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August 3-9 2026 Volume 47 Number 31

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CONTENTS

AUGUST 3 — AUGUST 9, 2026 VOLUME 47 || NUMBER 31

NEWS Opening Gambit ............... 8 John Stanton................... 11 Blake Pontchartrain..........12 PULLOUT The Pearl........................... BONO Best of New Orleans Ballot Categories .............17 F E AT U R E S

P H O TO BY M A D D I E S P I N N E R / G A M B I T

DISCOVER A MORE

Joyful Way of Living

At the Reunion Memory Care neighborhood at The Blake at Colonial Club, compassionate support and everyday joy go hand in hand. From chef-prepared meals and engaging activities to beautiful, sunlit spaces, each day is shaped around comfort, connection, and care. Our dedicated team is here around the clock and includes Certified Dementia Practitioners, so families can feel confident knowing their loved one is truly cared for. Call today to schedule a tour, and see how your loved one can find joy in each day at The Blake.

Call (504) 217-2916 today!

blakeseniorliving.com/colonial-club 7904 Jefferson Hwy, Harahan, LA 70123

Still Smoove

DJ Raj Smoove reflects on his role in New Orleans music

Arts & Entertainment ........ 7 Eat + Drink .................... 27 Music listings .................. 34 Puzzles ......................... 39 C OV E R P H O TO BY M A D D I E S P I N N E R C OV E R D E S I G N BY D O R A S I S O N

@The_Gambit @gambitneworleans

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Southern accents

Red Dress Run

‘Liberal Redneck’ comic Drew Morgan returns to New Orleans | by Will Coviello IN HIS DON’T TELL COMEDY SPECIAL, DREW MORGAN TALKS ABOUT what pre-

pared him to be a good dad. It was being the responsible one among his friends growing up in rural eastern Tennessee. “I was the friend group dad,” he tells the crowd. “It’s so much easier to raise your kids if you’ve raised your shitty friends. If my son is drinking something he’s not supposed to, he cries when I take it from him, but that’s the end of it. I don’t have to fist fight him in a Waffle House parking lot.” Morgan is talking some about being a new parent in his set, but there’s a lot more grounded in his roots in Appalachia and never really fitting in. He’s part of a handful of comics who’ve flown a “liberal redneck” banner for the last decade, but he’s currently touring solo. He performed at the Toledano Street Comedy Festival in March, and now he’s back at Sports Drink on Saturday, Aug. 8. Morgan says he’s lived much of his life as “a man without a nation.” He realized it in his small hometown, and it followed him into his first career as a criminal defense lawyer. “It’s being 16, 18 in a town where they call you ‘gay’ because you like to read,” Morgan says. “You’re this pariah. Then you get to college — right outside of Knoxville — and you’re a hick because you have this accent. Then you go to Boston College and it’s even more pronounced. At least there I got good advice from a professor: ‘Hey, stop hiding your accent just because these assholes are judging you.’ ” The law professor also told him the accent would help him in front of juries. “In Miami, some of my trial partners would steal my sayings,” Morgan says. “I’d go watch their closings, and they’d say, ‘That dog don’t hunt.’ And I’d be like, ‘Brother, you don’t even know what that means.’ ” Morgan and his wife moved to New York, where he spent more time in comedy clubs than pursuing law. He performed at clubs including the Creek and the Cave, the New York Comedy Club and more. But then a comedian and friend from back home hit it big with a “liberal redneck” screed online. Trae Crowder “started doing the internet at a time when most comedians really looked down their noses at it,” Morgan says. “Trae when viral. The first one he did was about Tennessee trying to make the Bible the state book. Three

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days after that he did the North Carolina trans bathroom bill. It blew up.” Both videos called out the legislative efforts as hypocritical panders, and it turned out there was an audience for tearing down bad stereotypes of rural Southerners. “It was a perfect time for Trae to introduce himself to the world,” Morgan says. “I think people didn’t know people like Trae existed.” Morgan, Crowder and fellow comic Corey Ryan Forrester were in just the right place to reach wider audiences with their alternative views. They had already started a blog as a way to develop as a writing team. They collaborated on a book, “The Liberal Redneck Manifesto: Draggin’ Dixie out of the Dark.” The book came out just before the 2016 elections, and they drew plenty of press attention for their new perspectives on guns, race, opioid addiction and more. It also launched them on their own comedy tours. “We were like, Florida Georgia Line are selling out arenas and they suck,” Morgan says. “We felt like if Larry the Cable Guy was the equivalent of pop country, we knew we weren’t going to

be as big as Larry the Cable Guy. But we thought we could be the Jason Isbell or Sturgill Simpson of comedy. (Crowder) opened for Isbell. I have opened for the Drive-By Truckers. We have achieved that. What Patterson (Hood) of the Drive-By Truckers would say is, ‘Buddy, you should have aimed higher.’ ” The three still collaborate on the weekly “WellRED” podcast, but they’ve stopped touring as a group, though they do an annual series at Zanies comedy club in Nashville. They successfully pitched a TV show, but it didn’t end up materializing. Morgan and his wife moved to Los Angeles for a couple of years so he could pursue comedy, but family brought them back to the Southeast. Morgan still fights against labels. “I have always said I am more of a hillbilly than a redneck,” he says. “You might need to be versed in it to know what the difference is. Hillbillies, we have our own music, we have our own culture. We have Dolly Parton. We got bluegrass. I don’t call myself liberal anymore, but the world would.” He’s also not a fan of the concept of rednecks. “I think that’s been co-opted,” he says. “When you see it now on TV, it’s personified by somebody with an $80,000 truck and a bass boat. And a Luke Bryan AI song, ‘Hunt fish golf shoot deers,’ or whatever that thing is that went viral for the wrong reason. It’s a brand now.” Morgan recently moved to northern Georgia, and he’s recalibrating, he says. He’s tired of the culture wars, but he’s still talking about what moves him, and one guideline helps him. “One of my hard and fast rules as a comedian is don’t tell the audience to laugh at anything you don’t find funny,” he says. “If you don’t find it funny, don’t do it.” Drew Morgan performs at 7 & 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at Sports Drink. Tickets $28.99 at sportsdrink.org.

Runners in red dresses or red costumes hit the streets of the French Quarter and surrounding neighborhoods for the annual Red Dress Run. The running and drinking event is organized by the local chapter of the Hash House Harriers. Kegs are tapped beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at the pre-run party in Crescent Park. The run begins at 10:15 a.m. on Esplanade Avenue. There’s food in the park at 11:30 a.m. for registered runners, plus music by Petty Betty and the Crescent Kings. Proceeds benefit a variety of local nonprofits. Visit noh3. com to register and for details.

PHOTO BY JOHN MCCUSKER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

New Orleans Hip-Hop Festival

Now in its third year, the New Orleans Hip-Hop Festival hosts three days of events Friday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 9. The fest kicks off Friday with the DJ Wop (named for the late New Orleans DJ and producer) Invitational DJ and Beat Battle at the Bourbon Square Jazz Bar on Elysian Fields Avenue. The centerpiece concert starts at noon Saturday at Washington Square Park with performances by Mac Phipps, Partners-N-Crime, Lady Red, the McMain High School band and more. And on Sunday, rappers, producers and DJs can take part in a media day event with podcasters. Tickets for Friday’s beat battles are $10 and Saturday’s concert is $30. Find tickets and more info at neworleanshiphopfestival.com.

Ella Mai

British R&B singer Ella Mai broke out with the song “Boo’d Up” off her 2017 EP “Ready.” The song won her a 2019 Grammy for Best R&B Song. Early this year she released her third studio album, “Do You Still Love Me?” Ama and Girlfriend also perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, at Saenger Theatre. Visit saengernola.com for information. PAGE 33

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NEW ORLEANS NEWS + VIEWS

Putting the “public” into public servant, one NDA at a time.

# TC OH EU N T

T H U M B S U P/ THUMBS DOWN

Hogs for the Cause gave $2.5 million this past year to hospital programs and families with children fighting brain cancer, the New Orleans nonprofit recently announced. Hogs, which throws an annual fundraising barbecue competition and music festival, had given $2.1 million to hospitals across the country and more than $375,000 in grants to families. The organization has raised and donated more than $18 million since 2009.

Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration is increasingly having state employees sign nondisclosure agreements, the Gulf States Newsroom and Type Investigations recently reported. At least 121 employees in the governor’s office have signed strict NDAs to bar them from talking about what they learn on the job. Landry himself signed an NDA with Meta’s data center subsidiary in April 2024.

Louisiana’s crackdown on misoprostol has meant a heightened risk of hemorrhages for pregnant patients in the hospital, Verite News reported. Misoprostol is a safe and cheap medication to treat hemorrhages, but because it also can be paired with mifepristone for an abortion, lawmakers in 2024 reclassified misoprostol as a controlled substance. Hospitals now have to store misoprostol differently, making it more difficult to obtain in emergency situations.

97,000 THE NUMBER OF DOLLARS IN CITY GRANT FUNDING BEING AWARDED TO 26 FRENCH QUARTER BUSINESSES NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY THE ONGOING CONSTRUCTION ON DECATUR STREET. Pedestrians cross Canal Street in New Orleans, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

New Orleans officials eye revitalization plan for historic Canal Street shopping district NEW ORLEANS MAYOR HELENA MORENO SAYS HER ADMINISTRATION is

in the initial stages of revitalizing the Canal Street shopping district downtown, a historic thoroughfare bordering the French Quarter that has been long neglected since its heyday. At a July 28 press conference at Rubensteins, the men’s clothing store that has operated on Canal since the 1920s, the Moreno administration and partners said initially the city will focus on safety and quality of life issues, including getting street lights back on, increasing police presence and ramping up anti-blight code enforcement. Long term, the mayor said, the goal will be bringing in new businesses to fill vacant storefronts and expanding arts and entertainment and cultural programming along the street, which is home to the Saenger and Joy theaters. “For too long we’ve heard about the challenges of Canal Street, but there really hasn’t been this sole focus on meeting the challenges head-on,” Moreno said. “So today we are here to say that we are taking that challenge.”

