So, I attended my first Mardi Gras ball to end February. The Tableau was great, Raegan was beautiful, Brian played his character to the hilt, plus all my wife’s folks and kids were there – good times. We were honored to also have friends attend, like Peter and Noel Duffield and Jenny and Mike Dixon. February seemed like a long month, with not much work; and I was not successful with any home renovations. I’ve arranged a “must do by” event in the spring though, so more will get done very soon. However, March has a lot of fun and a lot more work. Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day events in BR and New Orleans, beer festivals, and food festivals are all on my radar. Spring festivals are starting to fill the weekends, along with LSU baseball. Summer travel ideas dance in my head, as bookings for pool, patio, and dockside gigs start to come in.
Beausoleil Restaurant and On the Half Shell, a pair of long-standing, great associations and friends, are both expanding their stores into neighboring suites! I’m excited to see what the results will be and how live music will add to and benefit these fantastic venues. Hopefully by the time summer is in swing, we’ll see the results. I am so glad to be working with these restaurants. I continue to play brunch at Beausoleil, most Sundays. And I’ll be at The Shell on March 6.
Other gig news: I’m happy to, once again, be invited to play the Perkins Rowe Rock ‘N Rowe series on Thursday, March 20, 6 – 9pm. Along with Allan Maxwell on bass, I’ll be joined by drummer extraordinaire, Lynn Boudreaux. I’ve got returning shows at Metairie Country Club, Bacchus Bistro, The Rusty Nail, Lava Cantina, and Churchill’s. Also, Monjuni’s Italian Restaurant on Jefferson begins the spring patio music season at the end of the month. Live music, in a perfect patio setting every Friday evening, while dining on some of the best Italian dishes in the city – awesome gig! I’ll be there March 28, 6:30pm.
Last year, Selena and I had a blast on St. Patrick’s Day in New Orleans. There is a lot to do all around that party day in the city. Find a few options here: http://www.stpatricksdayneworleans.com. The big Baton Rouge parade is Saturday, March 15: http://www.paradegroup.com.
You can see the famous tribes of Mardi Gras Indians on Super Sunday March 16 - http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/supersunday.html
New Orleans International Beer Festival is Saturday, March 22 at Champion’s Square - http://www.neworleansinternationalbeerfest.com
Zapp’s International Beer Festival in Baton Rouge, March 29 - http://www.zappsbeerfest.com
Formerly known as Road Food Fest, FoodFest in the French Market is March 28 – 30 - http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/festivals/culinaryfestivals/foodfest.html
You can also find the Oyster Festival in Amite, Smokin’ Blues & BBQ Challenge in Hammond, and a Crawfish Festival in Chalmette. It’s a great month of events, food, and fun. Lots of friends’ birthdays, too: Laurie Whitney, Chris LeBlanc, Jennifer Donovan, Jenny Dixon, and Sterling Byrd….I’m sure there are more. Happy Birthday, my friends!
I hope you have a fantastic March and spring. We are thawing out and the ready to put on the green!
Éirinn go Brách