Category: Artists

Complicated Life by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

This YouTube gem turned up in a recent post on the LiveJournal New Orleans community. It’s a very well done video for a great song.

Filmed in mid-2005, this is a glimpse into life on the French Quarter’s lower Decatur Street before Hurricane Katrina.

Originally written by Ray Davies of the Kinks, this track is performed by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band featuring Clint Maedgen on vocals with a guest appearance by the New Orleans Bingo! Show in the video.

Check it out: Complicated Life

The video is also on the companion DVD included with the Made in New Orleans: Hurricane Sessions boxed set by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Lower Decatur Holiday Craft Bazaar

This Saturday marks the last of our holiday craft bazaars. We’ll artists displaying their wares on the sidewalks of Lower Decatur. The event takes place from noon to 6pm.

Artists will include:

Dismantled Designs / Reconstructed Clothing and Accessories

Art by Mags / Recycled materials, stenciled clocks, ornaments, and T-shirts

Jessica Radcliffe / Sock dolls and lavender bags

Sarah Dunn / Paintings, sculpture, and boxes

Rachelle Matherne / Hand made resin jewelry, altered clothing, and more

Paul Fritt – Frittworks / Hand made masks

Nicholas Unser / Hand forged metal art

Rachel David and Hope / Belt buckles, prints, and handmade paper

Jeff Shores /

KTG Designs / Skirts, deconstructed tops, mixed media paintings, and windchimes

K8 Black and Lorian / Jewelry

Ted Hebbler / Paintings

Natasha Sanchez / Photography

Mo Lapin / Art Fashion

Veronica Leandrez / Paintings

Aly Adduci / Watercolors

Dana Beuhler / Etchings

Susan Bates / Photography

Willow / Glass Beads, Pendants, and More

Josh Cohen / Hand blown glass paper weights, jewelry, and more

plus more..

We hope to see you all there!!

Lower Decatur Holiday Craft Bazaar

This Saturday marks the first of our holiday craft bazaars. We’ll have around 20 artists displaying their wares on the sidewalks of Lower Decatur. The event takes place from 10am to 6pm.

Artists will include:

Dismantled Designs / Reconstructed Clothing and Accessories

Renee Dodge / Jewelry

Ted Hebbler / Paintings

Natasha Sanchez / Photography

Mo Lapin / Art Fashion

Veronica Leandrez / Paintings

Miguel Maldonado / Jewelry and Stone Carvings

Gail Holland / Paintings

Ze daLuz / Handknit Fassion Acessories

Nicole Kibath / Handblown Art Glass

Susan Bates / Photography

Tamar Taylor / Shotgun Houses

Willow / Glass Beads, Pendents, and More

plus more..

We hope to see you all there!!

Be on the look out for our next event December 16th, with even more artists to make your holiday unique.

New Orleans Craft Mafia –

The members of the New Orleans Craft Mafia (myself included) have decided to kick start holiday giving a little early this year with our Handmade Holiday Gift-Away! Just for signing up for our e-mail newsletter, you’ll be automatically entered to win cool prizes created by NOCM members.

The Handmade Holiday Gift-away runs from November 1st through November 30th, and the winners of the three fabulous prize packages will be chosen on December 1st and announced throughout the month of December via the NOCM newsletter. A special “Loyalty Prize” will be awarded, as well, to one lucky recipient who signed up for our newsletter previous to the November 1, 2006 contest start date.

The Handmade Holiday Gift-away was conceived in appreciation of shoppers who patronize and otherwise support the indie craft artists, designers, and shop owners of the New Orleans Craft Mafia. It is also our hope to raise awareness for all our fellow artists/crafters in New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast.

“It’s important to support independent businesses everywhere, but especially in these regions,” says Rachelle Matherne, owner of greenKangaroo.com and founder of the New Orleans Craft Mafia, adding that small businesses in New Orleans are struggling right now in an economic climate where big business gets governmental preference and the customer base has been cut by more than half. “We are still feeling the hurt from last year’s disaster. Though it may not be in the national consciousness as much as it was before, we still need your love and support.”

You can view the contents of the prize packages, read the contest rules, and enter to win here.

If you’d like to meet the members of the NOCM in person and see their crafty wares up close and personal, the group will also host a “Last Stop Shop” holiday market at The Big Top (1638 Clio Street) on Thursday, December 21 from 6-10pm. It will double as a re-Launch party, since the original Launch Party scheduled for September 2005 was curtailed by the hurricane. This is the official kick-off for monthly NOCM-sponsored craft markets, which will begin in January at The Big Top.

We are currently accepting applications for like-minded crafty guest vendors for our Last Stop Shop Holiday Market as well as the upcoming Monthly Markets. You can apply here to be a guest vendor. We are also always accepting applications for new members of the NOCM.

Some of us will also be present at the Lower Decatur Holiday Craft Bazaar this Saturday, November 11th, and even more of us will be at the Lower Decatur Bazaar on December 16th, so be sure to stop by and say hi!

Remember how important it is to shop local and independent this holiday season! Show your commitment to the local economy by signing the StayLocal.org Holiday Pledge.

First Annual Lower Decatur Holiday Craft Bazaar – Call for Artists

The Lower Decatur Merchants Association and LowerDecatur.com are hosting the First Annual Lower Decatur Holiday Craft Bazaar November 11th and December 16th from 10am to 6pm. The event will take place on the 1100-1300 blocks of Decatur Street in the French Quarter. On a typical Saturday the neighborhood draws a eclectic crowd of tourists and locals visiting the French Market as well as local dining, drinking, and shopping spots. This is a free event and will be publicized to bring even more shoppers from all around the region.

Free booth space is still available to local artists. Currently signed participants include clothing designers, painters, glass blowers, photographers, jewelers, and more. Interested participants need to request space in advance by contacting Joe at (504) 861-4367 (leave a message) or email “info (at) lowerdecatur.com”. We’ll need to know what sort of merchandise you will have, how much space you will need, if you would like a particular location, and if you have any special needs (i.e. electricity). Please post any general questions below, so that the answers may help others.

Space is filling fast for the November Bazaar, so please don’t wait until the last minute to apply.

For Harry Anderson, the New Orleans Magic Is Gone

There’s an interesting interview with Harry Anderson in the New York Times. He lets you look behind the curtain to see his reasons for leaving New Orleans, and on his future in Asheville,NC.

Good luck Harry and Elizibeth, we’ll miss you.
Read the article at the New York Times.

UPDATE: It has come to our attention that you need to register to read the article. BugMeNot.com has a large database of working login/passwords for annoying sites like this.