Sayde Finkel, who was Moreno’s chief of staff when she was a council member, is leading the effort, dubbed the “Canal Street Renaissance.” This isn’t the first time a politician has planned to bring new life to Canal Street, a fact Council President JP Morrell acknowledged. “What’s different today is that you see a mayor and a council who aren’t announcing that we’re starting something,” he said. “As you’ve heard from the mayor in her earlier comments, the work has already started.” Steve Nelson, Moreno’s deputy CAO for infrastructure and director of Public Works, said his team identified about 20 lights that were out initially in the area and has fixed six. They will complete the next dozen, from the Mississippi River to the Claiborne crossing, over the next three weeks, he said. The city’s new Chief Traffic Engineer Alyssa Bienes has adjusted the timing on the street lights at Canal and Elk and Canal and Rampart, according to Nelson. Crews are also working on the lights at pedestrian crossings, including at Bourbon and Canal.

The construction project, which is an effort by the Sewerage & Water Board to update infrastructure, replace pipes and pour new concrete, has been stalled several times, leading to the disruption — and even closures — of French Quarter businesses since March 2025. The SW&B has pledged to wrap things up this fall.

C’EST W H AT

City Council will soon have more control over the Sewerage & Water Board. Does S&WB need an executive director?

3.1%

YES. THERE SHOULD BE ONE PERSON AT THE TOP

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THE WHOLE AGENCY NEEDS A DO-OVER

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KEEP THE POSITION, BUT NOT FOR $427,000 A YEAR

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Additionally, Nelson’s team will prioritize street maintenance on Canal, including patching potholes and sealing cracks. “Canal Street is one of those locations where if we just apply some preventative maintenance, we can really extend the life of this pavement,” he said.

Increased police presence NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT 8TH DISTRICT CAPT. SAM PALUMBO

said over the last six weeks NOPD and other law enforcement have increased their presence on Canal. He said they’ve made 23 narcotics arrests, increased parking and traffic enforcement and done “quality-of-life sweeps” three times a day. According to Palumbo, Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick is sending the district a dozen new officers to help with these efforts. Through partnerships with the French Quarter Management District, the Downtown Development District and businesses, they’re also installing more cameras in the area.

The French Quarter Management District and the city’s Office of Homelessness Services are also planning daily sweeps in which police officers are paired with an OHS outreach worker to get people off the streets. The goal, officials said, is to connect unhoused people with resources, such as available shelters, but it’s unclear what would happen if someone declined to go to a shelter. The city piloted the program last summer and plan to start nightly sweeps in the Quarter and Canal Street in mid-August, according to Dr. Jennifer Avegno, the director of the city’s Department of Health who leads OHS. “We found when we did this as a pilot last summer is that when we engage folks every single day and we do it in a compassionate way, but give them multiple ways to engage, then they are far more likely to accept help than if it’s just someone here or there, or just a random law enforcement officer asking them to leave,” she said.

Cracking down on underdeveloped properties’ MORRELL SAID THE COUNCIL AND MAYOR WILL ALSO ATTEMPT TO FORCE CANAL STREET DEVELOPERS

and owners to use all floors of their properties, not just the first floor. The practice of “under-developing” a property, which owners use to avoid paying taxes, has left the upper floors of many buildings on the street vacant, which deters investment, he said. Morrell suggested working with the assessor’s office to address this issue and assess properties based on their maximum value if they were fully developed. He also called out the long-shuttered Canal St. Hotel at Canal and Claiborne that was shut down in 2009. “There needs to be a reckoning at code enforcement that if you are not going to choose to bring a property back into commerce, it is not up to all the residents around you to absorb the cost — the lost property value, the lost incentives

— because you just haven’t found someone who wants to pay the ridiculous number price you have for your burnt-out hotel,” he said. Leaders said they were optimistic about Canal Street’s potential, with Council Member Freddie King, whose district includes the French Quarter, calling it “one of the most visible, recognizable historical streets” in the country. “I think there is no reason this can’t rival streets like Times Square,” King said. “We have the people, we have the culture, but it starts with doing the small things, getting the little things right.” — Kaylee Poche

Voting for the 2026 Best of New Orleans now open! THERE ARE MANY IMITATORS, BUT THERE’S ONLY ONE TRUE LIST

of the true kings and queens of New Orleans – Gambit’s annual Best of New Orleans, and voting has already begun.

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“The policy that you are trying to bring to life would take away my one opportunity to speak against these things,” said Briana Mayfield, a pastor from Jefferson Presbyterian Church in Jefferson Parish. “A government should not create barriers between people and their constitutional rights. This policy is ... to limit our right to speak.” “Peaceful protest is the only tool some Anti-ICE protesters in Louisiana communities have PHOTO BY BRAD KEMP / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE to demand accountability. This is not about safety; this is about control. Crashing out over your crucial car You guys are changing the rules, or dealer hasn’t been crowned the attempting to. That doesn’t build cream of the crop? Frustrated trust in the community. This is not your favorite florist never gets the legacy we want,” Alexandria their flowers? Perplexed by the resident Violet Wild said. paucity of praise for your perfect Commissioners defended their podiatrist? Well this is your chance position but did not elaborate on to bring balance to the cosmic the exact details of the proposed scales and bestow the title of Best resolution. The commission’s of New Orleans upon them! agenda for the meeting said the Head over to bestofneworleboard plans to “establish a permitans.com/2026 to cast your votes ting procedure for certain planned now. Voting is open until 11:59 pm demonstrations” and establish August 28, and you must complete rules to “provide for spontaneous at least 20 categories for your demonstrations and prohibit demonballot to count. Winners will be strations within airport terminals.” announced in our Sept. 28 issue. The rural Louisiana airport for And remember, while some other months has played a key role in lists out there may favor their adverTrump’s immigration policies, tisers or let people buy their way on, serving as a hub from where immiwho ever wins Gambit’s Best of New grants are sent out of the country Orleans has, is and always will be up on chartered flights, often without to you, our wonderful and discernbeing given enough time to coning readers! Which means, you’ll tact family members or lawyers. only have yourself to blame if your The timing of the commischerished credit union is crushed by sioners’ planned limitation of the competition. – John Stanton protests is not a coincidence.

Local authorities plan crackdown on anti-ICE protests at Alexandria detention camp LOUISIANA RESIDENTS ARE DEMANDING THE LOCAL BOARD OPERATING a

former air force base in Alexandria drop a planned crackdown on protests at the site as part of preparations to open a new detention camp for migrant children. At a July 23 meeting of the England Air Park Board of Commissioners, dozens of people turned out as commissioners introduced a resolution that could potentially hinder their ability to protest and hold other public gatherings, including prayer vigils.

For months, people have been rallying on-site against ICE. But it’s also a preemptive measure, as federal and state officials brace for renewed public outrage. The Trump administration recently finalized a partnership with the England Air Park to convert an unused military barracks into a 528-bed “holding facility” for families and unaccompanied children. Meanwhile, ICE and border patrol agents across the country have killed several people, including U.S. citizens, in most cases without consequences. Mich Gonzalez, a civil rights lawyer who drove three hours from New Orleans, said, “Y’all don’t realize

what you are bringing upon yourself with this ordinance and the intentions behind the ordinance. You see folks in your community are starting to gather and have been gathering for months with the expansion of the facility at the Air Park. Clearly, this was put together to try and prevent folks from doing that.” Gonzalez added that the board is inviting lawsuits should the resolution pass. While one commissioner claimed the board will “protect public safety and comply with the Constitution,” it did little to convince residents. “This is the stuff of dictators and authoritarians, not the land of the free that I used to know,” said Patrick McGinty, another Alexandria resident. “Do you want to be remembered as un-American politicians who cut and denied Alexandrians’ free speech?” Another attendee asked why the commission would want to operate like this. “What are you hiding from us? It’s obvious there’s something going on. Otherwise you wouldn’t care if we’re peacefully protesting. What I come up here to ask for is transparency. What is going on? Why are y’all so scared of us?” – Sarah Ravits

the country, often with little oversight or regulatory controls. Data centers require enormous amounts of power and water to operate. In many communities where facilities have onsite generation they’ve created significant pollution issues. Communities have also seen their electricity bills soar as a result of these facilities, as well as concerns about access to clean water. Earlier this year the City Council imposed a temporary ban on all new data centers after it became aware of a planned 17 acre facility in New Orleans East that quickly drew community outrage. Under a draft plan prepared by the Planning Commission, the city would only allow data centers in the city if they are under 100,000 square feet, are 500 feet away from residential properties and require no more than 20 megawatts of power. It would also limit the number of large data centers to one per building, and would require they first be reviewed by the Sewerage & Water Board and Entergy to ensure sufficient water and power is available, among other limits.

City planning commission wants to allow some data centers in New Orleans DESPITE GROWING BIPARTISAN OPPOSITION TO DATA CENTERS across the

country, the New Orleans City Planning Commission is expected to seek City Council approval for new rules allowing the water and energy intensive facilities so long as they’re under 100,000 square feet. 100,000 square feet is slightly less than two football fields. The massive Meta data center in Richland Parish is 4 million square feet. As tech companies have increasingly forced AI into every aspect of daily life, their need for more processing power has grown exponentially over the last several years. Companies have begun building these massive computer farms in communities across

The Hyperion Meta data center in Richland Parish, La. META/SHREVEPORTBOSSIERADVOCATE.COM

The proposal does not, however, appear to include a cap on the total number of data centers that could be operated in the city or on a block, and staff appeared to focus much of their work under the assumption that data centers would occupy vacant commercial space. The commission is likely to approve the plan in the coming weeks, and the council would then have to approve it before any new rules would go into effect. – John Stanton

OPENING GAMBIT

Decatur Street has become a symbol of S&WB disfunction.

City Council Member Aimee McCarron on reforming S&WB: ‘It’s going to take some time’ GOING FROM A NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL STAFFER TO A COUNCIL MEMBER HERSELF, Aimee McCarron

had a good idea of what to expect from the job. Still, she was surprised at the sheer number of emails she receives in a day. And a big chunk of those are from people in her District A — which includes parts of Uptown, Carrollton, Hollygrove, Mid-City, Bayou St. John and Lakeview — who are having problems with Sewerage & Water Board. “We all knew it was a problem, but to understand the extreme amount of issues that Sewerage & Water Board has through email has been just completely eye-opening,” she told Gambit Editor John Stanton on The Get Down podcast. The interview is available at bestofneworleans.com. The “most frustrating” part has been the lack of power the council has over the S&WB, she said, but that’ll change when a new state law goes into effect Aug. 1. McCarron has been working with her fellow council members and Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration on measures to approve or change the agency’s budgets, call for a financial audit, appoint a new board and study whether the high-paying executive director position is necessary. They will discuss those in a committee meeting on July 30.

