the beat goes on (...if it ever stopped!) We were staying around the corner from the strip of Frenchmen Street from Esplanade to Royal that has become the hub of the local music & nightlife scene. Every night around 11 p.m. we would hear the oompah of a tuba and the blare of trumpets announcing that one of New Orleans young brass bands had arrived to get the party going. We knew a crowd would soon gather. Some to watch. Most to dance. And dance in that special way that only brass band music, a local crowd and a sweltering night can evoke. Frenetic. Loose. Funky. Wild. And if you wanted a break from the brash brass there were firedancers & streetpoets, taco trucks and a half-dozen places to hear reggae, blues, jazz, hip-hop or straight-out rock. where to eat: in the middle of the strip there’s Snug Harbor for the best burgers, gumbo and blackened fish. Down Decatur Street, which leads straight into Frenchmen, there’s Coop’s and Angeli’s, two of the best-kept local secrets. Cheap and open late. where to hang: Snug Harbor—for jazz in a classic setting; DBA (right next door) is a venue with 100 varieties of beer, great live music—often with no cover. Especially hot on Wednesday nights with local blues master Walter “Wolfman” Washington. Top off the night with drinks at the R-Bar around the corner on Royal Street. Or head down Decatur to Molly’s at the Market or Pravda (for a taste of an absinthe martini). want to see more images? download a pdf portfolio of selects from brashbrass. Or browse my work at maxsinger.com BACK TO TOP out of the mire: the ninth ward is reborn Devastated by the break in the Industrial Canal levee and flood wall during hurricane Katrina, the lower ninth ward lay in ruins. Cars and trucks overturned, house blown off their foundations, the relics of people’s lives strewn about covered in muck and mire and mold (see above). There was doubt that this once thriving working-class black community would ever be reanimated. But thanks to the efforts of actor/activist Brad Pitt, the organization Make It Right, and some innovative, dedicated architects and designers, a new community is rising. (see below). to view more pictures: download a pdf monograph of selects from the ninth is reborn, view my ninth ward album on facebook. Or browse my work at maxsinger.com to learn more about the rebuilding: visit make it right.org BACK TO TOP not cigarstore indian: tradition reigns The Mardi Gras Indians, one of New Orleans unique traditions, are back as strong as ever, replete with their trademark regalia and rituals. Don’t let the mean look of this guy fool you. He’s been practicing it all year. But be respectful when you’re taking pictures. And you can snap happily away. to view more: open a preview of my blurb book funeral in treme/big chief. to learn more about the indians: visit mardi gras: traditions and history or go to or go to the mardi gras indians article on wikipedia. Check Gambit (a New Orleans weekly publication) or Offbeat online to find out when the Indians gather, Secondlines roll and the like. BACK TO TOP off the beaten path: get out of the quarter There’s more to New Orleans than the sights and sounds familiar to most tourists. Outside of the predictable spots — the French Quarter, the Garden District, the Arts District — there is another New Orleans. A quirky American Southern small town with hints and fragments of the 40s and 50s. I’ve been wandering the streets for years and still come across scenes that are new to me, like this giant cow parked in a lot outside Brown’s Dairy in the Central City neighborhood. other places to explore: Drive, bike or hike Magazine Street, St. Claude or Broad Street from one end to the other for "snapshot" of the ethnic and cultural diversity of the city BACK TO TOP to receive aspect ratio by e-mail, contact me and write signup in the subject line		the beat goes on (...if it ever stopped!) out of the mire the ninth is reborn tradition reigns not cigarstore indian off the beaten path get out of the quarter To encourage you to view my work, each month I will select at random one visitor to my website to receive a 20x30 signed print of their choice selected from the images on the site. Just visit my website, click contact and type enter in the subject line. That’s it. Go to maxsinger.com. behind the picture (lights. cameras. action) There's almost always a film being shot in New Orleans. A few years back, while walking past Jackson Square with a friend, on our way to a concert at the House of Blues, we came upon a film set. There were lights, scaffolds, dolly tracks and trailers everywhere. And dozens of gorgeous classic cars from the 20s and 30s. I only had 5 or 10 minutes to take some snaps and none to ask questions. It was only when I saw the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button that I recognized this scene. For more information about films being shot in New Orleans visit the website of the New Orleans Office of Film and Video. 300 snappers (the new orleans photo alliance) Max is an active member of the New Orleans Photo Alliance, a “community” of photographers formed in the aftermath of Katrina. It has grown since then in leaps and bounds with membership in the hundreds. It’s yearly efforts culminate in PhotoNola, a 2-week extravaganza of photography which includes dozens of exhibitions of work in galleries as well as alternative spaces, a major-league portfolio review, workshops and a benefit gala at the New orleans Museum of Art. Max is currently working with other NOPA members to bring to life THINKBIGEASY an art event using mega-scale photography to transfrom public spaces. For more information visit the website of NOPA and PhotoNola. To learn more about ThinkBigEasy, download a pdf prospectus. all photographs copyright max singer 2006-2010. website: www.maxsinger.com contact: max@maxsinger.com