treme

its been a great season for the HBO series treme. I've had the luxury of continuing my raffle for a free painting each week. we added reserved seating and drinks, and now we have a full on raffle going that has customers screaming for a win. This past sunday was no different.

The hi ho lounge has been featured now on two episodes. Davis Macalary's band performs for us, and we watch him on the big screen on the same stage. More art and film fused... This week was different, as the real davis rogan was in the house, and performed for us all.

I also brought Dear New Orleans to the lounge, so we could raise some money for evacuteer, and bring some great images to the forefront, including david simon himself.

However, the evening was a bit hard to swallow with Harley being murdered. It brought so many memories of that horrific time after katrina, when the thugs came back, and murder with it. Robberies, murders, beatings, rapes, and NOPD could give a damn. The place I worked at even was a victim. It was scary times, and seeing them turn that corner, after playing on frenchman, and then robbed, and then shot, just held an entire room in shock.

I held my hands to my mouth, and just couldn't believe that such a wonderful moment would turn sad. So sad, and in the second to the last episode, which now I realize, is the episode that they kill off a character. You know he's gone, You saw that bullet in the head, you saw the blood, you heard the screams.

sad indeed. Do you know what it means? To miss new orleans?
as the revelers pass Sonny, he looks at antoine, and says, thats so new orleans... antoine stands to hail a cab, and police go screaming by, to the murder scene we just saw... antoine replies, "thats new orleans too."

mardiclawblog: piratical adventures in the big easy

mardiclawblog: piratical adventures in the big easy

piratical adventures in the big easy

the krewe of pirates and wenches of new orleans are going to grant a childs wish for make a wish foundation this weekend. a giant childrens parade will weave through the quarter, as we celebrate this opportunity. Party like a Pyrate / shore leave 2011 is not to be confused with pyratecon or pyrateweek. both of these entities are folks who aren't from new orleans.

the problem with pyrateweek is its timing. As most of us in new orleans knows, when mardigras ends, and lent begins, we can all take a deep sigh, and break from all the chaos. exceptions? st pats, st josephs, and super sunday. all long standing traditions. to add another "event" after these huge events, is pretty exhausting, and thats why the new orleans krewes prefer to do their fest in between french qtr, and jazz fest. this is when the city starts to come alive again, the temps outside are nice and breezy, and we're ready to roll again.

last nights kick off was at the bourbon orleans, with a rum contest. The winner was one vanessa sternick, who created a champagne mojito with blackbeards rum. the meet and greet went really well, and the pirates were off this am for a scavenger hunt, and dinner party. a pub crawl rounds out the evening, with a show at one eyed jacks, with Debauche and the Valpariaso mens chorus.

tomorrows festivities begin at eleven am in pirates alley, with nola rising paint party, face painting, and then parade at three. 504 dancing man will lead the parade with kids in tow, and the US Navy band. this is going to be a great day of fun, and hopefully our child will be feeling well by tomorrow to roll with us.

sunday is a bloody mary party at finnegans, and then I'm off to the healing center for a bbq, and then work at the hiho.

come september, look for the wenches to do another parade, with make a wish. Its nice to have a good bond with such a wonderful organization.

happy ash thursday, friday, sat, and sunday

wow... talk about ash wed... didn't happen for me, instead I was up early, painted, dressed up in costume, and out the door with friends, kim, lisa, and myself, and wendy too, for a shoot for society of st anne, for the HBO series treme. LOL upon arrival? tom harvey, lani, her son, and more. it just keeps gettin better. although, its sacred to done a costume on ash wednesday for some, I just keep remembering going to surrey's one year, and one will smith jr, was dressed as the pope, seating the long line of hungover folks with ashes on their foreheads...
well, this day would turn out to be a long one. Melissa Leo, brought some of David Mills ashes to the shoot, and before we shot anything? she put him in the big muddy, and that set the somber tone for the next shot. Took several takes, and I got to be done front, it was a bit chilly, and the rain was slowing down. I don't want to give away too much, so I'll keep it simple.
we did the river shot a few times, after breakfast, after lunch, then we did a scene of revelers on bourbon street. David Morse was there, he's much taller than I expected. lots of beads flying, lots of people milling about and hugging, kissing, dancing, and more. a fun shot.
then, when it was all over, went home, and woke up with mardigras/ashwed flu. horrific. ached all over, feverish beyond belief. two days of sweats, and aches, and finally broke on the third day. then the aches of coughin so much. it was a long three days.
but back to work now. life begins again.

