As you may have heard, we are headed to New Orleans in November to play a weekend of Shows. Playing NOLA (NewOrleansLousianA/NOLA) has been a dream for us for a long time. Since we now have this Blog thing at our disposal we thought we’d take a little time and talk about why that is.
If the USA is a Melting Pot, then New Orleans is the most northerly Caribbean pot on the stove. It has a mix of Native American, Creole, African, Celtic/Southern, Caribbean and more influences rubbing shoulders on a daily basis. This has given the US (and the World) a number of unique developments.
In the Food Area, the most obvious mix is the Creole/French cuisine intersecting with the Cajun Style. While the former owes a debt to the predominantly French influences of NOLA’s High Society of the earlier days with it’s rich sauces and delicately balanced dishes, the Cajun food leans toward the hotter spices and more earthy ingredients. When you put these together on the same street, you end up with a confluence of dishes not found anywhere else in the World. Thankfully this still exists today.
What really hits us in the Band however, is how this intersection of Cultures became ground zero for some of the most unique Music that we have ever heard.
Just as the Cultures that drifted through New Orleans brought their Cuisine, they also brought their Music. New Orleans is the home to both Jazz and Rock and Roll, as well as Funk and Gospel. Zydeco is brought in through the Cajuns, bending the Accordion to Lead Guitar status in ways I never thought possible. Take a walk down Frenchman Street and you’ll hear Reggae, Funk, roving Drum & Brass Bands, Country and Rock. And that’s on your average Tuesday night.
As a band that tries to be as eclectic as possible, NOLA has always shown us what can happen when you put your joy and pain into your own music and infuse that with the influences brought by those around you. It’s been a dream of ours to play our Music there, and in November, we will…