OffBeat Magazine December 2009 by OffBeat Magazine

CHRISTMAS CDsUMS N HARRY SHEARER N MISS SOPHIE LEE N RIK SLAVE N THE THEREMIN

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TOP

ALBUMS

Santa! I’m Open! Kermit Ruffins and the Threadheads wish you a Saints-sational holiday.

LOUISIANA MUSIC, FOOD AND CULTURE Free In Metro New Orleans US $5.99 CAN $6.99 £UK 3.50

Features 16 Music from Thin Air

E. Jason Hutter talks to Bobby Skinner about the challenge of making music without ever touching his instrument—the theremin.

18 The Keys to the City

OffBeat recognizes the top albums of 2009, and the list is topped by pianists.

22 What Will Santa Say?

Alex Rawls talks to Kermit Ruffins, Charlie Miller, John Mahoney and the makers of A Very Threadhead Holiday about the dos and don’ts of Christmas music.

28 What’s in the Sack, Santa?

Are this year’s Christmas CDs presents or lumps of coal? Alex Rawls decides.

32 The Maestro

Rene Louapre discovers that the maitre d’ likes the good life, just as you do.

34 In the Kitchen with Sophie

Vocalist Sophie Lee discusses the significance of dumpling shapes with Elsa Hahne.

Departments 6 Letters 8 Mojo Mouth 10 Fresh 36 OffBeat Eats

Peter Thriffley and Rene Louapre review Lakeview Harbor, and Rik Slave is in The Spot at Herbsaint.

38 Reviews 44 Club Listings 53 Backtalk with Harry Shearer

Alex Rawls talks to the actor and activist about Christmas music, Katrina, the media and Spinal Tap. “I realized a year or two ago, I haven’t played any character quite as much in my life as Derek (Smalls),” Shearer says. “We are joined at the unhip, I guess.” D ECEMBER 2009

Letters NOLA BIBLE My wife and I live in Baltimore and have been coming to Jazz Fest since ’93. Absolutely love it and we make it most years. Fell in love with NOLA music and food as a result but we limited ourselves to our once-a-year trip. Well, in November, 2007 a NOLA friend gave me an OffBeat subscription for my birthday. I devoured that first issue and the second issue and reading OffBeat intensified my jonesing for NOLA. I made an incremental trip to NOLA in January, 2008 to visit OffBeat-providing friend. I made two trips in 2008. I will be making my third NOLA trip in 2009 for my 50th birthday and we’re bringing 20 out-of-towners with us. Some have been to NOLA before, but they only know the tourist NOLA. We plan on showing them the real deal—Vaughan’s on Thursday night, Joey K’s, Le Bon Temps, a Frenchmen Street crawl, Jacques-Imo’s, Maple Leaf, Rock ’n’ Bowl, Buffa’s, Sunday jazz brunch, etc. We have asked our friends to refrain from buying birthday gifts and instead if they feel they have to give something, to make a charitable donation (as we will) to one of two NOLA charities—the New Orleans Musicians Clinic, which I learned about from one of your recent columns, or Threadhead Records, which I learned about from the Jazz Fest message boards, which I have been lurking on for years. I know you know you have impacted NOLA in many great ways and you should be very proud. Keep up the good work, Geaux Saints and heartfelt thanks for publishing the NOLA bible that increased my love of your city. —Alan Reisberg, Rockville MD

ONE-CENT TAX I’ve been reading your Weekly Beat and it makes me sad that New Orleans is still having a hard time getting back on its feet, taking care of its musicians, etc. I recently returned from Europe where

“The City should lobby for a one-cent gas tax nationwide, which would go into rebuilding the levee system and surrounding wetlands.—Eddie Tadross, New York, NY

many people still think the town is more or less destroyed, and I received the Tab Benoit issue on the Wetlands, another sad topic. Maybe the City should lobby for a one-cent gas tax nationwide, which would go into rebuilding the levee system and surrounding wetlands. It seems only natural, since it’s the oil and gas companies who are making a living off of the area while destroying it at the same time. People are still afraid to go to New Orleans; it seems to me, especially with all the crime reports. I made a point to make my first family trip to French Quarter Fest in 2008, with a 6-month old, and it was my first time since Katrina. I was blown away at the spirit of the people there, passing the baby around and telling their Katrina stories. —Eddie Tadross, New York, NY

WETLANDS I am a lifetime subscriber of OffBeat magazine in Tokyo. Your magazine provides indispensable information that a Louisiana music lover like me is always seeking to have, that is so hard to get in this foreign land. I read the article “Voices in the Wilderness” by John Swenson about Tab Benoit’s ongoing efforts to save the wetlands, and I have seen Tab and VOW All-Stars perform before. I have personally interviewed Cyril Neville once and he told me a lot about the crisis at the wetlands, but still, this article contained a lot of information that I never knew about, and it was shocking to say the least. The hard fact is that there is so little information in Japanese language on regional stuff like what’s happening in Louisiana that people are totally unaware and indifferent to such an issue. Sadly, even Hurricane Katrina seems to be a thing of the distant past for many of us. So with this in mind, I would like to translate Mr. Swenson’s article into Japanese and place it onto my Web site, “Blues Ginza.” I would like more people to read your article, and I figured a Japanese translation on the Internet should be the most effective way to go. —Masahiro Sumori, Tokyo, Japan

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 & Culture

December 2009 Volume 22, Number 12 Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Jan V. Ramsey, janramsey@offbeat.com Managing Editor Joseph L. Irrera, josephirrera@offbeat.com Associate Editor Alex Rawls, alexrawls@offbeat.com Consulting Editor John Swenson Listings Editor Craig Guillot, craigguillot@offbeat.com Contributors Robert Baird, Ben Berman, Adrienne Bruno, Rory Callais, Alex V. Cook, Elsa Hahne, Andrew Hamlin, Jeff Hannusch, E. Jason Hutter, David Kunian, Aaron LaFont, Mark LaMaire, Clifton Lee, Lauren Loeb, Rene Louapre, Kathleen McCann, Tom McDermott, Lauren Noel, Briana Prevost, Kyle Shepherd, Juli Shipley, David Lee Simmons, John Swenson, Peter Thriffiley, Dan Willging Cover Elsa Hahne Design/Art Direction Elsa Hahne, elsahahne@offbeat.com Advertising Sales Ben Berman, benberman@offbeat.com Margaret Walker, margaretwalker@offbeat.com Will Wilson, willwilson@offbeat.com Advertising Design PressWorks, 504-944-4300 Business Manager Joseph L. Irrera Interns Ayah Elsegeiny, Bobby Hilliard, Clifton Lee, Kathleen McCann, Lauren Noel, Kyle Shepherd Distribution Patti Carrigan, Doug Jackson, Shea MacKinnon 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 Copyright © 2009, 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 at $39 per year ($45 Canada, $90 foreign airmail). Back issues available for $6, except the May issue for $10 (for foreign delivery add $2). Submission of photos and articles on Louisiana artists are welcome, but unfortunately material cannot be returned.

MOJO MOUTH

Vote for Culture

bout a year ago, Sherri McConnell, who runs the Louisiana Economic Development’s Entertainment Office, convened a small group for a “charette” to devise ideas for what needed to be done to improve the local music industry and make things better for the community. Everything from the continuing lack of infrastructure, downloadable music, the North Rampart Street corridor and Armstrong Park were brought up. One of the participants in that meeting was Stewart Juneau, the developer of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, who with his familyowned company le Triomphe Property Group, has developed, constructed and managed numerous projects throughout Louisiana. After listening to the needs of the community, he says a great idea came to him during that charette. Now a year later, Juneau has responded to a request for proposal advertised by the City of New Orleans for the redevelopment of the Municipal Auditorium, the anchor of Armstrong Park. The auditorium used to be central to Mardi Gras krewes, as it was there that their balls were held. It also hosted many a music concert, most notably the evening shows during the Jazz Fest. It even served as a temporary home for Harrah’s before the Canal Street location was completed. But the Municipal Auditorium has been vacant since Katrina, and the building is in dire shape. What a waste! About two weeks ago, Juneau’s group proposed a grand revamp of the venue (Center for Entertainment and Creative Industry, or CECI for short) that would include a 1000seat venue, below market-rate space for small entertainment businesses and non-profits, an entertainment business incubator, an interactive jazz music museum, artists’ living quarters, a home for the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, a merchandise distribution and backline rental center and a state of the art recording facility and rehearsal space. It would also include a restaurant and a culinary institute named in honor of Leah Chase of Dooky Chase fame. The building’s reconstruction would be funded from FEMA dollars and tax credits. Ongoing maintenance and support would come from the venue rentals and shows performed there, as well as leasing out the rehearsal space to big-name artists and rentals in the building.

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Sounds great, right? Not so fast: Juneau’s proposal has been criticized as an “inside deal”—he is a longtime supporter and friend of outgoing Mayor Ray Nagin. Critics have charged that the RFP issued by the city was “tailor-made” for Juneau’s proposal and that the whole idea was an inside scheme. It was made even worse by the fact that when an announcement was made about the proposal, Nagin and Irvin Mayfield (NOJO founder and also a Nagin insider) were both touting the deal. “Just another political corruption inside scam” is the implication, since no other developers responded to the RFP. The proposal has yet to go before the City Council, where its market and financial arrangements will be scrutinized. I’ve wondered why other developers did not respond to the RFP. Juneau told me that no one was interested. Could it be that the RFP was advertised with his proposal in mind? It’s a shame that this project already has the sheen of cronyism and political corruption. I’ve seen the plans. They look wonderful, but I’ve not had a chance to see a detailed business plan, which outlines just how the project will be financially feasible in the long term. I have concerns about the impact that the project may have on other local small businesses, such as equipment rental firms and studios. Will local non-profits and small businesses be able to afford the rent needed to sustain the property’s operation? Is the facility marketable? But overall, I’m really encouraged by the scope of the project and that it focuses on the music and cultural community and our needs. The decision on how—or whether—it goes forward is now in the hands of the City Council. I personally hope that the project comes to fruition as I think something like CECI will be a great thing for New Orleans’ cultural community, hopefully without the taint of political corruption. CECI is politically appropriate for me to discuss; I rarely get involved in political discussions except where they pertain to the musicians, artists and culturally-oriented businesses in this community. But I would like to encourage every single person who’s

By Jan Ramsey

interested in music in the city to make sure that they vote for the New Orleans mayoral candidate who will step up to the plate for music. OffBeat and a group of concerned people in the music community have put together a platform that we want a new mayor to fulfill. This includes: 1. Create and adequately fund an office of music industry development to support the efforts of musicians and music industry professionals in the economic growth of the industry; 2. Ask that music will have a stronger focus in the city’s brand development plans; 3. Create an advisory commission on culture to meet on a monthly basis to address issues relating to music, art, theater, digital media and other cultural areas. The commission is to be comprised of city departments including but not limited to: public works, planning & permitting, HDLC, economic development and other city agencies that impact the economic development of music and the other arts. We want you to demand the same thing, and to that end, we are putting together a grass roots campaign focused on music. We want politicians to know that we are united in demanding that the new mayor pay attention to this platform; that is, Music Swings Votes. Look for your bumper sticker soon, and make sure you demand this from anyone who runs for Mayor of New Orleans. We want action, not just words! Our 15th annual Best of the Beat Awards takes place on January 22 at the House of Blues. Log on to OffBeat.com for more information on the event, the bands, tickets and our Lifetime Achievement honorees. Voting goes online on December 1, 2009 and ends on January 15, 2010. In case you haven’t noticed, we have a brand-new Web site at OffBeat.com. We hope you like it; we’re still tweaking, so feel free to let us know what’s great (and not so great) about the new site. Finally: To you and yours, the happiest and most peaceful of holiday seasons. We are blessed to be able to continue to share the love of New Orleans and Louisiana music and culture with the world. O www.OFFBEAT.com

FRESH

Simien, the Mouse and the Frog T

here’s no surprise Walt Disney Studios selected zydeco musician Terrance Simien to perform on the soundtrack for its new animated film, The Princess and the Frog, which is set in New Orleans and the swamps of Louisiana. The Lafayette resident has spent three decades taking zydeco to the world. By bringing his accordion, rubboard and triangle to the song “Gonna Take You There,” Simien hopes to expose an even broader audience to the sounds of zydeco and the culture of southeast Louisiana. “I hope they like it,” he says. “I want kids to watch this movie, hear this song and say I want to go there. I want to see this place and listen to this music.” Recording in the Disney studios had its benefits, including the care producers took to authentically create the characters that bring the music to life onscreen. “We had animators in the studio who were drawing while we played to get a feel for body movements and facial expressions,” Simien says. The soundtrack is the seventh Disney film which songs and score are composed by fabled songwriter and pianist Randy Newman, who has his own ties to New Orleans. Newman campaigned heavily to write the score, bringing along the Dirty Dozen Brass Band in an effort to impress the shareholders at Disney in 2007. “Randy Newman is a class act,” says Simien, “and he did an incredible job on the music. He really brings a realism to the movie, shows this for the unique and wonderful place it is.” The Princess and the Frog is set in the 1920s at the height of the Jazz Age, and the score is deeply rooted in the music

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of New Orleans, with tunes featuring Dr. John and trumpeter Terence Blanchard. The soundtrack is set for release November 24 and the film opens nationwide December 11. —Juli Shipley

First Hamp Knowledge H

owlin’ Wolf will host the first annual HAMP—HIV Awareness Music Project—on December 1 from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. On World AIDS Day, this benefit will raise money for local HIV agencies and raise awareness about the importance of getting tested for HIV and AIDS. The benefit will feature local acts Trombone Shorty, Kermit Ruffins, Rebirth Brass Band, Soul Rebels, Fleur de Tease Burlesque Revue, Dee-1, 5th Ward Weebie, Wisebird, and L Benz. It will also include a local fashion show, a silent auction and a VIP lounge with catered food, drinks, and acoustic music. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, and VIP tickets are available for $75. Advance tickets can be purchased at TheHowlinWolf.com. —Lauren Noel www.OFFBEAT.com

FRESH

We Write the Songs “W

e give people an opportunity to hear the stories behind the song,” says Bud Tower, a professional songwriter and the founder of the New Orleans Songwriter Festival, which returns for its second year December 3-6. At last year’s festival, Jimmy Webb told the story of playing Allen Toussaint’s “Southern Nights” for Glen Campbell. “Glen ended up leaving Jimmy’s house with Allen Toussaint’s record, and a month later it was on the radio,” Tower says. Toussaint, who headlined last year, is featured again this year, along with Don Schlitz and J.D. Souther. Souther is known for penning several hits for the Eagles including “Best of My Love” and “The New Kid in Town,” while Schlitz wrote over a hundred cuts, including Kenny Rogers’ iconic hit, “The Gambler.” Allen Toussaint The festival showcases some of New Orleans and America’s premier songwriting talent, and hopes to shine a light on the people and the process of how the words in popular song come into existence and to prominence. It is also expanding to include more venues and an educational element in the form of songwriting panels. It has also added a hip-hop component which, Tower says, was long overdue. “We would be derelict if we didn’t include hip-hop. For cripes’ sake, Lil’ Wayne and Juvenile are from here,” he says. “We are featuring the first ever panel, headed by Al Kapone, where young artists can come learn about the craft of constructing a rap song, and learn what producers expect of you once you make it into the studio.” Also included on the bill is an open mic night, along with performances from some of the city’s rising musicians, including Andrew Duhon, Glasgow’s Sam Craft and John Michael Rouchell of MyNameIsJohnMichael. The fest even includes a return for former Saint Kyle Turley, who has started working on a music career in Nashville. Tower has high hopes for the festival going forward, and the plan for next year is to add a jazz component to the fest, to better encompass all genres of music produced by New Orleanians. Right now, he just wants to take a page from the boys in black and gold. “Like the Saints, we just want to take it one game at a time, and make sure we win the one in front of us,” he says. “But we are excited about the future of this festival.” For a schedule of events, go to NOSongFest.com. —Kyle Shepherd

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What Hall? I

n recent months, the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame has been active, inducting Allen Toussaint, Benny Spellman and Ernie K-Doe at the Mother-in-Law Lounge, Louisiana LeRoux at the Voice of the Wetlands Festival, and Coco Robicheaux at the House of Blues. Where is the Hall of Fame? Online, at the moment. Initially created by Del Moon in 1980, the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame (LMHOF) failed to prosper until Mike Shepherd began its recent revitalization in 2005. Shepherd began to notice how many local musicians were simply fading away without being properly honored. “We were losing our artists,” Shepherd says. “John Fred became very ill and we lost him (in 2005). That was a wake-up call. Something absolutely had to be done.”

At this point, the LMHOF is simply a Web site—a “virtual museum,” it calls itself. Its inductions have been documented online at LouisianaMusicHallOfFame.org, but no hall actually exists yet. Shepherd hopes to renovate the Loew’s State Palace Theater in New Orleans and convert it to their flagship institution—a plan floated in 2004 when Pres Kabacoff and Troy von Otnott, the developer of the ill-fated Grammy Hall of Fame, proposed a “Louisiana Music Experience” for that location. An agreement is largely in place, he says, and he is jumping through many of the financial and political hoops necessary to make it happen. If Shepherd can acquire the building and renovate it into a brick-and-mortar museum, he envisions it to be one of several facilities across the state which will embody Louisiana’s musical past, possibly with a café and performance space attached. “We’re just waiting for a domino to fall,” Shepherd says. —Clifton Lee www.OFFBEAT.com

FRESH

Con the Con “U

RGENT: PLEASE OPEN TO CLAIM YOUR PRISE!!!” Delete emails like that several times a day without even opening them? It seems almost no one’s inbox is impervious to shameless spam email, asking its recipient to save an African heiress from poverty, invest in a surefire money-making scheme, or claim lottery money already won. Diana Grove decided to write back. In her new book, Dot.Conned: The Outrageously Funny, 100 Percent True Accounts of Conning Internet Con Men, Grove invents a dozen characters, all with ridiculous pictures and detailed back stories, who innocently reply to e-mails with titles like “NICE JOB VACANCY .” Grove’s characters, including a former child star, a “metaphysical accountant,” a Russian spy and an Albino prophet, pour their hearts and life stories into these emails but dance around giving out any useful, identity-theft-worthy information. Grove’s first con went on for months, and afterward, she says, “I decided to open all of my spam email and see just how far I could take things. It became addictive. It truly was comedic improv with real-life bad guys.” The humor lies in the scammers’ responses to Grove’s everweirder scam-ees; what begins as asking for help in badly translated English turns into a typo-riddled, all-caps demand to stop wasting time and send the money already. “I would create such bizarre characters and put them in such wild scenarios I thought for sure the con men would be tipped off by something like a phony marriage certificate, a character dressed like Edgar Winter holding a crystal ball, or a photo of a severed foot,” Grove says. “But it never failed; they always got back to me. I guess they are as gullible as their victims. They so badly wanted to believe I would cave into their scam and give them money. Although my goal was to drive the con men so crazy they snapped, I really grew to like them. They were such hard workers; they always worked on the weekends and holidays. I could rely on them to be there in my inbox in the morning. Sure, they were trying to con me out of my money, but they were always trying to con me out of my money, and there’s a lot of comfort in consistency.” —Kathleen McCann

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Back to the Country R

adiators guitarist Camile Baudoin is revisiting his musical childhood in preparation for a show he’ll put on at Snug Harbor December 10. Baudoin has been working on a solo album based on the music his uncle Alton Dufrene played as a member of the popular Cajun country band the Dufrene Brothers along with his brother Jerry. “My Paran Alton taught me how to play guitar,” Baudoin says. “When he saw how much I was into it I think he really wanted me to become a musician. When I was about 10 or 12, I sat in with the band at the Old Spanish Trail on Bayou Lafourche and played on his Telecaster.” Baudoin will be joined by trumpeter Charlie Miller, guitarist John Rankin and percussionist Michael Skinkus. “John and I are old friends,” says Baudoin. “I know Michael Skinkus from playing with him with the Radiators. Charlie Miller and I have always wanted to do something together.” Though Baudoin grew up in New Orleans, every weekend the family would pack up and go out to the country to stay with relatives. “The Dufrene Brothers were based out of Raceland; they played up and down the bayou at different places. The Old Spanish Trail was a big barn-like dance hall. It was right on the bayou and they had trap doors in there. The fishing boats would come up and they’d cook the crawfish and crabs under the place and then bring them up through the trap doors into the restaurant. After they stopped serving food, they would move out the tables and it would turn into a dance hall. “The band was a hit in that area, playing a whole smorgasbord of different types of music. Although it was a country band, it had a horn section and they would play a lot of different stuff—‘San Antonio Rose,’ ‘Beer Barrel Polka,’ some Tex Mex stuff, a lot of really eclectic stuff. ‘Steel Guitar Rag’ was the first song Alton taught me.” Alton Dufrene is in his late 70s now and can’t play anymore because of his arthritis, but at Snug Harbor Baudoin will recreate that moment at the Old Spanish Trail when Dufrene first brought him onstage. “I was freaked out and having the best time of my life all at the same time,” Baudoin says with a laugh. “I get goosebumps thinking about it right now. A couple of years ago, I finally got Alton to come out and see the band at Jazz Fest. It’s great to have the person who taught you see you years later. He told me in that country accent: ‘Ca-mile. I knew you were good from listenin’ to the CDs, but I had no idea.’ That was great.” —John Swenson www.OFFBEAT.com

