When Katrina blew through the city it scattered its musical artists far and wide, just like everyone else that fled from the city, its musicians had to decide if their site of exile was to become their new home or if they would return to a city that care may forget but music never would.
Keith Spera is a writer for the city newspaper Times-Picayune and spent his time writing about the music and the men and women who create it in New Orleans. His book is an engaging and informative look at 13 artists from New Orleans and their life before and after Katrina and the interruption that the storm caused in their life. For some it was more disastrous than others, but for all of them the hurricane left its imprint in their life. If you don't have a lot of free time don't start this book. I picked it up and was just going to read the first chapter, only to find myself multiple chapters into the book, unable to put it down. If I have any reservations about the book is that it's not long enough. I kept thinking of artists that I would have loved to read about: Susan Cowsill, Shannon McNally, Grayson Capps, Amanda Shaw, Tab Benoit....
The list could go on and on, the book could have resembled a doorstop. I understand Mr. Spera couldn't include everyone. He makes good choices and spreads his stories across a wide swatch of musical genres, from blues to funk to rock to hip hop to jazz. For those who only think of New Orleans music as one style you'll be surprised by the depth of differing styles.
His introduction is a snap shot of life immediately after Katrina and some of the problems of trying to survive in a city that had been ravaged and close to destroyed by the storm. It makes me think of his fellow Times-Picayune reporter Chris Rose and one of the best books written about life in New Orleans after Katrina, 1 Dead In The Attic.
The book's first chapter maybe my favorite of the entire book. Its focus is Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, who would probably be labeled as a blues artists but was so much more. At the time of Katrina Gatemouth already was battling cancer. His home in Slidell, across the lake from New Orleans, was destroyed by Katrina and Mr. Brown was dead by September of 2005. In one of his final performances, if not his last, I was present at the Parish at the House of Blues for a show called "Gatemouth Brown and Friends." Sonny Landreth was one of the friends that came out to play. The act before Gatemouth supposed to come out was Snooks Eaglin. While Snooks was playing Gatemouth was helped to the stage and a stool. By now he was on oxygen. I was at the front of the low setting stage so I could see how frail he looked. He sat there waiting for Snooks to stop so he could start. The problem is that once Snooks starts, he doesn't want to stop. But since Snooks is blind he couldn't see that Gatemouth was ready to play. I could see the frustration on Gatemouth's face. He tried to play a few notes, but Snooks kept playing and enjoying himself. Finally Gatemouth went to play, but he wasn't on stage long before he realized he wasn't up to a long set. I think the frustration wasn't so much that Snooks wouldn't stop playing, but that he couldn't play. It was sad but an uplifting experience at the same time. It's one of those shows that will stay with me forever. The show was in July and by early September Gatemouth was gone. All this came back to me with the force of a brick upside the head as I read this chapter.
It was a feeling I would experience more than once reading this book. The third chapter talks about getting the Jazz and Heritage Festival up and running after Katrina. When he describes the Springsteen show and the reaction the crowd had, I remember being in that crowd, tears streaming down my face as Bruce made "My City of Ruins" the story of New Orleans.
The first show the Neville Brothers did after Katrina. When Fats Domino had to cancel his show at the Jazz and Heritage Festival. I was there for all these events and reading this book brought their memories back up. Memories that are filled with joy and happiness but also a tinge of sadness for the loss so many went through because of Katrina.
There are parts of the book that I didn't have a personal connection to, that I wasn't present at, and I can say that those parts are just as fascinating and intriguing and emotional as the parts I found myself more personally invested in. He writes about Juvenile, Mystikal, Phil Anselmo, Pete Fountain, Alex Chilton, the Rebirth Brass Band, Terence Blanchard, Jeremy Davenport and Allen Toussaint. In all his stories he tells of their past and their current and what impact Katrina had in their lives.
This is a book that will move you from tears to joy within pages. It is a wonderful book.
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