Back to the Candlelight..

I know its time to write about the big ride BUT, as I continue to go thru my photos and videos from my Mardi Gras trip I came across this video that I took at the Candlelight Lounge in the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans that features the world famous Treme Brass Band every Wednesday night. For folks that know New Orleans, one of my favorite spots used to be Donna's Brass Bar and Grill on N. Rampart St at the top of the French Quarter. Unfortunately, Donna retired to Florida a couple years ago and the club is no more. In my opinion, that used to be THE place to see brass bands in New Orleans. The setting and music was fantastic and the crowd was this great mix of musicians, locals and tourists. Other musicians would drop in during the show to sit in on the way to another gig or regular folks who just felt like dancing would just come in off the sidewalk- do their thing for maybe only 1 song or so and then head back out. It was wild. In my opinion, the Candlelight is very much like Donnas. Its a real neighborhood "joint"in the best sense of the word. The music is great, there are free red beans when Treme plays (Hint: Don't try to help yourself- they have folks who will bring the food and drinks to you at your table; I made the mistake of trying to go up on my own for seconds and got yelled at by the bartender!). Anyway, the crowd here has that "Donna's" mix: local folks from the neighborhood and tourists all mixed up together having a good ol time. Video doesnt do the scene justice but gives you a little bit of a feel for what this place is like. So kick back, crack open that High Life and enjoy. (Note: video was taken using my regular ol point n shoot camera in movie mode so not top quality)