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In the spirit of “anything worth doing, is worth doing badly,” I got on my bicycle on a slow night on Frenchman Street and one-handed it with my $95 video camera.

Yes, it could be done a lot better. Consider it a rough sketch, a very rough sketch.

Caught this at the Sound Cafe and glad I did.

The video doesn’t begin to do it justice.

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New Orleans may have more smoking good dancers per capita than any other place in America.

They sure have great bands to dance to. This is the Treme Brass Band at Ray’s Boom Boom Room on Frenchman.

There’s a reason New Orleans has been a continuous source of music and musicians for the rest of the world for well over 100 years.

Here are some clips of children being invited to perform with professionals at the French Quarter Fest.

One of the rare and beautiful things about New Orleans his how integrated live music is with daily life.

This used to be the norm. Now New Orleans seems to be the last place in North America where this is true.

And more than that, New Orleans has a music community that consciously develops its young; maintains its traditions (including a vast repertoire of New Orleans-based songs); and honors its elders for their open-handed generosity of spirit to the new generation.

It’s a very beautiful, very human system.

In this less-than-perfect video (the light was bad and I was cut off before things really got rolling) one of the most beloved figures in the New Orleans music community “Uncle” Lionel Batiste shares a moment at the Palm Court.

Caught this band - Da Truth Brass Band - playing on the corner on Frenchman street.

When I remember to, I carry a $95 video camera, the size of a pack of cigarettes, with me and shoot interesting things I see Lumiere-style (one shot, no edit) If I find that I have anything good, I load it up to YouTube.

Everyone who lives and visits New Orleans could be doing this.

In the process, bit by bit, we could put the magic of New Orleans out there for people who’ve never been here and maybe change people’s perceptions about the city and why it is so worth helping in its time of need.

Stop waiting for grants and the time to be right. Just do it.

I should know better than going anywhere without my PureDigital video camera (about the size of a pack of cigarettes.)But I do have a rudimentary video camera on my cell phone that records up to 15 seconds.

Here’s the end of a drum solo by a young kid playing with the Treme Brass Band at Ray’s Boom Boom Room on Frenchman Street.

Here’s some clips from the 2007 Big Nine Social and Pleasure Club Second Line, my favorite parade of the year and maybe my favorite event in New Orleans period. (more…)

THE MARDI GRAS INDIAN COUNCIL PRESENTS

INDIAN SUNDAY PARADE

Sunday, March 16, 2008 – 1 p.m.

Start: Washington Avenue and LaSalle Street. Down LaSalle to Martin Luther King Blvd. Left on MLK to Galvez. Left on Galvez to Washington Ave. Left on Washington to South Derbigny.

End: Taylor Park, Washington and Galvez

Info courtesy of the Backstreet Museum

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More…on legal observation campaign

Good afternoon all,

Just wondering if anyone wanted to volunteer for the ACLU’s legal observing effort for the Uptown Mardi Gras Indian Super Sunday this Sunday the 16th. Although no longer working for the ACLU, I’m volunteering to help coordinate the effort on Sunday.

If you can, please let me know and send me your name, cellphone number, and availability.

Volunteers will meet at 12:30pm on the corner of Washington and LaSalle on the park side of the street for a brief training. Super Sunday lasts generally till 6:30pm or so. We’d love it if you could stay all day but folks that can help even just for a few hours are welcome.

Thanks in advance for any help. Forward this to anyone who might be interested….

Tory Pegram
504.338.2631

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Why the Indians need defending. The over-the-top campaign of police harassment and brutality took place just three short years ago.

Click here for the article St. Joseph Turns Blue

Just got back from a community screening of “Faubourg Treme: The untold story of New Orleans.”

I expected it to be good. It was great.

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Some footage from the Muses Parade, one of over 25 major parades during Carnival season in New Orleans. This is just a tiny slice of the parade and I don’t even show the floats which are significant.