Groove Interrupted: Loss, Renewal, and the Music of New Orleans

by Keith Spera

The recent history of New Orleans is fraught with tragedy and triumph. Both are reflected in the city's vibrant, idiosyncratic music community. In Keith Spera's intimately reported Groove Interrupted , Aaron Neville returns to New Orleans for the first time after Hurricane Katrina to bury his wife. Fats Domino improbably rambles around Manhattan to promote a post-Katrina tribute CD. Alex Chilton lives anonymously in a battered cottage in the Treme neighborhood. Platinum-selling rapper Mystikal rekindles his career after six years in prison. Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard struggles to translate Katrina into music. The spotlight also shines on Allen Toussaint, Pete Fountain, Gatemouth Brown, the Rebirth Brass Band, Phil Anselmo, Juvenile, Jeremy Davenport and the 2006 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. With heartache, hope, humor and resolve, each of these contemporary narratives stands on its own. Together, they convey that the funky, syncopated spirit of New Orleans music is unbreakable, in spite of Katrina's interruption.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 2, 2011

About the author

Keith Spera writes about music for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans. In 2006, he was a member of the newspaper's Pulitzer Prize-winning Hurricane Katrina coverage team. He has also contributed to Rolling Stone, Vibe, Blender, LA Weekly, Garden & Gun and numerous documentaries. He lives in his native New Orleans with his wife and two young children.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/keiths...

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spera is probably very well known to New Orleans music fans, as he's been writing for various publications down there for a long time. This book came out about 6 years ago, and it recycles some work he'd done as a journalist. He's not really a music critic, but he does have broad and smart musical opinions. He is a really good features writer, and the chapters in this book on Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (detailing his final year or so of life), Aaron Neville (a broad life story and a lot about his love for his wife who died post-Katrina), Fats Domino (mostly about a visit to New York), Alex Chilton (the best short history of his post-Big Star life, career, and death I've ever read), Mystikal (his story of the loss of his sister and his incarceration for rape leading to rehabilitation moved me so much I looked him up to see how he's been doing since, only to find that sadly he's now up on new rape charges), Phil Anselmo of Pantera (about whom I knew nothing going in, but who has truly suffered for his "art"), and Pete Fountain (who seems to have been a really happy person) are all worth the price of admission.

[Cornelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a well written anthology covering several New Orleans musicians lives as impacted by the federal flood in New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. I even enjoyed the two chapters on rap/bounce artists Juvenile and Mystikal though they are not artists I've had any interest in (not a musical style I'm fond of.)

[Barb H]

I have been intrigued by the series, Treme , shown on HBO, which focuses on the aftermath of Hurricaine Katrina in New Orleans. The unique aspect of this is how the tradition of wonderful music did not die, but survived by the efforts of many musicians and fans. This book, reviewed in The Boston Globe Book Review , Sunday, 8/7/11, addresses these issues.

[Phil Overeem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't stunningly written, but any book with solid back-to-back features on Phil Anselmo (of Pantera), Mystikal, and Pete Fountain is going to earn my love. Questions: where the ladies at?

[Laura Cushing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent non-fiction about New Orleans musicians experiencing life, death, and re-birth after hurricane Katrina. Featuring everyone from hometown favorite Aaron Neville to Fats Domino, to rapper Mystikal and bounce's Juvenile.

These are personal stories, each one its own little chapter - they're ultimately stories of hope, and about how music and musicians will continue on. It's about the culture of New Orleans, and the way the future and past of her music blend. There is life and music in New Orleans post Katrina, though undoubtedly changed and defined by her.

There were a lot of musicians that I was familiar with, and some that I hadn't heard of - but I liked that about the book. They were stories about musicians in all stages of their lives and careers, covering a wide variety of genres.

Recommended reading for anyone who is interested in music history, or the culture of New Orleans.

[Marlène · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Groove Interrupted" est basé sur des articles que Keith Spera a écrit pour le Times-Picayune. Chaque article a ensuite été développé pour ce recueil, retraçant le parcours de musiciens et personnages emblématiques composant la mosaïque musicale et culturelle de la Nouvelles Orléans. Le fil conducteur, hormis la musique et l'amour que chacun porte à la culture musicale de la ville et de la Louisiane, est ici l'ouragan Katrina, force tantôt destructrice, fédératrice ou constructrice, parfois les trois, pour ces artistes.
Des récits touchants (je ne vous dis pas combien de fois j'ai versé ma larme face aux accidents de la vie de certains protagonistes), intrigants, toujours intéressants et une richesse incroyable transmise par la plume efficace du journaliste. Un plaisir et une mine d'infos qui vous poussera plus loin dans la recherche du bon son New Orleans! Ça n'a pas arrangé mon cas...

[Nicole Means · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spera's book is a beautiful tribute to New Orleans and its music scene-both of which are powerful symbols of recovery after Katrina tried to knock their spirits down. In a world where 'fist-pumping" is a staple dance move, it is refreshing to read about music that tells a story of this amazing city. Spera's book is so poignantly written that even his essay on Mystical had me teary-eyed. If you love New Orleans, Louisiana, and it's unique music scene, this book is definitely worth your time!

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent reportage about New Orleans music in the 2000s and w/r/t Katrina, with an eye toward history. Loved learning new things about Aaron Neville, Quint Davis, Pete Fountain, Mystikal, Jeremy Davenport, Terrance Blanchard... I'll admit to being disappointed that all 13 profile subjects were men.

[Adamdaigle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have nothing but praise for Keith Spera's work in this book. Both well-written and well-reported, the book does an excellent job of telling each artist's story in compelling fashion. I wanted this book mostly to read about Rebirth Brass Band, but I gained so much more knowledge of the New Orleans music world along the way.

Great work, Keith. Newspaper people write the best books.

[Toby Galloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of journalism about multiple New Orleans musicians from a variety of genres. There’s plenty for connoisseurs of the New Orleans canon, but there’s also articles about bounce and even heavy-metal. All of this is set in the post-Katrina era, and is recommended for those who love New Orleans music and New Orleans itself.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Learned a lot both about musicians I wasn't familiar with, as well as post-Katrina devastation and rebuilding. Mostly, though, it's about the music. And I bought a ton of it while reading this book.

[tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Groove goes on

Well written- from the inside out. A bittersweet journey along the edges of a most important subject-music from a most important place. No dirt, no filler, no rambling. A very good place to start any journey to New Orleans, whether in headphones or on foot.

[Julie Clements · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked most of the chapters...each one about a different musician. Some fascinating folks!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most well written book, but the stories and background information make up for it.

[Deblenares Lenares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. The writing is excellent. The subjects and the interwoven theme of Katrina's impact on their lives were diverse and interesting.

[Taryn Phillips-quinn]

Great overview of the music scene post-Katrina. Gives insight into all forms of music in the city from trad jazz to hip hop.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb - if you love New Orleans and the local music and culture (or want to explore how awesome it is) then this is a must read in my opinion. Good insight from a good local writer.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short stories here, tied together by the common theme of Katrina.