Jake Clapp
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Staff writer at @the_gambit. Mornings are for coffee and contemplation. ✉️: jclapp@gambitweekly.com
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Articles by Jake Clapp
Westbank Heritage Fest features Joe, King George, Jonathan Nelson and more Sept. 19-20
PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD / The Times-Picayune The Westbank Heritage Festival was founded to expand event offerings on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish, and as it prepares for its 10th edition, it’s hitting new milestones. “We’ve expanded with a larger stage, more vendors and national acts,” says Jonathan Stewart, president of the New Growth Economic Development Association, which founded the fest. “It has really taken off.” Westbank Fest is at the Alario Center Saturday, Sept.
Kermit Ruffins is looking for a buyer for Mother-In-Law Lounge
Kermit Ruffins' time at the Mother-In-Law Lounge, the storied 7th Ward bar and venue he reopened in 2014, could soon be coming to a end. The New Orleans trumpeter and vocalist said in an Instagram post Wednesday that the elderly owner he has been leasing the building from was ready to sell — but Ruffins is going to pass on buying. He's now helping the building's owner look for a potential buyer.
New Orleans library's music platform Crescent City Sounds is open for submissions
Crescent City Sounds, the New Orleans Public Library's gem of an all-local music streaming service, is now calling for more music to add to the platform. Launched in fall 2022, Crescent City Sounds is all about music made by New Orleans-based artists, and the site already hosts more than 200 albums and EPs by locals working in all genres. New Orleans musicians and bands can submit their music to crescentcitysounds.org through Oct. 2.
New Orleans legend Master P talks No Limit and Cash Money tour ahead of hometown show
Master P Provided photo by Derrick Washington In the ’90s and early 2000s, No Limit and Cash Money helped put New Orleans squarely into the national hip-hop conversation. Led by rapper, entrepreneur and label CEO Percy “Master P” Miller, No Limit Records boasted a lineup with Mia X, C-Murder, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, Mac, the late Soulja Slim, the production team Beats by the Pound and, for a time, Snoop Dogg.
Listen: New music in August from The Rumble, Dawn Richard, Jon Cleary and more New Orleans artists
There's never a shortage of new music from New Orleans artists, and it can be hard to keep track of it all. So each month, Gambit is throwing together Spotify and Apple Music playlists to collect the latest releases by local musicians. Have a new single or album you'd like to tell us about? Email Jake at jclapp@gambitweekly.com. While things around New Orleans tend to slow down in August, it's never actually quiet.
New Orleans' Bad Operation channels ska's joyful defiance on ‘Everything Must Go’
Bad Operation had planned their first show for March 2020. The five members of the New Orleans ska punk band had come together in late 2019 wanting to get back to the joyful spirit of ska, and their first goal was to just play a show.
New Orleans' Bad Operation channels growth and ska's joyful defiance on ‘Everything Must Go’
Bad Operation had planned their first show for March 2020. The five members of the New Orleans ska punk band had come together in late 2019 wanting to get back to the joyful spirit of ska, and their first goal was to just play a show.
Mailbox Money: The Recording Academy’s Reid Wick on supporting, and growing, New Orleans’ music industry
John Boutté performs during Satchmo SummerFest Photo by Enan Chediak / The Times-Picayune Reid Wick has been a part of the New Orleans music landscape from virtually every angle. He's a musician who plays guitar with the Bucktown All-Stars. He's run his own label, STR Digital Records, releasing albums by Joe Krown and Tom McDermott, and worked closely with Loyola University's college of music and its music industries program.
Rapper Pell talks lessons from L.A. and how New Orleans can help young musicians
In 2015, New Orleans-born rapper Pell decided to make the move to Los Angeles. He was fresh off the release of his album, “Floating While Dreaming,” which had landed him on tour with G-Eazy, Kindness and Kehlani, and was already working with an agent, lawyer and others who were living in L.A. So after signing a publishing deal with Pulse Recording, Pell landed on the West Coast.
New Orleans rapper Allay Earhart marks birthday and a year of '2005' with House of Blues show
Last year, as Alvin Harris was approaching his 29th birthday and the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans rapper poured his memories into “2005,” his latest album as Allay Earhart. Harris turned 9 on the day Katrina changed the city and his life, and “2005” is about New Orleans from the perspective of a boy growing up in the Calliope projects.
