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WAKING UP IN DREAMLAND~the new Little Queenie CD by Leigh “Little Queenie” Harris — Kickstarter

When I moved to the French Quarter as a teenager, I was instantly immersed in a music scene that represented the very best live music available in the U.S. Some of those names included (among many others) Germaine Bazzle, Irma Thomas, Dr. John, The Nevilles, The Meters,  The Radiators, The Cold, James Booker and my favorite, Little Queenie and the Percolators. Little Queenie herself (Leigh Harris) remains the type of performer that gives  it all and does it with enormous style. Her musicians are always the best at what they do and her respect for them and the songs themselves is so evident that you know you can relax and enjoy the show ‘cuz you are in good hands.

Since the levee breaks of 2005, Leigh has physically left her city of New Orleans to find some peace and stability in North Carolina, but her roots and her heart remain in New Orleans, as evinced by her new project seen below. I recommend that you kick some cash to our Leigh, for your own good in the long run. You’ll receive the new album, maybe an old one and some other goodies from our brilliant Little Queenie.

WAKING UP IN DREAMLAND~the new Little Queenie CD by Leigh “Little Queenie” Harris — Kickstarter.

Little Queenie and the Percolators (Circa 1980s0

Little Queenie and the Percolators (Circa 1980s)

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The morning comes

Even in the gentrified French Quarter – so different from my first years here – I still think of this stanza from T.S. Eliot when I am in the Quarter in the morning:

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Vietnamese Cuisine in New Orleans | WYES

A great documentary on the Vietnamese in New Orleans. A well done overview of the history and the recent changes since 2005. The Viet community truly led the recovery of the entire city by showing focused entrepreneurial intent and deep community values. 

Vietnamese Cuisine in New Orleans | WYES.

copies of the documentary can be bought on dvd by calling 504-722-3048

And a link to a video that I did for the food system organization Market Umbrella about the Vietnamese:

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bicycle culture in New Orleans, circa 1880

(…and was as elitist as expected back then…)

New Orleans jumped onto the bandwagon, forming the New Orleans Bicycle Club (NOBC) in 1880. The NOBC’s evolution mirrored the changing times. Born first as a ‘gentleman’s club,’ they initially described themselves as “men of affairs of relatively high standing.” The less affluent were kept from membership by default, as they wouldn’t be likely to afford the expensive bicycles.

… Issues of race arose because the Northern cycling groups accepted applicants regardless of color, while the NOBC wasn’t ready to do that.

Cycling History on Baronne St, Embodied in New Orleans Bicycle Club 

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New Orleans Noise Ordinance is Withdrawn After Rally

I think you can see why

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Adidas “rents” the 300 block of Chartres for the NBA All-Star Game

Just saw a presentation by Adidas for the NBA All Star game where they are proposing putting a 2-story black tent around the entire corner of Conti and Chartres (covering the entire parking lot) and a metal WALKWAY across Chartres in that block, presumably to ferry people to other Adidas stuff? What won’t we sell?
And this just after I read an article about how the impact of these sports events ( including Super Bowls) is widely thought of as a loss to the host towns, especially those like ours that already have year round tourists.