Froggy's New Orleans Doings
Friday night I was with one of the bands for a "Krewe of Dead Pelicans" Gulf Coast benifit at the Hi Ho in the Marigny neighborhood.
Pair-A-Dice Brass Horns and Oily Oyster Gal, Krewe of Dead Pelicans Gulf Coast Benifit, Hi Ho Lounge, New Orleans. Photo by Kim Welsh. (Other photos on this page by me.)
The Dead Pelicans put together a great event last month, but this one was lightly attended, in part because they were mostly relying on Facebook to publicize it, and the Krewe just topped 5,000 users triggering some damned Facebook anti-spam thing supposedly, so the group was removed. Despite low turn out it was a fun event.
I got out of bed early Saturday morning to go down town for the "Running of the Bulls".
New Orleans has a long tradition of appropriating celebrations and holidays from around the world and adapting them as their own, with local spin. "San Fermin en Nueva Orleans" or the New Orleans Running of the Bulls is one of the newer ones, started since Katrina.
Having live bulls run through the streets occasionally goring or trampling people seemed a bit harsh for the Big Easy. So, how about if the role of "Bulls" is taken by the Big Easy Roller Girls (local roller derby team) wearing horns on their helmet, and they chase after runners with plastic baseball bats, wacking them in the butt? Yeah, that'll work. It started small but has become a big event, now attracting thousands, and roller derby teams from neighboring states come in as additional herds of bulls.
My set of pix on Flickr
My video on YouTube.
I didn't run (I haven't run since my leg problems), but lots of fun to watch as well.
Speaking of appropriating celebrations, that evening I went back down to the Quarter for one of the multiple Bastille Day events around town, the Bastille Day Tumble. Brass band and costumers parade around the Quarter with stops at bars.
And of course we stop at the base of "Joanie on the Pony" (Joan of Arc statue) to play/sing La Marseillaise. Note someone brought "Drill Baby Drill"'s head on a stick this year.
We had one of the better and larger bands for this event, at the start anyway. After 5 hours of "Tumbling" and multiple bar stops, many participants had dropped out.
A bartender friend and part time musician said she couldn't get off work for the Tumble, so invited the group to stop by her bar. We obliged. She wrote:
"I love it! What has 160 legs, at least 8 trumpets, and a barrage of horns, woodwinds and drums? Froggy, trailing a fabulous Bastille day tumble into Ryan's Irish Pub today. If I weren't working you know I'd be playing in the band. Thanks for bringing the party to me! It was the highlight of the night."
My Flickr pix
Monday mshollie treated me to divine gelato at La Divina Gelateria on Magazine Street. This evening we're going to a free wine tasting in Mid-City. Saturday afternoon is a "Jam & Soak" -- combination jazz jam and pool party.
I love this city!