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Baton Rouge, LA 70802

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12 BANDS FOR 12 STEPS
by Kim Stuart

 

 

 


      The fall air was extra crisp this particular Saturday afternoon. The stage was set with speakers and a microphone. Above the stage, a simple canopy to block the blazing sun. The crowd waited patiently and conversed with each other over bowls of gumbo. Soon that air would be filled with an array of different sounds. It was an ideal day for a concert.

      A total of 10 bands took stage at the O’Brien House benefit concert on October 29. Each band graciously volunteered their time to help OBH raise money. Another friend of OBH helped by making gumbo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

dinners to sell for $5 a plate. The entertainment, on the other hand, was free to all that stopped in.

      Close to $500 was raised through the concert. When asked if this was an event that OBH would like to see become a yearly happening, Ms. Katherine Martin expressed her enthusiasm, “Yes, I would love to make this into an annual event. It was a complete success and something that everyone really seemed to enjoy. Next year we’ll sell tee-shirts!"
   
      Around 250 people attended the event that lasted most of the afternoon. The crowd included a majority of the OBH residents, OBH alum, and Baton Rouge locals. The crowd seemed to have a wonderful time throughout the concert. Plenty of them were singing with the artists, and even more were dancing to the vibrating music.
   
      Billy Callaway, lead singer for Zenbilly (
pictured above), said, “It was a wonderful time. I remember seeing two little girls dancing around smiling and just acting silly and I couldn’t help but smile and laugh also.”
   
      Each of the bands played a half-hour of their original music. The crowd was delighted with the variety of genres that performed at the event. There was certainly something for everyone’s taste. The Lagniappe Dulcimers kicked off the event with their earthy peaceful sounds. It made it hard to look around and not be thankful for your surroundings on such a beautiful day. Automatic Funk Machine followed with more of a funky sound when they began their performance with their own rendition of ‘The Pink Panther.’  It was a version unique to their style of funk.
   
          Next, The Blues Runners, a Lafayette band, took the stage and gave the crowd a serving of blues.  Their

 

performance is easily described as straight from the soul. Betsy Braud, with her piano and flute, followed with “healing” jazz music. She had the crowd chanting when she shouted the question, “Do you want to be healed?” It is easy to see how she has come to be known as the Jazz Nurse.

      A Cup of Tea took the stage next with their unique mix of blues and rock. They had the entire audience clapping in rhythm to their music. Smithfield Fair followed with their folk music. The group has already released eight CDs. This band’s sound was unlike any other. It was reminiscent of Scottish and Irish folk music. Torn and Frayed delighted the crowd next with their performance. They brought more of a 70’s style rock sound to the concert.
    

Next up was legendary blues band, Henry Gray and the Cats.  Henry Gray, New Orleans local, is a master of the blues.  This band’s performance had the parking lot filled as the concert continued on.  Gray had the audience dancing and shouting along with his lyrics. This band’s performance was the high point of the day for many. Callaway agreed, “This had to have been the peak performance. It was, simply put, inspiring and soulful.”
   
      The Black Box’s funky tunes followed. The sound of the trombone filled the late afternoon air with a jazzy musk.  This band had a wonderfully distinctive sound all their own that left the crowd in a dream-like daze rocking their heads to the music.
   
      Zenbilly concluded the night with their musical performance of poems written by the O’Brien House residents.  This was an uplifting end to the concert.  Billy Callaway, the vocalist for Zenbilly explained that they wanted to give something back to the residents that they could truly be proud of. If you were so unfortunate to have missed this event, be on look out for it next fall. OBH hopes to make it even bigger and better. We look forward to seeing you there.

 

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O'Brien House on other sites:

http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/cgibin?rqstyp=crpdtlC&rqsdta=04107820N

http://blacktie-louisiana.com/profiles/profile_details.cfm?id=62817

http://wwwprodapp.doa.louisiana.gov/services/user/ServiceDetail.cfm?servID=3365
http://www.addictionresourceguide.com/listings/obrien.html
http://alcoholism.about.com/od/tx_lou/qt/la082.htm
http://www.hopenetworks.org/ObrienHouse.htm
http://brgov.com/dept/ocd/shelters/shelter12.htm

 

O'Brien House in the news:

http://www.foundationsforrecovery.org/site/c.agLNI2OGKtF/b.1070371/k.8996/Grant_Detail__OBrien_House____09222005.htm
http://www.bswllp.com/documents/RobinsonSecretaryofOBrienHouseBOD.pdf