Browsing Category Video

The Shooting and the Snapshot

Posted on May 13, 2013 by staff

Bad things happen to good people in New Orleans. Good people stay here in spite of the bad. Spectacular moments of instant epiphany, of grand collective emotion, of synchronization among sundry bodies and minds: we remain here for such moments. Faced with a deteriorating physical landscape, we double down and swear allegiance to this exceptional existence. Visitors arrive in droves to feast at our vibrant banquet, where we welcome them with promises of the greatest time ever.

Yet any toddler will tell you: a lot of things are fucked up here. Driving a car, interacting with the Sewage & Water Board or finding an apartment—basic functions of adult life can turn costly and Kafkaesque. Even worse, most of us experience violence first- or secondhand. There’s a bargain involved: we sacrifice normalcy, safety and efficiency for sweet payback in the form of celebrations, neighbors and escape. Still, you are the rarest of New Orleanians if you haven’t clutched your head in your hands and asked “Why?” Read More →

Review: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Tom Dent Symposium: Culture and Regulation

Posted on April 5, 2013 by staff

Slide from David Woolworth’s presentation

Opening the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation‘s Tom Dent Congo Square Symposium series, the foundation’s Scott Aiges begins with a call to “turn down the heat,” at least for one evening. Amid continued rancor over permitting for live music venues, says Aiges, the Jazz and Heritage Foundation decided to focus tonight’s event on the experiences of other cities, and on New Orleans’ historical precedents.

Councilwoman Kristen Palmer takes the podium first and presents a power point on recent efforts to work with venues and neighborhood organizations. The Candlelight Lounge in Treme, Bacchanal in the Bywater, Congo Square, the Backyard Ballroom on Poland Avenue, the Mother-in-Law, an expanded House of Blues—all examples of government’s successful intercession in the name of live music and community. We wonder: what were the total taxes collected by the City in 2012 from those establishments? If we set aside the cultural import, and simply ask about the responsibilities of city-to-businesses, how cost effective were those efforts? How many man hours were expended and how robust is each of these cultural revenue generators, as pieces of the cultural economy? How much do they contribute to the general fund? Despite the cries of a “war on live music,” a lot of time is being spent on these small businesses, and it would be good to hear about the money, not simply the spiritual necessity for protecting such spaces. That’s what cultural economy is all about.

Review: Bayou Maharajah

Posted on March 19, 2013 by staff

“Now tell me to shut up. But I’ll tell you one thing. If it comes to a point where I have to put up or shut up…I don’t know. The best thing might be to do a half of a shut up and a half of the other thing, ya dig it? And if that ain’t good enough, you invent a third thing.” – James Booker

Disclaimer: People Say is not objective re: Bayou Maharajah. Our man Sergio Lobo-Navia helped out with the film, our frequent collaborator Ted Morée is an assistant producer, and both soundman Eric Laws and director Lily Keber are friends of the family. Also, Booker is a god to some of us. Anyway…

Genius and addictions litter the sidewalks of this city. Despite their frequent combination, the odds of their shared survival are low; too many dark doors beckon and never close. Chronicles of their joint triumphs and blunt dead-ends usually remain at the bar, slurred as legend, too messy for effective narrative. Recently premiered at SXSW, Bayou Maharajah: The Troubled Genius of James Booker refuses idolatry and sandblasts the caricature, showing us just how beautiful and difficult it was to call Booker a friend.

Podcast: SXSW 2013 Panel

Posted on March 17, 2013 by staff

Photo: nola.com

On March 13th, we spoke at SXSW on a panel moderated by Alex Rawls, editor of Oxford American‘s Louisiana music issue and of MySpiltMilk.com. “At Home He’s a Tourist: Louisiana Folklife in the Social Media Era” arose from the dialogue surrounding the funeral of Uncle Lionel Batiste, and featured Alison Fensterstock of Nola.com, photographer Erika Goldring, Louis Michot of Lost Bayou Ramblers, and PSP’s Brian Boyles.

We love panels and this was a good one. The first words (“keys to the Camaro”) come from Rawls. Take a listen.

