Showing posts with label Lagniappe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lagniappe. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Do the Voodoo 2008

The Voodoo Music Experience lineup is out! Unlike last year, I will not miss the festivities. This is the tenth anniversary of the fest, so they are referring to it as The Tenth Ritual. Check out more online: www.thetenthritual.com


Highlights of the lineup include:


  • JUST ADDED: Lil' Wayne (Hells yeah! Done and DONE!)
  • Stone Temple Pilots (C'mon, what 80s baby doesn't want to see STP??)
  • Deathcab for Cutie (yes I need to see them a third time)
  • DeVotchKa
  • Cold War Kids (saw them at ACL last year and loved them!)
  • Lupe Fiasco (duh)
  • Thievery Corporation
  • Ghostland Observatory
  • Joseph Arthur
  • Tokyo Police Club (yay!)
  • Ozomatli w/ Chali 2Na (They rocked at Jazz Fest..need to see them again!)
  • Big Sam's Funky Nation (they put on a TERRIFIC SHOW)
  • Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
I will be purchasing tickets for the fest.

New Orleans, October 24, 25 & 26th...why WOULDN'T you go? I'm in for getting a hotel...anyone else???

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Random Raves

I have been neglecting my bloggerly duties for way too long, things have been crazy! I have some random raves:

Rave 1: The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was awesome! I attended opening day, which ended up being the only dry day of the two-weekend celebration, with my concert buddy Richie and we had ourselves a big time in the Big Easy! The weather was perfect for enjoying Cochon de Lait Po-Boys and Southern Comfort beverages. We started it off at the Fais Do Do stage where some Norwegian band was playing. This stage is always dedicated to the best of Cajun folk music, but they DID have two accordians and people were promenading, so I fully embraced it. Next, we moved on to Big Sam's Funky Nation...I had never seen this crew and now I'm a HUGE fan! Big Sam was stylin' and profilin' and playing New Orleans funky jams...during their cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy", I saw a cute little old grandma singing along. Niiiiiice! Can't wait to see Robert Plant and Allison Krauss again at ACL, they make great music together. By far my best Jazz Fest experience ever to date was skipping Sheryl Crow to see Ozomatli! The guys know how to put on a show! At the end, they second-lined into the crowd and everyone danced and sang together. I was speechless...

Humorous Happenings: Some chick asked me what I was eating...I replied, "A cochon de lait po-boy"...she replied " Uh yeah, I don't know what that is. Is it like pulled pork or something?"...Poor girl has NO IDEA how much better a cajun roasted pig is than plain ol' pulled pork. I hope she got her cochon-ON!

I witnessed a lady who was 60+ pop a squat on the urinal...in front of everyone. Now THAT's talent...

Day two was soggy, but I saw the Benjy Davis Project and Billy Joel. Both were stellar performances...I ate my weight in crawfish bread...and it rained so hard that my umbrella started dripping through the fabric. After 4 hours of torrential downpour, I surrendered, took off my flipflops and danced in the rain to Billy J! All that was missing was a Pat O's Hurricane.

Rave 2: The movie IRONMAN. Since he has sobered up, Robert Downey Jr. has become one of my top actors. His performance in the Elton John video "I Want Love" & "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints"he's come a long way. I won't go into details, but being both an engineer and a (dare I say it) Marvel comic dork....I had a huge grin on my face the entire movie. Can't wait for BATMAN!! Christian Bale...sigh....

Rave 3: Frozen Green Tea Matcha protein drink at Path of Tea. It's matcha powder, soy milk and soy protein....and it tastes like a dessert. The Path of Tea is a legit tea house on W. Alabama between Kirby and Shepherd. When you check it out, pop in to Field of Greens next door for some healthy grub. Not as good as Ziggy's Healthy Grill, but still rave-worthy!

Rave 4: Happiness! I'm currently reading the book, "Happy Yoga" by Steve Ross. You don't have to be a yogi or a yogini to reap the benefits of this book. In fact, there are poses at the end of each chapter...but it's not like you have to actually do them. Steve gives great insight into why there's nothing to worry about and brings to light the reasons why you can be happy. There are playlist suggestions (we all know I dig that), questions that you should ask yourself, and motivational quotes and funny stories.

My favorite quote thus far: "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony" - Mahatma Ghandi

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Bringing Cajun Back...

My cousin Jesse, we share the same tres cajun last name, was in attendance for the Cajun crab boil on Saturday. His family moved to Atlanta when he was young, but that is still no excuse for the following ...
He told me that he had taken a look at this blog and, like any non-Louisianian who had never seen the word "lagniappe", he googled it and tried to find the pronunciation. I looked at him in disbelief...and quickly shifted my gaze of dissappointment to my aunt. How could she not share this term, which is crucial to our heritage, with him? He thought it was prononounced "Lan-yappie"....um...not so much. Everyone else has an excuse but him, but the proper pronunciation is "lanny-yap".

So after we had stuffed ourselves on crabs, potatoes, corn and sausage...we collectively decided that Jesse will need to do a 6 month internship in New Orleans (or come live with me in Houston) in order to represent his namesake appropriately...but for now he's been given the task of using it as necessary in 2008. Salut cher!

MMMMM...Hurricanes...more like slurricanes!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

What the heck is "Lagniappe"?

Lagniappe is a term that we native New Orleanians use quite often and it means "something extra given at no cost". Google it!

So in this blog I'll be providing you with all sorts of Lagniappe. I'm a huge fan of all of the local magazines and I've always wanted to write my own column...since that hasn't happened, I'll just use this as my means of communication.

I intend for it to be a journal of restaurants, good music, concert reviews, local events in New Orleans and Houston, randomness, things that I find funny, and much more....

Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler!!