A journal for South Louisiana.
Welcome 2 Club XII, the latest release by Drive-By Truckers, is so good. The last two albums were a slight departure from their usual sound. We can’t always want artists basically remaking the same thing over and over again, but this album feels as welcome and warm as that first shot of whiskey at your... Continue Reading →
HIDDEN GEM- Fat Boy's Seafood Kitchen in Manchac is Tangipahoa Parish's "best-kept secret". Photo by Jesse Brooks. By Jesse Brooks Fat Boy's Seafood Kitchen, a short-order eatery in Manchac has recently re-opened for business for weekend hours only after COVID-19 pushed them into hiatus. While diners far and wide are familiar with Manchac because of... Continue Reading →
Chicken pho Photo by Jesse Brooks By Jesse Brooks Pho Queen, Tangipahoa Parish's newest Vietnamese restaurant, is a game-changer for Ponchatoula. For a small city, Ponchatoula has a number of eateries that feature local favorites like po-boys, gumbo, and burgers. Some of Ponchatoula's restaurants serve breakfast and lunch only and options can be limited... Continue Reading →
Our editor and resident Tangipahoa Parish songwriter Jesse Brooks shares how going back to the country roots of music can lead to the redirection of American music. Photo by Matthew C. Roy. By Jesse Brooks I’ve been doing a lot of tweaking to my music act while in the extra solitude we have these days.... Continue Reading →
Paul's Cafe, located on East Pine Street in Ponchatoula, will reopen Wednesday, according to their social media pages. By Jesse Brooks A Ponchatoula stable is set to reopen on Wednesday after a temporary closure during the stay-at-home orders set by Gov. John Bel Edwards over concerns of the spread of COVID-19 around the state, according... Continue Reading →
REOPEN- Punjabi Dhaba, located on Southwest Railroad Ave. in Hammond, announced on social media that they will reopen on May 1. Photo from their Facebook page. By Jesse Brooks Tangipahoa Parish's only Indian restaurant Punjabi Dhaba, located inside a Shell gas station on Southwest Railroad Ave. in Hammond, has announced on social media that they... Continue Reading →
Steven Page and Ed Robertson, frontmen for Barenaked Ladies. By Jesse Brooks Quarantining for COVID-19 can get pretty weird and it can lead to some pleasant surprises even in the darkest of times. I fell down a YouTube rabbit hole the other day and basically was reminded of how great the Barenaked Ladies are as... Continue Reading →
By Jesse Brooks I had a gig heavy weekend so I spent my birthday catching up on sleep before evening activities. I woke up late in the afternoon to hear about the death of Kobe Byrant and his daughter Gianna. It was similar to the way learned about the death of Anthony Bourdain, who was... Continue Reading →
RUN IT BACK- Louisiana songwriter Jesse Brooks returns to Nick's Saturday with a full band and new songs. The last time Hammond-based songwriter Jesse Brooks played at Nick’s Ice House on Hardy Street he was just getting started after a three-year break from music and doing acoustic shows all around the Gulf Coast region. He... Continue Reading →
CHANGES- New Orleans songwriter Rel returns and shares demos of new music days before a performance at The Starlight on St. Louis Street Thursday at 8 p.m. New Orleans songwriter Rel Myers has released a demo of a new song called "Changes" on SoundCloud in anticipation of her first public performance in a few years... Continue Reading →
Small Town Stories 