Satchmo Summerfest 2022

With 2 days of music and food, the French Quarter’s Satchmo Summerfest celebrates New Orleans native, Louis Armstrong’s birthday. The festival started with The Roots Of Music parading to the Old U.S. Mint, home of the New Orleans Jazz Museum where you can find Armstrong’s first coronet. 

The band is a wonderful reminder of the importance of keeping the city’s traditions and culture alive. Grammy Award-winning snare drummer of Rebirth Brass Band, Derrick Tabb, co-founded The Roots Of Music non-profit program providing hundreds of at-risk youths (8-14 years old) with instruments, education, tutoring, meals and a ride home. 

French Quarter Fest 2022 – Sun.

The 4 days of French Quarter Fest came to a close on Sunday. Employing over 1,700 local musicians, the fest features genres from funk, R&B and jazz to rock, gospel and Zydeco. Over 1,500 volunteers and a variety of local companies handling sanitation, security, stages, sound, etc. insure that all of the money spent producing the festival remains within the local economy.

We started the day with Shrimp Ragivote over Fried Green Tomato ($9) from Tujague’s Restaurant.

Satchmo Summerfest 2021

Cancelled last year for the pandemic, Satchmo Summerfest made an abbreviated return with 2 days of music and food celebrating New Orleans native, Louis Armstrong’s birthday. The heat was extraordinary, dangerous even, as The Roots Of Music started things off with a concert outside the Old U.S. Mint, home of the New Orleans Jazz Museum where you can find Armstrong’s first coronet.

Krewe of Freret

The Krewe of Freret paraded for 40 years until the 1990’s then was reborn on the parade route almost a decade ago. Some members of the new Krewe are the children of the previous membership. A highlight in the middle of a 5-parade Saturday, the parade began with young Spidey504’s fancy footwork leading the NOLA Chorus Girls.

New Orleans Mystery Books

When I started this blog, I was working on a novel, Lemonade Farm. Ten years later, I’ve finished that novel, an acting book,  Know Small Parts: An Actor’s Guide to Turning Minutes into Moments and Moments ints a Career with foreword by Richard Dreyfuss and endorsements from Kevin Costner, Lou Diamond Phillips and many more – and with the release of The Family Secret: A Charlotte Reade Mystery – I’ve just completed a 5-book series.

The first book of the mysteries-not-murders series begins as the Saints are marching toward their Super Bowl victory during Mardi Gras in 2009-10. As actor/producer Charlotte aids in the search for a birth mother, she comes across a haunted chandelier, and a mystery in her own family’s past.

Satchmo Summerfest 2019

Satchmo Summerfest celebrates New Orleans native, Louis Armstrong’s birthday with 3 days of music on multiple stages and food booths from local vendors. Always marked by summer heat, the festivals provides shady tents and symposiums on Armstrong and related topics in the air conditioned Old U.S. Mint, home of the New Orleans Jazz Museum where you can find Armstrong’s first coronet.

The Roots of Music kicked things off

How To Birthday in New Orleans

From Sunday second line and Carnival parades to our many festivals and concerts, New Orleans is a city of celebration. If the city can party over everything from tomatoes to our departed, imagine how fun it can be to celebrate yourself here. For me, a New Orleans birthday has to include great company, incredible food, music whenever possible and the occasional “only in New Orleans” event.

Many people start the day by pinning money on their chest.

Krewe of Freret Parade 2019

The recently revived Krewe of Freret is a highlight in the middle of a 5 parade Saturday. Part regal and traditional – part whimsical and funky, the parade began with a shout-out to the Who Dat Nation’s recent no-call loss from some of the Saints superfans. Dancing Man 504 and Spidey504 showed off fancy footwork followed by the Bearded Oysters swinging diaphanous pearlized wing-capes. Dancers from NOLA Chorus Girls, Ritmeaux Krewe and Alter Egos brought everything from an ocean of silver-clad women with vintage hair to purple-afro-wearing women putting the fun in funky.

Saints Playoffs in the Superdome

As Saints season ticket holders, we get first dibs on our own seats when the Saints have a playoff game in the Superdome. This season, both our games will be at home in the Dome and the Who Dat Nation couldn’t be happier.

It was a perfect day starting with a walk through the French Quarter past bars filled with black-and-gold-wearing fans. We made a few stops to have drinks with friends we spotted. Spirits were high, the music was loud and it felt a lot like 9 years ago when the team went all the way, winning their first Super Bowl. It was the first time the team had even been to the Super Bowl at all. The victory marked a rebirth for the city. As recently departed Saints owner, Tom Benson, said, “The best thing we can do for New Orleans is WIN. Our city holds its head higher, walks taller and shines brighter when the Saints win.”

Saints Soundtrack – Playoffs Edition

In 2013, I did a fairly exhaustive search for the best local songs to replace Atlanta-based Ying Yang Twins Halftime (Stand Up and Get Crunk) as the Saints’ touchdown song.  VIDEO. I offered links to dozens of videos written and performed by local musicians. The ultimate superfans in my estimation, they pour their team spirit into songs and videos that take money and oodles of time to produce. And they do all this with little chance the music will turn a profit.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the playoffs. The Saints players have taken over the soundtrack inside the Superdome. In particular, carpool mates Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara along with Michael Thomas have fallen in love with old New Orleans rap and the crowds in the Dome couldn’t be happier. Apparently, Ingram introduced Kamara to the songs and artists while driving. When the three danced to Choppa’s 2003 local hit Choppa Style, the Superdome went bananas.
The moment went viral nationwide.