Sitting in my living room thinking back on my experience in New Orleans my mind floods over everything I did while there, I went ten days in a surreal dream. I arrived on a Sunday, cloudy, muggy, strange.. I developed a new sleeping pattern while there. My cousins a jewlery artist and dose most his work at night, like late at night, so I would stay up with him, the beautiful thing about flying into the sun, so to speak, I mean go east, the latter you can stay up cause that ol internal clock is three hours behind, where here I was use to getting up at seven thirty eight, there it was eleven oclock or noon, going to bed.. like five. Anyways I digress, Monday my cousin and I drove S. Claiborne into the French Quarter, this was my first experirence and I was dazed and confused in this new land. Not kowing where anything was and being on a level plan made the ride in sort of like a psychedelic, disoriented introduction to the suddenly tall infractucture and buildings. Jesus Christ, I thought to myslef as we entered the city, this place is more maddening then Seattle! We parked on some side street in the Quarter and got out, the smells of food, cigarettes, bars and other stenches raced in to my nose, sounds of traffic, people and some music (not as much as I thought) battered my ears.
It was weird, for as much music as there seemed to be, it was all centered in one area it seemed. There was this one cat though who was this huge like six’ ten” kinda guy, real wide dude, but anyways he was just kinda wlaking around with his tuba, blowin and puffin as he stode down the streets. I had saw him when we first got to the Quarter then again a little later but by the time I saw him again and decied to ask for an interview he had been on a phone call, and it was right after I got an interview with this beautiful woman playing fiddle.. the two minute interview went something like this…
Me: What Style of music would you call what you play?
Moniek: Ah- I, I play my own songs, they are inspirational to the travels Ive made around the world but the last ones I made are more N’orleans now I am here more cajun, folkie sounds. (laughs)
Me: Where are you from?
Moniek: I am from the Netherlands, but I travle aroud to tour and play but aslo to learn about the musichere I go.
Me: What influences you?
Moniek: I think what a lot of other musicans do, nature, and here in New Orleans the vibe, everybody is so into it. And there are more cajun style that goes more into what is New Orleans I think, and then Ive been in Ampsterdamn so much it comes out in songs…
Me: Um you say youve traveled around where do you plan on taking your music next?
Moniek: Next I play in Belgim and I’ve come actually from India, just before New Orleans, so the songs I worte in India are just now starting to come out and they will be played on tour when I am with the band, I am in a band. And then Im in spain playing in july then augsut in italy and then its over, i problably come back here in febuarary, this is the fourth time I’ve done that, fouth year for three months.
… I cant seem to figure out how to post the interview audio, but in my next post which will be about food, I will include it along with a picture of my new addiction..
Anyways it was odd, there wasn’t a lot of street musicians except in this central space, you can actually hear the tuba player while I interview her. I couldn’t help but wonder what the streets must have been like in 1910, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s. Back in the days when Jazz Kings roamed the streets, and grooved at every club, was there more music on the streets or was it the same? Fuck, if only Marty McFlys time machine could take me back.
(Above) THe Hilton Inn with a clarinet painted on it, from first drive into the Quarter
