Hammond, LA
May 11, 2021
S O U T H E A S T E R N L O U I S IA NA U N I V E R S I T Y
SLU alumnus wins Grammy with jazz band AUSTIN O’BRIEN Staff Reporter
An SLU graduate from the class of 1984 recently won a Grammy with his band, the New Orleans Nightcrawlers. Craig Klein, the group’s trombonist, shared his feelings on the band’s accomplishment. The Grammy was for the Best Regional Roots Music Album, granted to the Nightcrawlers for their newest album, titled “Atmosphere.” According to Klein, it was the first record release in over ten years. The Nightcrawlers only released five records in the 27 years they have been together, so winning a Grammy on their fifth is a large achievement for the band. Klein’s introduction to music began at a very young age. He started out with a hand-me-down trombone from his uncle in the fourth grade. He stuck with it and practiced for years, citing his uncle as one of his greatest jazz inspirations. During his time at SLU, Klein was a DJ for KSLU, played as a member of the local jazz band and marched with the Spirit of the Southland Marching Band. While he obtained a degree in marketing and spent five years acquiring it, Klein stated that music was one of his greatest outlets. “Playing music during my years at Southeastern kept my skills refined. It gave me Mr. Klein posing for a solo photo with his trombone. The musician has been playing since he was in the 4th grade, an outlet to play while I was focusing on getting essentially his entire life. Photographer Name/The Lion’s Roar
my marketing degree,” Klein said. Klein also stated that he never expected to win a Grammy during his musical career. His band didn’t have a name when they first started in 1994. It began as a writers workshop, where the members would come over to each other’s houses and play until they found a sound that they liked. Their first record would be released in 1996, two years after the band’s creation. The Nightcrawlers Grammy win has encouraged them to keep playing and pushing themselves harder than they’ve worked in the past few years. They plan to have a new record released this October, as well as perform in this year’s Jazz Fest. Overall, Klein said he is very optimistic about the future and will use the Grammy as a motivation tool to keep striving in his band’s music. He said, “This Grammy brings recognition to not just us, but also the city of New Orleans and the brass band community in general. It was the main focus, putting attention onto the culture that was very integral to New Orleans, way back when it was primarily an African American tradition. This music is very sacred, very spiritual. It honors all the musicians that came before us.”
SGA announces its first all-Black ‘Big Three’
From left to right, University President John L. Crain, Kelsey Staes, L’Oreal Williams, KeRon Jackson, and Dr. Eric Summers. Maggie Tregre/The Lion’s Roar
BROOKE BELL Staff Reporter
The Student Government Association has announced its first all-black executive officers from its recent elections. Assuming the cabinet positions are Kelsey Staes for chief justice, KeRon Jackson for vice president and incumbent L’Oreal Williams for president. This is Williams’ second term as SGA president. Although Spring 2021 has been a challenging semester, the
members did not succumb to the challenges of campaigning during a pandemic. For them, the election remained an exciting and rewarding experience. “My first reaction to winning the election for chief justice was being shocked. I cried when I found out about the run-off. When it was announced that I had officially won I was just in awe for a few minutes because it was real. I was excited and it just felt rewarding!” Staes said. Staes, a biological sciences major, said she views the election as a way to inspire other students to join SGA and to encourage
more campus engagement. “I do have programs that I plan on starting as chief justice. I plan to implement several new programs in the judicial branch where justices will educate students about the parking rules, regulations and the parking appeal process,” Staes said. Similar to Staes, Vice President Ke’Ron Jackson, an English education major, was elated to have the opportunity to serve Southeastern. “Involvement isn’t broken. But I plan to reach out to each college through senators, so students can know what resources are available to them,” Jackson said. Although campaigning in the midst of a pandemic, members of the Big 3 did not allow the changes to deter their plans for office. “My first campaign experience was very interesting. I enjoyed campaigning; not being face to face with COVID restrictions, but still finding ways to interact with my fellow lions. It was fun getting to know students, get their opinion on certain topics and to persuade students that their vote is important,” Staes said. For Williams, a business management and marketing major, providing resources for students, as well as making the campus more eco-friendly are a few of her campaign goals. For those interested in becoming a cabinet member of SGA, current members of the Big 3 have a wealth of advice. “My advice to students deciding to join the Student Government Association or becoming involved on campus is to do your research on all of the organizations on campus and join which organization that inspires you or resonates with you the most. Becoming involved not only to network but to enhance your leadership abilities and collegiate experience as a whole,” Staes said. Collectively, all three members of the Big 3 agreed that having your heart in your campaign is crucial to a successful campaign. For more information about the Student Government Association, visit https://www.southeastern.edu/admin/sga/.
The Columbia’s second annual famous show awaits submissions CHLOE WILLIAMS Staff Reporter
Columbia Theatre recently announced they will be hosting their second annual famous show and are looking forward to submissions of ages twelve and up showcasing their talents of visual art, singing, dancing or playing an instrument. Due to lockdown last year and the sudden disappearance of live performances, the Columbia decided to bring some excitement during this somewhat boring period of 2020 with an online talent show. Participants were encouraged to submit their talents via email and then the winners would be announced online. The contest became a huge success during quarantine because it allowed young people to release their creativity while being stuck at home by just sending in a
submission. Artistic director James “Jim” Winter said that it is all thanks to COVID that this contest began. “You can thank COVID and the stay-at-home order last spring. I wanted us to continue to entertain our public, even with our venue closed. We figured a virtual talent show would be a great way to do that. It also turned out being a great way to announce our next season,” Winter said. With this contest being such a triumph last year, everyone decided that it would be a great idea to do it this year as well. The same rules for this year’s contest apply to this year’s as well. Any video must be a maximum of 60 seconds and all content submitted should be intended for all ages. Participants can all send their submissions to the email columbiafamouscontest@gmail. com. The Columbia Theatre stands tall throughout all of downtown Hammond. The Columbia is currently hosting its famous show online and is awaiting submissions from participants 12 and up. Chloe Williams/The Lion’s Roar
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