 4p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Jazz Vipers (JV) 7p, Mississippi Juke Joint Night feat. Lightnin’ Malcolm and Stud Ford (BL) 11p Dragon’s Den: Upstairs: Talk Nerdy to Me (BQ) 8p Hi-Ho Lounge: Brown Improv (CO) 7p, Tradition (VR) 11p Jazz Playhouse: Tom Hook (JV) 5p, Shannon Powell (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Mike Kerwin and Geoff Coats (FO) 5p, Beth Patterson (FO) 9p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers (JV) 7 & 9p Maison: Chance Bushman and the Ibervillianaires, Luneta Jazz Band, G and the Swinging 3 (JV) 1p, Brass-A-Holics, Soul Company (FK) 10p Maple Leaf: Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles (MG) 11p Morning Call City Park: Billy D. Chapman (JV) 10a NOSH: Joe Krown Trio (JV) 8p Preservation Hall: Preservation All-Stars (TJ) 6p, Preservation All-Stars feat. Will Smith (TJ) 8p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: the Josh Garrett Band, Jeff McCarty CD-release party (RK) 9p

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Smoothie King Center: Roger Waters feat. songs of Pink Floyd (CR) 8p Snug Harbor: Topsy Chapman and Solid Harmony (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Jazz Band Ballers (JV) 2p, Ecirb Muller’s Twisted Dixie (JV) 6p, Jazz Vipers (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Arsene DeLay (VR) 11a, Up Up We Go (JV) 6p Three Muses: Chris Christy (JV) 5p, Arsene DeLay (JV) 6p, Ben Polcer (JV) 9p Time Out: Andre Bouvier and the Royal Bohemians (VR) 11a Tipitina’s: Cyril Neville’s Swamp Funk (FK) 10p Tropical Isle Bayou Club: the Troubadour (KJ) 1p, Bayou Cajun Swamp Band (KJ) 5p, T’Canaille (KJ) 9p

SUNDAY JULY 9

Bombay Club: Kris Tokarski with David Boeddinghaus (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Some Like It Hot! (TJ) 10:30a, Spike Perkins (JV) 4p, Gerald French Trio (JV) 7p Chickie Wah Wah: Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns Quartet (JV) 8p Crazy Lobster: the Gator Bites (VR) 11a, the Neon Shadows (VR) 4p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Palmetto Bugs Stompers (SI) 6p Dragon’s Den: Open Jazz Jam with Anuraag Pendyal (JV) 7p, Church (EL) 10p Hi-Ho Lounge: NOLA Comedy Hour Open Mic (CO) 8p, Noelle Tannen (ID) 10p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): Hot 8 Brass Band (BB) 10p Jazz Playhouse: Germaine Bazzle (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Chip Wilson (FO) 8p Little Gem Saloon: Glen David Andrews’ Gospel Brunch (GS) 11a Maison: Chance Bushman and the NOLA Jitterbugs, Heather Holloway and the Heebie Jeebies (JV) 10a, Meghan Stewart, Higher Heights (VR) 7p Maple Leaf: Joe Krown Trio feat. Russell Batiste and Walter “Wolfman” Washington (FK) 10p Morning Call City Park: Billy D. Chapman (JV) 10a Preservation Hall: Preservation Legacy Band feat. Gregg Stafford (TJ) 6p, Preservation All-Stars feat. Wendell Brunious (TJ) 8p Snug Harbor: Brian Richburg Quintet (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: G and the Swinging 3 (JV) 2p, Kristina Morales and the Inner Wild (JV) 6p, Pat Casey and the New Sound (JV) 10p Three Muses: Raphael et Pascal (JV) 5p, Linnzi Zaorski (JV) 8p Time Out: the Moxie Kings (VR) 11a Tipitina’s: Sunday Youth Music Workshop feat. Dark Matter (VR) 1p Trinity Episcopal Church: Mardi Gras Chorus, the Sweet Adelines, the Southern Tradition (GS) 5p

MONDAY JULY 10

Buffa’s: Arsene DeLay (VR) 5p, Antoine Diel (JV) 8p Chickie Wah Wah: Justin Molaison (VR) 5:30p, Alex McMurray and Jonathan Freilich (SS) 8p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Brother Tyrone and the Mindbenders (VR) 10p Dragon’s Den: Monday Night Swing feat. the Gentilly Stompers (JV) 7p, DJ Ill Medina (VR) 11p Hi-Ho Lounge: Bluegrass Pickin’ Party (BU) 8p, Instant Opus Improvised Series (MJ) 10p Jazz Playhouse: Gerald French Quartet (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Mark Appleford (FO) 8p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Maison: Chicken and Waffles, Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses, the Sierra Leone Experience (JV) 4p Maple Leaf: the Porter Trio featuring George Porter Jr., Terrence Houston and Michael Lemmler (FK) 10p Morning Call: Valerie Sassyfras (VR) 10a Snug Harbor: Charmaine Neville Band (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Royal Street Winding Boys (JV) 2p, Sarah McCoy and the Oopsie Daisies (JV) 4p,

Dominick Grillo and the Frenchmen St. AllStars (JV) 6p, Jazz Vipers (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Carolyn Broussard (JV) 6p Three Muses: Paul Kemnitz (JV) 5p, Washboard Rodeo (JV) 8p Tropical Isle Bayou Club: Cajun Drifters (KJ) 7p

TUESDAY JULY 11

Buffa’s: Tacos, Tequila and Tiaras with Vanessa Carr (VR) 8p Chickie Wah Wah: Chip Wilson (VR) 6p, Cranston Clements’ Birthday Bash (VR) 8p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Treme Brass Band (BB) 9p Hi-Ho Lounge: Terra Terra (RK) 9p Jazz Playhouse: George French and Gerald French (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Jason Bishop (FO) 8:30p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Zakk Garner Duo (TJ) 7p Maison: Kala Bazaar Swing Society, Gregory Agid, Midnight Love Band (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: Rebirth Brass Band (FK) 11p Preservation Hall: Southern Syncopators feat. Steve Pistorius (TJ) 6p Snug Harbor: Stanton Moore Trio (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Up Up We Go (JV) 2p, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns (JV) 6p, Aurora Nealand the Royal Roses (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Geovane Santos Brazilian Jazz (JV) 6p Three Muses: Sam Cammarata (JV) 5p, Messy Cookers (JV) 8p Tropical Isle Bourbon: Jay B. Elston Band (RK) 5p, Jezebels Chill’n (RK) 9p