California Dreaming: Pell discusses his time in L.A. and how New Orleans can help young musicians
In 2015, New Orleans-born rapper Pell decided to make the move to Los Angeles. He was fresh off the release of his album, “Floating While Dreaming,” which had landed him on tour with G-Eazy, Kindness and Kehlani, and was already working with an agent, lawyer and others who were living in L.A. So after signing a publishing deal with Pulse Recording, Pell landed on the West Coast.
Mailbox Money: The Recording Academy’s Reid Wick on growing New Orleans’ music industry
Reid Wick has been a part of the New Orleans music landscape from virtually every angle. He's a musician who plays guitar with the Bucktown All-Stars. He's run his own label, STR Digital Records, releasing albums by Joe Krown and Tom McDermott, and worked closely with Loyola University's college of music and its music industries program. He is also the Recording Academy's New Orleans-based director of regional advocacy and member engagement.
Nelly, Dillon Francis, 2 Chainz and more to perform at National Fried Chicken Festival 2026
The National Fried Chicken Festival is putting an emphasis on its music lineup in its 10th year and will feature performances by Nelly, 2 Chainz, Dillon Francis, A-Trak, Big Freedia with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Keri Hilson, Ying Yang Twins, Webbie and more Oct. 2-4 at the New Orleans Lakefront.
New Orleans rapper ET DEAUX redefines luxury on 'Adults Swimming' trilogy
New Orleans producer, rapper and artist ET DEAUX Provided photo by Evan Thibodeaux Evan Thibodeaux took a leap of faith in 2021. The New Orleans-born rapper, producer and artist known as ET DEAUX had lost someone close to him, and amid the pandemic, the restaurant he was heavily involved in had closed, and he found himself slipping into an unhealthy place.
New Orleans musician Laura Fisher channels change and collaboration into dreamy new album
A few years ago, Laura Fisher was ending Mardi Gras Day the way a lot of New Orleanians do: by removing her costume and washing off all the glitter. She had a lot of star- and moon-shaped glitter on her face and after one big swipe, “I looked in the mirror and I just got that feeling that we only know as people who have Mardi Gras,” Fisher says.
Still Smoove: As he makes 50, DJ Raj Smoove reflects on his part in New Orleans music
For a stretch in the late-’90s and early-2000s, Raj Smoove could be seen on Thursday nights at the House of Blues, DJing for the venue’s hip-hop night Soul 2 Soul. It was a popular event, and both New Orleans-born rappers and performers who happened to be in town would occasionally drop in and perform. Partygoers were living in the moment, and part of the magic, Smoove says, was you didn’t know who would show up.
New Orleans rapper Odd the Artist finds power in motherhood on 'Mothership' album
As Odd the Artist was developing her latest project “Mothership,” she started digging into the Blaxploitation films of the ’70s. She was drawn to the portrayal of strong Black women, like Pam Grier in “Foxy Brown” and Tamara Dobson in “Cleopatra Jones,” ready to wield a gun and save the day. There was an “ability to showcase that women are strong. There’s an ability to protect and ascend. There’s strength and leadership,” says Odd, a New Orleans rapper, producer, DJ and visual artist.
New Orleans rapper Alfred Banks looks back as he moves forward on 'YesterMonth'
Alfred Banks is clear about the question at the center of his new EP, “YesterMonth”: How can you use your past to build your future? The New Orleans-born rapper is encouragingly asking the listener that question as much as he’s posing it to himself. Banks has been looking back through both the bad and the good of his career in order to help as he moves into a new chapter.
New Orleans rapper Alfred Banks looks back as he moves forward on new album 'YesterMonth'
Alfred Banks is clear about the question at the center of his new EP, “YesterMonth”: How can you use your past to build your future? The New Orleans-born rapper is encouragingly asking the listener that question as much as he’s posing it to himself. Banks has been looking back through both the bad and the good of his career in order to help as he moves into a new chapter.
New Orleans musician Gina Leslie embraces growth on warm solo album
Gina Leslie is learning how to better coexist with her inner critic. Most people have that voice inside their head, questioning and judging their choices or bashing their self-esteem. Leslie gave hers a name: Trish. “That was a direct technique from my therapist,” the New Orleans musician says. “Give the voice a name, so that when it’s talking smack to you, you can be like, ‘OK, Trish, you just chill out over here.
New Orleans' Keaton Schiller turns vulnerability into cathartic alt-rock on 'The House That I Built'
Keaton Schiller Provided photo by Sarah Gardner Keaton Schiller can be a pretty vulnerable songwriter, penning lyrics that are candid and raw. But the New Orleans-based singer-songwriter doesn’t want that to be mistaken as her feeling too somber or down on herself, she says. So Schiller leans into her electric guitar, plays loud and pairs those raw lyrics with resilient, energetic alternative rock.
