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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
Rolling with the punchlines
Skankfest brings more than 150 comics to Mardi Gras World Nov.
“WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS
STAYS IN VEGAS,” goes Sin City’s memorable tagline. But not Skankfest.
After three years in Las Vegas, the rowdy comedy festival moves to New Orleans for a more carnivalesque edition. There will be more than 150 comics performing on four stages, plus podcast tapings in front of audiences, a tattoo studio, fights in a custom-built boxing ring and more inside Mardi Gras World Nov. 14-16.
The event was created in New York a decade ago by the comics behind the “Legion of Skanks” podcast, including Luis J. Gomez, Big Jay Oakerson and Dave Smith. The main attraction is comedy, and this year’s lineup features Rosebud Baker, Doug Stanhope, Shane Gillis, Sam Tallent, New Orleans native comics Mark Normand and Sean Patton, and many more.
The fest was designed by comics to be a fun hangout for them and an event where fans could mingle with performers. In New York, Skankfest started at clubs like co-founder and organizer Rebecca Trent’s now shuttered Queens spot, The Creek and the Cave. It grew to bigger and bigger venues and developed its freewheeling embrace of spring break-style antics. Bands that intersected with their fanbase sometimes figured into the mix, as well as special guests convenient to the host city.
The festival’s signatures are stages running continuously with a stream of stand-up comics and surprise drop-ins, and a carnival sideshow vibe with vendors, a tattoo studio and more. Boxing ring battles became part of the fest, something that fit Vegas if not most entertainment festivals.
Some of the boxing events weren’t easy to do in Vegas, where boxing is controlled as a sanctioned sport, Trent says. But there will be plenty of action in the ring in New Orleans, including comedian jiu jitsu, pillow fights, ass-slapping fights and more. There are scheduled boxing bouts between affiliated companies’ interns, and a battle royale on Sunday, Trent says.
“There are going to be stun guns involved, and we have all these crazy silly fights,” she says.
The character of the fest has drawn a dedicated fanbase, and it was never the plan to stay in one location, Trent says. The fest also has happened in Houston.
“I don’t know that the local comedy scene necessarily dictates anything,”
14-16
by Will Coviello |
Oak Street Po-Boy Fest
Nearly 40 vendors lining Oak Street offer everything from traditional po-boys to creative ones filled with crab cakes, beef cheek boudin, escargot, fried oyster mushrooms and more. The fest has six music stages, with headliners including George Porter Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners, Tony Hall leading Tony’s Boys, Desert Nudes, Eric Johanson and more. Attendees need to purchase a festival wristband to order sandwiches from vendors. The fest is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, on Oak Street from S. Carrollton Avenue to Eagle Street. Visit poboyfest.com for information.
Trent says. “It’s more about finding a venue that will hold us, because we’re like monstrous. For a one-venue festival, we’re a pretty big group.”
New Orleans has plenty of room to host the festival, but there’s also a strong connection in the comedy scene. Mark Normand has performed at Skankfest before, and New Orleans comedians with links to the fest’s New York scene include Sean Patton, Zach Sims, Neal Stastny, Katie East and more, Trent says.
The New Orleans edition opens with a fan event and a surprise band at The Joy Theater on Thursday. On Friday morning, there’s a parade from one of the fest’s major hotels to Mardi Gras World. There will be a brass band, but the fest is doing things its way and calling it a Skankwalk.
At Mardi Gras World, the festival is taking over three performance spaces in the area dubbed the Mansion, including the large ballroom, and the Bienville and Iberville rooms. The Bienville room will host one of the fest’s nonstop performing stages, with all sorts of headliners, nationally touring comics, local comics and some up and coming comedians. The stage will be active from noon to 2 a.m. every day of the festival. There’s also a tented stage outdoors, and it will feature continuous performances as well.
The vendor village will have the usual tattoo studio, featuring Chicago’s
Hidden Light Tattoo. There also will be a massage studio, palm readers, a glassblower and a pizza artist who will create portraits of performers with pizza. Food will range from fried Oreos to local food from Patton’s Catering, which is run by a relative of Sean Patterson.
Podcasts are central to Skankfest. During the fest, there will be tapings of “Legion of Skanks,” “Story Warz,” and Normand and Joe List’s “Tuesdays with Stories.” Some will be live-streamed, including Oakerson’s “What’s Your Fucking Deal,” Dave Smith’s “Part of the Problem” and “Scuffed Realtor.”
There’s also a podcast studio, where comedians can take advantage of the festival roster to record episodes of their own podcasts.
Many of this year’s performers have done all or most Skankfests, including Gillis, Gomez, Rich Vos, Dave Smith, Dan Soder, Tim Dillon and Tony Hinchcliffe.
The roster also includes Dave Attell, Andy Haynes, Felipe Esparza, Joe DeRosa, Bonnie McFarlane, Michael Ian Black, Kerryn Feehan, Che Durena, Myka Fox, Yamaneika Saunders and more. Among the 15 New Orleansbased comics are Saya Meads, Matt Owens, Ryan Rogers, Cassidy Henehan, Andrew Polk and Vincent Zambon.
The festival will release a schedule close to the opening of the event, and there are secret shows and surprises in the mix. In addition to some of the podcasts, there will be some sets livestreamed on VEEPS.
Skankfest single-day tickets are still available via skankfest.com.
Beignet Fest
The festival features food vendors putting their twist on beignets with sweet and savory options, and there’s fried chicken, empanadas, burgers, gumbo and other food options. Marc Broussard headlines the music lineup, which also includes Rebirth Brass Band, Imagination Movers and more. Beignet Fest takes place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, in City Park. Tickets are $35 and free for kids 10 and under. Find more info at beignetfest.com.
Jef Tweedy
Like a lot of people today, Jeff Tweedy is feeling overwhelmed about recent, tense social conditions. As an artist, “what I do to override that feeling ... I make music, I write songs and I sing. The sense of impending doom kind of goes away when I’m doing that,” the Americana musician recently told Stephen Colbert. Tweedy’s recent anxieties have led to his exceptional, new 30-track album, “Twilight Override.” He performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, and Sunday, Nov. 16, at Chickie Wah Wah, an intimate venue for the Wilco frontman. Find more info at chickiewahwah.com.
BODYTRAFFIC
Los Angeles’ BODYTRAFFIC dance company presents choreographer Trey McIntyre’s “Ma Maison,” a piece originally commissioned by the New
BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
Big Jay Oakerson (right) and comedians at the 2024 Skankfest in Las Vegas.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALLISON WOJTOWECZ
OPENING GAMBIT
Happy First Faux Fall to all who celebrate
THUMBS UP/ THUMBS DOWN
New Orleans has been designated a global “Creative City of Music” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). New Orleans is just the 10th U.S. city to join UNESCO’s Creative Cities network, which includes 350 cities around the world, and New Orleans and Kansas City are the only U.S. cities to have the music designation. The designation follows a long application process spearheaded by New Orleans & Co.
Meal on Wheels, homeless assistance in New Orleans on the chopping block for 2026
New Orleans’ Medical Debt Relief Initiative has erased more than $150.5 million in unpaid medical debt for 123,436 people in Orleans Parish since the program began in 2023. The New Orleans Health Department, city council and LCMC Health worked with the national nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to help pay off the medical debt of overburdened and lowincome locals.
NEW ORLEANS CITY OFFICIALS NOV.
5 WARNED DEEP CUTS in the 2026 budget proposed by Mayor LaToya Cantrell will hit a host of critical services hard next year, including reductions to Meals on Wheels, affordable housing efforts and programs to help the unhoused.
found that he did kiss her, but the city refused to discipline him because he insisted it was consensual.
396,157
THE NUMBER OF FOOD-INSECURE HOUSEHOLDS IN LOUISIANA THAT NORMALLY RECEIVE SNAP PAYMENTS.
The SNAP program has been thrown into turmoil amid Pres. Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson’s federal government shutdown. Louisiana officials stepped in to use state funding to cover benefits for some SNAP recipients, but suspended efforts after federal courts ordered the Trump administration to use an emergency contingency fund for food aid. The state health department said under these terms, SNAP recipients will receive about half of their usual benefits.
Loyola University New Orleans has been named a top music business school by Billboard magazine for its Music Industry Studies program inside the School of Music and Theatre Professions. It’s the fifth year in a row that Loyola has been recognized for the program and it stands alongside Berklee College of Music, Belmont University’s Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business and the Thornton School at the University of Southern California.
Cantrell’s final budget proposal as mayor involves tens of millions of dollars in reductions across government, due to an expected shortfall in revenues totaling at least $200 million next year. Those shortfalls are separate from the more than $160 million funding gap her administration is facing between now and the end of the year.
Office of Homeless Services and Strategy Director Nate Fields said on Nov. 5 that the nearly $4.6 million in cuts to his office’s current $11 million budget would mean layoffs and less resources to move people into permanent housing. As a result, shelters would fill up, and encampments could form again, he said, undoing a lot of the progress the office has made to house people.