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She said district council members can help with deciding which projects S&WB need to prioritize in their districts. The ultimate goal, she said, is to get rid of the board, which would require voter approval to change the city charter, and turn the S&WB into a city department. The latter would take years because the city would first need to pay down S&WB’s debts. So she’s trying to manage expectations. “It’s not going to be a magic button,” she said. “It’s going to take some time.” McCarron also is looking at ways to train and recruit the next generation to work for S&WB as well as the city in in-house roles such as electrician or street maintenance worker as the workforce ages. That includes working with local unions on an apprenticeship program.

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Another main priority for McCarron in her first term, she said, is getting the city out of the financial crisis left by former Mayor LaToya Cantrell, whose administration spent far more than it had budgeted for. McCarron previously worked as policy and budget director for then-Council Member Joe Giarrusso, who is now Moreno’s chief administrative officer. She brought up Council President JP Morrell’s ballot measure to require the city council to approve any changes an administration wants to PAGE 37

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BL AKE PONTCHARTR AIN™ @GambitBlake | askblake@gambitweekly.com

Hey Blake,

As a New Orleans native, I’ve often heard the name William B. Reily and the company he founded, which makes Blue Plate mayonnaise, Luzianne tea, French Market coffee and other products. How did he get into the food business?

Dear reader,

WILLIAM BOATNER REILY JR. WAS BORN IN EAST FELICIANA PARISH IN 1859 and

FI N E CR EOLE DI N I NG I N TH E H EA RT OF T H E WA R E H O U S E D I S T R I C T

raised in Morehouse Parish in northeast Louisiana. According to his Aug. 18, 1942, New Orleans Item obituary, Reily first entered business as an apprentice and clerk at a general store in Bastrop. After eight years he opened his own store, then organized a bigger wholesale grocery company in Monroe. Reily moved to New Orleans in 1902 and formed a coffee roasting and grinding company with partners Warren Taylor and D.W. Pipes. It was called the Reily-Taylor Co. Within a year, he bought his partner’s interests and renamed the company William B. Reily and Company, Inc. Located at 640 Magazine St., Luzianne coffee was its best-known product. “The founder and president ... has had much experience himself as a groceryman, both as a retailer and a wholesaler,” explained a

Blue Plate mayo is used to make a giant po-boy. PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

1937 Times-Picayune article. “That experience has been the foundation upon which the Reily firm has based its fair policies and practices toward the retail trade.” In 1932, noticing the increased popularity of iced tea, especially in the South, Reily created a blend of tea made specifically to be used for iced tea. After Reily’s death in 1942, the company continued to be run by his family, which included four sons. Luzianne, and later CDM Coffee, made up the bulk of their business until the 1970s. In 1974, Reily purchased Blue Plate, makers of the iconic mayonnaise introduced in 1927. In 2009, Reily acquired American Coffee Co., makers of French Market Coffee. Reily Foods is now run by the family’s fifth generation.

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AUGUST IS MUSEUM MONTH, A CHANCE FOR YOU TO EXPLORE a favorite local museum or cultural institution for free. From Aug. 1-31, an active annual membership at any participating museum gets you and a guest free admission to all 31 participating museums. Three of them are celebrating anniversaries this year. The Historic BK House and Gardens celebrates 200 years, the Contemporary Arts Center turns 50 and the Louisiana Children Museum marks its 40th anniversary. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, BK House is located at 1113 Chartres St. in the French Quarter. For many years the home carried the name of two of its former residents: Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard, who lived there from 1865 to 1868, and novelist Frances Parkinson Keyes, owner from 1945 to 1970. To celebrate its birthday, the house is hosting a block party Aug. 11. The Contemporary Arts Center, located at 900 Camp St., was founded in 1976. Its space was originally a warehouse for the K&B drugstore chain. The four-story facility was leased to the CAC for $1 a year by company president/CEO and arts patron Sydney Besthoff III. He donated it to the CAC in 1999. The Louisiana Children’s Museum has its roots nearby. It opened in October 1986 in a 19th century warehouse located at 428 Julia St. The idea for a children’s museum came from two former teachers, Candy Weiss and Louise McIlhenny, who worked with friends Karin Giger and Cathy Pierson to make the dream a reality. It expanded to a new $47.5 million facility in City Park in 2019. The LCM will host a special gala to honor its founders Nov. 11.

DJ Raj Smoove reflects on his role in New Orleans music

BY JAKE CL APP FOR A STRETCH IN THE LATE-’90S AND EARLY2000S, Raj Smoove could be seen on Thursday nights at the House of Blues, DJing for the venue’s hip-hop night Soul 2 Soul. It was a popular event, and both New Orleans-born rappers and performers who happened to be in town would occasionally drop in and perform. Partygoers were living in the moment, and part of the magic, Smoove says, was you didn’t know who would show up. Smoove wanted to recapture some of that feeling and last year threw the first Smoove Fest at the Broadside. There were performances by Brass-A-Holics, Kr3wcial and DJs RQ Away and Jess, and Smoove headlined the night with friends like Mac and Mannie Fresh dropping into the set to perform. Smoove Fest is now back at the Broadside for its second edition on Saturday, Aug. 8. This year’s lineup will include the Miami hip-hop duo 69 Boyz, Brass-AHolics, DJ Odd Spinz, vocalist Kyle Alexander and Mikecol, who has been gaining wider and wider attention for his blend of bounce and jazz. And Smoove will again headline the night with special guests. For tickets and more lineup info, go to smoovefestival.com. More than a party, Smoove Fest also serves as an early birthday celebration for Raj Smoove. The New Orleans-born DJ and producer is making 50 in August. The son of Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer, pianist and now retired educator Roger Dickerson Sr., Smoove grew up meeting great New Orleans musicians, like Allen and Reggie Toussaint. And coming up during a golden age of hip-hop, Smoove as a young teen fell in love with the culture and began to learn to DJ. He worked his way up to becoming a popular DJ during high school and at Dillard University and held residencies at places like the House of Blues at a time when bounce was on the rise and releases by No Limit Records and Cash Money were climbing the charts. In 2000, Smoove was tapped by Mannie Fresh to come with Cash Money on its joint national tour with Ruff Ryders Entertainment. And in the years following, Smoove also produced for Lil Wayne and Sqad Up. Smoove remains one of New Orleans’ busiest and best regarded DJs. He works with the Saints and the Pelicans, makes appearances at Jazz Fest and Essence Fest and keeps a full schedule of performances around town. He also regularly produces music for other performers and runs the artist management and development company The Gentilly Agency, working with artists like Flagboy Giz, Water Seed, HaSizzle, 504icygrl and PoppyH. Ahead of his 50th birthday, Smoove recently sat down with Gambit during a busy week that included performing at events hosted by Tales of the Cocktail and X Games. During the long conversation, Smoove reflected on his evolving career, the impact his parents had on him and how he’s now trying to pay it forward.

The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity. What is coming up at this year’s Smoove Fest? RAJ SMOOVE: It’s the second year. I’m excited. It’s trying to stick hard with the nostalgia for folks my age who really don’t have a lot going on party-wise. The parties aren’t the same anymore. So we’re creating that environment where people can feel relaxed. We can hear some music that we love. We got 69 Boyz coming this year. I wanted to bring somebody from that era, and Mia X connected me with them. Brass-A-Holics are gonna be back. We’ve got some surprise performers this year. Last year, Mac came out, Raw Dizzy, HaSizzle came out and did something. Mannie Fresh did a few songs. So I want to kind of keep it like that, where it’s like you don’t know who’s coming, but it’s gonna be cool. It’s having some surprises that will resonate with folks who were outside during that era. The majority part is me DJing and bringing out artists during my set. They’ll pop out, do a song or two. I don’t want it to feel like a traditional festival. I want this to be a party, kind of how it used to be at the House of Blues on Thursday nights. You never really knew who was gonna be there or who might show up. I remember Shyne coming through there. 8Ball & MJG coming in and performing. It’s popping, and folks want to get on the mic and perform their songs. So we want to try and recreate some of that energy and that excitement. And then we got a lot of artists, like Polo Silk the photographer, we got him back this year, and Charlie (Vaughn). BMike (Brandan Odums) is supposed to put together a little something for it. We got some great food vendors coming. It’s just gonna be a good time.

PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT

Raj Smoove in 2003 PHOTO BY STEVEN FORSTER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

You’ve been active for more than 30 years. How do you feel your career has changed? RAJ SMOOVE: I started DJing in 1990, and I’ve felt I’ve always tried to pivot into other things at significant times. When I first started doing it, me and my crew and my friends, we all had the same dream of being rap and hip-hop superstars and being on “Rap City”

Young Raj Smoove at the piano with his father, Roger Dickerson Sr. PHOTO PROVIDED BY RAJ SMOOVE

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Still SMOOVE

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Still SMOOVE and having our song on Q93 and traveling, signing autographs and doing shows. Everybody sees that for themselves, but then once you start to really see what the industry is and how artists are really treated as commodities — the business is not really in the artist’s interest. They’re just trying to make a dollar. “Bringing in money is great. We love you. It’s a party.” If you start struggling, well, there’s this brand-new shiny thing over here that we need to pay attention to. I would say it took me about a decade to figure all of that part out and see what the business was and the fakeness that goes on. But just realizing that big business is about making money and if you’re not generating income, it doesn’t matter how dope you are. That might not be the field or the game you want to play in. So it’s figuring out what game it is that you do want to play. Did you have a moment you started thinking about longevity in your career?

Raj Smoove DJs at the Caesars Superdome before a preseason NFL game in 2024.