bacchendymion box of wine... LOL

wow, tomorrow is gonna be a hella day. due to bad weather, endymion has been moved behind bacchus, making our little parade called box of wine? into a monster of a roll. I'm sure we'll be moving really fast. seems like parades are flying by. Anyhow, if you can get out there, look for us right behind thoth. right in front of bacchus, and racing to keep up.

delusion indeed... deepwater

wow, what a great week. it started with the "My Scary Valentine" tumble, and ended with deepwater delusion. had a blast at both, but the gras is now upon us, and the week was long. I did banners for delusion, davis rogan, and the krewe of muu muu, PLUS, did repaint on the floats, lettering, and general run round to get stuff done. PLUS, selling lots of paintings and getting oysters to dry, paint, glue condoms on, and black pearls, and waaaaaa-lah! a fun throw. plus we made oyster shells, to wear, outta paper mache, and then separating beads, made for more mayhem. by the time we were done? wow. mission accomplished.
the line up was long, got there a little earlier than we shoulda, then got sidetracked, but eventually folded in. what a great time. the drum cart? always a favorite. they just make any parade.
the after party? didn't care for the venue. too expensive. drinks were $7 and up. no thanks. so over to Eddies house, then several venues before we settled in. Didn't drink a whole lot on the route. more interested in stayin out of any bathroom debaucle... like not finding one.
spent great times this week, and look forward to relaxing this week, before the chaos begins. Painting an entire marching krewe for sparta, then a wedding party. should be fun.
I got wildmans skeleton to finish, the banners for burning spear, and commissions... PLUS prepping for jackson square. so much to do!
stay tuned as the season keeps moving on.

Party Like A Pyrate

YES INDEED, the people of New Orleans have their own pyrate party. Not to be confused with nolapyrateweek... thats not a locals event, but party like a pyrate is. Pub Crawls, haunted pyrate ghost tours, parades, and all out fun, with the people who actually live here.

Krewe of Wenches will be sponsering a wonderful little charity that we will unveil here really soon. keep a weather eye out!

Happy Mardigras!

it is upon us. As a local, I'm hiding, going to meetings, making plans of themes, costumes, banners, paintings, and throws. Krewe Du Vieux really kicks it off for me, and I've been a member since K. I rolled in the first parade after the storm. It was an experience that topped off going through the hurricane itself...

this year is most likely going to be different, as I'm short on cash, yet working hard FOR cash, and changing my employment to reflect more art, and less bar.

So you just might see me out there in a different krewe this year!
YES INDEED!

Some things have changed, beginning with krewe of bierbog in baton rouge. I would love to roll again, but I don't think I can, because I have to work that night. Only two shifts a week these days, so I can't really ask for them off. Last year, I rolled, and I also designed the float for this spanishtown subkrewe, and won the best float award. I had a blast, I had no idea that a parade in baton rouge could even compare to my new orleans.

then there's a new party like a pyrate party going on in april, before the pyrateweek people come here. I regret ever having anything to do with them, as they spread all kinds of BS last year. From saying they lived here, to saying they volunteered their time, to whatever other BS they could come up with. Lets just say that I'm not real fond of people who "pretend" to live here. Including the 504 area code phone that they pay for, just to keep up the charade.

either way, us locals will have already done our pyrate thing, by the time they arrive. I'm sure the entire "8" or so people they get to come, will be the ones disappointed, so I try really hard to get the word out. Whatever you do, don't give them money. you can donate your services anytime to lower nine, and you can participate in pyrate stuff here in nola, if you stay in touch with the krewe of wenches, or krewe of pyrates. nolapyrateweek is a couple from canada. NOT from nola.

boxx of wine, I think I'm rollin, right out there in front of bacchus. Krewe Delusion, and possibly the valentines parade too. we'll see. Either way, I'll be out there on mardigras day with wildman john, of the wild tchoupatoulas, and then later on mardigras day, checkin in with sysco red, and burning spear tribe at five pm at the hi ho lounge.

so get out there and enjoy the gras.
it will be a long carnival this year... YES INDEED!

end of the year/murder

how frustrating, to go on vacation, knowing that home invasions are up, and even rape and torture. AND to know that the victims? are friends, making it even scarier. Not so much as a peep from the police on this issue, not so much of a report listed for the public. I don't know if they were reported, and I don't know why, if they were reported? that the public hasn't been warned. I do know this, everyone is on edge, and is talking about it.