New Orleans' Keaton Schiller turns vulnerability into cathartic alt-rock on new album
Keaton Schiller Provided photo by Sarah Gardner Keaton Schiller can be a pretty vulnerable songwriter, penning lyrics that are candid and raw. But the New Orleans-based singer-songwriter doesn’t want that to be mistaken as her feeling too somber or down on herself, she says. So Schiller leans into her electric guitar, plays loud and pairs those raw lyrics with resilient, energetic alternative rock.
Kanye West is coming to New Orleans. What's the ticket actually worth?
What are the ethics of going to see Kanye West in 2026? That's a question New Orleanians will now have to think about. West, now known as Ye, is scheduled to perform Aug. 28 at the Caesars Superdome. The rapper earlier this year released his 12th studio album, "Bully," and has since been on a major tour featuring a massive, globe-shaped stage that reportedly is very impressive. But the Ye Live tour follows nearly four years of West taking a hard Nazi turn.
New Orleans' La Reezy releases 'Skiddle Bandana' on heels of XXL Freshman Class accolade
La Reezy’s new album is a party bus ride around the Black experience, the New Orleans-born rapper says. “When I was 13, I would ride the party bus with my friends, and we would look out the window and see different things. We would reflect on what’s happening on the bus [and] have a good time. That’s what I wanted this album to feel like,” La Reezy says. “[I] wanted it to feel like home, like New Orleans culture. Wanted it to feel alive and reflecting like you’re passing through the city.
New Orleans' La Reezy releases 'Skiddle Bandana' on heels of XXL Freshman Class nod
La Reezy’s new album is a party bus ride around the Black experience, the New Orleans-born rapper says. “When I was 13, I would ride the party bus with my friends, and we would look out the window and see different things. We would reflect on what’s happening on the bus [and] have a good time. That’s what I wanted this album to feel like,” La Reezy says. “[I] wanted it to feel like home, like New Orleans culture. Wanted it to feel alive and reflecting like you’re passing through the city.
Fifty years later, George Clinton brings the Mothership back to New Orleans
George Clinton wanted to do something big. The visionary funk vocalist and songwriter and his bands Parliament and Funkadelic, or P-Funk, were planning an extensive tour for 1976 and 1977, and Clinton had a prop in mind, specifically “a prop that was more dynamic than Pink Floyd,” he recently told Gambit. The Mothership landed for the first time on Oct. 27, 1976, in New Orleans at the Municipal Auditorium to a massive reaction.
Essence Fest fills New Orleans convention center with talks, markets and daytime experiences
While the Caesars Superdome will be busy at night with performances by Cardi B, Brandy & Monica, Patti LaBelle and a talk with former First Lady Michelle Obama, the evening concert series is only part of Essence Fest weekend. There’s a lot happening during the day over at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Essence Fest hosts a number of “experiences” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5, inside the convention center.
Mothership Moment: Essence Festival of Culture 2026 lands in New Orleans
When the Essence Festival of Culture returns to New Orleans this weekend, there will be some new collaborations, a few changes to festival staples, plenty of big names and a lot of reunions. Essence Magazine’s annual festival is a celebration of Black women, Black music and Black-owned businesses, and for many of the attendees, the event is as much about the friends they’ll reunite with in the crowd as it is the stars rocking the big stage.
Musician Ivan Neville reflects on Parliament-Funkadelic's Mothership landing in New Orleans
New Orleans-born keys player, vocalist and Dumpstaphunk leader Ivan Neville was 17 in October 1976 when he and his friends made it to the Municipal Auditorium to see George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic. He remembers there was some buzz around the show that there could be something unique coming up, but it was a surprise to the packed venue when P-Funk debuted the iconic Mothership — a spaceship from which Clinton would emerge as his alter-ego Dr. Funkenstein — for the first time.
Essence Fest fills New Orleans convention center with talks, markets and experiences
While the Caesars Superdome will be busy at night with performances by Cardi B, Brandy & Monica, Patti LaBelle and a talk with former First Lady Michelle Obama, the evening concert series is only part of Essence Fest weekend. There’s a lot happening during the day over at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Essence Fest hosts a number of “experiences” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5, inside the convention center.