RAJ SMOOVE: Not specifically. I think

my core values that my parents instilled in me kept me on the track to longevity. Nobody was explicitly like, you got to do this, you got to do that. But it’s just: Have integrity, be fair with people, be a good friend. Look out for your community and the folks that are around you. Share the wealth. Share the knowledge. Both of my parents are teachers, so my whole life was spent watching them share all of the wealth of knowledge that they had accrued over the years with other people, just passing it on. I think that’s been one of the biggest impacts. My mom’s an artist, my dad’s a musician, and they aren’t huge commercial successes in that way, but everywhere I go, at least once a day, somebody’s like, “Hey, tell your mom I said hello and that I love her.” She’s had such a positive impact on the lives of so many people out here that are in the positions and are culture bearers and are doing the work. She has tended that garden. Same way with my dad. Teaching and doing the Louis Armstrong summer camp — everybody has been through there. (Flagboy) Giz did Jazz Fest with Jon Batiste, and we were at the rehearsal. Before we left, I’m like, “Yo, Mr. Dickerson is my dad,” and [Batiste] really paused and was like, “Oh shit.” And there’s so many people my dad has contributed to their musical education and development and helping shape them. His impact is priceless. Do you feel like that has shaped how you’ve worked with others, too? RAJ SMOOVE: I see that, and I’ve unconsciously done the same thing. I’ve always tried to share the knowledge and whatever assets I had with other people.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

When Katrina happened, I was one of the first people down here on Serato (DJ tech equipment). Up until then, everybody was still on vinyl and CDs and stuff. During Katrina and traveling around, I had harvested a whole lot of music, downloading stuff, so I had a hard drive full of music. Then as everybody else started getting Serato, I’m like, “Yo, give me a hard drive.” Whatever I got, you got. It’s still like that to this day. Folks hit me up, “Man, I need some music.” Get a hard drive. Everything I got on my laptop, you got it. So I think one of the reasons for my longevity has been my willingness to help, support and kind of prop up the greater music community. It started unintentionally, but then as I started realizing, “Hey, this is the path,” and maybe post-Katrina, baking myself into the culture — so where that anything that happens, my name is gonna pop up to be involved. As long as the culture is going on and exists, I will be involved in it in some form or fashion. And because I’ve done that also in an unselfish way, I’m working with other artists, working with other DJs, trying to get folks paid. I can’t do all the gigs, so if I can use some of what I’ve learned over the years with all of this stuff to help somebody else get paid, let me help you get the max amount that you could possibly get for this event. It just took time to realize that stuff. Me and my wife were talking about it last week, ’cause I make 50 next month.

I still have dreams of rocking big stages — which I mean, I’m rocking super large stages, so I’ve done it, and continue to do that. And the quality of that is something that I feel like I’ve achieved, and it keeps me going. I am a part of my city, and I’m a part of my community. I’m able to do the big things and feed my family, help other people feed their families, and I get to play music for a living. It’s hard to beat that. As you approach 50, what do you feel like your part in New Orleans is today? RAJ SMOOVE: I definitely have an answer for that. A lot of people look at the industry stuff as like, everybody wants to hit the lottery ... Hitting the lottery is about the same chances of being super successful or getting to that Yankee Stadium stage. Not everybody does it. There’s not enough space for everybody to do that. So if we want to talk about it in economic terms, the opposite of winning the lottery is being smart and investing in growing the economy. I might not be able to make $100 million doing this, but if I can help to grow the industry here to where more folks are able to make music and be in the industry, I think that’s my contribution. Looking at it, my place is to help make it better for the folks that come after

me. Do a little bit better for myself, as best as I can do, but then also create new opportunities and pave the way for folks that are going to come after me. Whether that’s through helping develop people, helping artists get on and make more money so that they can just focus on making music or potentially getting out of here or bringing more attention to the city. Or as these different events and things come to the city, helping to have more folks from New Orleans included in whatever’s going on. It’s just about making the whole scene better. I’m part of the current zeitgeist and should make sure it’s better for later generations. What can New Orleans do better in order to make sure that musicians are able to stay in the city if they want to and be successful? RAJ SMOOVE: I don’t know if you’ve seen all the stuff with Rob49 and Juvenile. It’s a little bit of a Juvenile answer for that. (Recently, New Orleans-born rapper Rob49, who has had a meteoric rise, appeared on Juvenile and Mannie Fresh’s podcast. During the conversation, Rob asked the hip-hop icons what he could do with his success to support other New Orleans rappers and producers. Juvenile’s response sparked a lot of conversation on social media.)

[Juvie’s] answer was question adjacent. It was not the exact question that Rob asked, but he was speaking to a larger thing: that making money in rap is extremely, extremely hard. The only reason I survived is because I’m a DJ and I offer a service. Rappers, artists need money in order to support their music careers until they do actually make it. So what I would say is the city — this is nationwide, just America, period. If the economy was better, if primary education was better, if there were more services available to people to alleviate some of the everyday pressures that we have, that would allow people more time to be creative and give them more resources to invest in what it is that they’re doing. After I went on tour with Cash Money, when I came home, I went and bought a keyboard and some other equipment so that I could make more music and invest back into what it was that I was going. When Kourtney Heart (Ed. Note: Smoove was her manager) got her record deal, I bought some more equipment, put some money to the side. After Katrina, when SBA was giving out money for stuff, I bought more equipment. I bought a camera so we could shoot our own videos. I bought a little CD printer. The resources that were made available to me, I reinvested it in things that could generate more money for me. I think that would be a start to it. That’s not directly music related, but it’s just the overall foundation that we’re all standing on. We have to have solid footing to where we can do the other stuff that we want to do ... I think the crux of Juvenile’s answer was do something that you can make money at to support your dream and after it’s over. Everybody has a shelf life to a certain extent. You have to have some other revenue streams, whether that’s you doing something else, like being an electrician, or maybe you get a nice size check and you invest in some real estate or something. I think Rob was looking for an answer to like, what can he do given his platform for other artists and producers in the city. The low-hanging fruit is like, hey, keep working with local producers. Take somebody on tour with you or bring the local producers around your national friends so maybe they can get some other placements. Do features with local rappers or put lesser-known rappers on your projects. Then also deal with people fairly. Don’t take advantage of folks because they’re so hungry to get on. That happens a lot of times. I remember one time in high school, one of my partner’s mom’s friends was like, “Yeah, I’ll put y’all in the studio and release the music. I just want the publishing.” I didn’t know what that meant at the time. I didn’t know that publishing is how folks eat off the music for decades. I told my dad, and

he was like, “Yeah, I don’t think that’s gonna happen.” The game is cutthroat. If this gets back to Rob49, protect your community from the vultures. Use your leverage to make sure that the folks that you do bring out and try to put on don’t get messed over. One song, the right song, can change somebody’s life. It could get their whole family out of the hood. It could be the difference of their kids going to college or going to jail. And the stronger our community is, our industry is, the better it is for everybody. So it’s those types of things that artists like Rob49 and other folks that’s coming up can do. You don’t even have to go in your pocket to do stuff like that. Just make an introduction. Make the co-sign. Make sure people don’t get messed over, because if you have a producer get on and you treat them correctly and they have success, they’re more likely to treat the people after them in that same manner. It’s hard to invest into your music if you have to drop money to replace a tire after you hit a pothole. RAJ SMOOVE: People talk about, with health, that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We could get all of the Band-Aids and braces and all of that stuff all day, but if we deal with the underlying issues of people’s eating habits, people getting exercise and all that other stuff, then the need for these other things kind of starts to decrease. So just helping increase people’s quality of living and making it easier for them to be able to do things that they want to do to actually have some discretionary income that they can spend on their hopes and dreams. That’s just kind of the baseline. I think that’s where we can all start. That would help everything across the board. But then after that — I’ve been in a lot of discussions about all of this stuff. A lot of times the answer is, “Oh, let’s create all these tax incentives for companies to be able to do this and do that.” Most of the folks that are struggling with it do not make enough money on it to warrant a tax break or some tax incentive. Then there was a whole thing with the studios that they would get tax incentives for owning a studio or recording, but you have to do this and that, and then the audit process was very cumbersome. People couldn’t really take advantage of it for real. When (former Mayor LaToya) Cantrell was in office and she had the Office of Cultural Economy, they did a lot of stuff, as much as they could, during Covid. When Alana Harris was running the office, she did a lot, her and Lisa Alexis, who’s running the New Orleans Tourism & Cultural Foundation now, to help platform artists. That’s when I started doing some little DJ streams from the House of Blues.

DJ Raj Smoove performed in the House of Blues tent during the second day of the Voodoo Music + Arts Festival 2019. PHOTO BY SHAWN FINK / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Then it snowballed into them doing a whole series, the Embrace the Culture series, where they had artists come in and perform, and all of that kind of snowballed from that. It didn’t cost a lot of money, but it created an opportunity for artists to still perform and get donations, get a little stipend to come do their thing. I think things like that are really dope. They’ve still been working to create opportunity. I also think there needs to be a music hub in the city. You’ve got like Nashville’s Music Row up there, where it’s all these different companies and stuff. We need something kind of centralized where people have access to resources and where everybody is congregated to make access easier. When you’re around people, a lot of things naturally just happen. Connections get made, opportunities get created, and I think there’s some initiatives that the city can probably do to help with creating that. What’s the latest at Gentilly Agency? Anything you want to put on our radar? RAJ SMOOVE: We’re just holding down the fort. Flagboy Giz is working on a new project that will probably be out soon. Every year, he’s dropping something. HaSizzle has a new project that we’re working on. He also just did a [track] with Sango. We had crazy visuals for the video for that. 504icygrl has a remix for “Where He At?” that’s about to drop. She just did a couple of collabs with Yellow Claw. They’re EDM dudes making trap. PoppyH’s finishing up some stuff. He’s been planning to drop an EP. Water Seed has been working on their “Journey to Funkstar” joint. That’s been rolling. Everybody’s been active. And I’ve been doing a lot more production on stuff as well, like live audio production stuff.

That’s one of my other revenue streams. Folks will be hitting me to come DJ for these festivals and other stuff, and I’m like, “Yo, who’s doing the sound and all of that?” That’s kind of where I’ve been trying to pivot and get into. Coming from like when I was young, being in the club and being at the hottest club, that was the goal. I had to be in the spot. But on top of the club culture changing, the DJ money has been stagnant on that side, which also means it’s lessened because of inflation. So doing smaller, more quality events that pay more, that’s just what I’ve been focused on on the DJ side. For all the things that I’ve done, I have to continue to kind of push the ceiling to show, “Yo, there’s other places we can get into.” When I started DJing for the Saints, it was because I wanted to DJ for the Pelicans. Originally, nobody was really thinking about DJing at a football game. But basketball, I knew DJs for other teams. Corporate wasn’t really open to that, but they said, “We could probably get you in on the Saints.” So I started DJing for the Saints as proof of concept, and it’s been successful. And I would think that I’ve helped open the door for all the other DJs that are now included in all of the New Orleans sports stuff that goes on. Antwigadee is in with the Pels, and DJ Hollaback is over there for them all the time. And Spin Griffey, RQ Away have been DJing in the Dome in one of the VIP areas on game day. And PJ and Arie Spins have been able to be out at Champions Square. I like to think that I’ve helped make the organization feel like DJs are OK, so they can start incorporating people in all of these other places. I feel like that’s my place: Make it OK for other people, so that they can get opportunities to do stuff.

