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FOUNDER
Leo J. McGovern III
magazine.com
PUBLISHER &
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Dan Fox
magazine.com
fox@antigravitymagazine.com
SENIOR EDITOR barryfest.com
Erin
Hall
PUBLISHER
erinhall84@gmail.com
Leo McGovern
leo@antigravitymagazine.com
PHOTO EDITOR
Adrienne
EDITOR Battistella
IN CHIEF
ambattistella@gmail.com
Dan Fox
fox@antigravitymagazine.com
COMICS EDITOR
Caesar
Meadows
ASSOCIATE
EDITOR
jigsawjct@yahoo.com
Erin Hall
erinhall@antigravitymagazine.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Sara
Pic EDITORS
COMICS
sara.pic@gmail.com
Leo McGovern & Caesar Meadows
leo@antigravitymagazine.com
ASSOCIATE
EDITOR
jigsawjct@yahoo.com
Beck Levy
beck@astropressdc.com
ART DIRECTOR
Kevin Barrios
ASSOCIATE
EDITOR
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DISTRIBUTION
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WEB
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Jennifer Attaway
ADVERTISING
Jennifer
Attaway
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CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
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Jackson
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Christina
Michael Igoe
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CONTRIBUTING
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PHOTOGRAPHERS
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SNAIL MAIL
cover
by Erin K. Wilson
4916illustration
Freret Street
photo
page LA
of 70115
New this
Orleans,
Charlie Mae Hayes, born Dec. 25, 2015
by
Adrienne
Battistella
Cover
Photo by
Dan Fox
“THAT CONTROL THAT
PEOPLE ARE LOOKING
FOR, THAT’S JUST A
WAY OF NOT FACING
THE TRUTH. WE ARE
ALL GOING TO DIE,
AND I’D LIKE TO GO
OUT FEELING LIKE I
DID A GOOD JOB”
PG. 26
Amidst all the frantic holiday activities, I found myself holding an
hours-old baby on Christmas night. No, not my own, ya freaks! It
was, in fact, the freshly-minted human spawn of my life-bro and Mr.
Lovey Dovey himself, James Hayes, and his very brave wife Kara
(who endured the entire labor with only a couple of Tylenol). It’s a
hellish responsibility holding such a fragile being for even a moment,
to say nothing of a lifetime.
The whole ordeal made me want to revisit one of my all-time
favorite movies, Raising Arizona, for the umpteenth time. If you’re
not familiar with the film, it’s an early Coen Brothers production,
circa 1987, when Barry Sonnenfeld (who would go on to direct
classics himself like Get Shorty and The Addams Family) was their
cinematographer, and the Brothers’ prolific catalogue was still in
its own infancy. The plot revolves around a young Nicolas Cage and
Holly Hunter as a newly married couple—H.I. and Edwina—living
out their salad days in the Arizona desert, wanting only to share
the beauty of the world with a child of their own. But H.I.’s past as
a two-bit convenience store thief and Ed’s barren insides conspire
to leave them childless. So they steal a baby, one of a sextet from
an outlandish well-to-do family, and attempt to jumpstart their
own American dream. The film takes off as a modern day fairy tale,
each character (including New Orleans’ own adopted son John
Goodman) scrambling for the baby in an attempt to steal affection
in a disaffected world. The score, haunting and soothing in equal
measures, is part Beethoven’s 9th, part folk classic “Down in the
Willow Garden.” It’s a true cinema tour-de-force, and as with any
Coen Brothers film, has quotable lines galore. The one that rings out
for me especially is when H.I., looking out at a foreboding sunrise
after a long and sleepless night, mutters, “Sometimes it’s a hard world
for little things.”
A simple truth, and yet one we grapple with every day. Every minute
is fragile and vulnerable, but there’s something about a new year
especially that makes it feel all the more so for me. Maybe it didn’t
help that on the eve of this new year, I was staring down at a little redfaced munchkin, who peeked back up through eyes that had barely
seen anything yet.
For little Charlie Mae, and the overall state of our shared human
condition, I echo H.I.’s sentiment, and so do the subjects of this
month’s issue. January’s theme—and really every issue’s theme
and all things in this life—is about growing up against the odds.
Aimée Argote talks about shedding her hard-partying tour life for
something more sustainable; a Living Soundtrack survives neardeath to return to New Orleans and regain their roots (a newborn
in their midst as well); and the Orleans Parish Public Defenders
office fights for its life and the lives of its clients. I’m sure the
shine of 2016 will wear off soon enough, but hopefully there’s still
enough time to daydream a little about a better year for all of us.
Happy 2016. —Dan Fox
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Star Hustler
by CHRISTINA IGOE illustrations HAPPY BURBECK
OUR BEST SELVES
[Editor’s Note: As with any oracle cursed with such magnificent predestination,
we must bid our former astrologer, Mistress Anthropy, adieu as she takes a
sabbatical from the monthly slog to recharge and reset. However, AG won’t leave
you hanging in the cosmos, so we welcome our new astrologer, Christina, to
interpret the heavens for you. We will miss our Mistress deeply but look forward
to Christina’s own brand of wisdom and command of the seasons.]
2016 begins with a feeling of being shot out of a cannon and cartwheeling down to
earth. Everything is possible; chaos was so completely a part of our everyday lives
in 2015 that we have nearly accepted being in a constant state of shock. We have
acknowledged, both in quiet solitude and by screaming at anyone who will listen,
that we have no control over anything. The beginning of January is like the quiet
after a several months-long storm.
Our immediate response to the beginning of this new year is to want to build
something. The sun working its way through Capricorn loves a steady build—to
stand back at the end of a day and recognize the small victories that make us want
to come back to the project tomorrow, and the things we could have done better to
make us want to come back forever. I challenge you to acknowledge your project.
On the 6th of January, Mercury will station retrograde in Capricorn. Mercury
rules communication and contracts, and with the “backward” motion of the
planet, we see all the disruption it can possibly unleash in these aspects of our
daily lives, until it stations direct on January 26th. It does lend itself well to
getting to a more trusting place with our intuition, which will be absolutely
pivotal in easing into Jupiter stationing retrograde in Virgo on January 8th.
Jupiter—the planet of expansion, adventure, and luck—will be in a retrograde
phase until May, asking us to understand ourselves more thoroughly emotionally.
Virgo, the sign of work and health, has a tendency at times to be hard on itself.
This is a time for healing and seeing ourselves at our best. If you feel yourself
losing track of that, do something physical. Above all, be kind to yourself.
Venus, the ruler of love, starts this month in Sagittarius (the sign of adventure
and wildness). It is all about lightness with Sag, so have fun with your
partner, your crush, or yourself. When Venus enters down-to-earth Capricorn
on January 24th, it’s time to get real—who do you want to spend your time
with? Are the people you are surrounded by now people you will want to be
surrounded by in a year?
4 * ANTIGRAVITY * JANUARY 2016
ARIES
I want to remind you that you have
the energy to maintain your sanity
in terms of what the planets have
been doling out to you, Aries. 2016
starts with your ruling planet of
Mars in opposition to your Sun. Until
the fourth of the month, you could
feel like every action you take is
harder—like you are running through
quicksand psychically or physically.
Coming off of 2015, where chaotic
Uranus was shaking up every aspect
of your life, it could spark anger or
frustration to begin this year spinning
your wheels. Be patient. Be careful
and aware of your physical self. A
trine from Venus will bring about
positive growth in your romantic life
this month, and with the retrograde
motion of Jupiter and Mercury,
you will have much more energy to
devote to making sense of how much
everything has shifted over the last
few months.
TAURUS
You are a cautious being, and with
Mars—the planet of action and
war—challenging your experience
starting on the 4th, there could be
a feeling of being pushed a little
harder than you may want. Take
this opportunity to fight for what
you want and get outside of your
comfort zone. With the planets
of luck, love, and life in positive
relationship to your experience, you
have a solar system on your side.
While it is difficult to get moving,
you are safe in your actions this
month and will be an unstoppable
force once you get rolling. With all
of this radiating positive energy
swirling, it is reasonable that you
could feel a bit overwhelmed by
all of the potential. Your moon in
Taurus on January 18th and 19th
can be a perfect time to recharge for
you. Build a fort in your space where
you binge watch a TV show.
GEMINI
Venus is in opposition to your sun
until January 24th, which will feel
like a few weeks-long hug. You have
so much beautiful magnetic energy in
this time that you could feel like you
are the most beloved person to ever
walk the Earth. You may laugh at the
idea of being the most loved, but allow
yourself a re-charge of compassion,
indulge your crushes, be celebrated—
it will feel nicer than ever. With
Jupiter having squared your sun
since August of 2015, you could use
the positive affirmation and light
that Venus brings. Saturn continues
to challenge you to define your
most healthy self, especially in your
relationships. You cannot talk your
way out of this one, and the more you
avoid dealing with the things that
make you feel unhealthy, the harder
they become. With a heightened
ability to understand what you need
to be your best emotional self, it is a
good time to start getting rid of the
relationships, work, and ideas that
don’t serve you well.
CANCER
As 2016 gets moving, I want you
to truly consider what caring for
yourself looks like, Cancer. You have
a tendency to care for many, create
space that holds you together, and
mother. There are some challenging
aspects coming your way this
month, and a very empowering way
to get through it is to lean on the
community that you have so carefully
crafted and nurtured. Mars is in trine
to your sun sign starting on the 4th
of this month, and it lends so much
ability and access to what actions
we need to take to live our best lives.
The rest of the world will be carefully
sorting through their emotional
selves this month, which happens to
be your experience at all times. Find
your guide in this time: the person
or people who allow for the level
of expertise you have in navigating
the emotional self, but also accept
you for losing your shit at videos of
puppies. We are at the beginning of
a huge cycle of feelings and internal
processing, and you can reach new
levels of personal understanding if
you find a balance between being held
and holding others.
LEO
2016 starts just the way you would
love, Leo. Everybody wants you and
you know exactly what you need.
With the planet of love in a positive
trine and the planet of action in a
magical sextile to your sun, you move
through the world with praise and
assurance. The focus of this month
should be to acknowledge what
systems and situations you want to
master. If you are feeling confused
or indifferent about an aspect of
your life, it is a good time to look at
it with fresh eyes and clear problemsolving skills. The retrograde phase
of Jupiter may bring some unusual
feelings of deep self reflection, but
understanding your deepest parts
of self this month will help to better
inform all of the budding opportunity
in your workings.
VIRGO
This month is bringing a lot of fresh
new energy into your life. A positive
influence of the sun and Mercury
bring new ideas about the way you
present yourself to the world around
you, and an unusual train of ideas
about how you want to be heard. You
are hyper-aware of how you could
be perceived, and now is a time to
put your best foot forward without
the usual anxiety that may surround
big moves. This is an incredible,
important month for your love life.
You can achieve the balance of fun
and health (that is so important to
the Virgo life) in your existing or
new relationships. Pay very close
attention to how you are feeling and
who you are meeting between the
dates of January 22nd and the 25th.
LIBRA
2015 was a difficult year to recognize
your own sense of balance. It was
as if the universe was throwing you
IT’S TIME TO GET
REAL—WHO DO YOU
WANT TO SPEND
YOUR TIME WITH?
ARE THE PEOPLE YOU
ARE SURROUNDED BY
NOW PEOPLE YOU
WILL WANT TO BE
SURROUNDED BY IN
A YEAR?
a curve ball every time you thought
you had figured it all out. While
2016 will be a year that provides a
constant stream of inspiration and
challenge, the challenges are much
less complex. You will start the year
with an incredible ability to navigate
your world with more confidence
and ease. As we are all in a phase of
self-reflection this month, Libras
will benefit greatly from reflecting
on what form of therapy best serves
you creatively. Make things, sing, and
find balance through creating beauty.
Acknowledge and honor your own
beauty, which may have been lost in
the turmoil of 2015. If you are unable
to make a choice right now, access
your personal truth in solitude, doing
something you love on the 29th and
30th of this month.
SCORPIO
Mars, the planet of war and passion,
will enter your sign on the 4th. Now
is the time to tackle the things that
you have been putting off physically
or emotionally. As a naturally selfreflective sign, you know the things
that you need to do to live your best
life, and with Mars working in your
favor, you can make very big moves
this month. The passion that exists
in your life will get a magical push
when, on the same day, the moon
enters Scorpio and aligns your
feelings with your passion, bringing
a very well-rounded decision your
way. When the Sun makes a square to
Scorpio on the 21st, it will challenge
your dedication and confidence in
the moves you are making. But when
you face your vulnerability head-on
this month, the outcome has the
potential to be very profound.
SAGITTARIUS
When Venus is in the same sign as
our sun sign, love can feel like it is
the only true goal we have. With the
wild heart of Sagittarius being met
by the giant defining heart of Venus,
we find ourselves in love with life,
wanting to do as much as possible,
meet as many people as possible, find
the adventure and the weirdness in
as many situations as we can and get
EVERYTHING. The chaotic energy
of Uranus in Aries also brings these
feelings. The reality is, Sagittarius,
sometimes you have to do tasks that
just come up every day, like going to
work. Or eating. January encourages
redefining your experience so that
everything is an adventure. You are
very magnetic in this time, and it’s a
good time to keep your eyes and heart
open to everything being possible.
CAPRICORN
The sun brings light to your knowledge
of self through the 20th of the month,
and with all of the self-reflective
energy of positively-aspected Jupiter,
it’s an incredible time to see how hard
work pays off. Reflect on what you
have accomplished, and how you want
the world around you to perceive you,
because everybody is paying attention
now. On the 24th of this month,
Venus enters your sign, making you
very magnetic and attractive to most
people you encounter through the end
of the month. Take this opportunity
to engage in a new relationship
or business venture, as you have
everything to gain this month.
AQUARIUS
There are a lot of things happening
below the surface this month,
Aquarius. When you think about
exploring the unknown or the
darkness in your mind, what are the
obvious paths to take? The challenge
this month is to connect to your
spiritual self. Become obsessed with
it, follow and worship your dream life.
On the 20th, the sun enters your sign,
bringing a lot of truth to the surface.
Are you hung up on someone that you
are refusing to acknowledge because
of the complexity of your feelings?
Peace comes from facing the things
that you need to take action in this
month. Dig deep.
PISCES
Your imagination is in full swing
this month, and it is a perfect time
to follow through with some of
the beginnings of your dreams.
The sun and moon are in positive
aspects to your sign on the 13th,
bringing together the emotional
tides and reality of light in all your
dreamy goals. When you are quietly
daydreaming, what is at the center
of your ideas? Share your ideas with
the closest women in your life and
allow space for daydreams to become
tangible realities this month. The
retrograde motion of Jupiter will lend
a hand in clarity regarding an inner
emotional working that the past year
may have been too chaotic for you to
access. Where do your wounds lie,
Pisces? This is a profound time for
healing your heart, your body, and
your spirit.
JANUARY 2016 * ANTIGRAVITY * 5
Reality Bites
by YVETTE DEL RIO illustration BEN CLAASSEN III
NEW YEAR, NEW EATS
in it, and you’ve got a meal that’s got
to be better than the one I had from
the Big Cheezy. I guess if you work
at the Criminal District Courthouse,
or you’re serving jury duty, you may
as well go here, but otherwise don’t
bother. 2/10 Flying Dutchmen
Compère Lapin (535 Tchoupitoulas
St.) Compère Lapin is gorgeous
inside. It manages to look both
modern and rustic, and yet it still
feels like you’re in New Orleans. I
went there for an impromptu brunch
one Sunday morning, and I’m so
happy I did. The table ordered the
avocado toast as a starter and I got
the biscuits and gravy. The avocado
toast was off the chain! It’s just a
chunky avocado spread with pickled
which looked fine. The chicken tasted
like chicken and nothing else. They
seem to have good drink specials and
a happy hour though, so maybe if you
and your coworkers want to go have
margaritas and eat bland guacamole,
this could be the place for you. Don’t
even think about bringing a date here.