WEDNESDAY JULY 12

Bombay Club: Matt Lemmler (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Open Mic Night with Nattie Sanchez (SS) 7p Chickie Wah Wah: Lilli Lewis (FO) 5:30p, Meschiya Lake (JV) 8p, Mike Doussan Band (VR) 10:30p Civic Theatre: Welcome to Night Vale, Jason Webley (VR) 8p Crazy Lobster: Ken Swartz and the Palace of Sin (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Tin Men (RK) 7p, Walter “Wolfman” Washington and the Roadmasters (BL) 10p Dragon’s Den: Groove Therapy (HH) 9p, Reggae Night (RE) 10p Funky Pirate: Blues Masters feat. Big Al (BL) 8:30p Hi-Ho Lounge: Progression Music Series (MJ) 9p Kerry Irish Pub: Tim Robertson (FO) 8:30p Little Gem Saloon: Marc Stone (BL) 7p Maison: Jazz Vipers, the Resident Aliens (VR) 6:30p Maple Leaf: Organized Crime (VR) 10p Morning Call: Valerie Sassyfras (VR) 10a, Krewe du Two (VR) 1p NOSH: Tom Hook (JV) 7p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: the Boogie Men (SI) 8p SideBar NOLA: James Singleton Trio with Rex Gregory and Justin Peake (MJ) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Delfeayo Marsalis and Uptown Jazz Orchestra (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Ben Polcer Band (JV) 2p, Shotgun Jazz Band (JV) 6p, Antoine Diel and the Misfit Power (JV) 10p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): Kettle Black (VR) 9p Three Muses: Joe Pollack (JV) 5p, Hot Club of New Orleans (JV) 8p

THURSDAY JULY 13

Bombay Club: Joe Ashlar Duo (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Tom Saunders and the Hot Cats (JV) 5p, Doyle Cooper Trio (JV) 8p Chickie Wah Wah: Phil DeGruy (VR) 6p, John “Papa” Gros Band (VR) 8p Crazy Lobster: the Spanish Plaza 3 (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Deltaphonic (FK) 10p

Dragon’s Den: Austin Rapbaum (HH) 10p; Upstairs: Crescent Fresh Stand-Up (CO) 7:30p, Historic Summer Tour (HH) 10p Dragon’s Den: Erika Flowers (RB) 7p Hi-Ho Lounge: Chapter Soul (FK) 10p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): Comedy Gumbeaux (CO) 8:30p Kerry Irish Pub: Vincent Marini (FO) 8:30p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Reid Poole Duo (JV) 5p Maison: Good for Nothin’ Band, Dysfunktional Bone (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: the Trio feat. Johnny Vidacovich and guests (FK) 11p NOSH: Larry Sieberth and Ed Wise (JV) 7p Ogden Museum of Southern Art: Opera on Tap (CL) 6p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: L’il Nathan and the Big Tymers (ZY) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Jimmy Robinson and Michael Skinkus (BL) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Up Up We Go (JV) 2p, Sarah McCoy and the Oopsie Daisies (JV) 4p, Jayna Morgan (JV) 6p, Russell Welch Band (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Tom Witek Band (JV) 6p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): Little Cosmicana, Greazy Alice, South Jones (FO) 9p Three Muses: Bart and Company (JV) 8p Vaughan’s Lounge: DJ Black Pearl (VR) 9p, Corey Henry and the Treme Funktet (FK) 10:30p

FRIDAY JULY 14

Bacchanal: the Tangiers Combo (JV) 12p, Harmonouche (JV) 5p, Willie Green Project (JV) 7:30p Bombay Club: Wayne Maureau’s Brazilian Jazz Project (JV) 8:30p Buffa’s: Phil the Tremelo King (VR) 6p, Greg Schatz (JV) 9p Chickie Wah Wah: Michael Pearce (BL) 6p, Papa Mali Wake the Dead (VR) 9p d.b.a.: Linnzi Zaorski (JV) 6p, MainLine (BB) 10p Dragon’s Den: Loose Marbles (JV) 7p, the Tipping Point with DJ RQ Away (HH) 10p; Upstairs: Comedy Fuck Yeah (CO) 8p, Latin Night (LT) 11p Hi-Ho Lounge: Relapse Dance Party with DJ Matt Scott (VR) 11p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): New Creation Brass Band (BB) 9p Jazz Playhouse: Joe Krown (JV) 4p, Quiana Lynell (JV) 7p, Trixie Minx’s Burlesque Ballroom feat. Romy Kaye and the Mercy Buckets (BQ) 11p Kermit’s Mother-in-Law Lounge: Guitar Slim Jr. (BL) 9p Kerry Irish Pub: Beth Patterson (FO) 5p, Crossing Canal with Ruby Ross and Patrick Cooper (FO) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Zakk Garner Quartet (JV) 7:30p Maison: Swinging Gypsies (JV) 4p, the Nightowls, Brasszilla (VR) 10p Maple Leaf: Russell Batiste and friends (FK) 11p Morning Call: Valerie Sassyfras (VR) 10a NOSH: Anais St. John (JV) 8p One Eyed Jacks: Caddywhompus, Sharks Teeth, AF the Naysayer (VR) 9p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: the Topcats (VR) 9:30p Snug Harbor: Ellis Marsalis Quintet (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Arsene DeLay (JV) 2p, Washboard Chaz Blues Trio (JV) 6p, New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Russell Welch’s Mississippi Gipsy (TJ) 6p Three Muses: Matt Johnson (JV) 5:30p, Doro Wat Jazz Band (JV) 9p Tipitina’s: Foundation Free Fridays feat. Brass-AHolics, Motel Radio (VR) 10p

SATURDAY JULY 15

Bombay Club: Banu Gibson (JV) 8:30p Buffa’s: Red Hot Jazz Band (JV) 11a, Ryan Robertson (JV) 6p, Royal Rounders (VR) 9p Chickie Wah Wah: Johnny Sansone Band (VR) 9p Crazy Lobster: the River Gang (VR) 11a, Poppy’s Poppin’ Saturday Review (VR) 4p

