Thursday Fun with Music in the Garden,"O" with Jimbo Mathus, Abita Beer and Toasts & Tiki Tails!

Happy Thursday!

It's a great night to hang out at City Park and enjoy David Torkanowsky for the Twilight Garden Concert Series! David is recognized as one of the finest contemporary jazz pianists in New Orleans, and over the years has performed with most of the great New Orleans musicians. Things just seem to sizzle when David is playing his piano. He is sure to have some new songs, so grab your mint julep and get ready for an enjoyable evening. The gates open up at 5:00 pm and the performance starts at 6:00 pm in the City Park Botanical Garden Pavilion of the Two Sisters...There is an admission charge, but hey, it's helping the Park out...$10 for adults and $3 for children.

Need a little art, culture and music? You gotta go to the show at the Ogden Southern Museum of Art (925 Camp St.) - better known as Ogden after Hours. Tonight the Ogden has Jimbo Mathus.  Entertainer, singer, instrumentalist, songwriter, and tankerman, Jimbo Mathus was born in Oxford, Mississippi. His early life was filled with music, as his father and relatives were skilled instrumentalists and singers. He began joining the family musical circle at an early age and by age 8 was proficient at mandolin. By 15, Jimbo had been taught the rudiments of guitar, piano and harmony singing. The family's repertoire consisted of hundreds of folk, bluegrass, country blues and pre-recorded songs passed down through the Mathus and Byrd families. You may also know him from his band "Squirrel Nut Zippers" - Good stuff!
*Be sure to head on over to the bar for this month's signature drink - Summer Sunrise A refreshing blend of Tequila, Licor 43, lime juice, simple syrup and a splash of orange juice, garnished with a sliced orange. And remember with your Ogden membership all of these excellent concerts are FREE - And my hubby Bill deTurk will be doing the interview - so you definitely don't want to miss it!

Abita Strawator Release Party at Bourbon House ! Want a way to start the weekend off right? Mix Abita Strawberry with Andy Gator and what do you get- summer's newest and soon to be infamous Strawator! Bourbon House (144 Bourbon St.) is thrilled to be hosting Abita's new Select Strawator release party tonight from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. In addition to the usual happy hour deals they're havin' a $20 special featuring a Strawator pint, Alligator Boudin Ball, Alligator Burger, and Strawberry Dessert. Ever dreamt of an Alligator Sausage Pizza with Strawberry BBQ sauce? This and other small plates will be available for $5 dollars. Head to the French Quarter right after work, and join your friends to celebrate summer and Abita's newest creation!

Come on out for Toasts & Tiki Tails at the NO Fleas Market (4228 Magazine St.) tonight from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm. NO Fleas Market and Canine Connection/Canine Culture invite you to party and shop for a cause to benefit the LA/SPCA! They'll be serving food from Rivista Bakery and Saucy's BBQ as well as cocktails for you to sip on while you enjoy a fashion show, pet costume contest, pet photos, and a demonstration by certified dog trainer Markey. It's gonna be doggone good time!

For more fun stuff to do and more music...check out the WWOZ Livewire - http://www.wwoz.org/new-orleans-community/music-calendar!


www.gratisnola.com

A Tuesday with Fresh Veggies, Cocktails for Pets, and Lots of Good Music!

Happy Tuesday!

Farmer's Market!

You can get your day started off right with a trip to the Farmer's Market!  Visit the Crescent City's Farmer's Market at University Square (200 Broadway) from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm for the freshest veggies, fruits and seafood. Today for the Green Plate Special they welcome La Divina Gelateria. This week they'll have squash-Parmeggiano soup, Siciliano sandwiches with slow roasted pork, ham, fontina and pickled squash, sides of rosemary roasted potatoes, and small plates of creamy polenta topped with your choice of roast beef or sauteed squash with smoked tomato sauce......yum.