Fields still heads the office despite being accused of sexual harassment and assault against a contract worker while on the job. An investigation
Under Cantrell’s proposal, the Office of Workforce Development’s nearly $26 million budget would be cut by around $1.5 million. Staff would go from nine to six, and there would be less opportunities for training and continuing education.
There would also be less slots for paid internships and summer jobs for youth, and those programs could be cut from six to eight weeks to four.
With one-time funding running out, Cantrell proposed decreasing the Law Department’s roughly $19 million budget by $12.5 million.
City Attorney Donesia Turner said her office is having trouble attracting attorneys because pay isn’t competitive and caseloads are so high. She said her office currently has only 15 attorneys, averaging more than 100 cases each. In the last year, the office lost 11 attorneys pursuing higher paying opportunities, Turner added.
Council Member Lesli Harris, who is also an attorney, called that caseload “unmanageable.”
Meanwhile, Council on Aging Executive Director Howard Rodgers III said their budget problems had 11.4%
Members of the New Orleans City Council PHOTO BY BRETT DUKE / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
already begun. He said the city had not paid the agency since August and that if the city didn’t pay through December, the Council on Aging would rack up a more than $500,000 shortfall for 2025.
Rodgers said that would mean the Council on Aging would have to stop putting additional people on the Meals on Wheels program, which delivers food to seniors’ homes and provides other services, through the end of the year. There are 400 people on that waiting list, he said, and the freeze would coincide with the uncertainty surrounding food stamps.
“We do live in a food desert for seniors,” Rodgers said.
Without the money from the city, senior centers would also have to look at either reducing hours or closing, he said.
“Earlier Councilman [Oliver] Thomas said that he hoped this budget reduction doesn’t become a human reduction,” Rodgers said, bringing up seniors that died while being isolated during the pandemic.
“I hope this doesn’t become a prelude for what is going to happen
going into the remainder of this budget year,” he added.
Council members began the Nov. 5 meeting fuming over a text message sent out the night before encouraging people to contact members and listing their personal cell phone numbers.
“Please contact your Council member today! Tell them NOT to remove GNOHA from the Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee as political retribution for the organization’s advocacy. GNOHA has led affordable housing advocacy in New Orleans for nearly 20 years and helped create the
HTF (Housing Trust Fund). Removing GNOHA silences the only coalition fighting for residents and affordable housing citywide. The Council should strengthen, not silence community voices,” the text read.
It is unclear who sent out the texts, but GNOHA Director Andreanecia Morris said the text was not from GNOHA and that they had nothing to do with it.
“We told people what was happening with the ordinance amendment tomorrow,” she said. “When we were discussing with our partners about the strategy around it, our strategy internally was that we were not going to be addressing it, except to come and speak tomorrow about it, and that if anyone else wanted to do anything about it, they were free to do so independently.”
Council Member Joe Giarrusso said sending out council member’s personal cell phone numbers was “truly one of the most unprofessional things I’ve seen in eight years of government,” while Thomas called it “one of the most selfish, mean-spirited things that I’ve ever seen.” — Kaylee Poche
Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins is totally fine with soldiers’ kids starving
NOTED RACIST AND DARK MAGIC
ENTHUSIAST REPUBLICAN Louisiana
Weekend Specials
Rep. Clay Higgins thinks the thousands of active duty U.S. military families in America are smoking crack and don’t need the paltry $7 a day in SNAP food assistance funding that has lapsed thanks to the GOP’s month-long government shutdown.
Although nobody in Washington actually trusts Higgins with even the most basic of tasks, several of his close friends are leading the current government shutdown: most notably House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
SNAP benefits. Apparently, Higgins believes “Qu’ils mangent du gâteau” until his friends can agree to reopen the government.
november 7-9
Warm crab dip with garlic crustinis
Boudin stuffed double cutporkchops with creole creamsauce
Brussels sproutsand sweetpotatoes
Shrimpcreole with friedcatfishfor lunch blackenedredfishfor dinneR
Friedtrout over fivecheeseMac andcheese andseafood cream
Lobsterravioli
Lamb chops over spinachmushroom orzo with mushroom creamsauce
Thaichillichicken sliders with coleslaw andsweet fries
Baconegg andcheesebagel with pepper jack andhashbrowns
Despite the pro-soldier, patriotic rhetoric from both parties, for decades rank and file members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard have been paid substandard wages, and huge numbers of service members traditionally rely on programs like SNAP to feed themselves and their families.
Apparently, that’s not an issue for Higgins.
Higgins, who is also known for not paying child support and being a supporter of anti-constitutional insurrectionists, took to the hardright social media platform X Oct. 30 to make his feelings about struggling Americans known.
noted that “About 1.2 million veterans are enrolled now [in SNAP], according to the National Council on Aging. More than 20,000 military families, 213,000 National Guard and Reserve members, and more than 1 million veterans, rely on such benefits.”
Cajun majority parishes in Louisiana also will be hit hard by suspension of
Higgins has a long history of disliking various groups of Louisianans, and Americans more generally, though he apparently really doesn’t like kids. For instance, after seeing an August New Orleans Health Department post promoting the need for kids and adolescents to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Higgins took to X to drop some of his patented pearls of wisdom.
In his post, the former police spokesman and full-time tough guy cosplayer argued Americans who receive SNAP benefits – a $7 a day subsidy for food the federal government provides – should “never again receive SNAP, because wow, stop smoking crack” unless they have “at least one month of groceries stocked.”
Higgins added an AI photo of a “pantry” that includes cans of “Diced PLRHS” which appear to be an Elon Musk inspired AI fever dream of diced tomato cans.
Higgins called vaccines a “state sponsored weakening of the citizenry, absolute injury to our children and calculated decline of fertility” before threatening to block federal funds from the department and the “writhing band of sorcerers” who work there. He is, however, a fan of teens, or at least beauty pageant queens, so much so he last January he posted a very creepy selfie video of a group of them on a tour of the U.S. Capitol.
But it’s not just active military members’ families Higgins thinks smoke too much crack and should starve. A recent military.com story
Higgins also has a long history of making overtly racist statements, has physically attacked activists and threatened to assault Black people, claims his wife has supernatural powers, supported the violent Jan. 6 Insurrection and has failed to make thousands of dollars in support payments to his ex-wife. — John Stanton
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette.
PHOTO BY BRAD BOWIE / THE ACADIANA ADVOCATE
Rep. Clay Higgins demonstrating how well he read the Gospels
President Trump agrees to resume partial payments of SNAP benefits
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP NOV. 3 AGREED TO RESUME partial payments of SNAP benefits to children, the elderly, the disabled and other Americans facing significant food insecurities after initially refusing to comply with a court order to do so.
SNAP is a vital food assistance program that helps feed more than 800,000 Louisianans. Because of his government shutdown, those benefits lapsed Nov. 1. Although the federal government has funding set aside to help pay for SNAP even in the case of a shutdown, Trump had initially refused to fund the program – even after two federal judges ordered him to do so.
But the regime eventually relented, agreeing to pay 65% of the total benefits owed recipients while the government is shutdown. That would roughly work out to be around $27 a week for an individual on SNAP.
New Orleans City Council, state officials near deal on short-term loan
THE NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL NOV. 6 UNANIMOUSLY PASSED A MEASURE setting guardrails on an emergency $125 million bank loan they’re hoping the state approves to deal with the city’s cash flow crunch.
Under the ordinance, the $125 million will be set aside in a separate Employee Emergency Payroll Fund. The council will meet weekly through the end of the year to discuss the fund, and the city’s chief administrative officer will be responsible for getting approval of the state legislative auditor to spend or move money. The auditor will also gain view-only access to the city’s financial software system.
The ordinance is part of a series of measures the council has pushed through over the last 10 days to reassure state lawmakers that the city is taking its financial situation seriously.
The city is set to spend $160 million more than it took in this year, including around $50 million in overtime it didn’t budget for. Revenue from major events like the Super Bowl also didn’t bring in as much as projected, and the city is waiting on the federal government to extend a key FEMA grant.
Locally, the reductions in SNAP benefits will have a significant impact on tens of thousands of people in the metro New Orleans area.
According to the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, 21% of New Orleans residents, 15% of Jefferson Parish residents, 11.5% of St. Tammany Parish residents and nearly one quarter of all St. Bernard Parish residents receive SNAP benefits.
Roughly 20% of all people who qualify for SNAP benefits nationally don’t receive them, in part because of so-called “administrative burdens” built into the program to make applying difficult.
— John Stanton
Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration has known about the shortfall for months, but informed the city council and public of the cash flow crisis in October after efforts to secure the FEMA extension were delayed and it became clear the city wouldn’t be able to make payroll through the end of the year without help.
Last week the council passed a number of accountability measures associated with its request for a short-term loan, which it had hoped would stave off Gov. Jeff Landry’s push to take over the city.