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LIVE LOCAL MUSIC Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Jazz Vipers (JV) 7p, Little Freddie King (BL) 11p Dragon’s Den: St. Roch Syncopators (SI) 7p, Midnight Love Band (FK) 10p’ Upstairs: Talk Nerdy to Me (BQ) 8p, Sexy Back with DJ Dizzi (VR) 10p Hi-Ho Lounge: TV Pitchers (CO) 7p, Tradition (VR) 11p House of Blues (the Parish): Breaking Ground (RK) 8p House of Blues: Bustout Burlesque feat. the Bustout Jazz Band (BQ) 8p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): Madisons, Mr. Universe (VR) 10p Jazz Playhouse: Nayo Jones Experience (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Paul Tobin (FO) 5p, Hurricane Refugees (FO) 9p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers (JV) 7 & 9p Maison: Chance Bushman and the Ibervillianaires, Dinosaurchestra, Swinging Gypsies (JV) 1p, Big Easy Brawlers, Higher Heights (VR) 10p Maple Leaf: Funk Monkey Live CD Recording (FK) 11p Morning Call City Park: Billy D. Chapman (JV) 10a NOSH: David Torkanowsky Trio (JV) 8p One Eyed Jacks: Andrew Duhon, McGregor, Fishplate (VR) 9p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Ryan Foret and Foret Tradition (VR) 9:30p Snug Harbor: Chris Thomas King (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Russell Welch’s Band (JV) 2p, Ecirb Muller’s Twisted Dixie (JV) 6p, Dominick Grillo and the Frenchmen St. All-Stars (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Kitty Baudoin (VR) 11a, Up Up We Go (JV) 6p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): Calvin Johnson and Chapter Soul (SO) 10p Three Muses: Chris Christy (JV) 5p, Bailey Hinton (JV) 9p Time Out: Andre Bouvier and the Royal Bohemians (VR) 11a Tipitina’s: Meschiya Lake presents the Lil Big Birthday Bash feat. Trixie Minx, Craig Klein, Nola Chorus Girls (VR) 10p

SUNDAY JULY 16

Bombay Club: Kris Tokarski with David Boeddinghaus (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Some Like It Hot! (TJ) 10:30a, Meryl Zimmerman (JV) 4p, Steve Pistorius, Orange Kellin, James Evans and Benny Amon (JV) 7p Chickie Wah Wah: Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns Quartet (JV) 8p Crazy Lobster: the Gator Bites (VR) 11a, the Neon Shadows (VR) 4p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Palmetto Bugs Stompers (SI) 6p, Tom Leggett Band (VR) 10p Dragon’s Den: Open Jazz Jam with Anuraag Pendyal (JV) 7p, Church (EL) 10p Hi-Ho Lounge: NOLA Comedy Hour Open Mic (CO) 8p, Stripped Into Submission (BQ) 10p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): Hot 8 Brass Band (BB) 10p Jazz Playhouse: Germaine Bazzle (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Patrick Cooper (FO) 8p Little Gem Saloon: Diaz Trio (JV) 11a Maison: Chance Bushman and the NOLA Jitterbugs, Eight Dice Cloth (JV) 10a, Russell Welch Hot Quartet, Leah Rucker (JV) 4p, Higher Heights (RE) 10p Maple Leaf: Brint Anderson’s Slide Hellions feat. Chris Mule (VR) 10p Morning Call City Park: Billy D. Chapman (JV) 10a Preservation Hall: Preservation Legacy Band feat. Gregg Stafford (TJ) 6p, Preservation All-Stars feat. Wendell Brunious (TJ) 8p Saenger Theatre: David Blaine (VR) 8p Snug Harbor: Roderick Harper Quartet (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Aurora Nealand the Royal Roses (JV) 2p, Kristina Morales and the Inner Wild (JV) 6p, Pat Casey and the New Sound (JV) 10p

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Three Muses: Raphael et Pascal (JV) 5p, Linnzi Zaorski (JV) 8p Time Out: the Moxie Kings (VR) 11a Trinity Episcopal Church: Bastille Day Fete feat. New Orleans Celtic Harp Ensemble, Albinas Prizgintas, Phil and the Tremolo King and Sian, Nanette Ledet, Maria Victoire, Les Bohemiens (VR) 5p

MONDAY JULY 17

Buffa’s: Arsene DeLay (VR) 5p, Antoine Diel (JV) 8p Chickie Wah Wah: Justin Molaison (VR) 5:30p, Alex McMurray (SS) 8p Crazy Lobster: the Insta-Gators (VR) 5p d.b.a.: John Boutte (JV) 7p, Brother Tyrone and the Mindbenders (VR) 10p Dos Jefes: John Fohl (BL) 9p Dragon’s Den: Monday Night Swing feat. Andy Reid’s Imagination Council (JV) 7p, DJ Ill Medina (VR) 11p Hi-Ho Lounge: Bluegrass Pickin’ Party (BU) 8p, Instant Opus Improvised Series (MJ) 10p House of Blues (the Parish): Delta Rae, Liz Longley (FO) 7p Jazz Playhouse: Gerald French Quartet (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Beth Patterson (FO) 8p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Maison: Chicken and Waffles, Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses, RnR Music Group (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: the Porter Trio featuring George Porter Jr., Terrence Houston and Michael Lemmler (FK) 10p Morning Call: Valerie Sassyfras (VR) 10a Snug Harbor: Charmaine Neville Band (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Royal Street Winding Boys (JV) 2p, Sarah McCoy and the Oopsie Daisies (JV) 4p, Dominick Grillo and the Frenchmen St. All-Stars (JV) 6p, Jazz Vipers (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Carolyn Broussard (JV) 6p Three Muses: Bart Ramsey (JV) 5p, Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue (CW) 8p

TUESDAY JULY 18

Buffa’s: Tacos, Tequila and Tiaras with Vanessa Carr (VR) 8p Chickie Wah Wah: Chip Wilson (VR) 6p, Papa Mali (VR) 8p Crazy Lobster: AC and the Heat (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Treme Brass Band (BB) 9p Funky Pirate: Blues Masters feat. Big Al (BL) 8:30p Hi-Ho Lounge: Cary Hudson (FO) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Jason Bishop (FO) 8:30p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Zakk Garner Duo (JV) 7p Maison: Quicksand, Gregory Agid Quartet, New Galaxy (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: Rebirth Brass Band (FK) 11p Preservation Hall: Southern Syncopators feat. Steve Pistorius (TJ) 6p Snug Harbor: Stanton Moore Trio (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Up Up We Go (JV) 2p, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns (JV) 6p, Smoking Time Jazz Club (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Geovane Santos Brazilian Jazz (JV) 6p Three Muses: Sam Cammarata (JV) 5p, Messy Cookers (JV) 8p Tipitina’s: Louis Prima Jr. and the Witness (VR) 9p Tropical Isle Original: the Hangovers (RK) 5:15p, Jay B. Elston Band (RK) 9:15p

WEDNESDAY JULY 19

Bacchanal: Raphael Bas (JV) 12p, Jesse Morrow (JV) 7:30p Bombay Club: Josh Paxton (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Open Mic Night with Nattie Sanchez (SS) 7p Chickie Wah Wah: Lilli Lewis (FO) 6p, Meschiya Lake (JV) 8p, Mike Doussan Band (VR) 10:30p Crazy Lobster: Ken Swartz and the Palace of Sin (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p JULY 2017