And if you want more fresh veggies head on over to the Hollygrove Market.   You can go by their location at 8301 Olive Street between Noon and 6:00 pm, and they have a new pick-up location and from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Rosa F. Keller Community Center (4300 Broad @ Napoleon Ave.).  On most Tuesdays they're cookin' up all these delicious fruits and veggies in the Community Center Kitchen.  So come in for a taste, and great recipe ideas for all this delicious fresh food.  In order to pick up from the library location you need to pre-order.  So click here to find out how - http://www.hollygrovemarket.com/content/5669

In the "Box" today!

-Broccoli (Monica’s Okra World, Garyville, LA)
-Braising Mix, Arugula, or Natural Rapini (Monica’s Okra World/Garden Guy Produce)
-Organic Turnips (Inglewood Farm, Alexandria, LA)
-Sweet Potatoes or Mixed Squash (Pointe Coupee/Monica's Okra World)
-Double Share of Satsumas (Star Nursery, Belle Chase, LA)
-Double Share of Meyer Lemons (Star Nursery, Belle Chase, LA)
-Frill Mustards (Scarlet or Golden) (Mizell Family Farms, Folsom, LA)
-Organic Lettuce (Inglewood Farm, Alexandria, LA)
-Organic Kale (Inglewood Farm, Alexandria, LA)
-Totsoi (Covey Rise Farm, Husser, LA)
-Organic Collards (Inglewood Farm, Alexandria, LA)
-Naval Orange or Grapefruit (Star Nursery, Belle Chase, LA)

Cocktails for a cause!

Dijon (1379 Annunciation) continues its Celebrity Bartender Bash benefiting the LASPCA today from 5:30-7:30 pm featuring guest bartenders Margarita Bergen, columnist for New Orleans Living Magazine and Marshall Harris, local artist/performer. All bartender tips during happy hour will be donated to the LASPCA, as well as a portion of all food sales from the evening.

Good Music Tonight!

Here's some non-partisan music we can all agree on!

There's a great musical evening on the Avenue at the The Columns (3811 St. Charles Ave.) at 8:00 p.m. tonight!  Have a fancy cocktail and listen to the guitar sounds of John Rankin, Clarence Johnson III and Tom Sancton!

Head on over to Mid-City and to Chickie Wah Wah (2828 Canal) Ben Labat opens at 6:30 p.m., and be sure to check out Tommy Malone (you know him from the Subdudes) at 8:00 pm!!

There's some fun on Frenchmen tonight too over at d.b.a. (618 Frenchmen) with the The Treme Brass Band at 10:00 pm - there's a $5 cover for the show - but you know you don't want to miss it!

Right down the street the Spotted Cat (623 Frenchmen) has a triple header with no cover - Andy Forest at 4:00 pm, Meschiya Lake & The Little Big Horns at 6:00 pm, and top off the evening with the Shotgun Jazz Band  at 10:00 pm!

It's a full night over at the Maple Leaf Bar on Oak Street...with and early show with the 101 Drummers at 8:00 pm and hang out for the REBIRTH Brass Band they come on around 10:30ish - there's a cover, but you'll be glad you paid and stayed up late!! 

Have a wonderful Tuesday and for more fun shows and events going on click on the WWOZ Livewire - http://www.wwoz.org/new-orleans-community/music-calendar!



www.gratisnola.com

Weekend Fun w/Vino, Bywater Shoppin', Beer for Pets, & Lady/Homegrown/Gumbo Festin!

TGIF - Lot's of good things going on this weekend!

Friday Fun!

There's wine on the Bayou! It's Vino on the Bayou at The Pitot House (1440 Moss St.) from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.  Come enjoy wine tasting event of the Fall season. Come enjoy a glass of wine and the live music of Jesse Morrow Trio while watching the sunset on Bayou St. John. $5 admission for Louisiana Landmarks Society members and $10 general admission. New Orleans native Poppy Tooker will be signing: Mme. Bégué's Recipes of Old New Orleans Creole Cookery.Wine selections are donated by Cork & Bottle Fine Wines, located in the American Can Company on Orleans Ave.

LadyFest New Orleans continues on tonight - and they ladies are getting down with Friday Night at Melvins (2112 St. Claude)! LadyFest celebrates the music, art, poetry and parades of New Orleans Women from Nov 7-11, 2012. For a full schedule see www.ladyfestneworleans.org.