New Orleans Nocturnes: Tennessee Williams Fest 2013

Posted on March 12, 2013 by staff

Poster courtesy of Bunny Matthews

For the 27th Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival, we invite you to celebrate in style and culture. As spring blooms across our fair city, won’t you party on top of the Hotel Monteleone and drink sweet gin concoctions by the pool?

On Saturday, March 23rd at 8pm, People Say and NOLAFugees Press|Productions present “New Orleans Nocturnes,” a late night celebration of the seamy genius of Tennessee WIlliams. Burlesque, bounce, and literature beckon one and all to the Vieux Carre Room at the Hotel Monteleone for singular performances and lush revelries. Sponsored by Hendrick’s Gin, the evening includes specialty drinks and the edgiest talents in the City That Care Forgot. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here. An open bar is included, 8-10pm.

The night’s talent includes: Ratty Scurvics, Christian Champagne, Ashlee Clair, Hip-ocrisy, Clay Mazing, Dennis Monn, Jack Moss, Tori & Ro, Sweet Nico and Nari Tomasetti as Stanley, Ooops the Clown, with Chris Lane emceeing.

Doors open at 8pm and the performance is followed by a set of classic New Orleans R&B from DJ Rik Ducci. The view of the city from the Vieux Carre Room is incredible. The images conjured by New Orleans Nocturnes are inflammatory. The evening is ripe. Come.

See you upstairs,
The People Say Project & NOLAFugees Press|Productions

Film Fest Edition 2012: Meschiya Lake & Louis Michot (Video)

Posted on January 8, 2013 by staff

For the 2012 New Orleans Film Festival, we brought together two rising stars in Louisiana music for a conversation at the Louisiana State Museum’s beautiful new venue at the Old U.S. Mint. Singer/songwriter Meschiya Lake and Lost Bayou Ramblers frontman/fiddler Louis Michot spoke with People Say Creative Director Brian Boyles about their careers and their involvement in recent films (Meschiya w/True Family, Louis with Beasts of the Southern Wild). Part of the festival’s Keeping Score series, the conversation covered everything from Cajun Pawn Stars to busking to issues of authenticity and cultural economy.

Thanks to Greg Lambousy at the State Museum, DJ Maxmillion for the opening set, and Jolene Pinder of NOFS for another year of partnership.

Filmed by the State Museum & Grant Ingram, audio by Steven Grace, edited by Jarret Lofstead for NOLA Fugees Press/Productions.

Uptown Top Ranking: LaToya Cantrell Victory Party (Video)

Posted on December 10, 2012 by staff

You can wrestle with pelicans, argue over bounties, or curse Alabama until last call at Walk-On’s, but politics remains the New Orleans game. Every election allows countless relatives, reporters, and bagmen the opportunity to wager a few bits—from bragging rights to job opportunities–on the direction of this violent, religious city. Ancestral home of both King Rex and Telly Hankton, District B hosts a fine derby every four years, sometimes more frequently, depending on the mobility of its officeholders. This year was no different…and yet it kinda was.

Newly-elected Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell and her run-off opponent, Dana Kaplan, both pointed to recovery-era qualifications, Cantrell as a steward of capital projects, Kaplan as a criminal justice specialist. We liked both of them as DJ’s and ladies when they visited Handsome Willy’s on successive weeks in October, and we wish them both luck in the future. What the future holds for District B and the larger political landscape is anyone’s guess and the reason we took a video camera to Dijon on Annunciation on election night evening.

Using a Numark CD mixer with one bad channel, DJ Merl cued up Maze’s “Before I Let Go” to welcome a white limousine to the curb in front of the firehouse-turned-restaurant. The crowd began to cheer as the back door opened and Cantrell emerged. As the lights of the network cameras flood the room, District B’s newly elected councilwoman hugged her way from the sidewalk to the podium as Merl turns to Rebirth.