BOBBY SKINNER

Music from Thin Air

laying the theremin transforms Bobby Skinner’s entire body into an instrument. “I am part of an electronic bubble,” he says, “pulling pitch with the right side of my body while my left side manipulates the notes.” He conjures music through a ballet of hands, fingers, and arms, and the body movements are not arbitrary since the theremin reacts to the proximity of the player’s body to its two metal antennae situated at either end of the instrument. Anyone attending the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s rendition of the Little Mermaid on October 29 would have seen this strange and magical undulation as Skinner plucked notes like dreams from air. There is no touch involved when playing the theremin, no frets to guide, no keys that lead the player directly to a given note. It’s a purely electronic instrument, and its sound is derived from the two oscillators and antennae that generate electricity, and their physical proximity to the human body. It is quite simple to make sounds with a theremin; anybody can do it. It is quite a different matter to organize these sounds into recognizable notes, and it requires an investment of several years to master this instrument skillfully enough to play it in an ensemble. The position of the hands when playing the theremin is as individual as the players themselves. There are generally accepted rules but no standardized finger arrangement as you would find on a guitar or piano. Skinner prepares to play by forming one hand into an “ok” configuration. He also admits that playing the first note to match the key signature in any ensemble requires both acumen and “a leap of faith.” If the first note is muffed, experience and a good ear allow him to quickly adjust. Once he locates the right pitch in the key

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signature, muscle memory takes over. Skinner explains that he can visualize in thin air where the proper pitch is once he’s tuned in to the first note, and he compares that fraction of a second when he is locating the precise pitch to a trombone player or a violinist who will make use of portamento—a quick, discreet adjustment of the fingers to the right pitch, which sounds like the note is briefly gliding. Skinner already had a penchant for arcane musical instruments. He had been storing and refurbishing automatic music instruments, like player pianos, before he ever encountered his first theremin. He

By E. Jason Hutter

knew enough about the instrument to know that it was responsible for all those kitschy sound effects in B-movie science fiction films from the 1950’s, but his formal introduction to the instrument would come indirectly, through a friend. “A friend named Rita Lovett, who lived in Milwaukee, had heard an old 78 recording called “Music from the Moon,” which she thought was strange enough to send me, and when I listened to the 78s, which were from the 1940s or 1950s, it was like lounge music.” But it had an effect on him. “I thought the instrument would be a challenge,” Skinner says. “When

I first started playing, I would put in a roll sheet in the player piano and play along with that.” From his early days of collecting musical oddities, he had graduated to an intermediate level of playing one of the oddest of instruments. His repertoire grew as he added Gershwin to his list of composers he would accompany alone. And he added other genres, other artists. “It took about a year until I was finally comfortable enough to play with groups.” When he entered the University of New Orleans in 1998, he gained a fuller understanding of the intricacies of the instrument and of music itself. He is now a sought-after musician whose abilities allow him the latitude to play anything from symphonic pieces to jazz or country. When speaking about the theremin, he often refers to its approximation of the human voice. Skinner touts Lera Auerbach, the composer of the Little Mermaid, as one of best composers to write music specifically for the theremin. In the Little Mermaid symphony the theremin assumes the voice of the mermaid, and it’s this affinity for replicating vocal melodies with the instrument that continues to stoke his interest in its possibilities. Patsy Cline’s melody in “Crazy” is another favorite of his. Bobby Skinner’s true musical home is now with The New Leviathan Oriental Fox-Trot Orchestra. Listening to them in a strippeddown upstairs room on Julia Street it’s easy to see why. New Leviathan is about freedom. It’s a mix of Dixieland, ragtime, and jazz-inspired spontaneity. The group played several numbers, and there was an acoustical aspect to the room that was sweet but incomplete until finally Skinner conjured sound like a sorcerer. Then, the wood floor vibrated until the last notes left through the half-opened windows. O www.OFFBEAT.com

Photo: ELSA HAHNE

Bobby Skinner creates beautiful music without ever touching a string, key, valve or skin.

TOP 40 CDs

The Keys to the City Not surprisingly, this year’s list of top Louisiana CDs starts at the piano.

his has been a resurgent year for New Orleans indie rock, which is as strong as it has been in a long time. Park the Van Records moved back to town, the New Orleans Indie Rock Collective has been active promoting the bands and organizing festivals to help get the Generationals, MyNameIsJohnMichael, Caddywhompus, Big Rock Candy Mountain and host of other deserving bands in front of larger audiences. With that in mind, it’s a pleasant surprise to find that, as we surveyed the releases of 2009, we found practitioners in the traditional fields turned in some of the strongest albums. Few releases in our top 20 are strictly

Tom McDermott: New Orleans Duets (Rabadash) “McDermott refuses to call attention to himself, using his encyclopedic talents in service of the myriad of musical genres presented.”— reviewed April 2009 by John Swenson

Allen Toussaint: The Bright Mississippi (Nonesuch) “The Bright Mississippi is certainly dignified, and most importantly, it’s dignified without being distant. Toussaint reveals another side of this art here for anyone willing to hear it.”—reviewed May 2009 by Alex Rawls

BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet: Alligator Purse (Yep Roc) “There’s something a little more kinetic, a little more freewheeling going on here.”—reviewed February 2009 by David Lee Simmons

Preservation Hall Jazz Band: New Orleans Preservation, Volume 1 (Preservation Hall) “The ensemble playing is often wonderful, particularity in the ecstatic conclusion to “Tiger Rag,” where Braud’s trumpet and Charlies Gabriel’s clarinet keep threatening to break away from the band.”—reviewed June 2009 by Alex Rawls

Leroy Jones: Sweeter Than A Summer Breeze (Spirit of New Orleans) “Jones phrases everything perfectly in a narcotic reverie without ever allowing the emotion to curdle into tritely sentimental or saccharine territory.”— reviewed April 2009 by John Swenson

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traditional, though, and nothing typifies what happened like our top two albums, Tom McDermott’s New Orleans Duets and Allen Toussaint’s The Bright Mississippi. McDermott and Toussaint play the most storied instrument in New Orleans musical history, and they worked with traditional forms. But each artist made something fresh out from them—McDermott making traditional jazz the social grease between him and his collaborators, and Toussaint reproducing it as capital “A” art, something as lovely, thoughtful and elegant as his playing. They and many of the others in this list demonstrated that our musical past is always with us, but it doesn’t imprison us.

Red Stick Ramblers: My Suitcase is Always Unpacked (Sugar Hill) “A Very entertaining album that sounds supremely confident.”—reviewed August 2009 by Alex Rawls

New Orleans Nightcrawlers: Slither Slice (Threadhead) “While you’ll be hard pressed to find brass this tight, jazz this loose and funk this vibrant, it’s Slither Slice’s intangibles that’ll really blow you away.”—reviewed July 2009 by Aaron LaFont

Jeff Albert Quartet: Similar in the Opposite Way (For a Sound) “Moore and Albert explore a melodic thought sympathetically or in counterpoint in startlingly succinct statements.”—reviewed March 2009 by Alex Rawls

Terence Blanchard: Choices (Concord Jazz) “Blanchard’s trumpet playing is aural poetry, and the beauty of his solo constructions mirrored the gravity-defying exhilaration of the library’s massive vaulted wooden dome.”—reviewed September 2009 by John Swenson

David Greely: Sud de Sud (Give And Go Records) “As much as Sud de Sud is rooted in tradition, there’s also a welcome degree of progressive interpretation and hauntingly gorgeous originals.”—reviewed December 2009 by Dan Willging www.OFFBEAT.com

Zachary Richard: Last Kiss (Artist Garage) “Richard takes a reflective tone, threading homespun tales of Acadian heritage with profound metaphors of love and loss.”—reviewed May 2009 by Aaron LaFont

Jason Marsalis: Music Update (ELM) “With Music Update, part of the album’s pleasure is at the meta-level, but you also hear Marsalis’ creative, conceptual voice, which is already sophisticated beyond his years.”—reviewed September 2009 by Alex Rawls

The Magnolia Sisters: Stripped Down (Arhoolie) “The Sisters cover a lot of ground stylistically—lively fiddle duets, feathery finger picking, Calypso beats, honking squeezebox bass notes that blossom into full-tilt two-steps and dean-on, muted guitar barre chords.”— reviewed October 2009 by Dan Willging

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Mutemath: Armistice (Warner Bros) “The guys take every musical instrument they know how to play and add them to the mix, creating musical harmony.”— reviewed November 2009 by Lauren Loeb Jeremy Davenport: We’ll Dance ‘Till Dawn (Basin Street) “Davenport’s attention to the musical aspects of his performance evokes that golden era of the lounge singer, and it’s the reason that We’ll Dance ’til Dawn stays with you.”— reviewed November 2009 by Alex Rawls

Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble: Zydeco Heart and Soul (Louisiana Soul) “Though Taylor sees himself as a hipster in today’s contemporary music scene, another part of him is a soul throwback more akin to Sam Cooke and Bobby Womack.”— reviewed November 2009 by Dan Willging

Sasha Masakowski: Musical Playground (Independent) “She approaches the songs as a musician, and her stylized warmth in “Afro Blue” is as much a decision as her deliberate, gliding take on “All or Nothing at All.”— reviewed April 2009 by Alex Rawls

Panorama Jazz Band: Come Out Swingin’ (Independent) “Ben Schenck and company unify the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and New Orleans through their musical voices.”— reviewed September 2009 by Alex Rawls

Cyril Neville: Brand New Blues (M.C. Records) “The power and passion in his voice bring everything to life.”—reviewed April 2009 by Alex Rawls

Christian Scott: Live at Newport (Concord) “This impressive set shows that… Scott and his band are most effective when they get down to basics and let that music speak for itself.”—reviewed January 2009 by John Swenson

The Next Twenty:

(arranged alphabetically)

Bonerama: Hard Times (High Steppin’) ”They’re content to be a solid funk band and are exactly that.”—reviewed December 2009 by Alex Rawls Bonsoir, Catin: Vive L’Amour (Valcour) “Beautiful songs aside, the Catins are also just plain fun.”—reviewed October 2009 by Dan Willging Big Chief Monk Boudreaux featuring Reverend Goat Carson: Rising Sun (f.Boo Music) “Capture the excitement of setting out with the Big Chief on a Mardi Gras morning.”—reviewed July 2009 by Aaron LaFont John Boutté and Paul Sanchez: Stew Called New Orleans (Threadhead Records) “The connection between Boutté and Sanchez is real. The www.OFFBEAT.com

piquant blend of their simpatico philosophies on life and music, so charmingly mixed in these 11 cuts, is the kind of splendid soul that speaks best for itself.”—reviewed May 2009 by Robert Baird Brother Tyrone: Mindbender (Guitar Joe’s House of Blues) “You need at least two copies of this record, because you’re definitely going to want to give one to a friend.”—reviewed January 2009 by John Swenson Buckwheat Zydeco: Lay Your Burden Down (Alligator) “Zydeco, you see, is only one of the things that the artist formerly known as Stanley Dural, Jr. does well.”—reviewed May 2009 by Dan Willging DECEMBER 2 009

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It isn’t rock ’n’ roll, but it rocks. The Figs: What Keeps You Up At Night (Independent) “The Figs have retained their signature attributes like the shuffling rhythms that are topped off by multi-part harmonies that range from breathtaking to haunting.”—reviewed February 2009 by Dan Willging Henry Gray and the Cats: Times Are Getting’ Hard (Lucky Cat) “This is a superb release from a true legend. This is what the blues is all about.”—reviewed October 2009 by Jeff Hannusch Tim Laughlin: A Royal St. Serenade (Gentilly) “The title composition features a clear, simple clarinet melody that is so easily grasped that it seems like it must have been around forever.”—reviewed August 2009 by Alex Rawls Eric Lindell: Gulf Coast Highway (Alligator) “Lindell steps into his own and finds the ideal balance for his down-home pop sensibilities.”—reviewed May 2009 by Aaron LaFont Alex McMurray: How to be a Cannonball (Threadhead) “Whether softly singing an ode to Ernie and Antoinette K-Doe or ranting about Captain Sandy, McMurray’s lovely voice and tone allow him to inhabit his characters without turning them into caricatures.”— reviewed July 2009 by David Kunian MyNameIsJohnMichael: The People That Come and Go (Independent) “The result is an album of dense, larger-than-life songs.”—reviewed May 2009 by Rory Callais The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra: Book One (Harmonia Mundi) “This album has an emotional power and depth of writing/arrangement content that invites comparisons to similar efforts by such past giants of jazz orchestration as Duke Ellington, Count Baise and Charles Mingus.”—reviewed June 2009 by John Swenson The Peekers: Life in the Air (Park the Van) “One generally comes to love the magpie mind of this endearing band and the synthesized ambience of their sweet, simple love songs that bring to mind the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Cass Eliot, John Philips and Denny Doherty.”—reviewed June 2009 by Adrienne Bruno Pine Leaf Boys: Homage au Passe (Lionsgate) “It isn’t rock ’n’ roll, but it rocks, and whether they’re playing a two-step or a waltz, they play it with rock ’n’ roll attitude.”—reviewed January 2009 by Alex Rawls The Radiators: The Lost Southlake Sessions (Radz) “It’s the kind of album indie bands were defiantly trying to make around the same time, with a raw, uncompromising feel and a visceral energy that matches the intensity of real-time Rads performances.”—reviewed October 2009 by John Swenson Rock City Morgue: The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (Castle Gray Skull) “The realm Rock City Morgue has inhabited is a fun one.”— reviewed November 2009 Alex Rawls Kermit Ruffins: Livin’ a Treme Life (Basin Street) “Ruffins’ love for the city speaks to people and transcends the details of the recordings, and those who similarly love New Orleans without question find him singing their song.”—reviewed May 2009 by Alex Rawls the subdudes: Flower Petals (429) “The songs are beautifully crafted, built around Tommy Malone and John Magnie’s strong lead vocals and superb harmony arrangements for their band partners.”— reviewed November 2009 by John Swenson Why Are We Building Such a Big Ship: No Blood No Blooms (Domino Sound) “This record is strange, beautiful, sometimes out of tune, and always—always!—bristling with spirit.”—reviewed February 2009 by Ben Berman

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Photo: elsa hahne

What Will Santa Say?

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COVER STORY

New Orleans’ finest

Some of speak their minds on the music of the holiday season.

he adults are sitting around a table on the back porch, some with beer, some with coffee. They’re swapping wisecracks and stories while the kids are upstairs. Coats are tossed in a corner, and the Christmas lights are strung with semi-deliberation in one of the rooms of the house. It could be Christmas, but it isn’t. The house is Susan Cowsill and Russ Broussard’s home on the West Bank, and it has become the studio where A Very Threadhead Holiday is being recorded. Mike Mayeux’s mobile recording unit is out front; there’s an amp in the hallway with producer Paul Sanchez’ hat on it. The lights are hanging from Broussard’s drum kit. The session shares more than cosmetic similarities with the holiday its celebrating, though. It’s hectic, as the schedules of Alex McMurray, Craig Klein, Shamarr Allen, John Boutté, Margie Perez, Debbie Davis, Matt Perrine, Mary Lasseigne, Broussard, Cowsill and a handful of others have to be accounted for despite a three-day deadline. Sanchez is trying desperately to stay within some semblance of a budget as everybody hears one more part, one more instrument for their songs, one more little expenditure that adds up when multiplied by 10. The heightened emotions caused by the occasion lead to tempers flaring, a little sulking, and a lot of antic humor. Beneath the wisecracks, though, there’s also a fundamental bonhomie—a genuine affection that underlies friendships and families. The album caps a busy year for Threadhead Records, which helped all the artists involved release albums this year except Cowsill, who’ll release an album on Threadhead in March. A Very Threadhead Holiday presents their takes on the holiday, and all wrote new songs for the occasion except for Davis—who covered the Squirrel Nut Zippers’ “Hanging Up My Stockings”—and Perrine, who tuba-cizes “Carol of the Bells.” The album is also part of a busy year for Christmas music in New Orleans. Kermit Ruffins cut Have a Crazy Cool Christmas (and will debut it live at his birthday show at the House of Blues December 19), Charlie Miller recorded the solo trumpet Christmas in New Orleans (which he’ll perform at Snug Harbor December 6), and John Mahoney recorded a big band Christmas album, Christmas Joy (which he’ll premiere December 1 at 7:30 p.m. in a free show at Loyola’s Roussel Hall).

Because Christmas music occupies a strange place in people’s consciousness, so much activity seems improbable. These songs, after all, have been so thoroughly recorded and are so well known that any new Christmas album seems a little redundant. They’ve been such a part of our lives since childhood that it can be hard to take them as seriously as more “adult” music, and Mahoney admits, “The idea started as a joke.” Judith Owen and Harry Shearer have fun with Christmas music at their Holiday Sing-a-Long (December 18 and 19 at the Contemporary Arts Center), but as Shearer observes, the songs are more than that. “In New Orleans, we have a canon of music that surrounds us all the time that people are always listening to and reinterpreting,” he says. “For the rest of America, Christmas is as close as it comes to that. It serves as that kind of canon that you can keep revisiting and keep experiencing and reinterpreting it, but there’s no escaping it.”