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On point

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A relocated and renewed Bywater cafe | by Beth D’Addono LAUREN BACALL’S WHISKEY AND CIGARETTES VOICE SEEMS A LONG WAY from

3700 St. Claude Ave. in the Bywater. But that’s exactly what inspired the naming of Lowpoint, the coffee shop and cafe that originally opened five years ago on Poland Avenue and moved to its larger, more visible current location a few months back. Bacall, whose visage is on the Lowpoint T-shirt, did a hilarious series of unintentionally campy ads for High Point decaffeinated coffee in the early 1980s. “It’s de-CAFF-einated and the flav-ah is marvelous!” she said in one ad. The ads, which started showing up on YouTube in the late 2000s, inspired a skit starring Maya Rudolph on “Saturday Night Live” a few years ago. “We love the ads,” says co-owner and chef Potter Debella. His business partner Mik Grantham remembers flipping the script on the name, “because we were all at a low point when we opened.” Both friends are longtime baristas and service workers who moved to New Orleans in 2014 after they fell in love with the city on vacation. They met when they both worked at Solo Espresso. “I think I’ve met everyone I love — including my husband Max — from working at Solo,” Grantham says. When the original owner closed the shop during the pandemic, it was Grantham’s dream to open a cafe and bookstore in the same spot if Debella was game. He was. Last year, however, they had their worst summer ever, thanks to the ongoing St. Claude Avenue bridge repair, which backed up traffic all along Poland Avenue. “People literally couldn’t get to us,” Grantham says. They also moved because the landlord was raising the rent. “This place is three times the size and was still $100 less,” Grantham says. “We had to take it.” The permitting process was tricky, and Grantham was eight months pregnant when she started applying.

Mik Grantham and Potter Debella at Lowpoint PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT

“Potter handled everything else,” she says. “I was going to City Hall crying just about every day. Finally, right before Penny was born (in January), we got everything we needed.” Their community of regulars has already discovered the sunny, welcoming space, which includes an expansive patio and more workspace for Debella and baker Sarah Alper. The cafe has two menus. Sunday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., there are fresh biscuits and pastries and bagels from Leo’s Bread. There are also killer — and reasonably priced — breakfast sandwiches, like the Big Edith, which stacks a fluffy egg, cheddar and avocado, with or without meat, on an oversized flaky biscuit. Vegetarian options include the Chickpea-tita, a schmear of curried mashed chickpeas with green apple and arugula on Leo’s semolina toast. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Debella’s irresistible evening menu is served from 5 to 9

Email dining@gambitweekly.com p.m. The Boston native is inspired by the feasts served every weekend by his extended Italian family. There’s always a pasta — for now, his non-traditional baked ziti, with bechamel in each bite and a drizzle of hot chili Calabrian honey crisp on top. A rotating seasonal salad might be topped with peaches, burrata and a balsamic glaze. The Scarpetta section of the menu is named for the Italian tradition of mopping up a plate’s goodness with bread. Served with either Leo’s or housemade, gluten-free bread, there is a carrot confit with whipped feta, eggplant rollatini, beef meatballs spiked with fennel and a savory chicken pot pie filling served with more of those buttermilk biscuits. A dessert option might be a peach shortcake with mascarpone whipped cream. Grantham is a poet and sometimes sneaks poems into the menus. The cafe’s book selection leans into lesser-known tomes, usually from small presses. Grantham curated the wine program with the help of natural wine distributor DJ Piazza of Disco Liquids in Elmwood. Besides an array of lesser-known wines, she always has a bargain house white and red option for $7. “We want to stay real for the neighborhood,” she says. Owning a dream cafe is something Grantham sees as particular to New Orleans. “You can’t just open a place in San Francisco,” she says. “We are grounded in community. The people who live here are all we have. No government is going to help us or anyone do anything. We have to help each other.”

? WHAT

WHERE

WHEN

HOW

CHECK IT OUT

Lowpoint

3700 St. Claude Ave., (504) 582-9662; lowpointco.com

Breakfast and lunch Sun.-Wed., Dinner Thu.-Sat.

Dine-in

A neighborhood spot for coffee, baked goods and Italian dinners

Culinary gold BEFORE THE GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE MEDALS WERE AWARDED AT THE THREE-TIERED PODIUM, and before the

competitors in their gleaming white chef coats and tall toques took the stage holding their national flags among a crowd of cheering supporters, New Orleans chefs were already jubilant. They’d been watching all weekend as teams of top chefs representing countries across North and South America contended for peak culinary awards, while also rubbing elbows with visiting celebrity chefs, some regarded as rock stars by those who value tasting menus over concert tickets. All of this culinary firepower was in New Orleans for twin global contests, Bocuse d’Or and Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie (a.k.a. the Pastry World Cup). Teams competed to make it to their respective finals, to be held in Lyon, France, in January, an event regarded as the World Cup of cuisine. These local competitions were qualifying rounds, and New Orleans chefs and restaurateurs attending to watch and help produce the events called them a win for the city’s own culinary identity.

Team USA’s Tyler Higson competes in the Bocuse d’Or culinary competition. PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

“It brings such great energy, with all these chefs and food enthusiasts here,” said Alon Shaya, chef and co-owner of Saba and Safta’s Table restaurants. “New Orleans is such a great place for people who love food and hospitality to visit, and for a lot of them this was their first time experiencing that. I think it just multiplies the possibilities for New Orleans,” he said. PAGE 28

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After the weekend’s performance, U.S. teams swept both categories and will advance to the finals. Pastry Team USA won the gold medal in the Americas round on Saturday, and Bocuse d’Or Team USA won gold on Sunday. Each team is composed of chefs from around the country, who take leave from high-profile restaurant positions to represent their country. While still not as well known in the U.S., Bocuse d’Or and Pastry World Cup are followed obsessively by chefs and culinary aficionados around the world. New Orleans first hosted a qualifying round for each in 2024, marking the first time they were held in any North American location. Event organizers said it was a move to increase its visibility in new markets. It’s also an opportunity the local tourism marketing and sales agency New Orleans & Co. campaigned heavily to get. Alice Glenn, the tourism group’s executive vice president, said hosting the competitions is part of a larger strategy to elevate the city’s profile as a global travel destination and a culinary center of excellence. “There’s no better way to do that than bringing the best chefs in the world here,” she said. “They’re meeting people, seeing young chefs on the rise, seeing the dining scene as it is today. This is how catalytic things happen.” Local chefs attending the competitions agreed. Some called the events another reflection of the city’s growing reputation as a creative hub of rising talent, along with other milestones like New Orleans’ debut in the Michelin Guide last fall and hosting the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants ceremony last spring. “I think it’s showing that New Orleans is not just a legacy food city but a place where people are reinventing it,” said Kaitlin Guerin, pastry chef and owner of Lagniappe Bakehouse in Central City. “It shows we’re on the map for what we are now, not just for the past.” The events were held in conjunction with Louisiana Restaurant Association’s annual trade show and turned one part of the convention center into an arena-style competition kitchen. Fans and family members who had traveled with the teams and trade show attendees packed the room, many wearing their national colors, waving small flags and ringing noise makers and bells in zealous support. By contrast, the chefs pursued their work with laser focus and tight coordination, ever aware that the clock was ticking and that the judges,

PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

all acclaimed chefs, were circulating to watch their performance. Familiar ingredients are transformed into works of culinary art. Team USA’s winning platter for the Pastry World Cup round, for instance, was a diorama of dinosaurs and prehistoric plants that covered an entire table. One prominent chef in attendance was Jerome Bocuse, the chef who continues the legacy of his father Paul Bocuse, the revered godfather of modern French cuisine who first created Bocuse d’Or in the 1980s. He was effusive in his praise of New Orleans as host city, citing its historic connection to France and vibrant food culture. “When we came here two years ago, I didn’t think it could be possible to do it better, but this year it was,” Bocuse said. — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune

Coolinary deals

COOLINARY NEW ORLEANS, THE ANNUAL RESTAURANT PROMOTION,

brings special prix fixe meals for lunch, brunch or dinner at participating restaurants. The meal deals are available through the end of August. There are more than 120 participating restaurants, ranging from Creole institutions like Commander’s Palace, Galatoire’s and Antoine’s Restaurant to contemporary fine dining at Compere Lapin, Atchafalaya, Jack Rose, Toups’ Meatery, Sun Chong and Mister Mao. Seafood spots include GW Fins, Basin Seafood & Spirits and Station 6 in Bucktown. Casual restaurants include Mother’s Restaurant, Biscuits and Buns and Avenue Pub. There’s a list of restaurants and menu previews at neworleans.com/ coolinary, and it’s searchable by location, cuisine and meal type. Deals include two-course lunches for $28 and up, and three-course dinners and brunches for $58 and up. There’s also a list of Coolinary Cocktail participants. Nearly 20 restaurants offer a two drinks and two bites special, and others offer cocktail specials. — Will Coviello

Leighann Smith

THE #1 DRINK IN NEW ORLEANS!

Butcher

by Will Coviello BAY AREA NATIVE LEIGHANN SMITH CAME TO NEW ORLEANS and handled

butchery and meat curing at Cochon Butcher before later opening her own artisan butcher shop and restaurant Piece of Meat with Dan Jackson. They closed it in 2023, and more recently Smith worked with partners at the Bywater bar Tuff Break Loser’s Lounge. But now she’s back at the butcher block as the butcher and chef at Farmer’s Butcher & Farmstop, the new farmers market on the tip of Bayou St. John. She also runs a bologna business with chef Mason Hereford and does steak night pop-ups. For more information about Farmer’s, visit farmersnola.com.

