New Orleans- Who kills a guy at 8 A.M. ?

Jazz Vipers @ The Spotted Cat

Mary said that she knew she'd settled in when she found herself bitching about someone getting killed in her block at 8 in the morning. She was like, "I can't believe they killed the guy at that time of the morning!" NOLA is a bizarre city. I love the place but in trying to describe it to a childhood friend, it was just impossible. It's dangerous in a lot (if not most) places. You hear the people at the bar talking about seeing "their mugger" on the street (I guess everybody gets their own/maybe it's part of some new post Katrina social program). About when another bartender says it's a very safe place but never, I mean never go past Rampart (4 blocks from where we're sitting). Mary moved here 12 years ago when she came here from Calhoun, GA on a week vacation and had put money down on a rental before she left. Back to I love this place. There is art that is incredible and as interesting as any place I've traveled! The old houses and architecture is just as amazing! If you wanna walk down a great street for a coupla hours just walk down Royal Street going NE  from pretty much from Canal for about 10-12 blocks! INCREDIBLE "Black and White Gallery" (I call it) at "A Gallery for Fine Photography" (FYI). Anyways, on "Bourbon" from strippers trying to get you to come into their bars (done that a "coupla" times as a kid) to to all the hawkers trying to get you to buy stuff to the young kids walking around lookin pretty damn suspicious to bar after bar of $6.50 Coor's lights I'd head toward Frenchman's street. Frenchman Street is a 12 or so block walk (NE) from Canal St. THIS is the place you wanna go for the more sane version of the great old houses and buildings and cheaper beers, if $4 a beer is cheaper. It's all in context, I guess. It kinda reminds me of the east village in NYC. It's an "Artist community" that became popular back in the 60's, apparently. I went to a few of the more traditional Jazz bars the other night in this area. "The Spotted Cat", to the "Apple Barrel" to "Snug Harbor". I've seen some really great players so far. No bands that have killed me yet (not even at "Maison Bourbon" and "Preservation Hall" on the first night!). Coupla great drummers, a sax player, trombone players here and there. ALL these guys in the various bands have really been great musicians but so far most have been more of the studied musicians than just God given Anders Osborn typa players (though he's not a Trad player, hopefully you'll know what I mean). That probably comes with a greater price than just music lessons and practice. Well, I'm SURE I'll catch some great bands before I leave. Good grief, I mean it's New Orleans!

Sam Cammarata @ Apple Barrel

P.S. the boat in the pic was just really striking to me (the scribbling on the side says it all). It's outside of a soon to be opened "Katrina exhibit" off of Chartres St.

Joy and the Festivals Acadiens

"Joy" is an old school cheesy word I remembered first hearing back at Ebenezer Baptist Church when was a kid growin up in Harbins Community. It's not really a practical or cool word to use anymore. Well on Saturday that's the only word that came to mind at the "Festivals Acadiens" in Lafayette, Louisiana. It was a great a day as I've had out here on the road if not the greatest. I can't really tell you why this old word came to mind. The spirit of all the people playing and dancing had a happiness that wasn't the type from the Dance Halls or the clubs. Joy is the only (uncool) word that came to mind. It just made me feel good about life. I'm just gonna post pictures for you to see for yourself. Btw, my favorite bands were "Cedric Wilson & Bijou Creole" (almost a Latin Zydeco feel though the myspace don't sound like it,maybe I'd been drinking;)) and "Terry and the Bayou Bad Boys" just straight forward smilin' Zydeco! O.K. some of the guys dancing were just freaking insane! You'll see a couple and I posted a video of my favorite dancer!!! I'm telling ya' they were damn entertaining :)

Cattle Festival and a bikini retraction

Well, I cannot tell I lie. Really, I can but not a good one. For the last blog it went like this. I pulled out my laptop and started tap-ing, pulled out my box wine and started drinkin. Well anyways, one thing led to another and a girl in a bikini (on a air boat, coincidentally) popped up on my computer (it DID, it just POPPED up!). Well, ya gotta have a story for the picture and so it goes... . Hope you enjoyed the picture if nothing else. I don't think I ever said that this blog was going to be strictly factual. Maybe I did, hell I lose track sometimes. Anyways, this one for the most part is true (unless I come back later and again retract somethin). Last night was the opening night of the "Cattle Festival" in Abbeville, Louisiana. It was quite the place to be for the locals. 3 band stages. 2 official and one darkened unofficial (on a hay hauling trailer it looked like). The bands played mostly songs from Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" to "Big Mamou" to Garth Brooks covers. The "unofficial band" and stage played more Blues stuff (fittingly). It's like they'd all been told just the day before that this thing was gonna happen (it's been going on since the '40's). On two separate bands the singers would be back there by the drummer figuring out their parts. Anyways, the singers for most the bands were pretty dang good! They also had a ton of food. I tried something called Pasta Yaya. It tasted more like beef stew to me. The lady made me stand there and tell her what I thought. I told her that I'm not from "these parts" but I thought that it needed more "heat" she countered that that's the "heat" that they liked in these parts (unspoken: and get your ass back to "your parts"). Also tried some red beans and rice (he also waited for my approval which I gave with a nod and a smile and got the hell outta there). DAMN, the pressure! Anyways, the local constable contingent was out in full force. It was just a beautiful old town at night. The backdrop was the old courthouse behind one stage and an old courtyard with beautiful lighted moss covered live oaks behind the other. The "rogue stage"/unofficial didn't really have a "backdrop". It was just dark back there. I'll post some pictures. We've got the "Festivals Acadiens" here in Lafayette and the "Gumbo Fest" in New Iberia going on today and then I'm headed out for "The Big Easy" in the morning! Happy BEAUTIFUL Southern weekend!