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By Alex Rawls

Christmas music is fraught with ironies, not the least of which is the circumstance of its recording. The mechanics of getting the recordings through the record-making machinery and to market in time for the season often means recording Christmas songs in the heat of summer. The Simpsons once showed Krusty the Clown dashing off the golf course and into the studio to half-ass his way through a Krusty Christmas album, and it’s easy to imagine that Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra’s Christmas albums were cut under similar circumstances. John Mahoney cut Christmas Joy in June, but unlike Cowsill and her lonely string of lights, Mahoney made no effort to Christmas-up the session. “It was all nuts and bolts,” he says, “because we had a lot of hard music to rehearse and record in a limited amount of time. However, at the mixing sessions, my sonin-law, who was the recording engineer, brought a small artificial Christmas tree to the control room to keep us in the spirit.” Kermit Ruffins didn’t string up lights or bring in a tree. Instead, when he cut his album at the Music Shed, he did what he always does. “I brought my big-ass barbecue pit and we opened up the back shed,” Ruffins says. “We ate more hot sausage, told more jokes and played some beautiful music. All you can eat, all you can drink.” Everybody involved ate like it was Christmas day, but that was for fun; it wasn’t

necessary. “We definitely fell right into the vibe. Christmas is my favorite time of the year.” That lack of seasonal inspiration would seem to be an impediment to a quality recording, but almost everyone involved in Christmas recordings this year found compelling musical reasons to do Christmas songs. “I approached all seven tunes as viable jazz vehicles, suitable for my arranging and the players’ improvisational skills, and as a result the musician often forgets that it is a Christmas tune he or she is playing,” Mahoney says, and in a city where some of its best musicians cut “They All Asked for You,” it’s no surprise that Ruffins’ band—Herlin Riley, Matt Lemmler and Neil Caine—could stay on task and swing hard, even on a swift, almost breathless version of Louis Prima’s “What Will Santa Claus Say (When He Finds Everybody Swinging?).” For Susan Cowsill, Christmas songs speak to her on a musical level. The Carpenters’ “Merry Christmas Darling” is one of her favorites because “it’s got beautiful harmonies,” she says. “And I think I was having a good year.” One of her earliest Christmas music memories is of listening to the melody and countermelody of “Do You Hear What I Hear” as a child in Rhode Island. “It blew my mind when I was little,” she says. “I liked all the different things that could fit into this one simple melody,” she says. “I can remember laying in front of our hifi that was warm—it even smelled like it was burning—and thinking of all those parts.” For her “The World at Christmas Time,” figuring out the harmonies was the easy part. She and Debbie Davis took turns thinking of harmony parts to add; the musical challenge was for her as a pop songwriter to put the song in Christmas musical vocabulary. “The mystery of Christmas is often expressed through not-your-average chords; I think you’ve got to have some sharps and minors in there.” Alex McMurray discovered the same thing when he played “Sleigh Ride” with the Drunken Masters—Jonathan Freilich, Phil DeGruy and himself. “The song’s pretty complicated and has some really strange changes,” he says. Charlie Miller’s Christmas in New Orleans is very much a music-driven experience. It’s a series of tracks that present his horn alone in a wintry, meditative mode as he examines the classic melodies for the improvisational opportunities they offer. On “The Christmas Song,” he experimented with dissonance. “I fooled around DECEMBER 2 009

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Susan Cowsill and Russ Broussard with the scale, with the pitches, and I was purposely hitting notes that weren’t the true notes, that some people might consider out of tune,” Miller says. “I don’t know what those pitches are, but I hit some notes that aren’t the true notes, and it worked as far as I’m concerned. Like a gospel singer would sing something flat and move it to the true note. The end of the note goes to the exact pitch. It’s a way of resolving.” “These are the songs that everyone’s mandated to hear once a year whether you like them or not,” Debbie Davis says. She and husband Matt Perrine are not only a part of the Threadhead Christmas album and regular participants in Owen and Shearer’s Christmas Sing-a-Long, but they’ve recorded Christmas songs as gifts for friends for the last few years. The challenge in recording Christmas music, she says, is dealing with everybody’s lengthy history with the music. Everybody starts singing these songs in school Christmas pageants if not

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before. Miller remembers singing Christmas songs around the house with his parents, and Sanchez caroled in the Irish Channel with his family. For Kermit Ruffins, many of the songs on Have a Crazy Cool Christmas date back to high school. “Everything revolved around high school with Rebirth,” he says.” We’d take the tunes that we’d play in high school and give them a second line beat.” The album includes a version of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” that he used to do with Rebirth Brass Band, and they join him on the album. “We wore it out at the Glass House back in the day. Only in New Orleans can we take a tune like that and second line to it.” Alex McMurray remembers listening to the radio with his family growing up in the early 1970s. “We had a cheap Sears stereo, and we listened to this easy listening station, WHTG out of Patterson, New Jersey it came out of, and they played Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis and that sort of lush, easy listening stuff,” he says. “But we were kids, so it was all about the cartoons.” The

songs from the animated Christmas specials made an impression on him, particularly “Christmastime is Here” from Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. “It was almost too weird. It was really affecting, even though it was only on for a few seconds. It’s got funny chords and it’s very advanced harmonically. I’m a Vince Guaraldi man.” McMurray’s a New York Yankees fan, and that fandom affected his appreciation of Christmas songs when he was in third grade. “We had a Christmas pageant at the school and we sang ‘O Holy Night.’ I imagined that it was about Reggie Jackson, that he was the chosen one. The ’77 World Series had just taken place and the three dingers—four, really. ‘Fall on your knees and worship Reggie Jackson.’” Because the songs evoke such vivid, distinctive memories, recording them forces musicians to think carefully about what how to handle them. “Everybody knows these songs, but you have to make people feel like they’re hearing something for the first time,” Debbie Davis says. “That’s what everybody wants for Christmas; they want the familiar comfort, but they want to feel like they’re hearing something new.” McMurray cut “The Christmas Song” with the Royal Fingerbowl, and transformed it by adapting it to the band’s lineup, and John Mahoney similarly lets the lineup do much of the work. “Five saxes, four trumpets, four trombones, piano, guitar, bass and drums make a huge palette of sounds,” he says. As an arranger, he further transformed the songs. “‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ is a jazz waltz,” he says. “‘Silent Night’ is in a gospel-like six, ‘Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming’ is a 5/4 bolero, and ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’ is a modal even8th feel with added Latin percussion.” Some adaptations get to the heart of the matter better than the ur-versions. Taylor Swift’s “This Christmas,” for example, surpasses Wham!’s because the sentiments sound truer when sung a teenage girl than a man in his 20s. Davis’ treatment of the Squirrel Nut Zippers’ “Hanging Up My Stockings” on the Threadhead album surpasses the original because, when shorn of the band’s neo-swing element, the song emerges as one that could become a standard. When Ruffins remakes the standards, he joins a proud tradition of jazz Christmas recordings. He picks up the tempo of “Silent Night” without losing the song’s beauty, and he cheers up “O Christmas Tree,” aided by Lemmler’s barrelhouse piano. The intersection of tradition and invention that Christmas songs mark make them songs that www.OFFBEAT.com

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many musicians enjoy returning to, at least for the season. Cowsill recalls a Christmas concert at St. Louis Cathedral that she did with Jim McCormick and Skeet Hanks. “I was in heaven as a vocalist,” she says. “There’s nothing like it.” Davis and Perrine have found kindred spirits that play on their Christmas sessions. “We throw them a little money when we can, but it’s basically done for the freakish joy of playing these songs that it’s only sanctioned to play once a year,” Davis says. “Christmastime is Here” may be the most recent song to enter the holiday canon, and it was recorded in 1965. “This Christmas” is the next contender (1984), along with John Lennon’s “War is Over (Happy Xmas)” (1971). For the most part, the enduring holiday songs were written before the Beatles and Rolling Stones changed the nature of rock ’n’ roll. Now, new Christmas songs are too rooted in their milieu to achieve the timeless quality of the best-loved songs. One of the most popular modern Christmas songs is the Pogues’ “Fairy Tale of New York” (1987), but it starts in the drunk tank, and the romance that emerges ends with the fight: You´re a bum, you´re a punk. You´re an old slut on junk lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed. You scumbag, you maggot. You cheap lousy faggot. Happy Christmas your arse. I pray god it´s our last. Good times. For A Very Threadhead Holiday, Paul Sanchez wrote or co-wrote five of the album’s 12 tracks including his own “Drunk for Christmas.” “I wrote that when I was a single, drunk bachelor,” he says, but he also co-wrote “Holding You for Christmas” with John Boutté, and he made a conscious effort to write something more conventional. “He tends to like what most people like—the universal truths,” Sanchez says. “Originally the tag line was ‘This Christmas New Orleans almost feels like home.’ He said, ‘I don’t want to say anything about New Orleans. Everybody knows I’m New Orleans. And “almost feels like home” is too sad. I’m tired of being sad. I want to sing, “Holding you this Christmas feels like home.” The result is a song you could imagine others covering in years to come.

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For the album, Alex McMurray went to his comfortable place with “Santa Let Me Call You a Cab.” “Novelty songs I’m good at,” he says. The title is one he had toyed with for years, along with the image of a Christmas night being ruined by a drunken Santa modeled on Dan Ackroyd’s character in Trading Places that scares the kids and runs off with the narrator’s wife. “When the Threadheads said that they wanted to do a Christmas record, I thought I should at least try to write this song. I finally got that off my chest.” For Cowsill, who admits she has likely worked snow and Christmas into more non-seasonal songs than most, the fear of screwing up a Christmas song was daunting. “That would have been the height of failure for me,” she says. Cowsill’s not typically a fast writer, but she got the first verses and chorus of “The World at Christmas Time” out easily, and she knew how it ended. It was the parts in-between that challenged her. “The main thought was, ‘I feel this way all year long; at Christmas time the world feels the same way.’ How to get there and how to discuss the unpleasantries of life, that was tough.” While Kermit Ruffins’ album is dominated by well-known songs, he wrote one original, “A Saints Christmas.” In it, he sings, “All I want for Christmas / is the Saints in the Super Bowl.” He cut the song before the first pre-season game was played, and he makes no secret of his love for the Saints. Ruffins tailgates at different bars around town for each game, cooking out front and DJing during the commercial breaks (playing “Who Dat” and his own song, naturally). He has Drew Brees and Reggie Bush jerseys, countless T-shirts, a Saints ornament for his Christmas tree, and he gets animated talking about Jeremy Shockey’s contributions this year. It’s hardly traditional Christmas music

A Homegrown Christmas

ew Orleans and Louisiana have produced more Christmas music than people realize. Here are the highlights, all of which are available at Louisiana Music Factory or online music services: Johnny Adams: Christmas in New Orleans (Mardi Gras): Adams is still in fine voice late in his career, and his “Sleigh Bells” is one of the best. Theresa Andersson, John Fohl and David Doucet: Peace Stories (ADF): A lovely, spiritual acoustic Christmas album. Harry Connick, Jr.: What a Night! A Christmas Album (Sony): His third and most inventive Christmas album, with unprecedented version of “Holly Jolly Christmas.” Fats Domino: Christmas is a Special Day (CSP): It’s Fats on automatic pilot, but he remains compelling, and his takes of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Silent Night” are special. Wynton Marsalis: Crescent City Christmas Card (Sony): A collection of audacious reimaginings of Christmas classics that doesn’t lose the holiday spirit. Aaron Neville: Aaron Neville’s Soulful Christmas (A&M): His first and bestbalanced Christmas effort. Huey “Piano” Smith: Twas the Night Before Christmas (Ace): Light on the seasonal touches, Smith’s may be the most joyous and raucous Christmas album ever. OTHER LOUISIANA CHRISTMAS ALBUMS THAT WILL DECK YOUR HALLS: Hadley J. Castille: Cajun Christmas (Delta) Michael Doucet: Christmas Bayou (Swallow) Lars Edegran and his Santa Claus Revelers: Crescent City Christmas (GHB) Frankie Ford: Christmas (Louisiana Red Hot) Judith Owen: Christmas in July (Independent) Don Rich: This Christmas Day (Jin) Various Artists: Christmas Gumbo (Flambeaux) Various Artists: Santa Swings (Louisiana Red Hot) Various Artists: A New Orleans Christmas (Putumayo) Various Artists: Have a Merry South Louisiana Christmas (CSP) Various Artists: Christmas Greeting from New Orleans (LA Red Hot) Marva Wright: My Christmas Song (Mardi Gras) —Alex Rawls www.OFFBEAT.com

COVER STORY

fare, but “A Saints Christmas” speaks to New Orleans, and the prospect of it coming true is so hard to imagine that Ruffins gets quiet when he talks about it. “I think we stand a good chance,” he says, hushed. “I keep thinking, get a hotel room (in Miami, the site of the Super Bowl) now. At least be there with the barbecue grill staked out somewhere with a TV hanging out of my truck. You’ve got to be there. It’ll be a mini-Jazz Fest Friday and Saturday with another tailgate Sunday.” Ruffins’ vision is one that unifies New Orleanians, and it’s the thing good Christmas music does. “As you get older, which I am really fast, people become more important than everything,” Charlie Miller says. “Christmas time is a time when people are coming together in a joyous way, so from that aspect, [the songs] are very much fun to play because people like them.” Cowsill echoes that thought. “It brings people to a place where our core exists anyway—joy and goodness,” she says. The best songs, Debbie Davis says, are “not afraid to be what you’re supposed to be at Christmas, and what few people truly ever are, which is happy, thankful, sincere and emotionally exposed. I think that’s part of what makes Christmas hard for some people, and when someone’s brave enough to do it, it’s its own reward.” Christmas songs may be sappy, sentimental or corny, but she rejects those thoughts as rock ’n’ roll-speak. “Nothing can be corny if at some level, everybody hasn’t had it appeal to them in an honest and complete way. People say The Wizard of Oz is corny; it’s because you’ve seen it 11 times. You may pretend you don’t like it, but it’s part of you, and it can’t be part of you unless you loved it. Sid Vicious wanted something under the tree just like everybody else.” O www.OFFBEAT.com

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CHRISTMAS ALBUMS

What’s in the Sack, Santa? Christmas comes with Christmas music. Are this year’s offerings beloved toys or lumps of coal?

The album’s better balanced than that run-through might suggest. For every “Drunk This Christmas”— producer Paul Sanchez’ contribution—there’s John Boutté’s hushed and beautiful “Holding You This Christmas” and Debbie Davis’ playful “Hanging Up My Stockings.” Her cover of the Squirrel Nut Zippers’ Christmas song and husband Matt Perrine’s sousaphone version of “Carol of the Bells” are the only songs that weren’t written for the album, but they add a light-hearted, seasonal quality to the proceedings.

hristmas music is so purpose-driven that it’s easy to dismiss it, but many artists are inspired by the holiday. At their worst, they find a way to inhabit and freshen up traditional gestures and thoughts; at their best, they create new music that’s personal and public, that’s simultaneously common but idiosyncratic. Some manage the balance better than others.

Kermit Ruffins Have a Crazy Cool Christmas (Basin Street) Kermit Ruffins’ role as the Bard of Good Times in New Orleans has led him into some musically dubious spots, places where clichés rule. Have a Crazy Cool Christmas suits him beautifully because it lets his personality dominate, and his exuberant sense of fun carries the day. You can hear his smile when he sings, “Santa Claus is swingin’ to town,” and when he sneaks the pick-up to “They All Asked for You” into “O Tannenbaum.” Throughout, the band swings with authority—a given on Ruffins’ albums—even at a breakneck pace on his version of Louis Prima’s “What Will Santa Say (When He Finds Everybody Swinging?).” In a stroke of prescience, Ruffins wrote a new Christmas song, “A Saints Christmas.” Like many of his originals, the song’s success depends on the goodwill of his audience; those who love the sentiment will excuse some easy lines, and those who don’t, won’t. Fortunately for Ruffins, his songs comes out during the Saints’ best start ever, far stronger than it was in 2004 when Greg Barnhill and New Birth Brass Band cut “All I Want for Christmas is the Saints to Win.”

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Charlie Miller Christmas in New Orleans (Independent)

The offhanded vibe that comes through on Ruffins’ album is part of his charm. There are points, though, where that borders on slack. The album includes a version of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” with Rebirth Brass Band, and they move the song to the street parade vibe beautifully, remaking an intimate track as a public celebration. But the song’s key is too high for Ruffins and he flounders with the high notes in the chorus. Fortunately, the version only includes one verse and chorus, so the moment passes, but it’s a sour note—literally—near the end of an album that in most ways is a fine addition to any Christmas collection.

Various Artists A Very Threadhead Holiday (Threadhead) The artists that cut or are cutting albums for Threadhead Records

By Alex Rawls

came together to record A Very Threadhead Holiday, a charming, often irreverent Christmas album. The album succeeds in being seasonal (if not always holly and jolly), and it represents the musical personalities of those involved. Craig Klein’s “Christmas on My Mind” is a good-natured slice of classic New Orleans R&B, and the Kinky Tuscaderos’ Mary Lasseigne’s “All Jacked Up for the Holidays” is modern rock without being too hip to celebrate. Glen David Andrews leaps out of the speakers for “Santa Got High for Christmas,” and while it works, he could benefit from noticing how Susan Cowsill makes “The World at Christmas Time” hold up for over five minutes with a series of hooks dotted throughout the song. In Alex McMurray’s world, a drunken St. Nick passes out at the kitchen table after ruining Christmas in “Santa Let Me Call You a Cab.”

Christmas on an ice floe is more like it. Charlie Miller has recorded an album of solo trumpet versions of Christmas classics, and the echo on his horn makes it sound as if he’s playing in a wide open space with mountains or fjord walls a mile or so in the distance. Such a sound suits Miller’s treatments beautifully; he performs the songs as meditations, contemplating the melodies privately and engaging the sound of each note as much as the note itself. He’s at peace with the space between notes, the beauty of a held note, and the significance of those notes he squeaks out or slurs. Ultimately, though, the album is an examination of these classic melodies, and he takes two passes at “The Christmas Song” and three at “Silent Night,” each offering subtle tonal changes that lead his imagination in new directions. If there’s a knock here, it’s that the tracks are sonically similar, but Miller’s treatment of the songs is serious if a bit lonely, and the austere beauty throughout is mesmerizing. www.OFFBEAT.com

CH RIS TMA S AL BU M S

Sugarland Gold and Green (Mercury)

Bob Dylan Christmas in the Heart (Columbia) This album has been the source of a lot of easy mocking, but Bob Dylan has rarely been as transparent as he is on Christmas in the Heart. In recent years, he has been examining American folk traditions on his radio show and albums; the next logical step is Christmas music—a body of music that truly constitutes America’s best-known songs. He signals his inquiry into visions of

Christmas with the album’s varied art—a Currier and Ives-like cover, a Betty Page pin-up Santa inside, along with a photo of musicians in Santa suits from days gone by. His voice seems particularly raspy because he has framed it in one of the most traditional of Christmas music settings, surrounded by faceless female vocalists that recall countless tracks from the early 1960s. That contrast and his grizzled presence these days has made Christmas in the Heart seem absurd to many, but Dylan has rarely sung with as much tenderness as he does here, and when he gets to a conjunto take on “Must Be Santa,” he sounds like he’s actually having fun. It is a little odd to hear him sounding so straightforward, but is he really as straightforward as he

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seems? The relationship between Christmas song sentiments and the singers is frequently less clear than it seems, and that’s the case here. Is the Jewish Dylan really into “The First Noel,” or is his relationship to the song and the act of singing it something more complex? Or, if he’s still born again—I’m not sure of his current spiritual status—does he really look forward to Santa sailing up with his presents in a canoe? The bottom line is that Dylan’s as enigmatic as ever, but the questions this time are at the meta-level.

Neil Diamond A Cherry Cherry Christmas (Columbia) For the title cut of Neil Diamond’s third Christmas album, he worked the titles of songs from his catalogue into the lyric. That sounds jokey, but the song is charming as it swells and grows from verse to verse. He has strings, horns and chimes backing him as he makes essentially silly lyrics uplifting and meaningful, and that spirit of straight-faced, self-aware fun characterizes the album. As a singer, he uses a gritty, rock ’n’ roll burr on some phrases for urgency, even if it’s just to get someone to take a sleigh ride with him, and when he adopts a voice-of-wisdom tone, he’s credible, no matter how clichéd the insight. A Cherry Cherry Christmas ends by dealing with the awkward reality that many of the great Christmas songs were written or performed by Jews. For the occasion, he covers Adam Sandler’s “The Chaunukah Song,” and only the hard rock guitar winks to the listener; Diamond sings it as seriously as possible. That commitment and good humor makes the album a winner, though only the title track is necessary.

Christmas albums are often about the artist as much as the season. They’re exercises in image maintenance/creation, and sometimes it’s more obvious than others. On Sugarland’s Gold and Green, it’s hard not to notice the Nashville country pop band’s gestures—pious enough to sing “Silent Night,” playful enough to sing “Nuttin’ for Christmas,” and appreciative of the magic of the season in “City of Silver Dreams.” Everything’s big, so the emotions are hard to miss, but the craft is impeccable in Nashville and the songs are too durable to deny. The high point is the big, bluesy “Coming Home,” a ballad that shows off Jennifer Nettles’ voice, but one that also fits into the band’s catalog as it seems to update the story started by the band’s debut single, “Baby Girl.” It’s all a little earnest for my tastes except for the cartoonish “Nuttin’ for Christmas.” That doesn’t mark it as inferior product, though; only a Christmas album like so many that relies largely on buyers’ affection for the artist.

Ray Charles The Spirit of Christmas (Concord) Originally released in 1985, The Spirit of Christmas is one of the great Christmas albums. It’s adult—a rarity—and musically sophisticated. Where many artists caricature themselves when they cut seasonal music, Charles embraced the breadth of his talents. “What Child is This” moves from a hushed, patient verse into a swinging, big band break featuring Freddie Hubbard, then “Little Drummer Boy” includes a soulful Brother Ray vocal, country touches, and an extended coda during which he ad libs on the Fender Rhodes while the Raelettes repeat “Me and my

drum.” He nods to the kid-oriented nature of the holiday with lighter versions of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “Rudolph, the RedNosed Reindeer,” the latter of which is genuinely funky. Even they swing and have a complexity that is often missing from Christmas music, and the lesser known tracks—Brook Benton’s “This Time of Year,” “All I Want for Christmas” and the oftcollected “This Christmas” being the highlights—remind us that the limitation of any musical genre is the limit of the artist’s imagination. The Spirit of Christmas shows how remarkable Charles’ imagination was.

Various Artists A Family Christmas (Putumayo) Putumayo’s most recent Christmas collection this year is supposedly fun for the whole family. Evidently, the whole family loves acoustic, stringed instruments—guitars, mandolins, ukuleles, and the like. As such, This is often a low-wattage, chilled-out Christmas. There’s some great stuff on it including Martin Sexton’s “Holly Jolly Christmas” and Sam Bush’s “Sleigh Ride, but the horn-based songs seem incongruous, even when some of them are New Orleans songs. Debbie Davis and Matt Perrine contribute “Mele Kalikimaka” and Lars Edegran and his Santa Claus Revelers (with Big Al Carson) sing “Frosty the Snowman,” and both are fun. A good album to put in a CD shuffle or to rip and add to a random Christmas mix.