But the council took back their request to the State Bond Commission for the government equivalent of a payday loan after Landry, Attorney General Liz Murrill and other commission members signaled they’d only sign off
PHOTO PROVIDED BY DCFS.LA.GOV
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on the loan if council members agreed to cede control of city operations to a fiscal administrator, amounting to a state takeover of the Democratic city. Council members refused.
But the request is back on after Senate President Cameron Henry, a Metairie Republican whose district includes part of Uptown New Orleans, met privately with Mayor-elect Helena Moreno, Council President JP Morrell and Council Budget Chair Joe Giarrusso and others Nov. 5. Giarrusso called the meeting “very good” and “productive.”
State officials backed off the push for a fiscal administrator and discussed what requirements they’d want in place to feel comfortable agreeing to the loan.
“We’re moving towards not having one now because we have such significant and extensive oversight of the funding. Obviously, the city of New Orleans is a significant part of Louisiana, and we don’t want that tag of a fiscal administrator with a new administration coming in,” Henry told reporters following the meeting.
“State leadership was actually very surprised to see the different types of requirements that the city council is putting upon this administration and the future administration to ensure that every dollar is spent correctly,” Moreno said.
She added that this ordinance and other measures are “giving the state comfort, so much so that they’re moving away from their original proposal of bringing in a fiscal administrator.”
Giarrusso said council members and state officials would continue ironing out details of the deal and hope to wrap that up by the end of the week or Monday at the latest. “Everybody just wants to button up every detail,” he told Gambit.
Giarrusso said council members would then go before the Bond Commission sometime in the middle
of next week. Given the city only currently has enough cash on hand to meet payroll through Wednesday, Nov. 12, it’ll come down to the wire to make sure there are no disruptions to city workers’ paychecks.
“That’s why everybody’s working so hard,” Giarrusso said.
The city is already seeing some impacts of the cash flow crisis. Sidney Torres says his company IV Waste has not been paid $3.2 million for trash pickup in September. Council of Aging head Howard Rodgers III also said the city hadn’t paid the agency since August. If the agency doesn’t receive payment soon, they’ll have to stop adding people to the Meals on Wheels program, which delivers food to seniors among other services, and potentially reduce hours of senior centers or shut some down altogether, he said.
The New Orleans Recreation Development Commission has also suspended a number of programs, including FitNOLA classes and a fall internship program.
The city will have six months to pay the loan back, and council members said they’ll have property tax money to do so at that point. However, they said they’ll likely have to ask the Bond Commission for another smaller loan then.
Morrell said trust in the city’s budgeting process has been “irrevocably broken” and that he intended to reform how the city budgets and spends its money, so that the city doesn’t end up in this situation again.
“Today is the first step in a very lengthy process to making our budget something that we can be proud of and that the public can follow,” he said. — Kaylee Poche
COLD
New Orleans city council budget chairman Joe Giarrusso, vice president and mayor-elect Helena Moreno and council president JP Morrell.
PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
Fre FrencHQUArTer
@GambitBlake | askblake@gambitweekly.com
Hey Blake,
In what has to be one of my more interesting antique store finds, I came across a vintage can of Dixie Belle pure lard packaged by a business called the Dixie Packing Company in Arabi. What do you know about it?
Dear reader,
THE DIXIE PACKING COMPANY
OPERATED IN ST. BERNARD PARISH for more than 30 years, opening in 1933. Its meat packing plant and offices were located at 221 Mehle Ave. in Arabi near stockyards which operated there at the time.
A 1943 article in the New Orleans Item marked the company’s 10th anniversary and quoted president Fred Dykhuizen, known as the “genial Sausage King.” He explained that when the company first started “he employed only five persons. Now there are over 45 persons working for him.” In later years, the Dixie product line included beef, veal, chicken and sausage marketed under the Dixie Belle name. “(Dykhuizen) keeps a sharp watch on the market and is a shrewd buyer,” the Item wrote. “An indication of his perspicacity can be seen from the fact that, in these times when there is an acute shortage of fresh meat (because of World War II), he was able to obtain a large quantity of turkey and chicken liver and gizzards and also chicken skins.”
A 1950 New Orleans Item article explained that the product line had expanded to include pork products, smoked hams, bacon, frankfurters, cured meats, butter and eggs. Presumably your can of lard was a byproduct offered for sale as well.
A 1951 New Orleans States article mentioned that the “excellent, modern plant” had been “remodeled to house large, newly installed smokehouses that meet with the highest standards in sanitary operating efficiency.”
Ten years later, a Times-Picayune article explained that the company had become Klarer-Dixie and its line of Southern Star products included sausages, canned ham and sliced bacon. The plant was identified as the fourth largest producer of canned ham in the country. It appears the company was dissolved and liquidated in 1964 and a post office building went up in its place. It is now vacant land.
THIS WEEK MARKS THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DESEGREGATION OF NEW ORLEANS PUBLIC SCHOOLS, the day that four 6-year-old girls were accompanied by U.S. marshals as they walked into school. On Nov. 14, 1960, Gail Etienne, Tessie Prevost and Leona Tate integrated McDonogh 19 Elementary School on St. Claude Avenue. At the same time, marshals escorted 6-year-old Ruby Bridges into William Frantz Elementary School on North Galvez.
Although the historic Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education had come more than six years earlier, calling “separate but equal” school facilities unconstitutional, New Orleans — like much of the South — was slow to change. In 1960, the four young Black students were selected from a pool of 134 who applied to attend the city’s all-white public schools.
On their first day, Bridges and the “McDonogh Three,” as Etienne, Prevost and Tate were known, faced the screams and taunts of protestors outside their respective schools. Almost immediately, white parents began pulling their children out of the schools, but as The Times-Picayune reported the next day, there was no violence.
A statue of Bridges was erected in the courtyard of the former Frantz school, now Morris Jeff Community School. In 2020, the former McDonogh 19 building (later known as Louis Armstrong Elementary) was purchased by the Leona Tate Foundation for Change. The TEP Interpretive Center opened in 2022 with education and exhibit space. For more information visit tepcenter.org.
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Dixie Belle lard in a can
PHOTO BY BLAKE PONTCHARTRAIN / GAMBIT
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CULT STATUS
METAL ICONS ACID BATH REUNITE 28 YEARS AFTER TRAGIC END
BY JAKE CLAPP
ON APRIL 25, 1997, Acid Bath rolled into Shreveport for a show with Crowbar, Floodgate and Dead Industry. The sludge band, which had formed around Houma in 1991, was still reeling from the death of their bassist and friend Audie Pitre just a few months before, and although the show was in a large theater, it wasn’t well-promoted and Acid Bath walked away empty-handed, guitarist Sammy Duet remembers.
“After that show, I kind of knew it was over at that point,” Duet said in a YouTube video about Acid Bath’s last show. Things were different without Pitre, and the remaining members decided to put Acid Bath to rest.
In the nearly 30 years since that Shreveport show, though, Acid Bath’s legacy and underground status only grew. The band’s two studio albums had sold modestly well in the ’90s, but Acid Bath’s oppressive blend of sludge metal, grunge and psychedelic rock — a bloody sound shaped by sweltering South Louisiana landscapes — proved to be influential and magnetic. Acid Bath came to be revered by metal communities around the world.
So when Acid Bath reunited for a show at The Fillmore in New Orleans on April 25, 2025, tickets quickly sold out. And vocalist Dax Riggs and guitarists Duet and Mike Sanchez — joined by Goatwhore drummer Zach Simmons and Crowbar bassist Shane Wesley — stepped on stage together as Acid Bath for the first time in exactly 28 years.
Acid Bath has continued to play, and sell out, reunion shows across the country this year, and the group now heads to UNO’s Lakefront Arena on Saturday, Nov. 15, for a massive show with
Mastodon, Power Trip, Amigo the Devil, Soilent Green and Suplecs.
“It’s been a trip,” Riggs says. “It’s been really intense and beyond, I think, anybody’s expectations of what our reunion might be like.”
NEWS ABOUT AN Acid Bath reunion was first announced last October when a one-off set had been booked for Sick New World 2025, a metal festival in Las Vegas that was going to be headlined by Metallica, Linkin Park and Queens of the Stone Age. This year’s fest was ultimately cancelled, but Riggs, Duet and Sanchez decided to continue with a few reunion shows.
After Acid Bath disbanded in ’97, the members went their own ways but stayed in touch, Duet told Gambit. Duet went on to play with New Orleans sludge band Crowbar for a few years before forming the blackened death metal titans Goatwhore. Riggs and Sanchez played in the short-lived Agents of Oblivion in the late-’90s. Riggs went on to start another South
Louisiana cult band Deadboy & the Elephantmen and pursued his own solo music while Sanchez continued to play in Louisiana bands and found work as a pipefitter. Acid Bath’s original drummer, Jimmy Kyle, also dropped into a more private life after the band’s end.