George Clinton’s Mothership gets a 2026 upgrade ahead of Essence Fest
Vivian Scott Chew saw Parliament-Funkadelic’s original Mothership land in 1976 at Madison Square Garden in New York. And 20 years later, as an executive at Sony/550 Records, she worked with P-Funk leader George Clinton to bring his large spaceship back to life for the Mothership Reconnection Tour, which kicked off on July 4, 1996, in New York’s Central Park.
'Blissed out on parenting': Ilana Glazer brings stand-up tour to New Orleans
A few years ago, comedian and actor Ilana Glazer, her husband and their new baby took their first family trip together to Florida. Glazer’s parents had sold the Long Island house the “Broad City” co-creator had grown up in and moved to Florida during the Covid pandemic, so each year Glazer books an Airbnb and visits for a few weeks. Glazer wanted that first trip as a family to be perfect, they say in their 2024 stand-up special “Human Magic,” setting up a story that quickly goes off the rails.
Electronic musician Dan Deacon on an evolving career and appreciating smaller stages
Dan Deacon is excited to get back to Siberia on St. Claude Avenue. The Baltimore-based electronic musician and composer has been spending the last six months or so working on a re-imagination of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” in collaboration with contemporary dance company BalletX. He joined BalletX earlier this month to perform “The Four Seasons Reimagined” at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Iconic labels Cash Money and No Limit announce joint tour, with a New Orleans show Sept. 12
In the '90s and early-2000s, Cash Money and No Limit were two of the biggest labels in hip-hop and put New Orleans squarely in the middle of the mainstream rap conversation. Their artists are legends — and now people can see many of those New Orleans greats share a stage when Cash Money and No Limit go on tour together.
On hopeful new album, Cyril Neville celebrates New Orleans music, family and friends
Cyril Neville Photo by Sophia Germer / The Times-Picayune A couple of years ago, Cyril Neville spent Thanksgiving morning at the Orleans Justice Center. Trumpeter Irvin Mayfield had invited the New Orleans funk legend to join him and his band for an early concert for jail staff and a group of incarcerated people residing at OJC. There were a lot of young people in the crowd, Neville says, and he felt the need to give them some advice.
New Orleans summer releases include new tracks by Big Freedia, Juvenile, Pell and more
There's never a shortage of new music from New Orleans artists, and it can be hard to keep track of it all. So each month, Gambit is throwing together Spotify and Apple Music playlists to collect the latest releases by local musicians. Have a new single or album you'd like to tell us about? Email Jake at jclapp@gambitweekly.com. New Orleans is rolling into summer with a lot of new music.
Listen: New music from Big Freedia, Juvenile, Pell, the NOLA Songwriter Protest Project and more
There's never a shortage of new music from New Orleans artists, and it can be hard to keep track of it all. So each month, Gambit is throwing together Spotify and Apple Music playlists to collect the latest releases by local musicians. Have a new single or album you'd like to tell us about? Email Jake at jclapp@gambitweekly.com. New Orleans is rolling into summer with a lot of new music.
Creole boom bap: Jermaine from the South records a bold hip-hop EP in Louisiana Creole
As musician Jermaine Butler was writing verses in Louisiana Creole for his new hip-hop EP “Lalézon,” he found an interesting challenge. The language, also called Kouri-Vini, has a vocabulary that largely leans into the natural world, with seasons, wild plants and animals, says Butler, who records and performs under the moniker Jermaine from the South.
New Orleans' Thomas Dollbaum roams Florida backroads and fields on 'Birds of Paradise'
The natural world figures in a lot across Thomas Dollbaum’s “Birds of Paradise.” The New Orleans-based singer-songwriter grew up about 20 minutes north of Tampa, Florida, in a place where the rural starts to overtake the suburban. And as he was writing the songs that would end up on his forthright new album, Dollbaum says he was thinking about a certain time in his life and the intertwining memories of late high school and early college.
Gambit's Summer 2026 Dining Issue: New Orleans spots for vegan, Mediterranean food and more
As the summer approaches, menus around New Orleans are already starting to change. Crawfish season is coming to an end, giving way to more crab and shrimp dishes. And spring produce will soon be replaced with blueberries, blackberries and watermelons. Locals also tend to change the way they eat as the temperature heats up, seeking out lighter dishes, colder drinks and snowball stands.