Various Artists Christmas with Sinatra and Friends (Concord) A disappointment, not because it’s bad, but I was hoping for a Sinatra Christmas album I hadn’t heard. Instead, it’s a repackaging of lesser known Sinatra Christmas music padded with unrelated songs by Rosemary Clooney, Mel Torme, Tony Bennett and Ray Charles & Betty Carter. Fine but unnecessary—a part of the timehonored Christmas music tradition of exploitative releases. O www.OFFBEAT.com

EATS

The Maestro

n the last 15 years, chefs have undergone a remarkable metamorphosis. Back in the day, a cook and a waiter would meet working in someone else’s restaurant. After a few drinks one night, they would hash out a plan, save their money and open a small place together. The chef was not wellknown and even more rarely seen. The maitre d’ was the face of the restaurant. When clientele bragged about being able to get a table at any time in the city’s hot restaurant, it was because they knew the maitre d’, not because they did the chef’s taxes. All of that has changed. Chefs are ambassadors of a brand. They have a flagship restaurant and roll out concept restaurants which combine things like Mexican street food with a bowling alley in Reno. They have cookbooks and seem to spend more time talking about food than cooking it. Yet, through it all, Patrick Van Hoorebeck has always just been a maitre d’. And looking around the New Orleans dining scene, not only is he one of the best, he is unfortunately one of the last. Born and raised in Belgium, Van Hoorebeck has been a fixture in New Orleans dining circles for decades. Versailles, Peristyle and the Rib Room are just a few of the restaurants that have benefited from his presence. He has most recently landed at Restaurant August, the flagship of John Besh and Octavio Mantilla’s growing culinary empire. “When they brought me here, [John and Octavio] said to me, ‘you are home now,’” says Van Hoorebeck, “and they really meant it.” To watch Patrick (pronounced “Patreeck”) work the room is akin to watching a conductor lead a symphony. With a crooked arm, he escorts your date to the table and offers the two of you a glass of champagne as you settle in. A whisper to the captain delivers a plate of hot bread and butter. He

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may touch the back of a waiter’s arm, a seemingly innocuous movement which results in a canapé or two before your meal begins. Van Hoorebeck will circle back many times before the meal is over. Each time he brings a gift. Perhaps it is a taste of Fernet Branca, a story, or maybe even a smile. While a cook may begin his day at four a.m. by heading to the market to smell fish, Van Hoorebeck begins his day in a much more dignified matter. He gets dressed, always to the nines, sits down, and has a glass of champagne at eleven in the morning. He picked up this “habit” while working in a brasserie in Brussels as a student. “Every Saturday morning,

By Rene Louapre

and I mean every Saturday, this gentlemen would come in dressed impeccably. He would sit at the bar and order a glass of champagne. And I said, ‘One day I would like to be that way.’” says Van Hoorebeck. If it is a Saturday, Van Hoorebeck will make his rounds. He visits the Ritz-Carlton, the Windsor Court, and a few other select hotels, dropping off freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to concierges (another occupation losing relevance in today’s information overload environment). At lunch, he may drink a touch of wine. Champagne is his “vice of choice”, and Chateauneuf-duPape—that rich, earthy Rhone stalwart—his favorite red wine.

Wine has become a particularly fun diversion for Van Hoorebeck. While working at other restaurants around the city, representatives from wineries around the world have sent him large format bottles of their wines, which Van Hoorebeck proudly displays and enthusiastically drinks. “When I turned 50, I had a party called “50 at 50.” I opened 50 of those bottles and invited 50 friends. It was a good party,” he explains. His love of wine blends his professional and personal life with harmonious results. Ten years ago, on the Friday before Mardi Gras, a New Orleans Friday lunch turned into an impromptu parade. That group of diners has evolved into the Krewe of Cork, and Van Hoorebeck presides over it as King. The Krewe of Cork “parades” two Fridays before Mardi Gras. They drink wine and waltz through the streets of the French Quarter. In any other city, that would be called a major event; in New Orleans that is pre-gaming. Attention to detail is critical to Van Hoorebeck’s job. He claims he can read a diner immediately and tell if it is a first date, anniversary, or business meeting. Depending on the occasion, he will adjust the service accordingly. He believes one can judge a restaurant based solely on two criteria. “The first thing I do when I go to a restaurant is use the bathroom,” he says. “I want to see if it is clean. If they care about the bathroom, it will show everywhere else. And I always order coffee. Why? Because that is the last thing a diner tastes, it should be perfect to send them away with a smile.” There is little national celebrity for someone like Patrick Van Hoorebeck. No chance to have a reality series or a collection of maitre d’ inspired suits. But given the choice between another celebrity chef’s line of grilling sauces and one more Van Hoorebeck, the choice seems obvious. O www.OFFBEAT.com

PHoto: ELSA HAHNE

Maitre d’ Patrick Van Hoorebeck won’t just conduct your dinner; he’ll lead your parade if needed.

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Y AV GR

In the Kitchen with Sophie

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After I moved here I found out that my father’s mother was from Tallulah, Louisiana. Something was drawing me here. The last ten years of my life, I’ve connected the dots and everything has tied together around the women in my life.”

Miss Sophie’s Korean Eggrolls Koreans don’t distinguish between breakfast, lunch or dinner, so you can serve these whenever you like.

family project. It never seemed like cooking was work. It was me and my mom and my sisters, they’re a little bit older, and my mom’s best friend, and she had a daughter my age so we grew up together. My mom and her girlfriend would always get together, every weekend. They’d cook, and then we’d sit around and watch them cook, help them cook. I remember very distinctly, sometimes not wanting to be there, because you’re young and you want to run around, and I remember her telling me, she was very emphatic, ‘I want you to watch what I’m doing. I want you to learn these recipes, because you can take this with you forever, and then you will teach your daughters.’ I didn’t know the value of that then. Young, you don’t know, but now that I’m older and I have my own children and she’s passed away, it resonates. I always will remember that, I’ll always be grateful to her for making me stand there and watch because you keep a part of the ones you love through cooking and by passing this down to your own children. I regretted her not teaching me the language, but I will forever be

By Elsa Hahne

grateful for her teaching me the cooking because that way I feel close to her. My mom passed away in ’04 here in New Orleans. She came down to live with me in ’01. We lived on Royal. I’m really happy that she had a chance to experience New Orleans before she passed away because now this is my home and I’m not going anywhere and now it’s my daughters’ home. I try to do a Korean dinner where we invite friends over a few times a year, especially around the holidays, whenever there is family in town. And John [Rodli, my husband], before my mom passed away, he got to know her and she actually started teaching him how to cook Korean. After I’d go to bed, they’d stay up and cook. She taught him how to make kimchi soup, kimchi jjigae. He’s become quite the Korean chef. I never met my Korean grandmother, she never made it over to the States. She passed away when I was 10. But when I was born, she told my mother that I would be a singer, without ever having met me.

1 package small, square wonton wrappers 1 cup mung bean sprouts 1 pound ground beef ½ teaspoon salt ½ onion, chopped 2 green onions, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 egg Defrost wonton wrappers, if frozen. Blanch bean sprouts by dunking them briefly in boiling water. Let sprouts cool, then chop. Mix with beef and all other ingredients (except wontons). Place one teaspoon of filling in the middle of each wrapper, wet edges with water and fold wrapper over to form a triangle; pinch to close. Fry in vegetable oil on both sides until golden and crispy. Serve immediately.

Dipping sauce This sauce can also be used as a dressing for side dishes such as blanched bean sprouts or blanched spinach. 2 green onions, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes Stir everything together and serve. O www.OFFBEAT.com

Photo: ELSA HAHNE

“K

orean food is a lot of little dishes, basically tapas, but they call it banchan. You have your bowl of rice and then all around you are all the little side dishes, one of which is always kimchi. And you’re picking, you share, it’s communal. Another dish is bean sprouts, which is called kohng namool. Basically it’s mung bean sprouts or green bean sprouts. Also spinach, which is called shigumchi namool. I did not make kimchi today because it takes a little longer. I buy it from the oriental market on Transcontinental in Metairie, right off Veterans, a wonderful Korean grocery store. Hong Kong Market [on the West Bank] is wonderful too, but it’s panAsian. The store on Transcontinental is the only exclusively Korean grocery store. They used to have two. There was one over on Severn, but postKatrina that’s gone. Korean food is spicy. And the fermentation, a lot of people don’t like, but I love it. Today I’m making—we grew up calling them egg rolls, but they’re essentially gyosa—it’s a wonton wrap with a meat filling, and the Korean word for that is mandu. But growing up, my mother always just called them egg rolls. We’d all sit around the kitchen table helping her fill them. In Korean stores, you’ll find square wrappers. This week they were out, they only had them in rounds. But I cut them. Don’t tell anybody. A Korean egg roll is going to be a triangle, rather than the crescent shape, which is more Japanese or Chinese. Traditionally, the filling is either ground pork or ground beef, or a combination. My mother always used beef. I don’t make this with my daughters yet, but I imagine I will when they’re older. For kids, this is endless fun. For adults, it might be perhaps a little monotonous. But I remember being a child and having hours of fun filling these. It was a community project, a

The dumpling shape matters for Miss Sophie Lee.

EATS

OffBeat AMERICAN Hard Rock Café: 418 N. Peters St., 529-5617. O’Henry’s Food & Spirits: 634 S. Carrollton Ave., 866-9741; 8859 Veterans Blvd., 461-9840; 710 Terry Pkwy., 433-4111. Port of Call: 838 Esplanade Ave., 523-0120. St. Charles Tavern: 1433 St. Charles Ave., 523-9823. BARBECUE The Joint: 801 Poland Ave., 949-3232. Walker’s Barbecue: 10828 Hayne Blvd., 241-8227. BREAKFAST Daisy Dukes: 121 Chartres St., 561-5171. Mena’s Place: 200 Chartres St., 525-0217. New Orleans Cake Cafe & Bakery: 2440 Chartres St., 943-0010. COFFEE HOUSE Café du Monde: 800 Decatur St., 525-4544. Café Rose Nicaud: 634 Frenchmen St., 949-2292. Dee’s Coffee, Cake and Copy: 401 Baronne St., 596-2012. CREOLE/CAJUN Atchafalaya Restaurant: 901 Louisiana Ave., 891-9626. Clancy’s: 6100 Annunciation, 895-1111. Cochon: 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2123. Dick & Jenny’s: 4501 Tchoupitoulas, 894-9880. 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. Olivier’s Creole Restaurant: 204 Decatur St., 525-7734. DELI Mardi Gras Zone: 2706 Royal St., 947-8787. Stein’s Market and Deli: 2207 Magazine St., 527-0771. Verti Marte: 1201 Royal St., 525-4767. FINE DINING Antoine’s: 701 St. Louis St., 581-4422. Bombay Club: 830 Conti St., 586-0972. Broussard’s: 819 Conti St., 581-3866. Commander’s Palace: 1403 Washington Ave., 899-8221. Emeril’s: 800 Tchoupitoulas, 528-9393. Iris Restaurant: 321 N Peters St., 299-3944. Lüke: 333 St. Charles Ave., 378-2840. Maison Dupuy Hotel: 1001 Toulouse St., 586-8000. Mat and Naddie’s: 937 Leonidas St., 861-9600. Mr. B’s Bistro: 201 Royal St. 523-2078.

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Restaurant Cuvée: 322 Magazine St., 587-9001. 7 on Fulton: 701 Convention Center Blvd., 525-7555. Stella!: 1032 Chartres St., 587-0091. Tujague’s: 823 Decatur St., 525-8676. FRENCH Café Degas: 3127 Esplanade Ave., 945-5635. Delachaise: 3442 St. Charles Ave., 895-0858. Flaming Torch Restaurant: 737 Octavia St., 895-0900. La Crepe Nanou: 1410 Robert St., 899-2670. Crepes à la Cart: 1039 Broadway St., 866-2362. Restaurant August: 301 Tchoupitoulas St., 299-9777 ICE CREAM/GELATO Creole Creamery: 4924 Prytania St., 894-8680. La Divina Gelateria: 3005 Magazine St., 342-2634; 621 St. Peter St., 302-2692. Sucré: 3025 Magazine St., 520-8311. INDIAN Nirvana: 4308 Magazine St., 894-9797. ITALIAN Domenica: 123 Baronne St., 648-1200. Eleven 79: 1179 Annunciation St., 299-1179. Irene’s Cuisine: 539 St. Philip St., 529-8811. Maximo’s: 1117 Decatur St., 586-8883. Tommy’s: 746 Tchoupitoulas St., 581-1103.

NEIGHBORHOOD JOINTS Amy’s Vietnamese Café: French Market Flea Market, 352-9345. Café Reconcile: 1631 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., 568-1157. Camellia Grill: 626 S. Carrollton Ave., 309-2676. Crabby Jacks: 428 Jefferson Hwy., 833-2722. Sammy’s Food Services: 3000 Elysian Fields Ave., 948-7361. Slim Goodies: 3322 Magazine St., 891-3447. Ye Olde College Inn: 3000 S. Carrollton Ave., 866-3683. PIZZA Fresco Café & Pizzeria: 7625 Maple St., 862-6363. French Quarter Pizzeria: 201 Decatur St., 948-3287. Slice Pizzeria: 1513 St. Charles Ave., 525-7437. Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza: 4218 Magazine St., 894-8554. Turtle Bay: 1119 Decatur St., 586-0563. PO-BOYS / SANDWICHES Mahony’s Po-Boy Shop: 3454 Magazine St., 899-3374

JAPANESE/KOREAN/SUSHI Gimchi: 3322 Turnbull Dr., Metairie 454-6426. Kyoto: 4920 Prytania St., 891-3644. Mikimoto: 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., 488-1881. Miyako Japanese Seafood & Steak House: 1403 St. Charles Ave., 410-9997. Wasabi: 900 Frenchmen St., 943-9433.

Didn’t you use to work here? I did. In January, I went over to Cochon Butcher and became the shop manager over there. I slice meat all day, Lord have mercy.

MEDITERRANEAN Byblos: 3218 Magazine St., 894-1233. Café Lazziza: 2106 Chartres St., 943-0416. Jamila’s Café: 7808 Maple St., 866-4366. Mona’s Café: 504 Frenchmen St., 949-4115.

What was your job here? I was in that pantry for four years, making salads. My beloved pantry. I remember coming in really hung over after gigs.

MEXICAN/CARIBBEAN/SPANISH Juan’s Flying Burrito: 2018 Magazine St., 569-0000. El Gato Negro: 81 French Market Place, 525-9846. Nacho Mama’s: 3240 Magazine St., 899-0031. RioMar: 800 S. Peters St., 525-3474. Tomatillo’s: 437 Esplanade Ave., 9459997. MUSIC ON THE MENU Carrollton Station Bar and Grill: 140 Willow St., 865-9190. Chickie Wah Wah: 2828 Canal St., 304-4714. House of Blues: 225 Decatur St., 412-8068. Prejean’s Restaurant: 3480 Hwy 167 N, Lafayette (337) 896-3247. Le Bon Temps Roule: 4801 Magazine St., 895-8117.

Parkway Bakery and Tavern: 538 Hagan Ave., 482-3047. SEAFOOD Acme Oyster & Seafood House: 724 Iberville, 522-5973. Bourbon House: 144 Bourbon St., 274-1831. Casamento’s Restaurant: 4330 Magazine St. 895-9761. Crazy Lobster Bar & Grill: 1 Poydras St. 569-3380. Drago’s Restaurant: 2 Poydras St. (Hilton Hotel), 584-3911; 3232 N. Arnoult St., Metairie, 888-9254. Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar: 739 Iberville St. 522-4440. SOUL Dunbar’s: 501 Pine St., 861-5451. Praline Connection: 542 Frenchmen St., 943-3934. Willie Mae’s Scotch House: 2401 St. Ann St., 822-9503. THAI Sukho Thai: 1913 Royal St., 948-9309. WEE HOURS Clover Grill: 900 Bourbon St., 523-0904. Mimi’s in the Marigny: 2601 Royal St., 872-9868. Molly’s At The Market: 1107 Decatur St., 525-5169. St. Charles Tavern: 1433 St. Charles Ave., 523-9823.

Rik Slave hits the

How often do you come? I come here a lot. The food is unbelievably consistent, it surprises me even.

Herbsaint 701 St Charles Ave (504) 524-4114

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

Mid City Lanes Rock ‘N’ Bowl: 4133 S. Carrollton Ave., 482-3133. Palm Court Jazz Café: 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.

What do you get? Any meal I get here has to have pasta in it, they painstakingly make it every day. [Grabbing the menu.] Do they still have it? Oh, yes. The veal stuffed with ham and fontina over fresh capellini. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That particular dish, usually I talk about it for the next three days, and I’ll dream about it. I think I’m going to get it tonight. I know it’s lame, but I’ve got to have it.

Who do you bring here? You brought your kids; I should have brought my cats.—Elsa Hahne www.OFFBEAT.com

DINING OUT Lakeview Harbor Tucked away in a strip mall along Harrison Avenue is the kind of no-frills, cold beer, stiff drink, good food hangout every neighborhood wishes they had. Lakeview Harbor, the iconic meeting spot for the residents of 70124, turns out one of the best burgers in the city. Made with fresh ground beef, the burger arrives with a charred and crusty exterior protecting a juicy and flavorful interior. Feel free to top it with whatever your little heart desires: a mound of grated cheddar or a pile of grilled onions, but we recommend avoiding the canned mushrooms The standard side is a baked potato loaded with your choice of toppings, but you can substitute steak fries, sweet potato fries, or tater tots for a small upcharge. The burgers are thick and cooked to order, so choosing an appetizer to tide you over is likely in your best interest. They fry everything here, from mushrooms and mozzarella

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sticks to crabs cakes and potato skins. The “Harbor wings” are rolled in a spice mix, and these bone-hot, crunchy wings are the punk rock cousin of soft, billowy beignets, with powdered heat replacing powdered sweet. While the burger is the star of the menu, other sandwiches deserve your attention, especially the tender filet mignon. In fact, all of the sandwiches are good, save for one critical element: the bread. With so much care given to the meat, cooking and toppings, these sandwiches deserve a stronger foundation than a structurally weak, spongy bun. A simple improvement there would make these some of the best sandwiches in town.