Rumors of an Acid Bath reunion occasionally flared up, including a brief moment in 2014 when Slipknot’s Corey Taylor — who has talked about Acid Bath’s influence on his music — was floated as a vocalist. But those ideas were quickly squashed by the remaining members.
“Every once in a while, we’d contact each other [every] couple of years, here and there,” Duet says. “We’d check on each other and kind of jokingly talk about it. I don’t think it was taken very seriously at the time.”
But early last year, Goatwhore’s booker, Dan Rozenblum, asked Duet about an Acid Bath set at Sick New World. Duet took the idea to Riggs and Sanchez.
“I think we all felt like the time was right to do this,” he says. “In the past, it was just bad timing on everybody’s part. Now, everything kind of fell into place.”
Along with two sold-out shows at The Fillmore in April, Acid Bath has stayed busy in 2025, playing shows in Los Angeles, Oakland, New York City, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Austin, Texas, and Toronto. They also have dates planned for 2026, including a European tour.
“We had just looked at [a reunion] differently than we had in the past,” Riggs says. “So much time had passed. Things are different.”
BY THE EARLY-’90S, Riggs, Duet, Sanchez, Kyle and Pitre were all involved in the metal and punk communities taking shape around Houma, Thibodaux and Morgan City, and they followed New Orleans bands like Eyehategod, The Slugs (which became Crowbar), Soilent Green and Graveyard Rodeo.
Acid Bath in the 1990s PROVIDED PHOTO
Acid Bath in 2025 PROVIDED PHOTO
BY NEIL LIM SANG
Duet and Pitre were playing in a band called Dark Karnival while Riggs, Sanchez and Kyle were members of Golgotha, but by 1991, the musicians decided to start a new band, taking the name Acid Bath.
In ’92, “we just got through a hurricane, Andrew, so we started jamming in this trailer [owned by] this biker gang I used to know called the Sons of Silence,” Sanchez says. “We had a free place to jam, stay, do whatever you wanted to do. It didn’t matter what you wanted to do, just try to not kill yourself. We wrote a lot of good songs in there and did a lot of crazy shit.”
Acid Bath built a unique style that could dig deep into slow, thick sludge or pick up intensity into thrash and hardcore territory — sometimes within the same, lengthy song. Grunge, blues and psychedelia all found their way into the sound, and one track could lean on heavily distorted guitars before the next gives way to acoustics with dark folk influences.
Riggs and Duet balanced deep yet clear vocals with death growls and raspy echoes for lyrics painting visceral pictures of decay, drug use, mental illness, pagan rituals and death. There’s a haunting feeling of hopelessness and dread that creeps out of Acid Bath’s music.
It’s recognizable by anyone who grew up in hot, humid South Louisiana, where everything can seem to be caught between a state of slow decay and wild, chaotic growth. Acid Bath’s music reflects that dichotomy, furiously growing from a landscape of addicts and alcoholics, poverty and abandoned houses, and existential worries.
“I think it’s the juxtaposition of the absolute beauty of the world you live in and then the poverty and the other things that go along with desperation,” Riggs says about how South Louisiana influenced Acid Bath’s music. “You also see the hypocrisy of it all. There’s a mansion and then a trailer next to it. The unfairness of the world is right there, but you’re also in this seat of beauty with the wildlife.”
When asked a similar question, Duet points to the influential sludge bands that grew out of New Orleans, like Eyehategod, Crowbar and Down.
“If you’re from here and you’re a musician, it’s kind of in your blood. Let’s say a guy from California moves here to start a sludge band, he’s not going to do it right. There’s something about being from here that’s in your soul and you play a certain way.”
Acid Bath released just two studio albums, both on Rotten Records, alongside a handful of demos and bootleg tapes: “When the Kite String Pops,” released in 1994 and featuring a painting by John Wayne Gacy on the cover, and 1996’s “Paegan Terrorism Tactics,” which had a work by Jack Kevorkian as the album art. Both records were well-received during the ’90s, but in the years since, they’ve become cornerstone albums for anyone interested in sludge metal.
The band grew a following in Louisiana by playing small, all-ages venues and dive bars across the state. They got a foothold in Metairie before growing bigger and moving to New Orleans clubs like Jimmy’s and Tipitina’s, where Acid Bath had one of its last shows in early January 1997. The band also played around the region and set out on a few tours to New York and the Northeast in the ’90s.
“Acid Bath’s first gig in New Orleans was at The Abstract, a real seedy all-ages punk rock venue with heavy junkie vibes, if you know what I mean,” Riggs says. “It was just a garage that opened to the alleyway. Fun fact: A few weeks later G.G. Allin and The Jabbers played there so you know this was a rough spot.”
Sammy Duet PROVIDED PHOTO BY EMILY WARD
Just a few months after their second album was released, Acid Bath took a devastating blow. A drunk driver ran a stop sign in Terrebonne Parish and hit Audie Pitre and his family in their car, killing the bassist and his parents, Nora and Kermit Pitre. Audie’s younger brother, Kelly, also was injured in the wreck.
“Audie’s the guy who made it all possible,” Riggs recently told the outlet Metal
Hammer. “He was a very kind person and so creative too — ideas poured out of him all the time. He connected us all. He was like a brother to me, and it felt like a hopeless situation without him.”
Riggs, Sanchez, Duet and Kyle initially tried to keep going as Acid Bath and invited Joseph Fontenot to play bass, but it was difficult and things didn’t feel right. So after their show in
Shreveport, Acid Bath decided to part ways.
During their return show at The Fillmore, Acid Bath dedicated the song “Scream of the Butterfly” to Pitre.
THE MEMBERS OF ACID BATH have noticed something interesting since April: There’s a lot of young people in the audiences at their shows.
“I had no idea there’d be this whole new generation of young — I’m talking about teenagers — that are into this band, in the front, knowing every note,” Duet says. “I did not expect that.”
Acid Bath had a loyal audience during the ’90s, especially in Louisiana, but after they disbanded, their music continued to grow a global cult following.
Numerous bands born out of Louisiana have cited their influence. Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor has talked about Acid Bath’s impact on his style. Even adult film star Stormy Daniels has Acid Bath lyrics tattooed on her ribs.
“It’s like two generations of people kind of getting along [at the show],” Riggs says. “There’s an intense vibe to the show. It’s kind of like a funeral but a celebratory feeling.”
The reunion also has given Riggs, Sanchez and Duet a chance to revisit their older material. They’re making
adjustments pulled from 30 years of experience and polishing tracks they felt were never finished the way they had hoped.
“I guess I had a lot of reservations in the past that I thought it would have to be just like it was,” Riggs says. “I said, ‘That was 30 years ago. What would it be like if we were still a band? It would be something like this.’ That’s how I try to imagine this resurrection. I can’t help but change the songs. I’m not capable of doing something the way it was.”
“I think we know more what we’re doing with these songs,” Sanchez says with a laugh.
“Yeah. We understand what’s going on now, rather than back then, we were just a bunch of fucking maniacs,” Duet adds. “With that, it gives us a new appreciation of the music as well.”
Acid Bath has dates planned for 2026, but the band hasn’t shared concrete plans for how long the reunion will last. Duet, though, wants to “just see how far we can take it.”
“My point is that when it stops being fun is when I’m going call it,” he says.
Tickets for Acid Bath’s Nov. 15 show at UNO Lakefront Arena start at $61.50 via arena.uno.edu. Find more info at acidbathofficial.com.
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EAT + DRINK
Making waves
Sunnies opens on Freret Street by Beth D’Addono |
SUNNIES ON FRERET STREET HAS A SPLIT PERSONALITY
.
Opened Sept. 26, the unassuming arts and crafts building at 4917 Freret is home to a Palm Springsesque pool scene by day with a blast of primary colors, bold graphics and retro chic style.
There’s a sparkling 35-foot-long pool surrounded by lemon yellow umbrellas and lush foliage. Scattered seating and teak tables invite lounging, with cocktails and bar nibbles flowing throughout the indoor and outdoor space.
When night falls, the space transforms into a sexy restaurant lounge. Outside, tiki torches are lit, and the pool radiates a pink glow. Inside, the curvy, uplit quartz bar populates with a mix of grad students, neighbors and couples.
Friends and date-nighters fill the dining room, sampling chef Mike Oozoonian’s sprightly opening menu of small plates, shareable dishes and a trio of entrees as well as creative cocktails from bar manager Jake LeBas, underscored by a Khruangbininspired soundtrack. Plans for a record listening lounge, a popular concept in Austin, are in the works.
“We’re across the street from Gasa Gasa and next door to Cure. We are somewhere in the middle,” says Barrett Cooper of NOLA Capital Partners, who along with real estate developer Zach Kupperman and hospitality denizen Geoff Lewis bought the building and developed the concept.
Cooper and Lewis have collaborated on other projects, from the rooftop bar at the Pontchartrain Hotel to the recently paused Fur Bebe Cafe in Uptown. “We learned at the hotel that there needs to be a synergy between the restaurant and the bar space,” Barrett says. “There was a disconnect when it was the Caribbean Room, but when Jack Rose took over, that was a good fit.”