Here's the fabulous line-up tonight:
7p David and Roselyn
8p Jayna Morgan and the Sazerac Sunrise Band
9p Big Fine Ellen Smith
10p Kim Carson
11p Ruby Moon

Saturday Fun!

Get out and shop - at the Piety Street Market - Saturday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Old Ironworks (612 Piety St.)Shop local! Shop Bywater! Fall is in full swing at Piety Street Market, where 30+ vendors will offer creative art, handmade crafts, homemade goodies, used books & records, vintage collectibles and flea market finds! Enjoy music by the Norbert Slama Duo!

Tomorrow drink beer for the pups and the kittens!! Celebrate with the Bulldog and LA/SPCA's its the Third Annual New Orleans on Tap Beer Festival Sponsored by Abita Brewing Company. Saturday at City Park by the Big Lake Boathouse from Noon to 5:00 pm. A beer tasting like no other! Sample a menu of 200+ beers while sitting under an oak tree in historic New Orleans City Park and enjoying live music by Alexis & The Samurai and Flow Tribe. There's plenty of shade, food and non-beer drinks including sodas, wine and margaritas. The best part of sampling all this beer is, you will be helping out the Louisiana SPCA while having an awesome time. Click "beer" for more info!!

All Weekend Long Fun!

This weekend celebrate the inaugural Homegrown Harvest Music and Arts Festival - Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00AM - 9:00PM at New Orleans Event and Film Studios (233 Newton St) in Algiers Point, this beautiful venue provides the perfect backdrop to Louisiana's first and only indoor festival!  Check out the schedule below and for more info click: www.homegrown-fest.com

FRIDAY
Ronnie Kole * Harvey Castle * Blue Crabs * Todd Lemoine * Far Gone *
Power Blvd * Remedy Krewe * Elli Perry * Ben Joseph and the Laylows *
Eric Gordon's Lazy Boys * Troy Turner Band * J Savage Band * Circa
Amore * Leslie Blackshear Smith Band * Black Rain * Loud Have Mercy *
Johnny Sansone * The Wooden Wings * Reverse Axis * Damion Neville *
Circus Genetic * Cha Wa * J Monque'D Band * Paula & The Pontiacs *
Dana Abbott Band * Jimmy Thibodeaux * Larry Garner * The Help * Sex
Dog * Brass-A-Holics * Charmaine Neville * Claude Bryant All-Stars *
Reed Alleman

SATURDAY
Sydney Beaumont * Patrick Cooper * Remedy * Mary Flynn Prohibition
Jazz Blues * Perchard & DeWise * Cajun On Demand * Group Therapy *
Stranger Stranger * Lyriqs Da Lyraciss * Blues 4 $ale * Beth
Trepagnier * Ashes To Dust * Stiff Neck Fools * Michael Jackson of
NOLA * Andre Bouvier and The Royal Bohemians * Camile Boudin & The
Living Rumors * The Tributaries * Lucky Lou * Grayhawk Band * Gator &
Mudcat * Face to Fate * Benny Grunch & The Bunch * Little Freddy King
* Band Of Brothers * The Scorseses * Gypsy Elise & The Royal Blues *
Broken By The Burden * Royal & Dumaine Hawaiians * John Lisi & Delta
Funk * Lillian Axe

SUNDAY
Floyd Brown * Babineaux Sisters * Ambush * Jayna Morgan * Phil Metrailer * Redfish Blues Band * Zero Dialect * Jazz Muffin * 484 South Bend * Dixie Rose * Bayou Blue * Super Nutria * Mo Blak * Rise Laveau * Big Al & The Heavyweights * The Parishoners * Queens Lair * Jonathan "Boogie" Long * Smoky Greenwell * Big Easy Playboys * Amanda Shaw * Bag of Donuts * Randy Jackson (of Zebra) * Jimi's Image Hendrix Tribute * Afterbirth * Rockin Dopsie * The Jake Leg Stompers feat.
Washboard Chaz * Cori Walters & The Universe Jazz Band * Margie Perez

Head on out to the TREME CREOLE GUMBO FESTIVAL - Saturday and Sunday! The melting pot culture of New Orleans - as symbolized by the city's most famous culinary delight, gumbo - is the focus of the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival.