What are you doing at Farmer’s? LEIGHANN SMITH: Caroline (Rogers) and Mike (Bertel) hired me as a consultant to set up the butcher program. Essentially, I got everything set up, and then they started designing it and I came and saw it. I was like, “Man this place is incredible.” They had offered me the butcher job a few times, and once it started developing, I was like, “This is so dang cool.” I fell in love with what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. I missed meat, so here I am. I am here every day except Sunday and Monday. The main entrance (to the former car repair shop) is our grab-and-go space and counter. The main garage is the retail floor. In the back, they built a 12-by-12 area for a butcher counter. We have a walk-in and a freezer. So we’re making everything on site. We make all our sausages. Right now, the best sellers seem to be the green onion and hot sausages. We’re using a local jam and hot sauce maker’s pepper mash for our hot sausage, and it’s killer. It’s from Once Around the Kitchen. We’re working with Bayou Sarah Farms. She has a water buffalo farm in St. Francisville. So we have wild buffalo boudin, and it’s so good. We’re making boudin. We’re making ham and brie sandwiches. I am about to make hot dogs. We are making chicken liver pate, pork rillons, and a lot of potted meats. We’re doing it all. We make soups, salsas, compound butters, chimichurri and tomato sauce and whatever.

PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

We’re using whatever small odds and ends of produce we have. We have boudin-stuffed chickens. They’re completely deboned except for the drumstick, and we stuff it with boudin and tie it back up, so it looks like a chicken. When you slice it, there’s no bones, and it’s perfectly delicious. Anything you buy that’s not cooked, we write recipe cards for.

How is this different from a farmers market? S: One of the main reasons I wanted to do this is they built a model that puts the same amount of money into the farmer’s pocket as if they were going to a farmers market every day of the week. It’s a consignment model, but we’ve never had to send anything back because we are ordering appropriately. All the farmers pick their own prices. We sell it for what they want to sell it at to do a 70-30 split. They get 70%. The fun part of it right now is that we are trying to find ways to make sure every penny goes into the farmer’s pocket and make it a sustainable shop environment. If I make something, I buy the produce from them at wholesale. The meat program is wholesale. Caroline and Mike have a farm called Three Fires Farms. We’re using their beef and pork. It’s akaushi wagyu and Angus. We sell the beef at a pretty reasonable price because there isn’t a middle man. It’s literally straight farm to store. Once we see how everything is working, we’ll start getting whole animals. I am getting a whole pig in a couple weeks. Quarters of cows are logistically difficult. We have someone who’s willing to distribute it to us.

There are only so many people who will deliver that large a piece of meat. It’s hard to move. Each piece is a few hundred pounds. We’re figuring it out. Starting in the fall, we’re going to do CSAs and meat subscription boxes. We’re going to make a lean meal prep box and then do one for a family of four and one for two and see how those go. We’re doing special orders for people. We’re trying to make sure people have access to things they had access to when Piece of Meat was around. We make a primal grind for people with liver, kidney and heart in it. We’re filling in the holes that are missing.

Are you still doing steak dinners? S: Yeah. We do them once a month. Our last one was last week, and we’re waiting until October to do it again, but it’ll be Halloween to Jazz Fest at R Bar. We set up on the street, and it’s so much fun. We grill on a trailer grill. We usually do a salad and boudin egg rolls, and Dan makes cookies. We do three different cuts of steak, and you can order the steak a la cart or you can get it all as a plate. You get a discount if you get all three. The last job I have is with Mason from Turkey and the Wolf. We have finally gotten a distributor for bologna. We’re trying to take over the world nationally with bologna. We have a U.S.D.A. processor called Paradise Locker Meats up near Kansas City, and we just started distributing in the southeast with Evans Meats & Seafood. We’re at the Venetian in Las Vegas. We’re at Meow Wolf in Houston. We’re at Mason’s restaurants. Bologna and the Wolf is the name of our company.

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O U T T O E AT

Out to Eat is an index of Gambit contract advertisers. Unless noted, addresses are for New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: Email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.

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3rd Block Depot — 316 Chartres St., (504) 552-4095; 3rdblockdepot.com — The menu ranges from seafood and sausage gumbo and Gulf shrimp ceviche to smashburgers and steaks. Brunch brings crab cake Benedict with hollandaise on an English muffin. Reservations available. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Acropolis Cuisine — 3841 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 888-9046; acropoliscuisine.com — The menu of classic Greek dishes includes souvlaki, gyros and pita wraps, spanakopita, hummus and Greek salads. Moussaka has layers of eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, ground beef and bechamel. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream. com — This Mid-City sweet shop serves its own gelato in flavors like praline, salted caramel and tiramisu, as well as Italian ices in flavors like lemon, strawberry and mango. There also are cannolis, biscotti, fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroons and coffee drinks. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $ Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant.com — Gulf fish Capri includes artichokes, crawfish, tomatoes and capers. There also are oysters, seafood pasta dishes, salads, steaks, lamb chops and desserts like bananas Foster bread pudding and lemon icebox tart. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$ Audubon Clubhouse — 6500 Magazine St., (504) 558-1200; audubonclubhouse.com — The menu by Dickie Brennan and Co. includes crabmeat cheesecake, shrimp remoulade, fried oysters, burgers, sandwiches and more. Shrimp Tchefuncte combines house-made andouille, mushrooms, popcorn rice and Creole meuniere sauce. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Banana Blossom — 500 9th St., Gretna, (504) 500-0997; 504bananablossom. com — There are traditional Thai dishes like pad thai, green curry, pineapple fried rice, drunken noodles and coconut shrimp as well as original creations. Beef rib Chiang Mai features a slow-braised beef rib with yellow curry, egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, cilantro and chili oil. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Budsi’s Authentic Thai — 1760 N. Rampart St., (504) 381-4636; budsisthai.com — Chef Budsaba Mason prepares dishes from her native Issan region of Thailand and other popular Thai dishes like papaya salad, grilled pork shoulder, larb, khao soi, pad thai and red curry. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$ Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop — 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie, (504) 835-2022; gumbostop. com — The Gumbo Stop has several gumbo varieties including chicken and sausage gumbo and seafood gumbo with shrimp, crab and crawfish. The menu also has boudin balls, Bayou shrimp scampi, crawfish etouffee and fried shrimp po-boys. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 274-1850; thecommissarynola.com — Dickie Brennan’s Commissary supplies his other restaurant kitchens and also has a dine-in

$ — average dinner entrée under $10 $$ — $11-$20 $$$ — $20-up menu and prepared foods to go. A smoked turkey sandwich is served with bacon, tomato jam, herbed cream cheese, arugula and herb vinaigrette on honey oat bread. The menu includes dips, salads, sandwiches, boudin balls, fried oysters and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Lunch Tue.-Sat. $$ The Country Club — 634 Louisa St., (504) 945-0742; thecountryclubneworleans. com — The Bywater restaurant and pool has a menu of crab beignets, truffle mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, burgers and more. Seared redfish is served with kale, toasted chickpeas, sesame seeds, chili crisp and whipped tahini. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Lunch, brunch and dinner daily. $$$ Delacroix Restaurant — 1 Poydras St., (504) 655-9002; delacroixrestaurant.com — With views overlooking the Mississippi River, the restaurant serves a mix of South Louisiana dishes like smoked duck gumbo, crawfish bisque, shrimp Creole, blackened redfish and crawfish étouffée. Drum amandine is served with green beans and stewed potatoes. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — A menu full of Gulf seafood includes oysters served raw on the half-shell or char-broiled with with Parmesan, garlic and herbs. The menu also includes po-boys, gumbo, blackened fish, fried seafood platters and more. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House — 144 Bourbon St., (504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse. com — There’s a seafood raw bar with raw and char-broiled oysters, fish dip, crab fingers, shrimp and more. Redfish “on the half-shell” is cooked skin-on and served with crab-boiled potatoes, frisee and lemon buerre blanc. The bar offers a wide selection of bourbon and whiskies. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse — 716 Iberville St., (504) 522-2467; dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com — The menu includes a variety of steaks, plus seared Gulf fish, lobster pasta, barbecue shrimp and more. A 6-ounce filet mignon is served with fried oysters, creamed spinach, potatoes and bearnaise. Reservations recommended. Dinner Mon.Sat. $$$ Domenica — 123 Baronne St., (504) 6486020; domenicarestaurant.com — The Italian restaurant offers a mix of wood-fired Napolitano-style pizzas and house-made pastas. Appetizers include various salumi and cheese boards, antipasti, roasted cauliflower and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Don’s Seafood — 4801 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 888-1555; donsseafoodonline.com — The seafood options range from char-broiled oysters to seafood gumbo, fried shrimp and catfish platters and stuffed flounder. The menu also has rib-eye steaks. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$

Elizabeth’s Restaurant — 601 Gallier St., (504) 944-9272; elizabethsrestaurantnola. com — Elizabeth’s is known for its signature praline bacon, and the menu also includes boudin balls, shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles and eggs Florentine. Outdoor seating available. Reservations accepted for parties of 10 or more. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — The Cajun Cuban is stuffed with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. The eclectic menu also includes char-grilled oysters, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, fried seafood platters, pasta, salads and more. Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ King Brasserie & Bar — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3000; kingbrasserieandbar.com — The restaurant’s menu is inspired by the cuisine of the Riviera and southern France. There are dishes like steak frites and bouillabaisse as well as blackened Gulf fish and barbecue shrimp and oysters. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and sharable plates like NOLA Tot Debris. A slow-cooked pulled pork barbecue sandwich is served with coleslaw on a brioche bun. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 513-2606; legacykitchen.com — The selection of steaks and chops includes filet mignon, bone-in ribeye, top sirloin and double pork chops and a la carte toppings include bearnaise, blue cheese and sauteed crabmeat. There also are burgers, salads, pasta, seafood entrees, char-broiled oysters and more. Reservations accepted. Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ Luke — 333 St. Charles Ave., (504) 3782840; lukeneworleans.com — The raw bar offers oysters, boiled shrimp, cured tuna, smoked trout dip and more. The menu has dishes like shrimp and grits, crab omelets, crawfish etouffee and steak frites. Reservations encouraged. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Lyons Corner — 537 Gravier St., (504) 5270006; lyonscornernola.com — The eclectic menu includes Cajun prawns, bang-bang fried oysters, chicken sandwiches, salads and more. In the morning, there are breakfast empanadas, muffins, croissants, scones, beignets and more. Delivery and takeout available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The menu of Japanese cuisine includes sushi, signature rolls, tempura fried items, udon noodles, teriyaki, salads and more.The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado, snow crab, green onion and wasabi roe. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$ Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves Italian dishes and specialties including shrimp Mosca, baked oysters Mosca and spaghetti bordelaise and chicken cacciatore. Chicken a la grands is sauteed with garlic, rosemary,