Gambit's Summer 2026 Dining Issue: New Orleans spots for vegan dishes, Mediterranean and more
As the summer approaches, menus around New Orleans are already starting to change. Crawfish season is coming to an end, giving way to more crab and shrimp dishes. And spring produce will soon be replaced with blueberries, blackberries and watermelons. Locals also tend to change the way they eat as the temperature heats up, seeking out lighter dishes, colder drinks and snowball stands.
New Orleans' Kristin Diable looks for joy in the everyday on new album 'Impossible Things'
One of the running themes on New Orleans singer-songwriter Kristin Diable’s new album “Impossible Things” is about finding magic in the mundane. Although career milestones and reaching life goals are important, there’s a lot of joy and connection to be found in everyday things, Diable says. “Cooking in the kitchen and dancing with your kid, in little moments like that, the universe is perfect,” she says.
New Orleans singer-songwriter Kristin Diable looks for joy in the everyday on 'Impossible Things'
One of the running themes on New Orleans singer-songwriter Kristin Diable’s new album “Impossible Things” is about finding magic in the mundane. Although career milestones and reaching life goals are important, there’s a lot of joy and connection to be found in everyday things, Diable says. “Cooking in the kitchen and dancing with your kid, in little moments like that, the universe is perfect,” she says.
Ambition, transition and joy circle Sari Jordan on their new album 'Perfect Be The Enemy'
Sari Jordan releases 'Perfect Be The Enemy' on May 15 Provided photo by Camille Lenain Sari Jordan’s new album “Perfect Be The Enemy” covers a lot of ground. Their first full-length release, the New Orleans singer-songwriter reflects on the life changes and experiences of the last few years, but Jordan also connects the dots across New Orleans on the spacious indie pop album. They’re subtly charting the friends and places that have helped them grow both as a musician and as a person.
Tank and the Bangas find growth, grounding on ‘The Last Balloon’
With the album title “The Last Balloon,” Tank and the Bangas were bound to get some questions about the future. And Tarriona “Tank” Ball, the Grammy-winning New Orleans band’s dynamic vocalist, pretty quickly posted a reel to Instagram after the album announcement in March to explain. “The Last Balloon” isn’t the end of Tank and the Bangas, she said. It’s just the appropriate cap to an informal trilogy that started with 2019’s “Green Balloon” and grew with “Red Balloon” in 2022.
Tank and the Bangas find growth, grounding on their new album ‘The Last Balloon’
With the album title “The Last Balloon,” Tank and the Bangas were bound to get some questions about the future. And Tarriona “Tank” Ball, the Grammy-winning New Orleans band’s dynamic vocalist, pretty quickly posted a reel to Instagram after the album announcement in March to explain. “The Last Balloon” isn’t the end of Tank and the Bangas, she said. It’s just the appropriate cap to an informal trilogy that started with 2019’s “Green Balloon” and grew with “Red Balloon” in 2022.
Essence Fest announces nightly music lineups for 2026 New Orleans event
The Essence Festival of Culture is firming up the details of its music lineup for when the event returns to New Orleans Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5. The annual celebration of Black women and Black culture on Thursday announced the nightly lineups for its major concerts happening in the Caesars Superdome. Essence Fest kicks of July 3 with Cardi B, Kehlani, Latto and SZN4 along with another performer to be announced on May 12.
New Orleans indie rock band Pope grows with life's big changes on new album 'BFM'
A few years ago, New Orleans indie rock band Pope naturally started to slow things down a little bit. The trio has been a consistent, rumbling presence in the DIY music community since its 2013 EP “Known Weed Smoker.” But as what usually happens when people reach their late-20s and early-30s, priorities change and new projects come up. There were moves away and back to the city. Not to mention, we lived through a pandemic.
New Orleans indie rock band Pope grows with life's big changes on 'BFM'
A few years ago, New Orleans indie rock band Pope naturally started to slow things down a little bit. The trio has been a consistent, rumbling presence in the DIY music community since its 2013 EP “Known Weed Smoker.” But as what usually happens when people reach their late-20s and early-30s, priorities change and new projects come up. There were moves away and back to the city. Not to mention, we lived through a pandemic.
New Orleans Jazz Fest announces 2027 dates
A lot of people are still nursing the post-Jazz Fest hangover, but New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival organizers have already announced the dates for its 2027 edition. Jazz Fest returns to the New Orleans Fair Grounds for another eight-day run on April 22-May 2, 2027. Weekend dates will be Thursday, April 22, through Sunday, April 25, and Thursday, April 29, through Sunday, May 2. If organizers stick to a similar schedule as this year, keep a look out for a lineup announcement in mid-December.
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