1/10 Dirty Tacos
Avery’s (2510 Tulane Ave.) Okay,
Avery’s has been around for a couple
years now, but they just started doing
dinner a couple months ago, so I was
finally able to make it over there (and
in the New Orleans landscape of 150+
year old restaurants, a couple years
is still new, right?). This is not a cute
spot by any definition of the word, but
the food was on point. I went a little
WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE, TRYING
TO DECIDE WHERE TO GO ON A
TUESDAY NIGHT; AND YOU JUST
END UP GOING TO THE SAME
OLD PLACE YOU ALWAYS GO.
Even though there’s roughly a zillion restaurants in New Orleans, it’s easy
to get stuck in the same old food rut. We’ve all been there, trying to decide
where to go on a Tuesday night; and you just end up going to the same old
place you always go. There’s a comfort, of course, in the familiarity of it all,
but sometimes you just want something different. For January, I decided
to eat at some (relatively) new spots. After all, what’s a better New Year’s
resolution than to try new things? The thrill is real.
Tallulah’s (inside St. Roch Tavern,
1200 St. Roch Ave.) Over the past few
months, I’ve had so many different
people ask me if I’d tried the burger
at Tallulah’s. And y’all, I don’t know
why it took me so long to get down
there to try it. I finally made my way
over one Friday night, accidentally
stumbling into the Maniacs of Metal
show (which calls to mind the time I
went to Siberia/Kukhnya with a deep
craving for a Russki Reuben and ended
up inadvertently seeing Eyehategod—
my only regret being that I didn’t buy
a t-shirt). I was not dressed for a metal
show, seeing as I’d just left my office
job, but I decided to hang out and try
the food anyway. Man, am I glad I did.
This burger is good, like really good.
The bun is very buttered, which is one
of those things that restaurants think
to do but I never seem to remember
when I’m making burgers at home.
The meat was well seasoned without
going overboard. They have a nice
selection of burger topping offerings; I
chose provolone and bacon. The bacon
was crispy without tasting burnt and
the cheese was perfectly melted. No
complaints except that the service was
pretty slow. 9.5/10 Maniacs of Metal
The Big Cheezy (422 1/2 S. Broad
St.) My dining companion described
The Big Cheezy as frat boy food, and
that’s probably the most accurate
description of this spot. Do you have a
panini press? Or maybe just a skillet?
Okay, then you can make yourself
a grilled cheese sandwich that’s
about as exciting as either of the two
that I tried here (Flying Dutchman,
which was gouda, turkey, and overly
soft bacon; and the Mac N Cheezy,
which is totally bland macaroni and
cheese and soggy bacon bits squished
between two pieces of white bread).
Do you love tomato soup? Great,
open up a can of Amy’s soup from the
grocery store, dump a bunch of salt
vegetables on a nice crusty bread,
but it was so good. The other dishes
at the table were the chicken and
smoked mushroom hash and the
coconut French toast with pecan
rum sauce. I totally ordered the
wrong thing because both of the
other meals were delicious and mine
was kind of boring by comparison.
I only had a bite of the chicken and
smoked mushroom hash but it was
enough for me to know that I’d made
the wrong choice. The coconut
French toast was sweet without
being cloying and the pecan rum
sauce was just boozy enough without
totally overpowering everything
else. If you go for brunch, just avoid
the biscuits and gravy. They weren’t
horrible, but you can get better
elsewhere, and Compère Lapin
obviously has better options. I can’t
wait to go back for dinner! 9/10
Better Options
Mizado (5080 Pontchartrain Blvd.)
Mizado is located in the weird spot
where Semolina’s used to be, under
the overpass by all the cemeteries
in Old Metairie. You know where
I’m talking about, right? But I’m
open-minded, so despite the weird
locale, I bravely trudged in. It looks
like a chain restaurant, even though
apparently, it isn’t. I figured I had
to order the guacamole, just to see
what $10 guacamole was about. They
make it tableside, but don’t seem to
put anything in it but smushed up
avocadoes. I love avocados, but come
on, y’all. What’s going on here? I also
got the smoked pork belly tacos. How
could something made from pork
belly be so boring? The sauce tasted
weirdly dirty (as in, it tasted like it
had dirt in it). I couldn’t even eat it.
My aunt ordered the chicken salad,
wild with ordering: I got the fried
pickles, the sandbag poboy (roast
beef debris with fried pickles, gravy,
and provolone—hooo boy), and the
honey biscuits. My dining companion
ordered the Buffalo shrimp poboy,
which is a fried shrimp poboy dressed
with buffalo sauce and blue cheese
(I tried it and it was pretty good,
even though blue cheese is not my
thing). The pickles were perfectly
fried and had a nice, light, tempurastyle batter. Also, Avery’s has a vegan
poboy option that isn’t just random
vegetables thrown on some French
bread. I can’t personally vouch for it,
but this could be a fun option if you’re
a vegetarian or if you have vegetarian
friends who want New Orleans food
without having to eat just sides.
9.5/10 Sandbags
Boulevard (4241 Veterans Memorial
Blvd. Metairie) Do you love
Houston’s? Were you super bummed
when the Houston’s on Veterans
inexplicably became another
restaurant? Well, go eat at Houston’s
on St. Charles, because while
Boulevard has basically the same
menu, and the interior is exactly
the same as it always was, there’s
something off here. The only reason
you may want to go to Boulevard is
that they have deviled eggs. However,
those eggs are no better or worse than
the ones they sell in party platter
form at Rouse’s. If you’re shopping at
that Roller Derby store or something,
and you just have to eat in this
particular strip mall, try Phoenicia
instead. Or Shyan, which is literally
across the street. Boulevard is kind of
pointless. 5/10 Redundancies
Hidden Louisiana
by BREONNE DeDECKER illustrations MATTHEW CHANDELIER
IT’S BRITNEY, BITCH
underwear, collapsing drunk in a club
on New Year’s Eve. Then it became
worrisome, with Britney lashing
out at paparazzi, driving around Los
Angeles without shoes on, or running
in and out of gas stations for Red
Bulls. She let her new puppy shit on
a $6,800 dress during a photoshoot,
and left the shoot wearing $14,000
worth of clothes that were not hers.
Every stage of her descent into crisis
was documented by a camera flash:
Britney shaving her head, scared
of being drug tested by the courts
and having her children taken away.
Britney sporting a bright pink wig
and blue contact lenses, speaking
in a strange English accent. Britney
wielding an umbrella, bashing at
the cars filled with paparazzi that
followed her constantly.
Britney’s hot white spiral became
dangerous—to her kids, dropped out
of high chairs, held unsecured in her
lap while she drove at breakneck
speed through the L.A. hills; and to
herself, taken out of her mansion
strapped on a gurney, bound for a
psychiatric hospital.
The woman behind the desk tells
me that the museum is free, but it
will cost three dollars to pose with a
set of angel wings that Britney wore
onstage. She steered me towards the
darkened half of the house dedicated
to the singer. “Let me get the
lights.” Fluorescent lights buzz on,
illuminating a room filled with image
after image of Britney’s flawless face
and body.
Britney debuted on the scene with
the single “(Hit Me) ...Baby One More
Time” in 1998. She was marketed
as a classic American sexual trope:
a good-girl pushing the envelopes
of morality, inviting the public to
explore her body with her. Britney
was a Baptist school girl from
Anywhere, USA, even though she
delivered her interview answers in
a charming Southern accent, while
smacking on pink bubblegum. Her
debut album (titled after the single)
sold 10 million copies in the first year,
and her second album, Oops!... I Did
It Again sold 1.3 million copies in a
single day. The media praised her
as she began to take more control
of her music and her image, moving
away from sexy-girl-next-door to
femme fatale. Although many young
stars have difficulties navigating this
transition, Britney’s troubles, both
in their scope and how the media and
public reacted to them, were unique.
Most of the items in the museum
are from the late ‘90s and early
‘00s, when Britney dominated the
pop charts. This makes sense, given
where the objects in the museum
largely came from: Britney’s
rabidly loyal fanbase and Britney’s
family. Both camps are interested
in primarily showcasing her talent
and beauty while downplaying her
intense personal struggles. I came
to the museum wondering how a
town would choose to memorialize
someone who climbed to the top
of celebrity, then publicly crashed
and burned for nearly three
straight years.
In 2006, Britney veered off script and
subsequently careened through 2007
and 2008, a pop star imploding into a
supernova threatening the world with
immolation. Her spiral was somewhat
triumphant at first, full of humor.
Her marriage to back-up dancer
Kevin Federline, the bridal party
wearing Juicy Couture tracksuits
reading “Pimps” and “Maids,” seemed
playful. Shortly after, we saw Britney,
braless, wearing a trucker hat barely
covering an unraveling weave, chainsmoking like a middle schooler
playing mean; followed by Britney
out on the town with Paris Hilton and
Lindsay Lohan, none of them wearing
“Are you here to see Kentwood’s
World War II collection, or Britney
Spears?” The elderly woman behind
the desk at the Kentwood Museum
already knew the answer. I was there
to see Britney Spears, or rather, the
mishmash of Britney memorabilia
that comprises most of the museum’s
content, stowed in a small house in
Spears’ hometown of Kentwood,
Louisiana. A poster of the pop star
hangs in the window. Everyone knows
what the draw is.
The public discourse surrounding
Britney changed as she did. Britney’s
body was communal property, and she
was vandalizing it. She had reigned
as a pubescent fertility goddess for
nearly a decade, her form contorted
into a thousand provocative photos
omnipresent across the media
landscape. But as Britney’s actual
physical embodiment separated from
her photographic one, she drifted
into a grotesquerie. She wore panties
stained with menstrual blood, her
increasingly fleshy body spilled out of
her dancing costumes, and pimples
sprouted on her chin. Britney devolved
from a sex icon into something else.
She became white trash.
“White trash” is a slur that has
difficult borders to define. It has
to do with race and class and, very
often, geography. White trash usually
refers to poor whites who live on the
margins of society, largely divorced
from accessing political or economic
power. There’s often a perceived
element of criminality, either due
to a willful refusal to abide by the
laws of society, or stemming from
an ingrained stupidity that makes
compliance with society’s rules and
norms impossible. The phrase is also
primarily linked to place of origin:
white trash folks are primarily rural
and Southern.
Prior to her descent, Britney’s family
and hometown were relegated to
roles of wholesome background
props. Her mother, Lynne, was
mostly described as a loving second
grade teacher; her father, Jamie,
a hardworking contractor. But as
Britney’s public image shifted, so
did how the media portrayed her
background. The 2008 Rolling Stone
cover story “The Tragedy of Britney
Spears” quotes an anonymous
former manager as saying, “She
is the product of some very, very
bad genetics.” Trailer parks began
being featured in her origin story.
Depictions of Lynne now cast her as
a depressed “momager” and Jamie
as an abusive alcoholic who gambled.
The family went bankrupt and were
often too poor to buy groceries.
Britney’s uncles were accused of
eating roadkill. Her grandmother had
committed suicide, shooting herself
on the grave of a child who had died
in infancy. The media insinuated that
mental illness was in every branch of
her warped family tree.
While all of these things may be true,
none of them were overwhelmingly
present in the public discourse until
she began exhibiting signs of extreme
stress, probable drug abuse, and a
palpable mental health crisis. And as
the jeers grew louder, she welcomed
them, famously snarling at a fan
asking for an autograph, “I don’t know
who you think I am, bitch, but I am not
that person.” Britney herself would
say that she was white trash, using the
label as a Calvinist explanation to her
struggles—white trash as a predestined
role, something that can be subverted
for a time but never escaped. The
frenzy surrounding her became a
form of collective punishment for her
inborn defects right up to when the
spectacle became truly tragic and she
was hospitalized.
Another Rolling Stone quote, this one
from 2003, opines on Britney’s sexual
exploits: “Perhaps the low point
came when Fred Durst appeared
on the Howard Stern Show to share
an extremely graphic kiss-and-tell,
including descriptions of Spears’
pubic hair. The mental image of the
balding, goateed Limp Bizkit singer
getting it on with America’s jailbait
sweetheart was, with the possible
exception of those death photos of
Uday and Qusay Hussein, easily the
year’s most disturbing.”
Comparing the image of Britney
Spears’ body being enjoyed by
another proud member of the white
trash tribe to the bullet-ridden
corpses of sociopathic war criminals
is an extreme example of the
dissonance between how the public
wanted to see Britney Spears and who
she actually was. It is not shocking
in the least that this pressure,
combined with our culture’s toxic and
judgemental views of mental health
crises, formed a crucible inside of
which she burned.
The first room in the Britney
section of the Kentwood Museum
is primarily composed of calendars,
posters, and DVDs—not particularly
remarkable items, considering that
they were all mass produced for sale.
This collection was donated by the
family of Keith Collins, who passed
away of a brain tumor several years
ago. His family wanted his treasured
items to find a safe home where they
could be appreciated and cared for
the way Keith would have liked.
Another item has a similarly touching
backstory. A fan spent the better
part of a year painstakingly building
a scale model of the set of her 2001
“Dream Within a Dream” tour. The
model has 600 blinking Christmas
lights, and onstage is a small Britney
doll. The architect, Randy Head,
submitted text to explain his creation:
“I have seen a lot of drawings and
paintings of Britney that have been
done by other fans and I wanted to do
something creative and special… the
project took six months to complete,
working on it an average of four hours
a day… I really had fun making it and
having little Britney Spears concerts.”
The strangest room of the museum is
the only one you cannot enter. At the
very rear of the house, behind a pane
of glass, is Britney Spears’ teenage
bedroom. It is a painfully recreated
illusion, down to photos of Britney
as a teenager goofing off with noncelebrity friends, a stuffed teddy bear
wearing an NSYNC t-shirt, and her
collection of porcelain dolls from
childhood. A photo from a Rolling
Stone shoot is taped to the glass,
showing Britney reclining in her bra
and panties against the dresser, her
high heels pressed against the same
blue carpet. It’s a habitat for an exotic
animal at a zoo, only the attraction
has escaped.
It is also a physical embodiment of
the cage of nostalgia. “You can’t go
back home to your family, back home
to your childhood… to singing just
for singing’s sake... back home to
places in the country… back home
to someone who can help you, save
you, ease the burden for you, back
home to the old forms and systems of
things which once seemed everlasting
but which are changing all the time,”
wrote Thomas Wolfe in You Can’t Go
Home Again, one of the quintessential
Southern novels of the 20th century.
Home is a constantly shifting illusion,
and for most of us, time eventually
erases the monuments and spaces of
our origins. The innocent teen queen
who once slept on that bed cannot reenter this diorama.
I CAME TO THE MUSEUM WONDERING HOW
A TOWN WOULD CHOOSE TO MEMORIALIZE
SOMEONE WHO CLIMBED TO THE TOP OF
CELEBRITY, THEN PUBLICLY CRASHED AND
BURNED FOR NEARLY THREE STRAIGHT YEARS.
slur was a way to empower herself as
she was being continually denigrated
and judged.
Deciding to avoid this period in
Britney’s life must have been difficult
for the museum. There’s a popular
saying in the South: “We don’t hide
crazy. We put it on the front porch
and give it a cocktail.” This is true for
Britney herself: she cannot always
hide who she is. But the public
demands that much of her backstory,
and her behaviors, remain hidden.
Only when she is able to successfully
perform the role expected of her—
that of sexualized pop princess—is
she absolved of the sins of her origin.
After umpteen starts and stops,
comeback album after comeback
album, she has regained her throne.
For the past two years, she’s been
in residency at Planet Hollywood
in Las Vegas. Night after night she
performs a retrospective of her
career, shapeshifting again from
a young ingenue into a femme
fatale, a fantasy woman dancing for
millions in a fantasy city. Gone are
the negative comments about her
background, her body, her choices.