This year's event features an all brass band lineup. For two full days, a who's who of the city's top groups will perform in beautifully refurbished park. Food vendors will offer their unique takes on gumbo, the dish whose African ancestry helped to define New Orleans cuisine. This year, we present six of New Orleans' best makers of our signature dish - including the long-awaited return of Dunbar's Creole Restaurant, the famous Li'l Dizzy's Cafe of Treme and television personality Miss Linda (a.k.a. "The Ya-Ka-Mein" Lady). In between dancing and eating, don't forget to check out the large arts market. It's a great chance to stock up on local, hand-made art, jewelry and crafts before the holiday shopping rush.  Check out the music schedule below:

Saturday
11:00 am to 12:15 pm Pocket Aces Brass Band
12:45 pm to 2:00 pm Lagniappe Brass Band
2:30 pm to 3:45 pm Hot 8 Brass Band
4:15 pm to 5:30 pm The Soul Rebels
6:00 pm to 7:15 pm The Dirty Dozen

Sunday
11:00 am to 12:15 pm Baby Boys Brass Band
12:45 pm to 2:00 pm Treme Brass Band
2:30 pm to 3:45 pm Free Agents Brass Band
4:15 pm to 5:30 pm Pinettes Brass Band
6:00 pm to 7:15 pm Stooges Brass Band

Alrighty, well that should keep you busy this evening...If you're looking for more fun stuff to do...check out the WWOZ Livewire -  http://www.wwoz.org/new-orleans-community/music-calendar!!  And be sure to tune in to WWOZ today from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm it's the Fund Drive and time to pledge with my hubby Bill deTurk - remember to support "your live local music" station!!!


www.gratisnola.com

Thursday Dinner Has Gone to the Dogs plus Wine and Music!

Good Morning Everybody - Lost of good stuff goin' on!

Thursday Events

Supper is going to the dogs (and cats) tonight for Pause 4 Dinner! Restaurants all around town have pledged to donate 20 percent of their proceeds from dinner sales to the Louisiana SPCA. So chow down for a great cause - could you think of a better (or yummier way) to help out! For a list of  restaurants participating in the program, visit the  link above.  Woof and Meoux!

Don't miss out on the weekly wine tasting at Cork and Bottle (3700 Orleans) about 5:00 pm in Mid-City. Come sample some delicious vinos and kick off your early weekend right! You can also stop at Clever (right next door - don't even have to walk outside) for their happy hour specials after attending the free wine tasting!  And be sure to stop by the Crescent City Farmer's Market (right outside the door) and patronize local Louisiana vendors with fresh veggies, seafood and more!! 

Go hang out at City Park this evening and enjoy music from Cajun music legend, Bruce Daigrepoint for the Thursdays at Twilight Garden Concert Series! Bruce almost single-handedly has popularized Cajun music and Cajun dancing in cosmopolitan New Orleans area - you don't want to miss his performance! Gates open up at 5:00 pm and the performance starts at 6:00 pm in the City Park Botanical Garden Pavilion of the Two Sisters...There is an admission charge, but hey, it's helping the Park out...$10 for adults and $3 for children (it was $3 last year :)

Need a little art, culture and music? You gotta go to the show at the Ogden Southern Museum of Art (925 Camp St.) - better known as Ogden after Hours. Tonight the Ogden presents Anthony Cuccia -  Percussionist and singer/songwriter Anthony Cuccia expands the boundaries of indie rock and New Orleans beats.  He will be performing with Nathan Lamberston, Rex Gregory, James Westfall and Alex McMurray!  And tonight the O BAR's specialty drink is The Rum Diary: After a sip or two of this mélange of Calypso Spiced Rum, coconut milk, simple syrup and a splash of a tropical fruit juice you will be ready to create a story or two!