Oozoonian has cooked in Jacksonville, Boston and Philadelphia, and he came to New Orleans to join
his girlfriend Amanda Alard, who is behind the popular Que Pasta pop-up. He worked for the Link Restaurant Group before moving to Sunnies.
“He understood what we are trying to do with experiential dining,” Lewis says.
The menu had to tick a few boxes. There had to be small plates perfect for poolside snacking, and the price point also had to be approachable but also provide enough culinary heft to satisfy evening diners.
“The challenge was to have one menu that worked to transition day to night,” Barrett says.
While the menu is still evolving, the chef checked all the boxes. Under poolside picks, there’s a trio of deviled eggs topped with hot Cheetos-dusted fried chicken skin, guac served with fried yuca chips and a marinated tomato salad. A vegan showstopper, the lemony “crab” cakes, are made with grated hearts of palm.
For greenery, the chef mixes things up, drizzling a wedge salad with avocado ranch and tossing roasted Brussels sprouts with kale and white anchovies for a different take on a Caesar. Handheld options include tropically tinged, soy-glazed spam
sliders, regular burger sliders and hugely popular lobster and shrimp rolls served on a toasted brioche bun. The entrees are fun as well. Seared salmon is crusted with everything bagel toppings and served with diced fingerling and sweet potatoes and roasted Brussel sprouts on the side.
There’s a grilled steak with sweet potato hash topped with an overeasy egg, and sweet potato gnocchi tossed with bits of lobster, ricotta and roasted yellow tomatoes. This is clean and tasty food, colorful and fresh and thoughtfully plated.
LeBas’s bar menu offers drinks that deserve to live next door to Cure. The OCC Negroni is built on mezcal, blanco vermouth and citrus, and the Easy Rider is a riff on an old fashioned made with Still Austin bourbon, Fernet Branca Menta and orange bitters. There are local beers on draft, a compact and affordable wine list and a duo of tropical frozen drinks.
On a recent Thursday evening, the bar was busy, the room buzzing with energy while still allowing for intimate dining. Sunnies also offers fun specials, like pairing the lobster roll with a martini on Mondays, offering service industry specials on Tuesday, and a happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m.
For now, diving into the 82degree heated water is gratis. Come spring, a day pass for the pool will be $25, including $10 toward food and beverage.
“Freret Street has a lot of energy,” Cooper says. “We see ourselves as offering a deconstructed resort experience — a vacation with everything but the hotel rooms.”
Star power
THE STARS HAVE FINALLY FALLEN ON NEW ORLEANS as one of the oldest and most prestigious dining awards, the Michelin Guide, awarded stars to three restaurants, along with other distinctions to many other local eateries.
One of the biggest names in New Orleans dining, Emeril’s Restaurant, earned a remarkable two Michelin stars, a first for the entire South. It is exceedingly rare for restaurants to debut in a Michelin Guide above the one-star level.
Bywater standout Saint-Germain and under-the-radar Mid-City bistro Zasu both earned one star each.
The Michelin Guide celebrated the results of its new regional guide for the American South, including Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, on Nov. 3 at an awards ceremony in Greenville, South Carolina.
Michelin stars are a globally recognized standard for excellence in the culinary world, awarded on a rising scale of one to three. Michelin’s anonymous reviewers, dubbed inspectors, determine ratings.
Emeril’s and Saint-Germain are both tasting menu restaurants that have garnered previous high-profile praise. Given their style and ambition, they were frontrunners in predictions of which restaurants could land stars.
Zasu is a small, upscale bistro in Mid-City that arrives on the list as more of a surprise.
Many other New Orleans restaurants received Michelin recognition at other
Sunnies serves a lobster and shrimp roll.
PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER
Emeril Lagasse, left, and his son, E.J. Lagasse, pose at the Michelin Guide ceremony in Greenville, South Carolina.
BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
levels. One is Bib Gourmand, an award for what Michelin calls “simpler style of cooking” at the “best value for money restaurants.”
Then there are Michelin’s “recommended” restaurants.
New Orleans chefs and restaurateurs at the ceremony framed the Michelin recognition as a win for the city’s culinary scene and hospitality culture overall.
“In my family, we talk about the legacy of New Orleans and how it’s on us as the next generation to continue the culture,” said chef Edgar “Dook” Chase IV, part of the fourth generation of the Dooky Chase’s Restaurant family, which earned a Bib Gourmand distinction.
“It’s recognizing that New Orleans continues to be on the map for food and for our culture,” he said. “It’s a tribute to all the hard work that people do all across the city, and it’s going to mean more people are coming to our city to eat.”
New Orleans has 11 Bib Gourmand restaurants, running the gamut from traditional to the new and modern. They include Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, Donald Link’s modern Cajun spot Cochon, modern Mexican restaurant Acamaya, Alon Shaya’s modern Israeli restaurant Saba, Indian restaurant LUFU NOLA, the eclectic Mister Mao, and Mason Hereford’s ’80s- themed contemporary dining spot Hungry Eyes. They also include po-boy and sandwich specialists Domilise’s Po-Boys & Bar, Parkway Bakery & Tavern, Cochon Butcher and Turkey and the Wolf.
The 18 New Orleans Michelin recommended restaurants show a similarly broad range of styles and price points. The recommended restaurants are: 34 Restaurant & Bar, Addis NOLA, Atchafalaya, August, Clancy’s, Compère Lapin, Dakar NOLA, Galatoire’s, Herbsaint, Killer Po-boys, The Kingsway, La Petite Grocery, Molly’s Rise and Shine, Osteria Lupo, Patois, Pêche Seafood Grill, Saffron NOLA and Willie Mae’s NOLA.
This new Michelin Guide American South covers restaurants in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Atlanta restaurants, which Michelin has covered since 2023, are now grouped in this guide.
It includes 228 restaurants total and 19 restaurants with stars, plus five more with Michelin’s Green Star award for environmental sustainability. Emeril’s is the only restaurant in the region with a two-star rating,
and one of just 35 across the country with two stars, which Michelin says denotes “excellent cooking, worth a detour.”
Emeril’s was started by namesake Emeril Lagasse in 1990, immediately turning heads for a new style of New Orleans cuisine and propelling his rise as a celebrity chef. In 2023, his son E.J. Lagasse joined the restaurant as chef and steered its transformation into a more elegant tasting menu model.
Michelin’s reviewers said his “determination is palpable as he charts a new course, bringing contemporary refinement and vibrant originality to the fore” and praised cooking that “bursts with personality and class and never at the cost of flavor.”
Michelin also awarded E.J. Lagasse its region-wide Young Chef honor in this inaugural guide.
“I’ve been chasing Michelin for 35 years,” since first opening Emeril’s, said chef Emeril Lagasse. “I never thought I’d win. But now that I’m working with my son, it happened, and I can tell you it’s the greatest honor.”
Saint-Germain and Zasu are each much smaller restaurants that now join the Michelin Star Club.
Saint-Germain was started in 2018 by chefs Trey Smith and Blake Aguillard with business partner Drew Delaughter in an easy-to-miss, old shotgun house on St. Claude Avenue. The sign for the previous restaurant, a pizzeria, is still more prominent than its own.
“The old adage about not judging a book by its cover couldn’t be more apt for this little restaurant in Bywater,” Michelin’s reviewers wrote.
Its 10-course tasting menu is a dissertation on creative culinary technique, with aging, preserving and fermentation displayed in dishes that frame familiar ingredients in revealing new ways.
While the dining room has just a handful of tables, the restaurant doubles as a wine bar with an outdoor patio available for drinks only.
Zasu was opened on New Year’s Eve in 2018 by chef Sue Zemanick, who had earned a following and previous awards as the longtime chef at Gautreau’s Restaurant and a contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters.”
Zasu is jewel-box small, and the kind of place people return to because they crave certain dishes or trust the menu through its perpetual changes. Fish is a specialty, and so are pierogi, inspired by the chef’s family roots.
Michelin’s reviewers call Zasu an “elegant oasis” with a “tightly edited” menu “blending local flavors with French techniques.”
While 32 New Orleans restaurants can now claim some level of Michelinrecognition, the selections will surely ignite debate over which made the cut, and which didn’t.
For instance, the inaugural guide does not include establishments from any branch of the Brennan family, among the most prominent names in New Orleans dining.
Outside of New Orleans, the selections were sparse. There are none from the restaurant-rich suburbs, and across the rest of Louisiana only two restaurants made the “recommended” list — Elsie’s Plate & Pie in Baton Rouge and St. Francisville Inn & Restaurant in St. Francisville.
On the Gulf Coast, The Noble South in downtown Mobile won a Bib Gourmand award, while in coastal Mississippi, White Pillars in Biloxi and the tasting menu restaurant Vestige in Ocean Springs got “recommended” status.
