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.

French Quarter Fest – Day 4

The last day of French Quarter Fest, we decided to quit fighting the crowds and enjoy the many international bands who’d flown from around the world to, as Julie Parker of K College in England said, “Have the audacity to play your music to you.” Recently, Japan has experienced a natural disaster that exposed infrastructure weaknesses and led to manmade devastation. That’s familiar territory for this city and the people here feel deep empathy for the people of Japan, just as they have for the people of Haiti. We decided to start the day with the Sound of Vespers from Japan.

French Quarter Fest – Day 2

French Quarter Fest day 2 began with the welcome cry of Mr. Okra driving by, “I’ve got fresh plums. I’ve got fresh oranges.”  My mother recently told me that her first words were not mama or dada, but “swimp boy.” Growing up with wagon vendors outside her window, everyday she heard the guy roll by yelling, “Shrimp boy” like an ice cream truck’s bells announcing goodies coming your way. Mr. Okra drives a truck donated by locals after Katrina but his call-outs are part of the soul of New Orleans. We bought 7 over-ripe bananas and 4 plums for $2 and headed out.

Harvest the Music (lots of photos)

Before I moved here, my favorite places here would have been restaurants and bars in the French Quarter that my cousins and I frequented over the years. Another would have to be Jackson Square, including Cafe du Monde and the stairs down to the river. I’ve added many more reasons to love Jackson Square but I’d have to say my new favorite place in New Orleans is Lafayette Square. I fell in love last Spring during the Wednesday at the Square concert series benefitting the Young Leadership council. The Square is a beautiful town center surrounded by regal buildings with a streetcar line rolling past.

Dude, check out my articles

In July, I confessed that I’ve been writing articles for a locally-base online paper, NOLA Defender. For those of you who’ve enjoyed my articles and in an effort to give you an easy reference, here are links to my latest articles.

The first links are part of an ongoing series of interviews with Jeff Dowd, the inspiration for The Dude in “The Big Lebowski.”

Irma last Wednesday

Enjoyed my weekly free concert in Lafayette Square, but I missed the first half and I didn’t get to have my nice long walk into town since I was running so late. I ended up missing the Threadhead Players, who I’ve enjoyed and mentioned many times before. All of that said, it was one of the most packed weeks and I’m so glad I made the effort to get there because Irma Thomas, local favorite since the 60’s, was wonderful.

Threadhead Thursday

As the city geared up for Jazz fest, Threadhead  Records sponsored a free concert in City Park at the Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens began as a project of the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression and opened in 1936.