The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias – Live Music Returning to NOLA and Frenchmen Street – 2022Ep19

On this week’s The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we discuss the return of live music to New Orleans and, specifically, to its iconic music district – Frenchmen Street. We welcome Patrick Williams of Midnight Revival, a new music venue and bar located in the Frenchmen Hotel, Duane Bartels of The Duane Bartels Band, and Andrew Portwood of Fox Pocket, a talent management and booking agency. We discuss what it means to have music back, what the “new normal” looks like, and what we might expect looking ahead to the summer and beyond. It’s an interesting conversation on a culturally and economically important part of our city and region!

The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias – Live Music Returning to NOLA and Frenchmen Street – 2022Ep19

On this The NOLADrinks Show with Bryan Dias, we discuss the return of live music to New Orleans on a larger scale as we move into a “new normal.” Live music is critical to the city’s culture and economy and nowhere is that more the case than on Frenchmen St., the city’s legendary music district that boasts numerous venues in a short few-block stretch.

As we often note on the show, the interconnectivity of the music and hospitality industries cannot be overstated. They are inexorably linked with jobs in both industries dependent on a vibrant live music scene.

We welcome Patrick Williams of Midnight Revival, a new music venue and bar located in the Frenchmen Hotel, Duane Bartels of The Duane Bartels Band (Facebook and Instagram), and Andrew Portwood of Fox Pocket, a talent management and booking agency.

It’s an interesting chat that brings three, yet overlapping, perspectives – that of a venue, a performer, and a talent agency – to the discussion. We talk about what it means to run a venue on the city’s venerated Frenchmen St. and the responsibility that comes with it. We also cover what it has been like as a performer over the past couple of years as well as what the situation has meant for talent management and booking. We also tab our guests for their views on what the summer and coming months might look like.

Be sure to also catch the next in our “The NOLADrinks Show Featured Drink” series – “The Privateer” by Patrick Williams of Midnight Revival. See our Instagram for the recipe and some tips on making this terrific rum sipper!

Check out The Duane Bartels Band on Spotify!

Please note – this show was taped over a week ago prior to today’s disheartening and destructive news. As regular listeners know, The NOLADrinks Show is about equity, inclusivity, and human rights. This certainly includes a woman’s right to choose. We stand firmly against the Supreme Court ruling and will continue our messaging of social justice moving forward.

Cheers and Be Well, You All!

~ Bryan