The Michelin Guide explains that restaurants are assessed for stars on five criteria: “quality products; the harmony of flavors; the mastery of cooking techniques; the voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine; consistency between each visit and throughout the menu.”
Michelin stars and reviews were created a century ago by the French tire company of the same name. They were a European institution until relatively recently, when a global expansion began. The first U.S. guide, for New York, appeared in 2005, and since then its range has been gradually expanding.
The brand now partners with city and state tourism agencies and other groups to help finance its work. It selects areas to expand coverage based on this backing and its own assessment that an area has enough destination-worthy restaurants.
That practice has drawn some criticism in the industry, though Michelin has maintained that once it enters a market, its culinary judgments and editorial decisions remain independent.
New Orleans & Co., the city’s tourism sales and market agency, and the Louisiana Office of Tourism are two of the local groups from the region that partnered with Michelin on the new guide, providing financial support for its entry in the market. — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune
WI NE OF THE WEEK
LesGlories
Demonstrating a golden hue, this wine is fresh on the nose and expresses notesofcitrus and tropical fruits. Its mentality and tartness arecharacteristics of an exceptional SauvignonBlanc.
Ronica Dacula
Co-founder, Piknik Street pop-up
by Will Coviello
RONICA DACULA, GAZE CATUBEY AND MARTHA CANTOR met in the New Orleans area but are from the Philippines. Last year, they launched their Piknik Street pop-up to share their favorite Filipino dishes. They’ve served food at festivals from Slidell and the Northshore to New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish, where Dacula lives. On Nov. 14-15, they’ll be among the Asian food vendors at the Nola Nite Market festival at the Westwego Farmers Market. For information about the pop-up, visit @piknik.street on Instagram. For information about Nola Nite Market, visit nolanitemarket.com.
How
did you start your pop-up?
RONICA DACULA: We are three women partnering in the pop-up. We are all here for seven to 10 years, but we spent most of our lives back home in the Philippines. But now we are here with our own families. Our husbands were friends, and we became friends as well.
Usually what we do is we have celebrations within our Filipino community. We celebrate American celebrations with Filipino food, like Thanksgiving and Christmas. We always invite Americans.
We are interested in showcasing our food because New Orleans and the Philippines mirror each other in terms of the food. New Orleans is a melting pot of flavors, and the Philippines are too. We have flavors from our Indigenous people and countries that conquered us, like Spain.
Also, like New Orleans, the Philippines is social. Food is a central element. We are hospitable too. It feels like home here because of the Southern hospitality.
For the past two years, whenever we had celebrations with our Filipino food, we’d invite American friends, and we noticed they showed love for our food. We ended up with lots of empty plates when the party ended.
So we decided to pursue the idea of introducing the food to everyone in New Orleans. We started in our parish when there was an open vendor spot. We grabbed that opportunity.
We are all moms. We all cook at home. But my partners are cooks. They have more traditional tastes in food, and I am the marketing (person). We have different strengths. They do the cooking better than I do.
How did people like your food?
D: When it was our first pop-up, we were kind of nervous about how to reach a lot of palettes. Filipino food is not yet there when it comes to being known. So we started with beef wraps and beef toppings on rice. We did some beef crispy wraps too. It did pretty good. We did get some positive reviews.
We just started last July, and from then on, we’d have a food pop-up every month.
In this last October, we did three weekends, mostly in Slidell. We did the Plantmania Expo and Slidell Food and Fun Fest. There’s also an event for the Filipino community in St. Bernard, Fiesta Filipino. It showcased Filipino culture and food. And we went to Sportsfest Car Show and Food Festival in Denham Springs. October was Filipino-American History Month, so that’s why we were out there celebrating our culture.
When we went to the food truck festival last September, we focused on the more popular Filipino food, like the crispy pork and tofu wrap: lumpia, the spring roll of the Philippines.
The pork belly was the most popular thing we did at the festival. It’s juicy on the inside but crunchy on the outside. We serve it with spiced vinegar on the side. That’s pretty popular in the Philippines.
We also started introducing the sweet style spaghetti. We’re going to offer it at the Nola Nite Market too. The sweet style spaghetti — people loved it at the food truck festival. It’s a sweet tomato sauce with hot dogs, ground beef and meatballs. It’s not the typical spaghetti. It has sweeter sauce than the typical Italian herb-y sauce that’s more sour. Since we’ve done a lot of events, we have categorized our food into three categories. The first one is our classic rice toppings. It’s basically a main dish on top of rice. We eat almost everything with rice. It’s not hard to offer this kind of food in New Orleans, because rice is so popular here.
The thing about a dish like adobo is that it’s a combination of savory, salty, sweet and sour. That’s what makes it unique. Adobo is a slow cooked sauce with a lot of soy sauce, vinegar and garlic. It’s a mixture of different flavors in one dish.
The second (category) is our fiesta favorites. These are the foods we always make during celebrations: the sweet style spaghetti and the lumpia. The third category is the sweet ones. Our hometown delicacies. The common sweet treats in the Philippines. The first one is the buko pandan. It’s young coconut with a creamy milk base with jellies and pearls. It’s light, sweet and full of tropical flavors.
The last one is the silvanas. It’s a cashew wafer with buttercream and coated with cookie crumbs. I heard someone call it an ice cream cookie. It’s really not because it isn’t ice cream, but it tastes like it.
Are you doing anything special for
Nola Nite Market?
D: At Nola Nite Market, we’ll offer two of our most popular pork on rice dishes. That’ll be our crackling pork belly and the classic pork adobo. Our lumpia for Nola Nite Market are different because we are doing a fusion of Filipino and American flavors. It’s crispy pork and tofu, but we are adding remoulade, jalapeños and bacon bits. It’s a meeting of textures and flavors. It’s Filipino flavors as a base with American flavors on top.
Ronica Dacula (left), Gaze Catubay and Martha Cantor PHOTO PROVIDED BY RONICA DACULA
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.
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 Drum Yvonne is served with brown butter sauce with mushrooms and artichoke hearts. There also are oysters, seafood pasta dishes, steaks, lamb chops and more. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$
Bamboula’s — 514 Frenchmen St.; bamboulasmusic.com — The live music venue’s kitchen offers a menu of traditional and creative Creole dishes, such as Creole crawfish crepes with goat cheese and chardonnay sauce. Reservations accepted. Lunch, dinner and late-night daily. $$
The Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar — 118 Harbor View Court, Slidell, (985) 315-7001; 7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 284-2898; thebluecrabnola.com — Basin barbecue shrimp are served with rosemary garlic butter sauce over cheese grits with a cheese biscuit. The menu includes po-poys, fried seafood platters, raw and char-grilled oysters, boiled seafood in season, and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lakeview: Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. Slidell: Lunch Wed.-Fri., dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Sat.-Sun. $$
Broussard’s — 819 Conti St., (504) 581-3866; broussards.com — The menu of contemporary Creole dishes includes bronzed redfish with jumbo lump crabmeat, lemon beurre blanc and vegetables. Brunch includes Benedicts, avocado toast, chicken and waffles, turtle soup and more. Reservations recommended. Outdoor seating available in the courtyard. Dinner Wed.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$
Cafe Normandie — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The menu combines classic French dishes and Louisiana items like crab beignets with herb aioli. Sandwiches include po-boys, a muffuletta on flatbread and a burger. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch Mon.-Sat., dinner Fri.-Mon. $$
The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 274-1850; thecommissarynola.com — Dickie Brennan’s Commissary supplies his other restaurant kitchens and also has a dine-in menu and prepared foods to go. A smoked turkey sandwich is served with bacon, tomato jam, herbed cream cheese, arugula and herb vinaigrette on honey oat bread. The menu includes dips, salads, sandwiches, boudin balls, fried oysters and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Lunch Tue.-Sat. $$ Curio — 301 Royal St., (504) 717-4198; curionola.com — The creative Creole menu includes blackened Gulf shrimp served with chicken and andouille jambalaya. There also are crab cakes, shrimp and grits,
$ — average dinner entrée under $10
$$ $11-$20
$$$ — $20-up
crawfish etouffee, po-boys and more. Outdoor seating available on balcony. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$
Dahla — 611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 7666602; dahlarestaurant.com — The menu includes popular Thai dishes like pad thai, drunken noodles, curries and fried rice. Crispy skinned duck basil is prepared with vegetables and Thai basil. Delivery available. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$
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, 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. $$$
El Pavo Real — 4401 S. Broad Ave., (504) 266-2022; elpavorealnola.com — The menu includes tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, ceviche. tamales and more. Pescado Vera Cruz features sauteed Gulf fish topped with tomatoes, olives, onion and capers, served with rice and string beans. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and early dinner Tue.-Sat. $$