Photo: elsa hahne

EATS

911 Harrison Ave. 486-4887. Sun-Thu 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m., Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m.-1:30 a.m. —Rene Louapre and Peter Thriffiley

DECEMBER 2 009

REVIEWS

Reviews

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

CDs reviewed are available now at In the French Quarter 210 Decatur Street 504-586-1094 or online at LouisianaMusicFactory.com

Times Have Come Today

Bonerama Hard Times (High Steppin’) Hard Times is Bonerama’s first studio recording after three live albums, and moving the band to the studio poses a number of challenges beyond maintaining the groove and vibe that comes with performing live. In concert, Bonerama’s as loud and physical as many guitar-based rock bands, partially because of similarities between the range of the trombone and the electric guitar, and because Bonerama plays loud. At Jazz Fest, the band’s music frequently bleeds over to adjoining stages, particularly when it’s windy. How do you capture something that intense in the studio? To their credit, they don’t try. Instead, the five-song EP is an introduction of the things Bonerama does—a Mark Mullins song, a Craig Klein song, a funky instrumental, and two covers. One represents the sort of thing they’re known for—”When the Levee Breaks”—and one’s a broadening of their repertoire— Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Turn on Your Love Light.” They only roll out their piledriver weight for the Led Zep cover; otherwise, they’re content to be a solid funk band and are exactly that. Mullins’ title cut is a bit poppier, Klein’s “Lost My House” has a bit of a Neville groove, but those tracks move more nimbly than you’d expect after

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one of their classic rock covers. Lyrically, Hard Times catches what seems like a transitional moment. Because of Klein’s association with the Arabi Wrecking Krewe and his own loss in the post-Katrina flood, the band has been heavily associated with the hurricane, and “When the Levee Breaks” certainly reinforces that connection. Mullins and Klein’s songs both reference hard times and loss, but both seem to be looking for where to go from here. Both lyrics get a little hazy, either in their vagueness or privacy, but Bonerama is one band that really has remained in development since conception, even though it found its sound fairly early. Hard Times hints at where a band in constant transition might go next. —Alex Rawls

Onward Brass Band The Tradition Continues (OBB) Before you dismiss this as “Just another traditional brass band album,” understand that the Onward Brass Band was performing at functions in New Orleans 30 years before jazz in any form was recorded (obviously, not with this lineup). So let’s not go comparing this album with the latest Thom Yorke release. That said, the point of this music is its effective connection to the tradition it represents, which is to ask if it moves with similar purpose, or is it just a museum piece? Thankfully, this live performance, recorded around the time of Satchmo SummerFest last year at the University of New Orleans, lives up to every realistic expectation of what traditional brass band music is supposed to sound like. Snare drummer Kurt Nicewander, who sets the tone for the session with his press roll at the beginning of “Bourbon Street

Parade,” is the latest Onward leader in a line of succession that goes back over 100 years (with a hiatus between 1930 and 1960). “Bourbon Street Parade” was written by former Onward bandleader Paul Barbarin, and it gets a great arrangement here with spirited clarinet playing from Tom Fischer, who interacts beautifully with Joseph Torregano on saxophone. Freddie Lonzo’s voice is a little creaky on the track, but his trombone playing is superb throughout the record, carrying the bottom along with Dimitri Smith’s tuba. One of the highlights is a jazz funeral, with its tar pit-slow dirge of a “Closer Walk with Thee” that explodes into the second line “Didn’t He Ramble” complete with a dazzling double snare and bass drum breakdown. Mark Braud, current frontman of the Preservation Hall band, and Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown of NOJO, share trumpet and vocal duties, with Brown bringing home a wild 8:43 of “Lil’ Liza Jane” and Braud delivering Prof. Longhair’s “Mardi Gras in New Orleans.” The energy these musicians give to what must be head arrangements of familiar material keeps things at a rapid boil as the second line rhythms roll off the snares, and the individual voices keep the dancing interlace of collective improvisation moving at an irresistible pace. —John Swenson

David Greely Sud de Sud (Give and Go) The Mamou Playboys’ David Greely reminds us of the fiddle’s forgotten legacy in Cajun music with this off-the-beaten-path collection of fiddle and other eclectic

tunes that have recently come in touch with their “fiddle” side. A good portion of this is traditionally rooted, drawing heavily from the canons of Dennis McGee, Varise Connor and Wade Frugé. In the spirit of McGee and lifelong duet partner Sady Courville, Greely enlists fiddlers such as Gina Forsyth, Joel Savoy and others in duets that are consistently intricate and impassioned. Greely takes the first lead but then generously swaps leads with his partner, which subtly shades the texture and mood of the piece. Additionally, he encompasses a few of the forgotten styles of Cajun music, including cotillions and polkas. But as much as Sud de Sud is rooted in tradition, there’s also a welcome degree of progressive interpretation and hauntingly gorgeous originals. Two songs feature Linda Handelsman’s chordoutlining piano playing, allowing Greely to be unencumbered in his breathtaking expression. “Paul Junius Malveaux’s Tune” was adapted from a harmonica tune culled from the Lomax Archives and features an unobtrusive Brazilian hand drum as its only accompaniment. On McGee’s “Cotillion,” Greely ingeniously segues into his own composition, “Chatagnier,” with no discernible break in melody. There’s even a multi-layered string concerto (“Fantaisie Au Vermilion”)—a glorious departure arrangementwise—that was composed by www.OFFBEAT.com

REVIEWS son Gustave, a Hollywood film composer. The fiddle’s role in Cajun music may have changed since the German accordion was introduced in the 19th Century, but relative to this domain, it still reigns. —Dan Willging

I, Octopus I’d Rather Be a Lightning Rod Than a Seismograph (Independent) There’s something to be said about a band that waits nine years to release its first full-length album. Whether the motives for such a delay stem from perfectionism, laziness, or simply different artistic priorities, one thing you can bet on is that the final product will display a level of cohesiveness not generally found in younger bands. Such is the case with instrumental/experimental hard-rock trio I, Octopus’ debut album I’d Rather Be a Lightning Rod Than a Seismograph. The 11 tracks contained on ….Lightning Rod are complex, yet organic, and present a very mature sound from a band

that has worked tirelessly to carve a niche for themselves on the New Orleans music scene through years of steady gigging. What’s most striking about the album is how fluid this band is at manipulating dynamics. From the dreamy psychedelia of “I’m Not Sad I’m Just Curious” to the cracked-out video game feel of “Rag Tag Bunch of Apostrophes “ to the aggressive, rock-your-face-off audio assault on “Exponential Flatland Theorem” I, Octopus proves it’s not afraid to take chances. Covering such a vast musical terrain gives … Lightning Rod an epic quality, and the ease with which I, Octopus makes these transitions speaks volumes. —Mark LaMaire

Kristin Diable Extended Play (Speakeasy) With a look and a sound that is far beyond her years, Kristin Diable tells her story in the purest of folk tradition on Extended Play. Each song showcases her contralto voice that

sounds as though it’s been tainted by cigarette smoke and experience, a sound that suits her. You’ve definitely heard this type of voice before, most notably in one of her idols, Lucinda Williams, but Diable, a Baton Rouge native, has been branded with inherent Southern soul, a quality that separates her from the rest. On the simple blues tune, “What We Mean,” Diable explains with a smirk, “I gotta lover who says he don’t need me. / I guess we don’t always say what we mean.” Her voice soars with extreme confidence over the simple two-chord melody of the guitar as the song takes you back to doo-wop ballads without the call and response. Though most of Diable’s guitar melodies sound similar from track to track, the words are what make her songs great. On “Holdin’ On” she sings, “He was running down that road so fast / praying God was with him now / and he hoped to God that this don’t last / ’cause just one bad move could break his back.” It’s a simple yet powerful statement of a place all people find themselves

at least once in their lives. On “Be My Husband,” Diable channels KT Tunstall on her breakthrough hit, “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” with the drum as the driving force of emotion and rhythm in this stripped down song about the complications of a relationship. But note to Diable: a broader sonic palate is your friend. —Briana Prevost

Ben Maygarden Come On, If You’re Coming (Shortstack) If you’ve got a hankering for some blues to go along with your bottle, this is worth checking out. Working man-about-town by day and musician by night, Maygarden puts together some boss sounds here with a crack local band. His originals here including “Gutted”—not a reference to fishing—are bluntly telling, as well as humorous. Possessor of a fine blues record collection, Maygarden has cherry-picked some of the rarities from it and includes them here. Jerry McCain’s “Twist ’62,” a.k.a., “Reduction Twist,” is a charge,

Among Friends Paul Sanchez Farewell to Storyville (Threadhead) The Threadhead Records phenomenon has reshaped the profile of the local recording industry, allowing veteran musicians to make albums that might otherwise not have happened, giving deserving new artists a jump start on their careers and even producing such delightful one shots as this year’s Christmas release. No musician has benefited from this breakthrough more than Paul Sanchez, who has established himself as an important solo artist since leaving Cowboy Mouth with no small help from the label. This is the third Threadhead-financed album Sanchez has made, and each has been remarkably different. Sanchez has been preparing to make Farewell to Storyville his whole career. It’s an impromptu, www.OFFBEAT.com

mostly solo session in which Sanchez tells stories about each song before singing it, a standard folk music format that he’s perfectly suited to. When Sanchez left his New Orleans home for New York City in the 1980s to make his mark as a songwriter at the height of the fast folk and anti-folk movements that emerged out of the city’s post-punk club ethos, he played numerous gigs that resembled this session. In fact, one of the songs here, “Breaking My Back Up Front for You Baby” was written during that period. Toward the end of his run with Cowboy Mouth, he began playing acoustic house parties that also mirrored the shape of these performances. Folk music of this type is often autobiographical and there’s no shortage of such material here. “Gonna play you some songs and tell you some stories,” he begins by way of introducing

“Knives to Grind,” a reminiscence from his childhood in the Irish Channel. “I Dreamed I Saw My Father,” a song with the feel of a Fred Neil ballad, is a bittersweet rumination on a man Sanchez says he really didn’t know. He explains how Lillian Boutté introduced him to “Farewell to Storyville,” a song about days gone by that Sanchez gives a languid reading with vocal support from Debbie Davis. The song is poignant in New Orleans today, a point Sanchez brings home by following it with “Falling with Nowhere to Land,” a postKatrina lament. “It’s my story,” he says. “It’s our story, it’s anybody’s story that’s lived here in the last few years.” Sanchez brightens the mood with the merry Spanish language tune “Mota Mota Mota,” a reflection of his time spent in Central America after the storm. Themes of displacement, grief and plain old mental

maladjustment continue to float through the album, taking different shapes. He lightens the mood, though, with the comic “Walked in the Club with Twenties” and sends everyone home smiling with the dark humor of “Enjoy Yourself, It’s Later Than You Think.” When a record like this works, you leave it feeling you’ve learned something intimate about the singer’s life, like a good conversation with a friend. Sanchez will have a lot of new friends after they listen to Farewell to Storyville. —John Swenson DECEMBER 2 009

REVIEWS as is his treatment of “Too Much Competition,” a song that likely has special meaning to our man. The Spiders’ “Don’t Knock,” also rocks along nicely. Maygarden gets some tasty harp licks in along the way but doesn’t overdo it. —Jeff Hannusch

Corey Ledet A Matter of Time (Independent) Even before he crossed the Sabine and homesteaded his music career in Acadiana, Corey Ledet was already a force to be reckoned with. The thenteenaged accordionist quoted Clifton Chenier tunes perfectly and got more out of an accordion with three fingers than most guys using four, not a widely known fact according to fellow musician Ed Poullard. Learning what connected with dance audiences took longer but as evidenced here, he’s learned his lesson well. His third release is easily his best dance platter yet; one that’s based on successfully road-tested live staples. In addition to single-row and triple-row accordions, Ledet also plays bass and drums, being one of the hardest-hitting drummers this side of Brad Frank (who lends a hand here on rubboard.) What works song-wise is Ledet’s fearless experimentation. The timehonored “Colinda” has a fresh zydeco-soul spin, and the rendition of Elvis’ “Burning Love” is a much better pelvis shaker than what the King ever did. “Bushhog” is not only a torrid six minute-plus jam but finds Ledet weaving in and out of a pop hit medley. But as much as he aims to ignite the global dance community, he includes selections to educate about the music’s deep roots. “Poullard Two-Step,” an old-style solo accordion number, is something akin to what Cajun-Creole music cornerstone Amédé Ardoin would have played and showcases Ledet’s mind-blowing, lightning-fast runs and quirky stutter notes. Remember the old adage, “Those who can’t do, teach”? It doesn’t take long for Ledet to shatter that myth as the rare, versatile performer who wears all hats equally well. —Dan Willging

O DECEMBER 2009

Mike Zito Pearl River (Electro Groove) Mike Zito is a rare find: a roughand-tumble bluesman with a knack for wearing his heart on his sleeve and a penchant for stirring up a commotion with his fretwork. On his second release for Electro Groove Records, Pearl River, Zito teamed up with producers David Z (Prince, Johnny Lang) and Randy Chortkoff in New Orleans’ Piety Street Recording and tapped into the rugged and resilient spirit of the Delta. Along with an apt cast of local collaborators including Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, Susan Cowsill, and Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone, Double Trouble keyboardist Reese Wynans adds to the mojo. Still, it’s Zito’s explosive guitar and earnest rasp that steers this set. Things get moving quickly with the rollicking, roadhouse romp “Dirty Blonde,” a rowdy shuffle spurred on by Zito’s screeching six-string. On “Change My Ways,” Zito’s stinging solos and sticky, simmering cry recalls Stax-era Albert King. Later, his menacing riffs and gristly howl reminds of Buddy Guy (“39 Days”), and his sizzling slide revs up the bawdy stomp, “All Last Night.” Naturally, Pearl River ripples with the sounds of the Big Easy. Credit drummer Eric Bolivar (Bonerama), whose lively grooves rustle up the funky, dangling strut of “Big Mouth” as well as the sassy, syncopated swing of “Eyesight to the Blind.” While dynamic displays of musicianship solidify the album, it’s Pearl River’s deep, reflective tone that resonates throughout. “I will lay my burden down, down on that solid ground,” Zito sings alongside Anders Osborne on the rootsy, acoustic gem “One www.OFFBEAT.com

REVIEWS Step at a Time.” The album’s title track, co-written by and featuring Cyril Neville, traces the harrowing history of the southern river’s dark past as Zito’s rips across the foreboding saga like a lightning storm hovering over a Louisiana swamp. Ardent and arresting, Pearl River makes for not only a captivating blues showcase but also a compelling listen. —Aaron LaFont

Various Artists Fire in My Bones: Raw, Rare and OtherWorldly African-American Gospel 1944-2007 (Tomkins Square)

bookmark

“A portion of benefits from this compilation will benefit the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund,” it says right in the liner notes. So buy a copy. Know, however, that this set, wellnigh four hours of testimony over three discs, will comfort, ennoble, and enable you through any future floods, earthquakes, fire ant infestations, and whatever Old Testament vengeance an angry Earth can land on your head. At those prices, how many copies should you buy? Enough to arm every one of your loved ones? Yes. Like Harry Smith’s Anthology Of American Folk Music, Fire in My Bones follows no chronological pattern, aligned instead under three

theses, one for each disc: “The Wicked Shall Cease From Troubling,” “God’s Mighty Hand,” and “All God Power Store.” I’m still not sure what these subdivisions mean, but I intend to listen until revelation strikes me. Given 80 tracks covering more than 50 years, everyone will cultivate a few favorites. For fervent dedication to supplication, I’ll take “Pray On, My Child” by the Willamette Gospel Singers, circa 1964. For graphic affirmation of Christ’s sacrifice, I’ll take “Jesus’ Blood” by the Golden Stars of Greenwood, SC, circa 1954. And for sheer spooky elegance, I’ll take “Glory Glory Hallelujah” by Napolian [sic] Strickland, 1972. After affirming “I’ve got religion” and hoping you do too, Strickland begins to play harmonica. And play some more harmonica. A little more testifying, but mostly that mouth harp invoking another kind of harp played on high, reminding you why they used to say “Holy Ghost.” —Andrew Hamlin

Chuck Carbo Life’s Ups and Downs (504) Several people with well-regarded opinions will, without prodding, tell you that the most distinct voice of the classic period of New Orleans

Why Photos Matter Thomas L. Morgan Historic Photos of New Orleans Jazz (Turner Publishing)

As New Orleans continues to remind itself why it matters after Katrina, here is a photo history to abet the process. Historic Photos of New Orleans Jazz is the most extensive since Al Rose’s New Orleans Jazz: a Family Album, which covered the early years and is out-ofprint in any case. There are almost 200 images here, most drawn from the Louisiana State’s Museum Jazz Collection. Some are obvious choices, like the only known photo of Buddy Bolden, or Louis Armstrong as King of Zulu. Many others will have you gasping, laughing or oohing www.OFFBEAT.com

and aahing with approval (My fave: the dancers Kidney Stew and Pork Chops with Sharkey Bonano’s band at the Municipal Auditorium). All of these photos of six-and-seven-piece traditional jazz bands feed nostalgia for a bygone music culture and the hope that some kind of trad jazz revival is in the wings. —Tom McDermott DECEMBER 2 009

REVIEWS rhythm and blues belonged to Chuck Carbo. That’s quite a compliment considering Carbo graduated from the same class as Johnny Adams, Danny White, Aaron Neville and Roland Stone. Carbo was the lead vocalist with the Spiders, who had a couple of national hits—and several great records—in the mid-1950s, and had a locally successful solo career in the early-1960s. The demise of the New Orleans sound hamstrung his career in the mid-1960s and Carbo was forced to deal with such mundane activities as finding a nine-to-five, raising a family, making car payments and such. Thankfully, Carbo’s career was resurrected by Mike Dine at 504 Records in the late 1980s when New Orleans R&B was enjoying a brief resurgence. What helps this album is the inclusion of several members of the old guard in the trenches, including Edward Frank, Charles Burbank and “Shine” Robinson. Those old enough to remember might recall that the centerpieces of this album, “Second Line on Monday” and “Meet Me With Your Black Drawers,” deservedly got lots of airplay (not just WWOZ) around every Mardi Gras in the early1990s. Carbo did a good job recycling several previous successes, including a couple of Spiders titles, the best being the tried-and-true “Witchcraft,” but his own “Bells in My Heart” still rings true. Carbo does a few passable Imperial-era covers (the Spiders

recorded for Imperial), and he does a superlative version of Earl King’s “Life’s Ups and Downs,” a rather appropriate song for our man. The sound is vintage here without being dated. Perhaps this was attained by putting the then up-and-comer Shannon Powell behind the drums. Good to see this one out on CD finally. —Jeff Hannusch

Wayne Toups

harder than Toups, who always gives a sweat-soaked 110 percent and often blasts his accordion into warp overdrive with amazingly quick fingering. The disc closes with an unreleased studio track “I Should Have Never Fallen in Love,” a falloff-your-barstool country weeper that will probably be too country for today’s Nashville. Overall, a worthy live document that comes with lagniappe. —Dan Willging

Live 2009 (Swallow)

Fred Anderson

After an involuntary governmentimposed hiatus (read: incarceration), Wayne Toups emerges more popular than ever, as evidenced by the zealous response on this live disc culled from three separate events. Material-wise, it’s what you’d expect from a Toups concert, the early hits (“Johnny Can’t Dance,” “Sweet Joline”), a Cajun trad romp—DL Menard’s “Back Door” interestingly sports an arena rock intro of “Footloose” before breaking into its familiar melody—and ends with the torrid, extended jam of “Please Explain.” Elements of southern rock find their way here, not only with twin guitars but occasionally in a guitar-accordion tandem playing in tight unison. For the economizing Toups fan, there’s not much here that’s new, other than the fact that Toups and his nine-piece ensemble slam it down in epic proportions. No one works

21st Century Chase (Live at Anderson’s 80th Birthday Bash at the Velvet Lounge) (Delmark) Saxophonist Fred Anderson is one of the great elder statesmen of improvised music. He has been playing, teaching, or sponsoring it for the last three-plus decades at his Chicago barroom, The Velvet Lounge. One of his great partners over the years has been his counterpart in New Orleans, the great Edward “Kidd” Jordan. Their tenor “battles” have reached the same heights as the more famous Dexter Gordon/Wardell Gray or Eddie Davis/Johnny Griffin recordings, but they happen now several times each year. This current record celebrates their collaboration in March 2009 on the occasion of Anderson’s 80th birthday and contains white hot jazz of the highest caliber. Their high level of playing starts in the opening minutes of the first cut

An Intelligent Patriot Garage a Trois

instrument in each song that each remains discrete, unified by a musical sensibility, not by the sameness of the instrumentation. As the title implies, Power Patriot Part of what has set Garage a is often a muscular record. “Fragile” Trois apart from other jam/jazz/ is anything but, and “Rescue funk aggregations is its intelligence Spreaders” is as disorientingly and ability to follow through on a concept. 2005’s Outre Mer presented distorted as anything on the Flaming Lips’ Embryonic. It’s also often a itself as a soundtrack to a French very melodic album thanks to Mike movie that didn’t exist, but it was Dillon’s vibes-based compositions. done well enough to make the The highlight is “Dory’s Day Out,” charade seem possible. On the new Power Patriot, the sound has changed a rather sweet piece that recalls the work of a number of Brian Wilsona bit—Marco Benevento’s keyboards influenced bands (the High Llamas have replaced Charlie Hunter’s come to mind). guitar—but the same governing On occasion, the album toes the intelligence remains. Enough attention is paid to the sound of each waters of prog rock and Zappa-

Power Patriot (Royal Potato Family)

O DECEMBER 2009

esque jazz, minus the Zappa, but its beauty is that the compositions rarely sound like set-ups for solos. Even at six minutes on the album, there’s a clear purpose for each piece that rarely includes lengthy solos. If anything, a few of these tracks could use someone to step out and burn for a bit. —Alex Rawls www.OFFBEAT.com

REVIEWS

“21st Century Chase” and does not let up. Anderson and Jordan riff off each other at high speeds for several minutes with Kidd on the high end of the saxophone and Anderson in the lower registers. Many dismiss this kind of music and think that the players are just blowing without caring where it goes; Anderson and Jordan are listening to each other with intent and intensity, and the listener can hear the great, instantaneous music that results. Later in the piece, Anderson and Jordan take the music into the stratosphere playing swooping lines that sound like the spiritual displays with which Pharaoh Sanders and John Coltrane elevated audiences’ consciousnesses in the mid-1960s. This recording continues this theme as Jordan and Anderson play off, on, about, and around each other and guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Chad Taylor. They come back to earth for the last tune “Song for Alvin Fielder,” but by the end they take it back to beautiful realms. —David Kunian