For more fun stuff to do and more music...check out the WWOZ Livewire - http://www.wwoz.org/new-orleans-community/music-calendar!



www.gratisnola.com

A Fun Thursday w/Tail Waggin' Fun, Car Drivin', and Concerts!

Good Morning Everybody - it's going to be a beautiful Thursday and there's so much to do!

Thursday Events

Audi of New Orleans and New Orleans Wine & Food Experience celebrate 20 years of good living!!  Audi of New Orleans in partnership with New Orleans Wine &Food Experience (NOWFE) is hosting “Drive For Tickets” an event that brings a taste of NOWFE into the Audi showroom. Anyone who test drives an Audi during The Food Show broadcast at Audi of New Orleans will receive a complimentary pair of tickets to a NOWFE Grand Tasting event (tickets valued at $100 each).    
**Gearing up to the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, restaurant critic Tom Fitzmorris will broadcast “The Food Show” live from Audi of New Orleans (3400 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie, LA) from 3:00 to 6:00 pm today!!! Acclaimed executive pastry chef of Sucre, Tariq Hanna, will be chatting featured on Fitzmorris’ show. To sweeten the experience, gelato from Sucre will be served from a truck on site! As if this couldn’t get any sweeter… Audi of New Orleans is giving away free Grand Tasting and Royal Street Stroll tickets to people who test drive an Audi during Fitzmorris’ show!

Don't miss out on the weekly wine tasting at Cork and Bottle (3700 Orleans) about 5:00 pm in Mid-City. Come sample some delicious vinos and kick off your early weekend right! You can also stop at Clever (right next door - don't even have to walk outside) for their happy hour specials after attending the free wine tasting!  And be sure to stop by the Crescent City Farmer's Market (right outside the door) and patronize local Louisiana vendors with fresh veggies, seafood and more!! 

Tonight the LASPCA's "Toasts & Wagging-Tails" will be held at the NO Fleas Market (4228 Magazine St.) from 6:00pm-8:00pm. Admission is a $5.00 donation for snacks, libations and treats for the pooches. School's (Almost) Out! Costume Contest, too!! Additional 10% off already low prices at the NO Fleas Market during event. Friendly, leashed, pets are welcome! For more info visitwww.nofleasmarketnola.com or www.la-spca.org or call 324-4727.

Go hang out at City Park this evening and enjoy Award-winning songster Sasha Masakowski for the Thursdays at Twilight Garden Concert Series!  Sasha is blossoming as a very impressive key figure in the newest generation of jazz musicians destined to keep the musical legend of the city and her family afloat and ever-expanding. Since the debut of her CD, and the recent release of her second album, "Wishes," Sasha has received vast acclaim from critics, fellow musicians, and general audiences alike throughout the U.S.  Gates open up at 5:00 pm and the performance starts at 6:00 pm in the City Park Botanical Garden Pavilion of the Two Sisters...There is an admission charge, but hey, it's helping the Park out...$10 for adults and $3 for children (it was $3 last year :)

Armstrong Park Thursdays continues tonight with The "Meters" Experience featuring Leo Nocentelli. he concerts will run from 5 to 7 p.m. and come hungry - there will be food from Café Treme, Wine and Bistro, Jacques-Imo's Café, and more...Fun!!

Need a little art, culture and music? You gotta go to the show at the Ogden Southern Museum of Art (925 Camp St.) - better known as Ogden after Hours. Tonight the Ogden presents Alvin "Youngblood" Hart -  Proclaimed the "Cosmic American Love Child" of Howlin' Wolf and Link Wary," this acclaimed guistarist will be playing a solo acoustic show.!  And tonight the O BAR's specialty drink is The Mint Julep - Seersucker, white linen and mint juleps -- summer has arrived. The O Bar will concoct a refreshing julep to rival those served at the Kentucky Derby!!

For more fun stuff to do and more music...check out the WWOZ Livewire - http://www.wwoz.org/new-orleans-community/music-calendar!



www.gratisnola.com