I recently got back from a super quick 36 hour trip to New York. I don’t recommend going anywhere as vivid and lush as New York City for only 36 hours. You spend most of the time in transit or sleeping – but you can only try to make up for it in other ways. The other ways I am talking about was my set of music with long time friend Louis Michot of the Lost Bayou Ramblers as our duo drum/fiddle “Pilette’s Ghost”. I also walked around ALOT. I enjoyed walking around the West Village and then again in the Lower East Side, as our gig was at famed improvisational composer/musician John Zorn’s club, The Stone. It was good to get some fresh landscapes in front of me, catch up on some reading and hit my favorite spot for the best coffee beans…McNulty’s.

When I arrived in NY I met up with old friends and ate one of the best falafel sandwiches ever at Mamoun’s and I have to thank LJ Goldstein for that suggestion (sorry I didn’t bring one back). The next morning I walked around and photographed the West Village, then met up with the band. Louis rented an AirBnB for their week long residency and it’s front door sat facing the Hell’s Angels Clubhouse on E 3rd Street. As I walked up, six pairs of eyes watched my every move as 6 mouths continued their conversations.

I walked into the apartment and I could already feel the Louisiana camaraderie bubble over as talk of the previous night’s set began. Ryan Brasseaux, Bryan Webre, and Kirkland Middleton II were talking about the music and the moments as we all sat down to rehearse for Saturday’s show.

Later in the day Spider and Louise Stacy met us at the apartment. We packed out instruments and set out to busk in the New York Subway…