LIVE LOCAL MUSIC d.b.a.: Tin Men (RK) 7p, Walter “Wolfman” Washington and the Roadmasters (BL) 10p Dragon’s Den: Groove Therapy (HH) 9p, Reggae Night (RE) 10p Funky Pirate: Blues Masters feat. Big Al (BL) 8:30p Hi-Ho Lounge: Progression Music Series (MJ) 9p Kerry Irish Pub: Patrick Cooper (FO) 8:30p Little Gem Saloon: Marc Stone (BL) 7p Maison: Big Easy Brawlers, Jazz Vipers, Brasszilla (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: Organized Crime (VR) 10p Morning Call: Valerie Sassyfras (VR) 10a, Krewe du Two (VR) 1p NOSH: Matt Lemmler (JV) 7p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Joe Krown (SI) 8p Snug Harbor: Delfeayo Marsalis and Uptown Jazz Orchestra (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Chris Christy (JV) 2p, Shotgun Jazz Band (JV) 6p, Antoine Diel and the Misfit Power (JV) 10p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): SONO presents the Shape of Jazz to Come (JV) 9p Three Muses: Leslie Martin (JV) 5p, Schatzy (JV) 8p Tropical Isle Bayou Club: Cajungrass (KJ) 7p

THURSDAY JULY 20

Bombay Club: Kris Tokarski with Duke Heitger (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Tom Saunders and the Hot Cats (JV) 5p, Doyle Cooper Trio (JV) 8p Bullet’s: Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers (JV) 6p Chickie Wah Wah: Phil DeGruy (VR) 6p, John “Papa” Gros Band (VR) 8p Crazy Lobster: the Spanish Plaza 3 (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p Dragon’s Den: Tiffany Baira, Derelyn Marie, 40 Mid DJ (SO) 10p; Upstairs: Crescent Fresh StandUp (CO) 7:30p, Soundclash (HH) 10p Hi-Ho Lounge: DJ Pr_ck (VR) 10p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): Comedy Gumbeaux (CO) 8:30p Jazz Playhouse: Ashlin Parker Trio (JV) 5p, James Rivers Movement (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Foot and friends (FO) 9p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Reid Poole Duo (JV) 7p Maison: Roamin’ Jasmine, Swinging Gypsies, Dysfunktional Bone (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: the Trio feat. Johnny Vidacovich and guests (FK) 11p NOSH: Larry Sieberth and Ed Wise (JV) 7p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Horace Trahan (ZY) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Alexi Marti CD-release party (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Up Up We Go (JV) 2p, Sarah McCoy and the Oopsie Daisies (JV) 4p, Ben Polcer Band (JV) 6p, Jumbo Shrimp (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Davis Rogan (VR) 3p, Tom Witek Band (JV) 6p Three Muses: Steve DeTroy (JV) 5p, Bart and Dave (JV) 8p Vaughan’s Lounge: DJ Black Pearl (VR) 9p, Corey Henry and the Treme Funktet (FK) 10:30p

FRIDAY JULY 21

Banks Street Bar: Dash Rip Rock (RK) 10p Bombay Club: Larry Scala Trio (JV) 8:30p Buffa’s: Carmela Rappazzo (VR) 6p, Davis Rogan (VR) 9p Chickie Wah Wah: Michael Pearce (BL) 6p, Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue (CW) 8p Crazy Lobster: Ken Swartz and the Palace of Sin (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns (JV) 6p, Morning 40 Federation (RK) 10p Dragon’s Den: Loose Marbles (JV) 7p, the Tipping Point with DJ RQ Away (HH) 10p; Upstairs: Comedy Fuck Yeah (CO) 8p, Latin Night (LT) 11p Gasa Gasa: Palm, Palberta, Buncho (ID) 10p Hi-Ho Lounge: Relapse Dance Party with DJ Matt Scott (VR) 11p

J U LY 2 0 1 7

House of Blues: NOLA Rocks: New Rebel Family, Akadia, the Other LA, AVO (RK) 8p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): Stoked (CO) 9:30p Jazz Playhouse: Joe Krown (JV) 5p, Luther Kent (JV) 7p, Trixie Minx’s Burlesque Ballroom feat. Romy Kaye and the Mercy Buckets (BQ) 11p Kermit’s Mother-in-Law Lounge: Guitar Slim Jr. (BL) 9p Kerry Irish Pub: Chip Wilson (FO) 5p, Van Hudson and friends (FO) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Diaz Trio (JV) 7:30p Maison: Swinging Gypsies, Slick Skillet Serenaders (JV) 4p, Soul Project, Big Easy Brawlers (FK) 10p Maple Leaf: Ari Teitel and friends feat. Terence Higgins, Ron Johnson and others (VR) 11p Morning Call: Valerie Sassyfras (VR) 10a NOSH: Anais St. John (JV) 8p Preservation Hall: Preservation Legacy Band feat. Wendell Brunious (TJ) 6p, Preservation Brass feat. Daniel “Weenie” Farrow (TJ) 8p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Groovy 7 (VR) 9:30p Snug Harbor: Ellis Marsalis Quintet (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Up Up We Go (JV) 2p, Washboard Chaz Blues Trio (JV) 6p, New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Monty Banks (JV) 3p, Russell Welch’s Mississippi Gipsy (TJ) 6p Three Muses: Royal Roses (JV) 5:30p, Doro Wat Jazz Band (JV) 9p Tipitina’s: Foundation Free Fridays feat. Walter “Wolfman” Washington, the Fortifiers (VR) 10p

SATURDAY JULY 22

Bombay Club: Matt Lemmler Trio (JV) 8:30p Buffa’s: Red Hot Jazz Band (JV) 11a, God Save the Queens with Margie Perez and Hannah Krieger Benson (VR) 6p, Marina Orchestra (VR) 9p Chickie Wah Wah: Webb Wilder (VR) 8p Crazy Lobster: the River Gang (VR) 11a, Poppy’s Poppin’ Saturday Review (VR) 4p Creole Cookery: Trad Stars Jazz Band (JV) 11a Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Jazz Vipers (JV) 7p, Brass-A-Holics (BB) 10p Dos Jefes: Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots (ZY) 10p Dragon’s Den: Loose Willis (FK) 10p, Upstairs: Talk Nerdy to Me (BQ) 8p, Sexy Back with DJ Dizzi (VR) 10p Gasa Gasa: the Kickback, Skelatin (ID) 10p Hi-Ho Lounge: the Rip Off Show (CO) 7p, Tradition (VR) 11p House of Blues: New Orleans Beatles Festival (RK) 8p Jazz Playhouse: Glen David Andrews (JV) 8p Joy Theater: HennyPalooza feat. DJs Austin Mills and MekDot, with hosts Lowkey and Chris Stylzz (VR) 5p Kerry Irish Pub: Beth Patterson (FO) 5p, Roux the Day (FO) 9p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Diaz Trio (JV) 7:30p Maison: Chance Bushman and and the Ibervillianaires, Luneta Jazz Band, Smoking Time Jazz Club (JV) 1p, Gene’s Music Machine (FK) 11:59p Maple Leaf: Honey Island Swamp Band (RR) 11p Morning Call City Park: Billy D. Chapman (JV) 10a NOSH: Don Vappie (JV) 8p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Louisiana Spice (VR) 9:30p Snug Harbor: the New Orleans Modern Jazz Legends (MJ) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Jazz Band Ballers (JV) 2p, Panorama Jazz Band (JV) 6p, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Up Up We Go (JV) 6p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): HOUxNOLA with CoolNasty feat. Jack Freeman (SO) 9p Three Muses: Chris Christy (JV) 5p, Shotgun Jazz Band (JV) 9p Time Out: Andre Bouvier and the Royal Bohemians (VR) 11a

