Satchmo Fest 2016

As usual, it was hot-as-heck for Satchmo Fest but the music and food were worth the sweat. Celebrating the life and contributions of Louis Armstrong, the festival moved to Jackson Square this year. Like last year, they charged a $5 admission – a move that still has its kinks (like local employees and neighbors can’t just walk in to grab a plate or a cocktail). The festival featured 2 stages with one focusing more on traditional jazz and the main stage offering a few more-modern takes on Satchmo’s sound.

Bonerama & Bucktown All-Stars at Wednesday at the Square

After being cancelled for weather last week, YLC’s Wednesday at the Square was back with Bonerama and Bucktown All-Stars. Organized by the Young Leadership Council (YLC), proceeds from food and beverage sales go back into the non-profit to benefit the community. Bucktown All-Stars is a party band specializing in covers of 60’s R&B, 70’s funk and New Orleans’ standards. Formed in 1992, the band includes honorary member, Joyce La Nasa, an 85 year old woman who began playing percussion in 2005. Her daughters were fans and brought her to a show. She kept coming – playing tambourine beside the stage at the bands’ gigs until they finally invited her onstage. 

Bonerama plays Wednesday at the Square

Wednesday at the Square is back and I was thrilled to get there this week for Bonerama, founded in 1998 by trombonists Mark Mullins and Craig Klein (former members of Harry Connick Jr.’s band 1990-2006). Guitarist Bert Cotton, a cool-dude type who can break out a major solo, has been with the band since the start. Sousaphonist/bass player Matt Perrine and A.J. Hall are newer additions but Greg Hicks is the trombonist who really completes the band musically and conceptually. Bonerama plays great New Orleans standards and originals but they are beloved for their trombone-trio versions of 70’s rock.

Jazz Fest 2014

I only went to the 45th annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for one day this year and I spent most of that time volunteering in a beer booth – but I still managed to see 11 bands. I didn’t even get to half of the grounds, yet I managed to see artwork by Terrance Osborne and Woodrow Nash, check out Mr. Okra’s truck, hit 2 food booths and visit the WWOZ Brass Pass Tent. I arrived about noon with only 2 hours to spare before work so I headed straight for the Acura Stage to catch some of Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes. They delivered their signature funky rock jazz sound along with guests like keyboardist John Gros debuting his French horn skills.

French Quarter Fest 2014 – Thursday

French Quarter Fest is known as the “largest free festival in the land” and as “The World’s Largest Jazz Brunch.” It’s also been my favorite festival since I first attended in 2010 – and that’s saying a lot in a city with hundreds of festivals a year. With over 20 stages all over the French Quarter, the fest offers 4 days of local music and food. We managed to see 6 bands and eat from at least 6 restaurants in one afternoon.

Krewe of Barkus Parade 2013 – Dogs!!!

Established in 1992, the Mystic Krewe of Barkus may have started as a silly way to get friends back (see story here), but it has grown into a parade big enough to shut down a chunk of the French Quarter. Between the adorable dogs, the costumed walkers, the floats made from wagons and shopping carts and the terrific bands, this parade has something for everyone. 

Oyster Fest 2012

Thank you New Orleans Oyster Fest for moving from that aggressively hot blacktop parking lot to the breezy, grassy Woldenberg Park! The festival, including the artists booths and many wonderful food selections, was much more spread out this year and the crowd for the stage was manageable, like the very-local Thursday crowd at French Quarter rather than the jam-packed Saturdays and Sundays. It almost made me nostalgic for the times before the Saints Superbowl win and HBO’s Treme helped remake the city’s image. 

Bonerama At Harvest the Music

Another Wednesday, another great free concert in Lafayette Square. The Harvest the Music concert started with a set from Alvin Youngblood Hart’s Muscle Theory. Known as a “musician’s musician,” Alvin Youngblood Hart was nominated for a Grammy in 2003 before winning one in 2004 for his work on Beautiful Dreamer: The songs of Stephen Foster. In 2006,  he tutored  Samuel L. Jackson for his part in Black Snake Moan and recorded a soundtrack duet with Christina Ricci.

French Quarter Fest – Day 1

French Quarter Fest, my favorite music festival of the year and the largest free festival in the South, opened its 28th year with a special treat – Locals Lagniappe Day (though some called it “Hooky Day” as many bosses snuck out after lunch and unattended employees were gone by 3). An entirely local festival featuring over 70 local, non-chain restaurants and more than 800 local musicians and international musicians playing local music on 18 stages throughout the Quarter, the normally 3-day festival was opened a day early to provide a less crowded experience for locals.