"Music is such a universal form of expression. People have used music to express heavy emotion for ages. Think about the war cries of ancient tribes to create a sense of being connected with one another so they could operate as one. Music can unite us. In church people sing together to worship as one. Human beings need to feel connected to one another. When people come together in song it is powerful."…

"I think music is still hopefully a space where people can see their similarities rather than their differences. It might be a cliché, but music quite often literally brings people together and gives them an experience of oneness with each other and with the universe. I strive to do that with loud guitar noises."

Eric Johanson: NOLA Rockin' Blues…

"Blues and jazz is a bit outside the commercial realm so it is relatively fad free and will be with us a long time, and folks keep hiring us so we will keep plugging away."

Dave Post: Swingadelic “Little Big Band”

Swingadelic is a jazz/blues ensemble founded in 1998 in Hoboken, New Jersey by bassist Dave Post. Initially, the group played jump…

"NOLA is saturated in music. It's in the homes, the streets, the clubs, the water, in the blood in the DNA. It's a passion a lifestyle."

Louise Cappi: Eclectic NOLA Gumbo

Louise Cappi, is an American Soul/Jazz singer & songwriter, recording artist & Bandleader. New Orleans is the native New Yorkers home. She is the child of the late great…

"I think music improves lives in all kinds of ways. It offers people therapy on their own terms. Most musicians are weirdos, some are jerks, a few are worse than that, but almost all music seems to have the potential to help players and listeners through hard times. Playing music can be a public service. Seems like the world would be a better place if every job was like that."

Deltaphonic: The Holy…

"Blues music reflects the feelings of the people who create it, and the feelings and conditions and situations shared by other people of the same culture. Making blues music and listening to it is a way for people to process the challenges they face."

Katy Hobgood Ray: The Dream Of Music

The duo of Katy Hobgood Ray and Dave Ray reminds us there is…

"Well I think we all know that blues was created in the south by African Americans. Using a lot of their influences and speaking of their experiences. It comes from a lot of emotions. Truth be told I stay away from politics so I really don’t know. As far as racial implications, blues nowadays is loved by every color and every ethnicity at least in my experience. Like I said before, it is a healer."…

"The SOUL and organic quality of REAL music, made by humans; truly talented people playing real instruments and singing from the heart; no tricks, no bullshit, just absolutely honest and pure music... coming straight from the soul."

Doug Duffey and BADD: Play The Blues

Multi award-winning Doug Duffey and BADD are a North Louisiana-based quartet…

"I learned from the early Pioneers of the Devil's Music, I had to be True to Myself and Others. They know when you are Faking It!"

Harold Brown: The Beat of Spirit

Harold Ray Brown was born (1946) in Long Beach, California is a founding member of War, an American funk band in the 1970s and 2000s. Harold had a number of roles over the years, acting…

“Culture is everything in New Orleans, from the food to the music to the architecture. New Orleans is and shall always be a celebration of African American culture and it wants everyone to be involved and join the celebration. There is always a fear that the growth and gentrification of any city will hurt the culture, but if you live in this city you should already know you’re here to be part of it and help preserve it.”…

"I think it (Blues) sounds like the voices of southern people.  Blues and jazz is connected to the southern sound because it originated in the south."

Chris Belleau: Swamp NOLA Fever

Who is Chris Belleau? “West of New…

"ALL forms of American modern music has its origin in Black Gospel music. From it came Blues, and then Jazz, then Rhythm & Blues, then Rock n' Roll."

Jeff Chaz: Keep The Blues Attitude 

Jeff…

"I use to hope that the Blues would survive, that was back in the '70's when Blues got real slow. The Blues had the Blues then, but '80's they bounced back. Now today is stronger then ever, the Blues will live on."

Kenny Neal: The Blues Bloodline…

"The opportunity to play music for and with children has been a blessing. I've learned to slow down a little, play a bit more deliberately, to be more conscious of what I'm doing – more present."

The Wonderful World of Jeremy Lyons…

"The term “Blues” is greatly misunderstood by many people, and it can conjure 10 different images for 10 different people."

Keith Stone: The Saints Returns

Keith Stone is a…

"Everyone experiences the blues every day. The way we deal with the blues can make us deeper, stronger people or weaker, victims of life’s hardships."

Steve Riley: Bienvenue en Louisiane 

Steve Riley, of…

"The most obvious connection between these forms of music is the blend of cultures, African and European, that occurred naturally through living and working side by side. It is a slow process, but it produces quality."

David Greely: Under the Cajun Moon…

"As any of us from New Orleans will tell you, it is our freedom of expression and joie de vivre that makes us unique."

Brint Anderson: The Saints' Riffs

More than forty years have passed since Brint…

"Music from the past stopped too sudden. Keeping it alive."

Fo’Reel: New Orleans Grooves

The New Orleans-based Blues, R&B and Funk Band Fo’Reel was born out of a studio project that Mark Domizio…

"Blues/ jazz is based on improve which I see as a direct connection between the artist and the spirit mind/heart of the people. The Lakota say music carries the prayers of the people."

David Lee Carson: Archetypes Visions…