Krewe of Jingle Parade

This weekend was the 4th annual Krewe of Jingle Parade on Canal Street. The Downtown Development District created Canal Street: Home for the Holidays to draw shoppers and families looking for holiday activities. They wisely scheduled the parade to finish before the LSU game and many in the crowd were sporting their purple and gold as they waited for the Mr. Bingle float to open the festivities.

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.

The Beatles, Big Easy Style

Summers in New Orleans usually bring lots of heat and few festivals but, lately, the weather has been cooler than most of the nation and we got to celebrate the 9th New Orleans Beatles Festival. Founded by guitarist Chuck Credo IV (grandson of Chuck Credo Jr.  of The Basin Street Six), the festival moved from Mid-City Lanes Rock N Bowl to the House Of Blues in 2007.

Oyster Fest 2011 – Day 1

The second annual Oyster Fest had plenty of improvements over last year’s premiere but the same nagging problem at its core – who holds a raw seafood fest on blacktop in 95 degree weather? Organizers provided the misting tent so popular last year and added several tented areas for eating at tables in the shade.

Threadhead Thursday 2011

Yesterday, it was time once again to head to City Park’s beautiful Botanical Garden for Threadhead Thursday produced by Threadhead Records. Threadhead Records helps Katrina-affected musicians by loaning artists money to produce a CD. The artist pays back the loan within 6 months (and the money is returned to the investor-fans) along with a 5% donation to the Threadhead Records Foundation or other recognized charities benefitting local musicians and 5% to cover expenses. It’s a win-win situation resulting in amazing music.

Treme Premiere – Season 2 (and more on the Saints)

HBO’s Treme is back with new opening credits, some new cast members and the same great music. The story has moved forward to 14 months after Katrina left the region in ruin. I guess I’m glad people are seeing how little was done to step in and help the city, to hear that 85% of the remaining residents were on medication for depression and related disorders. Though it’s a downer to watch it play out again, it’s nice to know how far the city will come in the years leading to the present.

3 Easter Parades, Hornets Win! and Treme Begins

Easter started with fireworks exploding over the Mississippi Saturday night around 11 pm for no reason we could find. Sunday morning, walking to the Camellia Grill for breakfast, The Historic French Quarter Easter Parade rolled by. Established by Count Arnaud’s daughter (of Arnaud’s Restaurant, est. 1918), the parade was mostly carriages of elegant older women in fabulous hats. They parade Jackson Square before attending mass at the Cathedral and returning to Arnaud’s for lunch.

1 Year of Oil and Kevin Costner at the House of Blues

Like so many others in this region, I am loathe to relay any information that would make someone avoid tourism or our amazing seafood, but it’s been a year since 11 men died, 200 million gallons of oil and at least 2 million gallons of dispersant were dumped into the Gulf and it’s time to face some facts. Tar balls still wash up on the beaches everyday. The marshes are a mess. Unprecedented numbers of dolphins and sea turtles are dying. Fish have lesions. Fisherman are out of work. Businesses shut down. Less than 20% of the BP billions set aside for the affected have made their way to less than half of the 500,000 claimants. But, 97% of the 100,000 quick pay claims have been paid – one time payments of $5,000 to $25,000 in exchange for agreeing not to sue BP.

Go Hornets – I’m In!

Today, our fabulous and troubled Hornets beat the defending NBA champion Lakers 109-100. The Lakers have won 16 championships, second only to the Boston Celtics, and have played 15 other Finals. The Hornets have been through a lot this season and keep rising above.

Po-Boy Festival and RED

The Saints didn’t play this Sunday so the city turned out in full force for the 4th annual Po-Boy Festival.

http://www.poboyfest.com/

For those not in the know, a Po-Boy is New Orleans’ version of a submarine sandwich invented by Bennie and Clovis Martin. Former streetcar conductors, they opened Martin Brothers’ Coffee Stand in the French Market in 1922. In 1929, transit strikes rose across the nation and, in solidarity with their former coworkers, the Martin brothers vowed to keep the strikers of Division 194 fed. When they’d see the strikers coming for a meal, they’d say, “Here comes another poor boy” and the name stuck to the large, overstuffed sandwiches they doled out.