So much so, that I warned a couple of it, just doors down, before I left town. Then, the day after christmas, I get word from our housesitter, that a man had been murdered, at that very house. NOW, I'm concerned even more, and unfortunately my mind somehow had the notion, that it was the couple.

It was. They had just moved here. I'm not sure what really happened, but Jon is gone, and left behind is his girlfriend and their puppy.

then, days later a fire would claim 8 more. sleeping in a warehouse, and burning debris, didn't end well. I knew one of the 8, and now just found out that one of the 8, is a friends daughter. A Local girl.

as I read posts everywhere, trying to make sense of what happened, I'm compelled to make commentary, that you might agree with, and might not.
you just don't light fires in the middle of a building, without the proper "damper" to handle the carbon monoxide. its called a fireplace for a reason. I know, it was cold out, but common sense should've still be in place. really frightening stuff.

To add insult to injury, two close friends, lost their lovers, this holiday season. To Morwen, and to Rhonda, I wish you the best. Whatever I can do for you, let me know.

To all of you out there, is it me, or does it seem that the end of the year, is always filled with murder? Like we have to try and keep those numbers up? I mean, 26 bullets into magnolia shorty? really?

well, to my dismay, the patrols have stopped here on st roch. A petition, to make them go away. days later, a murder. At the same time? those same patrols, missed gunshots just a half block away, while cruising. Police never even heard the shots just weeks before Jon's murder.
So the petition? not really the problem. more like the police.

The only way to be accountable? Or to think its all accountable? Is police reports. Basically a report of crimes in your neighborhood. The police should provide that.
transparency....

my black and gold reign, a repost...

I knew back a few weeks, when I decided to paint a giant Drew Brees, that something was different. Maybe it was sitting there watching each game, each week, being on the computer and sharing the plays with friends, or the entire city showing their faith, but I knew then, what I see now… A Black and Gold Supabeauxl.

From that first game after katrina that held us all together, to last nights victory, we’ve come from great tragedy to a great victory. The dome represents so many horrific things, right down to the fact that they painted it white shortly after, so as to not remind us of “Katrina”. I had friends at the dome that fateful night, and the stories were shameful. The people inside, and those at the convention center, all “Entertainment” for an America that sat and watched helpless as this city drowned. We were a tragedy unfolding, and becoming ONE giant reality TV show gone REAL.

The Emotions of that first home game with U2 and green day seemed to set the tone for the victory we would wait four years for. A Victory that each one of us earned, even though sometimes, it was on a couch with a beer in hand. Victory was KEY, to a city that has been struggling to move forward. Drew Brees coming to the game, to represent and help us rebuild, not only our Faith, but our team.

That last game? When fans showed at the Superdome with family members ashes, and more… The time had come. Fans representin the black and gold, and the decibles inside reflected the amount of pride and energy that WHO DAT fans have. Team members couldn’t hear each other, and the black and gold grew louder. Jokes with locals revolved around the fact that it was mardi gras, and we were all trained to scream for beads, therefore, screaming for a black and gold supabeauxl, had just crashed into the greatest gras since Katrina.

I remember being broken down in a car, somewhere in Alabama, driving back from a wedding we thought we’d never go to, but did,,,, once forced to leave a drowned city. Car broken down, and a new friend arriving to bring us to his house, while we waited for a ride back. He turned on that game, and I became a puddle of tears seeing the Saints on the field, while we all were roaming the country for someplace not only to live, but to SEE that game.

Then the return to the dome, and U2, green day, september ending, and the beginning of the mass return to New Orleans herself. Coming home to no electricity, no heat, no hot water, and yet, proud to be home. Even if it meant racing from one red cross station to another for ice, one salvation army truck after another, or driving long distances to make groceries, or dealing with a forced curfew, that you NEVER thought possible in a city once 24/7. Katrina may have crushed us on television sets, but back home, we were finally rising up, and returning…. NO MATTER WHAT.

It became evident that something was happening. That Gras had no brass bands until we got to muses… and babylon and chaos… that night the music returned, and that night a white float passed by with no riders… symbolizing all those lost during that fateful night. The playing cards I scored that night spoke of all the politicians who had turned their backs on us, and left us to drown. An Entire country that saw us as less than human, like animals caged and set free to pillage a city that was left behind. NOT ONE GOOD story that happened, was put on tv to linger as long as the stories of looting, and shooting. AND as someone who DID stay and walk around, my anger inside was turning to rage. A nation that sat glued to a television set watching a third world country go through a MAN MADE disaster… (yes thats right, the levee failures) and a nation making social commentary on the fact that THEY didn’t think we should EVEN HAVE A GRAS!

