Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010
Written by The Independent Staff
SEARCHING FOR HOME
Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans? It was a frequent question for New Orleanians struggling with their post-Katrina sense of place in 2005 and one that is central to the new book, Culture after the Hurricanes: Rhetoric and Reinvention on the Gulf Coast. The collection of six essays deals directly with the changing identity and language of New Orleans, as well as Plaquemines, Calcasieu and Cameron parishes over the past five years, exploring how cultural assets are salvaged and lost.
Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010
Written by The Independent Staff
**
SEARCHING FOR HOME
**Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans? It was a frequent question for New Orleanians struggling with their post-Katrina sense of place in 2005 and one that is central to the new book, Culture after the Hurricanes: Rhetoric and Reinvention on the Gulf Coast. The collection of six essays deals directly with the changing identity and language of New Orleans, as well as Plaquemines, Calcasieu and Cameron parishes over the past five years, exploring how cultural assets are salvaged and lost. Edited by M.B. Hackler, UL Lafayette's Board of Regents Ph.D. fellow in folklore, Culture After the Hurricanes is available through University Press of Mississippi in hardback for $50. - Nathan Stubbs
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
It smells like spirited teens on the new 15-track CD, Fact not Fiction, from Lafayette/New Orleans quartet The Wooden Wings - Cherie LeJeune (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Molly Portier (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Graham Beduze (bass), Anthony Mikhael (drum) and Harry Rosenberg (guitar). Spare, candid and enthusiastically mellow, Fact not Fiction opens with a Magical Mystery Tour-esque prelude of orchestral strings, static and distant, reverberant crowd chatter, setting the stage for a junket through low-res hi-fi explorations of self, love and loss that would be cloying were it not for an exquisite self-consciousness and willingness to let a song breathe and lounge in its wide-open spaces. The record hits its stride and shows its hand in the sixth track, "Green Lights," where the swelling orchestration, tempo changes, theatrical arrangements and rich harmonies of LeJeune and Portier come together in a dreamy, dramatic amalgam of starkly confessional pop. Stippled and brush-stroked with hints of Joni Mitchell and even Fleetwood Mac in the fleeting moments when a song gets a head of steam and bears down on the rails, Fact not Fiction is a welcome gesture of bridled youth. Buy it for $14 ($12 for an MP3 download) at CDBaby.com - Walter Pierce
REDEYE SPECIAL
I'm all about shots. Tequila shots, tetanus shots, pot shots, snap shots, crack shots, whatever you got. Midafternoon, that sleepy old after-lunch feeling that happens at exactly 2:30, when I'm looking to pool into jelly under my desk and hope no one notices till 4, is time for another shot, a jolt of joe, and downtown now has just the place for it. America's Coffee House quietly opened last week. The sleek urban envelope is the right sort of environment for a little creative pick-me-up, some quiet conversation and a perusal of the photography on the gallery walls. Owner Floyd Willis, a freelance photographer whom you might remember from his days at Spectrum, is the man behind the espresso machine. He's frothing up cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos, iced mochas and his redeye special, a shot of espresso plus a shot of either medium or dark roast. Shoot it black or ask for a head of steamed milk to tame the caffeinated beast. The grand opening takes place Friday, Aug. 27, 5-9 p.m. America's Coffee House is located at 403 B South Buchanan, where it intersects with Garfield, right behind Tsunami. Call 456-4806 for more info. - Mary Tutwiler