Gone are the questions of drug abuse
or mental health issues. A December
2015 post to her Instagram account
has her mugging for the camera, her
crop top reading “Mean People Suck,”
displaying her incredibly toned form.
The internet rejoiced, with dozens
of articles from entertainment
websites declaring that once again,
Britney was back. Her re-ascendance
necessitates shedding the distasteful
baggage of having poor white
Southern roots. The cultural icon’s
compliance with the static narrative
of who a pop star is—smiling, sexual,
and non-threatening—renders her
as two-dimensional as the pin-ups
lining the walls of the Kentwood
Museum. Britney is easier to
digest as a photograph or a piece of
memorabilia than she is as a person:
irrevocably Southern and profoundly
complicated by fame.
The Kentwood Historical & Cultural
Museum is located at 204 Avenue E,
Kentwood, LA 70444. Open Tuesday
through Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to
3:30 p.m. For more info, check out
kentwoodmuseum.tripod.com
But the complicated Britney of the
late 2000s does not exist within this
museum. The relentless positivity of
the collection, the childhood dance
shoes and teddy bears, hides facets of
her identity that are truly fascinating:
what it means to be white trash, an
elastic phrase that passes judgement
on appearance, intelligence, family,
sexuality, and political meaning;
what it means for white Southernness when times of crises, deviant
behavior, and self-destruction
are cast as immutable traits or
inescapable flaws; how someone like
Britney becomes, and un-becomes,
white trash.
What makes Britney able to
transcend being white trash are the
same things that leave her vulnerable
to its deployment against her: her
fame, her money, and her desirability.
Britney’s willingness to embrace the
defenders. It’s not an easy job. I’m
not just making that claim because
I’ve spent years working as one. As
stated earlier, there are 13 sections
of Orleans Parish Criminal District
Court. On any given day, a public
defender might have a separate
case in four different sections,
all being called at the same time.
A public defender has to divide
themselves and their abilities
to give individuals what they
deserve: competent and strong
representation. In fairness, clients
feel cheated all the time. They are
unsatisfied all the time. They should
be. There should be enough public
defenders to go around so that
lawyers aren’t exhausted by the
time their case is called.
OPD has talked about the injustice
of having to raise its own funds,
but I think my biggest plea, even
more important than money, is for
humanity. No lawyer should have
to represent hundreds of people
in a clearly broken system. No one
should have to wait over a month to
see their lawyer.
NOTES FROM A
CLIENT ADVOCATE
by NOELLE DELTUFO illustration RYAN BLACKWOOD
WITHOUT AN ADEQUATELYFUNDED PUBLIC DEFENDER’S
OFFICE, THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM STANDING BETWEEN THE
ACCUSED AND THEIR FREEDOM
WILL HAVE NO ACCOUNTABILITY.
I worked at Orleans Public
Defenders (OPD) for the past four
and a half years as a client advocate.
I helped people while they were
in jail. On good days, I helped
people get out of jail. OPD’s office
is perpetually overburdened, both
historically and presently. Public
defenders are not just lawyers,
they’re also investigators, social
workers, advocates, and court
support, among other titles. Right
now, OPD’s budget deficit, currently
around $600,000, jeopardizes the
city’s most vulnerable population—
those who rely on the office to
serve as a last line of defense from a
draconian criminal justice system.
An average of 40 lawyers handle
upwards of 150 cases each,
drastically limiting the services
OPD are able to offer their clients.
Gideon vs. Wainwright, the
landmark case that demanded
the Constitution provide
representation for the indigent,
happened over 50 years ago. Still,
we are having to plan fundraisers to
keep OPD’s office doors open.
No one should feel comfortable
with leaving people to sit in
their city jail, marginalized and
defenseless. Crime in New Orleans
is high, but so is poverty and
injustice. When the epicenter of
the city is a 13 section courthouse
with a jail holding over 1,500
people at a time, we need to
consider how that impacts people,
especially those lacking in the
power and privilege granted to the
city’s more wealthy population.
To give an example of work the OPD
does, I’ll tell you about working
with a client I feel very close to,
Mr. Charles Burbanks. I met him
in March of 2014. He was frail
and tired on our first encounter
in Orleans Parish Prison. He was
facing 20-to-life under Louisiana’s
multiple offender law. He hadn’t
seen his lawyer in a month. In that
span of time, he’d been hospitalized
multiple times and was diagnosed
with stage 3 liver cancer. Despite
the serious diagnosis, he wasn’t
receiving adequate treatment.
After the visit, I contacted my
colleague, a public defender by
the name of Omavi Harshaw, so
we could work to get him out. We
put together a case and asked the
judge if he would find mercy for Mr.
Burbanks. I arranged all the medical
documents, went to LSU and got
doctors’ notes, asked the medical
director at the jail to testify that
he couldn’t provide adequate care
for Mr. Burbanks, found a nursing
home that would take an indigent
parolee, and pleaded with his parole
officer to lift the hold on him so he
could go to a nursing home. Finally,
I arranged for his niece to come
from Houston to pay a reduced
bond of $100. 67-years-old and
terminally ill, Mr. Burbanks was
likely going to die in Orleans Parish
Prison, stuck behind bars on a nonviolent charge.
Yet, Mr. Burbanks did not die in jail.
I say this because if OPD continues
to not get the funding it needs
to operate, people will die in jail
waiting for a court date. People
will continue to be incarcerated
on fines and fees and non-violent
charges. Without an adequatelyfunded public defender’s office, the
criminal justice system standing
between the accused and their
freedom will have no accountability.
New Orleans needs public
Funding OPD means fighting
racism. 85% of all arrested
people in New Orleans are
represented by public defenders.
A disproportionate amount of that
85% are poor people of color. They
are shackled, dressed in orange,
and arranged in front of a court,
where their bonds are set and
allegations read in public. Is this
a grim scene reminiscent of the
American South’s shameful past?
Yes. Part of fighting racism is ending
racial profiling by police. Until that
happens, people of color need to be
represented fairly and competently.
OPD is aware of the injustices and
racism that exists not just here but
in all communities of poor people of
color. A public defender’s caseload
is more often than not made up
entirely of marginalized people,
including underserved mentally ill
people and stigmatized individuals
struggling with addiction.
Oftentimes, public defenders
represent people that have nowhere
else to turn for help. Without
adequate funding, this help is
very difficult to provide. I hope
these words are enough for people
to learn more and get involved.
Talk about it with your family
and your friends. Talk about it
with your neighbors and your coworkers. Please don’t ignore what’s
happening to the state of public
defense in New Orleans.
For more information or to find out
how you can help, visit www.opdla.org
long been a crucial stop on their second
line routes. After Katrina, it was one of
the first bars on St. Bernard to open, as
Gary Thomas, who was born and raised
in the Seventh Ward, remembers: “I got
back into Sidney’s before I got back into
my house.”
Initially bought and renovated after
the storm by Kermit Ruffins, Sidney’s
has now passed into the hands of
Robert Clark and Tara Weberg, who
earned their stripes at Molly’s at the
Market before setting up shop on St.
Bernard. The once plain interior now
features mounted deer heads and
yellowed Victorian portraits set in
vintage frames, and after sundown
candlelight flickers in the windows. For
months after it opened under the new
ownership, I would pass by on my bike,
harboring suspicions. Since moving to
the city, I have loved going to the Black
bars on that strip of St. Bernard, and
with Seventh Ward rents on the rise—
and talk of gentrification on everyone’s
lips—it was hard not to see Sidney’s
hip new clientele as a sign of invasion.
One night when I was up the street at
the Other Place, a man came up to my
friend and me (the only other white
person in the bar) and asked over the
booming music if we weren’t looking
for Sidney’s Saloon. “Why, because
we’re white?” I asked, and he smiled
sheepishly. “I like the crowd better
here,” I said, and he laughed and bought
us drinks to prove us right.
A TRANSPLANT’S GUIDE
TO BRINGING UP
GENTRIFICATION
AT
HAPPY HOUR
by HOLLY DEVON photos ADRIENNE BATTISTELLA
It’s four o’clock on a Wednesday at
Sidney’s Saloon, and happy hour is
in full swing. Like most afternoons,
a loyal band of regulars has gathered
to drink and unwind. They range
from recent arrivals to old timers
like sweet Miss Lula, the Seventh
Ward native whose warmth and
good cooking makes her a borderline
celebrity at Sidney’s, and the dapper
Rooster the Bluesman. The Bluesman
has been coming to Sidney’s since
“rent for the place was only $200
a month,” and attended both the
opening of the bar decades earlier and
the funeral of original owner Bernell
Washington. Almost everyone seated
at the bar lives in the neighborhood,
and the conversation tends to include
just about everyone in the room.
Between them there is the gin joint
comradery which proliferates in the
city’s dive bars and local watering
holes, and newcomers are quickly
brought into the fold, as I discovered
as soon as I sat down.
Situated near the corner of Rampart
and St. Bernard, Sidney’s has long been
a Seventh Ward mainstay. According
to Fernell Washington, grandson of
Bernell Washington, the bar was always
meant to be a meeting place for the
community: “My grandfather was the
people’s person. That’s why he started
the bar.” As a thriving community hub
for more than half a century, the bar
has stood as a source of stability amidst
the neighborhood’s shifting fortunes.
For social aid and pleasure clubs like
the Dumaine Street Gang, Original Big
7, and Money Wasters, Sidney’s has
Of course, what I said wasn’t entirely
true at the time, because I hadn’t yet
stepped foot in the new Sidney’s. I’m
not sure exactly what I was expecting
when I finally walked into the bar—
certainly something far more insidious
than what I found. The happy hour
dynamic reminded me of everything
which first impressed me about New
Orleans bars when I moved here in
2011. The drinks are only $2.50 a pop,
red beans and rice abound, and the
atmosphere is more like a living room
than a cocktail bar. I watched Northern
Louisiana native Ben Brock leave his
beer at the bar to help Miss Lula carry
her groceries home. Brock, a regular
who has lived in the Seventh Ward for
the past two years, has watched the
bar serve as an important multiracial
meeting ground where newcomers are
folded into the life of the community:
“It was met with some suspicion when
it opened, but they really embraced the
neighborhood, and the neighborhood
is embracing them back. I’ll sit here
and talk with old timers and hear their
stories. It’s clear that we care. I think
there’s room for all of us to educate
ourselves on the traditions and get
involved.” Nor is he the only one quick
to come to the bar’s defense. It seems
that the city’s longtime residents who
drink there have reached a strong
consensus—whatever changes may be
coming to the neighborhood, Sidney’s is
one of the good guys. As Micah McKee,
a New Orleans native whose band Little
Maker held their CD release party at
Sidney’s this past October, puts it, “The
prices are virtually the same as they’ve
ever been, the bar is locally owned and
run, and they’ve opened their doors to
social justice organizations such as the
Innocence Project, sending a message
that not only is everyone welcome, but
everyone is invited.”
Looking for a way to fight gentrification
often feels like tilting at windmills.
The villains are elusive, and the
playing field is full of landmines.
In my experience, a conversation
on the subject more often than not
resembles nuclear-style mutually
assured destruction than a political
discussion—people immediately turn
defensive, and accusations fly across
the room. Simply bringing it up can feel
like a punishment. For me, however,
living in the Ninth Ward on the lake
side of St. Claude, where I watch my
neighbors get stopped by police officers
and families lose their homes to rising
rents, the issue feels too urgent to
avoid. I bring it up at parties, at bars,
over coffee, but the conversation
rarely goes anywhere. “Who are you
to talk about gentrification?” I am
frequently asked. “Aren’t you a white
woman living in a Black neighborhood?
Doesn’t your very presence change real
estate values? How are you not a part
of the problem?” I try to explain what
it means to me to become part of the
fabric of the community, to tie your fate
to your neighbors, and how it may not
be enough, but it’s a start.
These conversations play like a
newsreel in my mind as I talk to
Robert Clark about his bar. I am asking
him about real estate values on St.
Bernard, and the language of aesthetics,
referencing without much subtlety the
decor which clearly announces itself as
a white bar. Isn’t it true that Sidney’s
makes St. Bernard look “up-andcoming” to prospective developers?
When he responds, I recognize the
weariness in his voice. “I know the bar
changes people’s notions of what the
neighborhood is like, and what that
means for real estate. Then again, by
keeping prices as low as they are, I’m
hardly making a profit. I don’t own
the building, I have a lease. A rise in
real estate costs will affect me too. I
understand the idea of visual impact
and visual language, but I’m not Black.
I don’t know how to create a bar which
looks racially neutral. I’m just trying
to provide a place in the community
where everyone is welcome.” He tells
me that he is worn out from constantly
defending himself, as he tries to both
run a business and look out for the
neighborhood where he lives and
works. “It’s emotionally exhausting to
be told constantly that I’m gentrifying
the neighborhood when I pour
everything I have into making everyone
feel included. I’m from the backwoods
of North Louisiana, and have seen my
fair share of racism, but ever since I
could think for myself I’ve been trying
to address it and do the right thing.”
One reason Sidney’s has provoked such
a fierce reaction is that it is caught up
in the tangled dynamics of the long
and politically charged history of real
estate in the Seventh Ward. Up until
the end of the 1960s, the Seventh
Ward was one of the most prosperous
Black business districts in the country.
The section of St. Bernard between
Rampart and Claiborne boasted a
variety of Black-owned businesses, and
it served as both a social and financial
hub for the community. During the
“WHO ARE YOU TO TALK
ABOUT GENTRIFICATION?” I AM
FREQUENTLY ASKED. “AREN’T
YOU A WHITE WOMAN LIVING
IN A BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD?
DOESN’T YOUR VERY PRESENCE
CHANGE REAL ESTATE VALUES?
HOW ARE YOU NOT A PART OF
THE PROBLEM?”
Civil Rights movement, Seventh Ward
intellectuals, lawyers, and community
organizers made the neighborhood a
center for activism. In 1968, however,
the oak-lined Claiborne Avenue was
torn up to make way for the new stretch
of interstate, irreparably gouging the
Claiborne Business District. Property
values on both sides of the interstate
plummeted. Many of the most
prosperous Seventh Ward residents
relocated, employment opportunities
disappeared, and the community found
itself saddled with unprecedented
unemployment and rising crime.
While the community suffered from
declining property values, the low
overhead meant that businesses like
neighborhood bars could still survive.
Sidney’s was only one of a number of
Black-owned bars on St. Bernard, many
of which are still on the Avenue. For the
moment, longstanding Black-owned
businesses like the Circle Foods Store
and more recent additions can coexist.
However, if rents and property taxes
get too high for businesses to keep costs
low, and residents get priced out, then
the current balance between the old
and new will be disrupted, in favor of
those businesses whose tastes match
those of the new clientele. According
to Daniel Grey, a photographer and
member of the artists’ collective that
now operates the United Bakery
Gallery a few blocks from Sidney’s,
having deep family ties to the Seventh
Ward is more of an exception than
the rule on St. Bernard: “My father
used to tell me how St. Bernard was
where his family and friends would
shop, party, and make groceries. It was
an important part of everyday New
Orleanian life. We are a culture built
heavily on community, or at least we
were. Now it seems like a local is rarer
than an albino alligator, especially in
the once historically black Treme. I
love the idea of progressing, but not at
the loss of identity.”
In Robert Clark’s view, the best way
to protect the Seventh Ward from the
onslaught is to hold on to the culture
and stay involved in neighborhood
politics, which at Sidney’s they try
to do actively. He says the first week
they were open they featured Guitar
Lightnin’ Lee and other New Orleans
musicians, and they welcome social
aid and pleasure clubs during second
lines. He also makes sure to keep
a close eye on real estate interests
in the neighborhood. “I spent
hours the other day researching
‘for sale’ signs, and traced a whole
network of properties back to a
developer who bought a ton of real
estate in the Treme,” he tells me,
and wonders why I have fixated on
Sidney’s while outside the public eye
these wealthy developers buy, sell,
and determine the fate of the city
amongst themselves. I think he has a
point, but then the public discourse
has always revolved around outward
symbols of political malaise. If
nothing else, Sidney’s and its
customers represent the complexity
of the gentrification question in
New Orleans. At the same time as
manifesting a fierce commitment
to community values, the bar takes
up space on contested ground. How,
then, do we reconcile those realities,
without either demonizing business
owners who hold themselves to a
higher ethical standard than many of
their counterparts, or disregarding
those in vulnerable neighborhoods
who are forced further into the
margins each year? There is no easy
answer to those questions.