SUNDAY JULY 23

Bacchanal: the Tangiers Combo (JV) 12p, the Tradsters (JV) 4:30p, Roamin’ Jasmine (JV) 7:30p

Banks Street Bar: Ron Hotstream and Tina Jamieson’s Open Mic (SS) 5p, Maggie Havens (VR) 8p Bombay Club: Kris Tokarski with David Boeddinghaus (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Some Like It Hot! (TJ) 10:30a, Shameless Trio with Simon Burke (JV) 5p, Gerald French Trio (JV) 7p Chickie Wah Wah: Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns Quartet (JV) 8p Crazy Lobster: the Gator Bites (VR) 11a, the Neon Shadows (VR) 4p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: d.b.a.’s 17th Anniversary Celebration with Happy Talk Band and others (VR) 6p Dragon’s Den: Open Jazz Jam with Anuraag Pendyal (JV) 7p, Church (EL) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark and the Pentones (BL) 4p, Willie Lockett Band (BL) 8p Hi-Ho Lounge: NOLA Comedy Hour Open Mic (CO) 8p, Whiskerman (RK) 10p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): Hot 8 Brass Band (BB) 10p Jazz Playhouse: Germaine Bazzle (JV) 8p Kermit’s Mother-in-Law Lounge: Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers (JV) 5:30p Kerry Irish Pub: Will Dickerson (FO) 8p Little Gem Saloon: Glen David Andrews’ Gospel Brunch (GS) 11a Maison: Chance Bushman and the NOLA Jitterbugs, Russell Welch Hot Quartet, Kala Bazaar Swing Society (JV) 10a, G and the Swinging 3, Higher Heights (VR) 7p Maple Leaf: Brint Anderson’s Slide Hellions feat. John Fohl (VR) 10p Morning Call City Park: Billy D. Chapman (JV) 10a Snug Harbor: James Singleton Quartet (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Jamey St. Pierre and the Honeycreepers (JV) 2p, Kristina Morales and the Inner Wild (JV) 6p, Pat Casey and the New Sound (JV) 10p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): Moonshine Taste with Nicole Lynn Foxx and the Moonshine Players (VR) 7:30 & 10p Three Muses: Raphael et Pascal (JV) 5p, Linnzi Zaorski (JV) 8p Time Out: the Moxie Kings (VR) 11a Tipitina’s: Sunday Youth Music Workshop feat. Johnny Vidacovich Trio (VR) 1p

MONDAY JULY 24

Buffa’s: Arsene DeLay (VR) 5p, Antoine Diel (JV) 8p Chickie Wah Wah: Justin Molaison (VR) 5:30p Crazy Lobster: the Insta-Gators (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: John Boutte (JV) 7p, Brother Tyrone and the Mindbenders (VR) 10p Dragon’s Den: Monday Night Swing feat. Dr. Sick’s Gypsy Jukebox (JV) 7p, DJ Ill Medina (VR) 11p Hi-Ho Lounge: Bluegrass Pickin’ Party (BU) 8p, Instant Opus Improvised Series (MJ) 10p Jazz Playhouse: Gerald French Quartet (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Patrick Cooper (FO) 8p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Maison: Chicken and Waffles, Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses, the Resident Aliens (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: the Porter Trio featuring George Porter Jr., Terrence Houston and Michael Lemmler (FK) 10p Morning Call: Valerie Sassyfras (VR) 10a Preservation Hall: Preservation Jazz Masters (TJ) 6p Snug Harbor: Charmaine Neville Band (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Royal Street Winding Boys (JV) 2p, Sarah McCoy and the Oopsie Daisies (JV) 4p, Dominick Grillo and the Frenchmen St. AllStars (JV) 6p, Jazz Vipers (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Carolyn Broussard (JV) 11a, Sam Cammarata (JV) 3p Three Muses: Paul Kemnitz (JV) 5p, Mia Borders (VR) 8p

TUESDAY JULY 25

Buffa’s: Tacos, Tequila and Tiaras with Vanessa Carr (VR) 8p

Chickie Wah Wah: Chip Wilson (VR) 6p Crazy Lobster: AC and the Heat (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Treme Brass Band (BB) 9p Hi-Ho Lounge: High Profile Drag (VR) 10p House of Blues (the Parish): Spose, Shane Reis, God.Damn.Chan (HH) 7p Jazz Playhouse: K.C. and the Irresistibles (JV) 6p Kerry Irish Pub: Jason Bishop (FO) 8:30p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Zakk Garner Duo (JV) 7p Maison: Jason Danti, Gregory Agid (JV) 4p Maple Leaf: Rebirth Brass Band (FK) 11p Preservation Hall: Southern Syncopators feat. Steve Pistorius (TJ) 6p Saenger Theatre: Idina Menzel (SS) 7:30p Snug Harbor: Stanton Moore Trio (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Up Up We Go (JV) 2p, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns (JV) 6p, Smoking Time Jazz Club (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Geovane Santos Brazilian Jazz (JV) 6p Three Muses: Sam Cammarata (VR) 5p, Messy Cookers (JV) 8p

