Duwayne Burnside Live at Mattie B’s in Marshall County
One of the worst things of 2020 was the cancellation of nearly all live music events, gigs, festivals and parties. It was understandable, in the …
venues
Duwayne Burnside at Foxfire Ranch in August
The COVID pandemic has had a drastic and devastating effect on the Hill Country and Cotton Patch Soul Blues scenes in North Mississippi, with almost …
Some Like It Black: Get Your Mug On At Memphis’ New Black-Owned Coffee Bar
Many years ago, Memphis arguably had one of the country’s best Black coffee bars. Precious Cargo, in the Pinch District, was both a coffee bar …
Quarantine Images
The sudden closure of everything in mid-March due to Covid-19 had a devastating effect on all live music, including the blues. Nearly everything was closed …
All On A Mardi-Gras Day: “You Know How It Goes”: Closing Out The Holiday With The TBC Brass Band
The approaching end of any holiday can be depressing, but there is no better way to close out a Mardi Gras Day than with what …
All On A Mardi-Gras Day: A Backyard Party Uptown with TBC Brass Band
The house where TBC was to play at 4 PM looked like a fairly ordinary Uptown home from the street, but it was abuzz with …
All On A Mardi-Gras Day: “I Run Through Water and Swim Through Mud”: Black Indians Uptown
The gangs of Black Indians (sometimes called Mardi Gras Indians) who appear in elaborate costumes on the streets of New Orleans on Mardi Gras, St. …
The Final Approach to Mardi Gras with TBC Brass Band at Kermit’s Mother-in-Law Lounge
After a long drive across Mississippi through drizzly, wet weather, I was late getting into New Orleans, and thought I might actually miss the start …
A Hot Drum Shed on a Cold Night in South Memphis
Drum practice can be noisy, and in the early days of young people learning to play, whether snare drum or the set, parents demanded that …
Breakfast in New Orleans, Lunch in Jackson, and a Christmas Parade in Como
The actual day of my birthday was much colder than the day before, but my friend Darren Towns of TBC Brass Band and I headed …