Provided we can lay down our arms in
favor of a wider view, the best way to
find one may be to head to a bar like
Sidney’s. I learned this for myself when
I asked the happy hour crowd whether
or not the younger generation of Black
Seventh Ward residents could relate
to the bar’s new style and clientele,
which had tempers flaring in no time.
Thanks to the generosity of Rooster
the Bluesman and the bartender, I was
slightly tipsier than I had intended to
be when the conversation got heated,
and I soon found myself vociferously
admonished by the bartender
for bringing up a topic which was
inappropriate for happy hour, with
Miss Lula firmly in agreement. “If not
at happy hour, then when?” I wanted to
know, but from there on out questions
were only met with further escalation.
Above the din, a call came from a
peace-loving regular for a round of
shots, but fortunately I thought better
of it and went outside. I was followed
by a few others, among them Ben
Brock, who brought me some crawfish
pasta from the ever-present Sidney’s
crockpot as consolation. They assured
me that those questions were, in fact,
welcome, and that they themselves
talked about the same things. While
I had no intention of disrupting the
happy hour comradery, I did wonder,
if oldtimers and newcomers—white
and Black alike—had managed to come
together and drink, why should it be so
hard to talk about our collective fate?
What good is common ground unless
we use it to establish shared values and
community strategies for development
on our own terms? In New Orleans,
culture is often political, and in a city
which likes to mix its business with
pleasure, bars like Sidney’s have the
opportunity to be at the forefront of a
vital conversation.
PHOTO: AVERY LEIGH WHITE
Unfortunately, the fragile ecosystem
on the Avenue will soon be in the
crosshairs of real estate developers.
As everyone attempting to navigate a
vehicle around downtown New Orleans
is quickly made aware, the construction
for the Rampart/St. Claude streetcar
is well underway, and that means
the tourists will be expanding their
territory, as the city states explicitly
on the RTA website: “The expansion of
our streetcar network is not just good
for our riders. It’s also good for the city
of New Orleans. Streetcar lines bring
significant economic development
to the neighborhoods they pass
through… New streetcar lines tend to
bring increased pedestrian traffic to
neighborhoods, new retail shops and
other businesses, and new housing
units.” And the streetcar is only the
beginning. In 2013, Mayor Landrieu
and Governor Jindal worked together
to secure a deal with Viking River
Cruises, an international company
which, according to the press release
issued in February 2014, has chosen
New Orleans as its “homeport for the
company’s first North American river
cruise itineraries.” There will then
be literally boatloads of new tourists
eager, as always, to spend money on an
idea of New Orleans which in no way
corresponds with reality.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR
A LIVING
SOUNDTRACK
by ROBERT LANDRY
PHOTO: ADRIENNE BATTISTELLA
Between 2007 and 2011, the scene in New Orleans got a new kind of weird.
Before the days of every show seemingly featuring a popular Loyola indie band,
the Dragon’s Den, Banks Street Bar, and new venues like them were harboring
a different kind of talent: instrumental math rock. Some might remember the
staples such as Man Plus Building ( from Baton Rouge), Smiley With A Knife, or
I, Octopus. Some are still trudging through today, such as Metronome The City
and High In One Eye. One band that seemed so different and destined for success
was A Living Soundtrack. They weren’t so much a math rock band, though they
played shows with mostly those types of bands. ALS had more of a Tortoise vibe;
their layers of samples and loops created harmonies that a vocalist would only get
in the way of. The band had four members in its inception: Nick Lauve on bass,
who initially programmed a lot of samples for the band but left shortly after their
first EP release; Marshall Flaig on drums and MIDI percussion; Jenn Aguiluz on
keyboards; and Matt Aguiluz on keyboards and trumpet. In 2011, they released
How To Grow A City, which should’ve put them in the spotlight. It contained
fresh sounds and unique concepts, blending minimal and angular compositions
alike. Using Ableton Live, they were able to also sync more melodic samples with
their compositions, as well as sync visual projections to the actual flow of their
sets. The band easily became a crowd favorite. However, as soon as ALS released
their record, they vanished. It’s oddly cerebral—almost dreamlike—when I think
about that night at The Blue Nile upstairs in June 2011. I remember seeing so
many people there from old bands and shows. It was dark, save for the colors from
the projector flashing around all night, creating a visual lullaby. But soon after
the album’s release, spouses Matt and Jenn moved to Japan to teach English. It
was an awkward move to say the least. They were gone for almost five years, and
the band’s momentum disappeared with them. About eight months ago, I heard
through the grapevine that they had returned. I was surprised and relieved, but
the only thing I could think about was when the next ALS show would be (soon,
it turns out). Matt and I had a chance to chat recently and we discussed leaving
New Orleans, his and Jenn’s journeys and trials abroad, and plans for the future.
How To Grow A City was one of
the best records of 2011. I know
that there was a lot of hard work
behind it. Explain the process
of the album and what the goals
were behind it.
Matt Aguiluz: First of all, thank
you for saying that and for being
interested in this five years later.
That record was kind of an uphill
battle—as most records are—but
in the end we feel good about it.
Of course, there are always things
you want to go back and tweak
endlessly, and after five years away
from it and a lot more experience
in audio production, composing,
etc., we hope that we can take those
lessons into making the next one.
So total, I think it took us about two
years or so to finish. We did preproduction at our practice space,
stemming out all of the backing
tracks for reference, then tracking
at the Living Room Studio with
Chris George and Daniel Majorie.
After that, we re-sequenced all of
the electronics and added layering
at Nick Lauve’s house, and got the
mixes about halfway there. Then I
brought the rest to Rick G. Nelson
(now my co-worker and owner of
Marigny Recording Studio), and
we finished mixing and a few last
minute overdubs at his studio. It
was a grind and very difficult to
keep a realistic perspective when a
record takes that long to make, but
it was a huge learning experience
for everyone involved. As far as
goals are concerned, we just wanted
to finish and document what we
were doing before we left for Japan.
There were no commercial or
professional aspirations behind
the making of the record. As we get
older, we’re sort of changing our
tune on that and the idea is that this
next paradigm of the band will be
more aligned with getting out there
and making a name for ourselves.
Was it always part of the plan to
move to Japan after the record?
We kind of knew that in the grand
scheme of the life of the band, it
didn’t really make sense for us to
put out a record and then leave
town, but Jenn and I always knew
we would live somewhere in Asia
for an extended time. At some point
when you start looking at raising a
family and settling down, the clock
starts ticking and your window
for doing something like that gets
smaller and smaller. So in short, it
was kind of the only time we could
do it at that point in our lives with
everything else we had planned. We
had told Nick and Marshall about
it maybe two years in advance, so it
was always kind of looming over all
of the decisions we made as a band.
What did the other band
members have to say about the
decision? Were they part of it?
The decision definitely made things
tricky for us as a band. I think at
that point, Nick was having doubts
about going on hiatus for a few
years and then jumping back in, so
he decided that he would start to
phase himself out in the best way
possible. It was tough for all of us
as friends, because the band had
been extremely democratic up until
that point, and we all knew that the
decision that Jenn and I made was
first and foremost a decision about
our relationship as a couple. I don’t
want to speak for Marshall and
Nick, but at that point, as much as
we wanted it to be, things couldn’t
be democratic in that situation.
So we played for a while and made
AS FOR NEW ORLEANS, IT
WAS ACTUALLY GOOD FOR
US TO LEAVE AT THE TIME. I
GREW UP HERE AND JENN’S
BEEN HERE FOR 15 YEARS
NOW. WE REALLY LOVE IT
HERE AND IT FEELS RIGHT
TO BE BACK SETTING DOWN
ROOTS. BUT FOR US, IT WAS
REALLY IMPORTANT TO SEE
OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD
AND HOW THINGS ARE DONE
IN OTHER PLACES.
to take it for granted if you don’t get
some distance from it. And this was
exactly what the two of us needed
and we feel better off for doing it.
Without ALS around, how did
Nick and Marshall spend the
hiatus?
When we were in Japan, Nick and
Marshall ended up keeping the
practice space and playing with a
few different friends at the time.
Through a couple different lineups,
Marshall eventually ended up
playing with our good friend Max
Binet of Raspy Meow. Definitely
check them out if you haven’t yet.
Very tight stuff. And they now
perform as a duo around town.
When ALS is ready for shows again,
we want to try to further develop a
scene with Max and a few others out
there, including Anthony Cuccia’s
amazing set as the Night Janitor.
What are some things that
stuck out about the experience
overseas? What did you do?
Well, we lived in Osaka for two
years, which is very similar to New
Orleans in terms of people and
mindset: lots of drinking and food
and entertainment. The people
there are pretty awesome and
old school in ways that are very
different from the rest of Japan.
That region of Japan (the Kansai
region) is surrounded by culture
and nature, with Kyoto and Kobe
about 45 minutes away by train,
and Koyasan—the oldest/biggest
Zen Buddhist cemetery in Japan,
set in the mountains within a cedar
forest—nearby. If you google that
area, there is so much to see and do
that you can’t experience anywhere
else in the world. I could go on and
on about it.
Was it hard to leave the band and
New Orleans?
It was definitely tough to leave the
band. These were our best friends
who we made music with. It’s akin
to leaving a church that you’ve
been in for years and years with
your friends, who’ve become your
extended family. We’re not religious
in the traditional sense, so making
music is our spiritual outlet. When
you share that with some of your
closest people, it’s really tough to
go away from that even for a short
while. As for New Orleans, it was
actually good for us to leave at the
time. I grew up here and Jenn’s
been here for 15 years now. We
really love it here and it feels right
to be back setting down roots. But
for us, it was really important to see
other parts of the world and how
things are done in other places. As
beautiful and cathartic as living in
New Orleans can be, you can start
After your teaching, you did
some traveling elsewhere. What
did those experiences bring you
as you returned home?
After leaving Japan, we had planned
a trip starting in North Vietnam,
taking trains through the country
until we got to Saigon in the south,
then bussing it over to Angkor Wat
in Cambodia, and on to Thailand for
a total of three months. We got to
about a month and a half, when on
the way to Thailand from Siem Reap
we got into a terrible bus accident
and were in the hospital for about
a month and a half in Bangkok. It
was definitely the worst and most
profound experience we’d ever
had. Two people in our bus died,
and a few others were in comas
by the time we left. I had to have
PHOTO: DAN FOX
the best of it, with a few expected
bumps along the way. We’re all just
grateful now that we got through it
and still all remain good friends.
emergency surgery for a ruptured
intestine, and Jenn fractured one of
her vertebrae. By the end, being able
to walk away from it was something
we never expected and try to
remember every day how lucky
we are. I don’t want to lay it on
too thick, but that’s the short of it.
Overall, we had an overwhelmingly
positive experience (even through
the last bit) and still recommend
seeing that part of the world if you
ever get the opportunity.
Now that you are home, is the
band back together? What are
some plans for the future?
Well, the plan is now for Marshall
and I to start playing as a duo. We’ve
been reformatting our live set for
that and are making everything
more sample-oriented. We’ve been
working with Sarah Quintana on
some tracks and will hopefully have
options for vocal accompaniment
in the future. She is super awesome
at what she does and we’ve been
friends for years, so it just seemed
like a great fit. Lots of moving parts,
but they’re all coming together
slowly. We’re pretty psyched about
everything. We have almost an
entirely new set as well.
translated into your musical
endeavor?
[Laughs] Man, I’m still trying to
figure that out. It’s impossible for
it not to be connected to music,
for sure. Most of the clichés we’ve
heard about having a kid are true.
When I have time to write, it’s
definitely got a different feel to
it, though. It’s tough to explain
without sounding like an idiot. But
little Felix is pretty great to have
around. It’s so lame now to be the
guy who shows everyone pictures
of him, regardless of whether or
not they want to see. But what can
you do?
A Living Soundtrack will be at
Siberia on Saturday, January
23rd opening for Caddywhompus.
For more info, check out
alivingsoundtrack.wordpress.com
I hear the ALS family has a new
addition. Congratulations on
fatherhood! Is there anything
you’d like to share about your
experience and how it has
Usher at Amnesty International’s Art for Rights Pop-Up at Studio Be (photo by Joshua Brasted)
The Deslondes at Tipitina’s (photo by Brandt Vicknair)
A Winter Celebration: Welcoming
Syrian Refugees to NOLA Rally
(photos: Amy K. Nelson)
WAKING UP
EARLY
with Aimée Argote of
DES ARK
by HOLLY DEVON
illustrations ERIN K. WILSON
photos ERIC MARTINEZ
If you call up D.I.Y. punk veteran Aimée Argote on the telephone to ask about
her music, it’s likely you’ll find yourself an hour in without having touched
the subject. As a conversationalist, she’s light on her feet, and it’s all you
can do to keep up as she weaves between gender, art, and modern living.
Ask her how she “gets her sound” though, and she might lose interest. This
may be surprising to those familiar with the formidable musical rap sheet
accumulated in her 20 years as a queer, punk musician. Alternating between
understated acoustics and balls-out noise rock for the better part of a decade,
she’s been moving her sound through this spectrum of extremes as the leader
of Des Ark, her loose collective of musical collaborators, culminating in Des
Ark’s latest album, Everything Dies (out on Graveface Records). But she sees
the songs as products of a larger process, and she’d rather talk inspiration
than technique. Born in Arkansas and raised in North Carolina (after a
family stint in France), Aimée’s roots are in the South, though her life has
been given to vagabonding since she came of age touring the punk scene. Still,
she credits her family with having more influence on her music than any band.
If you’re looking to understand the music, Aimée will tell you it’s something
you just have to feel for. If you want to know about the experiences which
shaped it, then all you have to do is ask.
How old were you when you got
your start?
Aimée Argote: I went on my first tour
when I was 15, with an all-woman
queer band, and we were plugged
into pretty much every queer hub in
the country. I hadn’t really left the
state before for music. I remember
my father being so worried about
three teenage girls driving in an old
van around the U.S., but I showed
him that I had maps—before Google
of course—and contact information
for every stop. When he saw I had
taken care of the logistics, he was
like, “all right, it’s possible she won’t
die on this tour.”
What is your least favorite
question to be asked in an
interview?
Ha! Great question. I’d say it’s: do
you write the lyrics or the music
first? I am always shocked how
many people ask that question, like
it’s in a what-to-ask-the-musician
playbook. In reality the process is
never so clear-cut.
What kinds of questions do you
wish people asked more of ?
I wish people asked me more about
safety on the road: the safety of
being a queer person or a woman.
I think when interviewers are
familiar with the band, they touch
on that. But most of the questions
people ask about being a woman in a
band are like sexism 101, which gets
very boring.
So what does it mean to you to
be safe on the road as a queer
woman?
As a musician, so much time is
spent on tour that being safe on the
road is the only way you can really
keep doing it. That’s as much a part
of the music as writing the album.
Safety is made up of a few different
components. One of them is how
you choose your bandmates. There
have been anywhere from 30 to
40 people involved in the Des Ark
live performances, and I have been
really the only common thread
throughout its changes. I came
from the punk D.I.Y. scene, where
there’s a strong consensus-oriented
ethos. After a lot of trial and error,
though, I ended up having to think
about what I needed to keep making
the music. I decided I needed band
members who could stay sober, and
at that point I realized I had to take
control of the band. I have partied
a lot in my life, but when I decided
I had to reel in the alcohol intake
on tour, that was a conversation I
had to have with people when they
joined us. You never know who
you’ll be interacting with, what kind
of sketchball will be hanging around
the merch table. And to feel safe
I have to have at least one person
who is going to be sober every
night. That was really hard for me
to ask for, and I had to get rid of the
consensus in order to bring that up.