WEDNESDAY JULY 26

Bacchanal: Raphael Bas (JV) 12p, Jesse Morrow (JV) 7:30p Bombay Club: Josh Paxton (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Open Mic Night with Nattie Sanchez (SS) 7p Chickie Wah Wah: Lilli Lewis (FO) 5:30p Circle Bar: the Iguanas (RK) 7p, Don Babylon, the Noise Complaints (ID) 10p Crazy Lobster: Ken Swartz and the Palace of Sin (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Washboard Chaz Blues Trio (JV) 7p, Walter “Wolfman” Washington and the Roadmasters (BL) 10p Dragon’s Den: Groove Therapy (HH) 9p, Reggae Night (RE) 10p Hi-Ho Lounge: Progression Music Series (MJ) 9p Kerry Irish Pub: Paintbox with Dave James and Tim Robertson (FO) 8:30p Little Gem Saloon: Marc Stone (BL) 7p Maison: Kaya Nicole Band, Jazz Vipers, Steve Lands Kota Band (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: Organized Crime (VR) 10p Morning Call: Valerie Sassyfras (VR) 10a, Krewe du Two (VR) 1p NOSH: Matt Lemmler (JV) 7p Preservation Hall: Joe Lastie’s New Orleans Sound (TJ) 6p, Preservation All-Stars feat. Will Smith (TJ) 8p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue (SI) 8p Snug Harbor: Terrance Taplin and Uptown Jazz Orchestra (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Chris Christy (JV) 2p, Shotgun Jazz Band (JV) 6p, Antoine Diel and the Misfit Power (JV) 10p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): the Healing Room with Michaela Harrison and friends (SO) 9p Three Muses: Leslie Martin (JV) 5p, Hot Club of New Orleans (JV) 8p

THURSDAY JULY 27

Bombay Club: Kris Tokarski with Larry Scala (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Gumbo Cabaret (VR) 5p, Doyle Cooper Trio (JV) 8p Chickie Wah Wah: Phil DeGruy (VR) 6p, John “Papa” Gros Band (VR) 8p Crazy Lobster: the Spanish Plaza 3 (VR) 5p d.b.a.: Little Freddie King (BL) 10p Dragon’s Den: Jason Danti (JV) 7p, 13 Dreams, Nondi, DJ Heel Turn (VR) 10p; Upstairs: Crescent Fresh Stand-Up (CO) 7:30p Funky Pirate: Mark and the Pentones (BL) 4p, Blues Masters feat. Big Al (BL) 8:30p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): Comedy Gumbeaux (CO) 8:30p

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LIVE LOCAL MUSIC Jazz Playhouse: Ashlin Parker Trio (JV) 5p, James Rivers Movement (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Jamie Lynn Vessels (FO) 8:30p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Maison: Dinosaurchestra, Kristina Morales and the Bayou Shufflers, Dysfunktional Bone (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: the Trio feat. Johnny Vidacovich and guests (FK) 11p NOSH: Larry Sieberth and Ed Wise (JV) 7p Ogden Museum of Southern Art: Paul Sanchez (RR) 6p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Geno Delafose (ZY) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Don Vappie Jazz Band (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Up Up We Go (JV) 2p, Sarah McCoy and the Oopsie Daisies (JV) 4p, Miss Sophie Lee (JV) 6p, Jumbo Shrimp (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Davis Rogan (VR) 3p, Tom Witek Band (JV) 6p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): Soundbytes with PJ Morton and friends (RB) 9p Three Muses: Gary Negbaur Trio (JV) 8p Tropical Isle Original: the Hangovers (RK) 5:15p, Late As Usual (RK) 9:15p UNO Lakefront Arena: Meek Mill and Yo Gotti (HH) 8p Vaughan’s Lounge: DJ Black Pearl (VR) 9p, Corey Henry and the Treme Funktet (FK) 10:30p

FRIDAY JULY 28

Bombay Club: Riverside Jazz Collective (JV) 8:30p Buffa’s: Zoukeys with Beth Patterson and Josh Paxton (VR) 6p, Sherman Bernard and the Old Man River Band (VR) 9p Chickie Wah Wah: Michael Pearce (BL) 6p, Paul Sanchez and Justin Molaison (RR) 8p Crazy Lobster: Ken Swartz and the Palace of Sin (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Dinosaurchestra (JV) 6p, Wake of the Flood feat. Papa Mali and Reggie Scanlan (VR) 10p Dragon’s Den: Loose Marbles (JV) 7p, the Tipping Point with DJ RQ Away (HH) 10p; Upstairs: Comedy Fuck Yeah (CO) 8p, Latin Night (LT) 11p Funky Pirate: Mark and the Pentones (BL) 4p, Blues Masters feat. Big Al (BL) 8:30p Hi-Ho Lounge: Relapse Dance Party with DJ Matt Scott (VR) 11p House of Blues (the Parish): the Alarm (PK) 8p Jazz Playhouse: Joe Krown (JV) 4p, Quiana Lynell (JV) 7p, Trixie Minx’s Burlesque Ballroom feat. Romy Kaye and the Mercy Buckets (BQ) 11p Kerry Irish Pub: Patrick Cooper (FO) 5p, Hurricane Refugees (FO) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Nayo Jones Experience (JV) 8p Maison: Swinging Gypsies, Shotgun Jazz Band (JV) 4p, the Grid, No Good Deed (FK) 10p Maple Leaf: MainLine Brass Band (BB) 11p Morning Call: Valerie Sassyfras (VR) 10a Preservation Hall: Preservation Legacy Band feat. Wendell Brunious (TJ) 6p, Preservation Brass feat. Daniel “Weenie” Farrow (TJ) 8p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Contraflow (RK) 9:30p Saenger Theatre: Sabrina Carpenter, Alex Aiono, New Hope Club (SS) 8p Snug Harbor: Dr. Lonnie Smith with Donald Harrison (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Geovane Santos Brazilian Jazz (JV) 2p, Washboard Chaz Blues Trio (JV) 6p, New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Monty Banks (JV) 3p, Russell Welch’s Mississippi Gipsy (TJ) 6p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): Clashback with Yung Vul (ID) 9p Three Muses: Matt Johnson (JV) 5:30p, Doro Wat Jazz Band (JV) 9p Tipitina’s: Foundation Free Fridays feat. Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers, Khris Royal and Dark Matter (VR) 10p