Shane Theriot Dirty Power (Shose) It takes a special player to put out a record of guitar and band instrumentals and make it memorable. Guitarist Shane Theriot keeps his listeners paying attention on Dirty Power. Theriot’s background as guitar slinger for everyone from the Neville Brothers to Madeleine Peyroux to Idris Muhammad shows he has the variety and chops to make a rocking set of tunes. Theriot varies his tone and approach on each selection, but never goes so far afield that listeners fail to follow him. This conceptual continuity includes www.OFFBEAT.com

wah-wah pedal and horn-like lines meshing with the saxophone and trumpet on “Buckshot,” funky leads on “Dirty Power,” and the clean chords of “Old Men.” Theriot never noodles on these songs; he’s always saying something with his guitar. Another reason the album works is that Theriot has assembled a serious band of backing players who sound as committed to the material as he does. This includes keyboardists Johnny Neel and David Torkanowsky, drummers Jim Keltner, Zigaboo Modeliste, and Doug Belote, and Hutch Hutchinson on bass. The band is tight on all the cuts here and plays varieties of southern funk, northern soul, and jazz fusion that keep to a coherent tone and sequence. At times, the record harkens back to Joe Satriani guitar pieces or Jeff Beck’s fantastic instrumental records from the 1970s. Like those records, Theriot has something to say and the way he says it with his guitar makes for some great conversations. —David Kunian

Mia Borders Southern Fried Soul (Independent) Don’t be fooled by Mia Borders’ shy and soft singing style. On “Don’t Say Forever” the soul-jazz singer attacks the words of the song with the fierceness of Fefe Dobson’s hate driven “Unforgiven.” She sings of a lover who abused her trust in this pop-rock anthem of breaking up and rebuilding. Kyle Sclafani’s lead guitar is a bold contrast to her soft musings with great harmonies. But Borders taps into her sexy side on “Sustenance” and her cheeky side on “Scream,” an in-your-face tune that accusingly prods for answers about why she wasn’t good enough to keep her man and whether or not the other woman’s sex was worth it. “You’ll get what’s comin’ to ya. / I swear I’ll get you back,” she sings with such fury that you wouldn’t want to be the guy that wronged her caught alone one night in a dark alley. And with emotions as varying as hers are, this CD is full of surprises. There’s no telling what Mia Borders will come up with next, and that’s half the fun. —Brianna Prevost DECEMBER 2 009

When you’re out, text the word ‘offbeat’ to 33669 for daily listings. For complete listings, go to www.offbeat.com

Listings EXPRESS

TUESDAY DEC 1

Apple Barrel: Luke (BL) 8p, Kenny Swartz & the Palace of Sin (BL) 10:30p Blue Nile: George Grawe, Brian Prunka, Nobu Ozaki (MJ) 10p BMC: Ed Dowling’s New Orleans Jazz Band (JV) 7p, Marc Penton & Smoky Greenwell (BL) 10p, Domenic (BL) 1a Chickie Wah Wah: Anders Osborne, John Fohl, Johnny Sansone (JV) 8p Circle Bar: the Tom Paines (RR) 6p, the Jackals (RR) 10p Dragon’s Den: Kristina Y La Banda (upstairs), Andrew McGowan (downstairs) (JV) 10p Funky Pirate: Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p Howlin’ Wolf:Trombone Shorty, Kermit Ruffins, Rebirth Brass Band, 5th Ward Weebie, Dee-1 (VR) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Neal Caine (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Lynn Drury Birthday Bash (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Rebirth Brass Band (BB) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Tommy Singleton (RR) 8:30p Roussel Hall: John Mahoney Big Band CD-release Show (BG) 7:30p Snug Harbor: Thelonious Monk Institute Ensemble (MJ) 8p, 10p

WEDNESDAY DEC 2

Apple Barrel: Wendy Darling (BL) 8p, 19th Street Red (BL) 10:30p BMC: Domenic (BL) 6p, Jeremy Phipps and Monday’s Date (JV) 8p, Eric Gordon and the Lazy Boys Music Group (OR) 11p Chickie Wah Wah: John Boutte (JV) 7p d.b.a.: Tin Men (JV) 7p, Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters (BL) 10p Dos Jefes: Bob Andrews (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: Dancehall Classics feat. DJ T-Roy (RG) 10p Funky Pirate: Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p House of Blues: Juvenile CD-release party (RH) 9p

Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Chip Wilson (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Jolly House feat. Ed Volker, Reggie Scanlan, Joe Cabral and Michael Skinkus (FK) 10p Palm Court: Lars Edegran and Topsy Chapman feat. Palm Court Jazz Band (JV) 7p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Joe Krown (SI) 8:30p Snug Harbor:Tom McDermott & Friends (MJ) 8p, 10p Zeitgeist: James Singleton, Rick Trolsen, Tim Green and Georg Graewe (MJ) 8p

THURSDAY DEC 3

Apple Barrel: Maxwell Eaton (BL) 8p, Mike Darby & the House of Cards (BL) 10:30p Blue Nile: Bayou International feat. DJ T-Roy (RG) 10p BMC: Some Like it Hot (JV) 6p, Chegadao (OR) 9:30p Carrollton Station: New Orleans Songwriting Festival feat. Mark Miller, Caleb Guillotte and Sam Craft (OR SS) 9p Chickie Wah Wah: Pfister Sisters (JV) 7p d.b.a.: Kristy Kruger (JV) 7p, Andrew Duhon (JV) 10p Davenport Lounge (Ritz-Carlton): Jeremy Davenport (JV) 5:30p Dos Jefes: the Courtyard Kings (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: DJ Proppa Bear’s Bassbin Safari (DN) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p House of Blues: the Jingle Bell Bash! feat. Collective Soul (RR) 8p Howlin’ Wolf NorthShore (Mandeville): Black Magnolia Live Band Karaoke (PP) 10p Howlin’ Wolf: New Orleans Songwriters Festival, Bluebird Café open mic feat. Barbara Cloyd (SS) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Johnaye Kendrick (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Mike Ryan (BL) 9p Le Bon Temps Roule: Soul Rebels (BB) 11p Maple Leaf: the Trio feat. Johnny Vidacovich and guests (FK) 10p Ogden Museum: Ogden After Hours feat. David Doucet & John Fohl (OR) 6p

Here are OffBeat’s highlights of music and entertainment in New Orleans and the surrounding area for the current month. Each day’s events are listed in alphabetical order by club or venue. Listings are compiled based on information provided by clubs, bands and promoters up to our deadlines. Unfortunately, some information was not available at press time and listings are subject to change. Special events, concerts, festivals and theater listings follow the daily listings. For up-to-the-minute, complete music listings, check OffBeat’s web page at www.offbeat.com. For more details on a show, call the club directly. Phone numbers of clubs are shown in this section and/or at www.offbeat.com. To include your date or event, please email information to our listings editor, Craig Guillot at craigguillot@ offbeat.com or call 504-944-4300. Mr. Guillot can also provide listing deadlines for upcoming issues.

AC AU BL BU BB SH KJ KS CL CO CW DN

A Cappella Acoustic Blues Bluegrass Brass Band Cabaret/Show Cajun Christian Classical Comedy Country Dance

FE FK GS IR IN MJ TJ JV LT ME PK PP

Folk Funk Gospel Indie Rock International/World Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Trad Jazz, Variety Latin Metal Piano/Keyboards Pop/Top 40/Covers

RG RH RB RR SI SW TC VO ZY

Reggae Rap/Hip Hop Rhythm & Blues Rock Swing/Gypsy Spoken Word Techno/Dance/ Electronica Vocals Zydeco

SMOKE-FREE SHOW

For complete listings, go to www.offbeat.com 44

DECEMBER 2009

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LIVE LOCAL MUSIC Palm Court: Crescent City Joymakers (JV) 7p Republic: Starkillers, Force Feed Radio (RR) 10p Rivershack Tavern: News Paper Levee (BL RR) 7p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Lil Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers (ZY) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Ellis Marsalis (MJ) 8p, 10p Tipitina’s: Listening Room (SS) 10p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p Vaughan’s: Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers (MJ) 8:30p

FRIDAY DEC 4

Apple Barrel: John 4p, Kenny Holladay and Rick Westin (BL) 8p, the Hip Shakers (BL) 11p Blue Nile: MyNameisJohnMichael (RR) 10p BMC: Sasha Masakowski (LT JV) 7p, Fredy Omar con su Banda (LT) 10:30p Carrollton Station: Susan Cowsill Band Covered in Vinyl Series (VF RR) 9:30p Chickie Wah Wah: Threadhead Fridays feat. Paul Sanchez & Friends (JV) 8p d.b.a.: Hot Club of New Orleans (JV) 6p, Pine Leaf Boys (RR) 10p Davenport Lounge: Jeremy Davenport (JV) 9p Donna’s: Mayumi Shara Jazz Letters feat. Swanson (JV) 9p Dos Jefes: the Blotos, Bob Andrews (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: E.O.E. Underground (RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p Hi Ho Lounge: Vince’s B-Day Bash feat. The Great Void, Mountain of Wizard, Sisera (RR) 10p Howlin’ Wolf: New Orleans Songwriters Festival, Urban Artist and Songwriter Panel, Baby Boy Da Prince, NO Capo, Asia Bryant (SS) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Buddy Francioni & Home Grown (BL) 5p, Foot & Friends (BL) 9p Le Bon Temps Roule: Joe Krown (PK) 7p, J. Monque’D Blues Band (BL) 11p Maple Leaf: 101 Runners (FK) 10p Palm Court: Palm Court Jazz Band feat. Lucien Barbarin (JV) 7p Republic: Throwback feat. the Buttons (RR) 10p Rivershack Tavern: Refugeze (BL RR) 9:30p Rock ’n’ Bowl: George Porter, Jr. & his Runnin’ Pardners (FK) 9:30p Snug Harbor: Orange Kellin’s Blue Serenaders feat. Vernel Bagneris (MJ) 8p, 10p Tipitina’s: Groovesect feat. Billion Dollar Baby Dolls and Easy Company (FK) 10p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p, Willie Locket (PP) 9p

SATURDAY DEC 5

Apple Barrel: Maxwell Eaton (BL) 4p, Sneaky Pete (BL) 8p, the Hip Shakers (BL) 11p Blue Nile: Singer Songwriter Fest (SS) 5p, Andy J. Forest, St. Louis Slim (BL) 7p, Will Bernard, Brian Coogan, Simon Lott (MJ) 10p BMC: Jayna Morgan and the Sazerac Sunrise (JV) 7p, Soul Rebels Brass Band (BB) 10:30p Chickie Wah Wah: Flamenco feat. Ven Pa’Ca w/ Antonio Hidalgo & Carolina Pozuelo (JV) 9p d.b.a.: John Boutte (JV) 7p, Little Freddie King (BL) 11p Davenport Lounge: Jeremy Davenport (JV) 9p Donna’s: Bo Dollis, Jr. & the Wild Magnolias (FK) 9p Dragon’s Den: Grass-Roots (RH RB) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p Hi Ho Lounge: the Pallbearers, Face First, Blast Rag (RR) 10p House of Blues: New Orleans Songwriter’s Festival feat. Allen Toussaint, Don Schlitz, JD Souther and more (SS) 8p Howlin’ Wolf NorthShore (Mandeville): Alkatraz Out Patient, Mr. Wayne, Go Get Em Boyz, Prophet (RR) 10p

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Howlin’ Wolf: benefit for Bridge House feat. Bicipital Groove, Moderator Band, Saturday Night Palsy (VR) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Glen David Andrews (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Steve Keith (FE) 5p, Kerry Annual Beatles Tribute feat. Rites of Passage (RR) 9p Le Bon Temps Roule: New Libation Orchestra (RR) 11p Maple Leaf: Colonel Bruce Hampton & the Quark Alliance (FK) 10p Palm Court: Palm Court Jazz Band feat. Lionel Ferbos (JV) 7p Rivershack Tavern: Ghost Town (BL RR) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Mike Zito,Amanda Shaw (KJ RR) 9p Snug Harbor: Astral Project (MJ) 8p, 10p, Phil DeGruy & Friends (MJ) 12a Tipitina’s: Bill Summers and Jazsalsa (FK) 10p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p, Willie Locket (PP) 9p

FEATURED SHOW

SUNDAY DEC 6

Apple Barrel: Kenny Claiborne (BL) 4p, Eve’s Lucky Planet (BL) 8p, Mike Hood (BL) 10:30p BMC: Fundraiser for Prisoners in Louisiana (VR) 2p, Ras Chemash Lamed (JV) 6p, Gal Holiday (BU) 9p d.b.a.: Palmetto Bug Stompers (JV) 6p, Mas Mamones (OR) 10p Donna’s: Jesse McBride & the Next Generation Jazz Band (JV) 9p Dragon’s Den: Shaven Winos (RR) 6p,Attrition (RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p Hookah Café: call club House of Blues: Sunday Gospel Brunch feat. Electrifying Crown Seekers (GS) 10a, Christmas with Aaron Neville & his Quintet with Charles Neville (RB) 8p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: David Torkanowsky presents Mason’s VIP Lounge Revisited feat. Germaine Bazzle & guests (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Steve Keith (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Joe Krown Trio feat. Russell Batiste and Walter “Wolfman” Washington (FK) 10p Palm Court: Sunday Night Swingsters feat. Lucien Barbarin and Mark Braud (JV) 7p Snug Harbor: Charlie Miller Christmas CD party (MJ) 8p, 10p Tipitina’s: Cajun Fais do do (KJ) 5:30p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p

the ome for returns to s” y a d li o H es se of Blu the Hou r-studded a st a h Brass er 23 wit Decemb includes Rebirth t da a n th a p m lineu ns, A rmit Ruffi indell, Band, Ke arr Allen, Eric L ore m am y h S n , a w m a d h S atiste an Daniel Price B n a th a Jon r the money fo hich helps to to raise ,w d n u F l a Memori nts to NOCCA. de send stu

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MONDAY DEC 7

Apple Barrel: Sam Cammarata and Dominick Grillo (BL) 8p, Shotgun House (BL) 10:30p BMC: the Franklin Avenue Underpass Jazz Band (JV) 7p, Mario Abney (JV FK) 10p Chickie Wah Wah: Todd Duke Trio feat. Germaine Bazzle (JV) 7p Columns: David Douvet (JV) 8p d.b.a.: Glen David Andrews (JV) 9p Donna’s: Les Getrex and the Blues All-stars (BL) 9p Dos Jefes: John Fohl (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: Punk & Metal Night, Hannah Krieger-Benson and Peter Squires (ME RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Bob French (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Kim Carson (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Papa Grows Funk (FK) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: open blues jam feat. Chuck Credo (BL) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Charmaine Neville Band (MJ) 8p, 10p

TUESDAY DEC 8

Apple Barrel: Kenny Claiborne (BL) 8p, Kenny Swartz & the Palace of Sin (BL) 10:30p Blue Nile: Simon Lott’s Another Day feat. Chris Alford and James Singleton (MJ) 10p BMC: Ed Dowling’s New Orleans Jazz Band (JV) 7p, the Sunshine Boyz (JV) 10p, Domenic (BL) 1a DECEMBER 2 009

LIVE LOCAL MUSIC Chickie Wah Wah: Anders Osborne, John Fohl, Johnny Sansone (JV) 8p d.b.a.: Cottonmouth Kings of New Orleans (JV) 9p Dragon’s Den: Thurd Sequence, Amish Electric Chair (RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Ed “Sweetbread” Petersen (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Honky Tonk Open Mic feat. Jason Bishop (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Rebirth Brass Band (BB) 10p One Eyed Jacks: the Slackers, Maddie Ruthless (RR) 9p Rock ’n’ Bowl: call club Snug Harbor: Thelonious Monk Institute Ensemble (MJ) 8p, 10p

WEDNESDAY DEC 9

Apple Barrel: Wendy Darling (BL) 8p, Andy J. Forest (BL) 10:30p BMC: Domenic (JV) 6p, Jeremy Phipps and Monday’s Date (JV) 8p, the Low-Stress Quartet (JV) 11p Chickie Wah Wah: John Boutte (JV) 7p d.b.a.: Tin Men (JV) 7p, Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters (JV) 10p Dos Jefes: Bob Andrews (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: Dancehall Classics feat. DJ T-Roy (RG) 10p Funky Pirate: Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p House of Blues: Laura Izibor, Dan Dyer 8p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Chip Wilson (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: call club Palm Court: Palm Court Jazz Band feat. Lars Edegran and Topsy Chapman (JV) 7p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Jerry Embree (SI) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Tom McDermott & Friends (MJ) 8p, 10p

FRIDAY DEC 11

Apple Barrel: John 4p, Kenny Holladay and Rick Westin (BL) 8p, the Hip Shakers (BL) 11p Banks Street Bar: the Parishoners (RR) 7p Blue Nile: Big Sam’s Funky Nation (FK) 10p BMC: Sasha Masakowski (JV) 7p, Fredy Omar con su Banda (LT) 10:30p Chickie Wah Wah: Paul Sanchez & Friends (JV) 8p d.b.a.: Ingrid Lucia (VF) 6p, Grayson Capps feat. Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion (VR) 10p Davenport Lounge: Jeremy Davenport (JV) 9p Donna’s: call club Dos Jefes: Eric Traub (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: DJ Proppa Bear (DN) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p Hi Ho Lounge: R. Scully’s Rough 7, Magnolia Beacon (RR) 10p House of Blues: John Prine, Iris DeMent (RR) 8p

PLAN A: John Prine John Prine is one of those master singer-songwriters whose biggest hits were for other people—“Angel of Montgomery” for Bonnie Raitt and “You Never Call Me By My Name” for David Allan Coe among them. But Prine’s greatest songs are wrought by his own laid-back chuckle. The characters in a John Prine song are submerged in drunkenness, fatigue, ennui and/or loss and yet they all rise above the hazards of living as their dreams bubble up to the surface. Here are a few opportunities for you to get acquainted with those people:

THURSDAY DEC 10

Apple Barrel: Maxwell Eaton (BL) 8p, Washboard Chaz (BL) 10:30p Big Top: Caulfield, Thou, Small Bones (ME) 7p Blue Nile: Bayou International feat. DJ T-Roy (RG) 10p BMC: Some Like it Hot (JV) 6p, Louisiana Hellbenders (BL) 9:30p Chickie Wah Wah: Pfister Sisters (JV) 7p Columns: Fredy Omar (JV) 8p d.b.a.: Olga (OR) 7p, City Champs feat. Robert Mercurio (RR) 10p Davenport Lounge: Jeremy Davenport (JV) 5:30p Dragon’s Den: DJ Proppa Bear’s Bassbin Safari (DN) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p House of Blues: Less Than Jake, Cage, the Swellers, Highlights from Warped Tour (RR) 5:30p Howlin’ Wolf NorthShore (Mandeville): Black Magnolia Live Band Karaoke (PP) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Johnaye Kendrick (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Schatzy & Associates (RR) 9p Le Bon Temps Roule: Soul Rebels (BB) 11p Maple Leaf: the Trio feat. Johnny Vidacovich and guests (FK) 10p Ogden Museum:After Hours feat. Joe Clay (RR) 6p Palm Court: Palm Court Jazz Band feat. Duke Hietger (JV) 7p Rivershack Tavern: Kim Carson (BL RR) 7p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Curley Taylor (ZY) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Camille Baudoin feat. John Rankin, Charlie Miller and Michael Skinkus (MJ) 8p, 10p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p Vaughan’s: Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers (MJ) 8:30p

DECEMBER 2009

Howlin’ Wolf NorthShore (Mandeville): Radiators (RR) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Mike Ryan (BL) 5p, Foot & Friends (BL) 9p Le Bon Temps Roule: Joe Krown (PK) 7p, Juice (FK RR) 11p Maple Leaf: Eric McFadden (FK) 10p Palm Court: Palm Court Jazz Band feat. Lucien Barbarin (JV) 7p Republic: Throwback feat. Gamma Ringo (RR) 10p Rivershack Tavern: John Lisi (BL RR) 9:30p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Bonerama (FK) 10p Snug Harbor: Ellis Marsalis (MJ) 8p, 10p Southport Hall: Weathered (RR) 10p Tipitina’s: Soul Glo Christmas Jam feat. Soul Rebels and DJ Soul Sister (FK) 10p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p, Willie Locket (PP) 9p

