Country Roads’ 35th Anniversary Fest

We’ve had a few decades to prove our talents at writing about festivals, but how about putting one on?! At the first-ever Country Roads Festival, a long time coming after thirty-five years, we’re pulling out all the stops with a restaurant sneak peek, tours of the Myrtles, two spirited concerts, lawn games and local libations, and the chance to thank you, sincerely, for keeping us going. On November 11, come raise a glass! Tickets at bontempstix.com.

Listen...

If there’s a better stage name than “Gal Holiday,” it’s probably “the punk rock Patsy Cline,” which has also been applied to Appalachia-born, New Orleans-minted songstress Vanessa Niemann. She’s joined by guitarists Matt Slusher and Justin LeCuyer, drummer Rose Cangelosi, and upright bassist Corey McGillivary, all of whom pull double duty as singers and songwriters and make up the Honky Tonk Revue. The eleven-time New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival veterans released their most recent album, Lost & Found, last fall. Learn more, hear some tunes, and download a digital copy of Lost & Found at galholiday.com.

Bon Bon Vivant

In the mood for bawdy Gypsy swing? Look no further than Bon Bon Vivant, the indie-tinged, murder-ballad crooning six-pieceBon Bon Vivant recently recorded a new album live at the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Old U.S. Mint, and it’s a corker, featuring tracks about the Axe Man of New Orleans, a kidnapping foiled by the victim’s crack-shot girlfriend, and two old rivals commiserating about the state of their business over drinks—their business being soul acquisition, and the rivals being God and the Devil. To hear their music and learn more, swing on by bbvband.com. 

Eat... 

From our preview of The Myrtles' new Restaurant 1796: "He plates the crackling protein, showers the vegetables with salt, a housemade lemon aioli, and herbs from the garden. Thanks to Lewis’ careful choreography with the fire, dinner is crisp on the outside and tender within. But how do you know anything for sure in this place of spooks and peripheral mists? You can see this food, blink all you want; you can touch it with your piercing fork—and oh boy, you can taste it, each bite its own blessing." Read the rest here.

Drink...

Our hunt for the best beverages to serve had the following rubric: Is it absolutely delicious? Does it flow forth from a local company? And can you sip it, smacking with delight, while engaging in a bout of croquet or bocce ball?

Enter Cane Land Distilling Company, out of Baton Rouge, for zesty cocktails and Southern Prohibition Brewing, from Hattiesburg, with cases of quenching beer. If you find yourself on the losing end of lawn sports, don’t worry! The drinks pair well with live music and hearth cooking too. But careful on your haunted house tour—iced drinks and jump scares don’t mix.