Italian herbs and white wine. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Sat. Cash only. $$$ Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestaurant.net — This counter-service spot serves po-boys dressed with sliced cabbage like the Famous Ferdi filled with ham, roast beef and debris. Creole favorites include jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Breakfast is available all day. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro — 720 Orleans Ave., (504) 523-1930; orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar offers a selectoin of cheese boards and appetizers. Creole pasta combines shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$ Pascal’s Manale — 1838 Napoleon Ave., (504) 895-4877; pascalsmanale.com — This Creole-Italian spot invented New Orleansstyle barbecue shrimp, and the menu also includes seafood gumbo, crab cakes, oysters and Italian-style pasta dishes. There’s also an oyster bar. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$$ Peacock Room — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3073; peacockroomnola.com — At brunch, braised short rib grillades are served over grits with mushrooms, a poached egg and shaved truffle. The dinner menu has oysters, salads, pasta, shrimp and grits, a burger, cheese plates and more. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Mon., brunch Sun. $$ Pizza Domenica — 4933 Magazine St., (504) 301-4978; pizzadomenica.com — Pizza is the focus of this offshoot of the Italian restaurant Domenica. There also are meatballs, roasted cauliflower and house-made pastas. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Restaurant August — 301 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 299-9777; restaurantaugust. com — The fine dining restaurant serves Creole and contemporary dishes featuring foie gras, Gulf fish, duck and more. Gnocchi are served with crab, summer truffles and Parmesan. Reservations recommended. Dinner Sun.-Fri., lunch Fri. $$$ Rivershack Tavern — 3449 River Road, Jefferson, (504) 834-4938; rivershacktavern.com — This tavern along the levee offers a casual menu of roast beef po-boys, burgers, wraps, fried shrimp platters, catfish and gumbo. A country fried steak is served with brown gravy, mashed potatoes, vegetables and salad. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Shaya — 4213 Magazine St., (504) 891-4213; shayarestaurant.com — The Mediterranean and Middle Eastern menu includes dishes like hummus, falafel, kebabs, grilled chicken and wood-oven pita bread. A chicken schnitzel sandwich is dressed with little gem lettuce, pickles and harissa mayonnaise on sesame brioche bread. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Stingray’s Restaurant & Bar — 1303 W. Esplanade Ave., Kenner, (504) 443-4040; stingraysseafoodrestaurant.com — Zydeco fish is stuffed with crabmeat dressing and topped with shrimp cream sauce. The menu also includes fried shrimp and oyster platters, grilled redfish, crabmeat jalapeños, and boudin egg rolls. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$

Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 9343463; tableaufrenchquarter.com — The menu features traditional and creative Creole dishes. Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, little neck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs. Outdoor seating available on the balcony. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$ Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes raw and char-broiled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys, fried chicken, crab and corn bisque and more. Redfish St. Charles is served with garlic-herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Tavi — 330 N. New Hampshire St., (985) 200-2045; tavirestaurant.com — The menu combines dishes from the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean. There’s hummus, falafel, kebabs, flatbreads, grilled fish, lamb burgers and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 1212 S. Clearview Parkway, Elmwood, (504) 733-3803; 2125 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 510-4282; 4024 Canal St., (504) 302-1133; 4218 Magazine St., (504) 894-8554; 70488 Highway 21, Covington, (985) 234-9420; theospizza.com — A Marilynn Pota Supreme pie is topped with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. There also are salads, sandwiches, wings, breadsticks and more. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily. $ The Vintage — 3121 Magazine St., (504) 324-7144; thevintagenola.com — There’s a full coffee drinks menu and baked goods and beignets, as well as a full bar. The menu has flatbreads, cheese boards, small plates and a pressed vegetable sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Vyoone’s — 412 Girod St., (504) 381-4384; vyoone.com — The French-Creole menu includes dishes like escargot, crawfish beignets, crab cakes, shrimp pasta, duck a l’orange and lamb chops. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun. $$$ Willa Jean — 611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 5097334; willajean.com — The bakery and cafe serves biscuits with honey butter, cookies, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, shrimp and grits and more. Avocado toasts are made with house-baked ciabatta topped with tomatillo, spiced pepitas, pickled onion, cilantro and chipotle aioli. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Yinzer’s Amazing Cheesesteaks — 1514 Delachaise St., (412) 860-6801; yinzersamazingcheesesteaks.com —There are classic and original cheesesteaks filled with steak, chicken and more. Diners can opt for toppings like provolone, house-made cheddar whiz, mushrooms, onions, banana peppers and more. Delivery available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Wed.-Sun. $

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Patty Griffin

Patty Griffin got her start in folk music, but she has an Americana mix of folk and blues and she’s also won a Grammy for a traditional gospel album. Her latest release is last year’s “Crown of Roses,” a sort of return from the shutdowns of the pandemic that reflects on identity, family and womanhood. She’ll be at Chickie Wah Wah at 8 p.m. August 8. Find more information at chickiewahwah.com.

Cat Video Fest

There’s plenty of cat videos available on social media, but Cat Video Fest culls from various sources and submissions for its super reel compilation of feline action. Cat Video Fest hits theaters nationwide beginning Aug. 6, and it’s at The Broad Theater at 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7. A portion of proceeds benefit local animal care groups. Tickets $8-$12 via thebroadtheater.com.

Dirty Linen Night

The art walk on Royal Street includes roughly 60 art and antique galleries and other participating shops on the 200 through 1100 block of Royal Street, as well as a few spots on nearby blocks. Now in its 23rd year, the event was originally a response to White Linen Night in the Arts District. Attendees can purchase a $20 wristband good for specialty cocktails, wine, beer and water via dirtylinen. org and at a few businesses on the street. At 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8.

Antigravity Photo Expo

Antigravity magazine hosts its inaugural photo expo with more than 30 photographers showing prints as well as photo equipment tables for buying, selling and trading gear. The expo is 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at Marigny Opera House. Admission is free. Visit antigravitymagazine.com for information.

The Constellations

Nashville, Tennessee’s The Constellations mix together a range of styles, from Southern gothic and Americana to indie rock, alt-pop and hip-hop. The band’s latest album is last year’s “Pretending to Fly.” The Constellations play New Orleans with local rock bands The Bottoms and Rare Seed at 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at Siberia. Tickets are $12.47 via dice.fm.

Flow Tribe

Local funk outfit Flow Tribe headlines a Free Fridays concert August 8 at Tipitina’s. Zita opens at 9 p.m. Admission is first come, first served. Find information at tipitinas.com.

NOLA Comic Con

The comics convention features comic book dealers, toy and collectible vendors, artists, anime voice actors, anime panels, cosplay competitions and more. Celebrity guests include Ann Mahoney of “The Walking Dead,” Billy Slaughter from “The Magnificent Seven,” artist Jeff Balke and more comic artists. At 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner. Single-day tickets $18, weekend passes $25, and kids under 13 get in free. Find tickets and information at mcconventions.com.

John Merrifield and Maggie Shipley

Lafayette comedian and writer John Merrifield has produced the city’s annual comedy event Couillon Fest. He and fellow Lafayette comic Maggie Shipley will record 30-minute comedy sets at Sports Drink at 7 & 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7. Tickets $23.56 at sportsdrink.org.

New Orleans SERA Invitational Rodeo

The Southeastern Rodeo Association competition features bronc riding, bull riding, steer wrestling, calf roping, barrel racing and more in the competition for the titles of All Around Cowgirl and Cowboy. Doors open at 6 p.m., competition begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Smoothie King Center. Find information at serodeo.com. Tickets $54.45 via ticketmaster.com.

River Rose and Nicole Davis

Billed as the Split Personalities Comedy Roadshow, the duo of comedians River Rose and Nicole Davis are actually a mother-daughter team. Mother Rose is more of a clean comic, and Davis has a dark streak. They each perform a set and then unite for more stories and banter. At 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, and Friday, August 7 at The Howlin’ Wolf. Tickets $13.29 via thehowlinwolf.com.

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MONDAY 3 BACCHANAL — Juan Tigre, 6 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Red Beans & Blues: Washboard Chaz & Jonathan Freilich, 9 pm BUFFA’S — David Doucet, 7 pm CARROLLTON STATION — Biscuits n’ Jam with Meryl Zimmerman & Friends, 10 pm DA JUMP OFF LOUNGE — Sporty’s Brass Band, 9:30 pm DOS JEFES — Papa Mali, 8:30 pm FRITZEL’S JAZZ CLUB — Tin Men, 5 pm; Richard Scott & Friends, 8 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — VetJams, 7 pm MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — Victor Campbell, 6 pm; The Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, 8 pm THE MAISON — Gene’s Music Machine, 8 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — George Porter Jr. Trio, 7 pm; 10 pm NOLA BREWING & PIZZA CO — Bluegrass Pickin’ Party, 7 pm SIBERIA — Trhä + Saidan + Barbelith + Burial Gift, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — Charmaine Neville Band, 7:30 pm; 9:30 pm SPOTTED CAT — Dominick Grillo & The Frenchmen Street All-Stars, 6 pm; Tuba Skinny, 9 pm ST. ROCH TAVERN — Tyson Webb’s Outlaw Boogie + Jonathan Henley Band, 9 pm TRUE SOUTH — Danny Alexander Blues Jam, 8 pm

TUESDAY 4 BACCHANAL — Tangiers Combo, 6 pm BAYOU BAR — The OG’s, 8 & 10 pm BJ’S LOUNGE BYWATER — Bruisey’s Bottoms Up Open Mic, 9 pm BUFFA’S — Alex McMurray, 7 pm GASA GASA — The Miss B. Haven Show, 9:30 pm MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — Big Joe Kennedy, 6 pm; Kevin Louis & The Home Team, 8 pm THE MAISON — Paradise Jazz Band, 8 pm NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM — Vincent Hsu Concert, 2 pm OKAY BAR — Big Easy Stompers Line Dancing & Lessons, 7 pm