Juan’s Flying Burrito — 515 Baronne St., (504) 529-5825; 2018 Magazine St., (504) 569-0000; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-9950; 8140 Oak St., (504) 897-4800; juansflyingburrito.com — The Flying Burrito includes steak, shrimp, chicken, cheddar jack cheese, black beans, rice, guacamole and salsa. The menu also includes tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, nachos, salads, rice and bean bowls with various toppings and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$
Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — The Cajun Cuban with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. The eclectic menu also includes char-grilled oysters, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, fried seafood platters, pasta, salads and more. Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$
Kilroy’s Bar — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The all-day bar menu includes sandwiches, soups, salads, flatbreads and a couple entrees. A muffuletta flatbread is topped with salami, mortadella, capicola, mozzarella and olive salad. No reservations. Lunch Fri.-Mon., 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 steak and chops includes filet mignon, bone-in rib-eye, top sirloin and double pork chops and a la carte toppings include bernaise, 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. $$
Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The menu of Japanese cuisine includes sushi, signature rolls, tempura items, udon noodle dishes, teriyaki, salads and more.The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado, snow crab, green onion and wasabi roe. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$ 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. $$$
Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestaurant.net — This counter-service spot serves po-boys dressed with sliced cabbage like the Famous Ferdi filled with ham, roast beef and debris. Creole favorites include jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Breakfast is available all day. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Neyow’s Creole Cafe — 3332 Bienville St., (504) 827-5474; neyows.com — The menu includes red beans and rice with fried chicken or pork chops, as well as shrimp Creole, seafood platters, po-boys, chargrilled and raw oysters, salads and more. Side items include carrot souffle, mac and cheese, cornbread dressing, sweet potato tots and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$
Nice Guys Bar & Grill — 7910 Earhart Blvd., (504) 302-2404; niceguysbarandgrillnola. com — Char-grilled oysters are topped with cheese and garlic butter, and other options include oysters Rockefeller and loaded oysters. The creative menu also includes seafood bread, a Cajun-lobster potato, wings, quesadillas, burgers, salads, sandwiches, seafood pasta, loaded fries and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$
Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro — 720 Orleans Ave., (504) 523-1930; orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar offers cheese boards and appetizers to nosh with wines. The menu includes Creole pasta with shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$
Parish Grill — 4650 W. Esplanade Ave., Suite 100, Metairie, (504) 345-2878; parishgrill.com — The menu includes a variety of burgers, sandwiches, wraps, pizza and salads. For an appetizer, sauteed andouille is served with fig preserves, blue cheese and toast points. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$
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. $$
Rosie’s on the Roof — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The rooftop bar has a menu of sandwiches, burgers and small plates. Crab beignets are made with Gulf crabmeat and mascarpone and served with herb aioli. No reservations. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$
Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 9343463; tableaufrenchquarter.com — The menu features traditional and creative Creole dishes. Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, littleneck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs. Outdoor seating available on the balcony. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$
Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes raw and char-broiled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys, fried chicken, crab and corn bisque and more. Redfish St. Charles is served with garlic-herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
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 veggie sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA). The Preservation Hall Jazz Band joins the dancers onstage for the tribute to New Orleans. The program also features McIntyre’s “Mayday,” set to music by Buddy Holly, and an excerpt from “The Sweeter End,” also dedicated to New Orleans. Presented by NOBA at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Mahalia Jackson Theater. Tickets $32$212 via nobadance.com.
‘Evil Dead’ in Concert
In director Sam Raimi’s bloody, gruesome and awesome film “The Evil Dead,” actor Bruce Campbell stars as Ash, who, along with his girlfriend, sister and two friends, plan to spend a nice weekend in a remote cabin — until they find the Naturom Demonto and unwittingly conjure a demon. The 1981 film is a horror movie classic, thanks in part to composer Joe LoDuca’s score. An orchestral ensemble performs a live score for the film at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, at the Orpheum Theater. Tickets start at $43.85 via orpheumnola.com.
Nola Nite Market
The Nite Market features mostly Asian pop-ups and food vendors offering ramen, pho, Japanese sandos, sushi, Chinese dumplings, Indian and Filipino dishes (see 3-course Interview, page 24), a variety of desserts and sweets and more. There’s also live entertainment by singer Lynda Trang Dai (see Going Out, page 30), Vivaz Duet, Kpop dance groups and more. Proceeds benefit the Hogs for the Cause team Pig Latin and the Black Film Festival of New Orleans. At 5-10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Westwego Farmers’ Market. Visit nolanitemarket.com for details.
Mary Flower
work and features entertainment and more. This year’s event includes music by Leyla McCalla, Big Chief Juan Pardo and the Golden Comanches, Casa Samba and more. There also are artist presentations featuring comics, puppets, fabrics and more, plus art and science activities, information from environmental groups, walks in the woods led by Tulane University professors, food vendors and more. FORESTival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at 13401 Patterson Road. Visit astudiointhewoods.org for information.
Roots of Music gala
Earlier this year, the music education program Roots of Music moved into its new home on the former site of St. Gabriel The Archangel Church. On Friday, Nov. 14, Roots of Music will celebrate “Home Sweet Home” during its annual gala. There will be performances by the marching Crusaders, the All-Star Studio Band and special guests Robin Barnes, The Original Pinettes Brass Band and Ani DiFranco. There also will be food, drinks and a silent auction to benefit the program. Tickets start at $200 via therootsofmusic.org.
Covington Three Rivers Art Festival
The festival brings more than 200 art and craft vendors to five blocks of Columbia Street in the center of Covington. There’s everything from painting to sculpture, ceramics, glasswork, jewelry, woodwork, leather goods, photography and more. The event also features some musical entertainment, a kids’ area and food and drink vendors. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, and Sunday, Nov. 16. Visit covingtonthreeriversartfestival.com for information.
‘Harmony and Hope’
Musician Mary Flower is based in Portland, Oregon, but there’s a range of Southern blues styles in her music, including some New Orleans ragtime and swing. Flower also recorded her 2005 album, “Bywater Dance,” with Jon Cleary and Henry Butler. She returns to New Orleans for a show featuring Washboard Chaz at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Chickie Wah Wah. Robert Eustis and Andre Bohren open. Tickets are $26.96 via chickiewahwah.com.
FORESTival
A Studio in the Woods provides artist residencies at its site in eight acres of forest on the West Bank. FORESTival showcases some of the resident artists’
The concert “Harmony and Hope: The Music of Social Justice” will feature singer-songwriter Jim McCormick, OperaCreole founder Givonna Joseph, Cowboy Mouth’s Paul Sanchez, vocalists John Boutte and Chase Kamata and banjo player Don Vappie performing songs rooted in social justice movements. The concert will be emceed by Mona Lisa Saloy and Nick Spitzer. Hosted by the lay-led Catholic nonprofit Ignatian Volunteer Corps of New Orleans, the concert also is a fundraiser for the organization. At 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, at Loyola University’s Nunemaker Auditorium. Admission is free but donations accepted. Find more info at ivcusa. org/harmonyandhope.
Jim McCormick Giovonna Joseph John Boutte Chase Kamata Paul Sanchez Don Vappie
MUSIC
To learn more about adding your event to the music calendar, please email listingsedit@gambitweekly.com
BJ’S LOUNGE 3rd Annual Nola 4 Palestine Fundraiser, 3 pm
BLUE NILE — Street Legends Brass Band, 9 pm
BOURBON STREET HONKY TONK — The Bad Sandys, 8 pm
BROADSIDE Carl Nuccio CD Release, 4 pm
DBA — Vegas Cola Band, 9 pm
GOOD MEASURE Pleasure Savior Presents: A Tribute to New Jack Swing ft. P.U.D.G.E & T Deaux, 9 pm
HOLY DIVER — Filth Abyss with DJs Mange & Scythe, 10 pm
HOUSE OF BLUES Record Raid, 12 pm
THE HOWLIN’ WOLF — Slim KuttaR with Slums, Slim Morrison & Shyne Boi, 10 pm
JIMMY'S MUSIC CLUB — Flogging
NOLA & Blind Texas Marlin, 8 pm
LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Tru Phonic, 11 pm
THE MAISON The Villains, 1 pm; Smoking Time Jazz Band, 4 pm; DJ GQ, 11 pm
NO DICE Rambler Kane + Beach Angel + Kyle Keller, 9 pm; LVCD & Friends, 12 am
NOLA BREWING & PIZZA CO Mikey B3, 7 pm
OKAY BAR Soot + Slowhole + Guts Club + Panama Papers, 8 pm
THE PRESS ROOM AT THE ELIZA JANE Or Shovaly Plus, 4 pm
PUBLIC BELT AT HILTON NEW ORLEANS RIVERSIDE — Phil Melancon, 8 pm
THE REPUBLIC — Flosstradamus with SILLVA + PlayerOne, 11 pm
THE DOG HOUSE Craig Cortello, The “Canine Crooner”, 5 pm
GASA GASA — Militarie Gun + Liquid Mike + Public Opinion, 8 pm
HOWLIN WOLF — Hot 8 Brass Band, 10:30 pm
JIMMY'S MUSIC CLUB Joce Blend & Tony Skratchere - Beatdown DJ Battle, 8 pm
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY NUNEMAKER AUDITORIUM (MONROE HALL) — Harmony and Hope: The Music of Social Justice, 3 pm
THE MAISON Russell Welch, 3 pm; Jenavieve & The Winding Boys, 6 pm; Royal Caravan Brass Band, 9 pm
NO DICE — Leaving Time + Gawner + Acath, 9 pm
OKAY BAR Conan Neutron + Phantum Sun + Dead Spies + Noble Apes, 7 pm
SATURN BAR — Quinn Pilgrim + Andrew Jobin & The Thick Smoke + Dominique Lejeune, 9 pm
MUSIC
Stone Free
by Jake Clapp
SABRINA STONE FEELS LIKE
SHE’S BEEN RUNNING a marathon for a really long time.