Among the crowd on the sidewalk (seen: Eric Strachan, Cherice Harrison-Nelson, Oliver Thomas, Uptown Messenger’s Robert Morris, Karen Carter chief-of-staff Andrew Tuozzolo), Council President Stacy Head stood in a red dress across from the Saulet Apartments as the most powerful of them all, bubbling and greeting everyone. Head’s successful endorsement of Cantrell against the Landrieu-backed Kaplan will surely alter betting lines, bar talk, and fundraising, even if abysmal turnout makes this election a problematic sample. Whatever Head has in mind, no one should underestimate a politician who now seems the successor to the Jeffersons as controller of Uptown/Central City/Irish Channel (Oh, and don’t forget Broadmoor, original stomping grounds of the Landrieus). Read More →

Rabbits and Reggae Salesmen: Voodoo Sunday

Posted on November 1, 2012 by staff

Before today, Amy Garner of Alexandria had never heard of bounce music or Cheeky Blakk, but she tells me she likes it. On the final afternoon of Voodoo Festival, she has time to listen.

“I’m still having people ask, ‘Where’s the bunnies?’”

Garner works for Mitchell Brothers and Sons, the Slidell-based amusement company that provides the ferris wheel, roller coasters, and carnival games that fill the festival’s “midway.” From a distance, her stand looks like any you’d see at a county fair: a square of wire mesh fencing, about three feet high, with a cluster of stuffed animals dangling from a multi-colored vinyl roof. Inside, ping pong balls float between plastic lilly pads in a blue kiddie pool. The wood chips on the ground tip you off to the stand’s former occupants.

Amy Garner. Photo: Sergio Lobo-Navia

On Friday night, after rewarding at least 8 winning contestants with live rabbits for successfully landing balls on pads, Amy received word from Voodoo that she needed to remove the animals from her selection of prizes. Left rabbit-less and with her booth sign inexplicably torn down, she earned $15 on Saturday, only $10 so far today. As we talk, people keep stopping by to ask where the rabbits are. Reports on NOLA.com after the first day sparked interest, says Garner. During our interview, three different visitors walk up, make inquiries, and walk away disappointed. “I had people that night that said ‘We’ll be back tomorrow, we’re gonna come get a bunny and leave.’”

Grant punctuates her sentences with a slight arch of her eyebrows and pursing of her lips, as if to ask, “I’m mean, really?” She says everyone has the right to their own opinion, but that she’s an animal lover and that no one was mistreating these animals.

“You could be drunk or high and go to a pet store,” she argues. Behind us, Cheeky Blakk is killing it: “Hit it with the one eye/hit it hit it with it!”

Vote Handsome: The People Say District B Candidate Forums (Video)

Posted on September 5, 2012 by staff

An historic election approaches this November. From the pocked streets of Uptown down into the canyons of the CBD, City Council District B covers the spectrum of New Orleans life. As residents of this diverse territory, the People Say Project and Handsome Willy’s Bar want to hear from this year’s candidates and from our fellow citizens. And so we offer you this…

VOTE HANDSOME: The People Say Project Candidate Meet n’ Greets Handsome Willy’s Patio Bar & Lounge – 218 S. Robertson Street

Friday, Sept. 28th, 6pm: Eric Strachan @VoteEric

Friday, Oct. 5th, 6pm: Marlon Horton, aka 10th Ward Buck @buckforcouncil

Friday, Oct. 12th, 6pm: Dana Kaplan @danakNOLA

Kaplan playlist:

Fela Kuti – Water No Get No Enemy

10th Ward Buck – Eyes for You feat Kelz, Nut Da Kid and Partners in Crime

Beyonce – We like to Party

Slick Rick – Children’s Story

Jackson 5 – ABC

Michael Jackson – Pretty Young Thing

La Vida Es un Carnaval – Celia Cruz

Nas – My Generation (feat. Damian Marley, Lil Wayne & Joss Stone)

Rebirth – Cassanova

Soul Rebels Brass Band – Let Your Mind be Free

Friday, Oct. 19th, 6pm: LaToya Cantrell

Cantrell playlist

Independent Woman – Destiny’s Child

Fight the Power – Public Enemy

Imma Be – Black Eyed Peas

Juicy – The Notorious B.I.G.