It’s really important that people feel
taken care of, but it doesn’t mean
that you have to open up the floor
for whoever talks the loudest to get
their way.
Do you feel like prioritizing your
safety separates you from the
punk D.I.Y. ethic?
Not really. In the end, I think the
most essential part of the punk
D.I.Y. ethos is to get as close to the
source as you can, and do it as well
as you can, with the least amount
of bullshit in between. I only feel
closer to that as time goes on.
How has being sober on the
road affected your experience of
touring?
That is something I grapple with.
What does being sober mean for
how much fun I’m having on tour?
It means I wake up earlier than
everyone by at least two hours, and
go on a run to see the town. I think
I’m seeing more of America by not
nursing a hangover from some
dark club, all of which look the
same after a while. It’s important
to me to be checking in with nature
while I’m on the road: I feel like I’m
trading the partying for something
more meaningful. I’ve toured the
U.S. 300 times. I don’t need to see
the inside of every bar, filled with
people I’ll never see again. But
this country has unlimited natural
beauty to be a part of. I also don’t
come home from tour and have
to sleep for three weeks—I can
get right back to work. I think on
a larger scale what I’m doing is
training myself to not burn out.
As someone who is so constantly
on the move, how would you say
place impacts your music?
I grew up in North Carolina, but
my family is all from New Orleans,
and it feels really important to me
to root myself in the South. People
give the South all this shit, but when
I leave this place, I’m not doing
the work anymore. At one point I
moved to Philadelphia, which was
big on the punk flight map, like
the kind you see on the Southwest
airline in-flight pamphlets, with the
arrows criss-crossing the country
towards these central hubs. I
moved to Philly because I wanted
to be around punks—I didn’t want
it to be such a big deal anymore
that I go on tour, which is really
unusual where I live. But I didn’t
write a single song in those years.
The things I saw in Philadelphia
were truly heartbreaking, but they
weren’t what I grew up with, so I
didn’t know if I really had a right
to write those songs. I realized that
the things I write about concern the
South, and I need that community.
It’s just what I understand. It felt
so important to come back to the
South, and keep plugging away at it.
I think when you grow up in a place,
and are aware of its roots, it’s good
to take up some space there.
How do you think these roots
have impacted the way you play?
I grew up listening to New Orleans
music, which I feel transcends
music. In New Orleans you learn
to feel the music, not listen to it,
and that changed the way I relate
to influences—I’m not listening
to what people are saying, I’m
feeling it. That’s another question
I really hate, by the way: what
are your influences? Like, why
is your sound like this, is it
because you listen to Björk?
Every time I answer I feel like I’m
disappointing the interviewer.
SO MUCH TIME IS
SPENT ON TOUR
THAT BEING SAFE
ON THE ROAD IS
THE ONLY WAY
YOU CAN REALLY
KEEP DOING IT.
THAT’S AS MUCH
A PART OF THE
MUSIC AS WRITING
THE ALBUM.
Does it feel disruptive to be
rooted in your community on
one hand, and be traveling so
much on the other?
It’s so hard to negotiate your
contributions to your community,
which I feel the need to stay in
touch with, emotionally and
politically. My day-to-day life
is not in the punk scene. I have
always been more interested in
farming, food, and nature. I get my
inspiration from being outside and
talking to my family. But then it’s
also about sharing my voice, to use
the band as a loudspeaker for what’s
going on. I just have to believe there
is a way to balance it all out.
Let’s talk about your new album,
Everything Dies. You definitely
seem to be moving towards
a different sound than your
previous records, where your
fans could expect an almost
jarring mix of noise rock and
hushed acoustics. How would
you describe the new creative
territory?
The basic gist of the record is that
we’ve always sort of been on either
side of volume extremes. Live,
we’ve either been balls-to-thewall amps on 15, or it’s been me by
I’M SEEING PEOPLE DROPPING
LIKE FLIES TO DESK JOBS. I CAN
UNDERSTAND IT. I WOULD LIKE TO
FEEL SAFE, I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE
TO AFFORD HEALTH CARE. MOSTLY,
THOUGH, I WANT TO KNOW I SAW
WHAT I WANTED TO SEE AND DID
WHAT I NEEDED TO DO.
myself playing a broken half-strung
acoustic guitar. For this record I
wanted to do something harder,
which would be to meet in the
middle. For so long, playing live
and loud didn’t make me practice. I
didn’t have to be good, I just had to
be a good performer. And when it
was really quiet, it was the same—
seeing someone on stage playing
so quietly and sad made it easy to
connect to. So my scariest place as a
musician is in the middle: I feel the
most vulnerable there, where the
listener could really pay attention
to how the music and the words
connect to each other, and whether
it is making sense.
At what point did you decide you
wanted to push yourself to try
something new?
You know that moment in
Groundhog Day when Bill Murray
keeps trying to kill himself but
always wakes up to the same day,
until he finally says “fuck it,” I
may as well just do this day right?
That’s what this album represents
to me. Music has fucked up my life
so many times in so many ways,
and I’ve tried to get rid of it, but I
keep coming back. I have nothing
to lose, because I can’t quit. So to
keep myself engaged I had to do the
scariest and most exciting thing I
could think of.
If you had to sum it up, what
would you say is the single
biggest contributing factor to
the sound of the album?
Definitely the piecemeal way it
was made. I left my label halfway
through the recording process and
so I didn’t really have a budget. A
friend of mine had a roommate with
a bunch of recording equipment
in his bedroom, and they said just
come here! So most of it was done
in that tiny room with some of the
people I knew from New Orleans
who would come over to help. The
bedroom was so small that we
didn’t have enough room to set
up a drum set, so we did one drum
at a time. We kept a lot of that on
the album, although eventually I
did have to find someone with the
entire set. To do the vocals, I traded
a house-sitting job in the middle
of the woods in exchange for their
studio equipment. I was supposed
to be looking after their dog while
they were out of town, and it was
all going great until one morning
the dog had a stroke on the porch
and died. The album had so many
moments like those where I’d think,
“Aimée, you just have to get your
shit together and get it done.” And
then I wake up in the morning and
there’s a dead dog. I work well like
that, though. I don’t think we’ve
ever gone into a studio and knocked
out a record. When you’re poor
and a small-time artist, you have
to have a lot of friends who are
willing to take a chance on you. It’s
kind of insane to record an album
on favors. But without the money
you just have to find a way to build
something from pieces... With this
album it was like okay, I want to
make a good record, I admit it. I
wanted success in the sense that
I wanted to connect with people
over what I was going through
and writing about, and I started to
understand that what’s radical is
to talk about that, and to make the
decision to do a good job.
After all that trial and error, it
must be a relief to see the album
getting rave reviews.
Definitely. I’m not someone who
gives a shit about, let’s just say, media
response. I just can’t spend time
worrying about it. But in the case of
this album, which I can’t listen to
without hearing a thousand pieces, I
was pretty nervous, and it’s been nice
to see how it’s been received... This
record was so hard to make because
I was so terrified of failure, but that’s
exactly why I went there. The artists
I admire are not the ones that make
consistently good work, it’s those
that make consistently challenging
work... Success in punk is tricky. At
some point I had to step back and ask
why I was always sabotaging myself,
and I think in the punk community
that was really encouraged. You
get a scarlet letter on you if you’re
successful. That was confusing to me,
and is confusing to a lot of artists. For
example, it’s not cool to talk about
money. After a show everyone will
shuffle around not wanting to seem
greedy, but then there’s always the
one fucking dude who takes care of
himself, and he’s the one who walks
away with the money.
Has it been hard to push yourself
forward after so many years
making music?
How to live a long time and make
art, and make time for art, that’s a
real question that people face, and
it’s why everyone’s favorite bands
have broken up. And I don’t want
to break up because my band is just
me. It’s a constant conversation
and it’s getting a lot louder as I get
older. The support systems for
being a broke-ass 21-year-old are
stronger because there are a lot
more of them. After that it only gets
harder and more complicated, and
I’m seeing people dropping like
flies to desk jobs. I can understand
it. I would like to feel safe, I would
like to be able to afford health care.
Mostly, though, I want to know I
saw what I wanted to see and did
what I needed to do. When it comes
down to it, I can’t control shit.
As much as I can expand on that
balancing wire, I’m going to do it.
That control that people are looking
for, that’s just a way of not facing the
truth. We are all going to die, and
I’d like to go out feeling like I did a
good job. Doing a good job doesn’t
feel like having a lot of money for
me, it means finding that joy.
So what’s the next challenge for
the music?
Part of what’s so fun about this
record is that it’s impossible to play
live, so the immediate question is
how do we take up the space of this
record on stage? That’s been fun
and challenging to work on. I really
have to practice. It’s wild! I think
more than any other time in my
life I’m excited about not quitting,
not drowning in between steps.
Right now my next challenge is the
piano. I’ve been learning to play the
Charlie Brown theme song. Being
interested in a new instrument is
scary because you wonder if you
can learn new things when you get
older. I try not to look too much into
the future—for right now I’m just
excited to go on the road. I realized
that these songs mean a lot to me,
but they don’t really get me until
they get somebody else. I think
there isn’t a point to writing songs
that other people aren’t going to
connect with. A lot them are about
feeling alone, and so connecting
with people over them refuels me.
I don’t get what people feel when
they’re alone with the record, but I
get that live. I’m looking forward to
what that back-and-forth makes me
feel in public.
Des Ark will be at Gasa Gasa
Wednesday, January 20th, with
Saintseneca and New Holland. For
more info, check out desark.org
ADELE
25
(XL)
Look, I get it. I’m being played. I’m
being pandered to. I am fully aware of
it. But I also don’t give a shit. I’m all in
on this one: Adele is a magical unicorn.
Her vocals are achingly smooth and
bitingly bitter—the hot toddy I needed
to make it through winter. I feel like she
must sit down before each new album
and make a checklist of points to hit.
“Song about trying to reconnect with
an ex” (check). “Song wishing your
ex’s new woman good luck with that
deadbeat” (check). “Song where you
admit that you’re kind of a callous bitch
but you’re leaving anyway” (check).
“Song where you call out your current
partner for being emotionally dead
inside” (check). I could play bingo with
this thing. It’s formulaic and in many
ways there isn’t a single song that really
comes as a surprise. But that doesn’t
mean it’s not a killer record. From front
to back, 25 is everything you could want
in a pop album. The first single, “Hello,”
has already taken the free world by
storm, inspiring parodies and SNL
skits and some of the most passionate
car sing-a-longs of all time (admit it;
you’ve indulged). It has broad, cresting
vocals and simple but impactful lyrics.
It’s inherently relatable and thusly,
it’s gold. “I Miss You” is a smoky slow
burn that taps into some of her earlier
R&B influences. Its steady heartbeat
drums build to a powerful epicenter.
It should’ve been the second single,
but that honor went instead to “When
We Were Young,” a track that feels
just a bit too on-the-nose for me. The
live cuts I’ve heard trump the album
version, so maybe the mixing was just
too sterile. Admittedly though, what
30-something doesn’t feel a twinge
hearing Adele sing that youth is “like
a movie” and “like a song” (or when
hearing the line “I’m so mad I’m getting
old / It makes me reckless”)? That same
set of embittered guys and gals is likely
to gravitate to “River Lea,” a track that
finds an almost trance-like groove in its
meditation. The gist? She’s broken and
she will ruin this. So let her apologize
in advance for mucking it all up. Raise
your hand if you also have two dozen
friends who approach all relationships
with such fatality. I’m not immune to
Adele’s powers, though. “Million Years
Ago” was written directly at me. Its
plaintive Spanish guitar provides a
still and quiet background from which
to emotionally unmoor you: “I know
I’m not the only one / Who regrets the
things they’ve done / Sometimes I just
feel it’s only me / Who never became
who they thought they’d be.” Tissues,
please. While this record will inevitably
make you want to light a piano on fire
and throw a vase at the wall and look
longingly out of a frosted window while
wearing an oversized sweater with
elbow patches, it ends on a pure and
beautiful note. “Sweetest Devotion” is
a song that—it’s clear within seconds—
was written about a child. Adele has
admitted to penning this closing track
for her three year-old son, Angelo. For
a woman known the world over for her
passionate, fickle love affairs, it seems
only fair that the tiniest heart should be
her undoing. From “there is something
in your loving that tears down all my
walls” to “you will only be eternally
the one that I belong to,” it’s clear that
despite all the hand-wringing, garmentrending, tear-stained moments, Adele
has finally found her match. —Erin Hall
BANTAM FOXES
…LOSER/”I’M TOO BROKE
FOR CHRISTMAS”
(SELF-RELEASE)
In the short, packed life of the trio
known as Bantam Foxes, brothers Sam
and Collin McCabe trade and blend
vocals, guitars, and bass while Jared
Marcell holds down the drums. They’ve
been intent on spreading their indieinspired rock, having been anything but
idle since the 2013 release of their only
full-length album to date, the heavyhitting Triumph. The years since have
seen a fairly steady run of recordings
released via the Foxes’ Bandcamp site
(hurrah for the internet); and while
they aren’t large in quantity, EPs such
as Give Us A Raise and the band’s latest,
…Loser, serve as snapshots of a young
band getting simultaneously tighter
and looser in rhythm and in lyrics.
The guitar riffs are repetitive and
hypnotic, the drums get harder when
needed, especially on in-your-face
gems like “Secondhand Smoke,” and
the virtuosity the brothers McCabe
have developed in their vocal interplay
only seems to expand with each track.
And even though it’s after the holiday,
the single release of “I’m Too Broke For
Christmas” is definitely worth many
listens, turning holiday blues upsidedown and highlighting the band’s
songwriting chops in a fun, bombastic
way, reminiscent of New Orleans’
other indie rock brothers-in-arms The
Breton Sound. —Leigh Checkman
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
TELL ME I’M PRETTY
(RCA)
Cage The Elephant’s 2011 song
“Always Something” appropriately
captured Gang Of Four’s disco-punk,
but only in essence, without having to
imitate “I Love A Man in Uniform.”
But producer Dan Auerbach takes
what his group The Black Keys have
learned after being produced by Danger
Mouse for multiple albums (that all
sound the same) and oppresses Cage
The Elephant’s new record with the
most shrill rip-off psych-blues since
Jack White’s obnoxious Lazaretto.
There’s no understanding of Captain
Beefheart’s Safe As Milk, Them’s
“Gloria,” or Fleetwood Mac’s “Jewel
Eyed Judy.” The riffs on Tell Me I’m
Pretty are admittedly catchy, but the
lyrics are beyond vacuous: they’re
stitched-together blues archetypes
without any of the emotional insight
(What’s worse: “Trouble on my left,
trouble on my right” or “Sweetie Little
Jean where did you go?/Everyone’s
been searching high and low”). Track
six, “Trouble,” comes the closest to
arousing any type of emotional interest,
but much like track three, “Sweetie
Little Jean,” it ultimately surrenders
to a poor attempt to replicate ho-dunk
authenticity (which just comes off as
trite and condescending). Cage The
Elephant would be better off aiming to
replicate “Zig Zag Wanderer” rather
than “Lonely Boy.” —Joey Laura
CONDITION
ACTUAL HELL
(IRON LUNG RECORDS)
Iron Lung Records’ mission statement
is blunt and unapologetic: they know
what they like, and perhaps more
importantly, what they don’t like.