The last two decades have been full of solo music, bands, EPs and full-length albums, changing styles, a ditched record contract, a move from New York to New Orleans, new jobs, lots of travel, heartbreaks and a broken leg.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“You can tell from the fact that I barely remember a decade of it,” says the singer-songwriter and vocalist-bassist for alt-rock band War Bunnies. “I’ve been a personal bartender, and I ran a children’s company — I even had a band called Slow Growth that I created with a dubstep DJ in New York, and we have one single online. That’s out there. I forgot that.”
There have been a lot of chapters — and so many hair colors, Stone says with a laugh, pointing to the fading pink, blue and green dye that can still be seen in the sun outside of a Mid-City coffee shop. With a major birthday coming up, Stone has been in a reflective mood.
“I believe that on a birthday, you get to choose what you want to bring into the next year,” she says, so she wants to bring in her own new year with music.
Stone will host a singer-songwriter night at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at Hotel Peter & Paul. There will be performances by Chelsea Hines and Dreux Gerard, and Stone will be joined by friends during her set, including her War Bunnies bandmate Aaron Younce and multi-instrumentalist Rex Gregory.
Until a few years ago, Stone had spent more than a decade mostly performing as a solo musician focused on her expressive vocals and acoustic guitar. Her last solo show was at the House of Blues in late 2020, but by the time Covid restrictions loosened, Stone and Younce were beginning to write music together as War Bunnies.
Recently, Stone realized four years had passed since she had performed solo in front of people.
“It was like, ‘OK, this is how I’m going to break the dry spell of not doing my solo music for so long, and this is the energy I want to bring into the whole next year,’ ” she says.
Stone grew up in New York City with a mother who was a theatrical agent and loved classical music and jazz and an architect father who listened to classic rock. She found her way to the piano in her mom’s house around 7 years old and stuck with it for a few years until she picked up a guitar as a 14-year-old.
Influenced by a range of rock and folk, from Alanis Morissette and Radiohead to Chris Thile, Stone started writing her own music, including her first recording, a song called “Nefarious.”
Her recordings caught the attention of a Canadian record label, which offered a then-18-year-old Stone a lucrative contract. Stone says she would have had to move to Vancouver and trade her guitar for a piano.
It was tempting for someone who was then in her first year at Brandeis University — but Stone ultimately turned it down. It felt like a reckless move to lock in on a contract at that age and isolate herself in another country, she says.
Instead, Stone stayed at Brandeis and recorded her first, self-titled EP, released in 2007. Over the years, she’s recorded a full-length, “My College Degree and Me,” and several other EPs and singles. More recently, Stone released “International Date Line” in 2019, but the album is only available on CD, and she’s planning to release a remastered version in the coming months.
After a small tour in Australia in 2018, Stone decided to move to New Orleans. She had visited a number of times over the years and felt pulled to the city. She didn’t have a smooth transition, though.
“I broke my leg 10 days after moving here,” she says. “It forced me into this extremely introspective, slow space.”
But that bumpy introduction to the city forced her to start building connections. A visual artist and music journalist, Stone found work with Offbeat, and she now writes the monthly, gear-focused “Sound Check” column in Antigravity.
“Each connection has led to another one, and the music is increasingly louder and more confident and more powerful,” Stone says. “But that’s partially because the city is giving me that.”
Tickets to the Nov. 14 show are $15. Find Stone on Instagram: @sabrinastonemusic.
saturd ay ,n ov .1 5+ 10am-6pm Ne wO rleans City Park Fes ti va lG rounds
Sabrina Stone PROVIDED PHOTO BY M ICHAEL FURMAN
Taste beignets in an array of imaginative dishes –dusted, topped, stuf fed, and sandwiched –all in oneplace, for one delicious day.
SEAFOOD FACTORY OUTLET
GOING OUT
New Wave generation
by Will Coviello
IN THE LATE 1980S, ELIZABETH
AI LIKED TO PILE INTO A CAR with her not-that-mucholder uncle and aunts and ride around Orange County, California, blasting New Wave music and getting away from their parents and the rest of the world. It was typical youthful rebellious fun, except they were escaping from the lingering trauma of war.
Ai was younger, but her relatives were Vietnamese refugees, having fled Vietnam in the 1970s. As they grew up in California, they got into what they called New Wave music, enthralled with the new mix of synthesizers and electronic drums and the rising influence of MTV videos. A generation of young Vietnamese Americans mimicked the sexy clothing styles they saw on screen, teased and spiked their hair with Aqua Net, and lunged into pop culture their parents couldn’t understand. Some got onstage, like Lynda Trang Dai, who started covering New Wave songs and became known as the Vietnamese Madonna.
by her aunt, who was herself young and caught up in youth culture. Ai’s mother ran a successful series of nail salons and supported their large extended family, paying for college educations, cars and also gambling.
Ai’s documentary film “New Wave” delves into the Vietnamese New Wave scene. It’s the headlining film of the inaugural Asian Film Fest and will screen at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Broad Theater. Ai and Dai will participate in a panel discussion afterward.
Ai wasn’t a New Waver, but she focuses much of her documentary on two figures in the scene. Dai traveled the world as a pop singer and starred on the popular Vietnamese variety show “Paris by Night.” Her tours brought her to New Orleans to perform, where there were young Vietnamese New Wave fans, says festival organizer Thuy Pham.
Building her career outside the New Wave scene was tough, and she talks about what it took to stay on top and how her work supported her family, despite an older generation’s disapproval of her sexy outfits and stage theatrics.
Ian Nguyen loved music, and once he bought a dual turntable and had a friend build him a mixing board, he became DJ BPM, launching a four-decade career. He explains that the music they loved was actually Eurodisco, often lumped in with British New Wave in the U.S. He also shares the ever-widening gap with his father, a novelist, who only wanted him to study and “look normal.”
Ai spent much of her young life with her mother absent. She was raised
Only when Ai was older did she begin to see the way the teens and their parents were both affected by layers of trauma, from escaping the war to being subjected to racism and rejection in their new home. Their parents sacrificed to get an economic foothold in their new home, but at the expense of their children. As she raises her daughter, Ai tries to keep successive generations from becoming lost in the diaspora. The festival screens several films about Asian-American communities, and several filmmakers will participate in the panel discussion following “New Wave.” In addition to Ai and Dai, the panel will include Sisa Wang, director of “Bluff City Chinese,” Phanat Xanamane, director of “Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek,” and historian Emerald Dunn. The panel will be moderated by graphic novelist and illustrator Thi Bui and Daniella Zalcman.
Three films screen on Sunday at the Tidewater Auditorium at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. At 11 a.m., “Bluff City Chinese” explores the history of the Chinese community in Memphis. At 1 p.m., “Bayou, Buddha, and Padaek” explores the foodways of the Laotian Buddhist community in South Louisiana. At 2:30 p.m., there’s Leo Chiang’s “A Village Called Versailles” documenting the Vietnamese community in New Orleans East rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.
For more information visit Instagram: @gcasianartsculture.
Singer Lynda Trang Dai was known as the Vietnamese Madonna.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ELIZABETH AI
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PREMIER CROSSWORD PUZZLE
TITLE-TRACK TRACKING
By Frank A. Longo
83 Lupino of film
Instructors at golf resorts, often
Mardi Gras city, in brief
Suffix with Peking
Clears, as profit
Vigorless condition
Chicago newspaper
Evening wingdings
Force out
Leader of a marching musical group
The second “S” of SST
Title for Walter Scott
an arbiter
Rain forest, desert or wetland
Chevy debut
Group associated with six key starting words in this puzzle
Software clientele 86 Shallot cousin 87 Hunted for and found, with “out”
88 Central New York lake 90 Body’s midsection
95 Cow’s milk sources
96 Haunted house sound
97 “The Lion in Winter” co-star 98 Very serious
Roof edges 103 Indigent
Bangkok native
Choir voice 109 Put a rip in
This, in Baja
Beseech 112 Feeling sick
Epoch
Therewards. Theawards.
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Meet your expert care teamat ochsner.org/childrens.