SATURDAY DEC 12

Apple Barrel: Maxwell Eaton (BL) 4p, Sneaky Pete (BL) 8p, the Hip Shakers (BL) 11p Blue Nile: Andy J. Forest and St. Louis Slim (BL) 7p, Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes (FK) 10p BMC: Jayna Morgan and the Sazerac Sunrise (JV) 7p, Benny Turner & Real Blues (BL) 10:30p d.b.a.: John Boutte (JV) 7p, Otra (LT) 11p Davenport Lounge (Ritz-Carlton): Jeremy Davenport (JV) 9p Donna’s: Leroy Jones Jazz Quintet (JV) 9p Dos Jefes: Acoustic Swiftness (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: Good Day 4 an Airstrike, a Living Soundtrack (upstairs), Mat People’s Collective, Jermaine Quiz, Illegal Alias (downstairs) (RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p

John Prine (1972): Worth the price of admission for “Donald & Lydia,” where Lydia “fat daughter of Virginia & Ray,” and Donald, a young PFC, met in the netherworld of dreams and “made love from ten miles away.” It is possibly the best love song ever written. The Missing Years (1991): A solid comeback record for a guy that never really left, but the mostly spoken title track stands out, hilariously filling in the holes between adolescence and ministry in Jesus’ life story with anecdotes like “He couldn’t get divorced in the Catholic church / at least not back then anyhow. / Jesus was a good guy he didn’t need this shit / so he took a pill with a bag of peanuts and / a Coca-Cola and he swallowed it.” Standard Songs for Average People (2007): Prine and bluegrass balladeer Mac Wiseman wear these old country and folk standards like trusty work boots, breathing new life into everything from Ernest Tubb’s “Blue Eyed Elaine” to Lefty Frizzell’s “Saginaw Michigan” John Prine appears at House of Blues with Iris DeMent on December 11 & 12. —Alex V. Cook House of Blues: John Prine, Iris DeMent (RR) 8p Howlin’ Wolf: Dave Matthews Tribute Band (RR) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Shannon Powell (MJ) 8p

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LIVE LOCAL MUSIC Kerry Irish Pub: Balsawood Flyers (BL) 5p, Hurricane Refugees (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Good Enough for Good Times (FK) 10p Palm Court: Palm Court Jazz Band feat. Lionel Ferbos (JV) 7p Rivershack Tavern: Coldshot (BL RR) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: the Derailers, Christian Serpas & Ghost Town (CW) 9p Snug Harbor: call club for early show, Kirk Nasty feat. Nathan Lambertson (MJ) 12a Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p, Willie Locket (PP) 9p

SUNDAY DEC 13

Apple Barrel: Kenny Claiborne (BL) 4p, Bill Van (BL) 8p, Mike Hood (BL) 10:30p BMC: Ras Chemash Lamed (JV) 6p, Gal Holiday (BU) 9p d.b.a.: Palmetto Bug Stompers (JV) 6p, Chris Chew (RR) 10p Donna’s: Jesse McBride & the Next Generation Jazz Band (JV) 9p Dragon’s Den: Attrition (RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p House of Blues: Sunday Gospel Brunch feat. The Zion Harmonizers (GS) 10a Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: David Torkanowsky presents Mason’s VIP Lounge Revisited feat. Germaine Bazzle and guests (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Mike Ryan (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Joe Krown Trio feat. Russell Batiste and Walter “Wolfman” Washington (FK) 10p Palm Court: Palm Court Jazz Band feat. Lucien Barbarin and Tom Fischer (JV) 7p Snug Harbor: Tom McDermott Duo (MJ) 3p; Cindy Scott (MJ) 8p, 10p Tipitina’s: Cajun Fais do do feat. Bruce Daigrepont (KJ) 5:30p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p

Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Glen David Andrews (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Honky Tonk Open Mic feat. Jason Bishop (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Rebirth Brass Band (BB) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: call club Snug Harbor: Pfister Sisters 30th Anniversary Party (TJ) 8p & 10p

WEDNESDAY DEC 16

Apple Barrel: Wendy Darling (BL) 8p, Shotgun House (BL) 10:30p BMC: Domenic (BL) 6p, Jeremy Phipps and Monday’s Date (JV) 8p, the Low-Stress Quartet (JV) 11p d.b.a.: Tin Men (JV) 7p, Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters (FK) 10p Dos Jefes: Bob Andrews (JV) 10p

Dragon’s Den: Dancehall Classics feat. DJ T-Roy (RG) 10p Funky Pirate: Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p House of Blues: LMFAO’s Party Rock Tour feat. Shwayze, Far East Movement, Paradiso Girls (RR) 9p Howlin’ Wolf: M. Harris, SPY-anage, PHAT Word (RR) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Chip Wilson (BL) 9p Le Bon Temps Roule: Dave Jordan & Comrades (RR) 10p Maple Leaf: call club Palm Court: Palm Court Jazz Band feat. Lars Edegran and Topsy Chapman (JV) 7p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Swing-a-Roux (SI) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet (MJ) 8p, 10p

THURSDAY DEC 17

Apple Barrel: Maxwell Eaton (BL) 8p, the Louisiana Hellbenders (BL) 10:30p Big Top: Last Stop Shop 6p Blue Nile: Bayou International feat. DJ T-Roy (RG) 10p BMC: Some Like it Hot (JV) 6p, the Live Oaks (JV) 9:30p Chickie Wah Wah: Pfister Sisters (JV) 7p Circle Bar: Sam and Boone (RR) 6p, WATIV (RR) 10p d.b.a.: Evan Christopher (JV) 7p, Alex McMurray (RR) 10p Davenport Lounge: Jeremy Davenport (JV) 5:30p Dragon’s Den: DJ Proppa Bear’s Bassbin Safari (DN) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p Hookah Café: House Party feat. DJ Bees Knees, Rusty Lazer and guests (RH) 10p

MONDAY DEC 14

Apple Barrel: Sam Cammarata and Dominick Grillo (BL) 8p, Johnny J. & Benny Maygarden (BL) 10:30p BMC: the Franklin Avenue Underpass Jazz Band (JV) 7p, Mario Abney (JV FK) 10p Chickie Wah Wah: Evan Christopher (JV) 7p d.b.a.: Glen David Andrews (JV) 9p Donna’s: Les Getrex and the Blues All-stars (BL) 9p Dos Jefes: John Fohl (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: Punk & Metal Night, Wativ (upstairs), Dead Icons (downstairs) (ME RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Bob French (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Patrick Catania (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Papa Grows Funk (FK) 10p Old Point Bar: Brent Walsh Jazz Trio (JV) 5:30p Rock ’n’ Bowl: open blues jam feat. Chuck Credo (BL) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Charmaine Neville Band (MJ) 8p, 10p

TUESDAY DEC 15

Apple Barrel: Luke (BL) 8p, Kenny Swartz & the Palace of Sin (BL) 10:30p Blue Nile: Mark McGrain “In-Deep & At-Large” (MJ) 10p BMC: Ed Dowling’s New Orleans Jazz Band (JV) 7p, Sweet Jones (JV) 10p, Domenic (BL) 1a Chickie Wah Wah: Anders Osborne, John Fohl, Johnny Sansone (JV) 8p Circle Bar: the Tom Paines (RR) 6p Columns: John Rankin (JV) 8p d.b.a.: Cottonmouth Kings of New Orleans (JV) 9p Dos Jefes: Tom Hook (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: Kirk Nasty (upstairs), Canadian Rifle, Pumpkin, the Rooks (downstairs) (RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p

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DECEMBER 2 009

LIVE LOCAL MUSIC House of Blues: Underoath, August Burns Red, Emery (RR) 6p Howlin’ Wolf NorthShore (Mandeville): Black Magnolia Live Band Karaoke (PP) 10p Howlin’ Wolf: Luke Starkiller, Pandemic (RR) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Johnaye Kendrick (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: DJ TR (BL) 9p Le Bon Temps Roule: Soul Rebels (BB) 11p Maple Leaf: the Trio feat. Johnny Vidacovich and guests (FK) 10p Ogden Museum: Ogden After Hours feat. Tim Johnson (OR) 6p Palm Court: Crescent City Joymakers feat. Leroy Jones and Katja Toivola-Jones (JV) 7p Rivershack Tavern: Mustard Brothers (BL RR) 7p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Lil Wayne & Same Ol’ Two Step (ZY) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Spencer Bohren Annual Christmas Show (MJ) 8p, 10p Tipitina’s: Rooney, Tony Hall, Crash Kings (FK) 10p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p Vaughan’s: Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers (MJ) 8:30p

FRIDAY DEC 18

Apple Barrel: John 4p, Kenny Holladay and Rick Westin (BL) 8p, the Hip Shakers (BL) 11p Blue Nile: Soul Rebels Brass Band (BB) 10p BMC: Sasha Masakowski (JV LT) 7p, Fredy Omar con su Banda (JV) 10:30p Chickie Wah Wah: Paul Sanchez & Friends (JV) 8p Contemporary Arts Center: Judith Owen and Harry Shearer’s Holiday Sing-a-Long (VR) 7p d.b.a.: Hot Club of New Orleans (JV) 6p, Anders Osborne (RR) 10p Davenport Lounge: Jeremy Davenport (JV) 9p Donna’s: Meshiya Lake & the Little Big Horn Band (JV) 9p Dos Jefes: George French Band (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: DJ Soul Sister (FK) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p Hi Ho Lounge: Honey Island Swamp Band, Strawberry (RR) 10p House of Blues: Bustout Burlesque feat. Michelle L’amour (SH) 7:30p, 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Buddy Francioni & Home Grown (BL) 5p, Christian Serpas & Ghost Town (CW) 9p Le Bon Temps Roule: Joe Krown (PK) 7p, King James Blues Band (BL) 11p Maple Leaf: the Radiators (FK) 10p Palm Court: Palm Court Jazz Band feat. Lucien Barbarin (JV) 7p Republic: Throwback feat. Rotary Downs (RR) 10p Rivershack Tavern: Bryan Lee (BL RR) 9:30p Rock ’n’ Bowl: the Wise Guys (PP) 9:30p Saturn Bar: the Valparaiso Men’s Chorus (VR) 11p Snug Harbor: call club Southport Hall: Band Camp (RR) 10p Tipitina’s: Flow Tribe’s Christmas Crunktacular feat. Revivalists (RR) 10p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p, Willie Locket (PP) 9p

SATURDAY DEC 19

Apple Barrel: Maxwell Eaton (BL) 4p, Sneaky Pete (BL) 8p, the Hip Shakers (BL) 11p Blue Nile: Washboard Chaz Blues Trio (BL) 7p, Chuck Perkins and the Voices of the Big Easy (VR) 10p BMC: Jayna Morgan and the Sazerac Sunrise (JV) 7p, the New Orleans Moonshiners (JV) 10:30p Contemporary Arts Center: Judith Owen and Harry Shearer’s Holiday Sing-a-Long (VR) 7p d.b.a.: John Boutte (JV) 7p, Good Enough for Good Times (RR) 11p

DECEMBER 2009

Davenport Lounge: Jeremy Davenport (JV) 9p Donna’s: Pinettes Brass Band (BB) 9p Dos Jefes: Sunpie & the Louisiana Sunspots (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: Soul Rebels Brass Band (BB) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p House of Blues: Kermit Ruffins Annual B-day Bash feat. Irvin Mayfield, Trombone Shorty (MJ) 10:30p Howlin’ Wolf: Benjy Davis Project, Meriwether (RR) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Shannon Powell (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Balsawood Flyers (BL) 5p, Rites of Passage (BL) 9p Le Bon Temps Roule: Brian Coogan Band (OR) 11p Maple Leaf: the Radiators (FK) 10p One Eyed Jacks: Suplecs (RR) 9p Palm Court: Palm Court Jazz Band feat. Lionel Ferbos (JV) 7p Rivershack Tavern: Gal Holiday (BL RR) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Sgt. Pepper’s Beatles Tribute Band (RR) 9:30p Snug Harbor: Davell Crawford & Company (MJ) 8p, 10p Tipitina’s: Earphunk, Gravy (RR) 10p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p, Willie Locket (PP) 9p

SUNDAY DEC 20

Apple Barrel: Kenny Claiborne (BL) 4p, Ivoire Spectacle with Seguenon Kone (BL) 8p, Mike Hood (BL) 10:30p BMC: Ras Chemash Lamed (JV) 6p, Gal Holiday (BU) 9p d.b.a.: Palmetto Bug Stompers (JV) 6p, Bert Cotton Trio feat. Matt Perrine and Simon Lott (RR) 10p Donna’s: Jesse McBride & the Next Generation Jazz Band (JV) 9p Dragon’s Den: Attrition, Sunday Service feat. Sissy Nobby (RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p House of Blues: Sunday Gospel Brunch (GS) 10a Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: David Torkanowsky presents Mason’s VIP Lounge Revisited feat. Germaine Bazzle and guests (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Irish Session (FE) 4p, Wrong Place Saloon Reunion Band (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Joe Krown Trio feat. Russell Batiste and Walter “Wolfman” Washington (FK) 10p Palm Court: Sunday Night Swingsters feat. Lucien Barbarin (JV) 7p Snug Harbor: John Mahoney Big Band (MJ) 8p, 10p Tipitina’s: Cajun Fais do do feat. Bruce Daigrepont (KJ) 5:30p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p

MONDAY DEC 21

Apple Barrel: Sam Cammarata and Dominick Grillo (BL) 8p, the Louisiana Hellbenders (BL) 10:30p BMC: the Franklin Avenue Underpass Jazz Band (JV) 7p, Mario Abney (JV FK) 10p Chickie Wah Wah: Evan Christopher (JV) 7p d.b.a.: Glen David Andrews (JV) 9p Donna’s: Les Getrex and the Blues All-stars (BL) 9p Dos Jefes: John Fohl (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: Punk & Metal Night (ME RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Bob French’s Original Tuxedo Jazz Band (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Jason Bishop (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Papa Grows Funk (FK) 10p Old Point Bar: Brent Walsh Jazz Trio (JV) 5:30p Rock ’n’ Bowl: open blues jam feat. Chuck Credo (BL) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Charmaine Neville Band (MJ) 8p, 10p

TUESDAY DEC 22

Apple Barrel: Kenny Claiborne (BL) 8p, Kenny Swartz & the Palace of Sin (BL) 10:30p

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LIVE LOCAL MUSIC Blue Nile: Patrick Weathers and Patrick Crossland (MJ) 10p BMC: Ed Dowling’s New Orleans Jazz Band (JV) 7p, Jayna Morgan & the Sazerac Sunrise (JV) 10p, Domenic (BL) 1a Chickie Wah Wah: Anders Osborne, John Fohl, Johnny Sansone (JV) 8p Circle Bar: the Tom Paines (RR) 6p, Skate Night (RR) 10p Columns: John Rankin (JV) 8p d.b.a.: Cottonmouth Kings of New Orleans (JV) 9p Dos Jefes: Tom Hook (JV) 10p Funky Pirate: Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Ed “Sweetbread” Petersen (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: T. Bone Stone & the Lazy Boys (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Rebirth Brass Band (BB) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: call club Snug Harbor: Mitch Woods’ Rocket 88s (MJ) 8p & 10p

PLAN A: Christmas Concerts In this month’s cover story, we highlight just a handful of the Christmas concerts that take place in New Orleans in December. There are more than we can list here, so check the listings at OffBeat. com for the full rundown. Here are some of the highlights: Starting December 1, the Christmas concerts in the St. Louis Cathedral return. These free shows start at 6 p.m. and feature jazz, gospel and classical artists performing the season’s favorite spirituals. The series opens with a performance by Irvin Mayfield, and highlights include the Mahalia Jackson Gospel Choir (Dec.

Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown (MJ) 8p Le Bon Temps Roule: Irie Xmas w/ The Medians (RR) 11p Maple Leaf: the Trio feat. Johnny Vidacovich and guests (FK) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: 12 Yats of Christmas Party feat. Benny Grunch & the Bunch (PP) 6p Snug Harbor: closed Southport Hall: the Morning Life (RR) 10p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p, Willie Locket (PP) 9p

SATURDAY DEC 26

Apple Barrel: Maxwell Eaton (BL) 4p, Sneaky Pete (BL) 8p,Andre Bouvier & the Royal Bohemians (BL) 11p Blue Nile: Washboard Chaz Blues Trio (BL) 7p, Backbeat Foundation presents (VR) 10p BMC: Jayna Morgan and the Sazerac Sunrise (JV) 7p, Chegadao (LT) 10:30p

WEDNESDAY DEC 23

Apple Barrel: Wendy Darling (BL) 8p, Johnny J. & Benny Maygarden (BL) 10:30p BMC: Domenic (BL) 6p, Jeremy Phipps and Monday’s Date (JV) 8p, the Low-Stress Quartet (JV) 11p Columns: Ricardo Crespo (JV) 8p d.b.a.: Tin Men (JV) 7p, Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters (BL) 10p Dos Jefes: Bob Andrews (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: Dancehall Classics feat. DJ T-Roy (RG) 10p Funky Pirate: Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p House of Blues: Nova Nola feat. Sasha Masakowski, John Boutte Band and more (JV) 7:30p Howlin’ Wolf: Birdfinger (RR) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Chip Wilson (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: call club Rock ’n’ Bowl: Geno Delafose (ZY) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Snug Harbor: Philip Manuel Christmas Show (MJ) 8p & 10p

THURSDAY DEC 24

Apple Barrel: Maxwell Eaton (BL) 8p, call for late show BMC: Some Like it Hot (JV) 6p, Jesse Moore Band (JV) 9:30p Davenport Lounge: Jeremy Davenport (JV) 5:30p Dragon’s Den: DJ Proppa Bear’s Bassbin Safari (DN) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p Howlin’ Wolf NorthShore (Mandeville): Black Magnolia Live Band Karaoke (PP) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Johnaye Kendrick (MJ) 8p Le Bon Temps Roule: Soul Rebels Xmas Party (BB) 11p Snug Harbor: closed Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p Vaughan’s: Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers (MJ) 8:30p

FRIDAY DEC 25

Apple Barrel: John 4p, Kenny Holladay and Rick Westin (BL) 8p, the Hip Shakers (BL) 11p Blue Nile: Christmas Party feat. Big Sam (FK) 10p BMC: Domenic (BL) 8p, Rockin Jimmy & the Poboys (JV) 10:30p Chickie Wah Wah: Paul Sanchez Threadhead Christmas (JV) 8p Circle Bar: Jim O. & the Sporadic Fanatics (RR) 6p Davenport Lounge: Jeremy Davenport (JV) 9p Dos Jefes: Eric Traub (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: DJ Proppa Bear’s Christmas Party (DN) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p

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8), Tom McDermott and Connie Jones (Dec. 9), Franklin Avenue BC Ministry (Dec. 15), John Boutte (Dec. 16) and the Gospel Divas, Rev. Lois Dejean and Company (Dec. 21). Go the FQFI.org for the complete schedule. More secular or mixed celebrations will take place in some of the clubs. On December 5, Tipitina’s hosts Bill Summers and Jazsalsa’s Holiday Showcase. December 6, the House of Blues presents Christmas with Aaron Neville and his Quintet featuring Charles Neville, then on December 11, the Soul Rebels and DJ Soul Sister play the Soul Glo Christmas Jam at Tipitina’s. On December 15, another radio station Christmas show’s at the House of Blues, this time “The Night The B Stole Christmas” featuring Cobra Starship, Iyaz and more. On December 17, Spencer Bohren returns to Snug Harbor for his 12th annual Christmas Concert with family and musical friends, then on December 18, Tipitina’s hosts Flow Tribe’s “Christmas Crunktacular” with the Revivalists. Unfortunately, we’ll miss Marva Wright’s Christmas night celebration this year, but Benny Grunch and the Bunch will answer the Christmas night call, playing “The 12 Yats of Christmas” at the Rock ’n’ Bowl December 25. —Alex Rawls

Carrollton Station: Dash Rip Rock (RR) 10p d.b.a.: Joe Krown, Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Russell Batiste Trio (FK) 10p Davenport Lounge: Jeremy Davenport (JV) 9p Donna’s: Leroy Jones Jazz Quintet (JV) 9p Dos Jefes: Rick Trolsen (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: a Very Merry New Year (VR) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p House of Blues: Dr. John and the Lower 911 (RB) 9p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Shannon Powell (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Steve Keith (FE) 5p, Hurricane Refugees (BL) 9p Le Bon Temps Roule: RiverBent (OR) 11p Maple Leaf: Papa Grows Funk (FK) 10p Old Point Bar: Johnny J. & the Hitmen (BL) 9:30p Rivershack Tavern: Refried Confusion (BL RR) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. (ZY) 9:30p Snug Harbor: Donald Harrison (MJ) 8p, 10p Southport Hall: Grunge Factory (RR) 10p Tipitina’s: Cajun/Zydeco Dance Fest (KJ ZY) 1p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p, Willie Locket (PP) 9p