With that said, L.A.’s howling d-beat,
misanthropic powerhouse Condition
is another weapon in the burgeoning
label’s arsenal. Just when I thought that
American blown-out, raw d-beat punk
was in its last gasps of life, Condition
proves with ugly virtue that the raw
punk scene is still robustly festering
in some dank corners, alongside other
stalwart L.A. bands such as Blazing Eye
(who shares members with Condition),
Stupid Life, and Drapetomania. Actual
Hell spirals in and out of Burning
Spirits-style hardcore, distorted
mid-tempo stompers, and disgusting
Ildjarn-stylized hardcore. Matt, the
singer fighting for his voice to be heard,
genuinely sounds like he is singing for
his life. I caught this band in Portland
twice within the span of a few months
in 2013, and they are without a doubt
one of the loudest punk bands that I
have ever seen. I hope they eventually
make it down here to decimate scores
of helpless eardrums. —Dan McCoy
DASH RIP ROCK
WRONGHEADED
(DRAG SNAKE)
It used to be that supercharged countrymetal engines in rock‘n’roll were
considered to be better off burning out in
white-hot blazes of glory. Such thinking
neglects the very unpredictability of
such fires, and of those who stoke them.
It’s for this reason alone that seasoned
practitioners of this misunderstood art
are sorely needed. It’s largely criminally
unsung bands like Dash Rip Rock that are
taking the music to new, and surprisingly
subtler, places without losing the fuck
it, let’s rock mentality that makes it so
infectious in the first place. The latter
tendency is always in evidence on
Wrongheaded, be it in the swine-overrun
New Orleans pocket epic “Swamp Pigs,”
the short-but-sweet “Loser,” or the inner
juvenile crying out in love in “Awesome.”
What really stands out on this latest are
songs like “Country Stories,” an ode to
oral storytelling Southern-style, and
“Songreader,” some musings on life as a
musician so far. Far from being nostalgic
bits surrounded by amped-up guitars
and hard-hitting drums, they are looks at
the unsteadiness of life choices and life’s
lessons wrapped in the give-‘em-hell licks
Bill Davis and company know so well.
But hey, if all that’s needed is a great time,
Dash still kicks ass. —Leigh Checkman
DIGGS DUKE
CIVIL CIRCUS
(FOLLOWING IS LEADING)
When Steely Dan released their first
record Can’t Buy A Thrill in 1972,
there weren’t many who wanted to
build on Donald Fagen and Walter
Becker’s unique brand of jazz-rock.
More than 40 years later, Diggs Duke
tries an even more eclectic version,
fusing funk and hip-hop elements
into the style. Duke uses genre like
a rubber band, stretching it in all
different directions to see how far he
can go without it breaking. “Ambition
Addiction” features a wicked, anxious
looped beat that clashes—pleasantly
so—with a melody line that sounds
like it came from Pretzel Logic. On
“Stoplight Lessons,” he marries
his musical dexterity with cleverly
fashioned lyrics: “Old enough to
crawl/But speech evades your grasp/
You rely on eyes to tell you so much”
are lines that weep with human
experience. And “Postcard” has a
melody that flirts with Stevie Wonder’s
“Too High,” more context for his
formal experimentation. His tapestry
of public street life is a remarkable
mosaic of unique people and everyday
experiences (depicted beautifully
with Chris-Ware-by-way-of-Cubism
artwork) that leads toward the social
message of his final track, “We Don’t
Need Love (But Understanding).”
Civil Circus is an immensely well
orchestrated and—most importantly—
humane work. —Joey Laura
EVIL ARMY
VIOLENCE AND WAR
(HELL’S HEADBANGERS)
The long-awaited follow-up to Evil
Army’s 2013 EP I, Commander has
finally arrived, and Violence and War
remains true to the old-school thrash
style that Evil Army is revered for. The
lyrics conjure images of war and tell
tales of destruction. All the battle-tested
themes of rage and death have been
carried over to this five-song, 45 RPM
12”. Bassist Tyrant has been playing live
with Evil Army for roughly two years
now, but Violence and War is his first
recording with the band. The Memphisbased three piece flies through the songs,
breaking the sound barrier and taking
no prisoners along the way. The record
gets off to a galloping start with “Army of
Doom” and transitions seamlessly into
“The Assault,” a brutal ripper of a song.
“My Rage Unleashed,” however, features
more hardcore punk/crossover than the
usual fare, and it is a welcome variance.
“Deathbreath” plods along for the first
few seconds, then brings the listener
back to the ultra-fast tempo they crave.
The album is wrapped up nicely by the
title track, “Violence and War.” Fans
will have to decide whether Violence
and War is worth the arduous wait they
endured, but for any fan of thrash or
early metal, I highly recommend giving
this EP a listen. —Jenn Attaway
GRAVE RITUAL
MORBID THRONE
(DARK DESCENT RECORDS)
Grave Ritual are taking the reins of
death metal from the altars of the
old school and creating their own
kingdom to rule. Morbid Throne is
like stepping into a timewarp of death
metal glory. So much modern metal is
compartmentalized into sub-sub genres,
to the degree that it’s obnoxious. Morbid
Throne keeps it simple: old school death
metal. From the opening track, “Baleful
Aversion,” there’s a swinging melody
reminiscent of Incantation. What I
find exciting about this album is how
the vocal work by Ryan Evans almost
acts like a percussion instrument and
I think it gives the other instruments
equal, if not more focus. Grave Ritual is
riff worshipping with Morbid Throne.
“Tyrant’s Hammer” has a simple groove,
but it’s nasty and memorable. Jeremy
Berry’s drum work is solid throughout
the album. His style resonates heavily
in how he accents the guitars: in “Lewd
Perversities” Berry emphasizes guitarist
Matt Bokor’s dissonant licks. This
album may not be genre defying, but
that doesn’t make it any less heavy or
important. Grave Ritual’s style defines
death metal unwaveringly, and Morbid
Throne is a further proclamation of
death metal’s rule in the underground.
—Nathan Tucker
ONE DIRECTION
MADE IN THE A.M.
(COLUMBIA/SYCO)
This season’s Halloween episode of
the consistently insightful cartoon
Bob’s Burgers features a music video
for fictional band Boyz 4 Now, and it’s
a perfect send-up of the inanity behind
the ‘90s boy-band movement. But with
their new record Made in the A.M., One
Direction shows that they’re above
“Larger Than Life” facile compliments.
They don’t just emulate the best boy
bands of the ‘50s and ‘60s, but the girl
groups too, which lends them a level of
sensitivity that compliments the sexual
tension in their lyrics. Like the Four
Seasons and the Everly Brothers before
them, the guys in One Direction know
how to give a lyric poignant weight.
The album opener conjures up an
emotional powerhouse (“Hey Angel/
Oh, I wish I could be more like you/Do
you wish you could be more like me?”),
and the doo-wop harmonies behind
“Never Enough” capture the same
energy behind the wall-of-sound footstomping on The Supremes’ “Where
Did Our Love Go.” Their sexual taunts
are also more mature than anything
the flaccid Backstreet Boys attempted
(on “Perfect,” they suggest, “When I
first saw you, from across the room/I
could tell that you were curious”). This
is the kind of verbal flirting that Justin
Timberlake aced once he left ‘N Sync,
and now it’s One Direction’s turn to
bring sexy back. —Joey Laura
such as Shakey Graves, J. Roddy
Walston and the Business, Caroline
Rose, and even New Orleans’ own
Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Covers
include everything from Lou Reed’s
“Perfect Day” to Guns N’ Roses’
“Patience.” An ambitious project no
doubt, and one with the immaculate
production we’ve come to expect from
Michael Trent, but I’m not sure this
album goes beyond grand novelty or
one-off. A healthy chunk of the S&R
charm is the energy created between
these two people, who share just
a guitar, a simple drum set, and a
small synth to create a mountain of
sound and emotion between them.
Everyone sounds good for sure, and
Busted Jukebox is also a document
of some of the relationships S&R
have fostered from their brutal tour
regiment: in dissecting the album,
Cary Ann tells NPR, “The road is long,
but it is narrow, so if you’re out there
working, you’re gonna bump into the
same people quite a bit.” Still, the
extra layers only dispel the hypnotic
hold of a “solo” S&R tune, save for the
“Patience” track, performed with the
Milk Carton Kids. S&R and the Kids
really do a magical job of rescuing this
song from macho ‘80s rock purgatory
and turn it into something precious
and timeless. It’s also fun to think
Cary Ann is revealing the touch of
Axle Rose already embedded in her
persona. The last track, “Leaving
Louisiana in The Broad Daylight,”
is the real gem of this album and
a return to true Shovels and Rope
form. It’s just Cary Ann and Michael
covering Emmylou Harris, the song
busting at the seams in all directions.
If you’re a fellow devotee, of course
this album goes with the collection.
But if you need an introduction, start
with just Cary Ann and Michael, and
meet their friends later. —Dan Fox
SHOVELS AND ROPE
BUSTED JUKEBOX VOLUME 1
(DUALTONE)
YOUR FRIEND
GUMPTION
(DOMINO)
Longtime readers know that Shovels
and Rope make me and a good
part of the AG staff pretty googlyeyed, so this album of covers and
collaborations came as a great
surprise at the end of 2015. For the
uninitiated, Shovels and Rope are
comprised of husband-and-wife
team Cary Ann Hearst and Michael
Trent—soulmates on every plane—
who musically fuck and fight their
way through stripped down countryspiced ballads and rock burners alike.
This collection of covers opens up
the fences of S&R Manor to a host of
fellow Americana-classified artists,
Taryn Miller, the voice of Your Friend,
couldn’t have chosen a better name for
her debut album. The word “Gumption”
is defined as: “shrewd or spirited
initiative and resourcefulness,” and this
is surely it, seeing as how she packs a
box set’s worth of thoughts and feelings
into just eight songs. To approach this
album with the preconceived notions
of what a debut should sound like
would do both it, and yourself, a huge
disservice. What Miller has made here
is a flawless collection of songs, right
out of the gate, all of which put you
in the same headspace as a late night
swim in a natural body of water. There’s
a peculiar pressure in your inner ear,
and the majority of your senses are
dulled (aside from sound) which seems
amplified in a way both disorienting
and beautiful. “Heathering,” the first
single off the album, rushes into an
upbeat tone and then lets you drown in
emotion. “I Turned In” makes you want
to cry before she even starts singing.
And closer “Who Will I Be In The
Morning” could be an anthem for the
independent recluse who, for whatever
reason, wakes up one morning the
sole occupant of a secluded island and
thinks “good.” —Kelly McClure
ZALHIETZLI & PROUD/FATHER
S/T
(SELF-RELEASE CASSETTE)
In the art of noise, the canvas is
wide open. Whether chaotic or
controlled, it is a necessary, freerange study in sound expression.
On this self-released cassette
split, noise aficionados Zalhietzli
(Angers, France) and Proud/Father
(New Orleans, LA) have struck a
healthy balance between sound
and structure (or lack thereof ).
Where Zalhietzli is at times creepy
and claustrophobic, Proud/Father
counters with serene breathability.
Clever layers of tape loops, static
noise, whole tones, samples, and
distant conversations are woven
into subtle worlds. In their own
unique approaches, both artists are
able to achieve a nearly cinematicsized space and depth. Proud/
Father even introduces a driving
percussion near the very end, just
before ripping it out from under
us. It’s those nuanced details
that suggest a more controlled
universe than what could easily be
perceived as random noise in early
listenings. While there are plenty
of brilliant abstractions here to
outweigh the structure, I still like
knowing that someone is pulling
the strings. —Kevin Comarda
THE HATEFUL EIGHT
QUENTIN TARANTINO
(WEINSTEIN COMPANY)
Tarantino’s eighth film is being
projected on 70mm film in a Special
Roadshow engagement. The director
hosts a celebration of violence,
featuring many of his favorite faces,
stuck in a wild, Western-style,
Wyoming cabin during a blizzard.