SATURDAY JULY 29 Bombay Club: Leroy Jones (JV) 8:30p

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Buffa’s: Dapper Dandies Jazz Band (JV) 11a, Suzy Malone’s Songbook with Amasa Miller and Darcy Malone (VR) 6p, Dirty Rain Revelers (VR) 9p Chickie Wah Wah: Ed Volker and the Rattlers (VR) 9p Crazy Lobster: the River Gang (VR) 11a, Poppy’s Poppin’ Saturday Review (VR) 4p Creole Cookery: Trad Stars Jazz Band (JV) 11a Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns (JV) 7p, Corey Henry and the Treme Funktet (FK) 10p Dragon’s Den: Upstairs: Talk Nerdy to Me (BQ) 8p, Sexy Back with DJ Dizzi (VR) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark and the Pentones (BL) 2p, Blues Masters feat. Big Al (BL) 8:30p Hi-Ho Lounge: Wait, What? Comedy (CO) 7p, Tradition (VR) 11p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): Mia Borders (VR) 9p Jazz Playhouse: Tom Hook (JV) 5p, Shannon Powell (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Vincent Marini (FO) 5p, Beth Patterson (FO) 9p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Little Gem Saloon: Diaz Trio (JV) 7:30p Maison: Chance Bushman and the Ibervillianaires, Leah Rucker, Smoking Time Jazz Club (JV) 1p, RnR Music Group (FK) 11:59p Maple Leaf: Boukou Groove (VR) 11p Morning Call City Park: Billy D. Chapman (JV) 10a NOSH: Kris Tokarski Trio (JV) 8p Preservation Hall: Preservation All-Stars (TJ) 6p, Preservation All-Stars feat. Mark Braud (TJ) 8p Rock ‘n’ Bowl: Carty’s Comedy Corner show feat. Tammy Pescatelli, Bubba Bradley and Red Bean (CO) 7p, Tab Benoit, Louisiana LeRoux (BL) 9:30p Snug Harbor: Dr. Lonnie Smith with Donald Harrison (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Shotgun Jazz Band (JV) 2p, Panorama Jazz Band (JV) 6p, Jumbo Shrimp (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Up Up We Go (JV) 6p Three Keys (Ace Hotel): La Noche Caliente with Muevelo feat. Margie Perez (LT) 9p Three Muses: Chris Christy (JV) 5p, Shotgun Jazz Band (JV) 9p Time Out: Andre Bouvier and the Royal Bohemians (VR) 11a

SUNDAY JULY 30

Bacchanal: the Tangiers Combo (JV) 12p, the Tradsters (JV) 4:30p, Roamin’ Jasmine (JV) 7:30p Bombay Club: Kris Tokarski with Tim Laughlin (JV) 8p Buffa’s: Some Like It Hot! (TJ) 10:30a, Nattie’s Songwriter Circle (JV) 4p, Steve Pistorius, Orange Kellin, James Evans and Benny Amon (JV) 7p Chickie Wah Wah: Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns Quartet (JV) 8p Crazy Lobster: the Gator Bites (VR) 11a, the Neon Shadows (VR) 4p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: Palmetto Bug Stompers (SI) 7p, Kate Bush Tribute feat. Beth Patterson, Benny and Chris Hare and others (VR) 10p Dragon’s Den: Open Jazz Jam with Anuraag Pendyal (JV) 7p, Church (EL) 10p Hi-Ho Lounge: NOLA Comedy Hour Open Mic (CO) 8p Howlin’ Wolf (the Den): Hot 8 Brass Band (BB) 10p Jazz Playhouse: Germaine Bazzle (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Patrick Cooper (FO) 8p Little Gem Saloon: Glen David Andrews’ Gospel Brunch (GS) 11a

Maison: Chance Bushman and the NOLA Jitterbugs (JV) 10a, Roamin’ Jasmine, Brad Walker, Higher Heights (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: Brint Anderson’s Slide Hellions feat. John Fohl (VR) 10p Morning Call City Park: Billy D. Chapman (JV) 10a Spotted Cat: Novos Sapatos (JV) 2p, Kristina Morales and the Inner Wild (JV) 6p, Pat Casey and the New Sound (JV) 10p Three Muses: Raphael et Pascal (JV) 5p, Linnzi Zaorski (JV) 8p Time Out: the Moxie Kings (VR) 11a

MONDAY JULY 31

Banks Street Bar: Chris Dibenetto’s Piano Showcase (JV) 7p, Ocean Disco (RK) 9p Buffa’s: Arsene DeLay (VR) 5p, Antoine Diel (JV) 8p Chickie Wah Wah: Justin Molaison (VR) 5:30p Crazy Lobster: the Insta-Gators (VR) 5p Crescent City Brewhouse: New Orleans Streetbeat (JV) 6p d.b.a.: John Boutte (JV) 7p, Brother Tyrone and the Mindbenders (VR) 10p Dos Jefes: John Fohl (BL) 9p Dragon’s Den: Monday Night Swing feat. Chris Johnson and the Jazz Band Ballers (JV) 7p, DJ Ill Medina (VR) 11p Funky Pirate: Willie Lockett Band (BL) 8p Hi-Ho Lounge: Bluegrass Pickin’ Party (BU) 8p, Instant Opus Improvised Series (MJ) 10p House of Blues: August Alsina, Rotimi, Tone Stith (HH) 7p Jazz Playhouse: Gerald French Quartet (JV) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Mark Appleford (FO) 8p Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop: Lucky Lee (SS) 9p Maison: Chicken and Waffles, Aurora Nealand and the Royal Roses, New Creation Brass Band (VR) 4p Maple Leaf: the Porter Trio featuring George Porter Jr., Terrence Houston and Michael Lemmler (FK) 10p Snug Harbor: Charmaine Neville Band (JV) 8 & 10p Spotted Cat: Royal Street Winding Boys (JV) 2p, Sarah McCoy and the Oopsie Daisies (JV) 4p, Dominick Grillo and the Frenchmen St. All-Stars (JV) 6p, Jazz Vipers (JV) 10p Spotted Cat Food and Spirits: Geovane Santos Brazilian Jazz (JV) 11a

FESTIVALS JUNE 30-JULY 2 Essence Festival includes live music, seminars, speakers and an arts and tech marketplace at the Superdome and Morial Convention Center. Essence.com/Festival-2017 JULY 18-23 Tales of the Cocktail presents a week of seminars, tastings, pairing and networking events. TalesOfTheCocktail.com

SPECIAL EVENTS JULY 4 The 4th Fest in Crescent Park features live music, food booths and fireworks. FrenchMarket.org JULY 4 Go 4th on the River includes live music from Jackson Square and fireworks from dueling barges. Go4thOnTheRiver.com JULY 11 Hubbell Library hosts author Gwen Thompkins in a discussion on jazz legend Danny Barker at 6:30 p.m. NolaLibrary.org ONGOING The New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint presents the exhibit “Pete Fountain: A Life Half-Fast.” MusicAtTheMint.org JULY 2017

BACKTALK

Samantha Fish

talks back

ew Orleans has long been a magnet for musicians and other artists working in many disciplines. Samantha Fish, a singer, songwriter and guitarist who’s released five albums via Germany’s blues-centric Ruf Records, is among the city’s newest residents. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Fish moved to New Orleans in May. She’d already made important Louisiana connections, including Tab Benoit, the Houma-based blues artist, and Rueben Williams, owner of the Larose-based Thunderbird Management. Williams’ clients include Fish, Benoit, Cyril Neville, Royal Southern Brotherhood, former RSB member Mike Zito, the Devon Allman Band and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux. When Fish was growing up in Kansas City, her father played many genres of music with his talented friends at the family’s home. Her

mother sang in church. After Fish’s parents divorced, she and her father bonded over musical performances at Knuckleheads, an eclectic Kansas City music venue that presents blues, rock ’n’ roll, country, Americana, bluegrass and more. Fish played drums in her early teens, but switched to guitar at 15. Singing and writing songs became her passion. Still in her teens, Fish overcame her extreme shyness and joined Benoit, Zito and others on stage at Knuckleheads. Zito became a mentor. In 2010, when Ruf Records needed a third female performer to join Cassie Taylor and Dani Wilde for the trio album Girls with Guitars, Zito recommended Fish. He also produced Girls with Guitars as well as Fish’s first solo album for Ruf, Runaway. In 2012, the album won Fish the Best New Artist Debut award at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis.