Swamp Tour (Non-Musical, but there's a picture of a hot girl in a bikini) and yes Uncle Scott's drinking again

Lyn Landry took us on a 3 hour Swamp air boat tour of the Atchafalaya basin. It costs $50 but DEFINITELY worth it. Just check out the video clip (at the top of this & turn down the sound/it's LOUD!). Lyn was raised in Lake Charles area but has lived in this area for years. Screw it, that's all you get for info ~Quick note, "Box Wine" ROCKS! It sucks when you first buy it and can sit in your car for weeks and still maintain that same level of suckiness. Yeah, Uncle Scott's drinking again~ I took a picture of the girl (and the irrelevant boat) that sat in my lap the whole trip. Anyways, it was great. The girl had a boney little ass but other than that, I'd do it all over AGAIN! Yeah, baby! Is this not a good time to ask for more sponsors (I'm gonna run low on funds if I keep taking these damn "boney assed bikini'd girl" tours)? Maybe not. Anyways, ya'll poor suckers are sitting at your desk (usually midday according to my blog analyzer) watching this instead of doing it! X's & O's (and  please keep sitting there and reading my blog :)), S

Cajunville and Bear stories.

So I'm camping again for a few days. Someone said a while back that it looked like someone's back yard that I was in. I'm not a camper. Sorry to disappoint any "real campers" out there if they thought I was gonna be like REALLY camping, I guess like "Into The Wild" or some crazy shit camping. No. It's like "camping in someone's backyard so I'm able to afford this for 4 months" typa camping/KOA's. If anyone wants to volunteer a backyard or maybe even a back porch (throwing in a space heater, maybe?), I'm ALL about it. :) I've gotten use to it... kinda. Gotta make your own coffee on a Coleman burner. Eat a cold Poptart and go out and run around town after that. This'll be the first night that I'll actually use my sleeping bag. Bought it 2 1/2 months ago. Didn't need it in the 70-80 degree temps. Suppose to get down in the 40's to 50's tonight. It's all good but don't expect any "bear stories" to come outta THIS camper. I'm smarter than the average bear (or that idiot in "Into the Wild")
I did go to Avery Island today and it was gorgeous and insanely peaceful. I'll post a coupla pics. Going to Mulate's tonight in Breaux Bridge! Hopefully there be some good things to see and write about :)

Cajun and Community Coffee Country

On the third attempt (with him spelling it out to me) I realized he was telling me his name was Joe. I only took one shot at his last name and left it alone. Joe was a really, really nice talkative older man (with a mighty strong Cajun accent) who, with his live-in girlfriend, were out dancing for the night. Nice, unlike the man on the other side a me who proceeded to glare at me the whole damn time he and I sat there (damn, can't a man cross-dress in Cajun Country?) . We were at Randol's (pictured at the top). A cajun restaurant/bar with a good sized dance floor. The layout reminded me of some of the Texas Road Houses with the amalgam of added on rooms and low ceilings. Apparently 40+ years ago it was a green house that the owner who also sold seafood out of his truck inevitably put it all together into a restaurant. It was the 1st "dance" typa place in Lafayette according  to Joe who was and ex-vet, ex-truck driver and local who'd lived here pretty much all of his 65 years. He gave me a lot of tips and telling me that I was here for prime festival season. There are 3 festivals just this coming weekend! The "Cattle Festival" (haven't seen cow 1, yet) in Abbeville, the "Gumbo Cook Off" Festival in New Iberia and the "Festivals Acadiens" (Which sounded nuthing like it's spelled to me) here in Lafeyette. Damn, I'm just gonna play a deaf-mute and not get into pronunciations and just shake my head a lot. Well, I've done lucked up and hit it right so I'll be writing down that of which I can understand. Seriously, they have been really sweet and kind people down there so far (other than Mr. Death Stare) so I'll keep you guys up to date. I've been tooling around the area to St. Martinville (pretty church picture above), Breaux Bridge and New Iberia. What's the deal with this weather!? Pretty chilly already. Later gators, S
P.S. the band was a fine Cajun band on this night. Nothing special.