Well, I think that southern comfort billboard said it all…. NOTHING STOPS MARDI GRAS…. NOTHING.

We were all returning, home or no home, to bond as new orleanians at the mardi gras. Some for the first time since the storm.

And now, the Black and Gold Mardi Gras begins… From what I saw out and about last night? This will be a gras to remember. One filled with as much Joy as that first one after katrina. People were in their cars headed to the french quarter last night… the entire gulf coast just took a deep collective sigh, and felt that release of grief, that relief of pride and glory, KNOWING that last nights television airing of the supabeauxl, was now showing america something heroic, and not a tragedy.

That fateful day, that brought us to our knees, was forever changed by one Drew Brees….

I can honestly say that I’ve never felt such emotion during a football game. We had a few who hadn’t seen a supabeauxl game, we had a few who knew nothing of the game, we had some who had a hard time watching because they had been such lifelong fans, and then there were those in the room so confident that they just smiled during those first few moments where we were behind.

Texts poured in from friends all over the country at the beginning of this game… a nationwide WHO DAT NATION rose to the occasion…. I mean, who doesn’t like to see the Underdog win? . I laughed at all the music that has risen up just FOR this occasion. WHO DATS everywhere were joyful, and we were ALL IN THAT NUMBER. We were all marching in at that kickoff…

I knew a voodoo priest who had blessed them, I knew fans with parents ashes at that game, I knew there were voodoo dolls with pins waiting to come out, I heard about the citywide prayer vigil, I knew that this religious city would bring out all the spirits, and those long gone, would be standing over us, and I knew it was going to be a victory. The Spirits, the Sinners, and all the Saints, would make sure that the black and gold were no longer “Ain’ts”.

Knew the second half would be when we made it OUR game.

And there it was. the entire room rose up, and the city with it. The deafening sound of victory in New Orleans was now rising, and we were there.

I ran out the house with friends into the street… Cars were going by playing get crunk! Standing there in the middle of the street in the cold? was something I’ll remember for a lifetime. You could hear bourbon street, you could hear the neighborhood, and car horns, fireworks, who dats everywhere windows flew up and yelling WHO DAT WHO DAT WHO DAT WHO DAT…

It was almost like a Dr Seuss dream… all the cindy lou who dats were out the BOX!

I even got a text “WHO DA FUCK DAT”, and it was like the WHO DAT that went around the world.!!

I know for the next six months the “WHO DAT” will be the common greeting. I know that come tuesday, I will see history… the parade that we have waited for, will come out of the DOME SWEET DOME, and roll through this great city… a sea of black and gold, and JOY… sheer JOY.

Looking about the room at that victorious moment? TEARS streaming, TEARS flowing… laughter, tears, joy and more… Then seeing all the who dats in Miami, refusing to leave the stadium? BIG LAUGHTER all around. When I got home later? They were still sitting there WAITING for their team…

I ate so much food yesterday, because of the anxiety, because of all the energy I was expending just watching… waiting for it.. I felt I had played that game by the time it was over, I was exhausted. I got to watch it with some very close friends too, which made it even better…

Then the texts poured in again from all over the country. WHO FUCKIN DAT, seemed to be the resounding who dat pouring forth…

The walk to the quarter, staring at that giant parking lot of fans, flags, screams, horns, high fives, sheer joy, and more… the party had officially started.. my thoughts of how great it would be, having america see us, ALL of us, showing our black and gold… WITH NO RIOTING…

An incredible thing to even think of going to miami? I don’t think so. I’m proud fans went there, I’m even prouder that folks are heading here right now… knowing that this mardi gras is gonna be the shit. Knowing that the amount of money pouring out of the pockets, and into the city? YEAH U RITE! I can only believe what the quarter looks like RIGHT NOW. No one has slept, NO one… NO ONE WILL BE AT WORK TODAY…

we have come back… we brought the hurricane brees to miami, we have a NEW MAYOR, and a NEW BEGINNING, and no more PITY PARTY… but a Pride that will glow for quite some time. LOMBARDI GRAS is ON!!! If you are thinking of coming here? get moving… this is history, and this time? I hope Americans who dissed us take note… We might be a third world country inside the US, but WE HERE… WE BACK… WE DAT!

WHO DAT!