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By John Wirt

In March, Ruf Records released Fish’s latest album, Chills & Fever. She recorded the project in Waterford Township, Michigan, with producer Bobby Harlow, members of the Detroit Cobras and New Orleans horn players Mark Levron and Travis Blotsky. Chills & Fever features songs recorded in the 1960s and ’70s by Betty Harris, the Ronettes, Lulu, Bettye LaVette, Nina Simone, Ronnie Love and others. The composers include Allen Toussaint, Jackie DeShannon, Bert Berns and Jerry Ragovoy. A busy tour schedule won’t leave Fish much time to enjoy her new residence in New Orleans. Her upcoming appearances include the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Telluride Blues & Brews Festival and her second performance at the Bogalusa Blues & Heritage Festival. JULY 2017

B AC

KTA

I always wanted to be a frontwoman. But I was so shy. I could barely talk to people when I was a kid.

Why did you move to New Orleans? Half of my band is in Louisiana. And I fell in love with the city. It’s beautiful and inspiring. Moving here always felt like something I wanted to do. But Kansas City will always be my home. I’m a Kansas City girl, but it felt like the right time to try something new. Did Kansas City have a good music scene when you were growing up? Kansas City has a great, underrated music scene. We’ve got a long tradition and history of jazz and blues. There’s a vibrant music scene there now, but it ebbs and flows, like music scenes everywhere. But when I was coming up, I could play in Kansas City six nights a week. When I was 19, 20 years old, I was booking dates like crazy. And there were bands to see all the time. You played drums before you played guitar. Why did you switch instruments? I wanted to play drums because I thought it was the most physical instrument. As a kid, I was attracted to that. I could move my arms and my legs and make the loudest noise possible. I wanted to rock. But then I realized how much education had to go into drums. At 13, I didn’t have the discipline for that. I still love the drums and I go back to them all the time. I’m grateful I had that foundation. I don’t know why, but I picked up the guitar and started writing and singing. Drummers aren’t normally the center of attention. Did you want to be a frontwoman? I always wanted to be a frontwoman. But I was so shy. I could barely talk to people when I was a kid. The idea of singing and playing, it was really rough. But the thing you’re scared of most is the thing you want to do. How did you overcome your shyness? It took a couple of years. The first time I played in front of a crowd, it was terrifying. I got thrown on the stage by accident at a party. They said, ‘Hey, play a couple of songs for these people.’ They turned the PA on. It happened so fast that I couldn’t run away. If I’d had time to think about it, I probably wouldn’t have done it. I felt sick. But I also had this addictive feeling, like I had to do it again. How important was Knuckleheads, a music venue in Kansas City, to you?

J U LY 2 0 1 7

I went there with my dad. I was 17 when I saw my first band up there. That was so inspiring. Knuckleheads became my second home. I credit a lot of my career to Frank Hicks, the owner. He put me up on stage. That’s how I got to play with Mike Zito for the first time and with Tab Benoit the first time. Frank asked them, ‘Hey, do you mind if this kid joins you on stage?’ Mike and Tab were patient and tolerant. And that’s how I met most of the people I know now, because of Frank and Knuckleheads.

You’ve just released an entire album of songs you didn’t write. Is writing your original songs still important to you? Being a songwriter is my favorite part of what I do. I feel really good when I’m turning out songs at a rapid pace. It’s my favorite way of expressing myself. And your writing is your legacy. I’m not letting that go. Chills & Fever is just another of my elaborate experiments.

Was Mike Zito a mentor for you? Mike saw that I was putting my band together and putting the work in. Whenever he saw an opportunity for me, he’d throw my name out there. So, when Ruf Records was doing the Girls with Guitars album, Mike recommended me. I ended up signing a deal with Ruf and getting a booking agency.

Why did you record your latest album in Michigan? We wanted Detroit rock ‘n’ roll meets soul and blues. And we brought New Orleans into it, too. It’s a combination of regions. Because my producer and the Detroit Cobras are in Michigan, it made sense for me to go up there. And to me, where you record is just as important as anything else. That sets the pace for what you’re doing. Detroit has an incredible blues, soul and punk-rock history.

Ruf Records is a German record label that’s released albums by Cyril Neville, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Honey Island Swamp Band, Mike Zito, Ana Popovic as well as five of your albums. They’re great. Rueben Williams, my manager, has a lot of artists with Ruf. They release progressive kind of stuff. It’s cutting edge for the blues world.

What was your recording experience at the 45 Factory studio in Michigan like? Everything in the 45 Factory is retro and old. It’s perfect for what we were doing. And the studio is in the back of this motel called McGuire’s Motor Inn. It was definitely a scene. It all worked. It was an experience. And it lent itself to how the recording ended up sounding. The grittiness comes across. That’s Detroit. Raw energy.

Your new album, Chills & Fever, features songs by such classic songwriters as Allen Toussaint, Bert Berns, Jerry Ragovoy and Jackie DeShannon. But why did you pick songs they’d written that weren’t necessarily hits? My producer and I, Bobby Harlow, found songs that we thought should have been hits. For some reason, they weren’t—maybe because there were so many great songs coming out at that time. But we have beautiful songs on this album that have great melodies and hit hooks. We looked for hidden gems.

Why did you recently expand your road band from an economical trio to a sixperson group, including horns? I want my audiences to experience the drama that we have on Chills & Fever. And I love having these guys on the road. Honestly, I’ve always wanted to do a bigger band. When I was doing the trio, I always heard horn parts, keyboard parts. I was ready to break out of the trio format. You’ve just got to jump sometimes and make it happen. It’s just a matter of doing it when the time is right.

How much time did you and Harlow spend gathering songs for Chills & Fever? A few months. All of these songs feel like they belong together. And because of the way we recorded them, they fit cohesively together. We recorded them and put on them on an album to let people hear them again or for the first time.

New Orleans is a hot housing market. What was your house-shopping like? The real estate in New Orleans is crazy. I started with a price range in the Bywater and soon realized how unrealistic that was. But every house here is unique. The architecture is something the city has going for it. Everything’s got so much personality. I found a cute house, but it’s going to need some love. O www.OFFBEAT.com