SUNDAY DEC 27

Apple Barrel: Kenny Claiborne (BL) 4p, House of Cards (BL) 8p, Mike Hood (BL) 10:30p BMC: Lantana Combo (JV) 6p, Gal Holiday (BU) 9p d.b.a.: Palmetto Bug Stompers (JV) 6p, Panorama Jazz Band (JV) 10p Donna’s: Jesse McBride & Next Generation (JV) 9p Dragon’s Den: Attrition (RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p DECEMBER 2 009

LIVE LOCAL MUSIC House of Blues: Sunday Gospel Brunch (GS) 10a, Dr. John and the Lower 911 (RB) 9p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: David Torkanowsky presents Mason’s VIP Lounge Revisited feat. Germaine Bazzle and guests (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Steve Keith (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Joe Krown Trio Russell Batiste & Walter “Wolfman” Washington (FK) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Mixed Nuts (PP) 9p Snug Harbor: call club Southport Hall: 3 Dolla Bill (RR) 10p Tipitina’s: Cajun/Zydeco Dance Fest (KJ ZY) 1p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p

MONDAY DEC 28

Apple Barrel: Sam Cammarata and Dominick Grillo (BL) 8p, Butch Trivette (BL) 10:30p

BMC: Franklin Avenue Underpass Jazz Band (JV) 7p, Mario Abney (JV) 10p Chickie Wah Wah: Evan Christopher (JV) 7p d.b.a.: Glen David Andrews (JV) 9p Donna’s: Les Getrex and the Blues All-stars (BL) 9p Dragon’s Den: Punk & Metal Night (downstairs), Megafauna, High in One Eye (upstairs) (ME RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p Hi Ho Lounge: Bluegrass Pickin’ Party (BU) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Bob French (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Jason Bishop (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Papa Grows Funk (FK) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Geno Delafose (ZY) 8:30p Snug Harbor: Charmaine Neville Band (MJ) 8p, 10p

TUESDSAY DEC 29

Apple Barrel: Luke (BL) 8p, Bill Van (BL) 10:30p Blue Nile: Neslort (MJ) 10p BMC: Ed Dowling’s New Orleans Jazz Band (JV) 7p, Washboard Chaz (BL) 10p, Domenic (BL) 1a Chickie Wah Wah: Anders Osborne, John Fohl, Johnny Sansone (JV) 8p Circle Bar: the Tom Paines (RR) 6p Columns: John Rankin (JV) 8p d.b.a.: Cottonmouth Kings of New Orleans (JV) 9p Dos Jefes: Tom Hook (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: Mumbles, the Local Skank (RR) 10p Funky Pirate: Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p House of Blues: Corey Smith,American Aquarium (RR) 8p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Glen David Andrews (MJ) 8p

Kerry Irish Pub: Sunshine Boys (BL) 9p Maple Leaf: Rebirth Brass Band (BB) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Bag of Donuts (PP) 9p Snug Harbor: call club

WEDNESDAY DEC 30

Apple Barrel: Wendy Darling (BL) 8p, Andy J. Forest (BL) 10:30p Blue Nile: Geek Dreams (OR) 10p BMC: Domenic (BL) 6p, Jeremy Phipps and Monday’s Date (JV) 8p, the Low-Stress Quartet (JV) 11p d.b.a.: Tin Men (JV) 7p, Walter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters (BL) 10p Dos Jefes: Tony Green and Gypsy Jazz (JV) 10p Dragon’s Den: Dancehall Classics feat. DJ T-Roy (RG) 10p Funky Pirate: Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p Hi Ho Lounge: Anxious Sounds 3rd Annual Holiday Ho Down (RR) 9p House of Blues: Better Than Ezra (RR) 8p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Irvin Mayfield & the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Lynn Drury (BL) 9p Le Bon Temps Roule: Dave Jordan & Comrades (RR) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: the Bucktown All-stars (PP) 9:30p Snug Harbor: Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet (MJ) 8p, 10p Southport Hall: the HotShots (RR) 10p

THURSDAY DEC 31

Apple Barrel: Maxwell Eaton (BL) 8p, the Louisiana Hellbenders (BL) 10:30p Blue Nile: Bayou International feat. DJ T-Roy (RG) 9p BMC: Sweet Jones (JV) 7p, Louisiana Hellbenders (BL) 10:30p, Jamey St. Pierre (JV) 1:30a d.b.a.: Colin Lake (JV) 7p, New Year’s Eve Bash feat. Eric Lindell (JV) 11p Davenport Lounge: Jeremy Davenport (JV) 5:30p Donna’s: Bo Dollis, Jr. & the Wild Magnolias (FK) 9p Dragon’s Den: DJ Proppa Bear’s Bassbin Safari (DN) 10p Funky Pirate: Mark Penton (BL) 4p, Big Al Carson & the Blues Masters (BL) 8:30p Hi Ho Lounge: R. Scully’s Rough 7, Ratty Scurvics’ Big Band, DeBauch (RR) 10p Hookah Café: New Year’s Eve Party (VR) 10p Howlin’ Wolf NorthShore (Mandeville): Frontiers: the Ultimate Tribute to Journey (RR) 10p Howlin’ Wolf: Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Papa Grows Funk (FK) 10p Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse (Royal Sonesta): Johnaye Kendrick (MJ) 8p Kerry Irish Pub: Steve Keith (BL) 4p, Rites of Passage (BL) 8:30p Le Bon Temps Roule: Soul Rebels New Years House Party (BB) 11p Maple Leaf: Blue Moon, Honey Island Swamp Band (RR) 10p Palm Court: New Year’s Eve Gala Event feat. Palm Court Jazz All-stars with Lionel Ferbos and Topsy Chapman (JV) 9p Rivershack Tavern: Mustard Brothers (BL RR) 10p Rock ’n’ Bowl: Tab Benoit (BL) 9:30p Snug Harbor: Astral Project (MJ) 8p, 10p Tipitina’s: New Year’s Eve feat. Galactic (RR) 10p Tropical Isle Beach Club: Waylon Thibodeaux (PP) 5p Vaughan’s: Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers (MJ) 8:30p

LOUISIANA MUSIC ON TOUR TAB BENOIT Dec 3 Evergreen CO Little Bear Saloon Dec 4 Englewood CO Gothic Theater Dec 5 Steamboat Springs CO Ghost Ranch Saloon Dec 7 Salt Lake City UT The State Room Dec 9 Portland OR Roseland Theater

DECEMBER 2009

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LIVE LOCAL MUSIC Dec 10 Seattle WA Highway 99 Blues Club Dec 11-12 Tacoma WA Jazzbones Rest & Nightclub Dec 14 San Francisco CA Slim’s Dec 15 Santa Cruz CA Moe’s Alley Dec 17 Las Vegas NV Boulder Station Hotel & Casino Dec 18 Las Vegas NV Texas Station Gambling Hall & Hotel Dec 19 Hermosa Beach CA Saint Rocke Dec 20 Phoenix AZ The Rhythm Room BIG AL & THE HEAVYWEIGHTS Dec 4-5 Bay St Louis MS Gabbies BIG SAM’S FUNKY NATION Dec 4 Houston TX Continental Club Dec 5 Austin TX Momo’s BONERAMA Dec 31 Athens GA Melting Point JEREMY DAVENPORT Dec 30 Brooklyn NY Huckleberry Bar DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND Dec 11 Jackson MS Martin’s Dec 12 Memphis TN The Hi Tone Café Dec 31 Mobile AL Soul Kitchen HONEY ISLAND SWAMP BAND Dec 1 Tallahassee FL Pot Belly’s Dec 3 Marathon FL Dockside Bar & Grill Dec 4-5 Key West FL Green Parrot Dec 6 Bradenton FL Ace’s Dec 9 Jacksonville FL Jack Rabbits Dec 10 Brimingham AL Rogue Tavern Dec 11 Gadsden AL Downtown Tavern Dec 12 Daphne AL Moe’s BBQ & Blues Revue IVAN NEVILLE’S DUMPSTAPHUNK Dec 6 Kerhonkson NY Hudson Valley Resort Dec 9 St. Louis MO Old Rock House Dec 10 Chicago IL Martyrs’ REBIRTH BRASS BAND Dec 11-12 Atlanta GA Smith’s Olde Bar Dec 29 Baltimore MD The 8X10 Dec 31-Jan 1 New York NY Sullivan Hall SUBDUDES Dec 2 Sellersville PA Sellersville Theater Dec 3 Bay Shore NY YMCA Boulton Center Dec 4 Irvington NY Town Hall Theater Dec 5 Albany NY The Egg Dec 6 Londonderry NH Tupelo Music Hall Dec 7 St Paul MN Dakota Bar & Grill Dec 8 Madison WI Barrymore Theater Dec 11 Milwaukee WI Turner Hall Ballroom Dec 12 Chicago IL Park West Dec 14 Ann Arbor MI The Ark Dec 31 Crystal Bay NV Crystal Bay Club Casino TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE Dec 29 Santa Cruz CA Moe’s Alley Dec 31 San Francisco CA The Independent

CONCERTS

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FESTIVALS DECEMBER 1 – JANUARY 6 Christmas New Orleans Style: Enjoy the many Cathedral Concerts featuring Irvin Mayfield (Dec 1), Mahalia Jackson Gospel Choir (Dec 8), Ellis Marsalis (Dec 13), John Boutte (Dec 16) and many more. There will be cooking demonstrations, traditional Reveillon menus in participating restaurants concluding on Twelfth Night (Jan 6) with the Saint Joan of Arc Parade and the Phunny Phorty Phellows as they herald the arrival of Mardi Gras. For more information, www.fqfi.org. THROUGH DECEMBER 13 Louisiana Renaissance Festival: Live out your medieval fantasies in Hammond with swordsmen, jugglers, free-flying hawks, glassblowers and even full-contact jousting. Sat. & Sun. 10a-5p. (985) 419-9376, www.larf.org. DECEMBER 3-5 New Orleans Songwriters Festival: Also known as “Songfest,” this two-day event will feature performances by award-winning songwriters to promote the composition of original music in New Orleans. See www.nosongfest.com for a schedule of performances and venues. DECEMBER 31 New Year’s Eve in New Orleans: If you’re looking for the best place to ring in 2010, head down to Jackson Square and Decatur St. There will be live music, a gumbo pot drop and a fireworks show at midnight on the river.

SPECIAL EVENTS THROUGH JANUARY 3 Miracle on Fulton Street: This fun event features a winterland walkway of fun with periodic “snowfalls,” dazzling lights and decorations along with live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays. THROUGH JANUARY 3 Celebration in the Oaks: Celebrate the holidays in City Park with lighted figurines and a Christmas village with live music, food, art and displays. (504) 483-9415, www.celebrationintheoaks.com. DECEMBER 3-31 Ogden After Hours: Visit the Museum every Thursday evening for live entertainment by a variety of local musicians, 6p, www.ogdenmuseum.org. DECEMBER 5-26 Gretna Farmer’s Market: Head to Gretna every Saturday for a farmer’s market featuring food and wine vendors and cooking demonstrations. 8:30a12:30p. www.gretnala.com. DECEMBER 18 Mingle, Jingle and Jazz: The annual event features Irvin Mayfield and benefits the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Morton’s Steakhouse. 11:30a-2:30p. (504) 566-0221.

DECEMBER 4 311: Mixing elements of reggae and rock, this unique band is still as strong as ever and will play the UNO Lakefront Arena at 7:30p.

DECEMBER 18 Fridays at the French Market: This new event features free live entertainment, drinking, dancing, local cuisine and fun. This month: Procrastinators’ Pajama Party. Visitors are encouraged to wear their finest PJs. 5-8p. www.frenchmarket.org.

DECEMBER 13 Kelly Clarkson: The American Idol grad plays the UNO Lakefront Arena with Eric Hutchinson and Parachute. 7:30p.

DECEMBER 19 Bywater Art Market: The fun art market features paintings, pottery, glass, furniture and more. 9a-4p. www.bywaterartmarket.com. DECEMBER 2 009

BACKTALK

Harry Shearer

talks back

t’s easy for New Orleanians to be skeptical under the best of circumstances, and even more so where celebrities are concerned, but Harry Shearer and Judith Owen don’t just have a condo here; they’re connected to the city. Owen records here, and Shearer is outspoken in his criticism of the government— Bush and Obama administrations—in their unwillingness to accept and address the failed levees that flooded New Orleans, writing a blog for HuffingtonPost.com. When Spinal Tap decided to shoot the DVD Unwigged and Unplugged, Shearer approached Loyola film studies professor Jim Gabour to shoot it. For the video, Shearer, Michael McKean and Christopher Guest played the songs they made famous as Derek Smalls, David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel in 1984’s This is Spinal Tap, but this time they appeared as themselves and were less rigorously adherent to heavy metal conventions. For the occasion, “Sex Farm” was remade in New Orleans’ image as “Funky Sex Farm.” Shearer and Owen perform their Holiday Singa-Long here. What started as a party in their Los Angeles home has grown into a performance that returns for its third year to the Contemporary Arts Center December 18-19 with guests Leah Chase, Jon Cleary, Phillip Manuel, Tom McDermott, the Pfister Sisters, Matt Perrine, David Torkanowsky and more. It’s a funny, irreverent show that typically ends with a sung and pantomimed version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” At one show last year, a woman leapt on to the rows below her while singing “ten lords a-leaping.” “I’ve been really impressed,” Shearer said by phone from Los Angeles, “with how many people come up to me in town and ask, “You are going to do that again, aren’t you?” Why did you do The Tap Unwigged? One, it was the 25th anniversary of the movie and we wanted to do something. The economy yelled at us, “Don’t do a bigass rock and roll tour,” and we had always had this in our back pocket. We always liked them, and people always seemed to like them, so we thought, “We always said we were going to do it; now’s the time.” Today, what’s your relationship to Derek Smalls [Shearer’s character in Spinal Tap]? I have a lot of the history in mind, the parts he’s chosen not to forget. I realized a year or two ago, I haven’t played any character quite as much in my life as Derek. We are joined at the unhip, I guess. www.OFFBEAT.com

Do you think like Derek? What’s it like having a 25-year relationship with a character? I don’t think like Derek except when I’m in wardrobe. I have to inhabit him to think like him; otherwise I’m sort of an observer, which I think is the sane approach. Somebody came up to me the other day and said that we’d met, and I had denied I’d ever met him because I met him as Derek. That sounds a little Andy Kaufman to me, but it’s right on the edge of where I want to be.

Right, we did two this year, we did the one night world tour, at Wembley Arena, and then we did a performance at the Glastonbury festival in England in front of 130,000 of our closest friends. But that was it. Partly because we’ve done it. The three of us are more interested in doing new or different things than going back and tracing the same thing over and over. Also, we haven’t figured out how to make serious money off of Spinal Tap. I know I don’t speak for everyone involved in the business side of it, because I think they have, but we haven’t.

You don’t do many full, costumed Spinal Tap shows anymore.

You spoke at the Rising Tide Conference, where you addressed the media coverage or

By Alex Rawls

DECEMBER 2 009

BAC

KTA

We’d rather have endless footage of suffering people than explain to our audience why they were made to suffer. lack thereof after the storm. You said we had lost the media war. What did you mean? I think what really put the period at the end of that sentence was when Obama came down and called what happened to New Orleans “a natural disaster.” There was no more cogent, poignant, damaging proof that we’d lost the media war than when the President of the United States mischaracterized what had happened in New Orleans because that was the popular media view. And at that point, you just go, “Yeah, we lost.” I feel I’ve done my little part on my radio show and in The Huffington Post to try and counteract it, but after the president did that, I decided to do a feature length documentary about why New Orleans flooded to see if that might break through. Barring that, we have to deal with [the fact] that most people think it was a natural disaster. “Why are y’all living below sea level? Why should I help you rebuild if it’s going to happen again?” and blah blah blah. Why did the media get the story so wrong? I’m a real believer in Occam’s razor, which says the simplest explanation that coincides with the known facts is the one you choose, and for media behavior, always look at logistics first. The logistics of the early days of the disaster were, “What’s near the I-10? Oh, the convention center and the Superdome. We’ve heard of them and can get to them. And oh, there’s a good story here, that’s the story.” When you filter that through the liberal New York sensibility of the people who give us our news, they didn’t see any reason to go further, and ask are there any other people that are suffering not within freeway distance—in Gentilly or Lakeview or St. Bernard? They didn’t ask those questions; they had their story. And of course, there was this big ol’ thing in the gulf on weather maps for days that told them what the story was. It was a hurricane story. The rest of the story leaked out in dribs and drabs over the next few weeks and months as the teams from LSU and Berkeley came around and poked through the mud, and [the media is] loathe to reexamine the template they assumed the story to be. Once they decided that’s the story, it’s one of the hardest things to change. It’s very hard to fight that, for the reporters on the ground, but of course the reporters weren’t on the ground. They weren’t in St. Bernard or Gentilly or Lakeview or Broadmoor, so the editors were getting no contrary evidence to their predetermined view of the story. Once that’s in, it’s done and done. They pack up, move away,

O DECEMBER 2009

and then the story has new twists and turns, but they’re gone, on to the next thing. I did ask Brian Williams nine months later, “We know you care and are smart. You were in the Superdome for two nights, and that’s not nothing, but how come people watching your broadcast for nine months don’t yet know why New Orleans flooded?” I just found somebody who took footage of him saying, in front of a bunch of people at Tulane, “We just believe the emotional stories are more compelling for our audience,” meaning we’d rather have endless footage of suffering people than explain to our audience why they were made to suffer. I think those two things go to explain why we lost this battle. I wondered when Ed Blaklely said New Orleans has a race problem if the constant images of poor African-Americans outside the Superdome and convention center made it easier for Americans to distance themselves from the problem. Absolutely. It became a marginalized race issue because people weren’t able to see all the white people standing on roofs in St. Bernard, going through the same thing. This is probably overstating by a hair, but it was criminal slander to depict it that way. Too many people of all races, colors and incomes shared their suffering to have it be characterized and marginalized. And to say marginalized, I don’t mean the people that we saw at that Superdome weren’t undergoing horrific circumstances, but I think it was used by people who didn’t want to help us to say, “It’s just those people,” but it wasn’t. It was a community-wide disaster that needs to be recognized and treated as such. One of the things I found most offensive was the lack of interest in getting it right… That’s right. It’s like that guy standing in the CBD and saying, “I’m in the French Quarter.” Anything in New Orleans was the French Quarter. That was really hard to deal with. And the overriding sense that these were poor dumb bastards who didn’t know enough to get out of town, and when it really comes down to it, it’s kind of their own fault. Right. What was doubly offensive to me, was that having gotten the story so wrong, they proceeded to pat themselves on the back

about how gutsy they were in covering the story. That makes it hard to keep dinner down. So have you laid down the Huffington Post blog now? No, I’m still at it. Cain Burdeau had a great post with a quote from a guy from the Corps of Engineers. Oddly enough, he was bragging on the fact that they were doing this big project on the West Bank and he, the guy from the corps, said, “Well, the East Bank had a complete system that failed; the West Bank didn’t have a complete system to fail.” (pause) Well now we do, dude. Thank you. Now the failure can be community wide, thank you. No, I haven’t stopped, but my focus for the next little while will be on putting this documentary together. If we get all of the people who I want to be a part of it and do it right, and with the 5th anniversary where the national media can’t help itself, we could get something. I don’t hold out a lot of hope, but I just have to do it. We could chew on this for hours, so let’s talk about Christmas. It looks like you get more or less the same guests yearly. I think because this grew out of what we used to do in our house, we do this in a bunch of cities and for each one we try to have it be people we know, who are really good musicians but also friends. It has a family aspect as a result, and we really like that. Last time I talked to you about the Christmas show, we talked jokingly about your relationship to Christmas songs as a young Jew. You can’t live in American culture without hearing them. Unless maybe if you were an Orthodox Jew living in Brooklyn, you could be insulated, but my parents were very not orthodox, and liberal, and I was living in the middle of Los Angeles, Hollywood, so I was exposed to as much Christmas music as anybody. There was some I thought was treacly and horrible, and some that I thought was kind of cool. What was cool? “The Christmas Song” by Mel Torme— “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,” as most people know it. “Carol of the Bells,” I always liked. Those were my two favorites from when I was a kid. I remember there was a Les Paul and Mary Ford album that I really liked. O www.OFFBEAT.com