The screenplay was first performed
as a staged reading in Los Angeles,
intended as a standalone event. The
overwhelming response inspired
Tarantino to film his play in the cold
Colorado mountains using antique
lenses, further enriching the tale with
a score by Ennio Morricone. The playlike nature of the story, a set-up that
harkens all the way back to Reservoir
Dogs, seems an odd choice for a super
widescreen form, but the close-ups are
as beautiful as the snowy vistas, and it’s
hard to find fault in the man for being
an overachiever. Tarantino is having
fun doing what he loves, and if you love
what it is that he does, I reckon you’ll
have some fun with it too. —Alex Taylor
Friday: 1/1
Hi-Ho: Vice is Right, 9pm
House of Blues: Sample - Grooves
That Inspired Hip Hop, 8pm; Requiem,
10pm; HOB On Sundays, 11pm ($21)
Maison: Luneta Jazz Band, 1pm;
Melanie Gardner, 4pm; Too Darn Hot,
7pm; Zena Moses + Rue Fiya, 10pm
Maple Leaf: Joe Krown Trio, 10pm
Siberia: THE NUDE PARTY, Dead
Marshes, DRUIDS, 10pm ($6)
Sisters in Christ: Sallow / Watcher /
The World is a Vampire, 7pm ($5)
Tipitina’s: Sunday Youth Music
Workshop Featuring Johnny V Trio, 1pm
Banks St: Unite The Vibe, Music @
Arts Festival! feat. Sweet Jones, Jimmy
Wayne Garrett, Kalia, Lyric Baron,
Elon Hornsby, Nate Hancock & DJ
Ahalo, 7:30pm
Checkpoint Charlie: Firewall, 4pm;
Brother Stone & the Prophets of Blue,
7pm; Jerk Officers, 11pm
Circle Bar: Crud Night with dj MB &
Guests, 10pm
d.b.a.: Hot Club of New Orleans, 6pm;
Big Sam’s Funky Nation, 11pm ($10)
Hi-Ho: Crooked Vines, 8pm;
Debauche + Slow Burn Burlesque,
9pm; DJ Q, 10pm
House of Blues: Flirt Fridays, 9pm
Maison: New Orleans Swinging
Gypsies, 1pm; Roamin’ Jasmine,
4pm; Shotgun Jazz Band, 7pm; New
Years Eve featuring The New Orleans
Suspects + Hot 8 Brass Band + Fat
Ballerina, 10pm; The Essentials + Soul
Company, 10pm
Siberia: Joey Molinaro, Mzda Otrok,
Three Brained Robot, Fri(g)id, Wrong
Apology, Wild Torus, Spreaders (THE
HANG ON / DROP OUT), 9pm ($7)
Sugarbear, 7:30pm
Checkpoint Charlie: East & Stone,
4pm; Minato Trio, 7pm; Ubaka
Brothers, 11pm
Circle Bar: miss wallace + jean eric + dj
portion control, 10pm
d.b.a.: Soul Brass Band, 7pm; Dirty
Dozen Brass Band, 11pm ($20)
Gasa Gasa: The Bowery Presents:
Surfer Blood + Bayonne, 9pm ($10.00)
Hi-Ho: Close Me Out, 7pm
House of Blues: Jon Cleary & the
Absolute Monster Gentlemen, 8pm
($18); Double Dose presented by
ActionActionReaction, 9pm
Maison: Chance Bushman & The
Ibervillianaires, 1pm; Royal Street
Winding Boys, 4pm; Smoking Time
Jazz Club, 7pm; Big Easy Brawlers +
Street Legends Brass Band, 10pm
One Eyed Jacks: Little Maker
presents: A Tribute to The Last Waltz,
9pm ($15)
Siberia: KIA CAVALLARO, TASCHE
de la ROCHA, MAEDEA, 6pm; Little
Freddie King, 10pm ($7)
Tipitina’s: #Awayteam presents:
“Lagniappe” featuring DJ RQ Away +
The Rahim Glaspy Experience, 10pm
Saturday: 1/2
Sunday: 1/3
Tuesday: 1/5
Banks St Bar: Unite The Vibe, Music
@ Arts Festival! feat Jimmy Wayne
Garrett, Ryan Gregory Floyd, The
Quickening, Plum Magnetic, Fifth Men,
Nate Hancock, All for One Brass Band,
Banks St Bar: Spaghetti Western
Sunday w/ The Kenny Triche Band, 7pm
Circle Bar: country night with dj pasta
d.b.a.: The Palmetto Bug Stompers, 6pm;
Corey Henry’s Treme Funktet, 10pm ($10)
Banks St Bar: Ladies Night w/
Somerton Suitcase, 9pm
Checkpoint Charlie: Jamie Lynn
Vessels, 7pm; Yeah You Rite, 11pm
Circle Bar: Tyler Weiss with Debelles
Monday: 1/4
Banks St Bar: Red Beans & Rice Piano
Night w/ Lauren Sturm & Friends, 7pm;
Tyler Kinchen & THe Right Pieces, 9pm
Circle Bar: all the colors of the dark
presents The Poppy Field, 10pm
d.b.a.: Luke Winslow King, 7pm; Glen
David Andrews, 10pm ($5)
Gasa Gasa: Flightlife: Spraypaint
huffing party with Live mural art, 9pm
Hi-Ho: Bluegrass Pickin’ Party, 8pm;
Instant Opus Improvised Series, 10pm
Maison: Chicken & Waffles, 5pm;
Aurora Nealand & the Royal Roses,
7pm; The Mutiny Squad, 10pm
Maple Leaf: Jon Cleary & the Absolute
Monster Gentlemen, 9pm
Mudlark: Bitchin’ Bajas / Circuit
des Yeux / 404notfound / Dick Wolf /
Proud/Father, 8pm ($5)
plus Ryan Gregory Floyd plus
Dreaming Dingo, 10pm
Gasa Gasa: Burris and Water Seed,
9pm ($8.00)
Hi-Ho: The Spaghetti Western Show,
7pm; Free Spirit Brass Band, 10pm
House of Blues: Art and Soul NOLA
Vinyl, 6pm; Black & White Krewe, 9pm
Gypsies, 4pm; Gregory Agid Quartet,
6:30pm; TK Groove, 9:30pm
Maple Leaf: Rebirth Brass Band, 10pm
Siberia: The Rotten Cores, Yes Ma’am,
Fish Gutzz and the Ignorant Band,
10pm ($6)
Wednesday: 1/6
Banks St Bar: Free BLT’s & Major
Bacon, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: T Bone Stone
& the Happy Monsters, 7pm; 1 Last
Chance, 11pm
Circle Bar: carl leblanc
d.b.a.: Tin Men, 7pm; Walter
Wolfman Washignton & the
Roadmasters, 10pm ($5)
Gasa Gasa: Echo Courts with The
Painted Hands and Drone Baby, 9pm ($8)
Hi-Ho: Teacher Appreciation Night,
5pm; We Love Vinyl, 6pm; Shamarr
Allen + DJ Chicken, 9pm
Maison: The Organettes, 4pm; The
New Orleans Jazz Vipers, 6:30pm;
Willfunk, 9:30pm
One Eyed Jacks: One Eyed Jacks and
The New Movement present Micheal Che,
8pm ($16 advance / $20 day of show)
Siberia: Desecrator, Mueco, Mocoso,
Allergy, Torture Garden, 10pm ($6)
Thursday: 1/7
Banks St Bar: ABC Americana Night
with Laura Mae Socks, 9pm
Checkpoint Charlie: John Hatchet
Band, 7pm; Baby Whiskey, 11pm
Circle Bar: Jukebox night, 9pm
d.b.a.: Jon Cleary, 7pm; Funk Monkey,
10pm ($5)
Hi-Ho: Jetbaby + Crazy Whisky + Mike
Desmond’s Dead Horse, 7pm
House of Blues: SABOTAGE: NOLA
Tribute to The Beastie Boys, 7:30pm ($15)
Old Marquer Theater: Late, A
Cowboy Song, 8pm
Maison: Jon Roniger, 4pm;
Sweet Substitute Jazz Band, 7pm;
Dysfunktional Bone, 10pm
Maple Leaf: The Trio featuring
Johnny Vidacovich & Special Guests,
10:30pm
Siberia: Loafers, Teenage Sexx,
Loudness War, PEGS, 10pm ($6)
/ The Halfways / Fast Oranj, 10pm
Siberia: DJ SPIDER STACY (the
pogues), DJ YOUR COUSIN DIMITRI
(wwoz), 6pm; GRISTNAM, I Ain’t,
Capsizer, A Hanging, 10pm ($7)
Tipitina’s: Rebirth Brass Band , 10pm
Friday: 1/8
Monday: 1/11
Banks St Bar: Chris Zonada, 7pm; The
Dapper Dandies, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: Nate Hancock,
4pm; Kenny Claiborne, 7pm; House of
Cards, 11pm
Circle Bar: KUWAISIANA, 10pm
d.b.a.: Brother Dege, 2am ($5); Linnzi
Zaorski, 6pm; Pine Leaf Boys, 10pm ($5)
Gasa Gasa: CHARM /// the woo as f***
Interactive Installation, 10pm
Hi-Ho: Gaslight Girls Burlesque, 8pm
House of Blues: Strangelove - The
Ultimate Tribute to Depeche Mode,
8pm ($12); John Doe Live Band Show
featuring Crescent Citizen, 9:30pm ($10)
Maison: Eight Dice Cloth, 1pm; Ramblin’
Letters, 4pm; Shotgun Jazz Band, 7pm;
Soul Project + more TBA, 10pm
Cowboy Song, 8pm
Siberia: Chicken Snake, The O’Pines,
Lonely Lonely Knights, 10pm ($6)
Sisters in Christ: Ratboys / The
Island of Misfit Toys / Woozy / Pope,
7pm ($5)
Tipitina’s: The Revealers 20th
Anniversary Celebration with Special
Guests The Shepherd Band, Claude
Bryant & The All-Stars, DJ Ray & M.C.
Eric B, 10pm
South Jones, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: Mike True, 7pm
Circle Bar: cal folger day with
romantic animal plus benjamin
shepherd ($7)
House of Blues: Friends of Music
presents Brooklyn Rider, 6:15pm
7pm; Stoop Kids, 10pm
Maple Leaf: George Porter Jr. Trio, 10pm
Saturday: 1/9
Banks St Bar: The Bills, Blood Bird, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: Good Children,
4pm; Kenny Triche, 7pm; Selma Street
Chemical Company, 11pm
Circle Bar: Eva LoVullo with The Fifth
Men, 10pm
d.b.a.: Little Freddie King, 11pm ($10)
Gasa Gasa: Oak House with Through
the Sparks and Yard Dogs, 10pm ($10.00)
Hi-Ho: Brown Improv, 8pm
House of Blues: Tooloji - A Tribute to
Tool plus Poetry and Prose, aTribute
to Primus, 8pm ($12); Bad Girls Of
Burlesque - In The Parish At House Of
Blues, 8pm ($20); Double Dose presented
by ActionActionReaction, 9pm
Ibervillianaires, 1pm; Loose Marbles,
4pm; Smoking Time Jazz Club, 7pm;
Kumasi + Ashton Hines and the Big
Easy Brawlers, 10pm
Mudlark: Fire with Fire, 7pm
Cowboy Song, 8pm
One Eyed Jacks: Stereo Fire Empire
Record Release Show with Dead
Machine Theory plus House of Goats,
9pm ($8)
Saturn Bar: Scarecrow Sonic Boombox
Sunday: 1/10
Banks St Bar: Spaghetti Western Sunday
w/ Johnny Angel & Helldorado, 7pm
d.b.a.: The Palmetto Bug Stompers,
6pm; Davis Coen, 10pm ($5)
Maison: Royal Street Winding Boys, 1pm;
Loose Marbles, 4pm; Leah Rucker, 7pm
Mudlark: Fire with Fire, 7pm
Siberia: CRUEL HAND, Drug Church,
Culture Abuse, Ossacrux, 10pm ($8)
Tuesday: 1/12
Banks St Bar: Ladies Night w/ Simple
Sound Retreat, 9pm
Vessels, 7pm; Buddha’s Universe, 11pm
Circle Bar: valerie sassyfras, 10pm
Vinyl, 6pm; Black & White Krewe, 9pm
Siberia: Cauche Mer (Debut Show!!),
Los Ninos Molestos, Bathroom Grime,
TBA, 10pm ($5)
Wednesday: 1/13
Bacon, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: T Bone Stone & the
Happy Monsters, 7pm; Daly News, 11pm
Circle Bar: black beach plus the
midriffs, 10pm
d.b.a.: Tin Men, 7pm; Walter Wolfman
Washignton & the Roadmasters, 10pm ($5)
House of Blues: MIGGS, 8pm
Maison: Bayou Saints, 4pm; The New
Orleans Jazz Vipers, 6:30pm; Mutiny
Squad, 9:30pm
Maple Leaf: Big Sam Trio, 9pm
Siberia: Frankie Boots and the County
Line, Johnny Hatchett Band, Camille
Weatherford, 10pm ($7)
Thursday: 1/14
Banks St Bar: Joun Hatchet Band, 9pm
Checkpoint Charlie: King Snakes,
7pm; Shamaniacs, 11pm
Circle Bar: dreamboat, 10pm
d.b.a.: The Iguanas, 10pm ($5)
Gasa Gasa: The Electronic Sound of
New Orleans, 9pm ($10.00)
Hi-Ho: Simple Sound Retreat + 2nd
String Jazz Team, 9pm
House of Blues: Retrospect - A
Throwback Dance Party, 9pm
Maison: Jon Roniger, 4pm; Emily
Estrella and the Faux Barrio Billionaires,
7pm; Dysfunktional Bone, 10pm
Maple Leaf: The Trio featuring Johnny
Vidacovich & Special Guests, 10:30pm
Cowboy Song, 8pm
Siberia: DiNOLA, Brother Hawk, The
HWY 78’s, 10pm
Tipitina’s: The Radiators Anniversary
Show, 9pm
Friday: 1/15
Banks St Bar: Stella! & Violett, 9pm
Checkpoint Charlie: Reason to Rebel
+ Jonathan Brown Band, 11pm
Circle Bar: Royal & Toulouse, 10pm ($10)
d.b.a.: Mason Ruffner, 2am ($5);
Meschiya Lake & the Little Big Horns,
6pm; Cedryl Ballou & the Zydeco
Trendsetters, 10pm ($10)
Gasa Gasa: Jordan Anderson Band
plus Baby Bee with Bantam Foxes,
10pm ($10.00)
Hi-Ho: The Fixers + Painted Hands +
Ghost Boxing Champion, 9pm
House of Blues: Eliades Ochoa and
Babarito Torres en Concierto, 8pm
($40); A Live One - Phish Tribute, 8pm
($8); Flirt , 9pm
Maison: Dinosaurchestra, 1pm; Luneta
Jazz Band, 4pm; Shotgun Jazz Band,
7pm; Zena Moses & Rue Fiya + Big Easy
Brawlers, 10pm
Cowboy Song, 8pm
Siberia: Legendary Shack Shakers, The
Yawpers, Dirty Rotten Snake In The
Grass, 10pm ($12)
Show, 9pm
Saturday: 1/16
Banks St Bar: Deadly Fists of Kung Fu,
Retro Electro, The Burl, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: Isla Nola, 7pm; J
Monque’D Blues Band, 11pm
Circle Bar: Egg Yolk Jubilee, 10pm
d.b.a.: New Orleans Jazz Vipers, 7pm;
Hot 8 Brass Band, 11pm ($10)
Gasa Gasa: Mariine with Future
Elevators and IZE, 10:30pm ($8.00)
Hi-Ho: Drunktoons, 7pm
House of Blues: Bustout Burlesque,
7:30pm & 10pm ($22); Young
Hustle Tour: T-Wayne + Rich the
Kid + Tate Kobang and more, 8pm
($15); Double Dose presented by
ActionActionReaction, 9pm
Ibervillianaires, 1pm; Leah Rucker,
4pm; Smoking Time Jazz Club, 7pm; +
Musical Expression, 10pm
Cowboy Song, 8pm
One Eyed Jacks: Fleur de Tease
($15 General Admisssion / $25 VIP
Reserved Seating)
Siberia: ALEX McMURRAY, 6pm; SIX
PACK / CLASSHOLE CD Release Show
with GRAVE RITUAL and TBA, 10pm ($6)
Sisters in Christ: Tammaron / Dry Spell/
Yuppie Teeth / The Dents, 7pm ($5)
Show, 9pm
Sunday: 1/17
Banks St Bar: Spaghetti Western Sunday
w/ The Kenny Triche Family, 7pm
Circle Bar: Flower with Yard Dogs, 10pm
d.b.a.: The Palmetto Bug Stompers, 6pm
House of Blues: Chippendales: The 2016
Break The Rules Tour, 6:30pm ($30);
HOB On Sundays hosted by CARDI B of
“Love and Hip Hop”, 11pm ($21)
Maison: Hokum High Rollers, 1pm;
Nyce, 4pm; New Orleans Swinging
Gypsies, 7pm; Soul Project, 10pm
Siberia: X_____X (Cleveland, OH Members of Electric Eels!!), OBNOX,
Trampoline Team, Trance Farmers,
10pm ($8)
Tipitina’s: Sunday Youth Music
Workshop Featuring Good Enough for
Good Times, 1pm
Monday: 1/18
South Jones, 9pm; South Jones, 10pm
Circle Bar: jp dufour, 10pm
House of Blues: City and Colour plus
Greyhounds, 7pm ($35)
7pm; Ainsley Matich and the Broken
Blues, 10pm
Siberia: The Resonant Rogues, Fever
Dreams, 10pm ($6)
Tuesday: 1/19
Banks St Bar: Ladies Night Dance
Party w/ NYCE!, 9pm
Vessels, 7pm; Kenny Claiborne, 11pm
Circle Bar: circle of the tyrants metal
night with dj penetrol & guests, 10pm
Gasa Gasa: Dominic Minix Quartet
with HONEY SAVAGE and Maggie
Belle Band, 9pm ($7.00)
House of Blues: Black & White
Krewe, 9pm
Maison: Gregory Agid Quartet,
Siberia: New Berlin, Bad Misters,
DRUIDS, Quitman, 10pm ($6)
Wednesday: 1/20
Bacon, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: T Bone Stone
& the Happy Monsters, 7pm; Brother
Stone & the Prophets of Blue, 11pm
Circle Bar: Ben de la Cour with katie
lott, 10pm
Wolfman Washignton & the
Gasa Gasa: The Bowery Presents:
Saintseneca + Des Ark + New Holland,
9pm ($10.00)
Maison: The New Orleans Jazz Vipers,
6:30pm; The Crooked Vines, 9:30pm
Siberia: Scott H. Biram, Strahan &
the Good Neighbors, Meschiya Lake
(Band), 10pm ($10)
Thursday: 1/21
Banks St Bar: Americana Night w/
Renshaw Davies, 9pm
Checkpoint Charlie: Totally
Abandoned, 7pm; Shock Patina, 11pm
Circle Bar: esqueleto + toonces, 10pm
d.b.a.: Shannon McNally, 10pm ($10)
Gasa Gasa: Simple Play presents Royal
Teeth, 9pm ($12.00)
Hi-Ho: Cirque d’Liscious, 8pm
House of Blues: Reel Big Fish plus
