Favorite Things in NOLA 2013

The categories are: Food & Beverage, Music & Entertainment, Culture, Shopping and Giving & More. Anything named previously in my Favorite Things in NOLA 2012 is marked with an Asterix*. Most items have links to their site, but if you’d like to know more, use the search window on the right to find photos, videos, history and stories.

This year, I’ve added a gallery of photos. The first photos are of items listed and the last half are of stuff I love in New Orleans from Creole tomatoes to Ashley the Traffic Tranny.

I’m also revealing Your Favorite Posts of 2013.

3 – Saints Soundtrack Vol. 2

2 – Street Musicians – Tanya and Dorise

1 – Endymion Extravaganza – My First Ball! – which is also your favorite post of all time.

Irma Thomas, Khris Royal and DJ’ing on WWOZ

It’s impossible to attend all of the free music, festivals and cultural events in New Orleans, but I do what I can. This week, I got to D.J. at WWOZ, attend an Irma Thomas & the Professionals with Khris Royal & Dark Matter concert and watch a documentary on the Red Bull Street Kings battle-of-the-bands in 2010. Inspired by finally finding my pick for the new Saints touchdown theme song, Black and Gold, I called Jonny Ray of the New Orleans Movie Tours who has a regular time slot on WWOZ and asked if I could give the song it’s radio debut. I invited Phat Word, one of the masterminds behind Black and Gold and we spent the evening talking about everything from the definition of Jazz to behind-the-scenes stories of Django Unchained and Kill Bill.

Trombone Shorty and Second Harvest

September is Hunger Action Month and what better way to help those in need (1 in 6 households) than to eat, drink and celebrate great local music at Harvest the Music in Lafayette Park! All proceeds go to Second Harvest Food Bank. This week, New Breed Brass Band opened for Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. New Breed is a brand new brass band of young men born and raised in New Orleans who play originals and covers of traditional NOLA favorites. They may be new to performing onstage but they sounded like pros as they got the crowd moving and primed us for Trombone Shorty’s first stop on his Say That to Say This concert tour. Shorty’s latest album dropped last week and has dominated on the Billboard contemporary jazz chart.

Gumbo Contest Judging

Those of us lucky enough to be raised by generations of Louisiana folk have been brought up eating gumbo. Yesterday, I took lucky to another level when I was asked to be a judge at Valero‘s annual fundraising event benefitting several local charities. Valero raised awareness and over a million dollars for organizations like Second Harvest and Special Olympics with their “Valero’s Got Talent” theme. When I arrived, blue-jumpsuited workers were milling around the gumbo tent sampling more than a dozen offerings. I joined judges Joseph Grey of Don’s Seafood and Ryan Gall, Executive Chef at TPC Louisiana as well as Eliza Eugene, who partners with Saints wide receiver Marques Colston (frequently found in the endzone at Saints games) in Eugene Colston Realty.

Favorite Things in NOLA 2012

I must confess that I didn’t get out as much in 2012 because Hollywood South is booming and I worked a lot. Even so, here are my 2012 favorites in a nutshell followed by my Favorite Things in NOLA 2011 and Favorite Things in NOLA 2010. Anything named previously in my Favorite Things in NOLA 2011 is marked with an Asterix*.

I have divided the list into categories this year including: Food & Beverage, Music & Entertainment, Culture, Shopping and Giving & More.

Harvest the Music and Rebirth!

The good news is that I’ve been very busy. The bad news is that I’ve missed all of my beloved Harvest the Music Wednesdays. Today was the last one and I was thrilled to finally rejoin the music lovers in suits or tie-dye. I ate Cafe Adelaide‘s Shrimp & Cognac & Goat Cheese Grits ($6) and resisted the dipped strawberries, cupcakes and other treats ($2 – $4) from Bittersweet Confections as well as the plentiful Abita Beer. Food and beverage sales at Harvest the Music benefit one of my favorite non-profits, Second Harvest. Every dollar can feed a family of 4 one meal.

Favorite Things in NOLA 2011

I continue to accumulate favorite things about New Orleans, but here’s my second year favorites in a nutshell. Anything named previously in my Favorite Things in NOLA 2010 is marked with an Asterix*. Though there are too many “ties,” revealing an inability to “just pick one,” I promise you there were so many more things I wanted to include, so many more people and places I felt deserved mentioning.

Irma Thomas at the Square (and 2 great men die)

It was another beautiful day for the outdoor free concert, Harvest the Music, at Lafayette Square. Soul Project, a jazz funk band who’s been playing Frenchmen St. venues since 2002, was already playing when I arrived. I would have loved to get some photos of the band and dance to their compelling beats, but Miss Linda’s Soul Food Mac and Cheese ($3) was calling me. As always, the Harvest the Music concert series benefits Second Harvest with monies spent on food and beverage going to feed the 1 in 8 people who go to bed hungry each night.

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.

Harvest Wednesday Is Back!

Harvest the Music, a free Wednesday concert series benefitting Second Harvest, began its 2011 series with Mia Borders and Big Sam’s Funky Nation. After Katrina, Second Harvest became the largest food bank in the history of the world. September is Hunger Action Month, a time to remember that 49 million Americans go to bed hungry every night. An even better time to go to Lafayette Square, listen to great music, run into friends and buy plenty of fabulous food and Abita Beer because every dollar spent on food and beverage can feed a family of 4 one meal.