French Quarter Fest Sunday

French Quarter Fest ended with a cool and breezy day perfect for picnicking and dancing to local favorites. We started early at Jackson Square with a refreshing Crab & Artichoke Citrus Salad ($8) from Jaques-Imo’s Cafe then beat the lines for Muriel’s Crawfish & Goat Cheese Crepe ($7). Keyboardist Kashonda Bailey of the all-female Pinettes Brass Band had let us know she’d be playing with MainLine so we made our way toward the stage near the Aquarium to check them out.

Jazz Fest Sunday

With more reasonable crowds and lots of favorite local musicians playing, Jazz Fest’s final Sunday was a balmy-weathered blast. Big Chief Kevin Goodman & the Flaming Arrows were on the Jazz Fest Heritage Stage and I spotted Alphonse “DooWee” Robair, my favorite Mardi Gras Indian artist, dancing among them. We started the day with a delicious Cochon de Lait ($9) from Love at First Bite  and a Nectar Creme from Plum Street Snoballs ($4). When I worried I wasn’t going to get a “local” pour of the sticky, sweet syrup, the woman next to me in line laughed, “If you ordered Nectar Creme, they already know you’re a local.” True Dat.

Dirty Dozen Plays the Square

It was unseasonably cold for YLC’s Wednesday at the Square featuring the legendary Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Even in my knit cap and many layers, I envied the people who thought to wear gloves. Louisiana Spice was onstage playing fun covers of popular radio tunes when I arrived but the first thing I noticed was the new jumbo-screen broadcasting images to the furthest corners of Lafayette Square.

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.

Glen David Andrews Speaks – my first LAtoNOLA interview

In 2010, I did a series of interviews for NOLA Defender speaking with Richard Dreyfuss, Jeff “the Dude” Dowd (inspiration for The Big Lebowski character) and local band Gravity A, but it never occurred to me to an interview for this blog. Actually, the idea to start came from NOLA musician and spectacular showman Glen David Andrews who made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. The Andrews family is one of several musical legacy families in New Orleans and includes many of my favorites like Andrews’ Grammy winning brother Derrick Tabb (Rebirth Brass Band and founder of The Roots of Music) and their cousin Trombone Shorty. As the streets flooded and tornado warnings dinged on our phones, we met this week to talk about Andrews’ family, his city and his addiction and recovery.

Po-Boy Fest 2011

Sunday was the 5th Annual Po-Boy Festival and the second time I attended. Located on Oak Street in Uptown, the festival stretches from Carrolton to the levee and features 3 music stages, an arts and crafts alley for early holiday shopping, dancing lessons for kids with DancingMan504, a book fair, a dunking booth and a cornucopia of Po-Boys to choose from. Though there were booths featuring everything from Bacon Fried Hot Dogs to Paté and Pickled Veggies, the Po-Boy was king for a day with restaurants from all over the city bringing their best interpretations to sell and compete.

L.A. – A Nice Place to Visit… Vol. 2

My trip to Los Angeles was for a dinner with the cast of Django Unchained. With the dinner behind me, I could enjoy the friends I miss so much. Janell and I started the day with a decadent breakfast at The Farm. Though I miss her children too, it was nice to spend the morning just the 2 of us like old times. We talked about life and did a little shopping before picking the kids up for an audition. In L.A., even the kids might be on TV and the industry tends to find children as beautiful and personality-packed as Janell’s.

Shorty and Stooges – Brass Dat!

The Harvest the Music concert series in Lafayette Square continues to delight while feeding the hungry. This week, Stooges Brass Band and Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue took the stage. To say I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks is an understatement. I last saw these two bands paired at the House of Blues during last Jazz Fest and they were amazing, high octane, super-energized bundles of talent.

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.

Chaz Fest

Nestled in the valley between the 2 weekends of Jazz Fest, Chaz Fest is a one day concert in the Bywater (a neighborhood near the French Quarter). Eponymous washboard player, “Washboard” Chaz Leary, Chaz is more than just a symbol of the independent free spirit of Chaz Fest, he plays a few songs with every band. The event started 6 years ago when Alex McMurray, guitarist for 007 (a super group with members of G. Love and Special Sauce, the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars and the Iguanas) and the trio, Tin Men, decided to take matters into his own hands after being rejected by Jazz Fest.