Saints, Katrina and Rebirth!

It’s been 9 years today since Katrina made landfall on the Gulf’s coast. By the time it reached New Orleans, winds were estimated to have been Category 1 or 2 but then the levees failed and all hell broke loose. And then the world watched on TV as Americans stood on rooftops for days begging for water and worse and worse and worse. The Superdome became a symbol for loss, despair and failures at every level. It only took 4 1/2 years to change the Superdome into a house of triumph and a symbol of rebirth, renewal and rebuilding. The Dome, and all it represents, have become part of this city’s story and what better way to celebrate how far we’ve come than to go to a Saints game with the Rebirth Brass Band kicking things off in Champions Square.

Po-Boy Fest 2013

Po-Boys have been a New Orleans staple since their conception in 1929. The submarine-like sandwich was invented by Bennie and Clovis Martin, former streetcar conductors who opened Martin Brothers’ Coffee Stand in the French Market in 1922. During the nationwide transit strikes of 1929, the Martin brothers vowed to feed their former coworkers. When they’d see the strikers coming, they’d say, “Here comes another poor boy” and the  Po-Boy was born. Since then, people have been stuffing these sandwiches with everything from fried oysters to Thanksgiving leftovers. 

Kermit and Rebirth at Kingsley House

First of all – Who Dat!?! Geaux Saints! What an exciting down-to-the-wire, edge-of-your-seat game against the 49ers. I don’t think one Saints fan left or even sat down in the Superdome during the last 7 minutes or so. The decibel meter reached at least 115 – about the same as a a ship’s engine room, a jet engine or “loud thunder.” Great game.

Last week, I attended a fundraiser for Kingsley House with shows by Kermit Ruffins and the Grammy award winning Rebirth Brass Band.

Super Bowl Continues…

I’ve already spoken about the power going down in the Superdome, but the weekend up to that point ran pretty perfectly. Day 3 of the NFL concert series, we only caught one show – 2012 Grammy winners Rebirth Brass Band. More out-of-towers joined in the festivities but the crowd was still mainly the Who Dat Nation sporting black and gold. We knew all the call-backs and when to thrust our fists in the air and shout, “Hey!” and when to find a tissue and wave it for a second line dance. It struck me as ritualistic like church – the church of funk in the house of soul. As such, I wondered if the visiting teams felt as left out or confused as a Buddhist at Mass but they seemed to be having fun in any case.

Rebirth at French Quarter Fest

Time again for my favorite festival of the year – the 29th annual French Quarter Fest. The largest free festival in the South, the festival now runs 4 days starting with Locals Lagniappe Day – a day dedicated to the locals before the crowds arrive on Friday. French Quarter Fest features over 70 local, non-chain restaurants and more than 800 local musicians and international musicians playing local music on 18 stages throughout the Quarter.

L.A. Celebrity Sitings

This week, I traveled back to Los Angeles to attend to some things for my upcoming part in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Though I was thrilled beyond compare to be embarking on that journey, it was bittersweet to be leaving NOLA in the middle of Mardi Gras.

L.A. to N.O.LA’s Favorite Things (in NOLA) 2010

I can’t get you all of this stuff, Oprah-style, but every item has links to their site. If you’d like to know more about why each is my favorite, use the search window on the lower right to find photos, videos and stories.

I continue to accumulate favorite things about New Orleans, but here’s my first year favorites in a nutshell.

Harvest the Music with Rebirth (lots of photos)

My favorite charity, my favorite weekly event and my favorite brass band came together as Rebirth Brass Band played Harvest the Music benefitting Second Harvest. I’m not alone in my love for Rebirth, the huge crowd was packed Jazz Fest-style into the small urban park. It was also one of the most wonderful weather days of the year. Between the blues skies, balmy breezes and temperatures in the mid 80’s, it was a perfect storm of comfort and beauty.