Step in the Name of Love – R. Kelly

All I do is Win – DJ Khaled

The Wooble – VIC

We Are one – Frankie Beverly and Maze

Golden – Jill Scott

No More Drama – Mary J. Blige

Each candidate will visit the city’s best Friday happy hour to tell you about themselves, then stick around to enjoy the festivities and meet the voters. The parties are free and Willy’s food and drink is so good. Come get down and enjoy your democracy as we suss out the future of District B in the greatest bar within its borders.

Here’s the Facebook invite. Hit us up at brian@thepeoplesayproject for more info.

Forget the War and Remember Jim Garrison

Posted on August 23, 2012 by staff

With the recent shouting spell surrounding the City’s enforcement of live music permits, our mind drifts back to another era of whip cracking. Before his infamous pursuit of the connections between New Orleans’ weirdo community and the assassination of JFK, District Attorney Jim Garrison first made a name for himself on Bourbon Street. People Say student writer Margaret Sands described the campaign of nightclub closures:

“(L)ess than two months after he became the New Orleans district attorney…he launched a series of raids that used undercover agents (and very large bar tabs) to expose and prosecute cases of prostitution and B-drinking on the Big Easy’s infamously sinful street. B-drinking was a main trade in the burlesque clubs that peppered Bourbon; the girls were paid extra to sit with the customers and convince them to buy more drinks by promising (and occasionally delivering) pretty much anything. The enamored men would buy bottle after bottle of champagne until they were too drunk to notice that the bartender never brought them change and left them broke. Though Garrison was not the first to try to ‘clean up’ Bourbon Street, his methods showed no mercy and many results: by late 1962, half of the 24 clubs that had been cited were padlocked. Many complained that he was ruining the nightlife economy, while others worried that without the sins that made New Orleans tempting the tourists would cease to visit. As one cab driver put it, ‘They gotta stop that guy before he turns New Orleans into a Des Moines.’”

When criminal court judges attempted to limit Garrison’s budget, the DA noted ”interesting questions about the racketeering influences” on his enemies, who he labelled “sacred cows.” (Savage, 2011) According to People Say guest Wild Cherry, Garrison’s attack on vice masked decidedly impure behavior by the DA.

“Jim Garrison was the biggest pervert on the face of the earth,” Cherry said in her Sept. 2012 conversation with Trixie Minx. “Which was really insulting. He liked the girls with long legs, he liked girls with big boobs, and he liked girls with their hair pulled back so their ears would show. He would come to me because I had long legs…you would have to sit and have a drink, for the club. He kept trying to get me to sleep with him, and I wouldn’t have any part of it.

“But other girls did. But then I’ll never forget, it was Good Friday. He’s making the raid on Bourbon Street. They were goin into the club and taking everybody, leaving one person. Just the workers. They left me because I was the B-Girl and they left the acrobatic dancer. And we would just take turns, one of us tending bar, one of us on stage. You couldn’t close. We just stayed there. There wasn’t anybody. You could shoot cannonballs up and down the street, there was no one there. We were standing there, not that there was anyone coming in, which didn’t happen. But they would come in and they were measuring the crotch. I had just had my first child in November. This is the first Easter and I’m thinking. ‘Oh god, I’m not going to get to spend Easter. I’m going to jail.’ I’m really ticked off. Garrison said, ‘Leave her, cause she doesn’t do anything.’ They took the doormen, the clubowner, the waiter.

“For him to be the one and he was such a freak. I can’t even say some of the things that he was. It was salt in the wound. It changed for a little while but not for long.”

So as we continue to debate the political motivations for the present “war” on live music, remember: sometimes those who set limits are the same ones who break them.

O Music Awards and The Flaming Lips @House of Blues

Posted on June 29, 2012 by staff

As we turn the corner onto Decatur, the security guards make clear that some sort of something is taking place and we need to move somehow back, to the side, over, and right now. I hear a tuba. Our friend from VH1 greets us along one of the barriers facing the New Orleans Music Factory. I walk to the box office to pick up my cred and run into People Say brethren Grant Ingram, who was hired 23 hours ago and rushed to Memphis to take stills of the trip. A stunt like this spits out work in many directions.

