Heartbeat NOLA

Live music is the inhale and exhale of New Orleans and everyday the threat looms that venues won’t ever return from a now almost year-long, forced hibernation. As a result, musicians have had no choice but to navigate various stages of panic and paralysing fear about making ends meet and keeping their craft alive. But there are forces at work for the greater good and as they weave their own wizardry they help heal at least part of the city’s soul.

For those of us that miss drum beats thumping you can feel in your chest cavity, there was a haven in Pigeontown, and it went by the name of Heartbeat NOLA. Heartbeat NOLA which ran from August to December last year, was the brainchild of friends Anne Pillow Olsen, Camilla Franklin and Jason Scott, and was an in-person live music experience that went way beyond a saving grace. Nestled almost unobtrusively in the backyard of an otherwise ordinary looking side hall shotgun, Heartbeat NOLA provided a platform for staples of the New Orleans music scene, and up and comers alike, to perform and earn while their regular haunts are shuttered and uncertain of their future. Surrounded by luscious tropical plants cured with obvious love and care listening to professional, club-grade engineered sound from local maestro Michael Paz, was transportation to a dearly-missed time I know I’m guilty of taking for granted. Performers of such stature as Grammy-award winner Jon Cleary, and renowned locals Honey Island Swamp Band and Papa Mali, set up on the porch of a home studio and belted out their melodic magic for an hour plus and you almost forgot why it had to be that way. The dancing beneath strings of fairy lights was energetic and whimsical and added further cheek-creasing joy to a much-needed heart swelling. Guest numbers were limited, temperatures were taken, seating was set up with regulated distancing, permits from the City were on display and the mask-clad could meander but were asked to respectfully keep distances and observe the necessary protocols. This oasis of positivity and harmony took you to a state of calm that was the best therapy money can buy. Even Dingbat the cat digged on the vibes and could be seen laid flat out on a step….either ignoring or soaking up the atmosphere…..not quite sure.

This lifeline was not only thrown to musicians, but others in the hospitality brethren that are as vital contributors to the pulse of New Orleans and suffering the same side effects of a prolonged inability to practice their art. Operating a makeshift bar out of a garage, where an exquisite, operational, vintage Cadillac usually resides, were French Quarter bartender extraordinaires Julie Lacoste, Chris Gargiule, CJ Butler, Mia Matassa and JR Sekerak. Looking more like they were robbing a stagecoach, these dive haven favourites poured standards and mixed creative new concoctions with their typical warmth and humour. Also temporarily taking over part of the Cadi’s domicile was Chef Richard Papier, the mind behind the artist formerly known as Araña Taqueria y Cantina, that lived on a stretch of retail and restaurant miracle miles called Magazine Street. Rich was the final piece in the puzzle of this happiness as he offered up Mexican culinary deliciousness with great flavours and colour.

Heartbeat NOLA was incredibly well-organized, safe, and made chicken soup for the soul look like something conjured up by a kindergartner. For those of us lucky enough to be in the know, it provided a sanctuary where the black cloud disappeared and what we love so much came back to us, even if only for a brief period of time. The ticket proceeds went to the musicians, the booze was donated, bartenders earned tips and Anne, Camilla and Jason forwarded all donations from the bar to various live music venues around town.

House concerts were already gaining popularity but in this bizarro world they have become so much more meaningful. Despite the many months of unemployment, and the hardship that that means, the determination is still here, digging in, hopeful and committed to a recovery they refuse to let become a pipe dream. The future of Heartbeat NOLA is unknown at this point, but even in my spoiled white girl brain, I’m fortunate for all that I have and hold close, especially the amazing people I know who have such an extraordinary capacity for giving and an enormous love for our sweet city under siege. Humans need to be together and our unspoken gratitude for this time can be felt, and if not seen through the face covering, in the light of eyes.