The last time I visited New Orleans was in 2001. I was on tour with Andras Jones and we had a five-day layover there. We stayed in the Ninth Ward of East New Orleans at his friend Mike West's pad. Mike's house was directly underneath the levee. I killed time by walking along the levee, and wrote a song called "Nothin' to Say" there. Now the Ninth Ward and all of East New Orleans is under water.
Two things I remember about the Ninth Ward were the poverty and that almost everyone except Mike was African American, or so it seemed. I also was struck by the cordiality. Lots of folks waved from their porches as I strolled along their dilapidated sidewalks. The paint-starved houses still retained enough color to give the area a festive Mardis Gras feel. I was reminded of Dangriga, Belize. Third World, to be sure, and then some. I liked it there. I liked the people. Their accents had a deep southern black flavor, peppered liberally with Cajun spice.
I fear some of those same people died this week.
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p.s. I just remembered that I was in New Orleans last year, as well. I arrived late, played a show for five people, slept, woke up early, and drove to Little Rock, Arkansas. Fifty-three shows in fifty-three days w/ Ivan Klipstein.
also, http://workinglife.org/makelevees.html
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