THE RABBIT HOLE — Rebirth Brass Band, 10 pm SALON SALON — Jérémie Henan, 7 pm SATURN BAR — Naach the Night Away Dance Party, 8 pm SIBERIA — Tommy Oeffling with Lyla George, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — Sansone, Fohl & Worrell, 7:30 pm; 9:30 pm SPOTTED CAT — Chris Christy Band, 2 pm; Sweetie Pies of New Orleans, 6 pm; Smoking Time Jazz Club, 9:30 pm ST. ROCH TAVERN — Hairaoke: Haircuts & Karaoke, 8 pm VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE — Cuttin’ Up with Lil Prince & the Youngbloods, 10 pm

WEDNESDAY 5 BACCHANAL — Jesse Morrow, 6 pm BAYOU BAR — Firm Roots, 8 & 10 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Jam-ilton, 7:30 pm DBA — The Next Level Band, 8 pm FRITZEL’S JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 1 pm; Bourbon Street

Stars, 5 pm; Fritzel’s All Star Band with Kevin Ray Clark, 8 pm GRETNA TAVERN — Adam Pearce, 8 pm MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — Paul Longstreth, 6 pm; Mahogany Hall All Stars: Tom Fischer, 8 pm THE MAISON — Gene’s Music Machine, 6 pm MAYFIELD’S 208 — Irvin Mayfield ft. Kermit Ruffins, 6 pm SATURN BAR — Lotta Graffiti & Don’t Make Trouble, 9 pm SIBERIA — Wakai + Frances Baker + Ava McCoy, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — The Uptown Jazz Orchestra: Trevarri Huff-Boone, 7:30 & 9:30 pm SPOTTED CAT — Chris Christy, 2 pm; Marty Peters & The Party Meters, 9:30 pm

THURSDAY 6 BANKS ST. BAR — Bimbo-Oke, Karaoke!, 8 pm

Tiago Guy performs at Cafe Negril on Thursday, August 8 at 8 p.m. PHOTO PROVIDED BY NOE CUGNY

BAYOU BAR — Double Bird, 8 & 10 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Tuba Skinny, 9 pm BLUE NILE — Irvin Mayfield’s Music Church, 10 pm; DJ T-Roy, 11 pm BUFFA’S — Jenn Howard, 7 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Tiago Guy, 8 pm; Armani Smith & Soul Ties, 10 pm CAROUSEL BAR — Lena Prima & Her Band, 9 pm DBA — Vegas Cola Band, 8 pm FRITZEL’S JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 12 pm; Doyle Cooper Band, 2 pm; John Saavedra Band, 5 pm; Fritzel’s All Star Band with Caleb Nelson, 8 pm GOOD MEASURE — Sarah Quintana Trio, 8 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULE — The Soul Rebels, 11 pm LIVIN SWELL 4211 RECORDING STUDIOS — Thursday Night House Party featuring Stooges Brass Band, 8 pm

FRIDAY 7 ANNA’S — Heelturn, Church Wiig & Madspinnz, 9 pm BACCHANAL — Willie Green, 7 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Mike Dillon & the New F-Yeahs, 9 pm BLUE NILE — The Rozes, 8 pm; DJ FTK (upstairs), 10 pm BROADSIDE — The Zips, 7 pm BRUTTO AMERICANO — Audrey LeCrone Trio, 8 pm BUFFA’S — Tyson Webb’s Outlaw Boogie + Jasper Derrick & Austin Langford, 8 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Jamey St. Pierre and THC, 6 pm; Higher Heights, 10 pm DBA — Dana Abbott, 6 pm THE DRAGON’S DEN — $5 Zydeco Fridays with line dancing and Yung Dex Brass Band, 6 pm GASA GASA — Caleb Tokarska & Izzy Chase, 8 pm GOOD MEASURE — Watson’s Theory ft. Mecca Notes, 9 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Uncle Mo, 11 pm ORIGEN BISTRO — Manny Arteaga & Tony Seville, 7 pm THE RABBIT HOLE — COSTA: NOLA, 10 pm SAENGER THEATRE — Ella Mai, 8 pm SATURN BAR — Una Noche de Música Latina con La Tran-K, 10 pm SIBERIA — Abby & The Arsonists + Collections + Molly’s Lips + Atomic Broad, 9 pm TIPITINA’S — Free Fridays Concert Series ft. Flow Tribe + Zita, 9 pm

SATURDAY 8 BACCHANAL — Miles Berry, 7 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Dwight James & the Royals, 9 pm BLUE NILE — The Caesar Brothers’ FunkBox, 7:30 pm; Afrobeat NOLA, 10 pm

BROADSIDE — Smoove Fest, 6 pm BUFFA’S — Tim Robertson Trio, 8 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Orphaned in Storyville, 2 pm; Maurice Cade and the E.S.S band, 6 pm; Higher Heights Reggae, 10 pm CHICKIE WAH WAH — Patty Griffin, 7 pm DBA — Tuba Skinny, 6 pm; The Original Pinette Brass Band, 10 pm GASA GASA — Donny’s Demeanor + Coworkers + Personality Hire, 9 pm GOOD MEASURE — Zehrin Sims, 9 pm HOLY DIVER — Spaghetti Heist, 9 pm; Mullitt, 10:30 pm THE JOY THEATER — 42 Dugg + Babyface Ray - 4 The Trenches Tour, 8 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — James Jordan & The Situation, 11 pm THE MAIDSTONE — The Red Bikini Run After Party, 12 pm THE MAISON — Nola Axe Men; 1 pm; Smoking Time Jazz Club, 4 pm ROCK ‘N’ BOWL — Back to School with Bucktown Allstars & The Funky Beans, 7 pm SATURN BAR — Mod Dance Party, 10 pm SIBERIA — The Constellations + The Bottoms + Rare Seed, 9 pm

SUNDAY 9 BACCHANAL — Nahum Zdybel, 7 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — James McClaskey & The Rhythm Band, 9 pm BLUE NILE — The Rozes, 8 pm BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — DJ FTK, 10 pm BUFFA’S — Big Trouble the Family Dog, 7 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — John Lisi & Delta Funk, 4 pm; Ashley Paige with The Social Club, 9 pm HOWLIN’ WOLF — Hot 8 Brass Band, 10:30 pm MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — Smoking Time Jazz Club, 2:30 pm; Big Joe Kennedy, 6 pm; Mahogany Hall Swingsters ft. Roderick Paulin, 8 pm SIBERIA — Cairo Jag + She Would + Crush Diamond, 9 pm

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THE MAISON — Single Malt Please, 8:30 pm PEACOCK ROOM — Da Lovebirds: Robin Barnes & Pat Casey, 8 pm SALON SALON — Juan Tigre, 7 pm SATURN BAR — The Bomb Pulse, Bored Shortz, Mothers of Lovers, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — Clarence Johnson III Quartet, 7:30 pm; 9:30 pm TEMPLE HOUSE — Cally Cole & the Cosmos + Queen Bonobo, 8 pm TIPITINA’S — Tipitina’s Free Fridays: Flow Tribe + Zita, 9 pm VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE — Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet, 10 pm

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CULTURE CUISINE CARNIVAL

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From limited-run productions to favorites like Dine & Dance, there’s something for everyone at BB’s Stage Door Canteen. Get your tickets now for any of our upcoming shows!

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make to the city budget after it’s passed. That will go before voters this fall, and the council will do a public information campaign to get the word out, she said. There also will be online dashboards for the public to track the budget. “It’s not just for this administration, but it’s for future administrations that we cannot have this situation where the administration is spending money without the council and without the public knowing,” she said. McCarron said she believes the city has at least another year of budget woes, which will involve some “tough decisions” by the council. For example, the council has to figure out if it’s going to raise the sanitation fee, a politically unpopular move but one the administration says is needed. Currently, it’s $24 a month and hasn’t been raised since 2011. The council also will need to decide if they want to increase pickup to twice a week, like the city had before Hurricane Ida, and keep curbside recycling. The council also will have to determine if they want to raise property taxes, and if not, what they’re willing to cut to avoid that. Increasing permitting and other fees is also on the table. “Everybody knows that it’s all hands on deck to try and figure out what can we do to make sure that we’re not cutting services for residents and also not adding on more taxes and adding to the affordability crisis that we have here, so we’re not continuing to lose the population,” McCarron said. When it comes to New Orleans hosting major events like the Super Bowl, she said the council needs to play a bigger role in the negotiations to make sure local businesses benefit. “This is my problem sometimes with economic development in general, like it never ends up trickling down to the people that are working and living here,” McCarron said. “It’s not that we don’t want this event; we just want it to trickle down to everybody that’s living here and making it the best that can be,” she added. “If you want to come down to New Orleans for our culture, then you should be paying for it in the proper way.”

Fighting attacks on Black political power

McCarron acknowledged the attempts by Republicans to undermine Black

What

ADVERTISERS ARE SAYING ... "Working with The Pearl has been such a joy for our small business! We love collaborating each month to choose the perfect vintage pieces for their magazine and advertisements – it’s always a fun and inspiring process. New Orleans City Council Member Aimee McCarron. PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

political power this year, both at the local and national levels. That includes the redrawing of Louisiana’s congressional map to get rid of one of two majority-Black districts following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Other Republican states also redrew their maps to include more Republican seats, often cutting majority-Black seats, at the direction of President Donald Trump. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and Republican legislators also targeted New Orleans’ court system by cutting many judgeships and eliminating the separate clerk of criminal court position just before Calvin Duncan, a Black man who was wrongfully imprisoned for decades, was set to take office. As the only white council member in a majority-Black city, McCarron said she would fight and speak out against attacks on Black representation, like with the Duncan situation. She was one of five council members to call for an election to be held for the combined role of clerk of civil and criminal court, instead of having Clerk of Civil Court Chelsey Richard Napoleon just assume it. That set off a back and forth with Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill. “That’s just going to be how I go forward is that these are my values, and nobody’s going to take that away from me, and that’s just how it’s going to be,” she said. — Kaylee Poche

The feature continually brings new customers into our shop, and we are grateful for the opportunity to connect with more people who appreciate vintage treasures and timeless design."

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