This evening marks the conclusion of the 3rd annual O Music Awards, a web-based award show produced by Viacom to recognize the best music-related uses of social media. Fans vote on awards like Best Artist With A Cameraphone (Selena Gomez, winner), Best Online Concert Experience (30 Seconds to Mars), and Digital Genius Award (iamamiwhoami). The most-frequently-voting fans receive their own awards. The whole thing culminates with this Flaming Lips microtour to break the record for most shows performed in 24 hours (currently held by Jay-Z). Sponsors include Virgin Mobile, Starbucks, and Capital One.

Inside the House of Blues, we stand at the dining room bar and watch a live feed as the Lips arrive in front of the club, escorted by the Stooges and a few floats and puppets. The camera angle makes the procession outside resemble a Macy’s Day parade, complete with a VH1 interviewer who converses with the band’s frontman, a slightly bewildered Wayne Coyne. We enter the main room and take a place at the bar stage left.
Read More →

People Say Visits Times-Picayune Rally @Rock N Bowl

Posted on June 5, 2012 by staff

Once again, our man Sergio made the scene, visiting yesterday’s Save the Times-Picayune rally at Rock N’ Bowl. In the above, he speaks with Kermit Ruffins, Allen Toussaint, Cheron Brylski, Bill Borah, Lolis Elie, and others about da’ paper.

A Trailer for the Lafcadio Hearn Late Night Revue

Posted on March 20, 2012 by staff

Trailer from our recent Tennessee Williams Festival 2012 gig. More great work from Sergio Lobo-Navia and Grant Ingram.

The People Say Project 1.8 Holiday Shakedown w/ Dee-1 & George Porter, Jr

Posted on December 19, 2011 by editors

We closed out 2011 with a Holiday Shakedown, featuring the legendary George Porter, Jr. (Meters, Running Pardners) and rising star Dee-1.

Recorded at the Maison, 12.17.11

The People Say Project 1.7 Community Spaces: Anne Gisleson & Vera Warren-Williams

Posted on November 30, 2011 by editors

Recorded live @ The Louisiana Humanities Center, 11.15.2011

The People Say 1.6 Film & Music: Ben Jaffe & Gabriel Velasco

Posted on October 28, 2011 by editors

Co-sponsored by The New Orleans Film Festival, Ben Jaffe (Creative Director, Preservation Hall, Producer, Louisiana Fairytale) and Gabriel Velasco (Composer, La Hora Cero, Henry Rollins: Uncut from New Orleans) discuss the business of scoring film.
Recorded live @ the Louisiana Humanities Center, 10.18.2011

The People Say Project 1.5: BURLESQUE: Trixie Minx & Wild Cherry

The People Say 1.5 Burlesque: Trixie Minx & Wild Cherry

Posted on September 29, 2011 by editors

Trixie Minx (Artistic Director, Fleur de Tease) and classic burlesque star Wild Cherry discuss the business of the bump and grind.

Recorded live @ The Louisiana Humanities Center, 09.13.2011

The People Say 1.4: Film: Brandan Odums & Glen Pitre

Posted on April 28, 2011 by editors

Writers/Directors Brandan Odums (2-cent TV, Listen! Literacy & Arts Festival) and Glen Pitre (Cote Blanche Productions, Belizaire, Cigarettes & Nylons, Hurricane on the Bayou) discuss the business of making films in and around “Hollywood South.”

Recorded live at the Louisiana Humanities Center, 04.19.2011

The People Say 1.3: Theater: Andrew Vaught & John O’Neal

Posted on April 17, 2011 by editors

Andrew Vaught of Cripple Creek Theatre Company (Major Swelling’s Salvation Salve Medicine Show, Ubu Cocu) and John O’Neal of Junebug Productions and the Free Southern Theatre discuss the business of the stage.

Recorded at the Louisiana Humanities Center, 4.05.2012

The People Say Project 1.2: ART: Ayo Scott & Bunny Matthews

The People Say 1.2: Art: Ayo Scott & Bunny Matthews

Posted on March 29, 2011 by editors

CEO and design principal for NOYO, Ayo Scott and New Orleans legend Bunny Matthews (Vic & Natly, Nint’Wardica) sit down with host Brian Boyles to discuss the business of making art in the Crescent City.

Recorded at the Louisiana Humanities Center, 3.15.2012

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