Showing posts with label Little Five Points. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Little Five Points. Show all posts

Friday, December 3, 2010

An introduction to the Indigo Girls

Just listened to the Indigo Girls' new CD "Happy Holly Days" and I have to say it was pretty good.  This is coming from someone of course who isn't a big fan of Christmas music.  If the Indigo Girls put out a CD there is no way that I can pass it up.  The girls have been a huge inspiration ever since I first heard them in Peni Lotoza's car after we got out of work at Terror on Church Street back in '93.  'Blood and Fire' was the first song I had ever heard and though many had tried to introduce me to them previously, it was that night with Peni and Amy Ray that started the fire.  Peni has since passed from this world, to the sadness of many.  In the book there is a piece written for her called 'Comedy and Tragedy.'  She was a happy and jovial person with a terrific laugh and a kind heart.  We all miss her very much.

I went out after that night and bought all of the Indigo Girls' CD's, at that time, Rites of Passage was their newest album.  I remember the day that Swamp Ophelia was released and I first heard Amy wail on 'Touch Me Fall.'  Those two women have written some amazingly diverse songs in their career.  From acoustic folk, to rock n roll to Amy even writing a semi hip hop song on her solo album, Didn't it Feel Kinder.  Amy and Emily inspired me to want to  move to Atlanta back in '94 when I needed a change from Orlando life.  "There'll be cider up near Helen off the roadside and boiled peanuts in a bag to warm your fingers and the smoke from the chimney meets its maker in the sky.  With the song that winter wrote his melody lingers, and there's somethin' 'bout the Southland in the springtime, where the waters flow with confidence and reason." --Emily Saliers 

It was this desire for change, the desire to see Helen, GA and the need to see Little Five Points where their career first took off that sent me shuttling to Atlanta with hardly any money and no plans except to see what happens when we get there.  If the best laid plans go wrong, I now know how it works out when you have no plan.  Not that it was all for naught, I wouldn't change that experience for anything in this world.  I thoroughly enjoyed the women's writers groups at Charis Books and More in Little Five.  Three copies of my book will soon be sitting on the shelves at Charis and, to  me, that is one of the biggest accomplishments I have had so far.  Charis is important to me, most  of the poems about Atlanta were written right there in the square across the street from  Charis.  Though I walked in the footsteps of Amy Ray, through stories from strangers on the street, I was never fortunate enough to meet her and Emily until they came to Tipitina's in New Orleans.  That was an amazing day and I'll never forget it!  I was inspired to include excerpts from four songs that seemed to fit in with my book at the start of each chapter.  I was very lucky that their manager, Russell Carter was able to grant permission to use those lyrics.  It was another  milestone in the creation of the book.  I have always been inspired by the Indigo Girls and I know that I always will be.   Another poem from the book, 'Tchoupitoulas and Napoleon' is about the concert and our Line Crew that are always waiting in line hours before the show is scheduled to start.  There's nothing better than a soundcheck through the front doors of Tipitina's, except the actual concert from the front row with a group of friends!
If you don't know the Indigo Girls, look them up and at least download some songs from them.  Better yet, buy a CD to get acquainted with them.  If you are an Indigo Girls fan, kick off your shoes and do a little jig to 'Get Out the Map!'  How can you bear to keep your feet still when you hear those songs?

Looking for a copy of I Wandered from New Orleans?  It's available at my website, signed of course, it's also available in eBook format at Barnes and Noble (NOOKbook), Amazon (Kindle) and at Smashwords.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

My Books are on New Orleans Bookstore shelves! My take on Parasol's

Had a great day today!  I first sent off three books that are on their way to Charis Books and More in Little Five Points, Atlanta.  Then we drove down to New Orleans to hit some of the indie bookstores to see if I could get I Wandered from New Orleans onto some real bookstore shelves.  It was a great success!  Some books were bought outright, some were placed on consignment.  Brilliant day!  So, for  my NOLA peeps and pops who want to check it out firsthand and pick up a holiday copy or two, or three... Hey, the book might want to take home friends.  You never know.  Anyway.  Here is the list of New Orleans bookstores and shops, so far, where you can pick up a copy, locally!! 

Garden District Book Shop - 2727 Prytania Street, NOLA
Librairie Bookshop - 823 Chartres Street
Beckham's Bookshop - 228 Decatur Street
Faubourg Marigny Art, Books, Music - 600 Frenchmen Street
Louisiana Music Factory - 210 Decatur Street

So it was a fun, cold day spent walking the streets in trenchcoats going door to door.  I met some fantastic and very kind people.  Getting out of the house once in a while can restore your faith in humanity.  At the end of the day I was famished and we were on St. Charles Avenue so I got a shrimp po boy from Parasol's.  Now, I didn't know it when we stopped in, but Parasol's was bought out by new owners.  Apparantly the landlord offered the building to the leasing tenant and the tenant would not pay the asking price so the owner listed it on the market.  The buyers moved here from Tampa, FL and the wife is actually from New Orleans and was thrilled to be able to buy Parasol's.  There seems to be a conflict between the old leasee and the new owners, the old tenant is disgruntled (if you don't pay you can't play) and  moved his business down a few blocks. 

 Former patrons have been flashing the finger as they go by, among other things, and patrons that don't feel so politically motivated are afraid their friends will see them eating or drinking at the 'new' Parasol's.  This is crazy.  The former tenant wouldn't pay the price, someone else did.  My shrimp po boy didn't taste any worse, in fact, it may have tasted a little bit better.  These folks are not lacking in Southern hospitality.  Parasol's is now cleaner, better maintained and it seems friendlier.  I liked it before, but I don't have a problem with it now.  It's not like it isn't owned by a  'former' local or run by a yankee.  No offense to my yankee friends... 

The point is... things change for all kinds of reasons.  If the corner bar and grill changes hands, it's still the corner bar and grill.  Parasol's will still celebrate St. Patty's Day in grand Irish fashion with dancing in the streets, beer, ale and good food.   Support the new owners if you're uptown and looking for something good to eat or drink.  Give them a chance and you might be pleasantly surprised.  I was.