Suburban Legends plus The Maxies,
7pm ($20); Retrospect - A Throwback
Dance Party, 9pm
Maison: Jon Roniger, 4pm; Kristina
Morales and the Bayou Shufflers, 7pm;
Dysfunktional Bone, 10pm
Cowboy Song, 8pm
Siberia: SLANGSTON HUGHES +
TBA, 10pm ($6)
Friday: 1/22
Banks St Bar: Crescent Guns, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: Swamp Motel,
7pm; George Sartin & Imaginary
Friends, 11pm
Circle Bar: Death of Kings with Shards
of Humanity ($7)
d.b.a.: Tuba Skinny, 6pm; Soul Rebels,
10pm ($15)
Gasa Gasa: The Bowery Presents: Blair
Crimmins & the Hookers, 10pm ($10.00)
Hi-Ho: Sidewalk Chalk + Stoop Kids +
More TBA, 9pm
House of Blues: Breaking Benjamin
- “Unplugged”, 8pm ($35); WHERE
Y’ACHT, 8:30pm ($10); Flirt , 9pm
Maison: Rhythm Wizards, 1pm;
Dinosaurchestra, 4pm; Shotgun Jazz
Band, 7pm; Musical Expression + Street
Legends Brass Band, 10pm
Cowboy Song, 8pm
Saturn Bar: Gland / Helta Skelta /
Swampass / Gloryholes, 10pm
Siberia: PAT McLAUGHLIN, ALEX
McMURRAY, 10pm ($17)
Tipitina’s: An Evening With Todd
Rundgren featuring John Ferenzik,
Jesse Gress,Prairie Prince, & Kasim
Sulton, 9pm
Saturday: 1/23
Banks St Bar: King Mulhacen Indie
Showcase!, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: Good Children,
4pm; The Rotten Cores, 10pm
Circle Bar: Seth Walker, 10pm ($10)
d.b.a.: Cha Wa (cd release) with Big
Chief Monk Boudreaux, Big Sam &
Colin Lake, 11pm ($10)
Gasa Gasa: A Tribute to the 90’s with
Close Enough, 10pm
Hi-Ho: The Rip Off Show, 7pm
House of Blues: Biz Markie-Gras: 80s
vs 90s Mashup feat The Breton Sound
+ Werewolf, 9pm ($15); Double Dose
presented by ActionActionReaction, 9pm
Ibervillianaires, 1pm; Nyce, 4pm;
New Orleans Swinging Gypsies, 7pm;
Debauche + The Big Easy Brawlers,
10pm; Krewe du Vieux Dance Party
with DJ Nick Sosa (Penthouse), 10pm
One Eyed Jacks: Bearracuda, 9pm ($8)
Siberia: THE GERANIUMS, 6pm;
KREWE du VIEUX Afterparty
with CADDYWHOMPUS, A Living
Soundtrack, Sexy Dex & The Fresh, The
Due Diligence, Donovan Wolfington,
9:30pm
Tipitina’s: The Soul Rebels , 10pm
Thursday: 1/28
Sunday w/ Ron Hotstream & The
MidCity Drifters, 7pm
d.b.a.: The Palmetto Bug Stompers, 6pm
Gasa Gasa: Marrow with Sima
Cunningham, 9pm ($8.00)
Maison: Royal Street Winding Boys, 1pm;
Luneta Jazz Band, 4pm; Dinosaurchestra,
7pm; Soul Company, 10pm
Siberia: MESCHIYA LAKE, special
guests, 6pm; Warhead, Brain Dead,
Destroyer of Light, Donkeypuncher,
10pm ($7)
Banks St Bar: Americana Marday
Pawday Gras! w. Cactus Thief & Zach
Mares, 9pm
Checkpoint Charlie: Hubcap Kings,
7pm; Yeah You Rite, 11pm
Circle Bar: the candy shack with dj
lingerie & suzy q, 10pm
d.b.a.: Paul Sanchez w/Alex Mcmurray,
7pm; Little Freddie King, 10pm ($5)
Gasa Gasa: Megafauna with 35 PSI and
Stereo Fire Empire, 9pm ($8.00)
Hi-Ho: Writers Block, 9pm
House of Blues: Retrospect - A
Throwback Dance Party, 9pm; NEW
ORLEANS MOST WANTED (NOMW),
9:30pm ($10)
Maison: Jon Roniger, 4pm; Roamin’
Jasmine, 7pm; Dysfunktional Bone, 10pm
Siberia: Doombalaya, Laelume, 10am
Monday: 1/25
Friday: 1/29
South Jones, 9pm; South Jones, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: Mike True, 7pm
Circle Bar: mikayla, 10pm
Civic Theatre: Stuff You Should
Know, 7pm
7pm; Ainsley Matich and the Broken
Blues, 10pm
Banks St Bar: Scarecrow Sonic
Boombox, Norco Lapalco, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: The Budz, 7pm;
Dirty Mouth, 11pm
d.b.a.: Tuba Skinny, 6pm; Feufollet w/
Miss Tess & the Talkbacks, 10pm ($10)
Gasa Gasa: Good Foot Ball pres by the
Krewe of King James:Super Bad Sex
Machine Strollers, 10pm ($15.00)
House of Blues: The HillBenders
present The Who’s TOMMY: A
Bluegrass Opry, 8pm ($12); Rumours
- Fleetwood Mac Tribute, 8pm ($12);
Flirt , 9pm
Maison: Rhythm Wizards, 1pm; Nyce,
4pm; Shotgun Jazz Band, 7pm; The
Business + more TBA, 10pm
Siberia: One Love Brass Band,
Panorama Brass Band, 10pm
Sunday: 1/24
Tuesday: 1/26
Banks St Bar: Ladies Night w/ Simple
Sound Retreat!, 9pm
Vessels, 7pm
Circle Bar: kia cavallaro & friends, 9pm
Vinyl, 6pm; Colin Hay plus Heather
Maloney, 7pm ($25); Black & White
Krewe, 9pm
Siberia: The Heavy Friends, The Fifth
Men, Arm Candy, 10pm ($6)
Wednesday: 1/27
Bacon, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: T Bone Stone &
the Happy Monsters, 7pm; Juan Reyes
Trio, 11pm
Circle Bar: all the colors of the dark
presents Beyond the Darkness
d.b.a.: Tin Men, 7pm; Walter Wolfman
Washignton & the Roadmasters, 10pm ($5)
Gasa Gasa: An Evening with The
Asylum Chorus, 9pm ($8.00)
Maison: Rhythm Wizards, 4pm; The
New Orleans Jazz Vipers, 6:30pm;
Mutiny Squad, 9:30pm
Siberia: Friendshrimp, Drone Baby,
Frail, TBA, 10pm ($6)
Saturday: 1/30
Banks St Bar: Somerton Suitcase, 10pm
Checkpoint Charlie: The
Parishioners, 11pm
Circle Bar: Mod Dance party with dj
matty, 10pm
d.b.a.: Meschiya Lake & the Little Big
Horns, 6pm; Vapors of Morphine w/
Alien Knife Fight, 11pm ($10)
House of Blues: Uniquity Music Pres.
Slangston Hughes & Fo On The Flo Plus
Baron Amato, 8pm ($10); Robert Earl
Keen, 8pm ($27); Double Dose presented
by ActionActionReaction, 9pm
Ibervillianaires, 1pm; Leah Rucker,
4pm; Smoking Time Jazz Club, 7pm;
Cakewalk + Big Easy Brawlers, 10pm
Siberia: ESTHER ROSE, MAX BIENKHAN, 6pm; BATEBUNDA + TBA,
10pm ($8)
Sunday: 1/31
Sunday w/ Ron Hotstream & The
MidCity Drifters, 7pm
Circle Bar: thee legendary dj slick leo
with mr. quiet storm, 10pm
d.b.a.: The Palmetto Bug Stompers,
6pm; Jeremy Lyons & the Deltabilly
Boys, 10pm ($5)
Maison: Rhythm Wizards, 1pm; Bayou
Saints, 4pm; Brad Walker, 7pm; Soul
Company, 10pm
Siberia: SHADOW GALLERY presents
“We’re All Mad Here” - Goth/Industrial
DJ Night, 10pm
Sisters in Christ: Black Abba/ Gland,
7pm ($5)
WEEKLY EVENTS
MONDAYS
Allways Lounge: Redbeans &
Rupaul Mondays, 7pm
Banks St. Bar: South Jones &
Free Red Beans & Rice, 9pm
d.b.a.: Glen David Andrews,
10pm, $5
Dragon’s Den: Service Industry
Nights with DJ Pr_ck
Hi-Ho Lounge: Bluegrass
Pickin’ Party, 8pm
Spotted Cat: Sarah McCoy,
4pm; Dominick Grillo and
the Frenchmen St. All-Stars,
6pm; Kristina Morales & the
Bayou Shufflers, 10pm [1st &
3rd Mondays]/The Jazz Vipers,
10pm [2nd, 4th & 5th Mondays]
TUESDAYS
Banks St. Bar: NOLA County, 8pm
Carrollton Station: Acoustic
Open Mic, 9pm
Café Negril: John Lisi and Delta
Funk, 7pm
d.b.a.: Treme Brass Band, 9pm, $5
Dragon’s Den: Punk Night
Gasa Gasa: The Progression
Series, 9pm
Howlin’ Wolf: LIVE IN THE
DEN: Comedy Beast
Maple Leaf: Rebirth Brass Band
Preservation Hall: The
Preservation Hall-Stars
featuring Shannon Powell
The Saint: Tikioke, 9pm, FREE
Siberia: Trivia Night, 8pm
Spotted Cat: Andy Forest, 4pm;
Meschiya Lake & the Little Big
Horns, 6pm; Aurora & the Royal
Roses, 10pm
THURSDAYS
Allways Lounge: Bingo! w/
Vinsantos, 6pm
Dragon’s Den: Adventures of
the Interstellar Bboyz: Ghetto
Funk, Breaks, Bass, Hip Hop,
Funk and more, 10pm
Howlin’ Wolf: Comedy
Gumbeaux, 8pm (Live in the Den)
Maple Leaf: Johnny V. Trio &
Special Guests
One Eyed Jacks: Fast Times
’80s Dance Night, 10pm
FRIDAYS
La Nuit Comedy Theater:
Open Mic Stand-Up , 10:30pm
SATURDAYS
Hi Ho: DJ Soul Sister presents
HUSTLE, 11pm
La Nuit Comedy Theater:
ComedySportz, 8pm
Playhouse NOLA: The Magna
Carta Comedy Show, 8:30pm
SUNDAYS
Allways Lounge: Swingin’
Sundays (Free Dance Lessons,
8pm; Live Band 9pm-12am)
Checkpoint Charlie:
Acoustic Open Mic Night w/
Jim Smith, 8pm
Dragon’s Den: Church: Dubstep
for the Masses, 10pm (Upstairs)
Hi Ho: NOLA Comedy
Hour hosted by The New
Movement, 8pm
House of Blues: The Sunday
Gospel Brunch, 10am
Howlin’ Wolf: Brass Band
Sundays with Hot 8 Brass Band,
10pm (in the Den)
Maple Leaf: Joe Krown Trio
Tipitina’s: Cajun Fais do do
featuring Bruce Daigrepont, 5:30pm
WEDNESDAYS
Allways Lounge: Bustin’ Out (A
Music Series), 10pm
Banks St. Bar: Major Bacon &
Free BLTs, 10pm
Carrollton Station: Standup
Comedy Open Mic, 9pm
“Wolfman” Washington & The
Dragon’s Den: DJ T-Roy
Presents: Dancehall Classics,
10pm, $5
Hi Ho: Teacher Appreciation
Night, 6pm
House of Blues: Jet Lounge, 11pm
DISCOUNT VALIDATED PARKING AT CANAL PLACE
REMEMBERING GOD
words and illustration by BILL HEINTZ
It always seemed like it would be
a cold day in hell when Lemmy
died. The man was indestructible.
I caught a whiff of the unfortunate
future when Motörhead was forced
to cancel a show in Houston this
past September after Lemmy fell ill.
His exhausted condition had forced
him to walk off stage in Austin after
struggling through three songs,
announcing, “I can’t do it.” He
recovered later that month in time
for the second annual Motörboat
cruise, the “Loudest Boat In The
World,” featuring Lemmy as captain
among an insane lineup of metal
heavyweights. When he reached
his 70th birthday this past year on
Christmas Eve, fans around the
world celebrated this milestone,
unaware of what was right around
the corner. Just two days after his
birthday, Lemmy learned that he
had an extremely aggressive cancer,
in addition to previous health
conditions he had been battling.
Then, on Monday December 28, 2015,
Ian Fraser “Lemmy” Kilmister passed
away at his Los Angeles home (that
was very hard to type and honestly, I
did start to tear up).
With the sad part out of the way, I’d
like to focus on the many things that
we have to celebrate, like the plethora
of achievements during Lemmy’s
longer-than-expected life. And let’s
face it, when a person’s daily habits
consist of sex, cigarettes, whiskey,
speed, and extreme rock’n’roll, you
don’t expect such longevity. Lemmy’s
humble story begins in North Wales,
where a rocky childhood eventually
led him to pick up a guitar and
subsequent short stints with a couple
of local bands. Often stating later
in life that he remembered a time
before rock’n’roll, his early musical
influences were the most energetic
and rebellious rock’n’roll pioneers,
such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard,
The Beatles, and Elvis. In the ‘60s
he relocated to Stockport, England
and wet his feet in the garage rock
scene with a few bands, most notably
The Rockin’ Vickers. By the late ‘60s,
he moved to London to seek out a
more successful music career and
eventually became a roadie for Jimi
Hendrix, whom he adored. Around
that time he had a few short-lived
runs with psychedelic bands, which
led to him picking up the bass guitar
to join space rockers Hawkwind.
This is when the signature “Lemmy
sound” we all know and love began
to develop, as he strummed his bass
like a rhythm guitar and his distinct
vocals started coming into play. His
taste for amphetamines rivaled that
of the psychedelic preference of his
bandmates, but he was eventually
booted after an arrest for possessing
speed in Canada. At that point, he
went on to form a band that he could
not be fired from. Lemmy’s new
band, Bastard, was no-holds-barred
rock’n’roll with an aggressive side
that had yet to be revealed in the
music world. The mid ‘70s were a
strange time for rock’n’roll, where
the late ‘60s sound gave way to
overindulgent, overproduced jammy
solos and washed-up rock’n’snooze
epic journeys. Kilmister was fed up
with beating around the bush and
decided to keep things straight up
for this new project. He brought in
a couple of blokes that kept a beat,
but they were soon replaced by what
was to be the classic lineup for a band
that changed the face of rock’n’roll
forever. Under the manager’s
recommendations, Lemmy came up
with a better, more marketable name
for the band: Motörhead, based off
of the slang term for a speed addict
and Lemmy’s last writing effort
for Hawkwind. With Phil “Philthy
Animal” Taylor beating the skins
and “Fast” Eddie Clark sleazing up
the high end, the band created a
new type of music that brought a
certain angst to the surface—pure
energy with uncensored cynicism.
Artist Joe Petagno designed the selftitled record sleeve for what was to
become an influential work of art to
thousands of musicians world wide;
he also created the infamous logo that
followed the band through its entire
career.
Motörhead got more popular with
each new album, and once the
essential Ace Of Spades record hit
in 1980, they had basically become a
main contender in the world of rock,
something many people didn’t think
was possible, given their raw and
simple approach. Lemmy’s formula
of outcast indulgence mixed with
fast-paced living came across in the
sound and the people loved it. Punks
and metalheads bound together to
appreciate a sound that brought it
back to the roots of rock, with an
intensity that was unmatched. Album
after album, the band delivered a
driven force that was clearly the real
deal. If Motörhead was one thing,
they were consistent. With infinite
touring and over 20 studio albums
that eventually featured an evolving
cast of guitarists and drummers,
Lemmy kept things just like he
started it: fast, loud, and true.
With over 40 years of making people
like me smile with his sharp, to-thepoint, realistic executions on record
and an existence that personifies
the rock’n’roll lifestyle, Lemmy has
single-handedly given us a light at
the end of the tunnel. Even in death
he confirms that sticking to your
personal beliefs and toughing out the
hard times brings a life you can reflect
on with pride. Though his lyrics were
often angry and spiteful, the man
himself was held in the highest regard
by almost everyone that met him.
Honesty goes a long way and people
respect him for that. He always stated
that he expected to be dead by his 30s
and would change very little about his
life if he had the chance. So with that
in mind, we should celebrate his life
with the fondest of memories, like he
would have wanted. If you pour one
out for Lemmy, make sure it’s down
your throat!!!

the issue in PDF format

Transcription

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